09/25, 2:20am
Checkout 3 update improves overall performance
Werck BV has launched a major upgrade to its Mac-only point-of-sale software, Checkpoint 3. The app delivers tools for managing inventory stocks and can be used to handle a variety of cashier tasks including sales, receipts and invoices. The latest version offers a re-designed product manager, several function and performance improvements, and a new EnStore pay-as-you-go web store for Canada and the US. For simpler item management users can now add barcodes to products, which can be printed on either Avery or Dymo labels.
more
07/17, 1:15pm
Apple Q3 FY09 call
Apple is set to disclose its third-quarter FY09 financial information on Tuesday, July 21st. A conference call will be streamed live at 8:00 p.m. EDT on the company's website, while the recording will be available through the following two weeks.
more
04/23, 11:35pm
Samsung income down
Samsung Electronics on Thursday reported its first-quarter financial information, with net income totaling $459 million, which is 72-percent below last year's quarter, according to the Wall Street Journal. The lackluster performance was blamed on operating losses that exceeded a slight improvement in the consumer divisions. Despite the year-over-year decline, the company appears to have recovered from its first-ever operating loss reported last quarter.
more
04/22, 4:55pm
iPod sales up Macs down
Apple on Wednesday reported its financial information for the quarter ending in March, showing mixed results for product sales. Mac shipments were down three percent for the quarter, with sales of 2.22 million computers. Despite predictions that iPod sales would level off or even decline, the company sold over 11 million devices which marks a gain of three percent over last year's quarter.
more
04/06, 1:40pm
Accounted 2.0 update
Oranged has released a major update to Accounted, its financial software aimed at businesses; the app is claimed to calculate a company's books without requiring any accounting knowledge. Version 2.0 of Accounted is said to include 50 new features, among the most important being two new reports. Profit & Loss tracks net income over a given period, while Cash Flow tracks general cash activity.
more
03/03, 7:35pm
Palm revenues decline
Despite the buzz surrounding the unreleased Pre handset, Palm expects its financial report to show a continued decline in revenue through the third quarter of FY09 as the company experiences reduced demand for its older Centro and Treo devices. The delayed launch of the Treo Pro in the United States and the current economic recession have further contributed to the company's troubles.
more
02/18, 6:05pm
HP quarterly financials
Amid the economic woes, HP's fiscal Q109 financial results indicate declining revenue in the majority of its corporate divisions. The company saw a drop in revenue of 25 percent for desktop PCs, while notebook revenue was down 13 percent. Sales of printers, enterprise products and software followed a similar path. Overall net revenue showed a modest increase of 1 percent over last year, although net earnings dropped by 13 percent.
more
01/30, 4:20pm
Checkout 2.3.2 update
A v2.3.2 update is now available for Checkout, Werck's Mac-only point-of-sale software. The app handles a variety of cashier tasks, such as sales, receipts and invoices. The software can also be used to manage inventory stocks however, and generate reports on several forms of connected information.
more
01/27, 5:50pm
Yahoo posts Q4 loss
Amid the flurry of financial disclosures this week, Yahoo has posted a net loss of $300 million for the fourth quarter of 2008, compared to a $205 million profit for the same quarter in 2007. The company achieved revenue of $1.81 billion through Q4, marking a drop of one percent from the same period a year earlier. International sales seem to have been hit harder, with a revenue drop of 10 percent, while domestic revenue was up 2 percent. Despite the effects of the weakened economy, revenues rose 3 percent to $7.21 billion for the whole year, while net income surpassed $424 million.
more
01/22, 11:35pm
Samsung first ever loss
Samsung has joined the group of companies that have been hit particularly hard by the current state of economic strife, with its Q4 financial disclosure indicating an operating loss of 940 billion won (~$680 million USD). Quarterly net income totaled a loss of 20 billion won (~$14 million USD) and marks a first ever for the South Korean company. Contributing factors likely include lowered demand for TVs, computers, handsets and a variety of other electronics.
more
01/22, 6:30pm
AMD reports Q4 loss
Chip-maker AMD today disclosed its Q4 financial information, reporting a net loss of $1.42 billion and a revenue drop of 33 percent compared to last year's quarter. The $1.16 billion revenue even fell below the warning announced in December that anticipated $1.2 billion, which already included a 25 percent drop from the forecast made in the previous quarter. The company isn't alone in its struggles through the economic strife, with Intel last week indicating a similar loss of $1.1 billion through the same period.
