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Hyper Tension
The iPhone 17 is the 19th generation of iPhone. The Pro Max is the 50th iPhone model and the 2TB version is the 158th variant, not including color variations. The table showing all the previous variants, models and generations is shown below. Config # Model # Generation Year of launch Model Memory (GB) 1 1 Continue reading
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The Joy of (new) Numbers
In the latest, (Fiscal Q3, Calendar Q2 2025) conference call, Tim Cook made a welcome announcement: “We also recently marked a significant milestone. We shipped the 3 billionth iPhone since its launch in 2007.” This was welcome because the company has not been providing iPhone unit shipment numbers since Q4 2018. What it has meant Continue reading
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The Purpose of the App Store
According to JP Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee, citing Sensor Tower, Apple’s App Store revenue for May 2025, increased by 4.9% month-over-month (which compares to an average sequential increase of 2.3%) and an acceleration of year-over-year revenue to 13.0% in May versus up 11.8% in April. On a year-over-year basis, the App Store downloads increased by Continue reading
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The Apple Production System
Apple’s relationship with China has always been a point of worry for investors. Nine years ago Carl Icahn sold his entire stake in Apple due to China fears. In April 2016 Reuters reported that “Icahn had been a huge cheerleader of Apple, acquiring a stake in the company almost three years ago, repeatedly calling the Continue reading
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Contrabrand
In my last post I asked if tariffs, antitrust remedies, distribution dissatisfaction and non-iOS competition make any impact on how customers perceive the company. Let’s begin with tariffs. Broadly, tariffs are unpredictable and politically arbitrary. The greatest harm may come not from the misallocation of capital among nations but from the inability to plan and Continue reading
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Thoughts and Prayers
It’s not unusual to see articles consisting of lists of reasons why Apple is facing an existential crisis. Agonizing and hand-wringing about Apple been a meme for decades, so much so that it had its own web site, The Apple Death Knell counter and the “Pray” for Apple imagery was a thing since the 90s. Continue reading
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Announcing ACTIVE: The Apple Investor Conference, June 10, 2025
I’m pleased to announce the next Apple investor event, taking place on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, timed to coincide with Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC25). ACTIVE: The Apple Investor Conference ACTIVE is an in-depth examination of Apple as a business. The event is designed for individual investors, analysts, developers, and others with a stake in the Apple Continue reading
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The Trillion Dollar Question Nobody is Asking
Apple Investors are keen observers of metrics of financial performance. We have to track top line, bottom line and many lines in between. Updates to the data are delivered every quarter through official documents such as the 10K and statements made in conference calls. These data are then analyzed and opinions are formed on the Continue reading
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Happy Apple Labor Day
It’s Labor Day in the US (and Canada, though not anywhere else where it’s celebrated on May 1st.) This would be a good time to discuss Apple’s primary challenge. Writers whose unfortunate job is to cover Apple inevitably put forward lists of “challenges” faced by the company. It really is not possible to write or Continue reading
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Who lost the antitrust case? Google or Apple?
In November of last year I wrote a series of posts regarding the relationship between Google and Apple in light of the antitrust trial that Google was facing. The expected verdict was issued (Google was declared a Monopolist and found to be abusing that position). Many more appeals will follow and a remedy will need Continue reading
