Tag Archives: Phil Schiller

Articles of Interest

Apple’s Fading Allure Worries Investors, Suppliers

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By The Huffington Post News Editors

(Reuters) – Apple Inc marketing chief Phil Schiller let slip during last August’s courtroom battle with Samsung that when setting forecasts for new iPhones, the inside joke was that people should assume sales would equal all previous versions combined.

That quip, uttered in front of Samsung Electronics Co Ltd‘s trial lawyers and the media, no longer rings true as Apple appears to be losing a once vice-like grip on its supply chain and Wall Street.

Suppliers and investors are struggling to gauge demand for the iconic smartphone as Samsung and up-and-coming rivals grab market share. Indications of reduced shipments now send shares in Apple and its component-makers into a tailspin. And criticism that innovation has stalled after the death of its legendary co-founder Steve Jobs 18 months ago is hurting sentiment in a stock that closed the week below $400 for the first time since December 2011.

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From: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/21/apple-stock-worries-suppliers-investors_n_3127912.html

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Apple's Brilliant iPhone Surrender

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By Doug Ehrman, The Motley Fool

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Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that — based on the activity of Apple’s Asian suppliers — the company is expected to release two new iPhones later this year. The first will be a yawn-inspiring refresh of the iPhone 5 that is expected to be even less notable than the bump from the iPhone 4S. The updated version will include very few changes and follow the company’s recent release pattern. The second release, unfortunately scheduled for later in the year, will bring a less expensive iPhone to market. This multi colored, non-metal version may attract non-premium U.S. users to Apple, but is expected to finally get Apple into the fight with Google Android in the emerging markets.

The iPhone 5S
This summer’s expected release of the slightly upgraded iPhone 5 — likely to follow the ‘S’ naming convention — is not expected to shake things up in any significant way. The next iPhone iteration is not expected to change size — for both philosophical and financial reasons — meaning another entire generation of iPhones that will not compete with larger Android options. For investors, this is something of a mixed story; the release of the iPhone 5 was hardly noteworthy from a technology perspective, yet the device sold nearly 50 million units very quickly. While a market-disrupting advance would be welcome, achieving economies of scale by leaving the next iteration alone may be the better option for shareholders.

The iPhone Jr.
Whatever Apple decides to name the new cheaper iPhone, its availability is a brilliant move of surrender by Cupertino. Earlier this year, Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of marketing, gave a very different sense in an interview: “Despite the popularity of cheap smartphones, this will never be the future of Apple’s products. In fact, although Apple’s market share of smartphones is just about 20%, we own the 75% of the profit.” In the context of the rest of his remarks, Schiller was likely playing off the word cheap, stating that, “We consider using only the best technology available.”

The new version of the iconic smartphone may be more affordable, but it will never be cheap. Apple does not do cheap, which will be an important distinction to make when the device finally debuts. Still, surrendering to pressure to release a new device with a much lower price point has the potential to allow Apple to compete in new and important ways.

As Schiller notes, the company’s global market share is only 20%. This has been driven by the fact that inexpensive Android devices are so readily available. Where Apple will gain a significant advantage over Google is that, while Android is free to other manufacturers, Apple will be profiting from the sales of the devices themselves, as well as back-end ecosystem revenues. If the new device can both penetrate emerging markets and attract domestic consumers that might not otherwise opt for a premium iPhone, this could be …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Apple Takes 3 Shots at Android

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By Evan Niu, CFA, The Motley Fool

Threat families and variants by platform. Source: F-Secure. J2ME = Java 2, Micro Edition.

The rise was attributed to Android’s dominant market share position, since unsavory types tend to target the widest audiences. By that rationale, it makes sense that hackers are giving up on Nokia‘s Symbian platform, since the Finnish company has effectively abandoned it also in favor of Microsoft Windows Phone. The security threats on Symbian have declined steadily in accordance with its market share.

Time well spent?
Schiller’s been busy making the rounds at undermining Android. At the same time, Apple’s marketing campaigns have

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With just hours to go ahead of Samsung’s Galaxy S IV unveiling, Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller has stepped out into the spotlight in an attempt to rain on Google Android’s parade.

