There is no question that Apple has dominance in the smart phone market. This is prevalent through the fact that I helped my dear old mother purchase the advice yesterday. She had to have an iPhone to listen to her classic hits in her car and join in the words of friends mania that entice her friends into long hours of intense play. My concerns do not fall with the smart phone dominance of the great apple. That is more than obvious and was confirmed when the Sprint representative exclaimed “yeah we barely sell 10 a month,” as I ask him how many Blackberrys they sell nowadays.

The story is the same again and again, no matter which analyst mouth it comes out of. The Apple iTV is set to change the world of the television industry. Apple did without doubt revolutionize the smart phone industry. Though to sit here and say that the Apple success can be replicated once again, sounds more like a gamble that smart stock picking. So I pose the question; What if iTV is not the next big thing?

First off, one of the key important selling points of the iPhone, is not just their capabilities, but its price. To go and make a purchase of the price magnitude of the iTV one will have a hard fought consumer dilemma. Yes Apple has succeed at selling iPads at a price point higher then the iPhone. Though through the lowering of the price of the old iPad and the old iPhone it is obvious that Apple realizes that their high priced products are just that, priced high. The new iTV will likely have some great features, but will those features suggest the astronomical price that goes along with it? The market for TV’s is large and fierce, not only that but developed. For apple to break into this market will be a significant challenge particularly at the price points the rumors suggest.

Second point of concern, is the sentiment regarding the stock price. The argument for the growth in the iPhone market seems somewhat valid, yes there will be other global markets to grasp in the future. Yes there will be the new phone cycle selling more iPhones. Though as the shares of Apple come into a more realistic valuation, the new argument for the stock to go higher is that the iTV and the iPad will be as much of a growth for the company as phones. Yes these products will sell and may sell decently. They are good quality products and Apple has a following. Though one cannot sit here and tell me that the iTV will move 40 million units, or anywhere in that bracket. That is suggesting that Sony and Samsung will cut there market share in half, handing it over to Apple. As we have seen in the recent months, multiple tech companies are gunning for apples iPad and the same will be the case for the iTV. The major players in the TV space are just that, major players, and aren’t going to walk away from there bread and butter like RIM did. Apple is entering a market where the fight will be fierce and gaining market share will be a true challenge.

Apple makes great products, I have some myself. Though before one can say that the stock price is going to infinity with conviction, we must consider all the factors. Some of those were brought up above, such as the pricing challenges and intense competition in Apples future. Many more challenges will surface in the future, as we know will tech companies, the future is coming quickly and continually staying a tech titan is nearly impossible.

“Our goal is to make the best devices in the world, not to be the biggest” – Steve Jobs

It is quite obvious that the market is down today. This may be a shocker to most, but the market can trade down and will. Not only that, but the ammunition for trading lower is by no means in no short supply. Everything from U.S. housing to a weak global economy are bullets in the gun to this potentially bearish market. What concerns me is not today, tomorrow, or the next week. What concerns me is the day when we have completed a so called correction. On that day when the market is finally down 5%, 7%, 10% or more, one must ask, will I be a buyer?

It is always good practice to buy things when they are cheaper. As traders and investors we buy stocks that we think will gain value in the future, this is why we buy on dips or in places we see bargains. That being said, would you buy after this correction, when and where it occurs? When evaluating this question, we must think about one thing, and one thing only; Why is the market trading down? If the market is trading down because its gotten to big for its britches, that is understandable. If the market is trading down because profit taking is occurring, that is also understandable. If the market is trading down due to economic concerns here and abroad, then one should be very concerned. For quite some time the U.S. has not been correlated with the economies of the rest of the world. When this correlation resurfaces, only fools will be the one buying the dips, or calling the bottom. If you are bargain hunting, be leery, what you can get today for $10 you may be able to get tomorrow for $5.

On Friday afternoon I was speaking to another trader. One who may be more bearish then myself on the current U.S. and global economic situation (if that’s at all possible). Our discussion led us to the conclusion that things had traded irrationally considering the current financial obstacles. The headwinds home and abroad are so great in the next few years, ones money should be very scared. the conversation concluded with an  one important point in which we both agreed, the fact that you can’t fight where the money is going. If the money is going into stock, the will go higher; if the money is going into the tech sector, the tech sector will go higher.

