Apple's Share Price Overtakes Google As It Is Forecast To Be First $1Tn Company

[libspero]

He said 'high-end' devices

Fair enough. I've played on an ipad once, I've played on a kindle fire once.

To me there didn't seem to be much in it.. but then I'm not really a tablet fan so it's probably lost on me.

Part of me wonders if they'll end up going the same way as PDAs..

[Ash4781]

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/12/07/us-apple-manufacturing-idUKBRE8B50R120121207

(Reuters) - Apple Inc plans to move some production of Macintosh computers to the United States from China next year, Chief Executive Tim Cook said in remarks published on Thursday, in what could be a important test of the nascent comeback in U.S. electronics manufacturing.

What's this about then? PR stunt, IP being stolen, US military contracts, rising labour costs, robotic production, components made in the US?

[warpig]

Compared to the 15 Microsoft Pocket PC smart phones I've owned, the iPhone 3 was a breath of fresh air. No stylus, a 3-axis accelerometer, assisted GPS, a reliable, intuitive UI, Microsoft could only dream of and possibly the most important feature of all, a 3.5mm headphone socket. You could finally listen to music with headphones that didn't hurt your ears and it looked cool. Apple developed a user centric polished product, rather than just a business device, this was revolutionary. Microsoft were sucker punched, but they deserved it. Kudos to Mr jobs! The iPhone 4 was another huge leap forward in terms of engineering and design that helped trigger the final avalanche in to Apple products, culminating in AAPL's meteoric rise. Each 2 year major release of the iPhone, heralded a revolution in smart phone technology, but then came the iPhone 5. IMO this signalled the first sign of a diminishing marginal technological advance in the smart phone market. Apple failed to deliver a technological milestone. Since then they've slashed their major product release cycle from 2 years to 6 months, which I believe is to lower expectations. I believe this is symptomatic of a company that's concerned about maintaining current growth and market share. Clearly the low hanging fruit has been picked.

Even if Steve Jobs was still at the helm, I'd suggest Apple must lower their prices to remain competitive or suffer the onslaught of Android devices, that bare near zero software R&D costs. Just look at this Android tablet and compare it to the latest iPad in terms of value. Android is now a mature product and IMO AAPL's high gravitated around the release of the iPhone 5.

[Bloo Loo]

Rubbish.

TA is very helpful in understanding instruments.

If you know how to use it.

An Alchemist speaks

Only one with the power of the Lord can predict the future...and the Lords Servants will predict their way to billyons Rodney. making them masters of all they survey.

our presdictions are at risk of failure and while we may qualify for a bail out, you probably wont. Terms and Conditions apply to you and will be ignored by us.

[Sour Mash]

Fair enough. I've played on an ipad once, I've played on a kindle fire once.

To me there didn't seem to be much in it.. but then I'm not really a tablet fan so it's probably lost on me.

Part of me wonders if they'll end up going the same way as PDAs..

PDAs ended up merging with mobile phones and becoming smartphones - so they did rather well.

Tablets are undoubtedly a more convenient way (than a full blown PC or laptop) to access the functions that the internet offers, for a great many people. Hence their popularity.

Really, for years PCs had just been getting stupidly powerful relative to the sorts of things that people were actually using them to do. Of course, with the demise of the PC so too comes the demise of Microsoft, once seen as unassailable.

[Bloo Loo]

PDAs ended up merging with mobile phones and becoming smartphones - so they did rather well.

Tablets are undoubtedly a more convenient way (than a full blown PC or laptop) to access the functions that the internet offers, for a great many people. Hence their popularity.

Really, for years PCs had just been getting stupidly powerful relative to the sorts of things that people were actually using them to do. Of course, with the demise of the PC so too comes the demise of Microsoft, once seen as unassailable.

of course, the games market will dissappear, the word processing market will dissappear, and people will want to spend more on a device that does very little apart from the basics, that doesnt quite fit in a pocket.

Tablets are a fad.

[Habeas Domus]

iPad minis are starting to sell out in the xmas rush

http://www.ipad-stock.co.uk/

Other tablets may be getting half the sales, but iPads actually get used to browse the internet much more, which makes me think a lot of the others are just sitting in a drawer after the owner gets bored with them.

http://appleinsider.com/articles/12/09/27/apple-ipad-dominates-tablet-based-web-browsing-with-98-share-report-says

[DeepLurker]

of course, the games market will dissappear, the word processing market will dissappear, and people will want to spend more on a device that does very little apart from the basics, that doesnt quite fit in a pocket.

Tablets are a fad.

But it is disappearing - a word processor is a tool for formatting printed documents, and is of limited use when virtually everything (including contracts) goes by email.

Sour Mash is right - PCs (and I include Macs in this) are stupidly over-powered [1], so why pay for more when a tablet fits the bill?

[1] BTW in our household we have a pair of Core 2 Duo laptops used for software development, photo editing, soundtrack editing, even some video editing. Absolutely no need or intention to upgrade to more recent machines.

