Apple has coralled 60% of the world's touch panels capacity, delaying RIM's PlayBook launch
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Cupertino proactively addressed the supply shortage expected after the Japanese earthquake by divesting to other suppliers, and eating up the manufacturing costs increase by prepaying for the touch panels.
This is reported to be one reason that the BlackBerry PlayBook launch is delayed. RIM's tablet was supposed to become widely available on April 19th for $499, but this will probably be pushed with a month. We will be at RIM's PlayBook event next week in New York, so we'll know if that's indeed true.
Apple has reportedly shelled out $3.9 billion in larger touch panel supply deals, which is the company's traditional way to secure priority shipments and discounts. Plus, Apple can afford it, with its $50 billion war chest.
source: AppleInsider
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36 Comments
1. andro (unregistered) posted on 08 Apr 2011, 05:40 0 0
If apple doesn't brainwash susceptible public into buy their products they make sure the opposition can't have theirs on the market,as seen by this and all their senseless recent 'we're suing you' court cases against manufacturers with better tech.
And fanboys will continue to buy
2. TDroid21 posted on 08 Apr 2011, 05:58 1 0
"apple has secured the LION's share.."
nice scheme from apple which wuold basically put teh competition in their hands and devour the touchscreen market..
Apple is finally showing it's true colors..
5. Super Android Evo (unregistered) posted on 08 Apr 2011, 08:25 0 0
Yeah it seems as Apple is not playing nice. I hope there is FAIR competition out there, because FAIR competition leads to innovation. Let's hope there is nothing sinister about this Apple touch screen shopping spree they are undergoing! WE ALL WANT INNOVATION!
3. davecann2 posted on 08 Apr 2011, 06:53 3 6
I think Apple Corp is acting more like a super heroes! They are trying to prevent the consumers from making a huge mistake by buying a mediocre touch screen device. Especially one like the BB Playbook.....lol
6. clevername posted on 08 Apr 2011, 08:27 4 3
God would you people listen to yourselves? Brainwashing? Scheming? This is a f*cking business!! this is capitalism! It aint nice. It ain't pretty. It's not fair or respectful! A business is only here to make money. You do that by selling a product and if you can fix it so more people buy your product than your competitions then you have succeeded. Now if you can fix it so your competition doesn't even get a product out you are king of the crop. This sort of this is a very common business strategy. Wal-mart runs smaller business out of town and forces mom and pops to close. This isn't an unfortunate side effect. A predator has eliminated competition!!
IT'S BUSINESS PEOPLE!!
7. Super Android Evo (unregistered) posted on 08 Apr 2011, 08:55 2 2
Listen, what you described is called a monopoly. THAT IS BAD FOR BUSINESS. Every company wants to win but they still want some competition so innovation can move forward and help make them more money. If there was just 1 tablet in the market it would become stagnant & no innovation would happen. Competition is very healthy for the business model to move forward. We are just stating that is SEEMS like Apple is trying to monopolize the tablet market, that’s all. I am interested in the tech moving forward & having options, not just one. If we had it your way no tablet in the world would have flash because Apple would be the only game in town!
21. SavageLucy42 posted on 08 Apr 2011, 15:21 0 0
I'm pretty sure if a business has a monopoly, they don't care about competition and innovation. If you want one (whatever the thing in question may be) you have to go through them.
Monopolies are good for the individual business but bad for consumers.
9. snowgator posted on 08 Apr 2011, 09:23 1 0
There are plenty of options. HTC, Samsung, Moto, Acer all have tablets. This is a direct result to the horror that was Japans disaster. All manufacturers of all electronics, including Apple, will feel this crunch over the next couple years. It is not as important as the lives destroyed. Relax, buying public. RIM and all other Companies will adjust.
28. cheetah2k posted on 08 Apr 2011, 18:27 0 0
Business yes, and Anti Competitive by nature.
Apple should watch themselves.
8. Minosnz (unregistered) posted on 08 Apr 2011, 08:55 1 0
although "it's business people" is a fair comment... and not really wanting to come across as an apple basher... but it does kinda look like it's anti-competion?
If Microsoft did something like that... surely you'd see Apple throwing their toys??
:)
10. clevername posted on 08 Apr 2011, 10:34 1 1
Please it's not a monopoly. Apple only secured 60%. Not 80, 90, or 100% far from a monopoly.
Also if microsoft did this it wouldn't even be news because this is how theyve operated for years! They have been doing this. Microsoft has a market share significantly higher than 60% no monopoly. And this isn't even talking about market share. It's talking about parts. Rim and the others just need to find better suppliers.
12. Super Android Evo (unregistered) posted on 08 Apr 2011, 10:44 0 0
Dude Microsoft had been in court because they were so big like a monopoly. They split up the company & one of the side effects from the breakup was the XBOX was born. You really have no clue about what you are talking about. 60% is more than half the market. They need to be FAIR so it doesn't get to 80, 90, or 100% as you say. This is simple economics. Dude have a clue before you type something. Like we keep saying it LOOKS like Apple is playing dirty. Let's hope this is not the case. Competition breads INNOVATION. & please get your facts right!
11. clevername posted on 08 Apr 2011, 10:37 0 0
One last thing too. The very reason you say it's bad for business is exactly why it's good for business. Since apple is taking the resources of the major suppliers it'll force rim and the other competitors to find other suppliers. This means that smaller suppliers get a chance and get boosts. Get to become bigger. It also means MORE INNOVATION because these suppliers will be working to make better and cheaper products to sell to the manufacturers like rim and moto.
13. Super Android Evo (unregistered) posted on 08 Apr 2011, 10:58 0 0
You just don't get it. Apple is getting the good quality stuff while everybody else get the leftovers. That is not boosting the INNOVATION. That is helping Apple's competitors make low quality products. Thus putting them out of business. Why can't you unserstand. Ok clevername whatever you say!
14. areyouserious (unregistered) posted on 08 Apr 2011, 11:08 3 0
First off let me disclaim that I am not an apple fanboy by any means, though those with no semblance of rationality will probably accuse me anyway. Never owned an iphone, mac, ipad, and don't plan to. With that said, the comments on here are so far beyond reason that it's almost laughable.
I don't see this as anti-competition in the sense of anti-trust at all. The business world is by nature competitive (T-Mobile vs ATT, Verizon vs ATT commercials anyone?). However what Apple did was they looked at this disaster, forecasted the increase in manufacturing costs and shortages, and acted quickly by diversifying suppliers and securing prepaid contracts. That is just smart business, plain and simple. And it is not like they are just buying them to hoard them - they are the market leader in the market that THEY created - the tablet market, so they obviously need these parts to meet the demand of the ipad and ipad2. Say what you will about the reasons for Apple's success in recent years - fanboydom, form over function, evil sorcery, whatever - but there's no doubt that this kind of heads up, preemptive thinking is one of them.
NO business, HTC, Samsung, Microsoft, or whoever, if they had the same foresight Apple did, will sit down and say "hm, costs are probably gonna go up, and there will be shortages of the parts we need for our product, but I'll wait anyway in the spirit of competition." Think about how utterly ridiculous that is. That's not the way the market works or has worked, ever.
15. Super Android Evo (unregistered) posted on 08 Apr 2011, 11:33 1 4
Dude you just don't sign a big job contract like that over night. This takes months to get iron out. Apple did this way before the disasters that are affecting Japan at this very moment even happened. This takes careful planning and it not done the way you say. If the business world was a simple as you make it. Apple SEEMS to be getting all the good stuff for themselves so no one can compete with them. Apple has high quality stuff while everybody else gets they low quality leftover stuff that Apple didn't want. That doesn't SEEM FAIR right!
17. areyouserious (unregistered) posted on 08 Apr 2011, 11:56 4 0
First of all, let's not ignore the fact that the iPad started this tablet revolution, which is why it has a ridiculous market share, like 80-90% of it. Granted, you make a fair point that alot of the prepaid contracts were secured before Japan. However, their diversifying of suppliers most likely happened afterwards, as that's when it makes reasonable sense to have happened. However, given the fact that 1. Their product revolutionized the market, and 2. They have a LION's share of the market share, it makes sense they they've purchased a LION's share of the manufacturing parts. Competitors may be getting what you call "leftovers" (although I think that is oversimplifying the case), but that is because they are chasing after Apple. That has nothing to do with "fairness." The fact that this happens is just common sense.
Lastly, you seem to be touting that Apple is stifling competition, and thus stifling innovation. But guess what, who started the tablet market again? I seem to be repeating myself but - Apple.
18. Super Android Evo (unregistered) posted on 08 Apr 2011, 12:59 2 2
There have been tablet PC years before Apple even coined the iPad. So you are wrong there. For someone not being an Apple fan boy you surely sound like one. I just hope that your Apple is playing fair. It's sucks that people can't jump and make a good product cause Apple has all the good stuff. Everyone is in delay while Apple keeps on chugging. It may not be what's happening but it awfully looks like it is! Remember this is how monopolies start, companies go on delay then they could never catch up thus the end of the product. History repeating itself just now in the tablet world. You & I will never truly understand Apple's motive so don't think that Apple can't do wrong cause then you are just a sucker. Remember the corporate world is a dirty world. Apple is not an innocent nor an honest company what so ever. There is no such perfect company. EVERY CORP has skeletons in their closet. REMEMBER THAT!
19. areyouserious (unregistered) posted on 08 Apr 2011, 13:23 3 0
You are now seriously leading me to doubt the quality of your education. You bring up the fanboy card, as I guessed you would, but I hope it doesn't strike you as impossible that a person can recognize business smarts without being a biased fanboy. I can recognize how good of a player Michael Jordan is and how good the Chicago Bulls were in the early '90s without being a fan of the Chicago bulls.
Next, you want to nitpick the modern "tablet" with "tablet PCs" that people used to use with a stylus to write or draw on them years ago, fine. You got me there. But if you want to talk about "tablets" now, they are a completely different product than what they were defined as before, both in their form and their function.
You also fail to debate any of my arguments about market share and logic about securing parts proportionately to meet demand. But that's ok, I didn't expect you to.
Did I say that Apple was a perfect company? I don't recall ever saying that. Like I said, I'm not a fanboy, and I do think that they are capable of wrong. However from the information that has been given, I would argue that to extrapolate this is anything more than a smart business decision is more of a case of Android fanboydom, or Apple haterdom.
Lastly I want to break down your argument, which is self-admittedly not rooted in facts, ("it awfully looks like it is!" is not an argument). And it is easy to do so, because your argument is simple - it doesn't seem to be fair. Let's take it a step further - let's say it's not fair (I may or may not even agree that this is the case). So what? What IS fair in this world, nonetheless the business world? What company is fair? Is Microsoft and Apple patenting their OS systems fair? Is any kind of patent fair? Shouldn't they NOT patent it so that everyone has a fair chance to use new technology and thus produce more "innovation?"
The business world by nature induces those with successful products to have an advantage. I never said the mechanics of the business world were simple, but this principle is.
