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Apple Computer, Inc.


Self Description

February 2008: "Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone."

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2008/02/05iphoneipodtouch.html
August 2002: "Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings." http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=aapl&script=11906&layout=7&item_id='index.htm'

Third-Party Descriptions

February 2011: "SUZHOU, China — Last week, when Apple released its annual review of labor conditions at its global suppliers, one startling revelation stood out: 137 workers at a factory here had been seriously injured by a toxic chemical used in making the signature slick glass screens of the iPhone."

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/23/technology/23apple.html

November 2009: "But the love that consumers send Apple’s way could flag if the company puts into place new advertising technology it has developed. In an application filed last year and made public last month by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Apple is seeking a patent for technology that displays advertising on almost anything that has a screen of some kind: computers, phones, televisions, media players, game devices and other consumer electronics."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/business/15digi.html

July 2009: 'The Federal Communications Commission is examining a recent decision by Apple to reject an iPhone application developed by Google. On Friday, the commission sent letters to executives at Apple, Google and AT&T, which is the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in the United States, saying it was “interested in a more complete understanding of this situation.”'

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/01/technology/companies/01google.html

July 2009: 'But contrary to Apple’s claim that the new iPhone 3GS is more enterprise friendly, the new iPhone 3GS’ encryption feature is “broken” when it comes to protecting sensitive information such as credit card numbers and social-security digits, Zdziarski said.'

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/07/iphone-encryption/

July 2009: 'Regulators at the Federal Trade Commission have been investigating whether Google and Apple are violating antitrust laws by sharing two board members: Eric E. Schmidt, chief executive of Google, and Arthur D. Levinson, chief executive of Genentech. Under Section 8 of the Clayton Antitrust Act, companies with “interlocking directorates” face limits on sharing information through common board members.'

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/technology/companies/09apple.html

July 2009: "A new investigation into Chinese labor law disputes reveals that Apple still isn't immune to associations with manufacturing partners that aren't in compliance with laws designed to improve labor conditions for Chinese workers. Despite instigating a comprehensive auditing process after it was revealed that Foxconn—assembler of iPods—had serious problems with worker conditions, Apple's own investigations reveal that over half of the factories it audited last year didn't pay overtime, and a quarter paid less than mandated minimum wages. The widespread problems affect other companies as well, but also threaten to sully Apple's otherwise squeaky clean corporate image."

http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/07/labor-issues-in-china-continue-to-plague-apple-and-others.ars

April 2009: "TAIPEI — The Taiwanese company Elan Microelectronics has sued Apple, alleging infringement of two of its touch screen patents, an Elan spokesman said Wednesday."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/technology/companies/09apple.html

April 2009: 'Laws that vary by state would no doubt be a headache for companies that sell products online across the country. In the coming days, Minnesota's House of Representatives is due to consider a bill introduced by Representative Jim Davnie that would levy a sales tax on digital downloads of e-books, music, movies, and even ringtones. The tax would affect a wide range of tech companies, including Microsoft (MSFT) and Apple (AAPL). "There's clear opposition from the IT industry," Davnie says. "Apple, Microsoft have been in my office." Microsoft declined to comment for this story. Apple couldn't immediately be contacted. Amazon.com Wants Tax Uniformity'

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2009/tc20090426_510375.htm

June 2009: 'The timing of the transplant news, so close to the release of data on sales for the latest iPhone, suggests to Coffee that Apple—or people very close to it—were behind the information leak. Apple may have paired potentially negative news with positive developments to blunt the stock-market impact of the transplant information, Coffee speculates.'

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2009/tc20090622_877379.htm

June 2009: "SAN FRANCISCO — Silicon Valley was abuzz Wednesday with news that the Justice Department had begun an antitrust investigation into the hiring practices of some of the best-known companies in the technology and biotech industries, including Google, Apple, Yahoo and Genentech."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/technology/companies/04trust.html

January 2009: 'Jobs's long-standing reluctance to discuss details of his ailment and prognosis has infuriated some investors, and, as expected, Apple's share price plunged yesterday. In the announcement, Jobs, 53, said he would be taking medical leave until the end of June. But, he said, "as CEO, I plan to remain involved in major strategic decisions while I am out."'

