Could Apple “Pull a Google”?
Apple Inc is scheduled to give its quarter results after the market closes today. This is expected to be one of the most highly watched reports, as shares of Apple have vaulted more than 47% since mid-August. Investors are eager to see how well Apple’s iPhone and Mac fared. Is it possible for Apple to “pull a Google” (by that we mean will Apple bury expectations)? It’s possible, with analysts’ price shares ranging from $175-$200 (see Rex Crum’s article from MarketWatch.com). With Apple being one of the most closely followed companies today, we decided to create an IntellectSpace Knowledge Map of the Board of Directors at Apple. We were surprised to find that compared to the Directors at other large companies, the Directors at Apple have far fewer corporate connections. However, the connections that do exist are both impressive and often represent years of experience (Note: the information contained and presented in Knowledge Maps is public information from the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States of America).
Some of the more notable corporate ties and experience are through Directors Arthur Levinson, Eric Schmidt, Jerome York, Millard Drexler, and CEO Steve Jobs. Levinson is currently Chairman of the biotech firm Genentech and is also a Director at Google, a position he shares with Eric Schmidt, current Chairman/CEO of Google. York is currently a Director at Tyco, as well as a former Director at MGM Mirage and IBM. Drexler is the current Chairman/CEO of J. Crew and a former President/CEO of The Gap and Old Navy. Finally, Jobs is the Co-Founder of both Apple and Pixar Animation Studios and currently serves as a Director of the Walt Disney Company.
With their remarkable years of experience in the computer, Internet, retail, and entertainment industries, the Directors at Apple know how to sell to products to a customer. With the continued success of the Mac and the huge debut of the iPhone, it is possible that Apple’s quarterly report will more than meet analysts’ and investors’ expectations.
Click here for an interactive version of this IntellectSpace Knowledge Map (Internet Explorer browsers only): http://nv.intellectspace.com
Don't you think it is ironic that this Knowledge map ABOUT APPLE cannot actually be displayed on an Apple computer!?
Posted by: john | October 23, 2007 at 12:54 PM
It can if you are running windows on your Mac... but who on a Mac (even with windows) would run Internet Explorer??
Windows is bad enough.. : )
Posted by: Jason | October 23, 2007 at 01:31 PM