the lack of an agreement among automakers on a universal method for fast charging — or even on a single electrical connector

If they can't agree on the method for fast charging, it's good that they don't agree on the connector either.

No, because you can't cover a put option with stock you don't own. He won't own any of this stock for 5 years.

Recall that US-style puts can be excercised any time before they expire. He also can't cover a "European" put option, because there's no guarantee he'll keep working for Apple and own the stock 5 years from now.

Hopefully a good marketing person can think up a decent name for such a thing.

"QuickProtect"

I know we're all supposed to hate Microsoft, but come on.

Here's a story: On the day Microsoft releases IE 8 -- the most popular web browser in the world -- Slashdot doesn't mention it, but posts a trivial article about Google Chrome benchmarks.