Apple Puts Yelp (NYSE: YELP) in Maps for iOS 6

Northern, WI 7/5/12 (StreetBeat) – Apple (Nasdaq:AAPL) is planning to include Yelp (NYSE:YELP) integration in its new Maps application in iOS 6. It will enable users to check in to different locations and businesses directly using the Yelp service on the Maps application, without the need to open the Yelp app.

By being the default check-in app for Maps on iOS,Yelp could see a significant increase in engagement and check-in activity following the integration, given the massive iOS user base and the significantly higher average internet and app usage among them.

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Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) Tablet: Finally Some Competition for Apple’s iPad?

Atlanta, GA 6/26/12 (StreetBeat) -- Apple (Nasdaq:AAPL) has cemented its dominance in the tablet market, but that hasn't stopped competitors from trying to chip away at the iPad's market share and fight for the runner up position. The latest entrant, Microsoft's (Nasdaq:MSFT) "Surface," was introduced last week with strong fanfare. But its time in the spotlight may be short-lived as Google (Nasdaq:GOOG) is expected to unveil their own tablet, the Nexus 7during this week's I/O developer's conference.

"For Google this is certainly a big opportunity," says David Garrity of GVA Research, adding that the tech behemoth may be better positioned to beat out Microsoft due to its history across software and hardware, especially after acquiring Motorola Mobility.

"Google I think could potentially have a product that does pose a threat. However, that said, Apple is still the name to beat in terms of the space," says Garrity. He points to Apple's unparalleled momentum and years of brand equity as primary reasons why Google and just about any other competitor will have trouble making significant dent in the tablet market.

As for Microsoft and the aforementioned Surface, Garrity suggests they may not even be competing for the same customers. He predicts the company's foray into hardware (Xbox not withstanding) will put the Surface more in line with Ultrabooks in terms of pricing rather than slightly cheaper tablets. Garrity says Microsoft won't "throw over a business model that has served them reasonably well for about the last 30 years to come out and transform wholly into an integrated provider of hardware and software." Rather, in his view the Surface is a product that will highlight the strengths of Windows 8 and what the platform is capable of.

With Apple, Google, and Microsoft leading the tablet pack, Garrity reminds us not to discount the old guards like Dell (Nasdaq:DELL) and Hewlett Packard (NYSE:HPQ). He argues both have perfectly good reasons to enter the fray, but whether or not they do depends on Microsoft loyalty for Dell and whether Meg Whitman can, or even wants to, succeed in a market that her HP predecessors clearly avoided.

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Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) Wins Trademark Case With Beatles

Northern, WI 6/14/12 (StreetBeat) – Apple Computer (Nasdaq: AAPL) won today the right to keep its logo on the iTunes digital music store when a British judge rejected a claim by Apple Corps, guardian of the Beatles' musical interests, over the use of the bitten-apple symbol.

Justice Edward Mann of the High Court said Apple Corps had failed to prove that the use of Apple Computer's rainbow-colored logo on iTunes infringed on a 1991 agreement with Apple Corps in which the two companies agreed to stay out of each other's respective businesses.

Apple Corps, which represents Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and the estate of George Harrison, had argued that by putting its logo on iTunes, Apple Computer was moving into proscribed areas. In particular, Apple Corps said that Apple Computer had taken on some characteristics of a record company by offering exclusive material and repacked musical compilations on iTunes.

Apple Computer's "use of the mark remains a use on or in connection with its service, and so far as it becomes associated with these additional factors I do not consider it goes beyond a proper, fair and reasonable use in connection with the mark and trespasses beyond it," Justice Mann wrote in his decision.

The decision is the latest development in a long-running trademark dispute between the two Apples, and it may not be the last. Apple Corps, which uses a logo resembling a Granny Smith Apple, said it would appeal.

The two companies also continue to fight over legal fees. Lawyers for Apple Corps had said that if they won they would seek undisclosed damages from Apple Computer.

"We felt that during the course of the trial we clearly demonstrated just how extensively Apple Computer had broken the agreement," said Neil Aspinall, manager of Apple Corps.

