This patent relates to the shape/cosmetics of the pad, not the functionality. Hence using one for each different task is irrelevant to this patent - a design patent, by definition, cannot cover the utility or functionality of the invention - so this is prior art.
Maybe not absolutely destroyed, but because of moves like this, competition has increased, and therefore margins on PCs are razor thin.
And computers have become commodity because of this lowering of costs and competition - much like grocery stores (which also run on even thinner margins). How is this bad for the consumer and the economy as a whole? Dell is still making good profits, and the general consumer benefits from much lower cost products - as well as product that develops faster as increasingly performance and capability becomes the only really defining offering the manufacturers can offer (since their production costs are all about the same).
China, for instance, does not have a floating currency whose value varies as their exports increase. Its currency is fixed by fiat, and thus they retain the advantage of cheap labour indefinitely.
I wish their currency was fixed by fiat; I've seen the RMB appreciate 20% over the last 3 years. It's become a significant source of cost increases for not just living expenses over here but also for production costs.
The Chinese workers of today can pull of the great QC required; the problem is not the workers, it's the middle-and-upper management who see higher QC requirements as a cost, rather than a selling point. And their customers who beat them up for lower price encourage that kind of behavior. Demand high quality from a Chinese factory and be willing to pay for it, and you will get it - I do it all the time (as I am located in Shanghai, working in manufacturing). Just don't expect to get US or German quality at cut-rate Chinese prices...
They "choose" to live in a dorm style environment"? Are "free" to look for other work?
Yeah right. And Marie Antoinette's peasants were free to eat cake.
Also, you're free to go fuck yourself. Moron.
Hi there - I live and work in China, a free-lance engineer and production consultant, mainly for US and EU companies looking to use production in China and Thailand (I specialize in both countries). Been doing so for 7 years now, mainly in the Shanghai area (Wuxi down to Ningbo, out into Zhejiang province) in China, and the Bangkok-to-Chaiyaphum corridor in Thailand.
For background, I've set up and run my own manufacturing facility in the US, and done the same in Belgium and Chile (the latter two on a contract basis).
Most Chinese factories offer free room-and-board for their employees; it is not mandatory, you're free to live off-campus. However, that means you'll also have to pay for those things - and since most factory workers are planning to only stay in the factory for 5-7 years, saving every kuai they can so they can start their own business or buy a house when they move back home, they choose the dorms. Some factories will give you a small stipend for off-campus housing if they do not have space in the dorms for you, but if you choose to not stay in the dorms and there is space available - you're on your own.
Living in the dorms and eating in the cafeteria, you also typically get first-shot at all overtime work (which, by law, pays 1.5 times). Here in Shanghai, minimum wage (taxable) is 2388 RMB per month; add in typical 12 hours of overtime, and your costs are essentially zero (company provided uniforms are normal), and you can save upwards of 2500 RMB per month - basically your entire salary. Do that for 7 years, and you'll head home with 200,000+ RMB - enough to buy a small home in most of the smaller villages, or buy a car or truck or tractor, or start a nice little business. Which is really the dream of most of the production workers I've spoken with over the last several years.
Most of the larger factories actually have hiring fairs - trying to entice quality workers to come and work for them, especially with higher-than-normal bonuses for those who do jump ship - it's part of the reason 10-12% of the production workforce moves every year. You get more money when you move, so you jump around every year, earning more and more. Most places have a shortage of decent workers - and by that, I mean workers who can actually read and learn new skills (basics like soldering, gluing, inspection, stuffing through-hole components, turning screws, etc).
However, actual labor costs for most modern production is a very small (like less than 4%) part of the overall cost; raw materials dominate, and the savings in labor is almost always offset by shipping and tariffs on imported products to the US. On a typical iPhone-type product, labor accounts for maybe $6 of the cost; if it was done in the US, the direct labor cost would add something like $2 to the labor cost (based on the productivity gain of US labor relative to Chinese labor). Labor costs really don't drive offshoring in manufacturing.
For higher end workers, say programmers at Microsoft of Oracle, or engineers at GE and TI, salaries in China are very close to what is paid in the US - perhaps just a 10-15% cost savings in labor when all is said and done. Knowing some higher-level managers at Microsoft in Shanghai, and the salaries paid in Shanghai relative to Redmond, you really don't save much, if any, by using Chinese labor.
