Apple concluded its Q4 financial report earlier this morning and as usual, the numbers are phenomenal. What makes the figures even more amazing is that they surpass even the most optimistic of estimates affirming Apple’s position as the largest technology company by market value in the world.

Apple sold 15.4 million iPads and a staggering 37 million iPhones, making the last quarter its best ever. These are certainly impressive numbers but what does it all mean? Let’s put these figures into perspective.

Market value of almost $400 billion
Apple is hovering just a whisker off its record high. Many on Wall Street target $550 to $600 per share as an achievable milestone: assuming no change in existing shares, that would accord the Silicon Valley titan a value of as much as $560 billion, equivalent to the annual Gross Domestic Product of Switzerland.

Exxon has a market value of $420 billion, annual revenue about four times Apple’s and twice the tech company’s roughly 46,000 employees.

Revenue grew 65% from US$43 billion to US$108.25 billion in fiscal year 2011
That is akin to creating a Fortune 500 company from scratch. For instance, a revenue of precisely $43 billion would place the company below Intel Corp and Sears Holdings Corp – 56th and 57th, respectively, on the 2011 U.S. Fortune 500.

Near $100 billion cash reserve
One of the reasons Apple’s shares trade at a relatively low multiple is because it has huge amounts of cash that investors say can be put to better use. Its cash balance stood at $97.6 billion at the end of December, roughly equivalent to California’s 2012/13 state budget

Apple’s $13 billion profits surpassed Google’s entire revenue of $10.6 billion. Apple’s profits for 2011 exceed Google’s revenue in the same period.

iPad
Apple sold more iPads than HP sold personal computers – 15.4 million iPads versus by Gartner’s estimates of 14.7 million HP computers sold

iPhone
iPhone sales double with every new model:
In 2009, Apple sold more iPhones than it did in 2007 and 2008 combined
In 2010, Apple sold more iPhones than it did in 2007, 2008, and 2009 combined
In 2011, Apple sold 93.1 million iPhones, slightly more than it did in in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 combined

It is estimated that Apple has surpassed Samsung’s smartphone sales figures, with 37 million iPhones sold versus an estimated 35 million Samsung smartphones sold in the same period. This puts Apple back in top spot as the largest smartphone manufacturer in the world.

Apple sold 92.94 million iPhones and 40.43 million tablets in the 2011 calendar year. If you laid these devices end-to-end, they would just about stretch halfway around the Earth’s circumference that’s over 20 million thousand kilometres.

Just think about that for a moment.

[source: Reuters, PhoneArena]

	iPad, iPhone, Mobile Devices
	apple, Apple financial figures, financial figures, iPad, iPhone, Mac

All this might be cute and funny to watch now but this is a global trend that’s not going to end well.

	Cool stuff, Mobile Devices, Others, Video
	animal, animals, cat, dog, iPad, iPhone, pet, pets, Video

Bloomberg says the next iPad (iPad 3) will sport a HD display, a faster processor, run on LTE and go on sale this March citing “three people familiar with the product”. The sources also claim that Apple’s manufacturing partners in China have started ramping up production of the new iPad this month to meet what Apple expects is a huge demand the new tablet and also to make up for the massive Lunar New Year exodus where factories in the country will halt production. Mass production for the new iPad started this month with factories running 24 hours a day, one of the Bloomberg sources said.

Bloomberg requested for comment from Apple on the matter but a spokeswoman said the company doesn’t comment on rumor and speculation.

The new iPad is expected to feature a high resolution display with pixels so small and packed in so tightly that it makes images appear like printed material. According to information found in the iOS 5 SDK, the new display could have a resolution of up to 2048×1536 pixels.

Assuming Apple will stick with the 9.7-inch screen form factor, that gives the display on the iPad 3 a pixel density of around 264ppi – well below the 300ppi threshold where Apple claims the naked eye is not able to discern individual pixels. In comparison, the Retina Display on the iPhone 4 and 4S pushes 326ppi.

The iPad 3 is expected to feature a slightly thicker case to accommodate the HD display and a larger battery. The larger battery is said meet the higher power requirements of LTE allowing Apple to make the iPad 3 its first LTE device. For countries outside of the US where LTE is not prevalent, users can expect the iPad 3 to deliver considerably better battery performance, possibly double that of the iPad 2.

In addition to the bigger battery and higher resolution display, the iPad 3 is said to feature a quad-core processor and possibly a new GPU as well. One of the Bloomberg sources said that the new processor will bring faster multitasking capabilities and allow video playback to happen instantaneously.

Apple rumours are a whole different animal altogether, there are so many flying around it get difficult to separate the truth from the fluff but when a credible news source comes in with information that is in line with some of the many rumours that has been going around, then you know something is up. This is going to be interesting.

[source]

	iPad, Mobile Devices, Rumour Mill
	apple, iPad, iPad 3, iPad 3 display, iPad 3 specs

…use your iPad like this in the LRT? We got to admit, it’s pretty smart but the case leaves the iPad prone to snatch theft if you’re not careful.

[via]

	Cool stuff, iPad, Mobile Accessories, Mobile Devices
	apple, cool iPad 2 accessory, cool iPad 2 case, cool iPad 2 cover, iPad, iPad 2, iPad 2 Accessories, iPad 2 case, iPad 2 cover

The Apple Store 1 day Chinese New Year Sale is finally on with special discounts on selected Apple products & accessories.

