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Apple is now worth $2 trillion, making it the most valuable company in the world.

Do you mainly use a Windows- or MacOS-based PC for your main computing needs?


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MaestroMike

Gold Member
Apple just crossed the $2 trillion market capitalization mark, becoming only the second company ever to do so.

From a garage in Los Altos, California to the most profitable company in the world with its devices, services and ethos interwoven into much of modern daily life, the high-flying valuation sets it apart from its nearest tech competitors. Amazon and Microsoft boast market capitalizations of about $1.5 trillion each. Google’s is just north of $1 trillion.

In terms of company fundamentals, there is little substantive difference between whether a company is a few dollars over or under an arbitrary number. But cresting the marker can send out a powerful psychological signal.

“It’s a poll position in investors’ minds. When you cross the milestone first, it’s a signal of leadership,” said Gene Munster, Loup Ventures founder and former top tech stock analyst.

It’s a historic datapoint further cementing the the company that ushered in the personal computer revolution and illustrating its continued strength under Tim Cook, who took the reins after the passing of hands-on company cofounder Steve Jobs in 2011.

“Apple’s $2 trillion valuation represents about 10 percent of GDP for the U.S. and about 7 percent of the S&P 500,” said David Kass, professor of finance at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business. “Its iPhone is ubiquitous. It has transformed the way we live. Its ecosystem is self-sustaining.”

But a more significant moment may have been when the company topped $1 trillion for the first time, in August 2018. After breaking $1 trillion, it becomes easier for investors to imagine it might go to $2 trillion or $2.5 trillion, Munster said.

The tech and services company has positioned itself to take some advantage of its new stature. In early August, the company announced a four-for-one stock split, the company’s fifth stock split since going public in 1980. Individual shares are trading in the mid-$400’s, so for instance a unit worth $440 would be split into four shares of $110. That makes them more affordable for smaller investors to pick up.

Apple wants “to make our stock more accessible to a broader base of investors,” said Luca Maestri, the company’s chief financial officer, during a recent earnings call.

Historically, stock splits tend to increase demand, increasing value for existing shareholders, which include company employees.

The tech company isn't the first to hit the $2 trillion mark. Saudi Arabia's state-owned Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest producer of oil, did so during its December 2019 stock debut. But the company was hammered during this year’s global economic slowdown and a plunge in oil prices, and its valuation has since tumbled to $121 billion.

Apple’s stock has been on a tear since 2019, more than tripling from its $150 price in January of that year, driven by anticipation for upgrades to 5G devices and strong demand for the iPhone 11.

Apple’s surge and increasingly diversified profits are the primary driver of its new valuation. Barclays estimated the company will see nearly $60 billion in profits this year, over four times that of Walmart.

Increasingly, customers are reliant on a blend of interconnected Apple services such as iCloud, Photos, Music, and the App Store, which has shifted focus from fixed prices for apps with in-app purchases to recurring subscription models.

With households staying at home during the coronavirus pandemic, there has been greater need for children to have their own devices as parents do remote work. Customers are using Apple’s cloud services not just to upload family photos but also to upload work documents and media. Apple has also released a suite of free apps and services for educators and students for remote learning, further embedding itself in the education market and its users.

“At the core, we’re just becoming more dependent on Apple products. It’s not one product that got us there,” Munster told NBC News. “The iPhone is less important to their business than three years ago. It’s a combination of iPhone, services, Mac, iPad, educational customers and working from home.”

On the horizon, the company has growth opportunities around 5G, health and wellness, and augmented reality.

But financial experts say that individual investors should beware of getting burned on the Apple hype. Some of the expected uptick in stock interest around the valuation and stock split are already built into the stock price.

“For investors looking to jump on the Apple bandwagon now, where were you in March? If you were too skittish to get in back in March but are gung-ho now, what are you going to do if the stock pulls back amid an inevitable market correction?” said Greg McBride, Bankrate.com’s chief financial analyst.

“The idea is to buy low and sell high, and the price was low as recently as March,” he said.


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Biff

Member
I don't see how we aren't in another '99 dot-com bubble. Good luck out there - anyone owning MAGA stocks should keep a very close eye on their portfolio.
 

MaestroMike

Gold Member
I don't see how we aren't in another '99 dot-com bubble. Good luck out there - anyone owning MAGA stocks should keep a very close eye on their portfolio.

For Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft their PE ratio is between 33 to 36 compared to AMDs 157, Netflix's 86, Nvidia 91, Amazons 126 and Tesla's astonishing 976. Intel's PE is < 10 and they still have great finances and are making good money. Its kind of funny how cheap it is. Lot of tech stocks are heated up and some are extremely hot need to be careful.
 

#Phonepunk#

Banned
i use Mac for work, but only because they gave me a Mac laptop. i always use Windows for personal computing. i like the customizability. as shitty as Microsoft is, it is still a far more open system than Apple.

at any rate, good for them! "Think different."... like Apple!

it is funny a company started by some acid heads and using John Lennon in adverts just became the biggest bad guy company on the planet. just think of all the socialists using iPhones who made this happen!
 
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Entroyp

Member
I’m not a big fan of MACs but the iPhone (wall garden and all) works really well for me. I guess it does for a lot of people also.
 

Ailynn

Faith - Hope - Love
I've only ever had MacOS computers, but also have only owned Android based phones.