Tim Cook’s Apple is very different than Steve Jobs’ Apple in many ways; one such way is that the company is much more talkative and engaged with the press. Cook himself did a couple of media interviews three months ago with NBC and Bloomberg Businessweek, and Apple issues more press releases nowadays to increase communication with the public.

Schiller’s pair of sit-downs was with The Wall Street Journal and Reuters. What did Apple’s main marketer have to say?

How low can you go?
The executive called Android a “free replacement for a feature phone,” which is certainly true in many cases since the open-source platform is able to target remarkably low price points at times. Of course, there are plenty of high-end flagship devices running Android, and everything in between.

Schiller says that when you first open an Android gadget, you’re required to sign up with “nine” different accounts with different companies just to get the same experience that one single iOS login delivers. Since so many companies pitch in to the end product, all of the different aspects “don’t work seamlessly together” either.

Version burn
When speaking with Reuters, Schiller added that by Google’s own estimates, 16% of users are on an Android version that’s a year old, with over 50% on versions that are two years old. Even when Samsung’s Galaxy S IV launches, it will already be dated since it runs a software version that’s a year old, according to Schiller.

What Schiller is likely referring to is the Android version distribution stats that Google posts for developers.

Version

Code Name

Distribution

2.2 and older

Donut, Eclair, Froyo

9.6%

2.3.x

Gingerbread

44.1%

3.1-3.2

Honeycomb

1.2%

4.0.x

Ice Cream Sandwich

28.6%

4.1-4.2

Jelly Bean

16.5%

Source: Google. Data collected during a 14-day period ending March 4, 2013.

Jelly Bean is Android’s latest and greatest, but is only on 16.5% of devices. Gingerbread was initially released in December 2010, and is now over two years old. Gingerbread and older versions still comprise 53.7% of devices, since third-party carriers and OEMs bottleneck software updates.

Schiller cites the iPhone maker’s internal research data as indicating that four times as many consumers switch from Android to iOS than vice versa. That may be in part because Apple’s ecosystem has been shown to be much stickier than Google’s. iOS users have a much higher propensity to spend money on apps and content, which dramatically increases switching costs should they ever wish to defect.

In related news
A week ago, Schiller also tweeted another jab at Android: “Be safe out there.” He shared a link (opens PDF) to a third-party research report …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Video Gaming

Apple's Schiller: Samsung Galaxy S IV will Ship with Year-old Android OS

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Tonight clearly belongs to Samsung. The company is set to reveal its next flagship phone, the Galaxy S IV, during tonight’s “Unpacked” event in New York City. But according to Reuters, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Phil Schiller, had some choice words for Samsung and the Android platform.

Claiming to use Google’s own data, Schiller told Reuters the majority of Android users are still on older versions of the mobile OS. The Apple VP claims varied, customized versions of Android — like those used by Amazon — are the root cause of the problem.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at IGN Video Games

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Apple Needs to Fight Back Before It's Too Late

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By Rick Munarriz, Munarriz, The Motley Fool

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Apple finds itself in an unusual position these days.

It’s the underdog. It’s the unloved. It’s the one clawing for technological relevance. It’s the one backpedaling as it desperately reaches for its slingshot.

As all eyes turn to Times Square tonight for Samsung’s shiny new Galaxy S IV smartphone introduction, Apple investors are hoping the class act of Cupertino aims well.

I’m an iPhone
Apple’s marketing chief went on the offensive yesterday. Phil Schiller was chatty with a few major financial news outlets, talking down Google‘s Android as a way to play up Apple’s position.

“When you take an Android device out of the box, you have to sign up to nine accounts with different vendors to get the experience iOS comes with,” he told The Wall Street Journal. “They don’t work seamlessly together.”

“With their own data, only 16% of Android users are on year-old version of the operating system,” Schiller told Reuters, going on to point out that more than half of Android smartphone owners are running software that it more than two years old.

Apple hasn’t really had to take shots since its successful “I’m a Mac” ads attacking Microsoft to prop up computer sales back when Macs were a material contributor to Apple’s business. Mac sales accounted for just 10% of Apple’s revenue in its latest quarter.