The decision today failed to resolve one important sidebar to the case: whether the Beatles' recordings, one of the few high-profile bodies of musical work that is unavailable via legitimate digital sites, like iTunes, will soon be made available. In the trial, a colorful spectacle in which the court was given demonstrations of the workings of iTunes on large computer screens, as well as playbacks of musical recordings like the disco classic "Le Freak" by Chic, Mr. Aspinall said the Beatles' entire collection was being digitally remastered. Steve Jobs, chief executive of Apple Computer, said in an e-mailed statement that he hoped the Beatles' songs would be available soon.

"We are glad to put this disagreement behind us," he said. "We have always loved the Beatles, and hopefully we can now work together to get them on the iTunes Music Store."

More than 1 billion tracks have been downloaded from iTunes, far and away the market leader in digital music, which accounts for at least 6 percent of overall music industry revenue, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.

But in 1991, when the two Apples resolved a previous round of litigation, the Internet and digital music had yet to develop into viable consumer propositions.

The judge, who acknowledged in the trial that he owned an iPod, one of Apple Computer's portable music devices, wrote that his decision hinged in part on a proviso to the 1991 agreement, preventing Apple Computer from using the trademark "on or in connection with physical media delivering pre-recorded content."

"It would require a serious distortion of fairly plain notions to say that files delivered by ITMS and stored somehow in digital form, and/or the hard disk which stores them, amount to 'physical media' which 'deliver' pre-recorded content," Justice Mann said, referring to the acronym for the iTunes Music Store. "It is true that physical things are involved —servers, communication equipment, wires and hard disks, to name but some, but they do not, in any form of ordinary parlance, amount to "physical media delivering pre-recorded content."

Please contact www.thestreetbeat.com for interest in our latest investor relations platform the “CEO Interview Series” with its host Steve Kanaval. The package includes a one-on-one interview with a seasoned industry professional; published segment to our web site with embedded audio/video file; and a compressed file that can be easily e-mailed out to your current and/or potential investors. Please e-mail bflautt@gmail.com or call (662) 392-0740 for pricing and scheduling.

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Nokia (NYSE: NOK) to cut 10,000 jobs as Q2 weak

Northern, WI 6/14/12 (StreetBeat) – Nokia (NYSE:NOK) plans to cut one in five jobs at its global cellphone business as it loses market share to rivals Apple (Nasdaq:AAPL) and Samsung (OTCBB:SSNLF) and burns through cash, raising new fears over its future.

In a second profit warning in nine weeks, Nokia said on Thursday that its phone business would post a deeper-than-expected loss in the second quarter due to tougher competition.

Once the world's dominant mobile phone provider, Nokia was wrongfooted by the rise of smartphones and is struggling to keep up with Apple, Samsumg and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG). It is also losing market share in cheaper, more basic phones.

Chief Executive Stephen Elop is placing hopes of a turnaround on a new range of smartphones called Lumia, which use largely untried Microsoft Corp (Nasdaq: MSFT) software. But Lumia sales have so far been slow, disappointing investors.

"The job cuts and profit warning underline the seriousness of the challenges Nokia is facing, particularly in light of the eye-watering competition from Apple and Samsung," said Ben Wood, head of research at CCS Insight.

Nokia, whose cash position is increasingly scrutinized by investors, also said restructuring-related cash outflows would be around 650 million euros in the remaining three quarters of 2012 and around 600 million in 2013.

Shares in Finland-based Nokia were down 10.5 percent to 1.99 euros, below the psychologically important 2 euros mark last, not seen since 1996. The stock has crashed more than 70 percent since it announced the switch to Microsoft's software in February 2011.

Analysts have said that even with the dramatic fall in the share price, the worsening outlook made it hard to judge how much lower the shares could go.

"I won't comment on the stock price anymore, since it's been seen over and over, that there is no definitive bottom," said Evli analyst Mikko Ervasti.

"People are worried over Lumia sales. I think expectations for the third quarter will be cut," said Nordea analyst Sami Sarkamies.

The job cuts, which include the closure of Nokia's only plant in Finland, bring total planned cuts at the group since Elop took over as chief executive in 2010 to more than 40,000.

