Imagination Takes A Bite Out Of Apple

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/05/apple-imagination-technologies-gpu-ai-ar.html

Apple corporation has often been romantically compared to pirates and predatory animals, but a less flattering, and possibly more accurate, metaphor is that of vultures living off the misfortunes of others and even creating misfortunes if there is profit to be gained. Although vultures are famous for scavenging dead carcasses, they are vicious opportunists without the slightest scruples who will steal newborn babies from their mama if they get half a chance by distracting her if necessary.

For years now, Apple has leveraged its domination of the semiconducting industry supply chain to produce three times the profit of the average company without contributing in the slightest to advancing the technology themselves but, of course, all good things must come to an end. With companies like Microsoft and Sony now making rapid progress into the same markets, it appears their strategy has changed again but, of course, not their tactics. It appears that, just as Microsoft has suddenly become interested in producing competitive high end hardware and focused their efforts on quantum computing and AI, Apple has decided to start moving in on low end hardware and developing AI of their own, of course, at the expense of their suppliers whenever possible.

They've declared war on countless companies before, including Google, however they've been cannibalizing their own supply chain recently attacking even Qualcomm, which is not some small sweatshop in China or India, but their stocks recently tumbled as much as 70% when they declared war on their gpu supplier, Imagination Technologies. Its a British company that can't hold a candle to giants like Qualcomm, but Apple's attack on them was so irrational and obviously fated to fail that, apparently, even Wall Street traders could not shrug it off and spin it as business as usual and had to accept that Apple is possible getting desperate. Normally, I couldn't care less about all these high tech companies going for each other's throats and comparing one to another for which is worst is like trying to decide which pile of crap smells worse, however, this fight is something special and could mean the industry is about to see a few dramatic changes for the better or worse, that is, assuming its possible for high tech industries to become worse considering they are among the biggest contributors to pollution, sweatshops, conflict minerals, and whatnot.

Watching the worst of the giants get stomped in the stock market for their unscrupulous predatory practices is rather gratifying, but Imagination Technologies has been developing the first real time ray tracing gpu which may delay its entry into the market thanks to Apple's move. For years now, the money and the guns have been driving the development of new technology explaining how Apple has managed to dominate their suppliers, but the technology itself is now rapidly beginning to take the lead again and we shall have to wait and see what happens. Believe it or not, we are poised for the next electronic revolution sometime in the next ten years that could make the invention of the transistor and integrated microprocessor look quaint in comparison. For their part, Imagination Technologies has let it be known they will be releasing a statement within a few days as to their intentions. No doubt, after they haggle with Apple over the price of their technology which, everyone agrees, Apple would have to steal from them outright if they can't come to an agreement.

 

Good to read!