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The 5 Can't-Miss Apple Stories from the Past Week

Louis Bedigian — Sun, 19 May 2013 15:28:02 +0000

Apple is losing $6 - $7 billion annually to its competitors (in just one nation!)

Apple could be so much more popular…in India.

Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry estimated that Apple stands to lose as much as $7 billion this year because of its current Indian strategy.

Chowdhry was quite harsh in his assessment of Apple's plans.

"I think it is the lack of focus of Apple and the existence of competition," he told Benzinga. "Basically, BlackBerry and Samsung are very aggressive in creating a brand and having an association with whoever uses BlackBerry or Samsung are considered elite customers. When you talk to consumers in India, they literally find that when they buy Samsung or BlackBerry they are buying an iPhone at half the price."

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Don't expect an Apple-Samsung settlement

Investors need to give up any hope that a settlement will occur.

That's the advice of patent expert Cheryl Milone, who told Benzinga that Apple and Samsung have taken the battle too far to settle.

"I think the longer this goes on…the trajectory is for continued action in litigation rather than resolution," she said. "I think that the time for a resolution would have been before the trial.

"…There will need to be another time when the business risk itself is assessed. I don't think that time has come. I think the opportunity came and passed."

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Apple finally goes home…but not with Facebook

Apple is finally coming home -- but not to Facebook.

While there were rumors that Apple would acquire a special version of Facebook Home, the company's restrictive iOS platform prevented that from happening.

The latest Apple-related "home" story surrounds the infamous home button. When the next iPhone comes out, it might not have a home button at all.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

So Long, Innovation

Between the iPod and iPhone, Apple created gold for millions of consumers worldwide. Apple sparked the smartphone movement and inspired Google and other tech giants to develop online marketplaces for cheap software (known as "app stores").

Unfortunately, a new survey found that Bloomberg Terminal customers (mostly financial professionals) believe that Apple has lost its reputation as an industry leader.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

50 billion and still so young

The App Store is only five years old but it has already sold 50 billion apps.

To celebrate this momentous occasion, Apple gave a $10,000 App Store gift card to the man lucky enough to download the 50 billionth app.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Earnings Expectations for the Week of May 20

Nelson Hem — Sun, 19 May 2013 15:22:39 +0000

The start of the retail earnings season last week was a mixed bag.

Barron's Recap: Cues from Cooperman

Nelson Hem — Sun, 19 May 2013 15:19:45 +0000

This weekend in Barron's online: a profile of a Wall Street titan, a tribute to a former Barron's editor and columnist, and the prospects for Ryder System, Tencent and ING U.S.

Cover Story

"Cues from Cooperman" by Lawrence C.

Presidential Visit Puts Myanmar Investment Theme in Spotlight

ETF Professor — Sun, 19 May 2013 15:11:48 +0000

Six months after President Barack Obama visited Myanmar, that country's president, Thein Sein, will visit the White House.

Sein's visit to Washington, D.C. marks the first such visit by a leader from the Southeast Asian nation in nearly five decades and it is one that again puts the spotlight on Myanmar's burgeoning but controversial investment thesis.

Benzinga's M&A Chatter for Friday May 17, 2013

Charles Gross — Sun, 19 May 2013 03:37:16 +0000

The following are the M&A deals, rumors and chatter circulating on Wall Street for Friday May 17, 2013:

Rumor Baidu to Acquire Sogou for $2.5B

The Rumor:
Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU) is rumored to be acquiring Sohu's (NASDAQ: SOHU) Sogu, according to Marbridge.

Autodesk to Acquire Tinkercad

Charles Gross — Sat, 18 May 2013 23:58:43 +0000

Autodesk,
Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire
Tinkercad, an easy-to-use browser-based 3D design tool.

Can You Think of 9 Companies with Stellar Customer Service?

Louis Bedigian — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:59:24 +0000

JPMorgan Chase

Chase Bank, the consumer arm of JPMorgan Chase, earned high marks from not one but two separate surveys last fall.