The move will result in additional restructuring charges of around 1 billion euros by the end of 2013.

The company said it expects its operating margin in the second quarter to be below the negative 3 percent level reported in the first quarter. It previously forecast it would be similar to or below that level.

Nokia also said it would sell luxury phone business Vertu to venture firm EQT and revamp its management team.

Please contact www.thestreetbeat.com for interest in our latest investor relations platform the “CEO Interview Series” with its host Steve Kanaval. The package includes a one-on-one interview with a seasoned industry professional; published segment to our web site with embedded audio/video file; and a compressed file that can be easily e-mailed out to your current and/or potential investors. Please e-mail bflautt@gmail.com or call (662) 392-0740 for pricing and scheduling.

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Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) Signs Map Licensing Deal With TomTom

Atlanta, GA 6/12/12 (StreetBeat) -- In what might be the world’s shortest press release ever written, the GPS and mapping information company TomTom (AEX: TOM2) announced that it has signed a deal with Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) to license maps and other related data. No terms of the deal were disclosed.

Here is the entire text of the press release:

TomTom has signed a global agreement with Apple for maps and related information. No further details of the agreement will be provided.

At yesterday’s keynote at the 2012 Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple’s new global mapping application took center stage. The new app for iOS6 devices will include nifty features like turn-by-turn directions and crowd-sourced trafic information, as well as routing updated to avoid traffic jams and other hazards, Siri voice integration and information on more than 100 million businesses.

In trading in Amsterdam, TomTom shares this morning have spiked 11.7%.

Apple shares this morning are up $2.02, or 0.4%, to $573.19.

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Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) has huge solar plans at N.C. data center

Orlando, FL 2/21/12 (StreetBeat) -- Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) said on Monday that it plans to power its massive data center in North Carolina with equally massive solar and fuel-cell installations.

The company said the solar array, expected to cover much of 100 acres, will be the biggest end-user-owned installation in the country. Its capacity is estimated at 20 megawatts, supplying 42 million kilowatt-hours of solar power annually.

The fuel-cell installation is estimated at 5 megawatts and will be fueled by biogas. Two likely suppliers of the fuel cells are Bloom Energy or FuelCell Energy (Nasdaq: FCEL).

Apple has already spent an estimated $1 billion to build the 500,000-square-foot data center in Maiden, N.C., which plays a major role in its iCloud storage and sync service and its Siri voice-activated personal assistant.

The fact that the company planned to build a large solar farm next to the data center has been known since last year but the exact size hadn't been revealed until Apple issued an environmental report on Monday, along with a facilities report.

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Fair Labor Association begins independent audits of Foxconn factories

Tallahassee, FL 2/14/12 (StreetBeat) – Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) announced on Monday that independent third-party inspections of its final assembly plants in China have officially begun in "Foxconn City." The factory in Shenzhen is one of several facilities that will be audited by the Fair Labor Association, a labor rights activist group that admitted Apple as a member in January.

Factories owned by Foxconn, Quanta, and Pegatron—responsible for final assembly of over 90 percent of Apple's computers, iPhones, iPads, and other accessories—will be inspected by a team of labor rights experts led by FLA President Auret van Heerden. The team will reportedly interview employees, inspect safety equipment and worker dormitories, and examine all available documentation on worker safety, wages, and working hours. Apple's suppliers have reportedly agreed to cooperate fully with FLA's inspection team.

Apple said that the results of the independent audits of Foxconn facilities should be available on the FLA website in early March, while audits of Quanta and Pegatron facilities should be published in "late Spring."

The FLA inspections come shortly after details of working conditions in China sparked a controversy in light of Apple's soaring profits. Apple first began dealing with workers' rights issues when a 2006 investigation revealed widespread abuse of China's labor laws; since then, Apple has performed its own yearly audits and publishes the results in a public report. The company announced its partnership with the Fair Labor Association when it released the results of its 2011 audit in January.

"We believe that workers everywhere have the right to a safe and fair work environment, which is why we've asked the FLA to independently assess the performance of our largest suppliers," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement on Monday. "The inspections now underway are unprecedented in the electronics industry, both in scale and scope, and we appreciate the FLA agreeing to take the unusual step of identifying the factories in their reports."

