Showing posts with label Apple Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apple Music. Show all posts

2018-07-13

The Music Streaming Era: Consumers, Artists, Money (video)

Finding the Perfect Streaming Music Service

Wall Street Journal (wsj.com) video published Jun 25, 2018: You get tens of millions of songs for a few bucks a month no matter which you pick, but not all music services are the same. WSJ's David Pierce explains which is right choice for different types of music listeners.  Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube Music, or Amazon Music?

Where the Money is in Music: Can Artistry Survive the Streaming Era?

CNBC.com video published June 27, 2018.

source: Statista.com
source: Statista.com
source: Statista.com
source: Statista.com

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2017-01-31

Apple $AAPL Q1 2017FY Earnings, LIVE Stream Jan 31st Replay

Apple $APPL UP 26.13% since Feb 1, 2016 (source: google.com)
Apple.com: Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPLApple Q1 2017FY (Q4 2016) financial results conference call January 31, 2017, 5:00 pm EThttp://www.apple.com/investor/earnings-call/.  (Note: Live streaming uses Apple’s HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) technology. HLS requires an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with Safari on iOS 7.0 or later, a Mac with Safari 6.0.5 or later on OS X v10.8.5 or later, or a PC with Microsoft Edge on Windows 10.)
“We’re thrilled to report that our holiday quarter results generated Apple’s highest quarterly revenue ever, and broke multiple records along the way. We sold more iPhones than ever before and set all-time revenue records for iPhone, Services, Mac and Apple Watch,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Revenue from Services grew strongly over last year, led by record customer activity on the App Store, and we are very excited about the products in our pipeline.”--January 31st press release, infra.
Consolidated Financial StatementsDownload (pdf) and Data SummaryDownload (pdf)
Summary: revenue $78.4B (+3.3% Y/Y) beat estimates), EPS $3.36 beat estimates, share repurchases and dividends $15B. $AAPL shares UP in after hours trading Jan 31, 2017.
Press release Jan 31, 2017 excerpts:
  1. LIVE streaming of Apple's Q1 2017 financial results conference call 2:00 p.m. PST on January 31, 2017 at www.apple.com/investor/earnings-call/. This webcast will also be available for replay for approximately two weeks thereafter.
  2. Apple posted all-time record quarterly revenue of $78.4 billion and all-time record quarterly earnings per diluted share of $3.36. These results compare to revenue of $75.9 billion and earnings per diluted share of $3.28 in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 64 percent of the quarter’s revenue.
  3. Declared a cash dividend of $0.57 per share of the Company’s common stock.  The dividend is payable on February 16, 2017 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on February 13, 2017.
  4. Apple is providing the following guidance for its fiscal 2017 second quarter:
  1. revenue between $51.5 billion and $53.5 billion
  2. gross margin between 38 percent and 39 percent
  3. operating expenses between $6.5 billion and $6.6 billion
  4. other income/(expense) of $400 million
  5. tax rate of 26 percent
Apple Earnings: iPhone 7 Plus Could Save the Day

Can Apple come out of its recent earnings doldrums through higher prices for iPhones? WSJ.com's Tripp Mickle explains on Lunch Break with Tanya Rivero. Video above published Jan 30, 2017.

Apple's booming app sales

In recent months, Apple has put a spotlight on revenues from online services such as the App Store, iCloud and Apple Music, in order to counterbalance concerns on Wall Street about the iPhone, which saw its first ever drop in sales last year. Video above published Jan 5, 2017 by FT.com

See also:
  • Apple $AAPL, Q3 2016 Earnings Results, LIVE Webcast Oct 25, 5pm ET | DomainMondo.com
  • Apple vs Qualcomm (search results page)
  • Apple wobbly? "I thought one of the big four (Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon) would falter in 2016. All produced positive stock performance in 2016. None appear to have faltered in a huge way in 2016. But Apple certainly seems wobbly. They can’t make laptops that anyone wants to use anymore. It’s no longer a certainty that everyone is going to get a new iPhone when the new one ships. The iPad is a declining product. The watch is a mainstream flop. And Microsoft is making better computers than Apple (and maybe operating systems too) these days. You can’t make that kind of critique of Google, Amazon, or Facebook, who all had great years in my book."--Fred Wilson, What Did And Did Not Happen In 2016 | AVC.com.