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/14/AR2009011402790.html

September 2008: "The rejections aren't the actual problem here, just as the iPhone's reception problems weren't the actual problem when they popped up in July. The problem is Apple's lack of communication with developers or the press when things go wrong. People want true explanations and clear guidelines. Needless to say, Apple didn't comment for this story; in fact, its representatives refuse to talk to me at all."

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2330580,00.asp

March 2008: "Microsoft may not be the only software company that uses secret techniques to make its own applications work better with its operating system - a Mozilla Firefox developer has discovered similar practices at Apple."

http://techworld.com/applications/news/index.cfm?newsID=11588

February 2008: "Apple has had a FileVault disk encryption feature as an option in its OS X operating system since 2003. Microsoft added file encryption last year with BitLocker features in its Windows Vista operating system. The programs both use the federal government’s certified Advanced Encryption System algorithm to scramble data as it is read from and written to a computer hard disk. But both programs leave the keys in computer memory in an unencrypted form."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/22/technology/22chip.html

September 2007: Apple has today stated that unlocking the iPhone is an official warranty violation. Further, they have stated that future iPhone firmware updates may damage unlocked iPhones. However, Apple may have violated an important federal warranty law in doing so. Click read more for full analysis.

http://www.phonenews.com/content/view/2386/9/

September 2007: Software and legal experts said the European ruling might signal problems for companies like Apple, Intel and Qualcomm, whose market dominance in online music downloads, computer chips and mobile phone technology is also being scrutinized by the European Commission.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/technology/18soft.html

September 2007: Record labels would also like to see some flexible pricing, Card said, but they have been unable to convince industry leader Apple, which stands by its price of 99 cents per track and has even broken off partnerships with companies rather than compromise on pricing.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/14/AR2007091402282.html

May 2006: 1. 'It's good to be king — but my reign may be coming to an end.' Since launching the iPod in 2001, Apple has been the undisputed leader in digital music players, owning 90 percent of the market. What has set the iPod apart is not only its hip, user-friendly design, but also its companion iTunes music store, the first online audio megamart, offering an ever-expanding catalog of songs for purchase at the click of a mouse. This two-pronged approach has given Apple a huge lead over competitors; so far the company has sold over 40 million iPods and more than a billion songs on iTunes. But the iPod's days at the top may be numbered.

http://www.smartmoney.com/10things/index.cfm?story=june2006

January 2007: This drama begins in 2004, when Mac fan sites AppleInsider and PowerPage reported the technological details about a product codenamed 'Asteroid.' Apple sought the identity of the sources who leaked the information by filing suit against the bloggers, and subpoenaed their email records from email service provider Nfox.com. The company claimed that the reports violated California's trade secret laws.

http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2007/01/30/apple-ordered-to-pay-legal-fees-for-bloggers

January 2007: There's absolutely nothing in the GAAP requirements that says Apple must charge its customers for that software upgrade. The only requirement imposed by GAAP is that Apple must account for the separate value of the 802.11n capability, said MIT's LaFond. It can do this by creating a value at the time of purchase or it can wait until it delivers that capability to record all the revenue associated with the product. Now on News.com:

http://cnn-cnet.com.com/Apples+802.11n+accounting+conundrum/2100-1044_3-6151790.html

January 2007: Apple has essentially blamed former chief financial officer Fred Anderson and former general counsel and board secretary Nancy Heinen, both of whom are no longer with the company. But Apple makes clear that Jobs was directly involved in some instances of backdating. The investigation 'found that CEO Steve Jobs was aware or recommended the selection of some favorable grant dates.' The committee hastens to add that Jobs 'did not receive or financially benefit from these grants or appreciate the accounting implications.' In other words, he didn't recommend backdating his own option grants. Still, given that (a) backdating helps make earnings look better than they are; and (b) Jobs is a huge shareholder of Apple (10.12 million shares, as of last April), how could he not benefit from this behavior?

http://www.slate.com/id/2157160

December 2006: Apple Computer disclosed yesterday that it had falsified approval of 7.5 million stock options for its chief executive and innovative co-founder, Steve Jobs, raising new questions about the role he may have played in a scandal that has swirled around the dynamic technology company for months.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/29/AR2006122900253.html

