Month: January 2017

Change.org web site has Petition to remove Tim Cook as Apple CEO

Dan Uff January 6, 2017 0

Just saw this and thought it would relate to the previous article.

A guy by the name of Richard Hofherr has set up a Petition on Change.org to Apple's Board of Directors about removing its current CEO, Tim Cook.

The petition reads as follows:

Tim Cook, the C.E.O. of Apple Inc., needs to be replaced as Chief Executive Officer by someone with vision, judgment, and execution that would much more aptly suit a company of this caliber. As a shareholder, I have watched my investment drop and stay down, almost solely due to Mr. Cook’s lack of the qualities necessary to facilitate growth of the company, vision for new products, and for execution of bringing those product cycles to life. As shareholders and consumers, this is harming all of us.

Many products are announced in one quarter and released in another quarter. On too many occasions, shipping time for new products falls into several weeks and even months. During the last three to four holiday seasons, Mac products have had a two to four week lead time on them… WHY??? Wouldn't year one in charge give you a clue as to how many to manufacture? Wouldn’t two to three years of running the ship then give you a median average?

Isn't 200 billion dollars in the bank enough to give you the means to create more jobs for exemplary workers which would afford you the opportunity to meet the demands of your current products rather than, instead, putting time, effort, and money into acquiring the products or companies created by others? Doesn’t it make more sense to look at the talent within Apple Inc. for ideas, rather than looking outside an already rich playing field? Paying Dr. Dre three billion dollars for a headphone company is never what Apple’s been about. No one at Apple has the talent and desire to create a headphone superior to Beats? Please.

As a billion dollar company with more cash on hand than the majority of other, similar big players out there, it is unacceptable to me to have three to four year product cycles with no substantial updates – this goes for the Mac Pro, iMac, Mac mini, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, etc.

When reports for hardware show a decline in desktops the numbers are not at a true data point, as most loyal Mac users buy in cycles – and when Apple doesn't release on an estimated cycle basis, buyers wait. And wait. Patiently. And then wait some more, not so patiently anymore, Mr. Cook. The current C.E.O., the guy who’s supposed to know, thinks there's no need for desktops and pro machines when, in fact, there is a huge need. It is also my position that Mr. Cook has wholly neglected that the reality that majority of the music studio and video editors, graphic designers, and artists – all of whom create the content for the Apple eco-system – are made on a Mac! Neglecting that area actually hurts Apple, Inc. full circle. Again, a fail.

It is a leader’s role to LEAD his or her company to envision and accomplish the goals and needs of its market, its customers. Mr. Cook just doesn’t seem to get this. To be truly successful, the company, the employees, and the customers must ALL win. The instability of stock has reflected the gaping hole that’s grown here, not to mention how it can plainly be seen in the vague lack of enthusiasm you’ll gauge in talking with almost any long-time Mac user today. Those of us who have been around for years, supporting and sustaining Apple from its core out, we all know this.

My friends, it is time for a new leader for Apple Inc. Please support me in my quest to make this beloved company great again by signing and sharing this petition!

This petition will be delivered to:

Apple Board of Directors

Get App Alerts when President-Elect Donald Trump sends a Tweet about your Stock(s)

Dan Uff January 6, 2017 0

“Donald Trump’s tweets have global impact,” Jenna Amatulli reports for The Huffington Post. “And when the president-elect tweets about public companies ― companies you may well have stock in ― a finance app called Trigger wants to tell you about it. ”

“Trigger lets users set up, well, ‘triggers’ that alert them when a stock reaches a low or high or moves a certain percentage,” Amatulli reports. “The latest Trigger offering is aptly called a ‘Trump trigger.'”

“The notification ‘gives you the ability to trade stocks based off of Trump’s tweets about public companies,'” Amatulli reports. “It’ll immediately tell you when Trump tweets about a publicly traded stock you own.”

Full article here.

Apple cuts Tim Cooks pay by 15% for missing sales goals

Dan Uff January 6, 2017 0

(CNN): Apple sales slumping is taking a BIG bite out of Tim Cook's check.

The iPhone maker cut Cook's pay by 15% last year to $8.7 million, according to a filing released on Friday.

Apple specifically cited the company's failure to meet its performance goals for both sales and profits. Shrinking iPhone sales last year caused Apple to suffer its first annual revenue decline in 15 years.

Now Apple's board is holding its CEO and other leaders accountable for the stumbles.

While Cook's salary rose to $3 million from $2 million last year, his cash bonus took a hit. Apple awarded Cook and other executives 89.5% of their target, instead of the maximum amount like in recent years.

That meant Cook's cash bonus fell to $5.4 million in 2016, down from $8 million the year before. All told, Cook's total compensation was $8.7 million last year, compared with $10.3 million in 2015.

But don't feel too bad for Cook, whose real fortune is linked to his vast holdings of Apple stock.

Last year, Cook completed five years as CEO and nearly 1.3 million of his previously restricted Apple shares vested. The shares were worth about $136 million.

As in previous years, Cook's 2016 pay was below that of his top lieutenants. All five senior executives below him, whose salary is made public, made just under $23 million in 2016. That includes Luca Maestri, Apple's chief financial officer, as well as retail boss Angela Ahrendts.

Apple's rare sales slump is directly linked to the loss of momentum for the iPhone, which generates the majority of the tech icon's sales.

Sales of iPhones have declined in each of the past three quarters, slipping to 45.5 million in the September quarter. The problem is that Apple has faced steep competition from Samsung and other smartphone makes and the newest iPhones haven't featured enough upgrades to lure customers.

Apple's stock ended 2016 with a healthy gain of 10%. That compares with a 13% gain for the Dow and 9.5% for the S&P 500. The popular stock received a boost in early September thanks to the Galaxy Note 7 disaster, which forced Samsung to discontinue the phone.

Apple will reveal just how much it benefited from Samsung's pain when the company reports quarterly numbers on January 31.

CNNMoney (New York) First published January 6, 2017: 10:27 AM ET

CES: Incipio’s ‘Kiddy Lock’ Case for iPhone 7 Keeps Kids From Accessing Home Button

Dan Uff January 6, 2017 1

During CES 2017, another company by the name of Incipio introduced an innovative case for the newest iPhone called "Kiddy Lock".

The case is designed to prevent children from accessing the Home button on the two devices with a sliding cover and a secure latch.

The Kiddy Lock Case fully covers the Home button and renders it inaccessible, preventing kids from opening apps, accessing Touch ID functionality, making phone calls, and more. It's ideal for parents who hand their phones over to kids to play games, but don't want them accessing other features on the device.

The Kiddy Lock Case will be available during the first quarter of 2017 for $39.99, and it will come in Black, Cyan, Purple, Magenta, and Pink. Customers considering the Kiddy Lock Case should be aware that Apple offers Guided Access, a built-in tool for preventing access to the Home button and other iPhone features. Guided Access is a free accessibility feature that can be turned on in the Settings app.