Mr. Krzanich has a strong plan that can change the game for Intel.
Intel Corp., the popular chipmaker’s chief executive officer has taken several incremental steps in the first two years that have helped the company to minimize the reliance on personal computers. But now Mr. Brian Krzanich is taking aggressive steps that are far beyond the limb.Previously, Intel had been in the limelight since the company has coined a $16.7 billion deal through which they will acquire the programmable chip manufacturer Altera Corp. this is one of the most expensive deals taking place in the company’s history where many Wall Street an analyst consider that Intel has paid more than required.During an interview, Mr. Krzanich expressed his surprise since the amount they’ve spent to buy Altera is extremely big. He states, “There is a bit of surrealness to it.”Although Mr. Krzanich is extremely optimistic about this deal since it believes that Altera’s technology can help the company to promote its most lucrative business that is the chips used in corporate data centers. Moreover, it also has the potential to exploit the Internet of Things domain.The company has made an offer to the stockholders of Altera where they will be getting $54 a share. This is almost 56 percent more the estimate Wall Street Journal made the first time Intel contacted Altera. This has resulted in several consolidations in the chip industry which also includes a bid worth $37 billion.With the rampant popularity of smartphones and tablets, Intel has several major reasons to follow the pack. Earlier in the 1980’s PCs swiped over the world since they became a breakthrough technology back then. However now with the dynamics of the industry taking a complete 360 turn, the decision by Intel is extremely well thought. Previously the revenues obtained from PC domain fell down by 8 percent which caused the company to stumble.Intel has been facing several rough patches that have disturbed the company’s existence. But with the new strategy implemented by Mr. Krzabich things are likely to change and get better. According to him smartphones are “not one of the areas that is likely to be a growth engine for the company.”The vision of the CEO of Intel is extremely focused, long-term and futuristic. He knows what will benefit the firm in the long run thus he has been tailoring the company in a manner that caters to those needs. Mr. Krzanich has also taken prominent steps that will help the firm to attain stability once again.
Google's Carboard VR experience is now also available for iPhone users.
Thanks to Google iOS, users can now witness things in a virtual sphere as well and that too for less than users would expect. On Friday, Google released cardboard for iOS to the App Store. The move means that the super cheap virtual reality equipment will also work with Apple iPhones.The Cardboard for iOS app is free and is combined with a DIY mount for a mind-blowing VR experience, the amount costs $20 only, which is pretty cheap for such an amazing gear. The VR gear is available for iPhone 5 down to the latest model.This week at the annual I/O 2015 developers conference, Google also revealed some changes that have been made to the Cardboard, one crucial modification being the fact that the Cardboard can now support phones sized up to six inches, according to latest Google updates about its ongoing projects and innovative ventures which were brought to light in the auspicious keynote.Unveiled at the annual I/O 2014 developers’ conference, the Cardboard was designed specifically for Android phones, therefore it was limited in terms of device support, moreover, it was only available on Google Play. However, that has taken a 360-degree turn with the Cardboard for iOS now out.The reviews are coming in pretty quick and from what we’ve gathered, Cardboard for iOS seems to be doing really well; the process of assembling the mount is pretty simple, a three step process actually. Moreover, the VR experience is pretty smooth with Cardboard for iOS; it is no different than the Android Cardboard experience.The iPhone 6 cardboard experience is pretty smooth as well, actually it is even better than Nexus 5 and 6, some reviews report that it is so far their favorite Cardboard VR experience. Let be it the device itself, resolution, or the new headset size, with the iPhone 6, it all comes together as the best Cardboard experience yet. Do check it out, if you are an iPhone user, the VR experience will barely cost you anything, and it goes without saying that it is all worth it.
The wireless carriers have received a 'hold' rating from a total of around nine analysts maintaining a bearish stance.
Verizon Communications has been following an uneven pace on the stock index for quite some time which is why the analysts who are studying the activities of the wireless providers seem to have mixed opinions for the near term of the company. According to various researches that were made by the analysts, in general, the consensus rating that has been received by the wireless business is of a ‘hold’.
This rating has been granted to the wireless carrier by around twenty-one financial firms, as recorded by the Analysts Ratings Net. To be more precise, a ‘sell’ rating has been received by the telecom company from one equity firm whereas around nine equity firms have suggested a ‘hold’ rating to the largest wireless providers in the United States. On the other hand, a ‘buy’ rating has also been received by the wireless stock business by around nine financial analysts which clearly shows that the company seems to have mixed opinions about the outcome of the business activities that it has lately been carrying.
