Tag Archives: googl

Will Apple Rival Xiaomi Make Splash At Google I/O?

Xiaomi, Apple ’s ( AAPL ) rival in China, might make a splash at Alphabet ’s ( GOOGL ) Google I/O developer conference, which runs Wednesday through Friday. Xiaomi was the top smartphone seller in China in Q4, followed closely by China’s Huawei, with Apple down at No. 3. Hugo Barra, vice president for global at Xiaomi, joined the company in 2013 after leaving Google, where he had worked on mobile products and the Android mobile operating system. Google is expected to disclose more details for Android N, the next major update of the mobile OS, due for release this year. On Twitter, Barra teased that he’s “thrilled to share that Xiaomi will be a part of Google I/O.” There’s also growing speculation Google might provide some details on “Project Chirp,” its answer to Amazon.com ’s ( AMZN ) Echo home electronics hub. Smart-thermostat maker Nest Labs, acquired by Google in 2014, seems to be struggling, and Google’s “Other Bets” are not expected to have a big profile at the developer conference. Any new products and technologies coming to Google I/O will likely be unveiled by Google CEO Sundar Pichai in his keynote address , scheduled for 10 a.m. PT Wednesday. In a recent letter to Google shareholders, Pichai touted plans for artificial intelligence. While Apple and Google have dominated in the world of mobile apps, there could be more competition down the road. Facebook ( FB ) recently introduced “chatbots,” while  Microsoft ( MSFT ) launched its “Bot Framework” software tools for developers. Both rely on AI. Some observers expect chat bots to be a topic in Pichai’s keynote. Alphabet stock was down a fraction in afternoon trading in the stock market today . Shares broke out of a cup-with-handle base on April 16 at a 777.41 buy point, but Alphabet’s Q1 earnings report on April 21 disappointed, sending shares falling more than 5%.

Roku Holds Lead In Streaming Media Players, But Amazon, Apple Gain

Streaming video device pioneer Roku continues to lead the market, but rivals Amazon.com ( AMZN ), Apple ( AAPL ) and Alphabet ( GOOGL )-owned Google are close behind. Roku accounted for 30% of streaming media players purchased in 2015, down from 34% in 2014, research firm Parks Associates reported Tuesday . The Los Gatos, Calif.-based company makes set-top boxes and streaming media sticks that plug into TVs. Increasingly Roku is getting its software installed in smart TVs, eliminating the need for separate hardware to access Internet video services like Netflix ( NFLX ), Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. Amazon moved into a virtual tie with Google at 22% of streaming media device sales. Amazon sells Fire TV devices and Google sells Chromecast streaming sticks. Apple came in fourth place with 20% market share for its Apple TV set-top box. The top four players accounted for 94% of streaming media players purchased in 2015, up from 86% in 2014, Parks Associates said. About 36% of U.S. broadband households have at least one streaming media player, up from 27% a year ago, Parks said. “Device makers have successfully sold streaming media players to consumers by offering easy access to a variety of content streams, as well as frequent updates that add the latest innovation,” Parks analyst Barbara Kraus said in a statement. “Amazon in particular has benefited by promoting its Fire TV devices in conjunction with the company’s Prime Video service as well as streams from HBO, Showtime and other premium offerings.” RELATED: Netflix Gets Vote Of Confidence From RBC Amid Heightened Skepticism

The 5 Big-Cap Internet Stocks With The Strongest Fundamentals

The companies with the best fundamentals among large-cap Internet stocks are Facebook ( FB ), Amazon.com ( AMZN ), Netflix ( NFLX ), Alphabet ( GOOGL ) and Priceline ( PCLN ), says RBC Capital Markets. Internet trends for these top five in their respective sectors — online advertising, retail and travel — remain very consistent, with strong revenue growth year over year, RBC said in a research report. Online advertising seems to be flowing en mass to Google-owner Alphabet and Facebook, with the two now accounting for close to 55% of global online advertising revenue, up from 50% three years ago, says the report from RBC analyst Mark Mahaney. And Amazon continues to show dramatically greater-than-average growth in the online retail sector. “We believe online retail demand trends have remained solid, particularly highlighted by Amazon’s retail sales acceleration,” Mahaney wrote. But, he said, “there’s little ad oxygen for the likes of Yahoo ( YHOO ).” Online travel remains a duopoly of Priceline and Expedia ( EXPE ), while it’s increasingly hard to see anyone catching up to Netflix in terms of video-streaming subscribers, he wrote. Netflix Though shares of Netflix have continued to decline following Q1’s weak international subscriber guidance and domestic price change worries, “We view the fundamental global subscriber growth story as intact,” Mahaney said. Mahaney has a price target on Netflix of 140. Netflix rose 1.4% to 89.12 in the stock market today . The stock is down 20% since reporting first-quarter earnings on April 18, and it’s on the IBD Swing Trader list as a potential short-sale opportunity. Priceline He has a price target on Priceline of 1,600, as growth and profitability trends remain intact. Priceline stock rose 0.4% to 1283.47 on Monday. Priceline is down 6% since reporting Q1 earnings on May 4. Alphabet On Alphabet, Mahaney’s price target is 1,000, as it remains one of the best portfolio plays on the biggest Internet trends. Alphabet stock climbed 0.75% to 730.30 Monday. The stock is down 7% since reporting Q1 earnings on April 21. Facebook On Facebook, the price target is 165, with Mahaney saying the social media company is firing on all cylinders. Facebook stock fell about 1% to 118.67, but it’s up 8% since reporting Q1 earnings on April 27. Facebook is holding above a buy point at 117.09. Amazon The price target on Amazon is 800. Amazon stock edged up 0.1% to 710.68. Still, it’s up 16% since reporting Q1 earnings on April 28. It also is on Swing Trader, but as a long possibility.