Synaptics filed a Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission saying that while it believes itis inappropriate “to comment on unconfirmed rumors and speculation” about its business dealings, “we are confirming that our interface solutions are being used (by Apple Computer)” in the new 6 gigabyte (GB) iPod mini as well as the 30GB…
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David Pogue: Olympus's Snazzy m:robe no iPod Competitor
D avid Pogue takes the new Olympus m:robe digital device to task in this weeks Circuits section of The New York Times. On the surface, the m:robe 500i seems like a formidable iPod competitor. Sleek design, large color touch-screen, 20GB capacity, and a built-in digital camera. Olympus believes the device is so hot the company…
AAPL Split has Wall Street Abuzz
The news of Appleis plan to split its stock this month has Wall Street abuzz. In a late-morning article, Reuters claims that the market was “lifted by gains in semiconductors and Apple Computer, Inc.is announcement that its stock will split.” In the wake of the 2-for-1 split announcement, AAPL is up US$2.85, or 3.64% to…
Apple Expenses Tiger's $19.3M R&D Costs, SEC Filing Reveals (UPDATE)
The company acknowledged that it capitalized “Tiger” development costs of approximately $4.5 million in the fiscal fourth quarter of 2004 and $14.8 million in the fiscal first quarter of 2005. “In the fourth quarter of 2004, the company began incurring substantial development costs associated with the upcoming upgrade of Mac OS X version 10.4,” the…
Just a Thought - Mac Backer
"Honey Cake, the Johnsons are coming over and I want to show them our 2006 Montana vacation pictures. Are they up on the Mini yet?" "Why yes, they are Sugar Plum. I loaded them up a couple of days ago, before that big storm knocked out the power. Wanna take a look?" "Absolutely Baby Toes!"…
5 Apple Execs Take Home $65.5M in Stock Profits
W ith Apple Computeris (AAPL) stock at a five-year high of over US$73.00 a share, five company executives cashed in stock options and common stock purchasing plans in the last week. The transactions totaled in excess of $65.5 million, according to calculations by The Mac Observer from ownership statements filed with the US Securities and…
Analyst: Without iPod, Apple Would Be Irrelevant
I n an interview with the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster told reporter Steve Alexander, "Without the iPod, Apple would be irrelevant," and that the "iPod has given Apple a second life." Mr. Munster is the most bullish analyst covering Apple, and the comments come in a report about how the iPod…
Robert X. Cringely Speculates on Apple Movie Download Business
P BSis Robert X. Cringely has penned a bit of speculation on the idea that Apple is planning on getting into the video download business. Following a similar track as our own Devilis Advocate, Mr. Cringely puts the pieces together based on Steve Jobsi keynote from Macworld Expo, but also looks at a technology in…
First on TMO - Apple VP: PowerBook G5 "the Mother of All Thermal Challenges"
When Rob Steerum of Fulcrum Global Partners asked Tim Cook, Apple’s VP of Worldwide Sales and Operations, about the chances of a G5-based PowerBook anytime soon, Mr. Cook admitted Wednesday such a project “would be the mother of all thermal challenges.” When asked if he meant there will never be a G5-powered PowerBook, Mr. Cook…
Recording Industry Sells More Music While Apple Sells More iPods
T he New York Times reported that record sales increased in 2004, the first increase in some three years. The newspaper reported that the recording industry reported sales of some 667 million albums, a 1.6% increase over 2003. The increase sales in music came during a time when the recording industry said that piracy was…
Piper Jaffray Sees Bigger iPod mini, Flash iPod, Moto Phone for Mac Expo
< A href="http://www.piperjaffray.com/">Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster has told investors to expect bigger iPod minis, a new iTunes phone from Motorola, and a flash-based iPod during Januaryis Mac Expo. Listing a higher-capacity iPod mini, a flash-based iPod, and an iTunes-capable cellular phone from Motorola as “likely” products to be announced, Mr. Munster wrote a G5…
Frameline - HD Marketing: Getting Too Gimmicky?