• Chart: The Age of Tech | Statista: Infographic: The Age of Tech | Statista

• Chart: US Tech Companies With The Most Money Held Offshore | Statista.com: Infographic: US Tech Companies With The Most Money Held Offshore | Statista



feedback & comments via twitter @DomainMondo



DISCLAIMER

2016-11-04

Digital Winners: Amazon, Facebook; Losers: Snapchat, Apple Music (video)

Scott Galloway: Snapchat is a Loser:

Video above published Nov 3, 2016, by L2inc.com. NYU Stern marketing professor Scott Galloway presents his take on this week's biggest winners and losers in digital:
  • What do winning companies have in common? They don't just have a lot of users - they also glean data about those users' behavior and use it to improve the consumer experience
  • The biggest winner here: Amazon.com, which could soon be the first trillion-dollar company. The site's algorithm constantly looks at what you're shopping for and displays the most relevant products, in addition to ensuring that prices are the most competitive on the Internet. Compare to lame Walmart.com.
  • A loser: Snapchat.com. While the platform is innovative, they're not using their algorithm to personalize the experience--watch out for Facebook.com's Instagram.com.
  • Another surprising loser: Apple.com. The company's music algorithm has changed little since the early days of iTunes, opening the door for Pandora.com and Spotify.com.
YouTube.com auto-generated transcript:
0:00 what do winning companies have in common
0:04 we think a lot about that here at l2
0:06 eight of the 13 companies that have
0:08 outperformed the S&P 500 years straight
0:11 have a few things in common specifically
0:13 they don't just have a lot of users they
0:15 also clean data about those users
0:17 behavior and use the data to improve the
0:19 consumer experience seamlessly the
0:22 combined receptors their number of users
0:24 with intelligence to implicitly inform
0:27 and improve the product google pioneered
0:29 this concept of the original gangster
0:32 here every time you conduct a search you
0:34 make the algorithm point 000000 three
0:40 percent better
0:42 so who's the biggest winner here who
0:43 brings together receptors and
0:45 intelligence like no one else
0:47 amazon the platform's algorithm constant
0:49 looks of what you're shopping for and
0:51 then displays the most relevant products
0:53 for you these three users see vastly
0:56 different home pages due to differences
0:58 in their shopping behavior and contrast
1:00 here's the homepage for the same users
1:03 on walmart what you see the exact same
1:06 thing it's similar in a bad way amazon's
1:08 algorithm also caused millions of sites
1:10 to ensure the details prices are the
1:12 most competitive best buy and walmart
1:14 change prices 50,000 times per month in
1:18 comparison
1:19 amazon changes prices across categories
1:21 more than two-and-a-half million times
1:23 each day prediction amazon will be the
1:26 first trillion dollar company and will
1:28 reach this milestone in 2018 based on
1:32 our algorithm we believe snapchat is
1:34 going to decline in value in 2017 their
1:37 innovative no doubt but they're not
1:39 using their algorithm to push content or
1:42 personalize the experience a lot of
1:44 receptors but not a lot of intelligence
1:46 here meanwhile rival Instagram recently
1:48 changed its news feed from chronological
1:50 to algorithmic Instagram also reaches
1:53 more people Nikes most viewed snap got
1:55 around 70,000 views while the company's
1:58 Instagram story racked up a whopping
2:00 800,000 views and its first 24 hours
2:04 unless snapchat can come up with a
2:05 smarter way to leverage user data
2:08 facebook is going to steal it standard
2:11 the world is going to fail
2:13 facebook and google so who is losing
2:16 when you look at companies through this
2:17 lens of receptors times intelligence
2:20 apple itunes 2001 large brought Apple a
2:24 huge surgeon value but the platform's
2:26 algorithm is not involved opening the
2:28 door for Pandora and Spotify Spotify is
2:31 implicit intelligence is more robust and
2:33 introducing listeners to new music as a
2:35 result Spotify has 40 million
2:37 subscribers more than double the
2:39 subscribers of apples music offering
2:42 they're also better targeting ads here's
2:44 what Pandora no joke serves me and over
2:47 40 have you tried to GNC award-winning
2:50 innovation designed to invigorate your
2:51 body and increase your libido
2:53 we'll see you next week


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DISCLAIMER

2015-08-10

Defcon video: FTC, Cybersecurity, Crowdstrike, Bruce Schneier, NSA


UPDATE: Video No Longer Available

Bloomberg West from Defcon and Blackhat, Las Vegas (August 7, 2015). Guests: FTC Commissioner Terrell McSweeny on robocalls, Google, Apple Music, Internet of Things, IoT; also Crowdstrike President Shawn Henry; and Resilient Systems CTO Bruce Schneier on the TSA and breaking up the NSA. (Source: Bloomberg.com)

CrowdStrike | Next-Generation Endpoint Protection crowdstrike.com
CrowdStrike is a leading provider of next-generation endpoint protection, threat intelligence, and services focused on preventing damage from targeted attacks.

