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Paul Buchheit reports via Common Dreams
An emotional response to any criticism of the Apple Corporation might be anticipated from the users of the company's powerful, practical, popular, and entertaining devices. Accolades to the company and a healthy profit are certainly well-deserved. But much-despised should be the theft from taxpayers and the exploitation of workers and customers, all cloaked within the image of an organization that seems to work magic on our behalf.
1. Apple Took Years of Public Research, Integrated the Results, and Packaged it as Their Own
2. Even After Taking Our Research, Apple Does Everything in its Power to Avoid Taxes
3. Overcharging Customers
The manufacturing cost of a 16 GB iPhone 6 is about $200, and with marketing it comes to about $288. But without an expensive phone contract with Verizon, AT&T, or one of the other wireless carriers, the cost to the customer is at least $650.
4. Underpaying and Mistreating Employees
5. Apple Has Figured Out How to Spend Most of its Untaxed Money on Itself
Apple's View:
The tax-avoiding, research-appropriating, cost-escalating, wage-minimizing, self-enriching Apple Corporation has, according to CEO Tim Cook,[1] a very strong moral compass.
[1] Link in article redirects.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Wednesday May 20 2015, @06:25AM
I may not be the most pro-capitalist person on the planet, but I'm all for this kind of a free market (as long as there's no threat of a monopoly).
Alas there is an (micro)economic error in my (use of the) equation above, such that the conclusion is false. I leave that as an exercise to the reader to divine. (Think broken windows...) However, my comments about letting a price rise to what the market is willing to pay remains.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 22 2015, @12:08PM
the only risk of monopoly comes from restraint of trade enforced by government from their issue of patents
things like licenses, subsidies, etc also help make monopolies
the "ebil corporations" are really just the best at taking advantage of corruption within the only organization with the ability to directly force citizens; government
it's baffling why socialists, who claim to care about poor and working folk, continue to defend the very mechanism of their enslavement