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"Q: Apple has in the past decade, risen with its iPod, iPhone and iPad as one of the most successful companies in history. Recently, there are increasing doubts about how long the winning streak is still continuing."

"Apple has such high profit margins, is also due to its brand. I am proud that we have such loyal fans. But this loyalty is not given, the needs with the best products are always kept alive and confirmed. Currently we are in my opinion in the smartphone business with the features somewhat behind. Others have caught up. Samsung is a great competitor. But precisely because they are currently making great products." link

Yes, the electricity costs my well play a role in adoption, but it is also the amount of electricity used per month that has to be considered. Example: We are on an eco plan (100% renewables) and pay EUR 0.26 per KWh, but on the other hand we only pay about 15 Euros per person per month for our household (and 2 servers). We most probably are below average, but the overall consumption per capita is not that high in Germany.
I think what's more important than the subsidies (AFAIK currently about EUR 0.24 per KWh for PV systems, they lower the subsidies every year in correlation to the sunken costs of new PV systems) is the fact that they are combined with forcing the utilities to "buy" the generated energy. You save the battery array and the inverter, which together can amount to up to one third of the price of a PV system last I looked. And you lay the foundation for a decentralized smart grid.

P.S. the subsidies you mentioned sounded interesting, so I looked for a moment for the German numbers. According to [1] total subsidies/governmental costs for nuclear power in Germany starting in 1950 until now were 165 billion Euros in total, which means about 2.7 billion Euros per year, plus about 95 billion for the future (there are still plants running and the old ones have to be deconstructed. [2] cites a similar amount for PV subsidies: 2.9 billion per year for 2009.

[1] = http://www.wiwo.de/politik-weltwirtschaft/solarwirtschaft-gegen-kernkraft-421838/
[2] = http://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/wirtschaftspolitik/16-prozent-ab-1-juli-kuerzung-der-solar-subventionen-steht-1937301.html

German publication Wirtschaftswoche (“Economy Week”) says that German manufacturer Microdrones has delivered a cam-equipped flying mini drone to Google. Microdrones boss Mr. Juerss is quoted as saying “We have good chances for a long term business relationship with Google” (is he just overly optimistic? Google wasn’t available for comment to the magazine). According to him the drones “are superbly suited to deliver more up-to-date recordings for mapping service Google Earth.” Another potential use mentioned by Juerss is inspecting wind farms.

If Google continues to exist I guess it’s only natural they continue to expand their tools (same could be said for the world at large), lest laws stop them. For the time being we may want our faces and living rooms blurred, but who knows where we’re headed. Will there be a day where everyone’s non-privacy is our best privacy protection (like a camouflage pattern), or will we be scared to do anything unusual, creative and progressive with so much supervision (like 1984)?

In the original German article, they mention how some of the drones they've sold have been equipped with IR and thermal imaging technologies, and give you a teaser that you can come back on Monday to read about the companies that already use the technologies.

Sounds to me like Google is merely trying to vastly improve Google Maps and Google Earth's satellite views with cheap yet efficient technologies, and Wirtschaftswoche is just trying to sell magazines. Of course, who am I to be a naysayer of the tinfoil hat wearing among us...

Hi folks,

being the original author of the story mentioned I'm glad to follow the discussion about Google Mail's potential withdrawal from Germany here at Slashdot.org. Two little corrections anyway.

1. The original story was neither published at newlaunches.com not at SPIEGEL (as mentioned at newlaunches). The text originates from the German business weekly WirtschaftsWoche and can be found there - in case someone wants to read it in German: http://www.wiwo.de/pswiwo/fn/ww2/sfn/buildww/id/12 6/id/280127/fm/0/SH/0/depot/0/index.html

2. Peter Fleischer is "Global privacy Counsel" at Google and not only its german privacy representative.

Best
Thomas