The other war between Apple and Google
There are two fronts in the increasingly bitter war being fought between Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG). And while the contest between the iPhone and Google’s Nexus One (and other Android phones) is getting most of the ink, it’s the apps battle that comes with the biggest stakes.
Update Qualcomm (QCOM)
One chip in. One chip not quite in but closer. Between the two maybe this stock has finally achieved some upside momentum.
Two big announcements in the tech world with Qualcomm (QCOM) near the center of both.
Apple’s iPhone to go to T-Mobile and not Verizon in 2010
When AT&T’s (T) exclusive deal expires in 2010, Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone is most likely to find a second home with T-Mobile and not Verizon (VRZN). That’s the conclusion of a note published by analyst Doug Reid of Thomas Weisel Partners and picked up and amplified by AppleInsider.
Has Apple blown it? Did the company squander the competitive chance of a lifetime?
I know Apple (AAPL) is an investor darling trading near an all-time high.
And I know the company’s products have tremendous consumer cache. So much so that the company is able to sell its iPhones and iMacs for prices well above those charged by competitors.
But it still looks to me that Apple has missed its chance. It had a limited window of opportunity when competitors such as Microsoft (MSFT) couldn’t do anything right and it didn’t turn that opening into a big enough share of the personal computer market. It was first to market with a game-changing smart phone but the company has pursued a high-end niche strategy with the iPhone that has left the door wide open for Google (GOOG) to grab for the mass market.
If this is as good as it gets for Apple, the company has no one to blame, finally, but itself. The opportunity was there and Apple didn’t exploit it as ruthlessly and as relentlessly as it needed to.
Here’s my basic problem with Apple’s strategy and execution: The company didn’t kick ‘em hard enough when they were down.
Head to head: Apple versus Nokia. Which is the better stock to buy?
Apple (AAPL) crushed Wall Street estimates when it reported earnings on July 21. Earnings per share for the company’s fiscal third quarter grew 13% from the third quarter of 2008. Revenue grew by 12% in a quarter when almost no company is reporting any sales growth.
Nokia (NOK), on the other hand, stunk up the joint with its second quarter results announced on July 16. Earnings per share did meet expectations but that was the last piece of good news that the cell phone maker delivered. Revenue missed projections by 3.8% and plunged 24.6% from the second quarter of 2008. Unit volume fell 15% from the second quarter of 2008. And the company took back its forecast that it would pick up market share in 2009. Now Nokia is saying its share will stay flat this year.
So which of these two stocks is a better buy? It’s not as easy a decision as it looks.
