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195 Comments
- carnivalofmmo, on 07/10/2008, -13/+142not really a tax. every device maker does this.
- inactive, on 07/10/2008, -21/+66This makes me a little less excited to get an iPhone but I'll be a good cow and still buy one.
- ColonelTribune, on 07/10/2008, -3/+41Yeah. Isn't this pretty standard?
- pirlok, on 07/10/2008, -13/+40Apple did what every company had done in the last 10 years. No problem, still the iPhone won't be that expensive, but my pockets will feel the difference. Big day tomorrow!
- zscottkilgore, on 07/10/2008, -13/+34nice to see the big gadget makers stand up for themselves against big bad steve and co., but this quote about apple is just plane scary: “It’s had auditors go through licensees’ books to make sure it gets paid for every unit sold, in addition to the connector and chip fees. As a carrot, it holds out the prospect of shelf space in its Apple Stores.”
- inactive, on 07/10/2008, -6/+26Don't feel bad... this is common practice in the gadget industry. It's not just Apple.
- jquipp, on 07/10/2008, -3/+21I don't like it, but we do have the ability to buy different products and voice our opinions that way!
- gilg, on 07/10/2008, -11/+24I am afraid the 'ripoff' is kinda built-in through the whole iPhone idea.
- MnMs, on 07/10/2008, -2/+15They prefer to be called "Mac Fans"
- harmil, on 07/10/2008, -1/+14So, why is that scary? Companies that have licensing deals based on revenues have their revenues audited all the time. It's a standard business practice, and in fact, it's good for the licensees, since the licensor can be assured that they're getting the cut they agreed to, and don't have to build in extra padding to the contract.
- liamvictor, on 07/10/2008, -5/+17Apple have always treated third parties quite appallingly.
- AmyVernon, on 07/10/2008, -8/+20yeah, it's just that Apple-philes like to feel that Steve Jobs & Co. are above shenanigans like this. unfortunately, they're a corporation just like any other in some ways. they still make cooler gadgets and computers than anyone else, tho...
- darkchild82, on 07/10/2008, -3/+15Like all this matters. Just wait and watch the crowd on launch day.
- CasaWood, on 07/10/2008, -1/+12It is the nature of the beast of business and Apple is in business to profit. Like it or not they are the current leaders in the iPod world yet we've chosen alternatives that bring enough utility and entertainment at a lower price.
- inactive, on 07/10/2008, -4/+15nothing unusual I guess....
- harmil, on 07/10/2008, -0/+11It's a very standard practice. I'm not sure I like the practice (I'd like to see open standards around gadgets... and world peace and...), but Apple isn't doing anything shocking here. This just sounds like vendors of add-ons trying to pressure Apple to lower their cut.
- blackbelt, on 07/10/2008, -6/+16I agree Apple had done what others companies are doing!
- Gauthic, on 07/10/2008, -5/+15I'm sure it'll still cheaper than ANY Monster Cable.
- r3zonance, on 07/10/2008, -4/+13Yes it's a standard practice, why do you think the really cheap PS2 memory cards and stuff didn't quite fit as snuggly as the official ones (they didn't pay licence fees for the specs).
"iPhone does exactly what everyone else does" isn't as good a headline though is it?
I'm sick of this pick on the iPod/iPhone and just ignore the fact the rest of the industry does the exact same thing.
Next the accessory manufacturers will be bitching that they have to pay for the "Made for iPod/iPhone" badge, even though it is protected Apple branding. - inactive, on 07/10/2008, -0/+9Actually NO they don't.
Apple is known throughout the software and hardware and accessory world for trying to milk everyone for every penny. It actually works against then as developers and people seem to not want to cater to Apple as they do for the other markets.
This had been an issue with Apple since, well, I think from the start. - umbrellainabin, on 07/10/2008, -3/+12moo
- jamspt, on 07/10/2008, -2/+10Depends on which system you're creating hardware for.
MS, no (you can get it 'certified', but that's optional)
Linux, no (you may have to write drivers for it by hand)
Apple is the only company in the computing world (minus gaming companies back in the day when they had cartridges) that does this. It's part of their quality control procedures. If the company isn't willing to pay the money to Apple, then Apple assumes they aren't willing to put in the work to create a quality product. Ergo by applying this charge, Apple is protecting their name brand to be sleek / sexy / functional (at the expense of not having a hell of a lot of applications / accessories created for it) - Turbojugend27, on 07/10/2008, -4/+12Oh noes! A company wants to make money!
- cledford, on 07/10/2008, -3/+11They have to make their money somehow. Just don't tweak out your iPhone until you can buy the same accessories on eBay.
Man I love China... - wTheOnew, on 07/10/2008, -1/+8Apple is like the good looking bully in middle school. Treats everyone like garbage and still gets all the girls.