[Sour Mash]

But it is disappearing - a word processor is a tool for formatting printed documents, and is of limited use when virtually everything (including contracts) goes by email.

Sour Mash is right - PCs (and I include Macs in this) are stupidly over-powered [1], so why pay for more when a tablet fits the bill?

[1] BTW in our household we have a pair of Core 2 Duo laptops used for software development, photo editing, soundtrack editing, even some video editing. Absolutely no need or intention to upgrade to more recent machines.

Exactly - most consumers use their computer to:

* Browse the web (handier on a tablet than even a latop)

* Read email (great on a tablet, sending longer emails is a chore but most these days tend to be a few lines)

* Play games (gaming is red hot on tablets and smartphones now)

* Watch video (great on a tablet)

And you can do all this in comfort from your couch or bed and slip the tablet into a small bag (or pocket in the case of the 7" ones) to go.

Why pay lots of money for a ridiculously over-specced, full-blown computer which isn't even as convenient to use? The computer is great for creating stuff but for consuming content the Tablet is easier, handier and cheaper. Most people are consumers, not creators.

This fact seems to have passed a lot of computer nerds by. They should have caught themselves on once computers started becoming mainstream - it wasn't like the population was suddenly getting into programming or technology, they were just looking for a device that allowed them access to new digital services and content that were emerging from the internet and digital electronics markets.

[Bloo Loo]

But it is disappearing - a word processor is a tool for formatting printed documents, and is of limited use when virtually everything (including contracts) goes by email.

Sour Mash is right - PCs (and I include Macs in this) are stupidly over-powered [1], so why pay for more when a tablet fits the bill?

[1] BTW in our household we have a pair of Core 2 Duo laptops used for software development, photo editing, soundtrack editing, even some video editing. Absolutely no need or intention to upgrade to more recent machines.

be hard to send an email without a WProcessor....most clients have on built in.

Ill pop out to remind my clients that the 20,000 documents they produce (emailed or otherwise) every year are better produced on a tablet....and watch those RSI claims..

[Bloo Loo]

Exactly - most consumers use their computer to:

* Browse the web (handier on a tablet than even a latop)

* Read email (great on a tablet, sending longer emails is a chore but most these days tend to be a few lines)

* Play games (gaming is red hot on tablets and smartphones now)

* Watch video (great on a tablet)

And you can do all this in comfort from your couch or bed and slip the tablet into a small bag (or pocket in the case of the 7" ones) to go.

Why pay lots of money for a ridiculously over-specced, full-blown computer which isn't even as convenient to use? The computer is great for creating stuff but for consuming content the Tablet is easier, handier and cheaper. Most people are consumers, not creators.

This fact seems to have passed a lot of computer nerds by. They should have caught themselves on once computers started becoming mainstream - it wasn't like the population was suddenly getting into programming or technology, they were just looking for a device that allowed them access to new digital services and content that were emerging from the internet and digital electronics markets.

nah, all this has done is INCREASED the use of a computer enabled product....a reduced set of functions are, as people say, ideal for some.

but reduced functionallity usually means something else is just around the corner. And it aint a £500 tablet.

[JustYield]

This fact seems to have passed a lot of computer nerds by. They should have caught themselves on once computers started becoming mainstream - it wasn't like the population was suddenly getting into programming or technology, they were just looking for a device that allowed them access to new digital services and content that were emerging from the internet and digital electronics markets.

Ironic, since most IT nerds are themselves consumers of prodigious quantities of pron. I guess Steve knew.

[Ash4781]

I have read that tablets are not that well suited to playing video (technical issues on some that lack hardware decoding, and resolutions). I am not sure how you would watch a movie on it - hold it for two hours or lay it down flat? If it was to connect to the televison well that seems odd.

The demonstrations I have seen of tablets are not particulary awe inspiring :- google maps, facebook postings, solitaire, note taking, bird games. For me these are £100 devices, and they are headed that way if not at that price already. This market looks close to maturity and the companies will need flashy new products in 2013/14. Apple are at what Ipad 4 already?

[OnlyMe]

be hard to send an email without a WProcessor....most clients have on built in.

Ill pop out to remind my clients that the 20,000 documents they produce (emailed or otherwise) every year are better produced on a tablet....and watch those RSI claims..

The tablet format (together with processing power and high bandwidth mobile connectivity) might be just the driver that will make natural language speech recognition a usable interface,that would be a bit of a gamechanger.

[OnlyMe]

nah, all this has done is INCREASED the use of a computer enabled product....a reduced set of functions are, as people say, ideal for some.

but reduced functionallity usually means something else is just around the corner. And it aint a £500 tablet.

A tablet or phone that you can simply say "Send £50 to A.N.Other from my Personal Account" that can understand the linguistics and intent (and also identify the speaker's voice for security), pull up the appropriate application, pre-fill the fields and then offer a single button for spoken "Confirm" is where this tech is headed.

Lots of apps have horribly complex or changed menus, again a situation where a good voice interface could increase usability of complex apps.