more
12/19, 4:05pm
iFinance 3.0 beta ships
Synium Software has released a public beta of its new personal finance software, iFinance 3.0. The third edition features interactive 3D charts, a new workflow, a customizable user interface and a budgeting feature. The app manages a user's entire cash flow, and breaks expenses out into categories. The 3D charts give users a quick way of tracking spending and investment patterns, and can be customized to user preference. Stocks, quotes and portfolio performance are tracked in the program, which also generates detailed information about profits and losses.
more
12/09, 11:50am
MoneyWell 1.4 update
No Thirst Software has introduced MoneyWell 1.4, the latest version of the company’s personal finance software, in which users create a spending plan and flow the income into expense buckets. New features for the update include direct-download capabilities for financial institutions, enabling one-click transaction list updates; CSV import support, with custom field mapping; and the ability to attach receipt documents and e-mails to transactions. The update also offers a redesigned interface, along with improved duplicate transaction matching and merging.
more
11/18, 3:30pm
AccountEdge 2009 ships
MYOB has released the latest version of its small business management software for the Mac, AccountEdge 2009. The update features a new Business Insights tool, integration with Marketcircle Daylite, and new options for form design. Google Maps has been integrated as well, providing directions and maps to customer, employee, or vendor locations. MYOB claims that the Network Edition offers quicker searches, faster reports, and other speed enhancements. New filters have been added for searches and reports.
more
10/29, 5:35pm
GagaMarkets tracks stocks
GagaFactory has released GagaMarkets, a desktop display of stock markets in 30 countries. The display shows a flat earth map or a rotating 3D globe, with indices displaying for each country. The market numbers are color coded to reflect positive gains or negative losses in real-time. Users can choose which financial market to track in each country and set the display type in the preference-pane application.
more
10/21, 9:25pm
Jobs speaks on Q4 call
Apple on Tuesday released its third quarter financial results call as a stream on its website, surprising some with the presence of company CEO Steve Jobs, who even stuck around to answer some questions towards the end. Jobs expressed his excitement over a number of accomplishments; most notably that Apple has surpassed RIM in unit sales for the quarter, with over 6.9 million units shipped, versus 6.1 million shipped by RIM.
more
10/20, 5:55pm
iPhone 3G shrinks margins
Apple’s iPhone is currently squeezing profit margins for US wireless carriers, with analysts expecting a drop in third quarter financial results in the coming weeks. Reuters reports that AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint are all expected to unveil lower-than-expected results, thanks in part to a larger subsidy on the iPhone 3G, and users reducing the total cost of their services in today’s depressed economy.
more
10/06, 4:40pm
iStock 1.5
If you own stocks, or just enjoy tracking the market performance of major companies like Microsoft, Apple, and Google, you may glance at a financial website or The Wall Street Journal to see the latest stock prices. Of course rising and falling prices mean little if you don’t also keep track of which stocks you’ve bought, how many shares you own, and what price you paid. To track this type of information, many people type this information in a spreadsheet and then create charts and formulas to track their profits and losses. For a much simpler solution, consider tracking stocks using a product like iStock 1.5.
more
10/03, 2:45pm
seSales rebranded
Apokalypse Software has acquired Simply Elegant Sales from Zarra Studios, rebranding the Mac point-of-sale application as Merchant Wisdom. Apokalypse claims that the aim of the buyout is to deepen its reach into to the small- and home-business markets.
more
10/01, 3:00pm
ImageNet Mobile iPhone
Mitek has announced that its ImageNet Mobile Deposit application (site down at press time) will be coming to the iPhone. The software is a mobile banking tool which allows banks to accept paper check deposits from users with camera-equipped mobile phones. To make a deposit, a user must open the application, type the deposit amount, and snap a photo of the front and back of the check.
more
09/18, 4:45pm
Billings 3 released
Marketcircle has begun shipping Billings 3, a new edition of its professional invoicing software. The program contains a variety of major changes, such as a revised interface, with options for client groups and a chronological accounts view with an inline preview. The app additionally displays icons next to clients with overdue bills, which can be clicked to send out a reminder.
more
09/18, 4:05pm
QuickBooks 2009 for Mac
Intuit has formally announced the latest version of its small business accounting software, QuickBooks 2009 for Mac. The user interface has been redesigned for improved organization and efficiency, with a home page that shows the structure of required tasks, and notification badges to draw attention to high-priority items. The most common tasks can also be accessed from the home page, including invoice preparation, timesheet tracking, and bill payment.
more
09/17, 3:40pm
Receipts 1.0 released
A new iPhone/iPod touch application for organizing business and personal receipts has become available at the App Store. Receipts 1.0 allows users to enter important information from a receipt, categorize it, and then save it. The app includes support for creating custom categories, and adding user-defined fields for custom details.
