Marketing Scoops: spend

Showing posts with label spend. Show all posts

Friday, November 15, 2024

Apple Ready To Spend Billions To Catch AI Leaders

Critics:

Apple’s first slogan, “Byte into an Apple”, was coined in the late 1970s. From 1997 to 2002, the slogan “Think different” was used in advertising campaigns, and is still closely associated with Apple. Apple also has slogans for specific product lines—for example, “iThink, therefore iMac” was used in 1998 to promote the iMac, and “Say hello to iPhone” has been used in iPhone advertisements.

“Hello” was also used to introduce the original Macintosh, Newton, iMac (“hello (again)”), and iPod. From the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984, with the 1984 Super Bowl advertisement to the more modern Get a Mac adverts, Apple has been recognized for its efforts towards effective advertising and marketing for its products.

However, claims made by later campaigns were criticized,particularly the 2005 Power Mac ads. Apple’s product advertisements gained significant attention as a result of their eye-popping graphics and catchy tunes. Musicians who benefited from an improved profile as a result of their songs being included on Apple advertisements include Canadian singer Feist with the song “1234” and Yael Naïm with the song “New Soul“.

Apple has a notable pro-privacy stance, actively making privacy-conscious features and settings part of its conferences, promotional campaigns, and public image. With its iOS 8 mobile operating system in 2014, the company started encrypting all contents of iOS devices through users’ passcodes, making it impossible at the time for the company to provide customer data to law enforcement requests seeking such information.

With the popularity rise of cloud storage solutions, Apple began a technique in 2016 to do deep learning scans for facial data in photos on the user’s local device and encrypting the content before uploading it to Apple’s iCloud storage system. It also introduced “differential privacy”, a way to collect crowdsourced data from many users, while keeping individual users anonymous, in a system that Wired described as “trying to learn as much as possible about a group while learning as little as possible about any individual in it”.

Users are explicitly asked if they want to participate, and can actively opt-in or opt-out. With Apple’s release of an update to iOS 14, Apple required all developers of iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch applications to directly ask iPhone users permission to track them. The feature, titled “App Tracking Transparency”, received heavy criticism from Facebook, whose primary business model revolves around the tracking of users’ data and sharing such data with advertisers so users can see more relevant ads, a technique commonly known as targeted advertising.

Despite Facebook’s measures, including purchasing full-page newspaper advertisements protesting App Tracking Transparency, Apple released the update in mid-spring 2021. A study by Verizon subsidiary Flurry Analytics reported only 4% of iOS users in the United States and 12% worldwide have opted into tracking.

However, Apple aids law enforcement in criminal investigations by providing iCloud backups of users’ devices, and the company’s commitment to privacy has been questioned by its efforts to promote biometric authentication technology in its newer iPhone models, which do not have the same level of constitutional privacy as a passcode in the United States.

Prior to the release of iOS 15, Apple announced new efforts at combating child sexual abuse material on iOS and Mac platforms. Parents of minor iMessage users can now be alerted if their child sends or receives nude photographs. Additionally, on-device hashing would take place on media destined for upload to iCloud, and hashes would be compared to a list of known abusive images provided by law enforcement; if enough matches were found, Apple would be alerted and authorities informed.

The new features received praise from law enforcement and victims rights advocates, however privacy advocates, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, condemned the new features as invasive and highly prone to abuse by authoritarian governments.

“Apple 10-K Report FY2021”

“Apple Inc. Fiscal 2023 Annual Report (Form 10-K)”. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

“Apple Retail Store – Store List”.

Certificate of Amendment of Articles of Incorporation Archived

Certificate of Ownership,

“Companies ranked by Market Cap – CompaniesMarketCap.com”.

“Apple Reports Fourth Quarter Results”.

“Apple’s market value ends above $3 trillion for first time”.

Steve Wozniak: Apple starting in a garage is a myth”.

Apple Confidential: The Real Story of Apple Computer, Inc”.

Apple celebrates 39th year on April 1”.

“Apple co-founder tells his side of the story”.

Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography.

The Homebrew Computer Club”. Computer History Museum.

Rebuilding an Apple From the Past”.

“Building the digital age”.

iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It.

Apple-1, Steve Wozniak’s hand-built creation, was Apple’s first official product, priced at $666.66”.

Ronald Wayne: On Co-founding Apple and Working With Steve Jobs”.

Sunday, September 8, 2024

Estate Planning: Who Needs a Trust and Who Doesn’t?

Getty

Why is there so much confusion around trusts? In my opinion, it is because they are often used the wrong way and not used for the right reasons. We had some clients whose attorney tried to get them to do a trust they did not need.