Resilient Systems resilientsystems.com
Resilient Systems is a leading cyber security incident response provider.

defcon.org

blackhat.com


2015-08-04

Apple, iPhone Vulnerability, Product Concentration, $AAPL Unsustainability

"Growth rates are “mathematically unsustainable,” said Toni Sacconaghi, an analyst with Bernstein Research. He forecasts iPhone sales to grow 3% to 237.6 million units in the fiscal year starting October. “It’s highly debatable whether there will be any iPhone growth next year,” said Mr. Sacconaghi. “The market realities will catch up with Apple.”" (source: Wall Street Journal)
UPDATE September 3, 2015: Apple's dependence on iPhone (below) and China at a time when smartphone sales decline in China--
See also: Apple's Dependence on China Could Be Dangerous - Bloomberg View
UPDATE August 28, 2015: Apple Music Exec Abandons Ship, China Smartphone Market Declines--
  1. China’s Moves Won’t Help U.S. Tech Firms - WSJ"Weaker yuan will make American gadgets more expensive in China, and Chinese ones cheaper abroad"-- Smartphone shipments in China fell 4% in the second quarter year on year, Gartner Inc. said, marking the first-ever decline there.
  2. Apple loses key music streaming executive - FT.com: "The architect of Apple’s online radio strategy has resigned two months after the launch of its Beats1 radio service, said people familiar with the matter. Ian Rogers was part of the executive team that joined Apple last year when the company acquired Beats, the audio group started by Dr Dre and Jimmy Iovine, for $3bn."
  3. iPhone 6S or 7: super-strength new iPhone 'too expensive' | The Week UK: "Apple will either have to charge more for the new iPhone, risking a dip in sales, or absorb the additional cost itself, denting its profit margin."
UPDATE August 26, 2015: The bad news in China is bad news for Apple $AAPL -- China waves trigger soul-searching on Apple"Because Apple is large, bad news in China translates to bad news for Apple to expand there, and then that has an impact on the entire market," University at Buffalo finance professor Cristian Tiu told USA TODAY in an email. China is [was] a key growth market for Apple." (emphasis added)

UPDATE August 25, 2015: Desperate Apple CEO Tim Cook, apparently trying to reverse the recent collapse in Apple Nasdaq: AAPL shares, may have violated SEC rules yesterday, see: Apple CEO Tim Cook may have violated SEC rules with Jim Cramer email - MarketWatch.com. See also:
China to Flood Economy With Cash - WSJ: "...“big-name Chinese technology companies are reporting softening markets ... Phone maker Xiaomi Corp. [domain name: mi.com], which had ridden the wave of first-time smartphone buying in China to rack up triple-digit growth in recent years, now has to look for such growth elsewhere. For the first time in six years, China’s smartphone sales are declining."
UPDATE August 21, 2015: Apple has 19 Apple Stores in China but none in India -- Smartphone Sales Fall in China, Market Saturated, but India is Booming

UPDATE August 20, 2015: Four 'scary-looking' $AAPL charts:

UPDATE August 17, 2015: The way people buy smartphones is changing. Is Apple competitive?  Business Insider"... the way consumers are purchasing smartphones is changing. Earlier this month, Verizon announced that it would be doing away with contracts altogether for new customers. Now, new Verizon customers must purchase their phones outright, pay for them in installments, or bring over compatible devices they've purchased elsewhere (like the new Moto X). They can cancel their service at any time, and if their handset supports it, use their device on a different network. Under this system, an unlocked phone with support for a wide variety of networks is much more attractive, as a handset lacking support for other carriers limits its owner's choices." But while the new Moto X is priced at $399.99, "buying an unlocked iPhone 6 means spending $649 or more up front -- a tall order for many."
A live TV service would provide a new revenue stream at a time when Apple is under pressure to bolster its long-term growth outlook. With iPhone sales slowing, the world’s most valuable company is projected to grow revenue just 5.3 percent in 2016, down from 28 percent this fiscal year. Shares have fallen 13 percent since reaching this year’s high of $133 on Feb. 23. (source: Bloomberg, infra)
UPDATE August 13, 2015: Apple Said to Delay Live TV Service to 2016 as Negotiations Stall Bloomberg via @business $AAPL (check Apple stock price now NASDAQ:AAPL)