October 2006: Jobs was aware 'in a few instances' that unnamed company executives had gone back in time to cherry-pick dates when stock prices were low to increase the likelihood that employees would turn greater profits. But Jobs did not 'receive or otherwise benefit from these grants,' the Cupertino, Calif., company said in a statement after the markets closed.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/04/AR2006100401376.html

January 2005: Apple Computer's lawsuit against a Web site that published details of forthcoming Mac products raises troubling First Amendment questions, media experts say.

http://news.com.com/2100-1047_3-5519311.html

Relationships

RoleNameTypeLast Updated
Status/Name Change to Apple Organization Mar 4, 2008
Owner of (partial or full, past or present) Object Technology Licensing Corporation Organization Mar 3, 2010
Owner of (partial or full, past or present) Taligent Organization Mar 3, 2010
Organization Executive (past or present) Tim Cook Person Jan 21, 2009
Research/Analysis Subject Philip Elmer-DeWitt Person Mar 19, 2012
Research/Analysis Subject Adam C. Engst Person Jan 21, 2009
Opponent (past or present) Mark Fiore Person Apr 16, 2010
Organization Executive (past or present) Richard Gingras Person Feb 6, 2006
Organization Head/Leader (past or present) Founded/Co-Founded by Steven "Steve" P. Jobs Person Dec 30, 2006
Organization Executive (past or present) Dr. Alan Kay Ph.D. Person Aug 10, 2011
Organization Executive (past or present) Thomas McInerney Person Sep 27, 2006
Opponent (past or present) Jason D. O'Grady Person May 30, 2006
Employee/Freelancer/Contractor (past or present) Steve Perlman Person Jan 13, 2008
Advised by (past or present) Lawrence Sonsini Esq. Person Jul 27, 2006
Founded/Co-Founded by Steve Wozniak Person Dec 9, 2005

Articles and Resources

87 Articles and Resources. Go to:  [Beginning] [Previous 20] [Next 20]

Date Fairness.com Resource Read it at:
Sep 12, 2006 Facebook: Opening the Doors Wider

QUOTE: Now that anyone living most anywhere in the U.S. can open an account, it's a further step from the clubby feel that originally ingratiated the site to colleges. Execution aside, the strategy has some industry watchers scratching their heads. Sites dream of having such a lock on the free-spending, hard-to-reach college audience and by trying to do more, Facebook risks alienating them and opening the door to a competitor.

 BusinessWeek
Sep 06, 2006 Report Estimates the Costs of a Stock Options Scandal

QUOTE: “From a shareholder’s perspective, it’s not just the extra compensation the executives got, it’s not just the extra taxes they have to pay,” said H. Nejat Seyhun, “There may be additional payouts for class-action lawsuits as well as worrying about the quality of the top management.”

 New York Times
Sep 01, 2006 Safety Last

QUOTE: While we as consumers might wonder why vendors are selling batteries intended to go in pockets and briefcases that have greater energy storage density than dynamite, recent history actually shows that we’ll accept almost any risk for more power.

 New York Times
Aug 29, 2006 Universal Backs Free Music Rival to iTunes

QUOTE: reflects the music industry’s eagerness to experiment with various digital business models and to find a way to overcome piracy and illegal copying...record executives have begun to chafe at Apple’s dominance in the online market, particularly its insistence on a one-size-fits-all pricing model, saying it has restricted the growth of digital sales.

 New York Times
Aug 29, 2006 China IPod Journos Speak

QUOTE: "We were fulfilling our duties as socially concerned reporters to expose this maltreatment of workers in Shenzhen," said journalist Weng. "Now this court case will make the entire media industry and every Chinese reporter fear writing investigative reports."

 Wired
Aug 22, 2006 IPod Factories: No Unions

QUOTE: Although Apple cleared its Chinese contractors of gross labor violations, factory work is a miserable way to make a living, and the Chinese workers are still denied their most important liberty -- the right to organize...the ban on unions isn't Apple's dictate, nor it's contractors. It's the Chinese government's.

 Wired
Aug 18, 2006 Apple Finds No Forced Labor at iPod Factory in South China

QUOTE: Apple sent an audit team to a Foxconn factory this summer after The Daily Mail of London reported forced labor and other sweatshop working conditions in Longhua...company investigation found several violations of Apple’s code of conduct and that the supplier, Foxconn, was changing its practices as a result.

