Hehe nah they did well. Real estate is always a safe value! anything that's virtual these days (stocks etc) is risky...
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Apple Preps for NC Data Center Launch, Paid $1.7 Million to Couple for 1-Acre Plot
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Hehe nah they did well. Real estate is always a safe value! anything that's virtual these days (stocks etc) is risky...
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What is it to you what they do with their money? Would you appreciate it if strangers on the Internet decided that your spending choices were unacceptable?
prostuff1 said:
What is it to you what they do with their money? Would you appreciate it if strangers on the Internet decided that your spending choices were unacceptable?
Well, the difference between patents on one side and copyright or land ownership on the other side is that copyright and land ownership stop me from stealing _your_ property, they don't stop me from writing similar software, and they wouldn't have stopped Apple from building their data centre somewhere else.
Patents do just that: They give the patent holder rights even when someone else re-invents the same thing and doesn't even know about the patents. And especially with software patents, the actual value in a software patent when measured in development time saved by the licensor is usually zero. Below zero if you take into account that people have to spend time making sure something they just developed is not patented by someone. The only value in patents is their value as a blackmail tool or as a tool to stop competitors. The benefits of software patents for the society are less than zero.
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The other problem with the original satire is that this couple of course did develop the land - they had a house there.
I realize it was just satire, but it was too far off the mark to NE particularly funny.
gnasher729 said:
The other problem with the original satire is that this couple of course did develop the land - they had a house there.
I realize it was just satire, but it was too far off the mark to NE particularly funny.
It took several offers from Apple for the Fulbrights to consider moving. "They told us to put a price on it and we did," Kathy Fulbright told Bloomberg. Using the funds from the sale, the Fulbrights purchased a 49-acre piece of land with a 4,200-square-foot-house and a Jacuzzi, the report noted.
so they spent most of it on a ridiculous house? another american idiot that can't manage money.
so they spent most of it on a ridiculous house? another american idiot that can't manage money.
Money management is not only an issue in America. Have you seen the riots in Europe lately?
They can afford a few shares now
You're not getting it. They could have spent it all and tripled or even quadrupled their value.
They could have then bought the new spread with double the bounty in the bank to boot.
They're greedy, but not that smart.
I hope the couple accounted for how much they'll be paying in property taxes for their new home. It would suck if they're unable to pay the property taxes because they used up all the money, and end up losing everything. They should have bought something more reasonably sized and kept the rest of the money in a bank for taxes and a rainy day.
I mostly agree. But what if this couple refused at even the 1500% markup they were offered. What if they saw that the company is apple and wants to build a billion dollar data center and thus refused to sell for even a penny under 17 millon for their 170,000 home? And apple said, no deal.
Should NC be okay with losing out on 10s of thousands of jobs in their state because of this?
If you guys don't care about the jobs, would you guys be okay with OTA iTunes and Cloud and all the upgrades getting delayed by an year or two as a result.
I think imminent domain sometimes makes sense.
I mostly agree. But what if this couple refused at even the 1500% markup they were offered. What if they saw that the company is apple and wants to build a billion dollar data center and thus refused to sell for even a penny under 17 millon for their 170,000 home? And apple said, no deal.
Should NC be okay with losing out on 10s of thousands of jobs in their state because of this?
If you guys don't care about the jobs, would you guys be okay with OTA iTunes and Cloud and all the upgrades getting delayed by an year or two as a result.
I think imminent domain sometimes makes sense.
I love it when people say they need to use eminent domain, cause they will LOSE tax money. they arent losing anything, they are trying to make more!
Nothing worse than someone who is so greedy, that they are willing to step on someone, who is trying to live out their life in the home they worked for, for an mount of money which would only add a fraction to their bank account.
If some state wants to help apple build a data center so they can get more taxes, then they need to plan ahead more. there is tons of land in NC where no one lives.
Nothing worse than someone who is so greedy, that they are willing to step on someone, who is trying to live out their life in the home they worked for, for an mount of money which would only add a fraction to their bank account.
If some state wants to help apple build a data center so they can get more taxes, then they need to plan ahead more. there is tons of land in NC where no one lives.
Yeah, a million bucks might buy you a 4-bedroom house on a quarter-acre lot in Cupertino. The Cupertino school district is probably worth $150K.
You don't actually know how big 4200 sf is, do you? It's not that big. My parents' house approaches that, and it's just a rambler with a couple added bedrooms in back. I'm sure the Fulbrights have a nicer house, now, but it's not like a mansion in the Hamptons at 25000 sf.
What is coming in 2011 as a result of this datacenter:
1. Ability to purchase movies returns to the Apple TV via streaming. For example you buy a movie and rather than download it Apple will simply stream it any time as often as you want to your Apple TV or any other Apple device including iPad and iPhone.