The first, conducted by Harris Interactive, and Google, found that 59 percent of Chase Bank customers were either "satisfied" or "extremely satisfied." This compares favorably to Citibank (55 percent), Bank of America (48 percent) and Wells Fargo Bank (47 percent).

Chase also topped Bank of America in a survey conducted by the American Consumer Satisfaction Index.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Sony

Sony tied for fifth place in MSN Money's 2012 Customer Service Hall of Fame, and for good reason. The Japanese tech giant provides some of the best customer service in the world.

When PlayStation 3 units broke down prematurely in 2007, Sony not only fixed the consoles for free (per the terms of the one-year warranty, of course), but the company went the extra mile by sending customers a special padded box to exchange the defective units. The box's postage was pre-paid, so customers were able to send the system to Sony -- free of charge.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Nikon

Nikon's customer service is worth noting, if only for the friendly representatives, short wait times when placing a call, and the fast repair times.

Unlike Sony, however, Nikon does not provide free shipping for the exchange of defective items -- even if they are still under warranty.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Apple

The granddaddy of them all? That depends on if you are, in fact, a granddad. Those who are may appreciate Apple's ultra-kind, ultra-novice approach to product purchases, returns and repairs.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Best Buy

Best Buy, like many retailers, is often bashed for having long lines around the holidays and clueless sales associates.

The company's return policy is one of the best in the world, however. Customers can literally purchase and test any item and return it within a couple of weeks.

Just because the policy exists does not mean that customers should abuse it. Every consumer has had moments where they wish they had not purchased a particular item. Thanks to Best Buy, that is no longer a problem.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Cedar Point

Owned by Cedar Fair (whose NYSE ticker is appropriately "FUN"), Cedar Point strives to provide a clean, safe and exciting environment.

The proof is in the pudding: in addition to the ongoing praise for its roller coasters (including GateKeeper, its newest ride), Cedar Point has earned a 98 percent approval rating from Citysearch visitors.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Walt Disney World

Kathryn Lee (a quality assurance manager at Accelerated Business Results) said it best in a blog post entitled, "Everything I Know About customer Service I Learned At Disney World."

"Disney knows a thing or two about good old-fashioned customer service," she wrote. "Thousands of people visit Disney theme parks daily, yet cast members still know how to make individuals feel special. From the way they warmly addressed my 5-year-old daughter as 'princess' to the way our server at the 50's Prime Time Café took extra time to offer us 'insider' tips without us even asking, Disney cast members consistently go above and beyond what we typically experience elsewhere."

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Starbucks

Fast and reliable, Starbucks prides itself on delivering a great customer experience.

This was especially apparent when one Benzinga writer was given a free beverage to make up for a minor mistake on his order.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Amazon

Amazon is not kidding about the simplicity of its returns: they are so easy, even a Geico-hired caveman could do it!

The online retail giant does not charge a dime for returns or exchanges of faulty items, but be warned: customers who simply return an item (because they don't like or want it) will be charged a return shipping fee.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Campbell Soup Earnings Preview: Double-Digit Revenue Growth Expected

Nelson Hem — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:55:59 +0000

Campbell Soup (NYSE: CPB), which some have speculated could be a takeover candidate for Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-A), is scheduled to report its third-quarter fiscal 2013 results Monday, May 20, before the markets open.

Investors will be watching f

U.S. Steel, Genomic Health and Other Stocks Insiders Are Buying

Nelson Hem — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:54:32 +0000

Insiders may sell shares for any number of reasons, but conventional wisdom is that insiders really only buy shares of a company for one reason -- they believe the stock price will move higher and they want to profit from it.

Pullbacks and sell-offs provide a perfect opportunity for investors who have faith in a company to snap up shares.

These Are the Biggest Startup Hubs in the U.S. Today

Alex Biles — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:52:45 +0000

There's no argument. Silicon Valley is the undisputed world capital when it comes to tech startups. But an upswing of startup fever has inspired various locales around the country with up-and-coming entrepreneurs to don the "Silicon" moniker.

There's Silicon Alley in New York City.

Stock chart: