Apple: Rise Of The Gadgets (In 1 Graph)

Apple is going to announce something iPad 3-ish today. Here’s a bit of corporate context.

Apple’s Annual Sales, By Product

Source: Apple’s 10-K

Credit: Lam Vo / NPR

Three years ago, Apple made more money from Macs than from iPhones. The iPad hadn’t been invented yet.

Since then, Mac sales have risen steadily. But sales of the iPhone, and eventually the iPad, exploded. Apple’s crazy revenue growth over the past few years — from $43 billion in 2009 to $108 billion in its last fiscal year — came almost entirely from the iPhone and iPad.

Last year, iPhone sales dwarfed Mac sales. This year, the iPad is on track to outsell the Mac as well.

We may or may not be living in the post-PC era. But the line between mobile devices and PCs is clearly blurring. All the heat is on the mobile device side of the blurry line. And Apple, the company that invented the personal computers as we know it, has become a mobile device company that also makes personal computers.

Avoid the next bursting investment bubble

If your portfolio blew up in 2000 when Internet stocks imploded, or if you bought a home between 2004 and 2006 and now find yourself upside down in your mortgage, you know firsthand the devastating effects of an asset class bubble.

Asset class bubbles defy easy explanation and identification. There is no defining threshold that announces the beginning of effervescent economic conditions, and no easily identifiable tipping point that precedes the inevitable pop.

However, most bubbles share certain characteristics that set boom-and-bust cycles apart from the supply-and-demand dynamics that normally govern most markets.

In his recent book, “Boombustology: Spotting financial bubbles before they burst,” Vikram Mansharamani took a multi-disciplinary approach to studying bubbles and identified traits shared by five infamous boom-and-bust cycles.

 

Keep Your Grocery Bill Down: Avoid Overpriced Grocery Items

Where you shop does matter. Making purchases of personal items or batteries at the grocery store is just begging to pay too much. When you buy these items at a grocery, you are paying for convenience, and the items are normally marked up.

However, non-food items arent the purchases that might be overly-expensive at the grocery store. Its quite possible that you could be spending too much on food that is marked up due to its convenience when prep time comes around.  Heres how to save money on your groceries.

Whenever you purchase produce that has been pre-cut, pre-washed and packaged, you are paying a premium. Its certainly more convenient to grab a small bag of pre-cut and washed brocoli, or to pick up a bagged mix of salad greens, but it will cost you. You could save quite a bit and get quite a bit more by buying a whole head of brocoli, and then cleaning it and preparing it yourself. You would sacrifice, maybe, five minutes in following such a scheme.

The same holds true when you buy any other produce. Fruits are much more expensive when you buy them pre-cut.


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ANZ Chief Calls For An End To The Politics Of Banking

Mike Smith, chief executive of Australian banking major ANZ says the Australian economy is not being helped by politics and called for an end to criticism of the banking industry and a focus instead on helping the economy achieve long term growth.

Mr. Smith made his comments following months of intense criticism for politicians regarding rising mortgage interest rates in response to higher costs of funding.

Mr. Smith also expressed dissatisfaction with proposed new banking regulations that will be implemented worldwide,  arguing that such stringent requirements come at the worst time for the global economy.

“I have to be blunt here and say politics isn’t helping, we need to bring more focus to the long-term opportunities and challenges facing Australia, rather than short-term point scoring,” M, Smith said.

ANZ reported a 5.7 per cent increase in cash profit for the December quarter, which stood at $1.48 billion.

Mr. Smith maintained a cautious outlook for the global economy saying that the global financial crisis had entered a “second and more protracted phase”

Mr. Smith sugg


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Warren Buffett’s Miss on US Housing Recovery

Warren Buffett had a rare miss in his economic calls. The Oracle of Omaha expected a recovery in US housing and real estate prices by 2012.

In his most recent 2011-2012 Berkshire Hathaway letter to shareholders, Buffett noted that his call was incorrect. Housing remains in what he calls a “depression of its own” but still believes that the real estate market can be viewed as recovering. He remains bullish on housing prices.

Buffett on Employment

Warren Buffett knows also that lackluster demand is partially to blame on US home prices, which continue to decline. When housing prices fall, homeowners cannot receive the same credit and borrowing opportunities that are found in periods of rising prices.

A rising real estate market would allow for excellent employment opportunities including:

Remodels – Remodeling old homes is big business for many small mom and pop shops to massive big box stores like Home Depot, in which Buffett is a shareholder. The remodeling business is almost entirely hinged on real estate prices as well as the availability of credit from asset backed loans like home equity lines of credit and second mortgages.

New construction – New construction starts necessarily employ millions of people in the construction industry. As pric


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