Tech companies

[Gillvane]

http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/0...86104320120702

It's a 60 million dollar payment, but it clears up access to a market that's projected to be about 3-4 BILLION for apple so this is just a cost of doing business. They'll make back the 60 mil in no time. They could have dragged it out, maybe won, maybe lost, but it wasn't worth the lost sales waiting for the court case.

[HueyNRolf]

It's a 60 million dollar payment, but it clears up access to a market that's projected to be about 3-4 BILLION for apple so this is just a cost of doing business. They'll make back the 60 mil in no time. They could have dragged it out, maybe won, maybe lost, but it wasn't worth the lost sales waiting for the court case.

More likely that the bean counters figured that the $60 million offer would be cheaper than fighting off the claim.

Got to hand it to Proview Technology, they tried to market a crap PC, failed and got 60 million from Apple. I wish I'd thought of it.

[Dr. Benway]

It's a 60 million dollar payment, but it clears up access to a market that's projected to be about 3-4 BILLION for apple so this is just a cost of doing business.

I know. But in not knowing the details was the original agreement for the iPad? Then along comes iPads 2 and 3. Someone at Apple probably needs a wrist slapping.

[cgbier]

I don't think the older models were ever meant for China.

AAPL stock rose when the news were announced, so no need for wrist slapping. And that company didn't bother before they actually went into bankruptcy. They'd taken any amount.

I wonder how Microsoft will swallow the 800+ million Euro fine they finally got from the EU.

[cgbier]

FCP X has larger install base than 7. Market share slipped from 55 to 52% in the professional segment. Most switchers moved to AVID. Adobe - no gains in the high end.

http://www.philiphodgetts.com/2012/0...x-data-points/

Critique: How relevant is this high end market still? More and more of the 100 or 200 editing seat boutique shops are shutting down. They have become dinosaurs. Not extinct (yet?), but too big and inflexible. The future is in small, flexible shops. Here is were FCP X, in combination with Resolve and Smoke 2013, shines. adobe CS6 is getting there. All they need to do is to get Prelude deeper into the workflow (right now, it can't hold a candle to X' media management), and work on the output side (export to Resolve and Smoke) and, maybe, a better implementation of OpenCL to keep the hardware overhead as low as Apple, Autodesk and BlackMagic do. That Mercury/CUDA thingy is all nice and dandy, but nVidia cards suck.

We'll see another interesting battle between Adobe and Aplle the next couple of years....

[cgbier]

Avid blames their misery on Apple
http://articles.boston.com/2012-07-0...man-consumer/2

[Janke]

Who doesn't ?

[Dr. Benway]

Avid blames their misery on Apple

Apple were more savvy and had the better products. But, we blame them for us buying crappy home user products and trying to win over Apple's existing or would be customers. It's not fair. Apple should be forced to have a handicap so we can make more money.

We bought Midiman Inc for $174.5 million and Pinnacle Systems Inc. for $460 million. Now we are selling both for $17 million. We are clever.

Sent from my iPhone 5XT.

[HueyNRolf]

Microsoft's downfall: Bureacuracy, over-reliance on Windows, and poor HR management, says Vanity Fair

"Microsoft experienced a "lost decade" and lost its leadership to Apple because of bureaucratic in-fighting, a too-heavy reliance on Windows, and a management system that alientates top tech talent"

"The company is trying to catch up, especially in mobile, and even though Windows Phone is a solid smartphone operating system, Apple and Android have such significant leads, it's not clear Microsoft will catch up there. As for Windows 8, we'll have to see whether the decision to put out an operating system that does double-duty for PCs and tablets will pay off. I don't believe it will."

http://blogs.computerworld.com/windo...ys-vanity-fair

[HueyNRolf]

Microsoft's 'Lost Decade' sensationalizes common issues among large corporations

"An article to be published in Vanity Fair's August print issue highlights Microsoft's (somewhat common) missteps in the past 10 years. But what about its successes?"

http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/80981

Ah for crying out loud! What a crock of believer-apolgist crap.

