All who have followed me over the last three years know I've taken a very strong stance on the mobile computing wars, their prospective winners, losers and the benefits/pitfalls to be had from such intense competition. Outside of possibly Goldman Sachs, the most controversial, blindly beloved company that I've called a short on was Apple. Now that I think of it, Apple has Goldman beat hands down. After first warning of impending margin compression with 18 quarters of October 2010, I've been reviled by every fanboi this side of the Valley. Now, it's vogue to say #MarginCompression!

For those who are not the type to pay for analysis, the following video and graphic contains everything you'd ever want to know about Apple past, present and potentially future. For those of you who are willing to pay for quality analysis, I answer the question that should be on everyone's mind, "Is it time to now buy Apple as a deep value play?" After all, the move that I've warned about has came and gone, or has it. Subscribers, see download links at the bottom of this article.

Click the graphic once to view, twice to enlarge to printer quality...

 Reggie Middletonss Ultimate Apple Value Infographic

Subscribers, download the Q3 2013 valuation reports (click here to subscribe).

•  Apple 3Q2013 Valuation Update - Retail
  (Technology)
•  Apple 3Q2013 Valuation Update - Pro & Institutional
  (Technology)

The update from two months ago is also of value for those who haven't read it. It turns out that it was quite prescienct!

•  Apple 1Q2013 update - Pro & Institutional
  (Technology)
•  Apple 1Q2013 update - Retail
  (Technology)

See also:

What Sell Side Wall Street Doesn't Understand About Apple - It's Not The Leader Of The Post PC World!!!

 The short call - October 2012, the month of Apple's all-time high and my call to subscribers to short the stock:  Deconstructing The Most Accurate Apple Analysis Ever Made - Share Price, Market Share, Strategy and All

This crux of that article was to debunk the widely assumed notion that I was bearish on Apple's share price for 2 years. The reality of the matter was that the paid research and opinion clearly supported much of Apple's share price until right about the last earnings report and release of the iPhone 5, until I notably went bearish and Apple promptly lost 35%, or about 4 Dells with a LinkedIn thrown in to boot...

apple stock and front month options

Scotland is making a move for independence from the UK as a sovereign nation. Such an event is bound to be rife with political motivations and ramifications that I'm no where near qualified to gauge or judge. Yet, there is one thing that I can comment on with conviction, and that is the risks that abound in the banking system. You see, with so many political motivations running in several directions, the truth (or even a facsimile of it) will be hard to come by in such a situation, but I believe I can ferret out a nugget or two. Here are a few snippets from an article ran on CNBCcom today: Scotland Independence Could Lead to Cyprus-Style Banking Crisis

An independent Scotland is at risk of a Cyprus-style banking crisis, as its banking sector would be "exceptionally large" compared to the size of its economy, a U.K. government report has said.

"An independent Scotland would have an exceptionally large banking sector compared to the size of its economy - with banking assets of more than 1250 percent of Scottish [gross domestic product] - making it more vulnerable to financial shocks and the volatility of the sector," the Treasury report said on Monday.

The report pointed out Scotland's banking exposure would dwarf that of Iceland and Cyprus, two countries that faced severe banking collapses in recent years. Iceland's banks, for example, had assets equivalent to 880 per cent of GDP, while Cyprus, which faced a banking crisis in March, had total banking assets of around 700 per cent of GDP.

...for Scotland if its banks needed bailing out, posing significant risks to Scottish taxpayers, the report claimed.

The report as cited by the article then goes on to make more direct comparisons to Cyprus, not unlike I did two months ago, but with Ireland (see As Forewarned, The Irish Savers Have Just Been "Cyprus'd", And There's MUCH MORE "Cyprusing" To Come).

"At the end of September 2012, the two largest banks – the Cyprus Popular Bank and Bank of Cyprus – had assets in the region of 210 per cent and 175 per cent of Cyprus's GDP respectively."

"It is worth noting that, if Scotland became independent, its banking sector would be similarly concentrated (with two large players, Bank of Scotland and Royal Bank of Scotland and a number of smaller firms), and that an independent Scotland's domestic banking sector would be likely to be significantly larger than that of Cyprus (assuming no change to firms' domicile arrangements)."

While there's not a single doubt in my mind that this so-called research paper has distinct political ulterior motives at it heart, a fact is still a fact nonetheless. RBS is still a problem in terms of systemic risk. On Thursday, 11 April 2013 I penned, I Illustrate How The Irish Banking Cancer Spreads To The UK Taxpayer And Metastasizes Through US Markets! wherein I clearly illustrated that RBS is materially understating its liabilities AND even went so far as to include links to the SEC and the UK banking regulator so that US/UK taxpayers and investors can notify our erstwhile regulator(s) to the potential of financial shenanigans. The root of the problem is that RBS has materially under-reported its liabilities (in my oh so humble opinion.) Those that stress tested RBS (the same erstwhile professionals that allowed the Irish banks to pass their stress tests 3 months before they started collapsing) apparently overlooked humongous swaths of liabilities. The charge documents referred to in the aforelinked article are definitively not apparent in the recent bank stress testing’ conducted by the European Banking Authority, at least not in the summary results that the EBA have made available. For those who are still skeptical, I beg thee reference the RBS Stress Test download. I presented ample evidence directly in my previous articles, to wit:

What happened behind closed doors?

