Surprisingly, Apple's iPhone 6 Falls Short on This Key Feature

Source: Apple.

There's no debating Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are a huge success. Just this week, the company announced it had sold 10 million of them in just three days.

But while there's plenty for the new iPhones to brag about, Apple's virtual personal assistant, Siri, appears to be slowly falling behind the competition. Even with two new models and an iOS 8 update, Siri comes up short against the competition.

What Siri lacks
Despite being location-aware, Siri has never been able to match some of the more useful location features Android phones enjoy through Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) (NASDAQ: GOOGL  ) Now. And now Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) new virtual assistant, Cortana, has Siri beat as well.

While Siri can remind you to do something when you arrive or leave a specific location you frequent often -- like your home or office -- it can't remind you do things like pick up bread when you pass any grocery store like Cortana can.

Even more useful is Cortana's ability to remind you to do, or say, something specific to a contact when they call, text or email you. So if you have a question you need to remember to ask your boss, just tell Cortana to remind you the next time your boss contacts you, and she'll do it.

And it's not just Siri's basic reminder skills that disappoint, but also the fact that she's not always listening to what you have to say. Take for instance the Moto X. It has a co-processor that allows Google Now to constantly listen for voice commands. The Moto X also learns a user's voice, so it can distinguish it from other people talking around it.

With iOS 8, Apple added a similar function that allows Siri to listen all the time, but only when plugged into a power source. Obviously that's not ideal for a smartphone that's unplugged and mobile most of the day. Apparently Apple thinks the feature would draw too much power if Siri was listening 24/7. 

Making Siri smarter
Beyond the "Hey Siri" listening feature, Apple's virtual assistant can now listen to and identify songs. Siri also pairs with Apple's HomeKit platform to manage home automation voice commands. It's a nice feature, but not one many people are using right now.

To truly make Siri a standout feature in the future, Apple will need to designate more hardware power to the assistant and bring Siri in-house. Over the summer, rumors popped up that Samsung may purchase Nuance, the company that makes the back-end technology for Siri. That sparked some discussion that Apple needs develop the feature more internally.

But to truly make Siri smarter, Apple needs to follow in the steps of Google and Microsoft. Both companies use what's called "neural networking" for their virtual assistants, which helps the phones better understand the context of what's being said, not just the words. Siri doesn't have neural networking right now, though Apple's reportedly hiring people and building out its own team to make it happen.

Foolish thoughts
Upgrading Siri won't change Apple's bottom line, and it's not as if Siri's holding back the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus from being massive successes. But with Google Now and Microsoft's Cortana outpacing some of Siri's capabilities, its time Apple started putting a little more effort into its virtual assistant. 

If not for the iPhone, than Apple should make Siri better because of its new watch. The Apple Watch firmly placed the company into the wearables market, and that means voice dictation, recognition, and contextual awareness will be more important than ever.

Apple sells some of the best premium mobile and wearable devices on the market; is to too much to ask for its virtual assistant be one of the best as well?

Apple Watch revealed: The real winner is inside
Apple recently revealed the product of its secret-development "dream team" -- Apple Watch. The secret is out, and some early viewers are claiming its everyday impact could trump the iPod, iPhone, and the iPad. In fact, ABI Research predicts 485 million of this type of device will be sold per year. But one small company makes Apple's gadget possible. And its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early, in-the-know investors. To be one of them, and see where the real money is to be made, just click here!

BlackBerry Ltd and Apple Have This 1 Thing in Common

Traditionally, BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY  ) and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) have both sold smartphones, tablets, cloud services, security software, and other like products, all in the realm of technology. Yet apparently, health care is just too big an opportunity to ignore, and both companies are making major strides to enter the space in multiple ways.

A market of opportunity
According to the Consumer Electronics Association, revenues for consumer electronics are expected to grow 2.4% this year to top $208 billion. While that represents an enormous market, it doesn't come close to the $2.5 trillion U.S. health care system, a market that's expected to grow at an annualized rate of 5.8% over the next six years according to economists in the Office of the Actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Nonetheless, much of the health care market is outside Apple and BlackBerry's grasp, unless the two companies decide on opening hospitals, hiring doctors, and selling insurance. Much of the health care industry is broken down into key service segments, like a $770 billion government-funded health insurance program, that neither Apple nor BlackBerry could penetrate.

However, both Apple and BlackBerry do have an opportunity in products and services, encompassing industries such as health care analytics, which is expected to grow at an annualized rate of 25.2% with revenue of $21.3 billion by 2020. Based on Apple and BlackBerry initiatives, it appears that both companies want to take a bite out of this market and others alike.

A platform within a platform
Apple's new Health service is being seen as a way for consumers and health care professionals to share data. Much as Apple attracted application developers through iOS, it'll aim to do the same with HealthKit in the health care sector.

