Apple

We recently tested four smart speakers by asking Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, and Cortana 800 questions each. Google Assistant was able to answer 88% of them correctly vs. Siri at 75%, Alexa at 73%, and Cortana at 63%. Last year,…

This week Apple announced plans to add an additional campus in Austin, TX along with strengthening satellite locations in Culver City, San Diego, and Seattle. The initial reaction from tech followers has been centered on Apple adding offices in cities outside…

This week Apple announced an “extra credit” of $25-$100 for a trade in of an iPhone 6, 7, 8, or X towards a new XS or XR. While it appears to be a negative read on iPhone demand in the…

Apple’s recent decision to end unit reporting is evidence of Apple’s latest reinvention — into a services business. It will take time, but this change lays the groundwork for future AAPL multiple expansion. Six months ago we introduced our view…

Happy belated Thanksgiving. One of our four closely held values is what we call intentional generosity. We believe that giving with a purpose is a powerful tool for good. It’s baked into the venture capital model and baked into our…

Halo Sport Headset | $499 | A pair of headphones that utilizes neuropriming to improve workouts. Apple Watch Series 4 | $499 | Fall detection, an electrocardiogram, super-accurate fitness tracking, and cell connectivity make it the best smartwatch period. Plae Shoes |…

We think about Apple less as a device maker and more as a company that maintains a large user base with a combination of hardware and software services. To put a finer point on it, we estimate there are 850…

Over the past several months we’ve written about a shift in Apple investment thinking to Apple as a Service. To date, the view has been slow to take root as evidenced by AAPL’s recent sell-off due to supply chain concerns.…

Optical products and laser manufacturer II-VI announced on Friday that it will purchase its competitor Finisar for $3.2B. II-VI and Finisar both produce optical communications products sold mainly to telecom companies and datacenters. These two companies are also Apple’s 2nd…

The Street’s obsession over iPhone units has distracted investors from the fundamentals and weighed heavily on AAPL’s multiple. The company’s recent decision to end the reporting of hardware unit numbers should help focus investors on what matters most: revenue and…

A couple weeks ago, Loup Ventures went phoneless. We turned off our iPhones and tested Apple Watches as our only source of connectivity. That experience was both freeing and frustrating. There were times when more connectivity would have been useful,…

Apple reported its results for the Sept. 2018 quarter essentially in line with expectations and gave guidance for Dec. quarter revenue 2% below Street expectations. Shares were down 5% after hours but fell further to ~7% on news that the…