Fighting ire with ire
A surprising report earlier this week claimed that Samsung actually outspent Apple in advertising last year.

It makes sense. Have you been seeing as many Apple ads as you used to come across? Unlike the “I’m a Mac” ads that would hammer Windows Vista, the ads that the tech giant is putting out these days do more in singling out iOS benefits than calling out the competition.

Samsung isn’t playing so nice.

It tripped up Apple’s iPhone 5 launch last year by putting out a series of ads mocking the folks waiting in line for Apple’s new smartphone, playing up the Galaxy S III’s superior features.

Were the ads effective? Well, Apple shares have surrendered more than 35% of their value since the iPhone 5’s launch. You be the judge.

No more Mr. Nice “i”
It will be interesting to see if Schiller reaching out to media yesterday to knock Android is the beginning of another attack strategy.

Dissing Microsoft clearly paid off. Apple belittled Windows so much that even Windows 7 and Windows 8 haven’t been enough to preserve the PC industry. It whetted appetites for something more, and that’s when Apple unleashed the iOS revolution.

Apple’s been battling Samsung in the courtroom for a long time. The legal fisticuffs have been flying worldwide. However, Apple needs to go on the attack, especially if tonight’s S IV features are seen as truly bar-raising updates.

Android is the new Microsoft. Android is the new bully that needs to be taken down a peg, controlling two-thirds of the global smartphone market according to industry tracker Gartner. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Apple on the Defensive About New Samsung "iPhone Killer"

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By 24/7 Wall St.

Apple-store

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Today is the day. Samsung will release its so-called iPhone killer, the Galaxy S IV. Many experts believe that the product’s new features will make it a challenge to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL). Some even believe it could outsell the iPhone this year.

Oddly, one of Apple’s top executives decided the day of the launch was a good time to deride Samsung. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal:

Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller on Wednesday played down the expected competition from the device. He also discussed how he believes products that run Google Inc.’s Android software, such as Samsung’s phone, are inferior to Apple’s iPhone.

Mr. Schiller shared data on the iPhone’s popularity and said Apple’s own research shows that four times as many iPhone users switched from an Android phone than to an Android phone in the fourth quarter.

To show some guts, Schiller should have held his fire until the release of the next generation iPhone.

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Consumer Electronics, Technology Companies, Wireless Tagged: AAPL

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

What's Important in the Financial World (3/14/2013)

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By 24/7 Wall St.

Sugar

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Apple on the Defensive

Today is the day. Samsung will release its so-called iPhone killer, the Galaxy S IV. Many experts believe that the product’s new features will make it a challenge to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL). Some even believe it could outsell the iPhone this year. Oddly, one of Apple’s top executives decided the day of the launch was a good time to deride Samsung. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal:

Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller on Wednesday played down the expected competition from the device. He also discussed how he believes products that run Google Inc.’s Android software, such as Samsung’s phone, are inferior to Apple’s iPhone.

Mr. Schiller shared data on the iPhone’s popularity and said Apple’s own research shows that four times as many iPhone users switched from an Android phone than to an Android phone in the fourth quarter.

To show some guts, Schiller should have held his fire until the release of the next generation iPhone.

Modern Parenthood

American fathers have been saddled with additional domestic chores, according to Pew Research. This compares to five decades ago when they could come home from work, have a martini, read the paper and tell their children to shut up. Pew reports:

The way mothers and fathers spend their time has changed dramatically in the past half century. Dads are doing more housework and child care; moms more paid work outside the home. Neither has overtaken the other in their “traditional” realms, but their roles are converging, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of long-term data on time use.

At the same time, roughly equal shares of working mothers and fathers report in a new Pew Research Center survey feeling stressed about juggling work and family life: 56% of working moms and 50% of working dads say they find it very or somewhat difficult to balance these responsibilities.

The martini cocktail hour was never that stressful.

Volkswagen Clings to China

Volkswagen is already at the top of the auto sales food chain in China, tied most months with General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM). Despite a flattening in growth in Chinese car sales and a threat the government will curtail car use because of inflation, Volkswagen will increase production in the People’s Republic. Volkswagen must also think its can increase or at least hold its market share as competition from other multinational manufacturers and local companies rises. According to Bloomberg:

Volkswagen AG (VOW), Europe‘s largest automaker, plans to increase production 60 percent by 2018 in China, where the German company’s earnings last year surged by almost half.

