78% Third Quarter Revenue Boost for Apple
Apple Australia has reported a massive 78% rise in global profits for the Macintosh empire, thanks to the release of the iPhone 4 and the innovative iPad. These cutting edge products have seen Apple achieve a new third quarterly record for Mac sales, with a staggering 8.4 million iPhones sold during this period alone! This increase of 61% compared to last year’s third quarter is one of the most significant reasons in the huge hike in profits, plus with the iPad’s release, it’s easy to see why Apple figures are going through the roof.
Apple’s chief executive, Steve Jobs, said -
It was a phenomenal quarter that exceeded our expectations all around, including the most successful product launch in Apple’s history with iPhone 4. iPad is off to a terrific start, more people are buying Macs than ever before, and we have amazing new products still to come this year.
Revenue was reported as $15.7 billion up to 26th June 2010, a rise of some $5.97 billion compared to the $9.73 billion for the same period 12 months ago. With the company also reaching a new quarterly record for Mac sales, it’s easy to see how Apple’s quarterly net profit was also up to $3.25 billion compared to last year’s$1.83 billion.
Apple’s chief financial officer, Peter Oppenheimer, said -
We’re really pleased to have generated over $4 billion of cash during the quarter. Looking ahead to the fourth fiscal quarter of 2010, we expect revenue of about $18 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share of about $3.44.
> > Click here to order Apple Australia
Apple Australia End of Financial Year Savings – Offers End 31-07-10
Apple Australia has just released a selection of discounts in time for the end of the financial year. The offers below are only available for a limited time only, so be sure to take advantage as you don’t see many money saving offers from Apple! If you order these products online before the end of Monday 31st July 2010 then you can now save -
- $150 Off Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Business Edition
- $ 50 Off Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Student Edition
- $ 50 Off Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Business Edition Upgrade
Plus if you by a printer through Apple with your computer, you will be able to receive a $130 rebate when you purchase. Simply download the rebate coupon upon ordering and send the form back to Apple to obtain this fantastic money saving offer.
Apple don’t do sales, but they occasionally let a few money saving offers slip through the net, so do try and take advantage of them whilst you still can. I don’t expect to be writing another one of these posts any time soon!
> > Click here to shop online with Apple Australia
Apple’s New 13in MacBook Pro Stacks Up Well For Business Use.
Apple’s new 13 inch MacBook Pro looks almost identical on the outside to its previous incarnation, with much the same line up in ports, and same Apple unibody design. Apple has clearly made its changes to the inside, which include incremental improvements to the processor and memory.
The new Macbook Pro uses a Core 2 Duo processor as opposed to the more recent Intel iSeries and now uses the GeForce 320M graphical processor.
The new model comes with 4GB RAM as standard, double the memory of the previous version, and more than enough to run multiple office applications, even when using a virtual machine.
The new 13 inch MacBook Pro weighs 2.04 Kg, but is still the lightest of all Mac portables. Apple says this model also has the longest battery life of all its offerings, and claims a massive 10 hours of wireless productivity.
Apple measures the length of its battery life according to browsing web pages, or using a word processor, so if you plan to view video expect the battery life to be far shorter. In fact test result have revealed that when viewing HDTV, the battery lasts about four hours, which is fine if you are flying short haul, but if you intend to fly any longer, you will need to buy an airline adaptor, because Apple does not let you swap the battery out for a fresh one.
The display is 1280 x 800 pixels, and despite its smaller size, is far more comfortable that one would expect, largely because of the gesture driven trackpad shortcuts.
Hard drive options are up to 500 GB, however cash would perhaps be better spent on an external hard drive for back up.
802.11n Wi-Fi is included which is backwards compatible with a-, b- and g-class networks along with Gigabit Ethernet.
Perhaps the standout feature of the new 13-inch MacBook Pro is the glass Multi-Touch trackpad, which makes use of gestures to either scroll or move around the desktop, the new MacBook Pro also included inertial scrolling, which Apple has pinched from its iPhone and Magic Mouse. The feature differentiates between slow swipes, and quick flicks to scroll at the users desired pace, and works well with iTunes and long documents.
Dell Tablet Chief Says He Was “Underwhelmed” By iPad
Unless you have been living under a rock for the last two weeks, most of you will have heard that Apple finally launched its much hyped tablet device the iPad last weekend.
Not to be outdone, rivals Dell, Lenovo, and HP are all scheduled to be developing their own touch screen tablet devices, with HP cheekily releasing a video highlighting the relative weakness of the iPad by clearly demonstrating the strengths of its HP slate.
Sneaky we must say, and it certainly worked on me.
Dell has not made much of a secret of its plans to launch a 5-inch tablet device within the next three months, which is said the be called “Streak”, though that name has yet to be officially bestowed by the company.
