iPad Mini, just one of the newest additions to the Apple familyT

 

The iPad Mini just came out this weekend and as always they had a line waiting outside the door. It is sold for around $329 in stores all around. According to CNET.com, it takes only $188 dollars to manufacture. I found this really interesting because it got me thinking of how much money  they can make off every product. There are differneces between how much it takes to make a 16 gb compared to the 32 gb and 64 gb iPads. It costs another $80 dollars for the iPads with more memory in them. They also sell for $429 for the 32gb and $529 for the 64gb.

The iPad Mini looks great, but is it worth buying is what I have been thinking about. Apple has been known for their superior products and are leading their competitors which is the Google Nexus, Amazon Kindle, and the new Microsoft Surface. I think the product will do very well in today’s market because Apple has a reputation of having great products.  Only Apple has come out with a product of their tablet and making a miniature version of it. I think it is a good idea, but the question is, will it sell to their expectations? They are selling their product over $100 dollars more than their competition, and Apple assumes they can do so because you pay more for quality and a credible name. I believe thats why they are charging a significant amount more than other competitors, but they can do so, don’t you think?

It is unbelievable on how much money Apple is making off of their products. The come out with something new throughout the year every year. They have expanded since they started in ’76 and keep on expanding. The net worth of Apple a decade ago was $10 billion and the net worth as of 2012 is close to $500 billions dollars. It is crazy  to think of all that they have done in the last 10 years. I feel as though Apple is just getting bigger, they have not peaked and are still in their prime. They are going to have many new products coming out, and for now, it is the iPad Mini

Would you guys feel about the iPad Mini? Do you think you will consider buying it at any time? How do you feel about Apple and their expansion into one of the greatest companies in history?

 

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57544850-37/ipad-mini-costs-at-least-$188-to-build-teardown-reveals/

Time to Sail Away From the Entrepreneur Ship

 

When I get older, I want to be an entrepreuer, but it doesnt seem as appealing as it used to be back in 2006. Throughout the years, being your own boss hasn’t been working out for people as much as it used to, but the question is why? A lot of businesses cannot keep themselves running long enough to see the profits. When you want to stay open and don’t have the sufficient funds to pay for the cost of your business, you tend to make cuts, and the first cut most business owners make is hours of employees or the employee in general. As you can see from the graph shown above, job opportunities have been decreasing dramatically from 2006-2011. The main thing you would have to factor into this graph is simple: the economic recession. The recession made it a lot more difficult for job security, especially in small businesses. After the recession, people didnt have the money to make investments. A lot of Americans lost a lot of capital throughout the recession and quite frankly, many are scared to make investments not knowing if they will make a profit or not. People now a days do not have the money to invest like they used to in the past and you cannot blame them for not wanting to take the risk, can ya?

One factor I think people should consider when talking about job growth or loss is the size of the firm or business. More job opportunities are given by companies who are larger. My parents, for example, own a Rosati’s Pizza and they run the store quite differently than a California Pizza Kitchen. My parents need about 5 people to run the inside of the store and 3 delivery drivers, whereas, a CPK would need about 20 people to run the inside of the whole store (if not more) and have about 5-6 delivery drivers. You see, it all depends on the size of the company and of course, how well the business is doing itself.

I personally believe that even though there is a decline in job security and growth in the small business field, it is still not a bad route to go in. I believe that if you do your research on the company or fracnhise you believe to invest in, you will have a better chance of succeeding through these horrific stats. What do you guys think about the jobs created by small businesses? Would you want to own your own business?

 

http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/05/smallbusiness/entrepreneurship-weaker/index.html?iid=SF_SB_Lead