Ulster Bank gave a first floating charge in favor of the Central Bank of Ireland (an arm of the European Central Bank) and the Financial Services Authority of Ireland. U.S. investors would have had to rely on the contents of The Royal Bank of Scotland's 2008 Annual Accounts which apparently (in my opinion) concealed the existence of the CRO registered charges to the Central Bank of Ireland.

Ulster Bank RBS charge doc 2 Page 1

I even included a lawsuit filed in which investors apparently go the message, they just didn't have access to the analyst that I proffered...

rbs litigation

Anyone interested in RBS will be well served to review "I Illustrate How The Irish Banking Cancer Spreads To The UK Taxpayer And Metastasizes Through US Markets!" thoroughly! 

To give the prospective Scottish taxpayer a clue as to what surprises may lurk beneath, I post this tidbit from the afore-linked article...

The app below allows the UK Taxpayer to calculate for themselves exactly what their individual contribution (pro rata) is to the government bailout of RBS.

I've taken the liberty of pre-populating the input fields for you, but if you don't agree with the numbers then by all means insert your own!

On Monday I posted Google Q2 2013 Update: Valuing Possibly The Most Powerful Co. In The World?, an update on Google's valuation and target price points for my subscribers. In said piece, I illuminated the massive misunderstanding of Google's business model. I consistently hear pundits bang on the table screaming, "But nearly all of Google's revenue comes from advertising!!!" That's the point! Google monetizes nearly ALL of its ventures through advertising, whcih is why it can actually outgrow the pace of online advertising growth and still be the biggest player in the game. It rides the rising tide while still pumping water under its surfboard.

image003

Google has almost consistently outgrown the adoption rate of web advertising. What does this mean? Well, it means that although Web advertising is getting bigger and more popular as a slice of the total advertising pie, Google is getting even bigger and more dominant in the space – not less. Google is beating competition back even as the market grows! 

Google ad growth

How does it do this? Google management thinks BIG, very BIG! Think about it...

Android - takes over mobile computing, literally! It has passed 900 million devices activated, with 48 billion app downads. That's nearly a billion, a force to be reckoned with for any developer, marketer or advertiser. Just two years ago, I had to cram this concept down the throats of develoepers and advertisers - One Reason Why Software Developers & Tech Firms Should Pay Close Attention To Research Boutiques Such As BoomBustBlog

Notebook computing that drives prices towards zero...

chromebook

Commercial speed internet access (1 Gbit) for the price of cable TV (that's 100x the speed of cable internet access, both ways - up and downstream), meet Google Fiber and understand that now 14 year olds can produce and distribute their own TV shose from their mommy's basement. Speaking of which...

YouTube- takes over visual media production and consumption, as they now have subscription video channels ala Netflix (accept iy can upload your own content) - YouTube confirms subscription model, and here are the partners ...

Self driving cars - self explanatory

Google Glass - transforms personal and mobile computing

I can go on, as a matter of fact, I think I will. Google has released some blockbuster products and flops, the key is they're not afraid to experiment, and like Microsoft, they don't give up at the first sign of failure. Remember, it often takes 99 "No's" to get one "Yes". Google Wallet is one such product. It faced extreme industry pushback, primarily because it stepped on too many toes, particularly those toes that spend a lot of money on lobbying (the banking and financial services industry). Now, it looks as if management is going grass roots, bringing the world's most ubiquitous "Free" email system to the ability to send money as an attachment. That's right, GMail now allows you to send cash as a simple attachment. This is much more convenient than PayPal, wiring funds, or practically anthing else I can think of.

 Screen Shot 2013-05-15 at 11.24.11 PM

With this many projects in the pipeline, Google's revenue and profit potential dwarfs that of Apple - the purveyor of pretty, shiny things...

 Subscribers, click the following links for my updated price targets on Google (click here to subscribe):

•  Google Q1 2013 Valuation Note - Retail
  (Technology)
•  Google Q1 2013 Valuation Note - Professional & Instititional
  (Technology)

The biggest risks to these price points are:

1. A market that's being levitated by central bank magicians running short on magic spells...
2. Regulatory pressure, which I feel is quite material and inevitable, but will not be a major factor in the near term. 

Five years ago I posed the question, "Has the Web and the Blogosphere ushered in the Death of Radio?" Lookng at radio station revenues and ad rates, while their death is not necessarily eminent, the metastatization of a near terminal disease is. Now, half decade later, is it time to pose that question for Mainstream Media in general? Methinks there is a significant opporutunity for those true entrepeneurs who can figure out how to make a better mouse trap. The infographic below says it all...

Internet Influence

Other examples...

• Mainstream Media Says Cyprus Salvaged By EU ...
• What Sell Side Wall Street Doesn't Understand ... 
• A Couple Of Apple Facts That Mainstream Media ... 
• BoomBustBlog Research Opinion Hits the Mainstream Media, Sort Of...