austriacus

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austriacus
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  • References to iPad mini in tvOS 17.2 beta revive 'HomePod with display' rumors

    austriacusaustriacus
    I really hope that the person creating the picture with the mini iPad stuck to the front of the homepod did it for space reasons rather then believing it would be done that way --> blocking soundwaves leaving the homepod from the front....
    watto_cobramike1williamlondon

  • US lawmakers not impressed with Apple App Store changes, pressing on with bill

    austriacusaustriacus
    longpath said:
    urahara said:
    I am starting to believe that in the most cases the government only makes the situation worse. This is one of those situations. With “twin monopolies” - LOL, they have even coined a new term just to make their absurd case which hurts free market.
    The US House of Representatives has a lower level of individual representation of its alleged constituents than any other comparable body in any other industrialized democracy, whether direct or limited, and has been so since 1929. This is nothing more than asserting power in order to grow power. By definition, a twin anything is not a monopoly. This isn’t the first time politicians have fabricated terms in order to frighten the ignorant and justify their violation of the takings clause. It won’t be the last.

    I agree that politicians say (often) stupid things but at least in this case I can see whee they are coming from. A monopoly is the exclusive possession or control of the supply of or trade in a commodity or service. Otherwise, it is an oligopoly. However, with Apple versus Google or iOS versus Android you really have two distinct markets which are each controlled by one player. So the term Twin Monopolies is not so stupid in my opinion.
    IreneWelijahgpscooter63

  • TikTok 'shocked' by US executive order and impending ban

    austriacusaustriacus
    Tariffs flopped so this is the substitute for "getting tough" with China apparently.
    In what way did they “flop” exactly? China is clearly getting quite desperate with their increased propaganda, spying and attempts to influence the election.

    Well, how much did the tariffs help? It's like Mexico paying for the wall. Just a distraction and an utter failure
    It is pretty rich of the US accusing someone else of trying to influence their election considering that’s what they have been doing for decades around the world with more or less dirty means (Shah Reza Pahlevi in Iran together with the Brits, numerous central American countries, Marcos in the Philippines etc etc.). Better not to complain when sitting in the glasshouse.
    Also interesting that the talk is only about Chinese influence while the Russians are much more aggressive and offensive...


    Xedmuthuk_vanalingamFileMakerFeller

  • Thailand proposes new tax on digital goods sold by foreign companies

    austriacusaustriacus
    sflocal said:
    AppleInsider said:


    "Anyone who makes money from Thai people should pay taxes to the country," Thanawat Malabuppha, president of the Thai e-Commerce Association, told Reuters.
    I just believe in equal treatment.  If they're going to tax us for commerce with their people, we should do the same.  The U.S. does a lot of business with Vietnam, and I'm sure they would change their tune if we instated the same increase in kind.
    It is totally up to you to for instance charge a value added tax for any sales in your country. If the company has a subsidiary in the US that sells something I assume that they are also subject to federal and/or state taxes. The issue here is that firms that provide digital services or so called platforms often dont have a local foot print or are very adept at shifting profits around (a) arbitrarily asigning IP to the country with the lowest taxes/regulations and then charging high fees to the higher tax countries b) playing around with raw material prices that get shipped around the world so that a low tax country can be assigned one step in the process and then claim the profits there) There are so many ways that governments can never keep up with the loop-holes (or are lobbied which I call payed off not to do it).
    In the end the only way to do something about it is to introduce taxes like this. There have been talks about world wide regulations going on for many years but the US has been slow walking it at the behest of companies like Google, FB, Apple and many others.
    avon b7GeorgeBMac

  • Apple's appeal against $14.4B EU & Ireland tax payment is this week

    austriacusaustriacus
    sacto joe said:
    nubus said:
    It is surprising that Tim Cook and C-level management at Apple are so much out of tune with ethics and politics outside US. Last week Google paid $1.1bn to France in taxes and fines. Apple paid less than competitors which is anti-competitive and against the core design of EU = not going to be tolerated at all.

    The EU commission is elected by 27 governments. If you go against the commission... well... then you mess with the governments of 27 nations. And they just agreed to ask the competition commissioner of the last 5 years to continue. It is totally unheard of, but she now has 5 more years in the job! Not only that. She got promoted to executive vice-president of the EU Commission with the added responsibility of... everything digital. Why is it that Tim Cook does his outmost to stay on her bad side? In local TV she ridiculed him for being half her height - shown with a hand gesture (sorry... no link but it was rather rude). Unlike Trump the lady is not for turning. With Apple having a focus on privacy she could be the best thing that happened to Apple. Instead she is the worst.

    Just pay the taxes and spend the same amount on wind farms from and in her home country with some words about the importance of contributing locally. And then start talking privacy... she could completely disrupt the business model of Google, Facebook etc.
    Balderdash. A US corporation that sells products in another country is taxed in that country on the product it sells in that country. Same with other countries selling products to the US. Foreign corporations, otoh, just like US corporations, are taxed in the country of corporate ownership.

    The $14.4 B in this case amounts to a power grab on potential US tax income. It will either revert to Ireland’s government or the US government. It is essentially the EU saying that Apple holding it’s corporate cash in Ireland means Apple should pay a corporate tax there.

    It beggars belief that posters here can know so little and yet post so authoritatively.
    I would say it (to use your wording) beggars believe that you do not try to understand the real issue. While it is true that corporate tax is on the product sold in a specific country it is irrelevant here. As you should know Ireland was being used to channel the profits of most European countries through an (illegal) tax haven called Ireland. So the argument you are making is not applicable. I would venure a guess that they also make creative use of IP transfer to reduce their profits in high tax countries. As to the often used argument that this is retroactively and unfair - a multi billion dollar company should have attorneys/tax accountants that are smart enough to know that what Ireland offered was not legal. They decided to take the risk and see if it works out. In the end this is (while morally repugnant) smart corporate behavior. They did not even get a fine - just have to pay back what they own. Imagine what would happen if you and I would do our taxes that way...
    hydrogen