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The Road to Mordor: The Adventures of Floid & Dewitt in LotRO
It's important to get this straight right away: Floid is the horse and Dewitt is the human. And no, I'm not giving you the principle cast of a Saturday morning cartoon; this is one of the more interesting Easter eggs that inhabit Lord of the Rings Online. Floid the Mighty Steed and Dewitt the Explorer are an adventuring duo in the process of touring all of Middle-earth. Their journeys take them to out-of-the-way places, but if you stumble upon them you'll be given a deed to find the pair in seven different locales. Do so and you'll earn the incredible, the awe-inspiring, the magnificent... title of "the Wanderer." OK, it's just a title, but it's a title and a "Where's Waldo?" hunt for two oddballs. I'll take some time off of plowing through Update 11 to do this, yes sir! While I've been aware of Floid and Dewitt over the years, I have never taken the time to hunt them down and finish the deed. Well, that ends this week. Come with me as I search high and low until all is revealed!
Engadget Podcast 248 - 07.15.2011
Don't panic! That's not a herd of horses about to parade through your living room, but it is the noise that only 10 Engadget Podcasters can make as they run through your WiFi and into your speakers for this, the first-ever Engadget Partycast! We'll play Twister all over some new Sony tablets, pin the tail on the red envelope, and we might even fire up the hottest new music-streaming service on the HiFi to get you moving. The party is happening right now down below underneath that play button. We're almost at capacity, but we'll let you in if you hurry the dang heck up!Host: Tim Stevens, Brian HeaterGuests: Richard Lawler, Dana Wollman, Darren MurphProducer: Trent WolbeMusic: Young Folks00:02:52 - Sony S1 and S2 hands-on00:03:40 - Sony's S2 tablet coming to AT&T, price and availability remain a mystery00:09:53 - Sony's VAIO Z finally arrives in the US, goes up for pre-order starting at $2,00000:15:23 - Netflix officially separates DVD, streaming pricing; $15.98 and up for both00:33:50 - Netflix streaming comes to the Nintendo 3DS tomorrow00:38:26 - The Engadget Interview: HP's Stephen DeWitt00:49:58 - Spotify launching in the US tomorrow01:02:36 - Listener questionsHear the podcastSubscribe to the podcast[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC).[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator.[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune MarketplaceDownload the podcastLISTEN (MP3)LISTEN (AAC)LISTEN (OGG)Contact the podcastSend your questions to @tim_stevens.Leave us a voicemail: (423) 438-3005 (GADGET-3005)E-mail us: podcast at engadget dot comTwitter: @tim_stevens @bheater @rjcc @danawollman @darrenmurph
iPhone gross profit margins nearly 60%
Bernstein Research's Toni Sacconaghi issued a 13-page report last week in which he estimated that the iPhone's gross profit margins were an astounding 57.8%. Those margins tower above Apple's competitors with RIM estimated to have 43% profit margins, Nokia 33%, Motorola 32%, and HTC 31.7%. Sacconaghi believes that the iPhone's high gross margins could change Apple's business model as the iPhone's share of Apple's overall revenue stream grows from 30% in FY09 to an estimated 45% to 50% in FY11. Philip Elmer-DeWitt over at Apple 2.0 notes that while the Street generally assumes Apple's profit margins will decline over the next few years, Sacconaghi believes they will increase due to a few key points: iPhone prices are actually increasing. In Q3 2009, the average wholesale price was $588. In Q1 2010 it's risen to $638. Buyers are still more than eager for the iPhone. There is no sign of price resistance from either customers or carriers. Mobile partners are still lining up to get the iPhone with Apple adding 15 new ones over the past 4 months. Despite his Rosy outlook, Sacconaghi is reducing his iPhone shipment estimates by 1.3 million units in FQ4 10 and 5.5 million units in fiscal year 2011 under the assumption that there won't be an iPhone for Verizon before mid 2011. He also expects T-Mobile will get the iPhone before Verizon does. As for the iPad, Sacconaghi estimates its gross profit margins to be between 30 to 32%, not the 50% suggested by iSuppli. Sacconaghi rates AAPL as "Outperform" and has a price target of $250. In his report he states, "We believe that on a cash flow basis the stock is very attractively valued and that the stock is the most attractive secular name in our coverage universe."
Apple: What iPad freight records?
Philip Elmer-DeWitt over at Apple 2.0 is reporting that Apple has taken steps to hide ocean shipping data for its iPad. Several business intelligence companies exist that collect, analyze, and resell data of a company's shipping records. This data is sold to the company's competitors in hope that they can glean information on how well a certain product is doing by extrapolating potential sales data from the shipping records. Companies like Trade Privacy also exist to protect trade data. Trade Privacy has stated that in anticipation of the March iPad launch, Apple has blocked its bills of lading and other import records from public access. "Apple is the only major electronics company so far to have protected their import data," Trade Privacy CEO Andrew Park told DeWitt. "Similar companies like Microsoft, Sony and Google continue to import with their product data exposed to the public." It's unclear whether Apple is a Trade Privacy client or if Trade Privacy just has knowledge of Apple's steps to retain its iPad shipping privacy. Apple was reportedly alarmed two years ago by media reports that predicted the arrival of the iPhone 3G before it had been announced based on data from Import Genius – a firm that collects business intelligence data on a company's shipping records and resells that data to competitors. "Apple was caught off guard and took swift action to protect their trade-secrets from competitors," Park told DeWitt. Given Apple's history of cloak and dagger tactics, safeguarding its shipping data for the much-hyped iPad should surprise few.
