Apple share dive stuns Wall Street

Reuters is reporting that Apple has experienced some rare disappointment as its share value plummeted in the wake of lackluster quarterly results. Revenue and earnings for the world's most valuable technology corporation reportedly fell short of Wall Street's targets, as sales of its flagship iPhone also came in well short of expectations. The company's CFO explained that iPhone sales came in ahead of internal expectations but were hurt in September by customers waiting for a new version. The September quarterly report was Apple's first under new CEO Tim Cook, who takes over during a critical juncture for the company. As noted by Reuters, Apple is currently battling the fast-rising Google Inc. in the mobile arena, while fending off consumer electronics giants such as Samsung and Amazon.com.

Sources: Foxconn Brazil's $12B iPad deal could implode

According to sources cited in a Reuters report, Apple contract manufacturing partner Foxconn's much publicized $12 billion plan to produce iPads in Brazil is now "in doubt" due to "stagnant negotiations over tax breaks and Brazil's own deep structural problems such as a lack of skilled labor." The report states that, while the initial proposal to build Apple's sleek tablet PCs in Brazil was hailed as a sign of the country's burgeoning economic ties with Asia and overall economic growth, hopes for the "Brazilian iPad" have reportedly since withered, as certain local realities have remained unchanged. These include factories that have struggled for years with high taxes, an overvalued currency, and a lack of qualified workers due to poor education and a tight labor market.

Full Story: Brazil's $12 billion iPad deal is in trouble: sources (reuters.com)

Steve Jobs made technology luminaries of us all

BusinessWeek has gathered an assortment of quotes from the world's foremost technology and new media executives, offering thoughts, memories, and reflections on the passing of one of the true titans of the Internet age: Apple's Steve Jobs. His extraordinary acumen in melding the realms of technology and business with creativity to provide the vivid, integral template that the Apple ethos has come to represent for millions in their digitally connected lives will be best remembered in terms of gratitude. He has been compared to Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and John Lennon in the epochal nature and magnetic popular appeal of his conceptions. For the democratizing effect of bringing the benefits of "insanely great" computer technology to the common person for their traversal of our now irrevocably interconnected digital world, history may yet place his legacy at an even higher plane. He will be sorely missed; but, for the brilliant execution of his universal vision in the devices he conceived for us, safely said, never forgotten.

Apple issues Micro USB to dock connector for iPad, iPhone

In Europe, Apple will soon be offering a Micro USB to Dock connector adapter for the iPhone and iPad. The heavy emergence of the Micro USB standard, specifying a small form factor USB connector, was officialized when the connector was approved by the Open Mobile Terminal Platform (OMTP) and three global industry bodies as the industry charging standard for mobile handsets, on the heels of its approval in Europe as the industry standard universal connector for all mobile handsets. These moves came in an effort to consolidate handset charging connectivity with an eye toward reducing the volume of electronics product in landfills globally, as each subsequent generation of handsets' "proprietary" dongles go into them as trash.

Apple's issuing the new adapter, however, has Macgasm's tech blogger Joshua Schnell scratching his head:

"Thankfully it’s cheap enough that it may encourage people to pick up the connector instead of purchasing numerous cables. However, I’m not exactly sure how the EU thinks creating connectors will help the problem, despite allowing companies to create adapters instead of changing their devices to meet the new standard. In addition to shipping all iOS devices with a dock connector cable, Apple will also begin shipping a Dock to USB conversion connector. Doesn’t that just double the stuff going into landfills? Apple met their requirements in the EU, but something tells me the EU folks calling these shots didn’t exactly realize that they could be making the problem worse. Instead of looking for a new cable, customers will begin looking for a new dock connector conversion adapter. What’s the difference?"

United/Continental airlines chief: Boeing 787 a 'game-changer'

The head of United and Continental airlines said this week that he was told by Boeing that the first of fifty 787 Dreamliner aircraft ordered by his company will be delivered for tarmac service sometime in the second half of 2012. "We ordered that aircraft in December 2004. So I've been a very patient person," said Jeff Smisek, president and CEO of United Continental Holdings, the airlines' parent company, as quoted in an Associated Press (AP) report. Despite the delays, Smisek called the wide-body jetliner "a spectacular and game-changing aircraft."

As noted by the AP, the 787 is the first commercial airliner built using stronger, more lightweight carbon fiber, rather than the typical aluminum skin. As a result, the 787 is quieter and uses about 20 percent less fuel than a comparably sized aluminum aircraft. "That's staggering," Smisek said, with regard to the fuel savings. "If you substitute them for an existing aircraft, your profits will improve like that. It will also permit us to fly routes we couldn't otherwise profitably fly. So it's really a home run."

First Boeing 787 shipments should equal immediate boon for many parts suppliers

Boeing has at long last delivered its 787 Dreamliner to Air Nippon Airways -- three years late, and not without difficulties, but with the potential to become the first of thousands of planes produced. And as noted by Christopher Hinton writing for MarketWatch, though it may take years for the aerospace giant to recoup the costs of the Dreamliner's development and declare it profitable, many 787 supplier companies may expect a more rapid uptick in earnings.

“Part suppliers have better profit margins than the air framers and they had less development costs,” explained Michael Lew, an aerospace analyst interviewed by MarketWatch. “But the margins for suppliers are varying."

Lew added, "Materials suppliers...have better margins as their product is usually manufactured for one-time use -- that is, the life of the plane -- whereas engine suppliers are more dependent on aftermarket and margins could be lower.”

Full Article: First Boeing 787 a boost for parts makers (marketwatch.com)

RELATED VIDEO: Boeing tasks 250 employees, engineers with "trying to break" the Boeing 787 Dreamliner's in-flight entertainment, connectivity systems

Is Apple flanking Intel on USB 3.0?

A new report uncovered at AppleInsider claims that Apple is forging ahead with plans to implement USB 3.0 in its Mac computers -- independent of Intel's plans to eventually support USB 3.0 at the chipset level. The reporting cites an anonymous source who claims Apple is "still looking" at USB 3.0 for future products and may beat Intel in supporting the standard. Though Apple has long been rumored to be eyeing USB 3.0 capability for the Mac, the company's recent commitment to the high-speed Thunderbolt interconnect has dampened talk of its getting into the USB 3.0 game. Nonetheless, according to the report, USB 3.0 host controllers may have finally reached an "affordable level" for Apple -- roughly $2-3 each in large quantities, compared to $10-15 for Intel's Thunderbolt chip -- and speculation is that the rumored move to incorporate the technology may be intended to help Apple cater to consumers who don't need or aren't interested in owning high-end Thunderbolt products.

Link: Rumor: Apple investigating USB 3.0 for Macs ahead of Intel (appleinsider.com)