I'm terribly sorry Marco Chiappetta, but Microsoft's halcyon days amount to squat in today's market. Also, how's Ballmer's absurdly foolish leadership "somewhat common" in large corporations?

[cgbier]

Red Giant buys Singular Soft product line:
http://www.redgiantsoftware.com/news...ases/item/110/

[HueyNRolf]

Can a former Clinton spinmeister make Microsoft cool?
penn_headshot.jpg

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57...icrosoft-cool/

"A brief review of Penn's CV reveals a blue-chip roster of clients, including the likes of the Clintons (Bill and Hillary) and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, as well as Bill Gates (which may explain the Microsoft connection.) "

So he gave Bill Gates a 'cool' makeover. Really? I must've missed it.
Bill-Gates-9307520-1-402.jpg

[Bob Sanders]

So he gave Bill Gates a 'cool' makeover. Really? I must've missed it.
Bill-Gates-9307520-1-402.jpg

You want the definition of 'cool'?

http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Pages/home.aspx

So do tell.... how much of your personal funds have you doled out to the needy lately.... or are you more like steve jobs?

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/08/...public-giving/

[HueyNRolf]

You want the definition of 'cool'?

http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Pages/home.aspx

So do tell.... how much of your personal funds have you doled out to the needy lately.... or are you more like steve jobs?

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/08/...public-giving/

Oh really? How do you propose that Mark Penn should make this look cool?

Online woes spark first ever loss for Microsoft

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-...oft-loss-ever/

And the fun has only just started. Come October we'll see how Ballmer's vision of windows 8 goes, or doesn't go.


Can't wait.

[Bob Sanders]

Oh really? How do you propose that Mark Penn should make this look cool?

Online woes spark first ever loss for Microsoft

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-...oft-loss-ever/

And the fun has only just started. Come October we'll see how Ballmer's vision of windows 8 goes, or doesn't go.


Can't wait.

I don't remember discussing Penn above??
What I remember is discussing the Bill Gates Photo you stuck up.

ONCE AGAIN....
How much in charity did you hand out last year?

[HueyNRolf]

I don't remember discussing Penn above??
What I remember is discussing the Bill Gates Photo you stuck up.

ONCE AGAIN....
How much in charity did you hand out last year?

But you responded to my post which was about Penn being hired by microsoft to elevate its cool image. Maybe you should get more sleep if you have trouble remembering such things?

[Bob Sanders]

But you responded to my post which was about Penn being hired by microsoft to elevate its cool image. Maybe you should get more sleep if you have trouble remembering such things?

In other words you're just like Steve Jobs and simply too ashamed to say it.

It figures.

[HueyNRolf]

In other words you're just like Steve Jobs and simply too ashamed to say it.

It figures.

Get back on topic, Bob. Is Bill Gates a charitable guy? Who knows, who cares? So fucking what.

[HueyNRolf]

It turns out that the Führer was a great painter!

225px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-S33882,_Adolf_Hitler_retouched.jpg
In fact In a 2012 auction in Slovakia, an individual painting fetched $42,300.



Does this mean, according to Bob's reasoning, that the relatives of the millions he had murdered shouldn't feel so bad about the guy. He can't be all bad, right?

[HueyNRolf]

Oh and. . .

[Gillvane]

Get back on topic, Bob. Is Bill Gates a charitable guy? Who knows, who cares? So fucking what.

Who knows? Well, it's not really relevant to the topic but pretty much everyone knows the answer to this question. It's pretty common knowledge. It's the largest charity of it's kind in the world, so yea, most people know about it.

http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Pages/home.aspx



he Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (B&MGF or the Gates Foundation) is the largest transparently operated[4] private foundation in the world, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. It is "driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family".[5] The primary aims of the foundation are, globally, to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty, and in America, to expand educational opportunities and access to information technology.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_%2...tes_Foundation

[HueyNRolf]

he Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (B&MGF or the Gates Foundation) is the largest transparently operated[4] private foundation in the world, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. It is "driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family".[5] The primary aims of the foundation are, globally, to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty, and in America, to expand educational opportunities and access to information technology.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_%2...tes_Foundation

Now read it ALL:

"The foundation invests the assets that it has not yet distributed, with the exclusive goal of maximizing the return on investment. As a result, its investments include companies that have been criticized for worsening poverty in the same developing countries where the Foundation is attempting to relieve poverty.[55] These include companies that pollute heavily and pharmaceutical companies that do not sell into the developing world.[56] In response to press criticism, the foundation announced in 2007 a review of its investments to assess social responsibility.[57] It subsequently cancelled the review and stood by its policy of investing for maximum return, while using voting rights to influence company practices."