The target on the price of the shares of Verizon for a 12-month financial period has been set around $53.28 by the analysts in general. According to the session the firm did trade in on the index, it was seen to open with a share price of around $49.44 and from that point, the firm did not falter and maintained till the market closed for that session.
Towards the more technical side, the 52 week low that was recorded by the analysts from the index turned out to be at $45.09 whereas the 52 week high of the Verizon wireless stock came around at $53.66. As for the moving average of the wireless company’s stock for a period of 50 days, the numbers were recorded at $49. On the other hand, the moving average for 200 days was noted down at $48. Keeping in mind that the firm is the largest wireless company of the United States of America, the market cap value recorded by analysts comes around at $201.64 billion.
Analysts from Zacks, furthermore, have been closely analyzing the stock activities of Verizon and have upgraded their stance on the firm by granting a rating of ‘buy’ from a previous ‘hold’ rating that was suggested for the wireless business’s stock. On the other hand, Macquarie has analysts who believe that a ‘neutral’ rating should be given to the company. JP Morgan has analysts who have presented an ‘overweight’ ranking to the wireless carriers believing the firm is carrying out its tasks better than expectations.
Another hint has been given by the management of the Californian Company about the upcoming Apple Car that it might be working on.
Analysts who were previously waiting for Apple Inc to show some signs whether the firm is working on a car or not have now received a good reason to be excited about. In the most recent press release that was made by the vice president of operations of the company, Jeff Williams was seen stating clearly that the $200 billion cash reserves that the iPhone makers have are going to be used for a pretty good purpose: that is to build up the car. He said that a car is an ultimate product to be worked upon by the firm and this is one way it will be using up its cash reserves in a productive manner.Reportedly, Jeff Williams also said that Apple will be looking over at all possible things that it could invest in and every kind of a category is going to be taken into consideration. The software giant Silicon Valley-based company has a command over making high technology laptops and smartphones, along with recently launched smart –watches.The firm has its own software system, namely iOS which is provided to users in all the devices that the company creates. It has only been a few months that the tech giant has been rumored to be working on a smart car which has got the whole industry talking. Till now, these were just rumors to be taken into consideration, but since the Code Conference where Williams was seen to give a hint about a car being built by the Californian company, it has somewhat been confirmed.Furthermore, Jeff Williams was seen to distract the attention of the audience by talking about Apple CarPlay instead, which also raised speculations among the analysts. He talked about how the software giant has been signing deals with automobile giants like General Motors Company along with Ford Motors and Hyundai Motor Corp. All these motor companies will be having the new Apple infotainment segment installed in their cars from next year and Williams was also seen saying that they are expecting Tesla Motors to join in soon.Even though Apple has yet not been too obvious about the production of an Apple Car, analysts are of the opinion that the firm is just following its style of keeping their new products a much-awaited scheme for the fans. The same traditional style of the Californian Company has always been followed for its other products as well, which is why the analysts believe that these hints being given here and there is just a sign of the same tradition being followed by the management.
The iPhone makers have been lately working on Apple Maps which might turn out to be for the upcoming car that the firm is working on.
Three years back in 2012, when Apple launched its Apple Maps, the venture was seen as a clumsy step to be taken by a company that has always been praised for its excellent choice of products and software. There were reportedly many shortcomings of the map that took the attention of the analysts as it had many issues regarding reaching out to place out of its reach. However, the criticism was taken well by the iPhone 6 makers and they have reportedly worked on their mapping app to make it a better one and competitive enough to compete with Google maps. Since the past several quarter, the difference has been seen to be quite eminent in the smartphones released by the Californian Company.Even though many analysts believe that Apple Maps was introduced in the first place to compete with software rival Google Inc, but some analysts are of the believe that for a company which is famous for earning most of its revenue from the sales of the hardware products it produces, like the iPhone, iPad and Mac, it does not make sense for the firm to come up with a minor mobile app to compete with the giant that has already established itself in the field. Keeping in mind that the Californian firm is capable of making such decisions as spending on new ventures is not a problem for it, considering the $194 billion cash it has in hand, the analysts refuse to believe that this act is just being carried out to satisfy the need complete.According to recent news, Apple has been working more towards making its mapping app work in a more refined way. As per a report by Motley Fool, it was seen that the software firm bought Coherent Navigation recently and made arrangements to renew its TomTom license, which is responsible to provide assets to the iPhone makers which are essential for the working of the mapping app.The reason why analysts believe Apple is working more on its mapping app than before shows that the firm is looking at it in a broader perspective than the mere competition. With the help of Apple maps, even though people will increase their demand for iPhones, it is expected that this will come in handy in the Apple Watch which might help the users more. On the other hand, analysts think that this will turn out to be the most useful in the upcoming car that Apple is reportedly working on and for the firm to spend so much time and focus on the app lately shows that the iPod makers might be thinking the same.