more
08/29, 3:55pm
TinyBooks 6.0.0 ships
Developer Ken Winograd says he has released v6.0.0 of TinyBooks, a Mac-based accounting and bookkeeping program aimed at families and small businesses. In using the software the program only asks for incomes and expenses, and calculates everything else based on how this data is categorized. The sixth edition introduces extra automation features, such as Auto-Comment option for commonly-used entry descriptions, and a similar option for checks. Multi-country tax support has been improved with automatic tax calculations.
more
08/25, 11:45am
TickerMenu 1.0 ships
The Highly Technical Doohickey Company has launched TickerMenu 1.0, a Mac OS X Menu Bar application that tracks stocks. Users can choose which stocks to track by entering a stock's symbol, and the display is color-coded to instantly show a gain (green) or decline (red) in stock value. Clicking on TickerMenu in the Menu Bar launches a drop-down window, with extended information on a stock's performance and options for switching to other stocks. The window can also launch one of six financial websites for further research.
more
08/05, 12:35am
UBS lauds Apple's success
UBS Investment Research – a financial analyst firm that recently turned its attention to Apple – offered its views on the iPod manufacturer, leading with statements that the company's brand "stickiness" is a boon, while also noting that there could be a delay with a new ultra-portable. According to AppleInsider, analyst Maynard Um clarified that the delay is unfortunate, but not unexpected for the tech industry, saying that such slips are "typical," with no cause for concern. Um states that the delay should be no more than the first half of 2009.
more
07/24, 3:00pm
New interface for Money 3
Jumsoft has released Money 3, featuring a new interface, with upgrades to inventory, invoice tools, budgets and reports. The financial application is geared towards personal and small-business accounting, with tools for financial management. Version 3 adds a new interface, with better design, grouping, use of color, display of commands and a new cover-flow view. New invoice styles have been added, with support for multiple currencies in financial math calculations.
more
07/02, 8:05pm
40 million iPhones in 2010
Apple is expected to have a large boost to its revenue due to how profit from the iPhone 3G will flow, with some analysts predicting it would sell through between 35 and 40 million units by the end 2010, representing up to $4 billion for the company. CNN Money writes that while customers will pay around $200 less than the previous generation device, Apple still stands to make an extra $100 off each unit, due to larger subsidies with wireless carriers.
more
07/01, 9:00pm
Apple sued for fraud
A lawsuit was brought against several key Apple executives on Friday, accusing CEO Steve Jobs and several others of fraud, in relation to the stock option backdating scandal in recent years. According to a filing with the US District Court in San Jose, Jobs stands with former financial officer Fred Anderson, as well as Nancy Heinen, William Campbel, Millard Drexler, Arthur Levinson, and Jerome York, in addition to the company itself.
more
06/25, 1:20am
Virgin Mobile wants Helios
Last reported in May, Virgin Mobile USA is set to absorb SK Telecom-owned Helio in a deal said to approach the former paying the Korean telecommunications firm almost $50 million, leaving SK holding 20-percent of company holdings. The Financial Times writes that the MVNO will dissolve its identity in favor of the more recognizable Virgin Mobile brand, and integrate its 200,000 users into Virgin's customer base of 5.1 million mobile users.
more
06/24, 6:50pm
Fortune: Steve's successor
With concerns about Steve Jobs' health surfacing again after his gaunt appearance at Apple's World Wide Developers Conference earlier this month, Fortune has put together a list of 11 possible successors -- all of them from inside the company. While Apple has said Jobs made a complete recovery from a rare form of pancreatic cancer following surgery in 2004, it hasn’t stopped widespread speculation in the media, and may be impacting Apple’s stock price. So, it’s not surprising that even the old media financial press is asking who could fill Jobs' shoes. At the top of Fortune’s list: Jobs’ right-hand man Tim Cook, Apple's Chief Operating Officer.
more
05/21, 5:10pm
iBank 3.1
IGG Software has announced iBank 3.1 the latest release of its personal and small business financial manager made exclusively for Mac OS X. Among the most important changes in the iBank 3.1 upgrade is the ability to preview direct downloads for matching transactions; users are alerted if a duplicate transaction has already been imported to iBank, or advised to proceed when no matching transaction is found. iBank's internal browser, which allows users to log in to online accounts without leaving the application, has been enhanced with improved page loading and more banks' websites available to users
more
04/28, 6:35pm
Comes With Music burden
Nokia's "Comes With Music" program, offering those who purchase Nokia phones nearly unlimited free access to a large music database, could cost the company more than it would make. The Register writes that Nokia would be responsible for footing the bill for downloads that exceed the estimated limit of 35 songs per user, charged wholesale per unit. The move reportedly pressured Ed Averdieck, former Managing Director of Nokia Music, to leave his position.