UPDATE August 10, 2015: Eddy Cue told “USA Today” that only 11 million people signed up for Apple Music subscription--even though it's free--first 90 days free trial subscription.  11 Million Subs - Lefsetz Letter: "Apple Music [is] a disaster ... a me-too product ... [only] 11 million people on this planet of billions??? Apple Music is FREE and most people don’t want it." See also: "Apple Music is a nightmare and I’m done with itand


UPDATE August 5, 2015: Apple stock Nasdaq:AAPL downgraded by analysts including Bank of America Merrill Lynch--principal reasons for the downgrade as reported by The Street include:
  1. Near-term slowdowns in revenue growth from the iPhone and no significant growth from new products like the Apple Watch
  2. Uncertainty in China
  3. The company's stock price is tied too closely to gross profit dollars, which he thinks will decelerate
  4. The magnitude at which Apple beats Wall Street's expectations is decreasing, leaving little room for failure
  5. The iPhone 6S and 6S+ aren't supposed to receive significant updates, which Mohan worries might draw in little demand
  6. There aren't any expected capital return announcements besides what has already been announced
UPDATE August 4, 2015: Apple, the iPhone maker, has dropped more than 13 percent since hitting its all-time high in February, entering correction territory on Monday and then falling below its 200-day moving average for the first time since 2013. Apple stock Nasdaq:AAPL closed today at $114.64 DOWN $3.80 (-3.21%).


Video above: Bloomberg’s Michael Regan and Julie Hyman examine Apple’s moving average with Bloomberg’s Alix Steel on “Bloomberg Markets” Aug 3, 2015 (Source: Bloomberg)

Apple 3-month stock chart: NASDAQ: AAPL
Apple 3-month stock chart: NASDAQ: AAPL (chart source: google.com)
"It is precisely due to non-existent switching costs that investors are skeptical of the sustainability of success at major smartphone companies such as Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL). It is no secret that Apple's near-term success is highly dependent on its iPhone franchise. The franchise has consistently comprised of 60%-70%-plus of revenues in recent years and thus it is fair to say that the tech mammoth has serious product concentration." [Which is a serious vulnerability.] Read more at: Apple | Seeking Alpha

"Despite analysts' enthusiasm for the market's strong acceptance of the iPhone 6 models, Apple Q2 results were a disappointment to many who had visions of growth in China propelling Apple to a recovery of market share it had lost in recent years. Apple did have very strong sales in the robust China market, but nonetheless saw its market share drop to 12% [see chart below], well behind industry leader Xiaomi who surged to 18%, and eclipsed by a resurgent Huawei who now holds 16% of the China market." Read more at: Is Apple More Vulnerable Than Microsoft To Trends In Mobile? Probably | Seeking Alpha

Apple Stock: (check price now at link) NASDAQ: AAPL

See also on Domain Mondo:

Infographic: The iPhone Is More Vital Than Ever to Apple's Success | Statista
Chart illustrating Apple's growing dependence on the iPhone - Source: Statista

Infographic: The State of the Global Smartphone Market | Statista
Global Smartphone Market Share Based on Units Shipped Q2 2015 - Source:Statista
Smartphone Market Share in China
Smartphone Market Share in China: Data Source IHS Technology via Bloomberg
Infographic: How the iPhone Changed Apple in Just 8 Years | Statista
Source: Statista




Disclaimer here

2015-07-06

Apple Watch, Apple Music, Apple #FAILS? $AAPL, Google Search Trends

UPDATE August 20, 2015: People are giving up on Apple Music survey says – 48% of “free trial” users stopped using it while only 11 percent of iOS users have tried the streaming service so far, according to MusicWatch and The Verge via @verge #Apple $AAPL

UPDATE (July 26, 2015): Why the iPhone matters to Apple - Business Insider (Jul. 26, 2015): "... Apple's stock tanked globally ... People are clearly worried that Apple's 'golden goose' is in trouble ... there was one key metric that fell below Wall Street's expectations: The number of iPhone units sold ..." (emphasis added)

UPDATE: July 23, 2015: Apple Music is described as a "nightmare"--Apple Music is a nightmare and I’m done with it"At some point, enough is enough. That time has come for me—Apple Music is just too much of a hassle to be bothered with. Nobody I’ve spoken at Apple or outside the company has any idea how to fix it, so the chances of a positive outcome seem slim to none." (read more at the link above)

UPDATE July 21, 2015: Bloomberg reports today Apple Poised for $50 Billion Loss of Stock Market Value: "The biggest technology rally since October was knocked cold, as disappointing earnings reports punished Microsoft Corp. and left Apple Inc. in danger of its worst-ever loss of market value. Five days after Google Inc.’s earnings sparked the largest one-day increase in market capitalization, computer and software shares are tumbling ... Apple, the world’s most valuable company, dropped 6.7 percent, a slump that would wipe more than $50 billion from its value... Apple slid in late trading after iPhone shipments for the fiscal third quarter and the company’s revenue forecast for the current period missed analysts’ projections, raising questions over whether demand for the device has peaked. If the stock sinks that much in regular trading, the hit to market cap would be the second-biggest in the company’s history, after a $59.6 billion drop on Jan. 24, 2013." Check after-hours trading on NASDAQ: AAPL

UPDATE (July 20, 2015)Skepticism remains about the Apple WatchThe New York Times (July 19, 2015) -"... lack of support from Facebook — and from other popular app makers like Snapchat and Google, which also have few if any apps for Apple Watch — underscores the skepticism that remains in the technology community about the wearable device ..." (emphasis added)

UPDATE (July 9, 2015): The Chilling Thing Gartner Just Said ...| Wolf Street: "MarketWatch reported that [Apple Watch] sales, based on data from Slice, might have plunged 90% since that week, to fewer than 20,000 watches a day, and on some days fewer than 10,000. “The value of a smartwatch for the average user is still not compelling enough,” explained IT research and advisory company Gartner in its report on worldwide electronic device shipments." Gartner Says Worldwide Device Shipments to Grow 1.5 Percent, to Reach 2.5 Billion Units in 2015:The mobile phone market growth rate is expected to slow down to 3.3 percent growth in 2015. "The global market has been affected by a weaker performance in China. We have witnessed fewer and fewer first time buyers in China, a sign that the mobile phone market in there is reaching saturation. 

Chart of 2005-2015 Search Trends: Blue-AppleWatch; Red-iPod; Orange-iPad; Green-iPhone; Purple-AppleMusic
2005-2015 Search Trends: Blue-AppleWatch; Red-iPod; Orange-iPad; Green-iPhone; Purple-AppleMusic.
Source: Search Terms via 
GoogleTrends (data as of July 5, 2015; forecast shown as dashed lines)

chart of 2015 Search Trends: Blue-AppleWatch; Red-iPod; Orange-iPad; Green-iPhone; Purple-AppleMusic
2015 Search Terms: Blue-AppleWatch; Red-iPod; Orange-iPad; Green-iPhone; Purple-AppleMusic.
Source: GoogleTrends (data as of July 5, 2015)
So far in 2015, Apple Watch and Apple Music rank with Apple's almost gone iPod in search trends--iPhone (green line) still a very popular search term--but for how long? See: Domain Mondo: The Problem With Apple $AAPL (June 8, 2015) and Safari is the new IE | Read the Tea Leaves: "In recent years, Apple’s strategy towards the web can most charitably be described as “benevolent neglect.” Although performance has been improving significantly with JSCore and the new WKWebView, the emerging features of the web platform – offline storage, push notifications, and “installable” webapps – have been notably absent on Safari" (emphasis added). Of course we really won't know about Apple Music until after the free three-month trial period is over, although some music industry insiders are already calling it a failure.

And Apple stock? The picture doesn't look pretty since the June 8th Apple WWDC 2015 keynote (June 8th was the launch date of Apple Music; Apple Watch launched April 24, 2015):

Chart of Apple stock AAPL since Apple Music launch of June 8, 2015.
Apple stock AAPL since Apple Music launch of June 8, 2015. Chart source: google.com
Chart showing Apple stock AAPL was at $132.65 the day before Apple Watch launched
Apple stock AAPL was at $132.65 the day before Apple Watch launched, a price it hasn't seen since--
the launch of two major products and Apple stock is down! Chart source: google.com
Check Apple stock price now: NASDAQ: AAPL

Principal domain name: apple.com

Tim Cook is a supply chain guy. Jony Ive is a hardware design guru. As noted in Domain Mondo's first post in this series, Apple is falling behind in technology. At some point, consumers will start to notice, if they haven't already.

Note: As noted above, this is the second in a series of articles on Apple, its products and services, and AAPL stock (disclaimer at the bottom of this web page and here.)

See  also: Apple Watch demand is looking worse than expected - Business Insider (July 1, 2015).


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