As of now, Health is being used as a hub to store data such as blood pressure, weight, and calorie intake, which can then be shared with medical devices and developed applications to create better health management. It's also being used by prestigious health care centers at Stanford and Duke University in clinical trials. At Stanford the Health app will allow physicians to easily track and share blood sugar levels in diabetic children. Then at Duke, patients with cancer or heart disease will have key data points such as weight and blood pressure stored on the app.

While exact monetization practices remain unknown at this time, Apple could create revenue much as it does from other software such as iTunes, iBookstore, and its App Store, by collecting a percentage of the monies developers earn from application sales, along with sales from apps that it develops. Furthermore, by collecting data, Apple opens the door to sell that data to hospitals, physicians, and even the government to further improve the health care industry. Importantly, Apple created $4.5 billion from software during its last quarter, a number that the Health app could increase long-term.

Creating individual services from data
Apple has clearly set the bar for health care software high, but so has BlackBerry with an initiative called Project Ion, also known as the Internet of all things, which is somewhat similar to Apple's approach. One notable difference is that BlackBerry itself is creating software based on past data, not current or future data, to provide a service in the health care space.

BlackBerry's first service will target hospitals and will detect early signs of illness, which could be as simple as bacterial infections or as complex as cancer. Theoretically, a patient could be getting an annual checkup and then, based on collected data, BlackBerry's software can alert the physician of a potential illness that should be explored.

This software was derived from 16,000 medical devices that are connected to BlackBerry's operating system. From these devices, more than 3 billion vital signs have been collected annually, thus providing BlackBerry with a large sum of information that it is now sharing in the form of products.

Like Apple, BlackBerry hasn't unveiled a monetization approach, but like other software-as-a-service, investors can assume that subscriptions will play a role. If successful, BlackBerry can then create additional services that perform certain functions within the health care industry. Or, BlackBerry will branch out into other key segments such as food, manufacturing, and travel to develop products based on data.

Foolish thoughts
Apple seems to have a good plan in place. The Health app is an entrance into health care, but more importantly is that it serves as a platform within a platform, iOS. However, with nearly $180 billion in 12-month revenue, it could take the company several years for the software to ever become meaningful to its overall business. In other words, even a billion dollars in annual revenue won't move the needle for Apple.

However, BlackBerry's Project Ion is just as impressive with the opportunity to enter new market categories, and importantly, it has the opportunity to be a big part of the company's overall business, which created $4.7 billion in revenue during the past 12 months. Therefore, Apple's Health app might have more commercial success because of the large user base and presence of iOS, but BlackBerry has a great presence with enterprise customers.

According to BlackBerry's CEO, 80% of the company's 50 million subscribers are in business, which is where it'll aim to make a dent with Project Ion. Therefore, Project Ion is a big deal for BlackBerry, and given the size of health care, it could also be a big deal for the stock.

Apple Watch revealed: The real winner is inside
Apple recently revealed the product of its secret-development "dream team" -- Apple Watch. The secret is out, and some early viewers are claiming its everyday impact could trump the iPod, iPhone, and the iPad. In fact, ABI Research predicts 485 million of this type of device will be sold per year. But one small company makes Apple's gadget possible. And its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early-in-the-know investors. To be one of them, and see where the real money is to be made, just click here!

 

25 Motivational Quotes From Self-Made Billionaires

Great quotes help motivate me to keep learning on my journey of self-improvement. One of my favorite sources of quotes to turn to is from self-made billionaires, as they have spent their lives working through failure, and have come out on top. They often have wisdom to impart.

For those days when you need an extra pick-me-up, here are the best motivational quotes from some of the greatest entrepreneurs in history.

1. "People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents." -- Andrew Carnegie

2. "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." -- Walt Disney

3. "It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." -- J. K. Rowling

4. "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." -- Henry Ford

5. "You don't learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing and falling over." -- Richard Branson

6. "When you grow up, you tend to get told that the world is the way it is and your life is just to live your life inside the world, try not to bash into the walls too much, try to have a nice family, have fun, save a little money. That's a very limited life. Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact, and that is that everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use. Once you learn that, you'll never be the same again." -- Steve Jobs

7. "You can do so much in 10 minutes time. Ten minutes, once gone, are gone for good. Divide your life into 10-minute units and sacrifice as few of them as possible in meaningless activity." -- Ingvar Kamprad

8. "The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work." -- Oprah Winfrey

9. "I knew that if I failed I wouldn't regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not trying." -- Jeff Bezos

10. "If something is important enough, even if the odds are against you, you should still do it." -- Elon Musk

11. "The biggest risk is not taking any risk... In a world that's changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks." -- Mark Zuckerberg

12. "Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great." -- John D. Rockefeller

13. "Success is often achieved by those who don't know that failure is inevitable." -- Coco Chanel