So if you don't really save on labor costs in any meaningful way, why do companies work in China? Simply put - taxation. China and Hong Kong (which, contrary to most Western beliefs, really is pretty much independent - sure, it flies the Chinese flag and is nominally Chinese, but it has its own currency with its own exchange rate, its own passports, its own legal system, its own tax structure, and Chinese nationals need a special
It's one thing to copy the "look and feel"; it's another to use that other company's trademarks (like putting the "LV" symbol or ROLEX trademark on the copied item). The former shouldn't be illegal; the second is because it violates trademark laws.
Not to support Apple, but Samsung (as an Apple supplier) probably saw the prototypes of the iPhone many months before it was introduced. At the very least they knew the dimensions of the screen and how it worked.
Knowing the screen dimensions does not mean knowing the device dimensions. Most phones have a lot LESS bezel at the top and bottom of the screen than the iPhone (it's actually a very small screen given the physical dimensions of the device; most phones the size of the iPhone have 3.8" or larger screens).
See, "Apple" is a registered trademark inside China, and China DOES pay attention to its own internal IP. I have several US patents and a few Chinese patents; I've actually walked into Chinese factories and seen my US patents getting knocked off (and quietly copied down the names of the US customers, and we had a nice "licensing" talk when I got back to the US). I've also seen one of my Chinese patents getting knocked off - a quick call to the local customs and IP bureau and things were shut down REAL quick, and the Chinese company licensed up as well.
.
Like most countries, China doesn't give a rip about your overseas IP; if it's not Chinese, it doesn't matter. Likewise in the US - if you infringe a Chinese or Japanese patent in the US, the US doesn't care. Funny how that works - countries only care about IP registered in their own countries (and this includes the EU where you can register with the EU and PCT, but still need to apply for patents in each individual country for protection). Apple now has a trademark on "Apple" for computers and electronics, so the Chinese authorities took action. No trademark in China? The Chinese government wouldn't do anything...
Note that XOM is one of the larger suppliers of petroleum to the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. Much of the modern drugs and a lot of the food we eat uses XOM oil.
It should have an impact on the long-term viability of a company or its valuation. XOM has more revenue, more profit, higher cash flow and is a commodity required for modern life. Apple? Less revenue, less cash flow, and sells items that aren't needed (and in fact is losing marketshare for the single product that makes half its revenue - the iPhone). How does that rate a higher market cap?
XOM is pulling in even bigger truckloads of cash... So why should Apple have a higher valuation than XOM if you want to talk cash? XOM makes more revenue, more cash, and has a product REQUIRED for modern life; Apple has less revenue, less cash, and the products are wants, not needs.
Most of those stocks have been things like XOM and RBS - relatively stable and flat in value, building in dividends. And while someone may have gains on paper for their Apple shares, I've made some nice cash from my shares - and haven't cashed in a single thing.
He was referring to the physiological colon, rather than the grammatical colon? Passing what I'm not sure, but if people don't know how to use it - we have a whole LOT of problems coming...
So what makes you think that people will stop buying ExxonMobil's product? The CE market is littered with companies that tried the Apple approach. That should be indicative of the actual "size" of a company.
So all we've done is move the driver from the computer to the printer or an intermediary point - so you can still have problems with a driver, it'll just be more out of your own control to update them/correct them when you get a new OS...
And just like we talk of Sir Edmund Hillary as the first up Everest - never mind the sherpas who guided him there - you ignore the companies that built the entire foundation for that tipping point.
And half that amount - $950 billion or so - was for Social Security and FICA. Actual US individual income tax payments were a shade over $900 billion - about 4.5 times what corporations paid.
The difference: Dell still gets the vast majority of its revenue and profits from computer sales - it's still a computer company.
Apple gets half its revenue - and over half its profit - from just the iPhone. Add in the iPod and iPad and you're talking about 80% of Apple revenue and 85% of Apple profit. Apple is no longer a computer company - it's a consumer electronics company a la Sony.
Apple got out of the computer business in the 2005-2006 timeframe, effectively. Their recent continued paring down of the product line, and merging of iOS-UI into Lion confirms that Apple will continue to exit the computer business entirely, leaving it as a media consumption and communications company.
The Apple that Michael Dell spoke about is, effectively, dead.
Slashdot Mirror
This patent relates to the shape/cosmetics of the pad, not the functionality. Hence using one for each different task is irrelevant to this patent - a design patent, by definition, cannot cover the utility or functionality of the invention - so this is prior art.
Ignorance is bliss... How you feeling?
Her stage name is Madame Palm and her Five Lovely Daughters.
But you also have to do that fat, stubby, short one on the end as well...
Maybe not absolutely destroyed, but because of moves like this, competition has increased, and therefore margins on PCs are razor thin.
And computers have become commodity because of this lowering of costs and competition - much like grocery stores (which also run on even thinner margins). How is this bad for the consumer and the economy as a whole? Dell is still making good profits, and the general consumer benefits from much lower cost products - as well as product that develops faster as increasingly performance and capability becomes the only really defining offering the manufacturers can offer (since their production costs are all about the same).
China, for instance, does not have a floating currency whose value varies as their exports increase. Its currency is fixed by fiat, and thus they retain the advantage of cheap labour indefinitely.
I wish their currency was fixed by fiat; I've seen the RMB appreciate 20% over the last 3 years. It's become a significant source of cost increases for not just living expenses over here but also for production costs.
The Chinese workers of today can pull of the great QC required; the problem is not the workers, it's the middle-and-upper management who see higher QC requirements as a cost, rather than a selling point. And their customers who beat them up for lower price encourage that kind of behavior. Demand high quality from a Chinese factory and be willing to pay for it, and you will get it - I do it all the time (as I am located in Shanghai, working in manufacturing). Just don't expect to get US or German quality at cut-rate Chinese prices...
They "choose" to live in a dorm style environment"? Are "free" to look for other work?
Yeah right. And Marie Antoinette's peasants were free to eat cake.
Also, you're free to go fuck yourself. Moron.
Hi there - I live and work in China, a free-lance engineer and production consultant, mainly for US and EU companies looking to use production in China and Thailand (I specialize in both countries). Been doing so for 7 years now, mainly in the Shanghai area (Wuxi down to Ningbo, out into Zhejiang province) in China, and the Bangkok-to-Chaiyaphum corridor in Thailand.
For background, I've set up and run my own manufacturing facility in the US, and done the same in Belgium and Chile (the latter two on a contract basis).
Most Chinese factories offer free room-and-board for their employees; it is not mandatory, you're free to live off-campus. However, that means you'll also have to pay for those things - and since most factory workers are planning to only stay in the factory for 5-7 years, saving every kuai they can so they can start their own business or buy a house when they move back home, they choose the dorms. Some factories will give you a small stipend for off-campus housing if they do not have space in the dorms for you, but if you choose to not stay in the dorms and there is space available - you're on your own.
Living in the dorms and eating in the cafeteria, you also typically get first-shot at all overtime work (which, by law, pays 1.5 times). Here in Shanghai, minimum wage (taxable) is 2388 RMB per month; add in typical 12 hours of overtime, and your costs are essentially zero (company provided uniforms are normal), and you can save upwards of 2500 RMB per month - basically your entire salary. Do that for 7 years, and you'll head home with 200,000+ RMB - enough to buy a small home in most of the smaller villages, or buy a car or truck or tractor, or start a nice little business. Which is really the dream of most of the production workers I've spoken with over the last several years.
Most of the larger factories actually have hiring fairs - trying to entice quality workers to come and work for them, especially with higher-than-normal bonuses for those who do jump ship - it's part of the reason 10-12% of the production workforce moves every year. You get more money when you move, so you jump around every year, earning more and more. Most places have a shortage of decent workers - and by that, I mean workers who can actually read and learn new skills (basics like soldering, gluing, inspection, stuffing through-hole components, turning screws, etc).
However, actual labor costs for most modern production is a very small (like less than 4%) part of the overall cost; raw materials dominate, and the savings in labor is almost always offset by shipping and tariffs on imported products to the US. On a typical iPhone-type product, labor accounts for maybe $6 of the cost; if it was done in the US, the direct labor cost would add something like $2 to the labor cost (based on the productivity gain of US labor relative to Chinese labor). Labor costs really don't drive offshoring in manufacturing.
For higher end workers, say programmers at Microsoft of Oracle, or engineers at GE and TI, salaries in China are very close to what is paid in the US - perhaps just a 10-15% cost savings in labor when all is said and done. Knowing some higher-level managers at Microsoft in Shanghai, and the salaries paid in Shanghai relative to Redmond, you really don't save much, if any, by using Chinese labor.
So if you don't really save on labor costs in any meaningful way, why do companies work in China? Simply put - taxation. China and Hong Kong (which, contrary to most Western beliefs, really is pretty much independent - sure, it flies the Chinese flag and is nominally Chinese, but it has its own currency with its own exchange rate, its own passports, its own legal system, its own tax structure, and Chinese nationals need a special
The Copper Man has a thick skin.
Of course he does... Otherwise he turns green when he cries.
It's one thing to copy the "look and feel"; it's another to use that other company's trademarks (like putting the "LV" symbol or ROLEX trademark on the copied item). The former shouldn't be illegal; the second is because it violates trademark laws.
That's OK - Samsung's new lawyer 2.0 release has lawyers that are 0.2mm thinner yet..
Not to support Apple, but Samsung (as an Apple supplier) probably saw the prototypes of the iPhone many months before it was introduced. At the very least they knew the dimensions of the screen and how it worked.
Knowing the screen dimensions does not mean knowing the device dimensions. Most phones have a lot LESS bezel at the top and bottom of the screen than the iPhone (it's actually a very small screen given the physical dimensions of the device; most phones the size of the iPhone have 3.8" or larger screens).
Like most countries, China doesn't give a rip about your overseas IP; if it's not Chinese, it doesn't matter. Likewise in the US - if you infringe a Chinese or Japanese patent in the US, the US doesn't care. Funny how that works - countries only care about IP registered in their own countries (and this includes the EU where you can register with the EU and PCT, but still need to apply for patents in each individual country for protection). Apple now has a trademark on "Apple" for computers and electronics, so the Chinese authorities took action. No trademark in China? The Chinese government wouldn't do anything...
Note that XOM is one of the larger suppliers of petroleum to the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. Much of the modern drugs and a lot of the food we eat uses XOM oil.
Didn't realize that barnacles and fish could type... Curious what keyboard you have that isn't petroleum based?
It should have an impact on the long-term viability of a company or its valuation. XOM has more revenue, more profit, higher cash flow and is a commodity required for modern life. Apple? Less revenue, less cash flow, and sells items that aren't needed (and in fact is losing marketshare for the single product that makes half its revenue - the iPhone). How does that rate a higher market cap?
XOM is pulling in even bigger truckloads of cash... So why should Apple have a higher valuation than XOM if you want to talk cash? XOM makes more revenue, more cash, and has a product REQUIRED for modern life; Apple has less revenue, less cash, and the products are wants, not needs.
Most of those stocks have been things like XOM and RBS - relatively stable and flat in value, building in dividends. And while someone may have gains on paper for their Apple shares, I've made some nice cash from my shares - and haven't cashed in a single thing.
Don't listen to him - he's a fake bear. Bears don't have thumbs and thus cannot use the space bar.
He was referring to the physiological colon, rather than the grammatical colon? Passing what I'm not sure, but if people don't know how to use it - we have a whole LOT of problems coming...
So what makes you think that people will stop buying ExxonMobil's product? The CE market is littered with companies that tried the Apple approach. That should be indicative of the actual "size" of a company.
So all we've done is move the driver from the computer to the printer or an intermediary point - so you can still have problems with a driver, it'll just be more out of your own control to update them/correct them when you get a new OS...
And just like we talk of Sir Edmund Hillary as the first up Everest - never mind the sherpas who guided him there - you ignore the companies that built the entire foundation for that tipping point.
And half that amount - $950 billion or so - was for Social Security and FICA. Actual US individual income tax payments were a shade over $900 billion - about 4.5 times what corporations paid.
BTW Dell now sells smartphones and tablets, too.
The difference: Dell still gets the vast majority of its revenue and profits from computer sales - it's still a computer company.
Apple gets half its revenue - and over half its profit - from just the iPhone. Add in the iPod and iPad and you're talking about 80% of Apple revenue and 85% of Apple profit. Apple is no longer a computer company - it's a consumer electronics company a la Sony.
Apple got out of the computer business in the 2005-2006 timeframe, effectively. Their recent continued paring down of the product line, and merging of iOS-UI into Lion confirms that Apple will continue to exit the computer business entirely, leaving it as a media consumption and communications company.
The Apple that Michael Dell spoke about is, effectively, dead.
Precisely. The Apple of 1981 and 1991 IS dead. Apple has become the new Sony - phones and personal media devices rule its roost.