Despite the audits, labor activists believe Apple should do more than try to make sure factories are operating within Chinese law. "Although we think Apple is among the best in terms of auditing, we still think that Apple can do more because it is the most profitable company in the world," activist Li Qiang, founder of China Labor Watch, said. "As soon as Apple is willing to give a small percentage of its profits, the workers can benefit a lot. But Apple is not willing to do that."

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Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) Gain Is Nuance's (Nasdaq: NUAN) Pain

Palm Beach, FL 2/10/12 (StreetBeat) – Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) is edging ever closer to $500 a share, but not all of its suppliers are basking in the iPhone maker's glow. Just ask Nuance Communications (Nasdaq: NUAN).

Apple has long been known to drive a hard bargain with its suppliers. The company continually tries to find a way to maximize its own margins, while squeezing those of its partners. Apple products are largely deemed must-haves, and suppliers are willing to do whatever they can to insert their products into the iPhone and iPad.

CEO Tim Cook may continue to drive harder bargains in the future than his predecessor Steve Jobs did, as Cook's experience and intellect are on the operational side of the business.

Nuance Communications reported weaker-than-expected first-quarter earnings as the company said its relationship with mobile companies has become "more comprehensive and complex" lately. Nuance makes part of the technology that goes into Siri, the personal and voice recognition assistant in the iPhone 4S.

This could eventually mean that Apple and other handset makers like Research In Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM) and phones that use Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) Android operating system may wind up developing their own technology, or potentially moving on to another partner, squeezing Nuance shares even further.

Wedbush Securities analyst Scott Sutherland believes this could eventually happen, as he wrote in a recent earnings note. He believes Apple could eventually build its own automatic speech recognition (ASR), as Google has already done and Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) has done with Kinect.

"...[W]e believe Apple will follow Microsoft's and Google's lead and build its own ASR, especially after Siri's co-founder indicated Nuance ASR could be swapped out," Sutherland wrote in his note. He rates Nuance shares underperform with a $18 price target.

Sutherland also said he believes that the other handset makers Nuance works with could squeeze Nuance even more..

Deutsche Bank analyst Nandan Amladi also suggested that other handset makers may eschew Nuance's products in the future, as they have developed in-house alternatives. Amladi maintained his buy rating and $30 price target on Nuance following the earnings report.

Nuance reported quarterly earnings of 34 cents a share on revenue of $360.6 million, well below what analysts were looking for. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected the company to report earnings of 36 cents a share on $391.6 million in revenue.

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Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) Rumored to Partner with Target to Open 25 Mini-Store

Tallahassee, FL 1/912 (StreetBeat) -- It looks like Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) may be extending its retail reach soon. The company is reportedly planning on latching onto the 2nd largest discount retail chain in America, Target (NYSE: TGT), and will be opening up mini-Apple stores within select Target locations.

According to a report by Apple Insider, a “source familiar with Apple plans” said that the company will be opening 25 Apple-branded shops within Targets in areas that “can’t support a standalone Apple store.” Target hasn’t officially commented on the matter.

Apple is no stranger to the store-in-a-store concept, with Apple Shops currently operating at over 600 of Best Buy’s 1,000 locations. It’s also worth noting that Apple has had partnerships with stores like Sears and Circuit City in the past. The mini-stores offer a slice of the look and feel of what you can find at Apple’s retail stores.

25 Apple mini-stores isn’t that large of a deal considering Target has about 1,750 stores within the US. The move may be small, but Target has been working with Apple for many years already. The iPod made its way to Target in 2002, with then executive VP Tim Cook playing a role in the deal. Target then began selling the iPad in October 2010 along with Best Buy, and of course Apple. Target also capped its Apple product line by agreeing to sell the iPhone, but with these new mini-stores we could see all sorts of Apple gadgets; some Best Buy mini-stores have actual Apple Solution Consultants to help explain products, which we might see at Target along with the Apple store displays.

Apple currently has around 359 retail stores within 10 countries; one of the newest and largest Apple stores opened last month in New York’s Grand Central station.

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