 New York Times
Aug 12, 2006 EPlus Finds Problems in Stock Option Accounting

QUOTE: EPlus Inc., a maker of business software in Herndon, announced yesterday that it would restate its financial results for the past two years because of "incorrect accounting" for stock option awards, as disclosures mounted about questionable compensation practices.

 Washington Post
Aug 09, 2006 Who's Next In The Crosshairs?

QUOTE: "We cannot allow corporate leaders to operate under different rules, using 20-20 hindsight to line their own pockets," McNulty said. "We will continue to pursue misconduct in every boardroom where we see it."

 Forbes
Aug 04, 2006 Apple may restate profits amid accounting scandal

QUOTE: Apple has reported profits of $3.1bn (£1.6bn) over the period and its shares have risen four-fold. But the company conceded today that it may need to restate all its financial results since September 2002 because of irregularities in the way it granted share options to executives.

 Guardian Unlimited
Aug 03, 2006 Cybercrooks constantly find new ways into PCs

QUOTE: While software vendors agree that security holes, once discovered, ought to be patched quickly, they've yet to adopt a common minimum standard for notifying customers and issuing a security patch

 USA TODAY
Aug 03, 2006 Apple rejects Scandinavian iTunes claims

QUOTE: The Norwegian Consumer Council ...claims that restricting iTunes music to just one music player is illegal under Scandinavian laws and it wants iTunes opened up to all music players.
Jun 16, 2006 Sweatshop Conditions at IPod Factory Reported

QUOTE: The Mail on Sunday reported that a Chinese factory that manufactures iPods employs 200,000 workers who live in dormitories where visitors are not permitted. Workers toil for 15-hour days for as little as $50 per month, according to the article. As Mac fan sites buzzed with debate over the report, Apple issued a statement saying it is investigating the matter.

 Washington Post
Jun 15, 2006 High-Tech's “Sweatshop” Wake-Up Call

QUOTE: Allegations of sweatshop conditions at a Chinese plant making Apple's iPods put pressure on Big Tech to be more vigilant about overseas workers' treatment

 BusinessWeek
Jun 15, 2006 U.S. Joins Industry in Piracy War: Nations Pressed On Copyrights

QUOTE: The U.S. government has joined forces with the entertainment industry to stop the freewheeling global bazaar in pirated movies and music, pressuring foreign governments to crack down or risk incurring trade barriers.

 Washington Post
Jun 12, 2006 Now It's Europe vs. Apple: The Continent's regulators are scrutinizing the success of Apple's digital media platform, claiming that iTunes should be compatible with all MP3 players

QUOTE: ...Apple's practice of selling downloadable songs that can be played on only one portable player -- the iPod family of products and not other brands of player -- violates Norwegian law.

 BusinessWeek
Jun 08, 2006 Patent Claims Over Apple's IPod Escalate

QUOTE: the company asked the U.S. International Trade Commission to bar Apple from importing portable digital media players that Creative claims infringe on its intellectual property.

 Washington Post
Jun 01, 2006 Russian Download Site Is Popular and Possibly Illegal

QUOTE: Operating through what music industry lobbyists say is a loophole in Russia's copyright law, AllofMP3 offers a vast catalogue of music that includes artists who have not permitted their work to be sold online — like the Beatles and Metallica — at a fraction the cost of services like Apple Computer's iTunes service.

 New York Times
May 27, 2006 First Amendment Applies to Internet, Appeals Court Rules

QUOTE: A California appeals court ruled Friday that online reporters are protected by the same confidentiality laws that protect traditional journalists, striking a blow to efforts by Apple Computer to identify people who leaked confidential company data.

 New York Times
May 26, 2006 Loading the iPod With Egalitarianism: French Bills Have Firms Singing Blues

QUOTE: songs downloaded from Apple's online music store embedded with code that prevents them from being played on anything other than an iPod....French lawmakers say their bill is enlightened consumerism for cutting-edge technology, an effort to force Apple and other companies to freely compete, rather than relying on techno-secrets to crush the competition.

 Washington Post

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