Linked List: December 2, 2014

Tuesday, 2 December 2014

Eddy Cue Talks to Fortune as Apple Appeals E-Book Price-Fixing Judgment 

Roger Parloff has an excellent overview of the Apple price-fixing case, including an exclusive interview with Eddy Cue. Here’s the nut of it:

In truth, though, anyone complaining about Amazon has a tough row to hoe. Since the 1970s a broad consensus has emerged that the only proper purpose of the antitrust laws is to protect consumers, and low prices are presumed to be the consumer’s highest priority. Under that regimen, gigantic discounters like Amazon seem to be golden.

This case may mark the high-water mark in that worldview, with regulators rushing to the rescue of a near monopolist against the alleged depredations of a new entrant.

The key question is who needs antitrust protection here. The DOJ chose to “protect” e-book buying consumers from higher retail prices. Apple’s argument is that it’s the publishers who needed protection from Amazon. Parloff makes clear that the publishers had no negotiating leverage with Amazon until after the iBooks Store was announced.

One thing that seems clear to me: Apple’s executive team believes that they’re in the right here:

Many are surprised Apple didn’t settle long ago. The case seems to be more about reputation than money. (Under a conditional settlement worked out in June, if Apple loses the appeal, it will pay $450 million in damages and attorney fees. If it wins, it pays nothing.)

“We feel we have to fight for the truth,” says Cue. “Luckily, Tim feels exactly like I do,” he continues, referring to Apple CEO Tim Cook, “which is: You have to fight for your principles no matter what. Because it’s just not right.”

Joanna Stern on the $200 HP Stream 11 

Joanna Stern:

The HP Stream 11 runs a full version of Windows 8.1 yet costs only $200. But wait, there’s more: It also comes with a free year of Office 365 and 1 terabyte of Microsoft OneDrive cloud storage — a $70 value. Buyers even get a $25 gift certificate for the Microsoft Windows Store. Do the math and this laptop costs $105.

It really does sound like one of those too-good-to-be-true, TV-shopping network deals, minus, of course, the “four easy installments” plan and “Call right now!” instructions. But this isn’t even a holiday special or a clearance deal. It’s Microsoft’s new strategy to try to destroy Google’s low-cost, cloud-based Chromebooks.

So are Chromebooks gaining traction because they’re so cheap? Or is it because in some contexts people want simple devices running Chrome OS? I suspect it’s a little bit of Column A and a little bit of Column B — and so something like this HP Stream 11 isn’t going have much of an effect on Chromebooks.

At what point would it be feasible for Microsoft to give away cheap laptops for “free” in exchange for a two-year Office 365 subscription?

Typeset in the Future: ‘Alien’ 

Dave Addey on the typography (and iconography) of Ridley Scott’s Alien. So fucking great.

How Speakers Make Sound 

Fascinating visual explanation by Jacob O’Neil at Animagraffs. Be careful, you can lose an hour or so on this site, easily. (Via Shawn King.)