Some of the items on offer include:

iPad 2 16GB WiFi – RM1378 (Save RM121)
iPad 2 32GB WiFi – RM1648 (Save RM151)
iPad 2 64GB WiFi – RM1918 (Save RM181)
iPad 2 16GB 3G – RM1778 (Save RM121)
iPad 2 32GB 3G – RM2048 (Save RM151)
iPad 2 64GB 3G – RM2318 (Save RM181)
iPod Touch 8GB – RM628 (Save RM71)
iPod Touch 32GB – RM948 (Save RM101)
iPod Touch 64GB – RM1258 (Save RM141)
iPod Nano – from RM414 (Save RM35)
MacBook Air – from RM2788 (Save RM311)
MacBook Pro – from RM3388 (Save RM311)
iMac – from RM3488 (Save RM311)

Accessories & Add-ons are also on offer as well:
Magic Trackpad – RM184 (Save RM35)
Apple Magic Mouse – RM194 (Save RM35)
Time Capsule 2TB – RM928 (Save RM71)
Apple Wireless Keyboard – RM194 (Save RM35)
AirPort Express Base Station (802.11n) – RM294 (Save RM35)
iPad 2 Smart Cover Leather (RED) – RM254 (Save RM45)
Microsoft Office Home & Student 2011 – RM590 (Save RM64)
AirPort Extreme base station – RM528 (Save RM71)

Remember it is for 1 day only (6th January 2012), so head over to the Apple Store.

	iPad, iPhone, Mobile Devices
	apple, Apple Malaysia, Chinese New year, CNY 2012, iMac, iPad, ipod, Red Friday

But damn, that looks painful!

[via]

	iPad, Mobile Devices, Video
	apple, iPad, iPad slap, Video

If you have been eyeing for Apple products, mark your calendars this Friday 6th January 2012. Apple Online store is throwing a one day Apple shopping event in conjunction with the upcoming Chinese New year festival.

In last year‘s CNY promo, Apple slashed up to RM131 from its iPad price and additional RM331 discounts on its MacBooks and iMacs. If the trend continues, we should be expecting similar discounts as well.

Since the iPhone 4S was launched just recently, we don’t expect any reductions but who knows Apple might throw in something special.

[ SOURCE ]

	iPad, iPhone, Mobile Devices
	apple, Apple Malaysia, Chinese New year, CNY 2012, iPad, iPhone, ipod

We’ve once again reached that time of the year where we look back at the past eleven months to see what a year it has been. For us at SoyaCincau.com, 2011 has been a year filled with amazing gadgets and innovation. The mobile scene has progressed so much in such a short time span that you can’t believe how much the game has moved on since a year ago.

In Malaysia, we see more interest from prominent brands like Samsung, Sony Ericsson, HTC, Nokia and BlackBerry as they identify Malaysia as a key market. As a result we see more devices being launched in Malaysia much earlier than – or at the very least at the same time as – other countries. We see this trend continuing for 2012 as Android gains traction and makes inroads in the minds and hearts of Malaysian consumers outside of urban areas and the demand for smartphones increases and prices drop.

Microsoft’s Windows Phone has got to be, in our opinion, one of the biggest lost opportunities for 2011. As a mobile platform, Windows Phone has loads of potential but the lack of a concerted and synchronised market awareness effort from Microsoft and manufacturers has resulted in the platform being an unknown in the country. As a result of that, retailers have seen very little interest in Windows Phone devices.

Having said that, Nokia is set to launch its range of Lumia devices that run on Windows Phone in Malaysia sometime before the first quarter of next year. With a strong brand presence in the country, Nokia could just be what Windows Phone need to gain some mind share in Malaysia. But make no mistake, the Nokia Lumia devices are not magic bullets and Microsoft can’t depend on Nokia alone to solve the lack of awareness for its mobile platform. More needs to be done on Microsoft’s side to educate and drive conversation on the strengths and advantages of Windows Phone.

Speaking of which, TIME magazine has released its top ten lists of everything for the year. Naturally, the list of Top 10 gadgets for 2011 is something we are all very interested to see.

Read the rest of this entry »

	Android, BlackBerry, Blackberry OS, Galaxy Nexus, HTC, iPad, iPhone, iPhone OS, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Windows Phone
	Android, apple, best gadget 2011, best gadgets, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Nexus Malaysia, google, iPad, iPad 2, iPad 2 Malaysia, iPhone, iPhone 4S Malaysia, Motorola, Motorola Atrix, Motorola Atrix Malaysia, Samsung, TIME, top 10 gadgets, top mobile phones, top smart phones, top ten gadget 2011

Here’s yet another Apple iPad 2 commercial entitled Love. Just like its previous ads, it evokes the emotional aspects around this “magical” device.

With many new tablets coming up, there’s nothing comes close to this type of ads.

[ SOURCE ]

	iPad, Mobile Devices, TVC, Video
	apple, Apple Ad, iPad, iPad 2, iPad 2 commercial, iPad 2 Now video, iPad 2 video, Video

The iPad with its glorious front glass may look sleek but careless mistakes such as dropping it can mess that precious gadget of yours in an instant. For maximum protection, there’s the G-Form extreme case which they have demonstrated an iPad surviving the impact of a dropping bowling bowl.

To take things to the next level, G-Form took it for a drop test at 1,300 feet with help of some skydivers. Watch it to believe. That’s one crazy protection sleeve. Head after the break for another test where they toss it out from a moving vehicle at 180KM/h.

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	Cool stuff, iPad, Mobile Devices, Video
	apple, case, cool iPad 2 case, cool iPad accessories, cool iPad cases, G-Form, iPad, iPad 2, iPad 2 case, iPad accessories, ipad case, RPT