Apple is believed to have shares valued up to $240 in an open letter written by Carl Icahn
In the most recent Apple news, it was seen that Tim Cook received a letter by Carl Icahn, one of the most dominant and influential businessman in the industry, in which he was congratulated for carrying out the business activities of the software company in such a successful manner. It was an open letter written by him in which he showed much positivity regarding the recent activities that helped the company obtain exceptional success and dominance over other firms of its kind in the industry. Icahn also declared in the letter that he believed that the stock of the iPhone makers was worth a massive $240.Analysts, on the other hand, believe that this expectation out of Apple stock by Carl Icahn is not to be right as his expectations are way above the line. It is to be believed that this price target is just something that has a very low chance of actually taking place. Therefore, analysts have declared that this should not make the investors too optimistic about the firm since it is very likely to not take place. Icahn seems to be a little too optimistic about the stock worth of the iPhone makers as per analysts’ analysis.Even though in his letter Carl Icahn has been persistent that he is being rational by thinking Apple is capable of such a share price, but analysts think that he is being a little too aggressive only because he is satisfied with how the firm is working. However, analysts only seem to agree with the predictions on the sales of iPhone which are expected to increase by 2.3 percent in 2016 and around 6.7 percent in the year next to that.Analysts believe that by saying that Apple will soon be starting the production and selling of its very own Apple TV and Apple car, Icahn is stating nothing new but supporting just a few rumors that are already been circulating in the air. Now going back to the history a little back, it will be seen that the firm has previously thought about working on a TV but only a year ago, the iPhone makers reportedly discontinued the work that was being done on it, as per a report by Wall Street.Analysts are of the opinion that Icahn is most probably going to be proved wrong since expecting Apple to launch something that it has not even been working on for the past year is actually not very smart and that it needs a bigger revenue generation than it already is obtaining to carry out such a task.
Windows 10 will not be a game changer for Intel PC Chips.
Intel Corporation is one of the most prominent names in the tech sector that governed a substantial chunk of their operating income by selling personal computer chips. So now the personal computer market is about to undergo a major disruption and Intel has kept eyes on this change which the company and the market will embrace in the times to come.However, despite INTC earns a good chunk of its revenues from personal computers, the market for such hardware has been declining lately. During the first quarter of FY15, the shipment of personal computers has declined by 5.2 per cent when comparing the previous year performance reports Gartner- the research firm.Moreover, the most prominent decline which Intel faced was also from this particular division. This is an alarming state for the company since Personal Computers were their core consumer base. So now the company will now have to remove $1 billion from its forecasted revenues due to the negligible demand of personal computers.However, at this point Intel does not expect that the upcoming Windows 10 will be a game changer for them or the personal computer industry. “We are going through another transition, Windows 10 upgrades…We’re seeing some quarter-to-quarter pushing, but we continue to take a view of our long-term forecast…the PC market should be flat to slightly down mid-single-digits over the long-term,” reports the chief executive officer of Intel Mr. Brian Krzanich on Thursday at the company’s annual shareholders meeting.However, the CEO was not much concerned about how this might impact the growth of the company in the years to come. He is extremely optimistic and believes that the growth from the company’s data center business will compensate for the losses obtained through a decline in PC sales.It has been reported that the company’s data center grew almost 18 per cent the previous year which is now likely to become a $14 billion business.“We look at it as our next big growth engine for the company,” he added.At this point, the company does not know how the decline in sales of PC chip which actually affect them. From the previous quarter, the company has been under the umbrella of a unified business mechanism known as “Client Computing Group- effectively buying the $4 billion-plus loss it was seeing from its mobile unit.”So now Intel knows that Windows 10 will not be much of a game changer for them, therefore they need to put more efforts to push its data center business.
