Apple: Going From $3 Trillion To $4 Trillion In One Year -- February 8, 2026

Locator: 49937AAPL.

AI prompt:

In my simplified way of looking at things, if Apple is a $4 trillion market cap company, I can break Apple into a $3 trillion market cap company: hardware, software, services. If so, how did Apple get to $4 trillion -- simply more of the same (hardware, software, services) or is there a fourth "division" as it were? AI could be a fourth division but I see AI as embedded in software and services, but maybe I'm wrong. Maybe AI needs to be seen as a fourth "division" when trying to sort out how Apple's market cap is segmented?

Gemini:

Timeline:

Golf Vs Football -- February 8, 2026

Locator: 49933SPORTS.

Amazing how I've changed over the years. Ten years ago never would this have happened, but today, I'm more interested in the PGA golf tournament in Phoenix than the Super Bowl in Santa Clara. 

Regardless, the PGA golf tournament will be well over by Super Bowl kick-off. Most exciting: one of the winners today will be his first PGA championship. 

But if I could be anywhere today, it would be on the road to Oatman. 

Link here. 

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The "Book" Page

T.S. Eliot's Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, 1939. Link here.

Another "Mungo Jerry."  

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Lana Del Rey

Some days the only music that "works" for me is Lana Del Rey. 

From the day I first heard this song, it continues to haunt me ...  

Bullet Train Update -- February 7, 2026

Locator: 49926BULLETTRAIN.

Updates

April 18, 2026: "getting ready to lay track" for the 119-mile Merced-to-Bakersfield (Central Valley) segment. 

The state hopes to have this segment operational between 2030 - 2033, or in other words, by 2033 -- that's seven years from now. Laying 119 miles of railroad track on flat land with no major obstructions can take anywhere from a few months to over a year, depending on whether the timeline includes only the physical laying of track or the entire project, including surveying, permitting, and grading. My understanding is that all the preparation work has begun.

Original Post

Without this project, neither California nor Governor Newsom have any marketing photo ops. 

 

Definition of a railhead: simply a staging area for material. It may or may not have any rail. In this case, there is yet no rail laid for the actual project.

In early February, 2026, Governor Newsom announced a major milestone for the California high-speed rail project, a railhead in Kern County, to begin staging material to complete a 119-mile segment of the "bullet train" route through the "central valley," from Merced to Bakersfield, combined population, 500,000.

Governor Newsom says the projects hopes to be a fully operational high-speed rail segment by 2033. 

Current cost estimates for the rail from "Los Angeles" to "San Francisco" is $135 billion; original estimates, $33 billion, made in 2008. There are no time-of-completion estimates for the entire "LA-to-SF" project," but it now well accepted it will be well beyond 2040, assuming it is even completed. 

Yahoo -- Flashback -- February 7, 2026

Locator: 49930YAHOO.

iPhone 18 Pro Max: To Deliver Next-Level Batter Life -- February 7, 2026

Locator: 49929BATTERY.
Locator: 49929APPLE.
Locator: 49929BROADCOM.

Link here. 

Battery will extend Apple's reputation for best-in-class battery life.

Combined with the efficiency improvements of the A20 Pro chip, made wiht TSMC's 2nm process, the device could tout extremely impressive battery life. The phone is expected to be thicker than its predecessor to facilitate the larger battery.

Current 17 Pro Max: biggest iPhone battery to date; battery life up to 39 hours. 

18 Pro Max: over 40 hours of battery life? 

The first foldable iPhone, expected to debut alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max is rumored to feature class-leading battery life, also. The battery for the foldable phone could easily be the largest battery by capacity of any iPhone as well as any rival foldable device.

The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are expected to launch later this year, featuring a smaller Dynamic Island, the C2 modem, a simplified Camera Control, a 24-megapixel front-facing camera, and an upgraded main camera with a variable aperture. 

Noteworthy:

Based on current 2026 reports, the Apple iPhone 18 Pro is expected to significantly reduce reliance on Broadcom components by adopting Apple-designed Wi-Fe/Bluetooth chips (N1/N1x) and a custom C2 5G modem. While Apple has a long-term supply agreement with Broadcom, the iPhone 18 line aims for in-house alternatives for wireless connectivity.

More on this later.