2. Same as above for music.
3. Full iPhone/iPad backup and sync via the cloud in real time will come to iOS 5.0 making any sync with a computer unnecessary.
These are obvious but the sky is the limit.
1. Ability to purchase movies returns to the Apple TV via streaming. For example you buy a movie and rather than download it Apple will simply stream it any time as often as you want to your Apple TV or any other Apple device including iPad and iPhone.
2. Same as above for music.
3. Full iPhone/iPad backup and sync via the cloud in real time will come to iOS 5.0 making any sync with a computer unnecessary.
These are obvious but the sky is the limit.
It was on the primary corner of their data center property right between their main two driveways.
It woulda been kinda funny to have a residence there for years to come, but I suspect they would have become annoyed with the truck traffic and became complainers. This solves it. Maybe Steve will put a tofu bar on the corner there now?
Rocketman
I hope this couple isn't relying solely on their windfall from Apple to keep their new home and property going. They need to figure in property taxes that they to pay while they own the place. And how much of that $1.7 million will actually go to them after taxes? Not a very smart move to blow all that cash.
I would've asked Apple for $1.7 million in shares and watch that baby double, even triple in less than 5 years. Look how successful the iPad is and AppleTV will be... Just a "hobby", right, Steve? Yeah right... Prepare for Apple to take over your digital life...
I would've asked Apple for $1.7 million in shares and watch that baby double, even triple in less than 5 years. Look how successful the iPad is and AppleTV will be... Just a "hobby", right, Steve? Yeah right... Prepare for Apple to take over your digital life...
I've seen the blueprints for the site and noticed an interesting label over that area. I'm not sure what it means, but it says: SJ F35 LANDING ZONE.
Exactly!
I've had enough of these real estate squatters and land trolls. I think if someone owns a piece of valuable land and doesn't develop it within 2 years, they should lose the rights to that land. It's ridiculous for Apple and others to have to pay these ransoms.
/satire
Most excellent reply.
If they have a high property tax bill it means they have highly valued property. They would then need to sell but wouldn't be hurting for money.
1) its totally nuts that some random people that have lived in a modest home their entire lives buying a not-that-huge house in their golden years bothers you.
2) how do you know they paid cash? how do we know they didnt just make a down payment and have a doable mortgage?
I happen to agree with him. I also think they should have bought something bigger.
or not.
greedy? for staying in the same home for decades and not leaving it the moment theyre asked to? uh yeah, nice logic buddy.
and youve met them and assessed their intelligence? no? oh.
of course they should, because this is america and the couple OWNED the property. they dont HAVE to sell it to any company, no matter how attractive that company is. thats called freedom.
you scare me.
awesome post, dude.
It is now allowed by the conservative supreme court. Eminent domain can be used for private development.
If your parents house approches 4,200 sq. ft. then that is large house. All houses i have grown up in have been ranch style and if you include the basements was always less than 3,500 sq .ft.
I just bought my first house and it is 1,700 sq. ft. and it is large enough for a family of 4. I have one room mate living with me now and I have almost no furniture in the living room as I don't own enough stuff yet.
I guess our ideas of huge differ a little bit. I consider anything over the 3,500 sq. ft. mark to be huge, but i am use to growing up in decent sized ranch style houses that were around the 3,000 sq. ft. mark.
I'm not sure why anyone, that could pay cash for something up front and avoid the interest, would do a mortgage. If i could have paid cash for my new house I would have in a heart beat and avoided all the interest that gets piled on.
Lots and lots of people who have far more money than you or I will ever have buy mortgages all the time. Why would you want to lock up all that liquid in something when you can use it elsewhere?
What a load of knee-jerk reactions and judgemental craziness!
Good on them. That doesn't sound like too giant a house - who knows how many members of their family might want to visit it now and ultimately inherit it one day. I have no sympathy for anyone who's saddened by the fact that total strangers spent their money on something they considered worthwhile.
Nobody has enough information to even guess their reasoning for it let alone suggest they don't know how to manage their money. They likely know how to manage their money better than said posters know how to manage their internet use.
Good on them. That doesn't sound like too giant a house - who knows how many members of their family might want to visit it now and ultimately inherit it one day. I have no sympathy for anyone who's saddened by the fact that total strangers spent their money on something they considered worthwhile.
Nobody has enough information to even guess their reasoning for it let alone suggest they don't know how to manage their money. They likely know how to manage their money better than said posters know how to manage their internet use.
Because then I own it and not the bank. My parents just bought a new house to be closer to there parents and they used the sale of the previous house to pay for this one. It is now fully paid off and they have only been in it for 6 months.