There's no stopping Apple Corp.

[Guest EXPAT]

Apple handily beat The Street’s estimate for its fiscal first quarter, reporting revenues of $46.3 billion for the quarter and a net profit of $13.87 per share.

That’s beats $39 billion to $43 billion in revenues and $10.19 to $12.01 that analysts were expecting. The company also sold more iPhones and iPads than had been predicted. In a note to clients on Tuesday, for instance, Sterne Agee’s Shaw Wu said he expected Apple to announce sales of 29.5 million iPhones and 13.5 million iPads. In fact, the company has sold 37 million and 15.4 million, respectively.

“We’re thrilled with our outstanding results and record-breaking sales of iPhones, iPads and Macs,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, a press release. “Apple’s momentum is incredibly strong, and we have some amazing new products in the pipeline.”

The strong sales were no doubt buoyed by the successful introduction of the iPhone 4S in October. But the strong iPad shows also illustrate that Amazon’s competing tablet, Kindle Fire, has done little to halt sales of Apple’s other hit product. Apple’s iPhone sales jumped 128% compared to the year-ago quarter while iPad sales rose 21% from the comparable period in 2010.

I am personally sold on all Apple products and there is a reason why they are doing so well.

[caeron]

I am personally sold on all Apple products and there is a reason why they are doing so well.

Tech is a brutal business.

Once Motorola ruled in cell phones. Then Nokia. Now Apple. The wheel will turn on them too...

[Guest FourAces]

Tech is a brutal business.

Once Motorola ruled in cell phones. Then Nokia. Now Apple. The wheel will turn on them too...

I think the key difference is Apple continues to put out quality products whereas the companies above, like RIM now, left the quality behind along the way.

However, Nokia is making a big push with Windows Phone Metro UI later this year in the US. It will be interesting to see if the early reports and devices continue to capture the attention of Americans.

[caeron]

Well, they all put out quality products until they didn't.

Apple has had a better run than most, though they've had a few real stinkers in the past.

We'll see how long their run lasts. IBM still has a few years on them in high tech

[Guest EXPAT]

Well, they all put out quality products until they didn't.

Apple has had a better run than most, though they've had a few real stinkers in the past.

We'll see how long their run lasts. IBM still has a few years on them in high tech

Now is the real test with Steve Jobs gone. I suspect if they are really doing a full blown Apple TV that it will be mediocre at best. People don't switch out TVs that often and most people have swapped their TVs recently. I swapped out every one in my house in the last year with the latest stuff (no 3-D though).

But they have had a huge string of good luck on their products. So hopefully their product management will keep up the good work without getting lazy. Laziness is usually the downfall of being on the edge. That's probably why they need to swap out their leaders in products more frequently.

I know this is a strange analogy, but Madonna used to swap out producers after each hit album because the new ones would be hungrier than the previous. It was always a bone of contention with her producers that she would do that. But that strategy worked up until the last album which more or less flopped (except the Justin Timberlake duet).

[Guest EXPAT]

Here is a really good article/blog from the Wall Street Journal today that puts Apple's most recent numbers in perspective. The fact that they are sitting on nearly $100 billion in cash is a remarkable achievement for any company in any time. Just fascinating.

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2012/01/25/apple-by-the-numbers/

[caeron]

100 billion in cash may be an achievement, but it also a huge problem. They need to return it to shareholders, or spend it on something, and if so, what?

[lookin]

I suspect if they are really doing a full blown Apple TV that it will be mediocre at best. People don't switch out TVs that often and most people have swapped their TVs recently.

Imagine sitting in front of a high def Apple TV with your iPhone, iPod, or iPad in your hand. All your downloaded media, music and video, are on either screen or both. All your cable channels and all your streaming channels are on either screen or both. Use Cover Flow to browse through everything.

Imagine your phone calls, audio and video, are on either screen or both. A camera and stereo microphones in the TV pick up your voice and image and stream it onto the internet.

Imagine you channel-surf, change volume, and switch between phone calls and TV right from your iPhone, iPod, or iPad. Or just use your voice or maybe even hand gestures.

Imagine you download and play games and other apps from iTunes with the big Apple TV mirroring the sound and high def video.