"In a January/February 2007 Foreign Affairs article, Laurie Garrett claims that many charitable organizations, among whom the Gates Foundation is prominent, harm global health by diverting resources from other important local health care services.[60] For example, by paying relatively high salaries at AIDS clinics, the foundation diverts medical professionals from other parts of developing nations' health care systems; the health care systems' ability to provide care diminishes (except in the area the foundation funds) and the charities may do more harm than good. Similar findings were reported in a December 2007 Los Angeles Times investigation.[61]"

"The public school reform program of the Gates Foundation has come under criticism by education professionals, parents, and researchers for promoting reforms that they see as undermining public education. The reforms include closing neighborhood schools in favor of privately run charter schools; using standardized test scores extensively to evaluate students, teachers, and schools; and merit pay for teachers based on test scores. Critics also believe that the Gates Foundation exerts too much influence over public education policy without being accountable to voters or tax payers"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_%2...tion#Criticism

[HueyNRolf]

Meanwhile, in the world of Tech Companies, which is what this thread is supposed to be about (and I'd appreciate contributors bearing this in mind).

Swedish site slaps $1,000 price tag on Microsoft's Surface: DOA?

"It's important to bear in mind that these prices could be nonsense; it wouldn't be the first time where I've seen a site attach a fake price tag to an upcoming product just to excite the rumor mill. The problem is that Microsoft has created an environment where rumors and speculation can spread because of the information vacuum with regards to pricing."

http://www.zdnet.com/swedish-site-sl...oa-7000001627/

[HueyNRolf]

Oh and:

<from the above article>

"I'm interested in hearing from readers how much they would be willing to pay for a Microsoft Surface tablet based on what they already know about the device. "

I wouldn't want one as a gift. But for this product to stand an outside chance it needs to be really aggressively priced: From $199 to $299 across the range, I'd say. Not that an aggressive price policy will help sell a product that the consumer doesn't want.

[Gillvane]

Now read it ALL:

"The foundation invests the assets that it has not yet distributed, with the exclusive goal of maximizing the return on investment. As a result, its investments include companies that have been criticized for worsening poverty in the same developing countries where the Foundation is attempting to relieve poverty.[55] These include companies that pollute heavily and pharmaceutical companies that do not sell into the developing world.[56] In response to press criticism, the foundation announced in 2007 a review of its investments to assess social responsibility.[57] It subsequently cancelled the review and stood by its policy of investing for maximum return, while using voting rights to influence company practices."

"In a January/February 2007 Foreign Affairs article, Laurie Garrett claims that many charitable organizations, among whom the Gates Foundation is prominent, harm global health by diverting resources from other important local health care services.[60] For example, by paying relatively high salaries at AIDS clinics, the foundation diverts medical professionals from other parts of developing nations' health care systems; the health care systems' ability to provide care diminishes (except in the area the foundation funds) and the charities may do more harm than good. Similar findings were reported in a December 2007 Los Angeles Times investigation.[61]"

"The public school reform program of the Gates Foundation has come under criticism by education professionals, parents, and researchers for promoting reforms that they see as undermining public education. The reforms include closing neighborhood schools in favor of privately run charter schools; using standardized test scores extensively to evaluate students, teachers, and schools; and merit pay for teachers based on test scores. Critics also believe that the Gates Foundation exerts too much influence over public education policy without being accountable to voters or tax payers"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_%2...tion#Criticism

I'm not making any comment on the work of the Gates Foundation. People have lots of opinions on it.

I was just saying that the question was like, who knows if Angelina Jolie likes kids? I have no idea. Yea, pretty much everyone knows.