more
04/23, 4:30pm
Apple Q2 2008 earnings
Apple has announced financial results for its fiscal 2008 second quarter, ended March 29, 2008, posting revenue of $7.51 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.05 billion, or $1.16 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $5.26 billion and net quarterly profit of $770 million, or $0.87 per diluted share, in the same quarter a year ago. Apple shipped 2,289,000 Macs in the most recent quarter, representing a 51 percent unit growth and 54 percent revenue growth over the year-ago quarter. The company also sold 10,644,000 iPods during the recent period, representing 1 percent unit growth and 8 percent revenue growth over the year-ago quarter. iPhone sales amounted to 1,703,000.
more
04/22, 8:00pm
SplashMoney, SplashID 4
SplashData has announced Mac OS X versions of its SplashMoney personal finance application and SplashID 4 secure password manager. Both applications synchronize with their respective mobile applications. The company also announced a standalone version of SplashMoney for Mac OS X for users that do not have a compatible mobile device. SplashMoney is personal financial manager that can securely record transactions, track account balances, generate reports and budgets, and manage finances. The tool supports most account types, including checking, savings, credit card, cash, asset, liability, and money market accounts.
more
02/26, 4:15pm
iBank for iPhone, Leopard
IGG Software today released iBank 3, a major update to its financial management application, adding support for the iPhone and Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard technologies. iBank for iPhone is a web-based iPhone application that allows users to enter transactions on their iPhone, and through .Mac, sync them to the desktop application on their home computer. IGG Software is selling iBank 3 through its website for $60, while current users can upgrade for $30.
more
02/22, 11:20am
Prospects 1.0 ships
MotiMotion has released Prospects 1.0, a new personal finance application. One of its key features is said to be "ViewPoints," which track three different categories of information when viewing an account with transactions. These panels can be positioned at the side or bottom of the window, and contain sliders, which let users quickly change the timeframe being examined.
more
02/12, 10:00pm
First Look: SplashMoney
When it seems like you're broke no matter how much money you bring in, it might be a good idea to start tracking your financial transactions. Unfortunately, this simple task can appear needlessly complicated by many financial managing programs that overwhelm you with too many features. To make it easy to control your finances, SplashData made SplashMoney, a simple financial management program that helps you record your income and expenses, create budgets, while making reports and charts of your spending habits.
more
02/11, 7:05pm
SplashMoney standalone
SplashData is now offering a standalone computer version of SplashMoney, its financial tracking application originally designed to work in conjunction with a Palm handheld. SplashMoney offers users a simple interface, which supports most account types – checking, savings, credit card, cash, assets, liabilities, money markets, and lines of credit. Users can also connect to many different banking institutions, such as Bank of America, American National Bank, and Chase. New users can purchase SplashMoney for $20.
more
01/31, 5:50pm
iBank 3 Public Beta
IGG Software today released iBank 3 Public Beta, a trial version of its financial management application for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. The software includes iBank for iPhone, a Web-based iPhone application that allows users to enter transactions from an iPhone on-the-go. The update powers a redesigned interface with Mac OS X Core Animation technology, and a new view allows users to 'flip' through transactions presented professionally designed category images. iBank 3 Public Beta requires Mac OS X 10.4.3 or later, and the full version will ship in February for $50.
more
01/29, 11:25pm
Yahoo layoffs, focus shift
Yahoo recently unveiled plans to remove 1000 of its 14,300 employees by mid-February to cut costs and to refine its focus on its major services. The New York Times reports that in light of its fourth quarter earnings, and a dismal forecast of future financials, layoffs will occur in unspecified areas of Yahoo's workforce. While the amount of employees laid off are many, the company said that it would be investing heavily in select areas of business, so individuals effected by the cutbacks are free to apply to the focus areas.
more
01/22, 3:20pm
MoneyWorks
Cognito has released a new version of MoneyWorks Datacentre, the enterprise version of the MoneyWorks family of accounting products, which includes a plug-in for Mac OS X Leopard’s Quick Look feature and allows Apple's iPhone and iPod touch to communicate directly with MoneyWorks files. A Quick Look preview can be generated automatically whenever a MoneyWorks accounting file is saved, allowing the user to subsequently see a snapshot of the financials directly in the Finder in Mac OS X. As the preview is generated by a MoneyWorks report, the user can customize the information that is shown.
