OFFICIAL: The Galaxy Nexus Launches December 15 For $300 (GOOG, VZ)
OFFICIAL: The Galaxy Nexus Launches December 15 For $300 (GOOG, VZ)
Finally! Verizon just announced the Galaxy Nexus will be available tomorrow for $300 on contract. You'll be able to order the phone on Verizon Wireless starting at 1:00 a.m. Eastern. The U.S. version of the phone, which runs on Verizon's LTE network, has gone through several delays since it was originally announced in October. The original target was November, but it quickly became clear that Verizon wouldn't be able to make that date. Part of the problem was rumored to be a controversy between Verizon and Google about allowing Google Wallet on the Galaxy Nexus. Google said Verizon was blocking the application, but Verizon said it was still in discussions with Google. The Verizon version of the Galaxy Nexus differs slightly from the GSM unlocked model that has been available in other countries for a few weeks now. Not only does it run on Verizon's LTE network, but it's also a bit thicker and heavier. Stay tuned for our full review of the Galaxy Nexus in the coming days! More on the Galaxy Nexus: Click here to see photos of the Galaxy Nexus > Click here for our review of Ice Cream Sandwich > Click here to see 11 ways Ice Cream Sandwich crushes iOS > Please follow SAI: Tools on Twitter and Facebook.Join the conversation about this story »See Also:You Can Try A Galaxy Nexus Before The Verizon Launch (Sort Of)Check Out This Unboxing Video Of The Verizon Galaxy NexusWill Costco Have The Verizon Galaxy Nexus On December 15?
Google's Galaxy Nexus Phone Is Shipping Again After Temporary Ban (GOOG, AAPL)
Google's Galaxy Nexus Phone Is Shipping Again After Temporary Ban (GOOG, AAPL)
Just a few days after it was forced by a court order to stop selling them, Google is now shipping its flagship Galaxy Nexus phone in the Google Play store once again. The ban came from an injunction Apple won against the Galaxy Nexus. But a federal appeals court decided to suspend the injunction for now. Google now says the Galaxy Nexus ships in one to two weeks. Don't Miss: Our review of Jelly Bean, the new version of Android Please follow SAI on Twitter and Facebook.Join the conversation about this story »A Year Later, Google Wallet Is Nowhere – Here's Why (GOOG, S)
A Year Later, Google Wallet Is Nowhere – Here's Why (GOOG, S)
As of April 22 there will be a grand total of two smartphones capable of running Google's mobile payments service, Google Wallet: the Nexus S 4G and the Galaxy Nexus. That's it. It's been almost a year since Google Wallet was introduced and about seven months since it went live. Click here to see how Google Wallet works > Yet the service is still limited to one carrier partner (Sprint) and one smartphone line. (Google's own Nexus phones). What's the hold up? Not much has changed since the minor spat between Google and Verizon around the time of the Galaxy Nexus launch last year. A quick history lesson: Shortly before the Galaxy Nexus launched, word came out that Google Wallet would not be available on the device. This angered a lot of Android fans who expected to get the app on their phone. Instead, Verizon said it wouldn't support Google Wallet. Meanwhile, Google promised to keep trying to get the app on more devices and carriers. We're told by a source familiar with Google Wallet's plans that nothing has changed between Google and Verizon regarding mobile payments. Why? Because Verizon, along with AT&T and T-Mobile, have plans for their own mobile payments service called Isis. In fact, we're told that those three carriers could be announcing the Isis launch very, very soon. That puts Google in a sticky situation. The nation's two largest carriers (AT&T and Verizon) along with T-Mobile aren't very likely to allow Google Wallet any time soon, for fear of Google's service eating into Isis. Plus, Sprint offers plenty of Android phones with hardware that can support Google Wallet, but it seems like those manufacturers aren't keen to sign on just yet. In the meantime, a handful of Googlers on the Wallet team have either left for other companies (like hot mobile payments startup Square) or moved on to another part of Google. We think Google Wallet is a neat service. It, or a similar service, could easily become the new norm for paying for stuff. In the meantime, we're doubtful it can ever really get off the ground. Please follow SAI on Twitter and Facebook.Join the conversation about this story »THE APPLE INVESTOR: iOS Devices In China Are Mostly Found In Three Major Cities (AAPL)