Fortunately for them, our client had a reliable guide to step in and tell them they did not need to spend the money to get a trust. So how do you know if you need a trust? Let’s dive in…..Story continues…

By: Joe F. Schmitz JR

Source: Kiplinger

Critics:

Estate planning involves determining how an individual’s assets will be preserved, managed, and distributed after death. It also takes into account the management of an individual’s properties and financial obligations in the event that they become incapacitated. We can advise you on how to structure your property and affairs to ensure that your estate and assets pass on to your intended beneficiaries.

Our advice aims to do this in the most tax-efficient way after your death.Many financial advisors would recommend starting an Estate Plan the moment you become a legal adult, and updating it every three to five years after that. Typically, the fee is calculated at between 1% and 5% of the value of the estate, plus VAT. A small value estate is more likely to be paid on a fixed fee probate basis.

The exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances. Charges are typically settled from estate funds and not by the executor personally. Many executors and administrators act without a solicitor. However, if the estate is complicated, it is best to get legal advice. You should always get legal advice if, for example: the terms of a will are not clear.

Estate agents often try and get you to use their preferred conveyancing solicitors and for many buyers they won’t have previously worked with a solicitor and will appreciate the estate agent’s referral in the hope that the process will be quicker. Simon Martin, Chartered Financial Planner at Technical Connection, says the earlier you start estate planning around your exit, the easier it becomes. Central to this is considering the tax implications of gifting your business.

A will is a legal document that provides instructions regarding the handling of your estate after your death. Any adult over the age of 18 should consider making a will. It is important to realize that a will is not just for the wealthy. Regardless of the existence of validity of a will, if the deceased’s estate is valued above the probate threshold of the relevant financial institution and all their assets are owned under their sole name, then probate will be necessary.

Typically, executors take 8-12 months to settle an estate; however, the process can extend to two or more years in more complex cases. Executors are afforded an “executor year,” a period during which they are expected to fulfill their fiduciary duties. Whilst the Executors are able to collect or clear items from a property before Probate is granted, there are some potential issues which should be considered first.

The Executors are personally responsible for ensuring the estate is dealt with properly and in accordance with the deceased’s will. On average the percentage a solicitor will charge for executing a Will is around 1-2%. There is nothing stopping a solicitor from charging whatever percentage they want but most will be somewhere between 0.50% and 5%. Some will charge a higher percentage on liquid assets than on a property.

Either way is fine. Just do your research – when you compare both estate agents and conveyancing firms. Your estate agent should not pressure you into working with a particular firm, either with pushy selling techniques or withholding things such as offers, or sales progression services – from you. Ideally, you should write your will at the earliest opportunity. In practice, though, people tend to write theirs when they hit key milestones in life, like buying their first home, getting married or entering a civil partnership or having children.

Even if these changes don’t occur, it is wise to review your will every few years to make sure it still reflects your wishes. An attorney can help you determine if any updates need to be made in order for your wishes to be fully realized after your death. The best age to buy a house is whenever you’re ready to. Whenever you’ve… You’re halfway there, the only bits left to do are finding the house, making an offer and going through the mortgage process!

If you’re sure you’re ready to make the leap and you have the funds to do so – go for it. A real estate investment trust (REIT) is a great option for first-time investors because it doesn’t involve actively buying or managing a property. REITs are companies that own and/or operate income-producing properties, pooling the capital of a large group of investors.The executor or administrator will need to show a copy of the death certificate to any relevant banks.

The banks will then freeze the accounts until a Grant of Probate has been awarded. It’s important to notify any relevant financial institutions as soon as possible after a death. One of the most common is to set aside the withheld funds in a separate account until all outstanding debts have been paid off and any tax liabilities have been taken care of. The Executor can then distribute the remaining balance amongst the beneficiaries according to the terms of the Will.

Solicitors do not pay estate agent fees. However, they can facilitate the payment process. Upon completion of the sale, the solicitor handling your transaction will arrange for the estate agent’s fee to be paid out of the sale proceeds before transferring the balance to you.

Estate Planning: Uncooperative spouses Northwest Indiana Times, Indiana 13:11

Yesterday

OPINION | The ‘common law’ myth: Estate planning if you’re not legally married News24 16:25 Sat, 07 Sep

Planning chiefs to discuss plans for 95-home housing estate on edge of Cheshire town Chester First 11:06 Sat, 07 Sep

World Alzheimer’s Awareness Day – The Importance Of Early Estate Planning For Alzheimer’s Patients Nelsons Solicitors 14:06 Fri, 06 Sep

Thursday

Planning for the Sunset of the Gift and Estate Tax Exemption JD Supra 00:58 Fri, 06 Sep

A Game Plan for Success: Basic Estate Planning for Student-Athletes JD Supra 00:27 Fri, 06 Sep

Estate Planning for May-December Couples Next Avenue 14:44 Thu, 05 Sep

Wednesday

Coodham Estate planning permission information: EIR release The Scottish Government 17:50 Wed, 04 Sep

Planning chiefs to discuss proposals for 95-home housing estate on edge of town Northwich Guardian 09:36 Wed, 04 Sep