more
01/22, 12:15am
Apple's Q1 2008 results
Apple on Tuesday will release its Q1 fiscal results, which are expected to show better-than-anticipated numbers, mainly due to strong Mac sales. Despite a steady tumble in share price starting in early January, analysts are predicting that Apple could be worth close to $600 per share within 18 months. In addition to strong machine sales, the optimistic outlook is fueled by Apple's desire to sell 10 million iPhones by the end of 2008, as well as the prospect of an iPhone "nano".
more
12/28, 7:55pm
First Look at Stox
Stock trading is becoming increasingly popular as a way for individuals to make money for large expenditures, while some individual investors even make a living from the practice either professionally or privately. As Mac systems become more popular, the need for Apple's platform to fit in with all aspects spurred ProSoft Engineering to unveil a new stock monitoring application called Stox. The software, which is published under its consumer brand, JoeSoft, is designed to allow users to track stock portfolios as well as trading transactions. Stox also supplies users with pertinent information about the past, present, and potential future of chosen investments. [corrected, updated]
more
12/27, 3:40pm
Analyst: $600 Apple
Apple's stock price repeatedly rose this week to finally break the $200 mark yesterday in afternoon trading, but one financial analyst expects the Cupertino-based company to reach $600 within 18 months. "There's so much growth to look forward to for the iPhone," said Stephen Coleman, chief investment officer at Daedalus Capital. Coleman said Apple gets roughly 30 percent of iPhone fees charged by carriers, according to Bloomberg, while Wall Street estimates place Apple's slice of the revenues somewhere between 5 percent and 20 percent.
more
12/24, 5:35pm
The Google effect
The internet has become a very profitable place to run business, especially since Google's IPO in 2004, when a mass amount of money started flowing through the virtual economy, causing some to coin the term "the Google effect". As Google's stock took off, employees began cashing in options, prompting some to buy luxuries like $15,000 custom bikes, and $650,00 boats. Dispatch.com reports that Mercury News recently unveiled an analysis of company documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission reveal that Google generated more than $19 billion from 2004 to 2006, which could have exceeded $50 billion, due to the multiplier effect – every dollar of spending theoretically creates two or three dollars in economic activity.
more
12/07, 12:00am
Palm preliminary Q2 2008
Palm on Thursday announced its preliminary second quarter financial results for the 2008 fiscal year, which ended November 30th, falling short of previous forecasts based in part on a failed "mystery" product launch. Palm expects earnings to sit between $345 to $350 million, close to $30 million short of its October 1st projections for the first quarter. Palm expects gross margin to be within 29.3- to 29.8-percent on a GAAP basis. The gross margin reflects an as-of-yet unforeseen increase in warranty repairs over the course of the quarter, partly due to higher-than-expected shipments of Palm's new Centro smartphone, and a delay in product shipment.
more
12/04, 11:30am
Creative Manager Pro 8.5
Creative Manager Pro has released Creative Manager Pro 8.5, an update to its ad agency software and project management groupware for creative design firms. The latest release adds flash features, improvements for financial reporting, and updates for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. This month's update gives clients of Creative Manager Pro increases in speed and usability, offering a more intuitive user interface via flash technology (pricing was unavailable).
more
12/03, 9:55pm
Analyst wary of 2008
Apple has enjoyed a pretty active year, after introducing the new iMacs, the iPhone, Leopard and the iPod touch, but some analysts are predicting that Apple will have a tough follow-up ahead of them in 2008. While the company has brought in record-breaking financial statistics – Apple's market cap sits at $160 billion, up from $60 billion 18 months ago, with stock currently hovering around $185 per share – they have been breaking into new industries and simultaneously making new enemies, according to Fast Company. Steve Hach, a senior analyst at forecaster ValuEngine, argues that Apple's share price does not accurately represent the company's stature in the financial world.
more
11/26, 10:50am
Lure of Apple Stores
Holiday traffic at Apple's retail stores may reflect an increased flow of PC users migrating to Macs, say analysts with the firm Piper Jaffray. Monitoring six hours' worth of visitors to Apple Stores in the American east and midwest, the firm discovered this weekend that an abnormal 27 percent of those who passed within 25 feet of a store would walk in. On Friday afternoon, some 462 people were entering Apple Stores per hour, while by Saturday evening this rate had fallen to 241. This is likely evidence of more shopper interest, says Piper, which could lead to greater sales for Apple in 2008 and 2009.
more
