Apple Announces New Products, Lower Prices

by Brandon Zeman, WeSeed Writer

Apple (AAPL) held their much anticipated annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) yesterday. Rumors of a new iPhone and ex Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ return created an air of mystery around the already secretive event.

WWDC has come and gone now, and while a new iPhone was introduced, Steve Jobs was absent from the presentation. Also announced were upgrades to the MacBook Pro line, and the new Mac OS X Snow Leopard, to be released in September. Apple’s focus on pricing was a key theme from an investing standpoint. Let’s have a look.

Apple cut prices on 15 and 17 inch versions of the MacBook Pro, and announced the 13 inch MacBook would be upgraded to Pro status, and will also receive a price cut. Even the high-end MacBook Air is receiving a $700 price cut.

Snow Leopard, Apple’s latest OS, will be released in September for just $29, rather than the $129 price point used for past OS launches.

Finally, it was announced the current iPhone 3G (8gb) would be reduced to $99 (with new AT&T contract).

Apple stock was down around 2.8% most of the afternoon, but began rebounding soon after the iPhone announcement. Apple closed the day at $143.85, down just 0.57%.

Slashing prices is a big departure for Apple. It would seem with these recent price cuts the folks in Cupertino are focusing on growth and getting their most popular products into the hands of more Americans.

Do you like Apple’s price strategy? Will lowering prices encourage more PC’s to become Macs? Do you think this plays well for Apple’s long-term strategy? Let us know what  you think in the comments, and if you plan on adding some fruit to your portfolio on WeSeed.

Is Palm’s Pre an iPhone Killer?

by Carlos Portocarrero, WeSeed Writer

Apple’s iPhone is a revolutionary product—its combination of usability, style, and features has made it one of the most popular gadgets in the world. The iPhone was a cultural phenomenon from the day it was announced, and that’s translated to more than 17 million iPhones being sold since it was released in June of 2007.

But what has Apple’s (AAPL) stock done over that time? Let’s take a look:

Before the economy crashed, Apple stock was on a pretty incredible run. Was it all thanks to the iPhone? Of course not—iPod (and Mac) sales also factored into it. But the iPhone definitely played a role.

The only phone I can think of with the hype and potential to even come close to the iPhone is Palm’s (PALM) Pre. Details are still sketchy, but word is the Pre is going to hit the market within the next month or two. For more on the Pre, check out Engadget’s sweet write-up.

Just like there have been many NBA players who were dubbed “the next Michael Jordan” (only to flame out), there have been many phones that were anointed as the big challenger to the mighty iPhone. I’ve read everything I could get my hands on about this phone, and it seems like it actually has a chance to dethrone the mighty iPhone. It’s fast, it’s stylish, it’s elegant, and it has all the features a high-end smart phone should have.

So let’s check Palm’s stock:

As you can see, Palm’s stock has been climbing steadily since the announcement was made. Why? Well, the phone has gotten great early reviews so far, and the industry is really excited. Palm has put a lot of thought and a lot of money into the Pre. This is basically their last stand—if this phone isn’t a success, the company could recede into obscurity.

In other words, it’s now or never for Palm. Do you think it stands a chance?

WeSeed Now Has Charts!

You asked for it.

You begged us for it.

You sent us message after message via our Feedback Form for it.

So we listened. WeSeed is proud to announce that we have added charts to the site! When you visit a company page from this day forth, you’ll never have to wonder what that company’s chart might look like.

Now all you have to do is click the “Show Chart” button and you’ll be rewarded with hearty, charty goodness.

On the left-hand side of a company page you’ll find the link to get your chart on:

Here’s what clicking on that button will get you:

What are you looking at? Well, the chart will default to show you what the stock has done over the past month. Which is all well and good, but it’s not good enough. So we decided to give you full control of these charts by adding the bottom navigation buttons. You can see what a company has done in the last day, five days, month, three months, six months, so far this year (YTD), and as far back as the company has existed. 

But wait, there’s more! You can also pick a start and end date to get the exact time frame you want. So let’s say I want to know how Microsoft (MSFT) has done since I got married last year, I’d just punch it in here:

And boom—here’s how the stock has done:

Hmm, kind of looks like a chart for the amount to time I spend playing video games since I got married – but that’s an entirely different story.

What can charts tell you?

Well, charts can give you some of the story behind a stock. But to be perfectly blunt, all a chart tells you is what a company’s stock price has done in the past. Will it tell you what the company does in the future? No.

Sound a little anticlimactic? It is.

But the fun part comes when you try to see if something that’s happened in the real world has had any effect on the stock price. Let’s take Apple (AAPL) as an example. 

A. The iPod launches
B. The iPod sells over a million units in a quarter for the first time 
C. The iPhone is announced
D. All hell breaks loose 

Now, it’s tempting to say that these things caused the stock to go up. And it might be true. The thing is, it isn’t the only thing that made Apple’s stock go up. But this is just an example of some of the stuff you can do with our new charts.

Now go out there and have some fun!