7. LCD price fixing
There are just some topics we can’t approach with a neutral tone, and the November revelation that three LCD manufacturers engaged in price fixing is one of them.
Revealed on November 12, the US Department of Justice announced that it had discovered deliberate collusion in the price of LCD screens from LG, Sharp, and the lesser-known Chunghwa Picture Tubes. Though the racket effected manufacturers like Dell, Apple, and Motorola, it’s consumers who ultimately get the big screw.
As a result of the USDOJ’s investigations, the three firms are sharing a $585 million fine as a penalty for deeds done wrong. Speculation suggests that the cool $585m is just the beginning; the fine is expected to inflate as the extent of the market damage is tallied.
Our take: We hope the Department of Justice takes a bat to the offending companies. Fixing the market for profit reeks of indescribably bogus behavior.
6. Cuil
Initial announcements regarding Cuil could make anyone believe that the engine was ready to battle Google. With $33 million in venture capitalism to back a husband and wife team of Google descent, they certainly had the ammunition to unleash a convincing first salvo. Unfortunately for Cuil, the pressure to release made for an inadequate public debut that left a poor impression.
LOLWUT?
Though Cuil debuted with a bigger search index than Google, the awkwardly-named service seemed utterly incapable of managing it; we said as much in our July analysis which dinged Cuil for failing on multiple accounts.
In light of all the negative press, we were disappointed to learn that Cuil has gained little ground in fixing the issues first illustrated with the service. The engine still fails the tests we threw at it in July, and it remains obsessed with linking irrelevant images to leading search results.
Our take: Apparently bigger isn’t always better! Cuil has a long way to go before it becomes a capable search engine, much less a competitor to Google. Can we expect media searches some time before 2000never?
5. Psystar
A mixed bag of a company out of Miami, FL, Psystar sells surveillance and communications equipment in addition to the world’s first commercially-available Hackintoshes. Say what?
Announced in April, Psystar stepped up to the plate to offer their Core 2 Duo-based “OpenMac” line, which sells for $554 with a preinstalled version of OS X hacked to run on a normal x86 box. Aside from early scam and vaporware allegations, hackintoshes have four tiny little problems:
- Support: None!
- Compatibility: Nope!
- Updates: Impossible!
- An installation of OS X on non-Apple hardware is a gross violation of the OS X EULA.
The face of infringement.
Surprisingly, it took Apple lawyers more than two months to summon Psystar in court. A lawsuit filed in July alleged that Psystar willfully infringed on Apple’s intellectual property. In response to the July suit, Psystar filed a since dismissed antitrust counterclaim that alleged monopolistic practices on Apple’s behalf. Later in November, Apple moved forward with a second claim that Psystar was violating the DMCA by circumventing the protection that keeps OS X on Apple hardware.
However, the situation just gets curiouser and curiouser with Apple’s belief that someone with an agenda is behind Psystar’s very brazen activities. Apple remains convinced that the antics of the fledgling Florida firm are backed by a significant pool of money which has, in part, been used to pay for one of Silicon Valley’s best law firms.
Our take: The obtuse stupidity of Psystar’s maneuvers is immediately obvious. While we’re not fond of the Apple tax on what is essentially generic hardware, obvious infringement is obvious. We hope Psystar stops crapping up the legal system and gives up the ghost on this pointless battle.
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