THE APPLE INVESTOR: iOS Devices In China Are Mostly Found In Three Major Cities (AAPL)
The Apple Investor is a daily report from SAI. Sign up here to receive it by email. AAPL Climbing In A Down Market Stocks are off in early trading on the weak payroll numbers from Friday. Shares of AAPL opened in the negative on this morning's downgrade (see below), but are currently recovering above the flatline. Apple will report calendar first quarter earnings on Tuesday, April 24 at 5:00pm ET. Investors will be looking for the new iPad adoption; iPhone penetration, especially in China and emerging markets; market share growth of the Mac business; the evolution of Apple TV; and platforms such as Siri, iAd, iBooks and Ping. Shares of Apple trade at 12.2x Enterprise Value / Trailing Twelve Months Free Cash Flow (including long-term marketable securities). China iOS Users Are Urban (Stenvall Skoeld & Co.)To take the pulse on Chinese consumption, Shanghai-based Stenvall Skoeld & Company decided to calculate the iOS penetration (Apple’s iPhone and iPad) rate in all Chinese provinces and municipalities. They peg the number of devices at 21 million. More than half of all iOS devices in China are located in a handful of provinces and cities. Guangdong province was listed as having the most iOS devices at 13.4%, followed by Beijing with 10.3%. Shanhai, Zhejian and Jiangsu rounded out the top five. Apple Gets Downgraded, Hats Off To The Analyst (Business Insider)BTIG analyst Walter Piecyk is making a call that's almost never worked out for anyone ever: He has downgraded Apple from BUY to Neutral. The crux of the call that fiscal third quarter will result in a big miss. Other key points include: there will be no Apple TV this year, the iPad isn't that big of a deal. In 2011 the iPad generated less than 50% of iPhone revenue, and that gap will widen and the Chinese market is promising, but ultimately it may be overrated for awhile given the price point of Apple products. Reporter Given Exclusive Foxconn Tour (Fortune)The China correspondent for American Public Media's Marketplace, Rob Schmitz, was given an exclusive tour inside an iPad factory. Schmitz describes Foxconn's factory city as having the feel of a college campus and he contradicts a New York Times correspondent's claim that workers spend spend long hours each day either standing or perched uncomfortably on stools. At this factory, at least, everybody sits on stools that have backs. But Schmitz also airs some of the workers many complaints. Most notably the fact that wage increases the workers were promised in March, still haven't been paid. Apple Unlikely To Get Injunction Against Samsung In Appeal (AppleInsider)A U.S. appeals court was unimpressed by Apple's argument that a federal trial judge incorrectly denied the injunction of several Samsung products as part of the companies' ongoing worldwide patent dispute. Judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit heard arguments regarding a December ruling from District Judge Lucy Koh which denied Apple's request to ban sales of certain Samsung Galaxy devices. Apple lawyer Michael Jacobs asserted that the company does not need to show a causal link between patent infringement and loss of customers in order to obtain an injunction. Apple Doesn't Have A Disproportionate Impact On The Stock Market, Says Analyst (Business Insider)Most experts are quick to point out that the S&P 500's surge has been largely due to Apple's 56% year-to-date gain. And it's true. The $590 billion company makes up for around 4% of the index, writes JP Morgan's top equity strategist Tom Lee. But this doesn't mean the S&P 500 is worthless. "Apple’s financial market dominance is a misperception," writes Lee. He adds that Apple's share of the index is "well below the weightings of top stocks in other indices, such as Nestle in the SMI index or ENI SpA in the FTSEMIB index." Please follow SAI on Twitter and Facebook.Join the conversation about this story »See Also:The Complaints Of Foxconn Employees Are Like The Complaints Of A Lot Normal EmployeesTHE GOOGLE INVESTOR: You Won't Believe How Much Google Makes Per Android DeviceMicrosoft And Nokia Really Screwed Up The Launch Of Their Super Important Phone
