FREE Breaking News Alerts from StreetInsider.com!
E-mail Address
Top NewsMost Read Highlighted
Get AlertsAAPL Hot Sheet
BUY ( Down)
In interesting story came about last week which may have missed most investors’ eyes and it involves Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) co-founder Steve Wozniak.
During an interview with TechCrunch at TEDx Brussels, Wozniak was asked whether he though Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) was becoming a more innovative company than Apple. In part, he says: “[With Microsoft] I’ve seen more of the type of the innovation where you see something, and whoa, they really changed things drastically, whoa, they aren’t even going in the same direction as everyone else, meaning the iPhone and the Android operating system.”
He then continues, alluding to a time in the past when Apple hit a stalemate as innovation died: “During that point in history when I look back, we were cranking out the Macintosh…and we were improving them. Improving them is not Apple-style innovation, it’s not like you’re creating something astounding that you’re just gasping because it’s so unexpected…We just had a formula for making money, and running it, and making the same machine.”
Wozniak’s comments sort of echo what is currently happening at Apple. Look at the iPhone line…much the same design with little tweaks made along the way. The iPad now has a smaller version of itself and is on its fourth round.
That’s not to say that Apple is selling less; iPhone sales are still at record highs and the iPad is still the world’s leading tablet device. Event Apple’s venerable iPod is still selling millions of units per quarter.
But, it pays dividend to look at the broader picture. Shares of Apple may stem one of the worst slides in recent memory for the company, shares closing lower for all of the last eight weeks. The 25 percent pullback has some up in arms about valuation, cash position, etc. As any investor knows, valuation is mostly based around investor sentiment and you can basically throw all other numbers in the trash.
Woz also liked Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform, saying it outpaces Apple’s iOS and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) Android in many respects. While the latter are application-centric, WP is more infor0mation-centric, with Live Tiles updating information constantly. He did note that it doesn’t necessarily mean Microsoft is going to make money off of it, but that it was a fresh take in an industry that has become stale.
That interview was last week, just as Apple closed lower yet again. Today, shares are on the mend, trading about 5.6 percent higher.
NOTE: To watch the TechCrunch interview, click here.
Join StreetInsider.com FREE and get immediately alerted when news breaks on your stocks and other market items – JOIN NOW