Mac OS has been basically useless for playing games on since Unreal Tournament...yet I still loved the OS for using Photoshop and creating art & 2D animation. Now, with Adobe's terrible support for current Mac OS Photoshop, I'm possibly never buying another Mac again.

It's not like it matters though, really. I pretty much only use my phone for browsing these days, and my art days seem pretty well behind me.
 

decisions

Member
Every time I have to figure out how to do something on my wife’s Mac book I think about how long it would take to asphyxiate by running both cars in the garage.

I like our iPhones tho.

This is just so weird to me. Are you just unfamiliar with macOS? I use Windows for gaming but anything I can do on my MBP I do because macOS is so much faster, reliable, and intuitive.

I’m not trying to change your preference, but if you have any actual questions about how to do anything on Mac I’d be happy to answer them.
 

Thaedolus

Member
This is just so weird to me. Are you just unfamiliar with macOS? I use Windows for gaming but anything I can do on my MBP I do because macOS is so much faster, reliable, and intuitive.

I’m not trying to change your preference, but if you have any actual questions about how to do anything on Mac I’d be happy to answer them.

I’m sure Mac OS is fine, I’ve just never bothered with it. Decades of experience using one OS to where I can basically do anything blindfolded vs figuring out basic functions all over again.

And why is there a command key?
 

Spukc

always chasing the next thrill
Crazy about apple.
Got most of the walled garden besides a laptop or macmini.

but with apple ditching intel.
I am going to wait for their second gen arm based pc’s from them.
Tablet wise ? No competition.
Smart watch? Same
Telephones? Good luck getting a decent appstore. I kee an android to tinker with. But when i want to actually have something reliable?

and nothing i know comes close to the ease of use then those damn airpod pro’s and they sound okay.

apple is doing just fine. Only thing i dont like is icloud and that tv stuff, apple arcade and music. Fuck sub based sheit
 
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decisions

Member
I’m sure Mac OS is fine, I’ve just never bothered with it. Decades of experience using one OS to where I can basically do anything blindfolded vs figuring out basic functions all over again.

And why is there a command key?

Cmd generally maps to ctrl on Windows, and is probably the most useful modifier key. So yes, don’t try and use the ctrl key on Mac to do commands that you would do on Windows with ctrl. Just curl your thumb from the spacebar inward to hold it while pressing other keys.

For instance,

Cmd+C is copy.
Cmd+Q is quit focused app.
Cmd+W is wipe/close focused app window.
Cmd+H is hide focused app (just gets it off your screen).
 

Mistake

Member
The fact that they are winning despite being the only company in big tech to care about privacy is commendable.
I highly doubt it. My brother has siri on, and every time we talk about something random he gets targeted ads for it. Plus they pulled vpns out of china app stores, which means they’re probably complicit in more than that. Microsoft is no bargain either
 
i think they are on their way of being worth 3 trillion. They truly know how to profit with the right implementation of junk hardware, shine luster polish of their OS, marketing and PR to make people behave cult like.

My question is, with their MacOS going to apple silicon, will they finally make desktops and laptops with touch screen and apple pencil support and high refresh rate similar to MS surface studio and surface book?

If they do I am going to be so happy.
 
Since around 2012 I've been using macbook mostly, but I gotta say this concept of 'it just works' was left behind long ago. Next one will not be apple I'm afraid.
 

-Arcadia-

Banned
As much criticism as there's been for Tim Cook, and post-Steve Jobs products and philosophies, especially at first...

The market speaks pretty loudly on this one.
 

Rockondevil

Gold Member
I highly doubt it. My brother has siri on, and every time we talk about something random he gets targeted ads for it. Plus they pulled vpns out of china app stores, which means they’re probably complicit in more than that. Microsoft is no bargain either

That’s because when you open an app for the first time it says do you want to allow the app to use X.
X being anything from microphone to photos.

In the next iOS it has a signal at the top telling you if an app is using your microphone.

It’s quite easy to not allow an app to use it, also just as easy to turn it off.

Google got big selling information, Apple didn’t.
 

Super Mario

Banned
Gotta hand it to them. This was no small feat. Most of the credit goes to Jobs. Cook hasn't ruined it, but he hasn't done anything innovative. I wish I invested.

With that said, Apple products are a rip-off. It's all marketing. Which again, brilliant business model.
 
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Rbk_3

Member
I use a 2014 Macbook Retina and it's still going strong and feels as fast as it did 6 years ago. I don't know if I would be able to say the same if I had bought a Windows laptop. Only thing is it needs a new battery and their battery replacement prices are ridiculous and it is incredibly difficult to do it yourself.
 
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Mistake

Member
That’s because when you open an app for the first time it says do you want to allow the app to use X.
X being anything from microphone to photos.

In the next iOS it has a signal at the top telling you if an app is using your microphone.

It’s quite easy to not allow an app to use it, also just as easy to turn it off.

Google got big selling information, Apple didn’t.
hopefully the next ios fixes a lot of what I’m concerned about, because it’s blatantly obvious when we talk about something off topic like kidney transplants and suddenly he gets ads for kidney health supplements or cancer treatments. Allowing apps access to photos and microphone shouldn’t mean 24/7. They did add “only when in use” for location, but not those
 
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