goldman sachs

Tim Cook goes zen over Apple stores: It's not just about selling, but 'serving'

Even at a company given to the routine deployment of magical superlatives to promote its products and technologies, Tim Cook went out of his way today to describe Apple's stores as leagues beyond anything so mundane as a retail outlet.

"I'm not sure store is even the right word anymore," Cook said in a talk at a Goldman Sachs investor forum in San Francisco. "They've taken on a role much broader than that. They are the face of Apple for almost all of our customers."

Cook offered a uniformly bullish outlook for different … Read more

Tim Cook says Apple has no limits

SAN FRANCISCO -- Don't tell Apple it can't do something.

That's the message from chief executive Tim Cook, who spent about an hour talking up the company's efforts, and attempting to reassure a room full of Wall Street aficionados that the best was yet to come.

It's like that, Cook explained, because the people at Apple don't see any limits in making its products, or the future of its business.

"It's because of that that Apple's been able to do so many things for so many years, and do things that … Read more

Apple CEO to speak at financial event tomorrow

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook will once again speak at the Goldman Sachs annual Technology and Internet Conference.

Cook -- who rarely speaks or does interviews outside of Apple's own events -- is opening the conference, which begins tomorrow, with a keynote presentation. Barrons notes that Cook was originally scheduled to speak at 1:15 p.m. PT, right after the market closes, but will instead kick everything off almost immediately after it opens at 7:15 a.m.

The appearance comes ahead of Apple's annual shareholders meeting at its campus in Cupertino, Calif., on February 27.

Cook'… Read more

Google, Microsoft 'challenged' vs. Apple, says Goldman Sachs

Google and Microsoft will struggle to vend off Apple's smartphone-tablet juggernaut, according to a recent study by Goldman Sachs.

Titled "Clash of the titans," the 75-page study depicts Google and Microsoft as "challenged" in their bids to compete with Apple.

Some salient points made by Goldman Sachs, which based many of their findings on internal survey results:

Well positioned v. challenged: In the "context of platform adoption," companies that are defined as "well positioned" include Apple, Facebook, Samsung. Amazon is "straddling the line." Google and Microsoft are "challenged&… Read more

iPad, iPhone sales could soar for Apple, analyst says

Ahead of Apple's second quarter earnings announcement next week, investment firm Goldman Sachs has pushed up its estimates of recent iPhone and iPad sales, as well as its outlook on Apple's stock.

In a note sent out to investors this morning -- relayed by Barrons -- Goldman Sach's analyst Bill Shope said the firm expects Apple to have sold 31.1 million iPhones during its second fiscal quarter, as well as 12.5 million iPads. That's up considerably from the firm's previous estimate of 28.2 million iPhones, and 10.1 million iPads.

Meanwhile, Macs … Read more

Slagging Goldman, pushing Daisey--all on social media

Another week has flown by in social-media land, which means, you--and I--have missed a lot of developments, new products, etc. Most of them, of course, don't matter, but these Week in Review posts (March 12; March 5; February 26; February 19) are meant to help you catch up with the ones that do. Wherever I can, I insert Twitter handles so you'll have some new folks to follow. Each week, you can help by posting links in the comments section or e-mailing me or tweeting with @sree or #sreetips.

First stop: Mashable's 46 Digital Media Resources You May Have Missed&… Read more

Why Google should merge with Goldman Sachs

The beating of breasts could surely be heard even by penguins on melting ice caps.

Perhaps the two most important names in contemporary business were, this week, being criticized by their employees for losing their ethos, for sacrificing their soul, for, dare one utter it, selling out.

When Google's James Whittaker and Goldman Sachs' Greg Smith penned their respective lack-of-respect farewells, strange shivers wafted about the world of business.

Had these people lost their minds? Were they both experiencing some form of cranial trauma brought on by excessive stress? Had their lovers recently left them for, well, impoverished sculptors?… Read more

Groupon has 'cracked the code,' says CEO

SAN FRANCISCO--Despite uneven earnings reports before and after declaring an IPO last year, Groupon CEO Andrew Mason remains steadfast behind Groupon's current product and financial strategies.

Mason discussed the state of the daily-deal market where his Chicago-based corporation fits in while speaking on the final day of the 2012 Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference today.

"Groupon has gone from zero to where it is in three years. It's been called the fastest growing company ever," asserted Mason, reflecting that pace happened because of the "size of the opportunity laid before us."

"We'… Read more

Google Chrome will see greater expansion on mobile devices

SAN FRANCISCO--The mobile Web is in its infancy, according to Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Chrome and Apps at Google, adding that this market will flourish over the next three to five years.

Pichai sat down for a chat during the closing keynote discussion of the 2012 Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference on Thursday afternoon.

For critics who would ask what is there left to innovate with a browser, Pichai retorted that even though browsers have been around for 15 years, if you make the experience better, people will respond.

There are roughly 200 million Chrome users worldwide, … Read more