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posted by cmn32480 on Wednesday May 20 2015, @05:14AM   Printer-friendly
from the let-the-fanboys-cry-foul dept.

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.

 
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 20 2015, @01:54PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 20 2015, @01:54PM (#185460)

    Says who? Do you know what Apple has up their sleeves? What new developments are they funding? Or are they just hunkering down and planning to survive another 20 year drop in business now that Jobs is gone and Android is eating their lunch.

    I haven't checked Apple's cash reserves, but you seem to accept the $200 Billion. In that case, theoretically what *could* Apple have up its sleeves to justify having that much cash reserves? What effort would require that much money prior to execution?

    I guess building lots of factories or something, but keep in mind all of Intel has a market capitalization of $157 Billion. It's hard to imagine one (or even several) manufacturing projects which would rival all of Intel.

    Or let's say they are paying lots of really smart people to develop something really good. Let's further imagine the average pay of that group is $250k (which is obscenely high for an average, but for the sake of argument). That's paying a team of 4000 people for 200 years.

    They could be doing something really out-there, like planning to make a Martian colony, but that's so far outside their core business that it should be up to the investors (read: company owners) to decide that and not the management of the company. That would be like buying a house and finding out that it is really a rocket-ship. It may be good, but it wasn't what you had been told you were buying.

    If it is that Apple is "just hunkering down and planning to survive another 20 year drop in business" then this is a perfect example of a bad use of cash and the company not acting correctly. Weathering a short-term downfall is fine (and keep in mind that the company can always issue new shares if a downturn if they need a quick influx of cash), but the company managers acting in their own interest by hoarding investor cash because they don't want to lose their jobs is not acting with fiduciary responsibility. Investors should be returned the extra profits (that is the point of the company) where they can do with it what they will.

    So I'll turn around and ask you frojack... theoretically speaking what *could* Apple be doing to justify having that much cash reserves? If you can think of any good example, then as you said the burden falls on gnuman to say why he/she thinks Apple is not being responsible. However, I at least can't think of a collection of business ventures for Apple which would warrant having that much cash on hand rather than providing a (one-off, if needed) dividend.

  • (Score: 5, Funny) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday May 20 2015, @03:06PM

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday May 20 2015, @03:06PM (#185510) Journal

    "what *could* Apple have up its sleeves to justify having that much cash reserves?"

    They are going to put 500 iEmployees aboard an iRocket, and send them to Mars to erect the first iDome to get the iColony started. Once all the iFans see how wonderful things are on iMars, they'll be fighting each other to enter indentured servitude to Apple in exchange for the privilege of living in the iColony. One million dollars, sign the indenture, and you're on your way. For five million dollars, you also get an autographed Steve Jobs artifact.

    Looks like everybody wins!

  • (Score: 2) by LaminatorX on Thursday May 21 2015, @08:06PM

    by LaminatorX (14) <laminatorxNO@SPAMgmail.com> on Thursday May 21 2015, @08:06PM (#186181)

    I wonder why they haven't bought Sony yet. 20% of their reserves would get them Sony.