[pig]

be hard to send an email without a WProcessor....most clients have on built in.

Ill pop out to remind my clients that the 20,000 documents they produce (emailed or otherwise) every year are better produced on a tablet....and watch those RSI claims..

Of course you can connect your tablet to a keyboard. Those who think that the desktop market should be dead as a dodo are right - most people could get away with a tablet which they upgrade now and again + a few peripherals, e.g screens and keyboards which they don't. So most of us should be flitting around with our tablets occasionally plugging/tethering/wifi linking in to cheap 'stations' at work, school etc.

Then again a lot of people don't quite understand this. I know somebody who at the extravagant most needs a Mackbook Air or PC equivalent, but who has bought practically the entire apple suite.

[Bloo Loo]

Of course you can connect your tablet to a keyboard. Those who think that the desktop market should be dead as a dodo are right - most people could get away with a tablet which they upgrade now and again + a few peripherals, e.g screens and keyboards which they don't. So most of us should be flitting around with our tablets occasionally plugging/tethering/wifi linking in to cheap 'stations' at work, school etc.

Then again a lot of people don't quite understand this. I know somebody who at the extravagant most needs a Mackbook Air or PC equivalent, but who has bought practically the entire apple suite.

oh yeah, attach a KB to a tablet...now what do we have...oh yeah...a laptop...the next big thing!

[Bloo Loo]

The tablet format (together with processing power and high bandwidth mobile connectivity) might be just the driver that will make natural language speech recognition a usable interface,that would be a bit of a gamechanger.

no...the tablet is tiny, its limited therefore...and many documents need to be reviewed, checked, redone and approved before sending.

I know this as I work for an estate agent who does this....and still mistakes go out to recipients.

The tablet is Ok for presentations, it looks slick and modern, but for actual work that non geeks do?...I have my doubts...

Oh and try the 5 finger shuffle when trying to watch porn on a tablet...Im told it falls off your knees at just he wrong moment...and we all know the number one use for the internet...dont we.

[cybernoid]

and we all know the number one use for the internet...dont we.

talking sh1t?

[DeepLurker]

be hard to send an email without a WProcessor....most clients have on built in.

Ill pop out to remind my clients that the 20,000 documents they produce (emailed or otherwise) every year are better produced on a tablet....and watch those RSI claims..

I thought this thread was talking about consumer devices - could be wrong though, wouldn't be the first time

Office computers are a different story, of course, and for a wage slave chained to a desk, a tablet is daft.

[interestrateripoff]

I have read that tablets are not that well suited to playing video (technical issues on some that lack hardware decoding, and resolutions). I am not sure how you would watch a movie on it - hold it for two hours or lay it down flat? If it was to connect to the televison well that seems odd.

The demonstrations I have seen of tablets are not particulary awe inspiring :- google maps, facebook postings, solitaire, note taking, bird games. For me these are £100 devices, and they are headed that way if not at that price already. This market looks close to maturity and the companies will need flashy new products in 2013/14. Apple are at what Ipad 4 already?

If you have a holder for it you can stand it up, if travelling light it's better than watching it on the phone. However clearly not as good as a laptop screen.

Have to agree that tablets aren't that good, useful for travelling light but they'll never replace laptops as you can't touch type with them.

Google / Amazon etc.. are clearly using them as loss leaders.

[punter]

Exactly - most consumers use their computer to:

* Browse the web (handier on a tablet than even a latop)

* Read email (great on a tablet, sending longer emails is a chore but most these days tend to be a few lines)

* Play games (gaming is red hot on tablets and smartphones now)

* Watch video (great on a tablet)

I'm sorry but nothing beats a laptop and an actual keyboard. You can never convince me of the benefit of an ipad touchscreen keyboard for surfing the web and sending emails. The laptops are about £299 too, so there.

[libspero]

PDAs ended up merging with mobile phones and becoming smartphones - so they did rather well.

Tablets are undoubtedly a more convenient way (than a full blown PC or laptop) to access the functions that the internet offers, for a great many people. Hence their popularity.

Really, for years PCs had just been getting stupidly powerful relative to the sorts of things that people were actually using them to do. Of course, with the demise of the PC so too comes the demise of Microsoft, once seen as unassailable.

I thought PDAs pretty much died out when standalone satnavs took to the shelves. I also thought they died out long before any decent smartphones arrived?

Either way, I guess I can see the attraction of a tablet you can "couch surf" with, to give the term a new meaning. I can't imagine homes not having a proper computer too though. Personally I couldn't work on a tablet, I also prefer web browsing on my desktop with instant-on SSDs and a proper keyboard, mouse and screen.

As other have often distinguished though, it probably depends a lot on whether you are consuming or creating. I might try a Kindle Fire and see if it ever gets used.

Edited December 10, 2012 by libspero

[punter]

The Kindle Fire or the Google tablet look a good option.

I wouldn't spend £500 on an ipad though, that's just crazy.

[jammo]

Evil company x beats evil corporation y. Hurrah!