– FB delivered $0.43 in 3Q14 EPS on $3.20B in sales, topping consensus ($0.40 on $3.14B) on 59% sales growth, but spooked investors with guidance for decelerating sales and high expenses – User metrics were impressive for a base the
– The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are Apple’s most important products since the iPad and will drive a significant upgrade cycle in its largest and most profitable product area. – Screen size parity will pull upgrade demand forward and
– As AAPL’s $930M verdict from round 1 inches into the appeals process, round 2 has hit the court room, with AAPL looking for $2B from Samsung for alleged infringement of 5 patents. – AAPL’s estimated damages are unreasonable. An
– Netflix and Comcast’s multiyear peering deal comes as a surprise, amidst reports that broadband distributers have been hampering streaming performance. – Comcast’s proposed merger with TWC likely gave it an impetus to be on its best behavior under regulatory
– GOOG satisfied investors with a top-line beat, despite its MOT-driven EPS miss. AMZN tripped on both sales and earnings, evidence of a weak environment and delivery partner problems – GOOG ex MOT was strong – sales up 22% YoY,
Quick Thoughts: Mister Softy’s blow out quarter and business as usual at Amazon – MSFT blew out earnings amidst a sweeping reorganization; It’s difficult to compare growth across segments, but growth is growth and more to come with new products
TWTR is losing money today, but not for long. Stripping out stock compensation, TWTR’s COGS (35.5% of sales), R&D spending (34.5%), and SG&A (40.7%) currently yield (-9.7%) non-GAAP operating margins, compared to FB at 41%, GOOG at 32% and LNKD
After years of false starts, mobile payments are finally beginning to surmount the vested and conflicting interests of device platforms, wireless operators, and existing payments players to gain traction with merchants and consumers. These initiatives focus on the point of
Sell side analysts love to back end load estimates for the companies that they favor, pushing sales acceleration and margin expansion into the back half or even into the next fiscal year. As we approach 3Q earnings, we thought it
Smartphone demand is decelerating at the high-end, as the slowing pace of innovation, carrier pushback on subsidies, and the weak economy dampen replacement, and as fears of market saturation begin to play out. At the same time, the emerging
