Author: Ultra Slacker

Posted on

Belkin to acquire Linksys from Cisco

Belkin announced its intention to acquire Cisco’s Home Networking Business Unit including Linksys brand.

Specific financial terms of the transaction are undisclosed. The transaction is subject to various standard closing conditions and is expected to close in March 2013.

Can Belkin save Linksys brand?

Annecdotaly we  have been watching the decline in quality of Linksys products for the past several years. We purchased quite a few units of Linksys Wi-Fi Router E3200 for the past two years and witnessed every single one of them failed one after another.

Posted on

Apple Earnings FY 2013 Q1: Mac Sales

Captain Obvious knows that Wall Street investors and analysts are irrational. That’s because they are greedy, stupid or both. As a matter of fact, they are acting like white-collar criminals if they have not  become ones already. Apple stock (AAPL) is sure taking the pummeling after Apple revealed its quarterly earning results.

From Apple PR:

The Company sold 4.1 million Macs, compared to 5.2 million in the year-ago quarter.

Mac sales are down year-over-year and it is attributed to the availability of new iMacs which did not become available until November 30, 2012. Apple announced new iMac lines during its October 23, 2012 special event. Between October 23 and November 30, 2012 iMac lines were unavailable on Apple’s own online store. This greatly reduced the number of iMac sold.

Apple iMac December 2012 Tweet

It doesn’t take a financial analyst or investor to figure this out.

Posted on

Apple Reports Fiscal Year 2013 First Quarter Results

From Apple PR:

47.8 Million iPhones Sold; 22.9 Million iPads Sold

CUPERTINO, California—January 23, 2013—Apple® today announced financial results for its 13-week fiscal 2013 first quarter ended December 29, 2012. The Company posted record quarterly revenue of $54.5 billion and record quarterly net profit of $13.1 billion, or $13.81 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $46.3 billion and net profit of $13.1 billion, or $13.87 per diluted share, in the 14-week year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 38.6 percent compared to 44.7 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 61 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

Note that Fiscal Year 2013 First Quarter is a 13-week quarter compared to 14-week quarter of Fiscal Year 2012 First Quarter.

The Company sold a record 47.8 million iPhones in the quarter, compared to 37 million in the year-ago quarter. Apple also sold a record 22.9 million iPads during the quarter, compared to 15.4 million in the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 4.1 million Macs, compared to 5.2 million in the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 12.7 million iPods in the quarter, compared to 15.4 million in the year-ago quarter.

Apple was expected to sell less Macs because new iMacs were missing in action for the first 2 months of the quarter.In addition to that supplies of new iMacs were constrained. As of January 23, 2013 iMac ship times is at 2-3 weeks, indicating either increasing demand or supply constraints; or both. Sales of iPods follow the downward trend as sales of iPads increase.

Posted on

Something Small

I believe they are Iron Powder Toroids. The diameter is at 0.050 inch (1.27 mm) and the height is at 0.025 inch (0.635 mm). The Iron Powder Toroids are placed on top of a Retina iPad screen.

IMG_1205