Neeraj Choubey general manager for Dell’s tablet division says the Round Rock Texas based company has deliberately steered well clear of the iPad launch, so that its offering is not too closely associated with the Apple device.
The 9.7 inch iPad screen is nearly double the size of Dell’s tablet, so differentiating itself from Apple shouldn’t be too hard.
“We would be in the market at the same time, but we didn’t want the comparison,” Mr. Choubey said.
He added that he was “underwhelmed” by the iPad saying that “It was not what I was expecting, it was kind of like the iPod Touch scaled up.”
“We’re not going to get distracted by what’s going on in the market, we’ll definitely see the competition, recognize it, give credit where it’s due, but we’re not going to chase markets.” Mr. Choubey said.
Dell’s 5-inch gadget appears to be just the first offering in a family of tablet devices, most of which will be powered using Google’s Android operating system, and some with larger screen sizes.
Dell would like its offerings to be able to double as smartphones, with consumers being able to select both voice and data plans
“We’ve struck gold with these devices… once you touch it, feel it hold it, you’ll definitely understand the value proposition.”
A pretty bold statement there and one that sounds exceedingly confident, enough to arouse our curiosity we must say.
The war in the market for hand held internet enabled devices really erupted last weekend, having first simmered in the smartphone market over the last few years. During the next few months and years the choice available to consumer’s looks set to explode, and the battle for consumer’s hearts and minds is going to become incredibly brutal with some winners, and unfortunately some losers.
It by no means is a foregone conclusion that Apple with its first mover advantage in launching the tablet is going to run away with it like it did in the media player and smartphone segments.
Many analysts seem to believe that content and applications will drive sales and clearly with iTunes, its iPhone and now iPad app stores, Apple is well positioned there.
I’m not so sure about that logic myself though. I think sweet systems sell themselves rather than the bells and whistles that they come with. If Apple did well with media players and smartphones, its because they were easy to use products that consumers could work intuitively.
Clearly there is a large market for hand-held internet enabled devices which manufacturers are going to carve up over the next few years, all be it at high cost to some of them. It will certainly be interesting to see which company emerges as the dominant player and alpha dog this time round.
iPad Has Strong Début
By all accounts the launch of Apple’s highly anticipated iPad was an all round success with the Cupertino California based company shifting more than 300,000 units during its first day in stores, a figure which roughly matched Wall Street expectations, and mirroring the début of the iPhone back in 2007.
Despite a strong opening weekend, Apple’s real test will come much later in the year when consumers outside of Apple’s core following size up the device.
Several questions remain unanswered, most notable among them is whether consumers will be willing to shell out US$500 or more for a gadget that falls somewhere in between a laptop and a smartphone.
For its part Apple hopes it is pioneering a new segment or class of device, and that the iPad will join the iPod and iPhone in its pantheon of successful consumer devices that drives its sales growth, as multi-media players and smartphone sales begin to moderate.
Should the iPad catch on, it will not only yield a new market for component manufacturers, but will also provide another platform for software developers and content companies to distribute their products.
For now however, only time will tell whether the device is another home run for Apple, publishers such as the New York Times though are betting that the tablet will provide a profitable transition from traditional print to digital distribution.
Apple has taken a huge gamble with the launch of a tablet, staking its formidable reputation on the 9.7-inch touch screen device, which has no other use really beyond pure media consumption.
Rivals Dell and Hewlett Packard are upping the ante, preparing to launch their offerings later in the year, crowding the market, providing consumers with a wide variety of choices and not allowing Apple to run riot virtually unopposed like it did in the MP3 player and smart-phone segment.
Many analysts believe that Apple will shift more than 1 million or more iPads during the current quarter which ends in June, with much of Wall Street basing their stock price targets on the company shifting as many as 5 million units during 2010.
Apple launched with just Wi-Fi enabled devices over the weekend, and iPads were only available in the United States. The company expects to roll out a 3G compatible tablet later this month, and will expand to nine international markets.
Apple said iPad users downloaded more than 1 million applications from the company’s App Store and more than 250,000 ebooks from its iBookstore during the first day.
Click here to order online with Apple Australia
Apple Delays Shipping New iPad Orders
By all accounts, the level of pre-orders Cupertino California based Apple has taken for its much hyped tablet device the iPad is going swimmingly.
Despite the level of demand, Apple recently updated its website saying that it expects to ship new orders for the iPad by April 12th, a move widely expected by Apple watcher blogs such as AppleInsider.
For those that were wise enough to pre-order the product, the delivery date remains unchanged and they will receive the Wi-Fi model on April 3rd as promised. Those who procrastinated in placing their order however, will have to wait a little longer to get their hands on the tablet.
Pre-order customers had the choice of either picking up their iPad in store, or having home delivery. Home delivery however now seems to be an option that has been removed from the company’s website.
The iPad Wi-Fi + 3G is still scheduled to ship in late April, according to Apple’s Web site.
There has been speculation that Apple is experiencing difficulty with its supply chain, with suppliers unable to provide enough components to meet the level of demand. By delaying the delivery date for new orders, it appears that pre-orders account for the entirety of Apple’s available stock.
Though the number of units ordered has been the subject of much debate, no one outside of Apple knows for sure just how many iPads have actually been ordered.
Some sources suggest that the company has already sold hundreds of thousands of iPads since pre-orders began on March 12th, with those sources also speculating that they expect the first three months sales of the product to outshine even the iPhone.
Apple has also added a new iPad accessory, which is available for preorder. The iPad Camera Connection Kit allows the user to connect their camera directly to the iPad.
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Apple Tops After Sales Service Poll
According to a the results of a new study on after sales service, authored by US publication Consumer Reports, Apple leads the way when it comes to tech support.
The publication polled 7,000 of its subscribers, and asked them whether they owned a computer and to rate the manufacturers after sales support. The readers were asked to rank their manufacturer in four different categories including online support, phone staff, wait duration and problems solved.
Apple lead the way sweeping all four categories for both laptops and desktops, managing an overall score of 87 and 86 out of a possible 100 respectively.
Dell came in a distant second place, scoring 55, followed by HP/Compaq who scored 53, with Acer bring up the rear scoring 39 for its desktop support.
Apple’s lead was smallest in the laptop space, but not by very much. Chinese computer manufacturer Lenovo placed second with a score of 63, 23 points short of the score chalked up by Apple. Toshiba ranked third with a score of 60, followed by Dell in fourth place, HP in fifth and Acer in last place.
Apple managed a slight improvement in performance compared to its result in the previous year’s poll, though Consumer Reports says there is a seven point margin of error, which means slight changes are not conclusive.
One of the reasons given for Apple’s strong performance is ironically one of its chief criticisms. Apple tightly controls its ecosystem, and many say this reduces consumer choice and allows the company to dictate price levels.
Despite that criticism, the ring fenced ecosystem allows the company’s tech support staff to easily identify and diagnose problems, cutting back on the need to bounce customers back and forth between different vendors when they require tech support.
‘Mac’ to School with Apple Australia – Offer Ends 29-03-10
Apple Australia has created a sweet little tax deal if your thinking of purchasing a Mac computer and an iPod before the end of Monday 29th March 2010. If you’re a tertiary student, faculty, or staff member and purchase both items on the same receipt, you can get up to $268 inc GST back via mail-in rebate when you fill in the online form after purchase.
> > Click here to download Apple rebate form
You must send the completed form with UPC labels and proof of purchase to -
Apple Rebate Centre
PO Box A809
Sydney South NSW 1235
to apply for this fantastic tax saving. Apple computers are great systems for students to study on, whilst the iPod touch allows you to email, download hundreds of educational apps, and enjoy thousands of lectures and videos in one small handheld device. The perfect accompaniment to any student who wants to stay at the top of the class.
> > Click here to shop online with Apple Australia
Apple Mac Version Of Google Chrome Released
The search engine Google has confirmed the release of its popular internet browser, Chrome, for Mac users. The beta version is lacking in some of the regular features that its Windows counterpart has, but does feature the ability to import bookmarks from Firefox and Safari.
The overall stability is a lot stronger than earlier versions, though do be prepared for the possibility of a few teething problems at first. One of Google Chrome’s best features is the speed, which is twice as fast as Firefox. Chrome can also handle all updates in the background so you never have to wait for the browser to install or interrupt what you are already doing.
Another great feature is the ability to quickly search for websites using any search engine you like without adjusting your preferences. Plus with fast start up, faster loading and even faster search facilities, it’s easy to see why many people have been waiting for the Apple Mac version of Google Chrome with baited breath.
> > Click here to shop online with Apple Australia
One Day Savings at Apple Australia – Friday 27th November 2009
Apple Australia will be holding a special one day sale this Friday 27th November 2009. There will be a great selection of gift ideas, including some nice discounts, plus free shipping for all purchases. Apple very rarely have sales, so this is a great chance to do a bit of early Christmas shopping before the seasonal rush.
This ‘Happy Friday’ sale is for one day, and one day only, so don’t expect any of these great deals to hang around. Also this is a bit of a secret sale, so make sure you make the most of this, as not a lot of people will even know this is on (unless they read our blog of course!). Happy shopping!
> > Click here to shop online with Apple Australia
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