Apple’s stock suffers worst week since 2013

Apple’s stock suffers worst week since 2013

Apple Inc on Friday ended its worst week on the stock market since 2013 as worries festered about a slowdown in iPhone sales and after influential shareholder Carl Icahn revealed he sold his entire stake.

Shares of Apple, a mainstay of many Wall Street portfolios and the largest component of the Standard & Poor�s 500 index, have dropped 11 percent in the past five sessions.

That shrank the technology behemoth�s market capitalization by $65 billion, about equivalent to Cambodia�s net wealth.

Confidence in the Cupertino, California company has been shaken since posting its first-ever quarterly decline in iPhone sales and first revenue drop in 13 years on Tuesday, although Apple investors pointed to the stock�s relatively low valuation as a key reason to hold onto the stock.

�If you�re going to buy Apple, you have to buy it for the long term, because the next year or two are going to be very tough,� said Michael Yoshikami, chief executive of Destination Wealth Management, which owns Apple shares.

Faced with lackluster sales of smartphones in the United States, Apple has bet on China as a major new growth engine, but progress there has been a let-down.

Revenue from China slumped 26 percent during the March quarter and its iBooks Stores and iTunes Movie service in China were shut down last week after the introduction of new regulations on online publishing.

Pointing to concerns that Beijing could make it difficult for Apple to conduct business in China, long-time Apple investor Carl Icahn told CNBC on Thursday that he had sold his stake in the company he previously described as a �no brainer� and undervalued.

The selloff has left Apple trading at about 11 times its expected 12-month earnings, cheap compared to its average of 17.5 over the past 10 years. S&P 500 stocks on average are trading at 17 times expected earnings.

�The tide is going out a bit, but it will probably improve in the fall with the launch of the next iPhone,� said Pat Becker Jr, principal of Becker Capital Management, which also owns Apple stock. �This is an opportunity.�

Wall Street remains positive as 36 analysts tracked by Thomson Reuters recommend buying Apple�s shares, while nine have neutral ratings and none recommend selling.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE UPATES.....

Read full post »

Apple’s Messaging App Gets Some Filtration Muscle In New iOS 8 3 Beta

Apple’s Messaging App Gets Some Filtration Muscle In New iOS 8 3 Beta

Apple has a new update out for iOS 8.3, and within, we find more evidence that the company is looking to make Messages the new hub of digital communication. What started out as the rather straightforward destination for undifferentiated SMS messages has now become host to iMessage, group chat, multimedia communication, and more. The latest iOS 8.3 beta indicates we�ll soon be able to add more sophisticated filtration options (via 9to5Mac) to that list.

The Messages setting is found in the Settings menu, allowing you to optionally split your messages into two columns, with one for known contacts and one for others. This is a great way to keep spam out of your primary feed, but to also let you check easily the other group in case you missed something important. There�s also a new feature exclusive to the messages from unknown sources that lets you report any messages you wish to flag as junk, which presumably helps Apple ensure the more egregious of these never reach your inbox at all.

These are minor changes in terms of the overall UI of Messages on iPhone and iPad, but they�re huge in terms of their potential impact on UX. Apple added a lot to Messages in iOS 8, including the portrait view for the iPhone 6 Plus that lets you tackle them with greater focus on productivity and efficiency. In so doing, it continued the evolution of the app into something that steals focus from standard email or third-party messengers as a primary communications hub.

There are big advantages to keeping users in Messages and out of other channels: it�s a funnel for iMessage, which is one of Apple�s key �moats� in terms of helping to make sure users remain invested in iOS as a platform and Apple as an ecosystem. I�d expect more updates to come, but this is going to be a great one in terms of directing traffic.

Read full post »

Apple’s head of electric car project to quit

Apple’s head of electric car project to quit

Quite mysteriously Apple Incs Steve Zadesky, who has been overseeing the companys electric car project for the last two years, has said he is leaving the company, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

As WSJ said Steve Zadesky who previously worked with with iPod and iPhone teams is leaving for personal reasons not for his performance. 

It was not clear when the 16-year veteran would leave Apple, the Journal said. As of Friday afternoon his profile on LinkedIn still listed him as working at Apple.

Apple refused to comment on this matter.

Apple has never acknowledged it is looking into building an electric car, but the company has recruited dozens of auto experts, many from car makers like Ford or Mercedes-Benz and many more.

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook went to BMWs headquarters in 2014, and senior Apple executives toured the carmakers Leipzig factory to learn how it manufactures the i3 electric car, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The dialogue ended without conclusion because Apple, the worlds largest maker of electronic gadgets, appears to want to explore developing a passenger car on its own, one of the sources said.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE UPDATES.....

Read full post »

Apple’s New TV App is Live Now

Apple’s New TV App is Live Now

Apple’s New TV App is Live Now

Apple’s New TV App for its iPhone, TVs, and iPads has made it easier to find the TV shows and the desired movies among various apps. It shows the content from all of your subscribed supported apps, the content which you have purchased from your iTunes, and the new apps which offer video.
This app has been introduced this fall while offering you to help in keeping track of your favorite shows which were searched through different apps and iTunes. The idea of centralizing this app came at the time when there are an increased number of apps are available for streaming video on tablets, mobile phones, and other devices.
Since you have to authenticate the app with the pay TV provider, it is difficult to remember that which application shows your favorite films or programs.
Apple’s New TV App has been introduced to simplify the process of watching the videos on Apple’s iPhone, TV, and on the iPads with the experience which gives the feeling of Netflix front-end to the broad range of content which is available across all the applications.
Apple’s New TV App has a number of features which help you to find the videos easily. You can simply tell Siri about the game which you want to watch with Live Tune-in with Siri. You can also ask about the on games, or the names of the shows which you want to watch.it will launch the stream, without the requirement of navigating to the live streams from the option of TV app self.
If you are indecisive that what should you watch, you can get help from Siri by asking things such as show me the holiday movies or what should be the best program to watch tonight?
The various sections of Apple’s New TV App help you find that what you might like. A section “Watch Now” has all the movies and shows from your apps and iTunes, however, “Up Next” indicates you to choose those shows which you are currently watching or new purchases which you have made.
Apple’s New TV App works on all the 4 generation Apple TV, and it will also come in the latest version of the smartphone software.
Stay tuned to ProRant to get More exciting Tech updates!

Read full post »

Apple’s New MacBook’s Trackpad Does Not Move

Apple’s New MacBook’s Trackpad Does Not Move

If you�ve been scouring the coverage of Apple�s new MacBook, you�ll probably already know this. But I did an informal poll and a lot of folks did not, so I thought I�d mention it.

The new trackpad does not move, at all.

When you �click� it, it �clicks�, but it doesn�t actually click. There is an audible �click� sound (that�s what the silly picture below is, me listening) and it does in fact feel like it clicks, but that is merely an illusion.

There is a set of vibrating motors underneath that provides �force feedback�, also known as haptics in some applications. This feedback fools your finger into believing that you�ve pressed down on a hinged button, the way your current trackpad works. This feedback relies on phenomenon called lateral force fields (LFFs), which can cause humans to experience vibrations as haptic �textures�. This can give you the feel of a �clickable� surface or even depth. The Force Touch feature of the new trackpad allows you to press �deeper�, giving you additional levels of tapping feedback. The effect is done so well that you actually feel like you�re pressing down deeper into a trackpad that still isn�t moving at all. It�s so good it�s eerie. 

If you�re worried about losing your �click�, don�t worry. In my opinion, it�s completely indistinguishable from a physical press. And there are accessibility benefits here because there is an adjustable sensitivity. Playing with that led to a distinct difference in the pressure needed to trigger a click. People with muscular atrophy or conditions that cause pain on certain finger movements will likely benefit.

�The trackpad sounds great for people with repetitive stress injury,� says our own Catherine Shu. �I had carpal tunnel syndrome a while back and tapping the trackpad with the side of my thumb made the rest of my fingers go tingly.�

Some of the earliest research into using LFFs to create haptic feedback was done by Margaret Minsky, and summarized in a 1995 dissertation called �Computational haptics : the Sandpaper system for synthesizing texture for a force-feedback display�. If you browse it, you could be getting a peek at the future of Apple�s screen technology � Minsky actually investigated the use of this method to create a display that could simulate textures.

A WSJ report from earlier today says that Apple is integrating its Force Touch technology into future iPhones � which would detect how hard a screen is pressed. Tap confirmation, contextual clicking, deeper interaction models and maybe even hover states await us. Color me 100% not shocked. The report doesn�t mention whether the feedback is also coming, but they seem intertwined to me, we�ll see. If this clever vibrating tech can make a stationary piece of glass on your MacBook feel like it�s actually clicking, it could do the same for your iPhone.

Imagine, stickers that tickle you, or a Facebook poke that actually pokes. It�s a brave new world.

Read full post »