A new plant in China approved by the supervisory board will build as many as 300,000 vehicles yearly and will start operating in early 2016, Chief Executive Officer Martin Winterkorn said today. Capacity in China will rise to 4 million vehicles a year by 2018 from about 2.5 million currently.

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Market Open Tagged: AAPL, GM

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

News, Politics, Government

Apple Marketing Chief Slams Android, Samsung's New Galaxy Smartphone

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By Connie Guglielmo, Forbes Staff

Apple’s global marketing chief Phil Schiller took a shot at rivals Android and Samsung, saying that Google’s mobile operating system software is “fragmented,” that most users are running older versions of Android and that buyers of Samsung’s new Galaxy smartphone to be introduced tomorrow may be saddled with old software as well. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Could Apple Change Its Mind So Quickly?

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By Evan Niu, CFA, The Motley Fool

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Apple‘s been known to change its mind from time to time, just like the rest of us.

The clearest example of the iPad maker reneging on a previous decision was the launch of the iPad Mini, which came years after Steve Jobs famously bashed smaller tablet form factors, asserting that any tablet less than 10 inches in size would be too small for the average finger.

According to a new report out of Asian rumor mill DIGITIMES, Apple may be about to change its tune on a specific product feature it decided not to include in the iPhone 5: wireless charging. The Taiwanese publication believes that Apple is preparing to adopt wireless charging technology that it has been developing internally. The feature is said to possibly be facilitated by an attached accessory instead of being directly integrated.

Archenemy Samsung is also reportedly exploring wireless charging by adopting the Qi standard created by the Wireless Power Consortium. The South Korean company is set to unveil its next-generation Galaxy S IV next week at an event in New York.

Everybody’s doing it
Nokia is one of the more prominent smartphone vendors to make wireless charging a headline feature, which is included in its newest flagship Lumia 920 that launched late last year. That device uses a separate inductive charging plate to make the magic happen. Google also offers an orb-shaped inductive charger with the LG-built Nexus 4. The Nexus 4 charger also uses Qi.

Lumia 920 charger (left) vs. Nexus 4 charger (right). Sources: Nokia and Google. Images not shown to scale.

Exactly one week after Nokia showed off its latest and greatest to the world, Apple would proceed to unveil the iPhone 5. At the event, marketing chief Phil Schiller downplayed the added convenience of wireless charging, saying that users still have to carry around another wired device. Meanwhile, USB ports can be found everywhere nowadays, which is where the iPhone can refill its juice.

Wait for it
Apple has always said that when it’s not a first mover in technology, it takes its time to get it right. That may prove true if it launches a larger iPhone, and it may also be the case here. Most current offerings still need an inductive plate, which still effectively tethers you — just in a different way. Judging by a 2010 patent filing that was recently made public, Apple may have a solution for this after all.

Instead of using an inductive device like everyone else, it looks like Apple is exploring the use of a near-field magnetic resonance power supply. Any device with a similar resonator circuit inside of it could potentially draw power wirelessly, removing the need for a small charging station and dramatically expanding the charging range.

We’re talking about a “virtual charging area” that could span approximately 1 meter from the power supply, which also means a user could …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

News, Politics, Government

Apple Will Never Make A 'Cheap' iPhone

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By Robert Hof, Contributor Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide product marketing Phil Schiller announces the new iPhone 5 last September in San Francisco. (Image: Getty Images via @daylife) First Apple was going to make a cheaper iPhone, either to try to blunt the rapid rise of Android phones or to compete in international markets. […]
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest

News, Politics, Government

Apple's Marketing Chief Is Rather Scathing About Samsung

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By Tim Worstall, Contributor Apple’s marketing chief is Phil Schiller and he’s just let loose with a rather scathing remark about Samsung. He’s been scotching the rumours about the possibility of a low end iPhone coming later this year. And as he did so he said:

Apple has denied that it is considering […]

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest