Mo Money Mo Problems??

It seems as though Steve Jobs left Apple with a legacy of products...2-5 years worth of projects that are in various stages of  R&D. Tim Cook being promoted as CEO after a stint as head of operations was no accident. Apple's next move: to buy up their supply chain in their quest to control the world. With over $7 billion to spend on capital expenditures in 2012, Apple has been busy vetting Asian factories in hopes of controlling their suppliers and cutting out all competition. Once these measures are in place, who can compete with Apple's margins? It is said that this move is not just a step towards controlling costs and the competition. It also secures Apple's place in their next frontier: TV. Owning their equipment will cut costs by up to 20% and control production on memory and screens. They already know what products they want to launch, its just a matter of controlling the process. Can someone say $1000 stock price??

How About them Apples?

Has your Ipod failed lately? Or your Iphone? It seems as though products are built to last 2-5 years these days. Whether its your cell, Ipod or LCD TV, chances are you are replacing devices more often than our parents ever did. My parents have appliances and TVs that have lasted over 15 years..crazy eh? My Ipod lasted 26 months before I held its funeral last weekend. This week alone, two other friends of mine had to replace their Iphones. Apple has a return/recycle program but its pretty much useless. They "recycle" your dead device and give you 10% off of a new one. So I decided to save the $20 and keep my Ipod since it still can play music on my Ipod dock at home. These devices, in particular Apple products, are meant to last a short time, just long enough past the one year warranty. Once the device has an issue, its over! I mean..there's no way of repairing it. You just have to cough up another $200+ for a brand new device. No wonder Apple is the richest company in the world. Sadly there is a field full of these "recycled" devices somewhere..le sigh!