While I will be the first to admit to jumping on the High-Definition bandwagon recently, it has occurred to me that the term HD is becoming a rampant buzzword that is being thrown around like a magic term to describe the Holy Grail of digital cinema and television. Granted, HD does look spectacular, and using…
Jim Lehrer News Hour Examines Apple
The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, the flagship news program for PBS, has broadcast a story examining Apple. The show, which was first aired Friday, December 10th, looks at all the usual suspects for Apple’s current prospects, including the company’s success with the iTunes Music Store and iPod, as well as Apple’s market share in…
Frameline - Filmmaker Craig Knapp on Mac's Role in Feature Film Production
Local Austin Filmmaker and Canadian National Craig Knapp just recently finished post-production on a DV film he directed titled; "The Sum of Jobe". I took a few moments to ask Craig a few questions about the project, and how the Mac was instrumental in the film’s production. TMO: So tell us about the story and…
Apple's Stock Closes Over 61; Sets New 4-Year High
After Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster surprised the investing community on Monday by raising Apple’s target price from US$52 a share to $100 per share, the markets reacted by shoving Apple’s stock up more than 11%. In very heavy volume of 45.9 million shares trading hands, AAPL closed Monday at 61.35, higher by 6.18 (+11.20%),…
Frameline - HD Production: 24 Days in the Valley, Part IV
24 Days In The Valley: The Life And Times Of An HD Production In South Texas In Part I -III of this series, I introduced readers to the production of Harvest of Redemption, a High-Definition narrative feature I shot in the Texas Valley. In Part IV, I will cover the technical aspects of the post-production…
Another 52-Week High: Apple Closes At $52.19
A fter hitting a 52-week high on Wednesday, shares in Apple Computer (AAPL) closed Thursday at yet another new 52-week high of US$52.19, a gain of $1.89 (+3.76%). The stock traded on heavy volume of 15.4 million shares trading hands. Appleis current market value climbed to $20.43 billion, and its price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) stands at…
HD Production: 24 Days in the Valley, Part III
24 Days In The Valley: The Life And Times Of An HD Production In South Texas In Part I and II of this series, I introduced readers to the production of Harvest of Redemption, a High-Definition narrative feature I shot in the Texas Valley. In Part III I will cover the technical aspects of the…
TMO Reports - Earnings Conference Notes: Retail Good; Q1 Outlook Bright
Aside from the main headlines of Apple’s stronger-than-expected earnings, the announcement of six mini retail stores and Hewlett-Packard selling over 100,000 iPods, a number of other important pieces of news came out of the analyst conference call on Wednesday. Here is a short synopsis of other interesting developments: Apple’s total direct revenue through online and…
HD Production: 24 Days in the Valley, Part II
24 Days In The Valley: The Life And Times Of An HD Production In South Texas In part I of this series, I introduced you to the set of a narrative feature I shot in the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas called Harvest Of Redemption. It’s rough country that presents plenty of challenges to…
Frame Line: HD Production: 24 Days in the Valley, Part I
24 Days In The Valley: The Life And Times Of An HD Production In South Texas If you have ever spent any time in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas during August, you know that we are few soldiers of salty blood; and I am sure you have felt the pain that the area serves…
Research Firms Can't Get Enough Of AAPL
While shares of Apple have climbed more than 10 percent this week, reaching 52-week highs, two research firms told investors Friday they continue to remain highly bullish about the stock. Merrill Lynch reiterated its “Buy” rating on Apple, saying it has heard the company is performing well in the higher education market “based on the…
August 15-21: Luxo Jr., iMac Ships, eMachines Sued
Many people know about great Pixar movies like Finding Nemo and A Bug’s Life, and almost everyone who has been to a movie in the last 10 years has seen the cute lamp that bounces around on Pixar’s logo before Pixar movie trailers. What some people might not know, however, is that this lamp is…
Financial Times Says Apple Must Innovate The iPod Or Miss Out
Being a market leader is tough – being a market leader in the music business is even tougher. Such is the position in which Apple finds itself with the iPod and the iTunes Music Store. Apple’s iPod claims 25% of the market for all digital music players, and a whopping 70% of all legal music…