Over and over again, I’ve reiterated the fact that the world is shifting to a mobile realm for on-demand information. The four companies listed below are IT leaders in INNOVATION, the key driver of all tech companies, for the increasingly mobile world. For instance, netbooks are riding the same wave smartphones did just a few years ago. Apple has yet to jump into the field, QUALCOMM is developing the chips and Google provides the Android operating system. Keep in mind, tech remains HOT in this bear market rally; the IT SPDR (XLK) is up 18.20% YTD, outperforming the S&P 500 by 16.21% (as of 6/21/09). Throughout this article, I have embedded many links to read further on these revolutionary technologies.
Apple (AAPL)
Steve Jobs picked this company up from the ground, dusted off its coattails and led the innovation charge of the last decade. From iPods to macbooks to the iPhone, Apple is the definition of “halo effect.” They have defined themselves as the COOL brand for not only the young population, but also parents who are catching the technology bug. At its annual WWDC, Apple showcased:
- New 16Gb & 32 Gb iPhone 3G S (’S’ is for Speed)
- Original iPhone 3G cut to $99 (to sustain its momentum in this cash-tight recession)
- Snow Leopard operating system for just a $29 update
- Price slashing the macbooks by $300.
Apple continues to innovate; here are some rumors/speculation on what they could do:
- CDMA-capable iPhone (86 mln subscribers with Verizon; penetration in China)
- 4G iPhone
- Touchscreen notebook
- Apple iPad (similar to Amazon’s Kindle reader)
- Increase penetration in the Enterprise market
- iPod Touch video capable, thus Skype capable over Wi-Fi
The last bullet surprises me because Apple did not make a bid for Skype from eBay (EBAY) despite its stellar success as an iPhone app, Apple’s $28.9 billion in cash and how the VOIP company could be easily tucked into the business model of the superb-managed IT giant. Remember, Apple was the company that dominated the MP3 player market (the Zune had no chance). Also, the macbook has had a cult-like following; ask your friends if they would ever switch back to a PC.
QUALCOMM (QCOM)
Toshiba’s TG01 netbook utilized QCOM’s 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, which returned positive feedback.
