Author Archives: Scalper1

Apple Inc.’s iPad Pro as a Windows PC Replacement?

The new 9.7 inch iPad Pro. Image credit Apple. At Apple ‘s March 21 product launch event, the company introduced the new 9.7 inch iPad Pro. The company, which has seen

Facebook Revenue Engine Fuels Up Ahead Of F8 Developer Conference

The locomotive that drives Facebook ( FB ) is gaining steam from multiple products that will boost revenue growth this year, says an analyst who reiterated a buy rating on the social networking giant. Rosenblatt Securities analyst Martin Pyykkonen issued a research note focused on four Facebook businesses that will likely be a high-priority focus at the company’s large F8 global developer conference to be held in San Francisco in about two weeks. They are its photo- and video-sharing site Instagram, its Messenger and WhatsApp messaging platforms, and the Oculus virtual reality system that began shipping this week. “We see Facebook’s revenue growth visibility being enhanced by Instagram this year, Messenger in 2017, more mass-market virtual reality and maybe WhatsApp by 2018.” Pyykkonen wrote. He says Facebook will achieve ad revenue from Instagram this year of about $1 billion, or 5% of company revenue, as it gains more traction with large brand advertisers. He also expects Facebook, at the F8 conference, to provide more guidance on plans that will lead to monetizing Messenger. Facebook is in position to make its widely popular Messenger platform an all-in-one tool that could include a partnership or a battle with Apple ( AAPL ) and its Apple Pay system. Data from Apple iOS code examined by The Information suggest Facebook could provide users the ability to pay for goods in person. By entering the mobile payments fray, Facebook could either partner or compete with Apple, Android Pay by Alphabet ( GOOGL ), and other services. “We expect the F8 pitch will include Facebook’s Messenger app pushing further into a wide variety of business and consumer services,” Pyykkonen wrote. “We are especially focused on Facebook’s developer direction with mobile payments within the Messenger app.” Facebook began testing ads on Instagram about three years ago. One month ago, Facebook announced it had more than 200,000 advertisers on Instagram. Facebook competes with Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft ( MSFT ), Twitter ( TWTR ) and others in online advertising. He also expects Facebook to expand on plans for its Oculus Rift headset, especially as it relates to attracting a mass-market audience. Oculus began landing in the hands of consumers Monday, as the company received upbeat reports from two other analysts. With his buy rating, Pyykkonen also has a price target of 125. Facebook stock was near 114.50, down a fraction, in midday trading in the stock market today . Facebook is trading comfortably above its 50-day moving average as it works on a new base with a 117.69 buy point.

Fitbit’s Latest Fitness Trackers Off To Strong Start

Wearable fitness device maker Fitbit ( FIT ) announced Thursday that it shipped more than 1 million units each of its latest products — the Fitbit Blaze smart fitness watch and Fitbit Alta fitness wristband — in their first month of availability. Fitbit stock has been depressed this year in part because investors were disappointed in the company’s products announced since the CES in January. Fitbit went public last June 18 at 20 and climbed as high as 51.90 on Aug. 5. Fitbit stock was up over 6% to above 14 in midday trading on the stock market today . Fitbit’s message on Thursday was that both new products are off to a strong start. The San Francisco-based company said its Blaze sales have exceeded the company’s internal forecasts. Some industry analysts were worried the fitness-centric watch would compare poorly to Apple ‘s ( AAPL ) more capable, yet pricier, Apple Watch. Since its launch, Fitbit Blaze has been the No. 1 best-selling device in the smartwatch and heart-monitor categories on Amazon.com ( AMZN ). Fitbit Alta also is currently one of the top-selling devices in the fitness tracker and pedometer categories on Amazon. “At Fitbit, we continue to focus on developing innovative and motivating fitness-first products that our customers love and that help them achieve their health and fitness goals,” Woody Scal, chief business officer at Fitbit, said in a statement . “The positive response we’ve received to Blaze and Alta demonstrates our continued ability to innovate and drive strong demand for Fitbit products, which is what has made and kept us the leader in the global wearables category.” The Fitbit Blaze costs $199.95. Last week, Apple cut the starting price for its Apple Watch to $299 from $349. The Fitbit Alta costs $129.95. It competes with fitness trackers from Garmin ( GRMN ), Jawbone, Microsoft ( MSFT ) and others.