Apple Surprises Skeptics As IPhone Registers Record Sales

Apple Inc. (AAPL) surprised skeptics by selling a record nine million units of its new iPhones (5s and 5c) following their much-anticipated launch in September 2013. Soon after the launch, the company had raised its guidance for FY13, revising its expectations for full-year revenues to the high end of its previously-announced range of $34-37 billion. It had also said gross margins would expand to the upper limit of the 36-37% range in the last quarter.

However, despite these bullish guidance numbers, the company appeared to be in trouble when Strategy Analytics – a research and consultancy firm –  released data, just before the latest earnings announcement, which indicated that Apple’s 15.6% share in the smartphone market in the third quarter of fiscal year 2012 (3QFY12) had declined to 13.4% by 3QFY13.

But Apple had the perfect riposte when – in its earnings release for 4QFY13 – it beat its own, as well as consensus estimates by posting revenues and gross margins at the higher end of its target ranges.

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Has Apple Gone Sour With The 5c?

September is fast becoming an exciting month for tech geeks around the world. This year, Samsung (SSNLF) introduced the latest additions to its Galaxy line of smartphones and phablets, and the world’s first-ever smartwatch in the first week of the month; but it was Apple Inc. (AAPL) that had everybody’s attention with the much-hyped launch of its iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s on September 10. The iPhone 5s was launched as a continuation of its premium priced iPhone line, while the iPhone 5c was introduced as a device for consumers in emerging markets.

Even though Apple failed to impress critics with its two new products, the launch was a major first step in the tech giant’s evolving business strategy. Having realized that it can no longer ignore emerging markets and the threat from cheaper competition, Apple introduced two products for the first time in its history.

Read More : AAPL - CHL 

Rumors Finally Confirmed as Apple Acquires 3D Sensor Company PrimeSense

The Israel-based 3D sensor company PrimeSense has finally been acquired by Apple Inc. (AAPL), confirming the barrage of rumors floating on the internet about the acquisition. Some of the rumors stated that PrimeSense denied Apple’s initial offers for an acquisition, but it has now been revealed that the company has been officially bought for an unconfirmed price which lies between $340-365 million.

Apple is known for acquiring small companies which enable it to add innovative features to its new generations of smartphones and tablets. The Cupertino-based tech giant’s previous acquisitions were of companies called Cue, which provides a personal assistant app of the same name, and AlgoTrim, a company which specialized in compression technology to assist mobile devices to code images. And in order to incorporate the TouchID interface in the iPhone 5s, Apple purchased AuthenTec, the company responsible for the innovative feature on Apple’s new flagship smartphone.

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Apple (AAPL) Seeks Fresh Ban on Samsung Products

Apple (AAPL) yesterday renewed its request for a ban on the sale of Samsung's (SSNLF) products in the US. The fresh bid claims that Samsung’s newer offerings are very similar to previous ones, which were previously found to be in violation of several technologies patented by Apple.

The Cupertino-based company asked US District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose to ban the sale of more than 20 of Samsung’s smartphones and tablets, including the Galaxy S 4G and the Galaxy Tab 10.1, which it says continues to infringe on Apple's patents. Koh had rejected Apple's request for an outright ban on sales, but a federal appeals Court’s ruling on November 18 in favor of Apple allowed the company to pursue an injunction on some of its rival's products.

In its fresh bid Apple has alleged that it needs to protect itself from future infringements: “Because Samsung frequently brings new products to market, an injunction is important to providing Apple the relief it needs to combat any future infringement by Samsung through products not more than colorably different from those already found to infringe.”

Read More : AAPL - SSNLF

Apple Looking Ripe for Investment

Apple Inc. (AAPL), one of the best-known companies of the modern era, has acquired a reputation for revolutionizing consumer technology in every area it steps into. Over the past few decades, it experienced several rises and falls before it released iTunes, a digital music store, in 2000. There was no turning back, and iTunes was followed by the iPod, a digital portable music player, which became a raging success with music junkies around the world.

The company has since expanded its offerings by introducing some of the world’s most popular mobile communication and computing devices, while personal computers, portable digital music players and related peripherals and software have remained a mainstay of its product portfolio. Apple’s product line-up now includes the iconic iPhone and iPads, which have proved its elixir of life, along with its traditional iPod and Mac devices.

Today, Apple generates most of its revenues from sales of the iPhone, its flagship smartphone which revolutionized the mobile devices industry. The iPad tablet is Apple’s second-highest revenue earner.

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Apple vs. Microsoft – A Rivalry Fought On Digital Grounds

Read : AAPL - MSFT

Apple Inc. (AAPL) iPad Trade-ins Double Over 2012

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) new generation iPad is showing strong signs according to a new report from Goldman Sachs’ equity research.  This week marked the sixth anniversary of a technology that was critical for the smartphone market as we know it today.

Computerworld reports that a pair of buyback companies is seeing more than double the number of consumers asking for price quotes on their older Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) tablets than last year.

Anthony Scarsella, chief gadget officer at Gazelle, said that trade-in price quote volume is up 130% from October 2012 levels. Jeff Trachsel, chief marketing officer at NextWorth, said their quote volume is up 127%. Both Messrs. Scarsella and Trachsel credited the redesign of the iPad Air with consumers’ increased interest in trading in their old devices. Read more.

 

BlackBerry Board Refused to Break Up Company Despite Interest From Apple, Others

Apple and Microsoft both expressed interest in acquiring portions of BlackBerry, according to a new report from Reuters. BlackBerry's board ultimately elected not to break up the company, despite Apple's interest in its intellectual property and patents. According to the report, the company also had discussions with Microsoft, Cisco, Google, and Lenovo.

  

BlackBerry Ltd's board does not believe a break-up of the Canadian smartphone maker is currently in its best interests, even though Microsoft Corp, Apple Inc and Lenovo Group Ltd, among others, have expressed interest in acquiring parts of the company, according to people familiar with the discussions. Read more.

Google, Pier 1, Time Warner, Apple: Intellectual Property

Google Inc.’s Motorola Mobility unit is seeking a patent on a technology covering the use of an electronic neck tattoo as microphone for a mobile electronic device.

  

The operator of a website that tracked the availability the newest iPhones and iPads nearest to a searcher’s zip code has disabled it following the receipt of an infringement notice from Apple Inc. (AAPL) Mordy Tikotzky halted his Apple-Tracker.com web application after he was sent a takedown request under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. He said in a statement on his website that he was “really not interested in picking a fight with Apple.” Read more.