Tag Archives: aapl

Apple iPhone 5S shows ‘staying power’ in buyer survey

Demand for Apple’s (AAPL) flagship iPhone 5S smartphone remains strong six months after its launch and a month before the debut of rival Samsung’s Galaxy S5 handset. A survey of U.S. smartphone shoppers last week by Piper Jaffray showed that the iPhone 5S has “staying power,” Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said in a research report Monday. Among consumers planning to buy a new smartphone in the next three months, 33% expect to purchase an iPhone 5S, compared with 35% in December and 38% in September, immediately after the phone’s launch, Munster said. “We believe the positive news from our survey is that the iPhone 5S seems to be holding its ground well even though we are approaching six months in age (half life in terms of timeline to the next launch),” Munster wrote. “We believe this is an indication that Apple’s position as top player in the high-end…

Facebook a laughingstock to humorists for WhatsApp deal

Facebook (FB) CEO Mark Zuckerberg was applauded on Wall Street for his gutsy decision to spend $19 billion on fast-growing mobile messaging app WhatsApp. But to regular Joe comedians, Zuckerberg is a laughingstock for spending so much on a 5-year-old startup company with 55 employees and 2013 revenue said to be $20 million. The deal, announced Feb. 19, dwarfed the price of any single acquisition ever done by a host of tech giants, including Apple (AAPL) Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT) and Yahoo (YHOO).  New “Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon poked fun at the deal last week. “Some major business news,” he said. “Facebook bought a messaging app called WhatsApp – WAZ-UP – for $19 billion in an effort to hold on to teenagers who no longer think Facebook is cool. Yeah, WhatsApp. Cuz nothing says ‘cool’ like an app named after a Budweiser commercial from the ’90s.”

Sony store closures likely good news for Best Buy

Sony’s (SNE) plan to close 20 of its 31 U.S. retail stores is likely good news for consumer electronics retailer Best Buy (BBY). Consumers looking to buy Sony televisions, digital cameras, audio equipment and other gadgets will turn to independent retailers like Best Buy in the affected markets. In addition, Best Buy has been setting aside floor space for manufacturers looking to run product showcases and could do so for Sony. On Thursday, Best Buy reported that it had opened 1,400 Samsung and 600 Microsoft (MSFT) Windows stores-within-a-store as of Feb. 1. It also operates Apple (AAPL) product showcases in its stores. During the holiday season, Google (GOOG) set up display tablets and end caps in 750 large-format Best Buy stores to show off Android tablets, Chromebook notebooks and Chromecast streaming video players. On a conference call with analysts Thursday, Best Buy CEO hinted at more opportunities for product showcases…