Over the past few months in the anticipation of the Facebook IPO investors have been crazy about tech stocks. Look at things like Zynga, Yelp, Apple, and so on. One can make an argument for or against each individual company. Stating that one is overvalued or another is undervalued, one company has more revenues while another has none. What most investors are failing to realize, is valuation doesn’t matter. Most of these companies are new, sleek, and hot. Some of them have ridiculous potential, while others do not. Though they all have one aspect in common, people are buying them. If Curly, Larry, and Moe are buying tech, then you should too. The previous statement may sound uneducated and ignorant, but the fact of the matter is that we are living with a financial markets that are trading a certain way, so play the game by the new rules or get burned.

You can sit there and say that valuations are off, that you don’t want to buy the hype. All these aspects may hold true. What I have learned and you should have learned too over the last quarter, is that if the markets wants to go higher, they will. Headwinds seem to be insignificant and obviously the tech valuation headwinds are insignificant as well. Don’t fight the trend, just ask those who have been buying the VIX in attempt to fight it, they’re broke. Follow the money, because if you don’t, the money trains leaving the station without you.

As of late there has been a lot of concern about the current American housing situation. Proponents of the recovery are claiming that it will take time for the housing recovery to get revved up (yes things always turn around if you give it enough time), while opponents of the housing recovery are suggesting that the recovery is nonexistent. I happen to fall into the later category for one simple reason; American’s may be lazy and fat, but they are not stupid when it comes to big purchases.

When an individual or couple plans to buy a home, they do not go out on a whim one Saturday and make that purchase. The purchase, no matter what tax bracket, is calculated and well thought out. Though the individual home buyer may not be as knowledgeable as the experts in the housing field, they spend a lot of time considering a home purchase (6 months to a year), then say a burrito for lunch. This suggests that home buyers have been watching the declining home prices for quite some time. Why would a home buyer sell their home to buy another home if they are going to lose money? Why would a new couple put their life savings on the line to purchase a home if it was only going to lose value? Why would investors purchase homes if they were going to lose capital? No matter how the cake is cut, no one is rushing out to purchase homes until we see a reversal in this dire trend.

Another subject that deserves being touched on when discussing the lack of a housing recovery, is the businesses affected by the housing industry. No I am not speaking of Home Depot or Lowe’s. I am speaking about everything from Best Buy to Pier 1. When consumers purchase a new home, or new to them, they usually have more space to fill. How do Americans fill their empty spaces? They buy, buy, and buy more and more stuff. So until we see a huge push of Americans buying homes, don’t expect every industry in the United States to do stellar. There is a clear relationship between big business and the housing industry that has been prevalent for 80 years and no matter how bad investors want financial markets to shove off this relationship, the relationship remains steadfast.

With Zynga’s recent purchase of OMGPOP, many investors were left wondering, was that the right choice? My first reaction when I saw the price tag, was disappointment, I expected more of Zynga. After a long and challenging soul searching episode, I realized that Zynga had not made a bad choice, but rather, the perfect choice.

We have all heard of Words With Friends and as of late, have most likely have started hearing about Draw Something. The games are similar, but in fact worlds apart. Words With Friends appeals in a particular to an audience of some education and basic word skills, while Draw Something does not. Does this warrant 4 times the price tag? Why yes it does, when you appeal to the broader masses, you will in fact sell more applications. A 10 year old cannot competently compete with their parents in Words With Friends, but Draw Something everyone can enjoy. If everyone from a five year old to 80 year old grandma and grandpa will use the application, then it is well worth the price tag.

What is even more significant about the recent OMGPOP purchase is the new potential for the application. Draw Something is currently mediocre at best, but has a lot of potential with the app skills of Zynga behind it. Zynga has made many a games into an masterpiece that’s easy to use and will do so again with Draw Something. Draw Something has room to grow and Zynga is the perfect environment for that. With that being said we should also look for the combination of Zynga and OMGPOP to bring out another masterpiece in the coming year. That’s at least what Mark Pincus is expecting by throwing $200 million at the company.

This is by no means a recommendation to buy the stock. There may be other headwinds in the foreceable future that outweigh the recent benefit of OMGPOP, for that information please refer to Zynga Scares Me.