Quotations from Tim Cook at Apple Annual Meeting

Tim Cook gave an interesting presentation at the Apple Inc. (AAPL) Annual Meeting today.

"Apple's revenue growth is greater than Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), Dell (DELL), Hewlett Packard (HPQ), Lenovo (LNVGY), and RIMM (RIMM) combined."

"Apple generated $13 billion in profit for the latest quarter, one billion a week."

"On Black Friday, more iPads were sold than all Android devices combined."

"The 700 million smartphone market is expected to double by 2016."

"Apple is doing $10 billion in China, more than any other US tech company."

"Over 50% of the buyers of iPads were the buyers' first Apple product purchase."

In response to question about losing market share to Samsung/Androids, "We don't have our heads stuck up ... stuck in the sand."

"Apple is building a new campus on 175 acres nearby. The property currently has 26 buildings amounting to 2.7 million square feet. The plans are to bulldoze all buildings and building one brand new building of 2.8 million square feet. Goal is completion in 2006. Currently, 80% of the property is asphalt and concrete. That will all change with lots of park land."

"Apple uses 100% renewable energy sources, most produced on site."

"Apple has trained over a million people in China about human rights."

"I still think that David Einhorn's proposal was a silly side show."

In response to a question about the iPad Mini cannibalizing the iPad, "If we don't cannibalize it, someone else will. We take a long view of it; win a customer for life."

"Apple owns the largest solar farm of any commercial company in the world."

"Apple has removed toxics from its products and is surprised that more tech companies haven't followed suit."

"95% of Fortune 500 companies use iPhones and iPads."

Why are Tech Stocks Kicking Butt Amongst all the Fiscal Cliff Drama?

This is a guest blog from Rachel Fox, successful young stock trader, actress, and head blogger for Fox on Stocks. She recently provided Stockerblog.com with an extensive interview about stock trading. Check it out.

Why are Tech Stocks Kicking Butt Amongst all the Fiscal Cliff Drama?

In the stock market, nothing is ever true straight across the board. While there are some exceptions to this pattern, I’m seeing a ton of technology stocks doing well. While other stocks are falling because of the Fiscal Cliff, pumping and dumping and going crazy, over the past month, many tech stocks are dodging the bullets and doing just great.

Take a look at these numbers:

Facebook (FB): Up more than 18% over the last month, quite surprising after the post-IPO lock up expired on November 14th.

Yahoo (YHOO): Up more than 25% over the last 3 months, while the S&P dropped 3% over the past 3 months. Go Marissa!

Research in Motion (RIMM): Up more than 53% this past month. Sounds like a cheesy lounge night club.

Zynga (ZNGA): Up more than 4% this past month

They all happen to be in the technology sector and have all out performed the market by a very nice amount.

Q: Why did this happen?

A: Matt Gohd, senior managing director at WallachBeth Capital says, “Find a group of stocks that everyone hates, that are down significantly, and buy them,"

This seems to be what happened here. These technology stocks had been beaten down so much and had such low expectations, that when the tiniest piece of good news came out, the result was a nice bump in the stocks price.

What’s the moral of the story?

Even in troubled economic times, you can buy and sell stocks and make money. You may have to look to unpopular or downtrodden stocks to pick your Long Buy position, but those opportunities to make money are always there.

Check out the Rachel Fox interview about stock trading.

Steve Jobs

If you have not read the book Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, you need to read it. Even if you are a Microsoft (MSFT) Windows person and not an Apple (AAPL), Mac person. Even if you use a Research In Motion (RIMM) BlackBerry, instead of an iPhone. You need to read this book.

It is not just the historical information, which is very, very extensive, going back to the grandparents of Jobs and continues to almost his death. It is not just the fascinating trivia about Jobs, including the drugs, the feet soaking in toilets, the veganism, and how he once turned into a carrot (you have to read the book!). By the way, there is a ton of trivia, and I really don't want to give any more of it away.

What makes this book great is the combination of a psychoanalysis of Jobs combined with an evolutionary business analysis of Apple, Inc. and its founder. One of the key elements of the book, at least in the first part, is the interaction and relationship between Jobs and Steve Wozniak. They are complete opposites in numerous ways, physically, mentally, emotionally, philosophically, behaviorally, yet they worked together so well and complimented each other almost perfectly.

This business and financial side of Apple was significantly covered in the book, but probably just as interesting, if not more so, is the personal side of Jobs and all the major players in his life. And what a life.

Here is a guy who basically created his own market, his own Industry. He is responsible for providing employment to over 60,000 people directly, and hundreds of thousands of workers indirectly. He has made millionaires out of thousands and thousands of employees and investors. Not bad for a dollar-a-year man.

Isaacson has done his homework for this book, not only through interviews of Jobs, but also his co-workers, staff, family, friends, and even enemies. The research is extensively annotated at the end. The book even includes over 20 pictures. This tome is over 600 pages long, perfect for summer reading, vacation reading, or just one-chapter-a-night-before-you-go-to-bed reading. It is even available as a Steve Jobs Kindle book. If you are looking for a book as a gift, either for a friend, family member, or even yourself, Steve Jobs is the book worth getting.