Headline, March08, 2014

''' APPLE'S :: - BYTE OF THE EYE ! > !!

 THE CASH CARD !'''

IN ALL FAIRNESS,   To millions of  people all over the world, Steve Jobs is right up there with Einstein and Edison.

"But he really should be compared to  Picasso," says architect Michael Graves.

No matter what one thinks and accepts, the stark truth is that Steve invented a new form of beauty and a new world: 

Along the road to defining  consumer technology in the 21st century, Steve Jobs turned Apple, the company he cofounded, into one of the world's most profitable businesses. And..

""In the world littered with dull objects, he brought the beauty of clean lines and clear thoughts,""  says his friend Bono, who met jobs through their (RED)  HIV-AIDS charity work:

""He changed music. He changed film. He changed the personal computer and turned telephony on its head while he was at it.

He was tenacious in the extreme, his toughness never more evident than these past few years in his fight for his life"".

ALAS,  Mortality in the form of pancreatic cancer, proved to be the one challenge he could not conquer.

There was no timetable for an iWatch or for an iTV. There was, however, the promise of perhaps the biggest share buyback in American corporate history.

Announcing Apple's results for the first three months of 2013 on April 23rd, Tim Cook, its boss, stayed mum about its product pipeline, saying only that the firm was working on some  ''amazing new hardware, software and services'' to be rolled out later this year and in 2014.

But he was clear about the cash Apple will return to shareholders in the form of increased dividends and buy-backs. Altogether, it plans to fork out $ 100 billion by the end of 2015.

That seems to have placated investors, who have watched in dismay as Apple's share price has plunged from a high of over $700 in September to under $400 at the time. On April 24th the Firm's share closed at $405.

Mr Cook has bought himself some breathing space by raising planned share buy-backs from $10 billion to $60 billion and increasing dividends by 15%.

However, he still needs to produce new blockbuster offerings to bolster future growth.

Ever since he replaced Steve Jobs at Apple's helm, speculation has mounted that the company has lost some of the magic that produced the iPhone and iPad.

Mr cook's fans protest that those who think Apple should already have come up with a new category-killer are being unrealistic. A few years between big ideas is nothing to worry about. 

And they note that the iPhone and iPad are are still minting money.

In the first quarter of 2013 Apple reported revenue of $43.6 billion on 11% increase compared with the same period in 2012, and a figure that exceeds the combined sales of Google and Microsoft.

But Apple's margins are being squeezed by the introduction of the iPad mini, which is less lucrative than bigger iPads. 

In its latest quarter the firm's gross margins shrank year-on-year, from 47.4% to 37.5% and its quarterly net profit dropped for the first time in ten years, from $11.6 billion to $9.5 billion 

Be that it may, the hard reality is that the biggest single share buy back in history will not solve Apple's problems.

With respectful dedication to the loving memory of the great Inventor, genius, Steve Jobs.......

When Steve died, his fortune was estimated at $8.3 billion, but intimates say he neither coveted nor hoarded it. "Steve Jobs did a lot of charitable work, but he like to do things   anonymously ," says longtime friend Dr. Dean Ornish.

"He supported many, many  charities like  College Track  for disadvantaged kids to get college degrees. And he didn't want credit for doing things. What was important was doing the work".    

"" No other CEO has had wreaths laid   -In memory of him where people bought his products"", says Jay Elliot, Former Apple VP

And student Kimberly NG. just 7, summed best for the whole world : ""I know about Steve Jobs. He invented that stuff I love."" 

With respectful dedication to Millions and Millions who could zone everything when they turned on their iPod, iPhone, iPad................

See Ya all on !WOW!  -the World Students Society Computers-Internet-Wireless:

"' iNDISPENSABLE "'

Good Night & God Bless!

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless