gatorguy

It's already been announced that the incoming administration is planning to take a hard-nosed approach to big tech, and reportedly happy with Lina Khan's efforts so far. Perhaps with enough bended knee the worst of it can be avoided by Apple, Google, MS, and Amazon, all home-grown US corporations. IMO the ones he decides are friends will be fine, but the others need to watch out.

I don't expect an even playing field, but happy to be surprised. 

I don't know what rationale Apple is using to decide they should be discontinued. Perhaps they ordered some large quantity years ago and finally have run out? It's such a useful little accessory for those of us with really good wired headphones.

I use mine with HiFiMan Edition XS open-backs and a separate DAC. The combo sounds so much better than any of my wireless headphones. Bonus: I don't ever have to worry about the batteries giving up the ghost as they all eventually do, forcing me to toss out expensive bluetooth headphones. I also have a great pair of closed-back B&O's more than a decade old I sometimes use. There's no wireless ones that will last that long.

That little discontinued dongle saves me a lot of money, and allows notably better sound too. 

I'm amazed by the number of people who say their AirPods have the crackling issue, yet never bothered to check and see if Apple would replace them as defective. Are there that many people who accept flaws and hiccups as normal for Apple stuff and don't look elsewhere for answers?

alandail said:

Insane the EU thinks they can set fines based on global revenue, and not EU revenue. Apple isn't the only company facing this level of arrogance where the EU is stating a claim on revenue that has nothing whatsoever to do with them. Why isn't the WTO stepping in to block this?

Perhaps using the some of the same reasoning that makes it OK to sell things for a profit in one county or region, but avoid paying taxes on the profits by moving them to some other place in the world. How would EU sales even be computed with any certainty, and resultant agreement between the parties?
https://taxjustice.net/faq/what-is-transfer-pricing/

The EU is a lightweight compared to the US, the perfect example of a worldwide policeman.
https://islandtimes.org/us-acting-as-global-policeman-for-financial-crimes/

There are no hard borders where money is concerned. Many countries have VERY long reach, from antitrust actions to mergers and more, and intervene in cases outside their own borders regularly. When it comes to finance, borders are almost non-existent.
 https://www.foley.com/insights/publications/2020/06/the-long-arm-of-american-enforcement/
https://www.whitecase.com/insight-our-thinking/global-merger-control-trends

edit for brevity