- usrlocalbin, on 07/10/2008, -2/+9Buried for the picture of the emo on the page.
It's too damn early in the morning to have to look at an emo. - dragon76, on 07/10/2008, -3/+9OMG, Apple makes crappy little companies producing crappy little accessories filthy rich and all they can do is say, "Apple isn't making us RICH ENOUGH!!!"
Why don't you just stop making iPod accessories and start making Zune accessories, or iRiver accessories or...oh, right. - inactive, on 07/10/2008, -0/+6Being milked ... yes they are!
- jamspt, on 07/10/2008, -1/+6Why is that scary?
Wouldn't you think that sales records are going to be electronic.
Hell if they're stored in a database all you'd have to do is "Select count(*) from items_shipped_to_stores" and you'd get a number back, which they can then correlate with the royalties paid to them.
It's not like they're hiring some thick glasses old man to slave over a huge dusty book to move beads on an abacus. - Nothlit, on 07/10/2008, -0/+5Did you accidentally lean on the shift key there?
- 1KrazyKorean, on 07/10/2008, -4/+9I liked when apple a few years ago included everything with there ipod, then slow you get less and less as the years went by. Like the damn dock.. my Gen 3 and 4 came with a dock then after they never included it. I guess this way they can make a few extra bucks.
- majortom1981, on 07/10/2008, -8/+13I will get burried for this comment because digg is apple heaven and hates anything microsoft .
I have been able to buy zune accessories for my zune tthrough 3rd party companies at a cheaper price then what microsoft is selling them from. So its not every company that is doing this. - inactive, on 07/10/2008, -4/+9I think that most who buy them are good cows :)
- asskicker32, on 07/10/2008, -2/+7Old news. I learned this when I tried to get a media player for my ipod nano. There is an inline auth chip that you can use, but that requires you to plug it in...
Damn proprietary apple. - Elranzer, on 07/10/2008, -1/+6Apple products are always a bit overpriced.
- commenter01, on 07/10/2008, -7/+12apple just takes it to ridiculous levels.
- winnch, on 07/10/2008, -6/+11hahaha. If a 10% tax is causing the third-party product to be 10 TIMES more expensive, it's the third party ripping you off, not Apple. :)
- inactive, on 07/10/2008, -0/+4I agree the word is SHEEP!... cows herd too I guess.
But Apple has always done this with vendors, software, hardware, anything-ware... Apple always tries to get some sort of money from those developers, and anything related. - bigsteve, on 07/10/2008, -0/+4Taxes != licensing fees. Don't want overpriced accessories? Don't buy them. They aren't manditory.
**ing retards... - baralo, on 07/10/2008, -0/+4Go tell the shareholders that they can "live without" the extra revenue. I'm sure they'll agree.
- inactive, on 07/10/2008, -0/+4You know better, but are still doing it?
Steve Jobs LOVES you.
Enjoy basking in the warmth of his sincere appreciation for you. - inactive, on 07/10/2008, -0/+4Apple ripping people off!? I don't believe it!
- rft3rd, on 07/10/2008, -3/+7QQ. and I thought the the apple crowd says that M$ is the big meanie? 3rd party FTW!
- web2pointYo, on 07/10/2008, -0/+4This should be illegal!
Since we are all forced by law to buy ipods, iphones and everything else Apple makes, this is an unfair burden on mankind. I think we should get congress to spend a few hundy million dollars a a couple of years looking into this. I mean how the Fk am I supposed to live without my iPhone video cable! Answer me that!
lol. - jeff4379, on 07/10/2008, -1/+5FTA "The added cost of the Apple chip and license fees also increases retail prices for accessories. Basic products such as cabling can now cost up to 10 times their original amount. "
Hypothetical Example: ordinary $2 cable + 10% (.20) Licensing + $17.80 chip = $20 = 10-fold increase - soopafly, on 07/10/2008, -0/+3Hmm? Replace a hard drive on a Mac?? That's unpossible!!
- coltrane68, on 07/10/2008, -3/+6Even if this chip tax were real (and I believe that it is), how would a 10% increase in costs lead to a 10-fold increase in charges? If an otherwise $100 iPod speaker cost the manufacturer an extra $20 for the Apple-provided chip, and the manufacturer passed the entire cost onto consumers, the cost would still be $120 - a 20% increase (that is, a 1.2-fold increase).
- ZachSka87, on 07/10/2008, -7/+10Sheep. The word of the day is "sheep." :-P
- ShooterMcGavin, on 07/10/2008, -0/+3Maybe the diggers are simply in a unusually good mood today...
- inactive, on 07/10/2008, -1/+4Do you use roads? Want police and fire protection? Then kindly stfu about taxes.
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