I'd be pretty sure Steve Jobs imagined all this and that the products are under development now. New high-speed WiFi chips will be available soon for fast data transfer between devices. I suspect Apple has the operating system that can make it happen, and no one else can come close.

Apple's good at user interface. They can take the clunky out of TV, just as they've taken it out of computers, media players, and phones.

As you say, not everybody will switch out their TV right away.

But I bet plenty of folks will want to. .

[TampaYankee]

The fact that they are sitting on nearly $100 billion in cash is a remarkable achievement for any company in any time. Just fascinating.

Which begs the question: Where does one put $100 billion to sit on given that banks are so risky? Short-term and medium-term treasuries?

[caeron]

Which begs the question: Where does one put $100 billion to sit on given that banks are so risky? Short-term and medium-term treasuries?

Which is the problem. If apple slows, shareholders will have a lot less patience with apple sitting on 100 Billion earning at couple percent. Nobody wants to argue with success, but if Apple slows down, they'll get hammered on this.

They'll have to make some monster acquisition, which I think with Apple's culture would be hard to do successfully, or return the money to shareholders.

Apple is trading around ~450 now, with shares outstanding of 929 million. That means Apple is holding about $100 dollars in cash PER SHARE of stock. That is more than a bit nuts. It is sort of like being required to buy $100 in treasuries for every $350 of apple stock.

But then Apple really does 'think different'!

[JKane]

What if they in-housed manufacturing instead of exploiting all those Chinese laborers **to death**?? Not necessarily in the US (that ship's sailed...), but somewhere they could have control over everything, treat the workers fairly and get higher quality control as a benefit?

Not that I think they will--smug selfish bastards, the lot.

[marcanthony]

Tech is a brutal business.

Once Motorola ruled in cell phones. Then Nokia. Now Apple. The wheel will turn on them too...

Here's at least one contrarian's view on why the run is soon to be over...

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/sell-apple-growth-rate-will-not-last-2012-01-26?siteid=yhoof2

[Guest EXPAT]

Imagine sitting in front of a high def Apple TV with your iPhone, iPod, or iPad in your hand. All your downloaded media, music and video, are on either screen or both. All your cable channels and all your streaming channels are on either screen or both. Use Cover Flow to browse through everything.

Imagine your phone calls, audio and video, are on either screen or both. A camera and stereo microphones in the TV pick up your voice and image and stream it onto the internet.

Imagine you channel-surf, change volume, and switch between phone calls and TV right from your iPhone, iPod, or iPad. Or just use your voice or maybe even hand gestures.

Imagine you download and play games and other apps from iTunes with the big Apple TV mirroring the sound and high def video.

I'd be pretty sure Steve Jobs imagined all this and that the products are under development now. New high-speed WiFi chips will be available soon for fast data transfer between devices. I suspect Apple has the operating system that can make it happen, and no one else can come close.

Apple's good at user interface. They can take the clunky out of TV, just as they've taken it out of computers, media players, and phones.

As you say, not everybody will switch out their TV right away.

But I bet plenty of folks will want to. .

I loved this description. You made me want to get one. I do have the AppleTV set top box in both my living room and bedroom. And i like being able to play my iphone music through the AppleTV when I'm in my bedroom. Plus I can stream anything stored in my iTunes in my bedroom now via my AppleTV set top box. But based on what I read above I want the full blown Apple TV too.

[Guest EXPAT]

Here's at least one contrarian's view on why the run is soon to be over...

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/sell-apple-growth-rate-will-not-last-2012-01-26?siteid=yhoof2

There is no doubt that market saturation will stop those massive quarterly results UNLESS, they continue their creativity with consumer devices that are devoured by the public. The biggest risk with this type of performance is complacency and laziness. And I've seen it happen with almost every technology company at some point after success.

[caeron]

There is no doubt that market saturation will stop those massive quarterly results UNLESS, they continue their creativity with consumer devices that are devoured by the public. The biggest risk with this type of performance is complacency and laziness. And I've seen it happen with almost every technology company at some point after success.

Me too. I used to work for Sun. They were unstoppable. No matter what cross currents hit them, they came out on top. Until they didn't, and now they're gone.