14. "You can learn from everybody." -- Sam Walton

15. "When I saw that screen light up that day in the Merrill Lynch offices, I lost any residual doubt that Bloomberg could make it. We had picked just the right project. It was big enough to be useful, small enough to be possible. Start with a small piece, fulfill one goal at a time, on time. Do it with all things in life. Sit down and learn to read one-syllable words. If you try to read Chaucer in elementary school, you'll never accomplish anything. You can't jump to the end game right away, in computers, politics, love, or any other aspect of life." -- Mike Bloomberg

16. "You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do." -- Henry Ford

17. "All my life people have said that I wasn't going to make it... You can never quit. Winners never quit, and quitters never win." -- Ted Turner

18. "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma -- which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition." -- Steve Jobs

19. "Making mistakes is the privilege of the active -- of those who can correct their mistakes and put them right." -- Ingvar Kamprad

20. "Risk more than others think safe. Dream more than others think practical. Expect more than others think possible. Care more than others think wise." -- Howard Schultz

21. "High expectations are the key to everything." -- Sam Walton

22. "I'm always afraid of failing. It's great motivation to work harder." -- Mark Cuban

23. "Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you'll be able to see farther." -- J.P. Morgan

24. "What I know for sure is that if you want to have success, you can't make success your goal. The key is not to worry about being successful, but to instead work toward being significant – and the success will naturally follow." -- Oprah Winfrey

25. "Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right." -- Henry Ford

Foolish takeaway
Life is a journey, not a sprint. Those who succeed spend their lives continuously learning habits, skills, and practices to effectively reach their goals, and live a successful life. Learning how to successfully invest for the long term is one of the best educations anyone could ever give you.

Top dividend stocks for the next decade
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Allergan: A ROE That Has Returned to Acceptable Levels

In this article, let´s see one of the most important financial ratios applying to stockholders, the best measure of performance for a firm's management: the Return on Equity (ROE), and we are going to analyze it in the case of Allergan Inc. (AGN)

ROE is calculated as net income applicable to common shares divided by the average book value of common equity: ROE = Net Income / Av. Book Value

A higher ROE is viewed as a positive aspect for the company, but the reason behind it should be examine. From the equation above, we can see that if book value is decreasing more rapidly than net income, the ratio will increase, but this is not good for the firm.

Dupont Analysis

This approach can be used to analyze the ROE. With some algebra we can break down ROE into a function of different ratios. Firstly, we are going to consider the original approach:

Original DupontEquation: Three-Part Dupont

Taking the ROE equation: ROE = net income / shareholder's equity and multiplying ROE by (revenue / revenue), and rearranging terms we get:

ROE = (net income / revenue) * (revenue / shareholder's equity)

We now have ROE broken into two parts, the first is net profit margin, and the second is the equity turnover ratio.Nowwe can expand this by multiplying these terms by (assets / assets), and rearranging we end up with the three-step DuPont equation.

ROE = (Net Income / Revenue) * (Revenue / Assets) * (Assets / Shareholder's Equity)

This equation for ROE breaks it into three widely used and studied components:

ROE = (Net profit margin)* (Asset Turnover) * (Leverage ratio)

The first term is what we called previously net profit margin, the second term is asset turnover and the third tem is a financial leverage ratio. If we have a low ROE, one of the following must be true:

The firm has a poor profit margin The firm has a poor asset turnover The firm has a little leverage

ROE (%) 3-Step	Dec-04	Dec-05	Dec-06	Dec-07	Dec-08	Dec-09	Dec-10	Dec-11	Dec-12	Dec-13
Net Profit Margin	18.32	17.24	-4.16	12.68	12.79	13.80	0.01	17.24	19.46	15.64
Asset Turnover	0.91	0.82	0.53	0.60	0.65	0.60	0.59	0.64	0.62	0.60
Leverage	2.00	1.82	1.82	1.75	1.67	1.56	1.75	1.61	1.56	1.64
ROE	33.78	25.78	-4.05	13.36	13.9	12.88	0.01	17.6	18.82	15.24

Final Comment

As outlined in the article, a key ratio used to determine management efficiency is the ROE. In general, analysts consider ROE ratios in the 15-20% range as representing attractive levels for investment. As we can appreciate, since 2011 the ROE recovered acceptable levels according to what we have just said, principally due to its high net profit margin.

It is very important to understand this metric before investing and it is important to look at the trend in ROE over time. So let´s see the evolution on the next chart:

So based on this analysis, I would recommend investors to consider adding this stock to their long-term portfolios.

Hedge fund gurus have also been active in the company. Gurus like Jim Chanos (Trades, Portfolio), Andreas Halvorsen (Trades, Portfolio), Eric Mindich (Trades, Portfolio), Richard Perry (Trades, Portfolio), Jean-Marie Eveillard (Trades, Portfolio), Louis Moore Bacon (Trades, Portfolio), Paul Singer (Trades, Portfolio), John Paulson (Trades, Portfolio), Bill Ackman (Trades, Portfolio), Jim Simons (Trades,