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Apple Reportedly Pressures Pegatron into Ceasing ASUS Zenbook Production

daxomni said:
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It's good to see Apple becoming the next anti-competitive behemoth in true Wintel fashion, right LTD? I guess absolute power really does corrupt absolutely.
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I don't see them breaking any laws here. Not sure what you mean by "anti-competitive." Apple isn't anti-Asus competition. They've simply asked their supplier to choose. Apart from any contractual agreement Apple has with Pegatron, neither party is bound to the other.

Please stop misrepresenting the situation.
 
*LTD* said:
I don't see them breaking any laws here. Not sure what you mean by "anti-competitive." Apple isn't anti-Asus competition. They've simply asked their supplier to choose. Apart from any contractual agreement Apple has with Pegatron, neither party is bound to the other.

Please stop misrepresenting the situation.
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So if some theoretical other company were to approach Pegatron and offer them billions of dollars if they severed ties with Apple, you would say "Oh well, that's just how the cookie crumbles?"

Edit: I don't mean a bribe. See below.
 
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notjustjay said:
So if some theoretical other company were to approach Pegatron and offer them billions of dollars if they severed ties with Apple, you would say "Oh well, that's just how the cookie crumbles?"
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No. What a ridiculous comparison.

Apple isn't using material incentives to buy off a supplier in order to gain an unfair advantage.

What's more, is that Apple's complaint is based on what they allege to be wrongdoing on Asus' part, which indicates that Apple's position is not simply based on some arbitrary grievance, but on legal footing - which they might very well explore against Asus.
 
It's not that similar to the Macbook Air - the sides are all cut off looking, and the top's a different texture. Anyone got a link to some more side by side pics?
 
notjustjay said:
So if some theoretical other company were to approach Pegatron and offer them billions of dollars if they severed ties with Apple, you would say "Oh well, that's just how the cookie crumbles?"
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No, you're assuming Apple is bribing them to choose them over Asus, which is absolutely illegal. They have not thrown money at Pegatron.

No, Apple is merely saying we'll take our business elsewhere if you don't stop working with Asus. Nothing illegal about that. As a supplier, who would you choose? I'm pretty sure you'd choose the larger paying customer. You are also running a business too, right?
 
Icaras said:
No, you're assuming Apple is bribing them to choose them over Asus, which is absolutely illegal. They have not thrown money at Pegatron.

No, Apple is merely saying we'll take our business elsewhere if you don't stop working with Asus. Nothing illegal about that. As a supplier, who would you choose? I'm pretty sure you'd choose the larger paying customer. You are also running a business too, right?
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OK, fair enough, I should have clarified. I didn't mean a bribe. But supposing there was some other company that said "you have to choose us, or Apple", and suppose that this theoretical company had enough clout that the factories chose them instead of Apple. I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be here singing praises of "well, that's just business, good for them for being shrewd".
 
From 2010:

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20100210PD221.html?mod=2

Asustek Computer finalized the spin-off of its manufacturing arm Pegatron Technology on February 9, according to the company.

Asustek and Pegatron will be listed synchronously on June 24. Asustek's stock will suspend trading from trading from May 8 to June 23. The official spin-off will occur in June 1.

Asustek chairman Jonney Shih pointed out that the company is aiming to become another Apple, but will instead adopt open-source platforms including ARM and Google combinations, and Windows/Intel to suit consumer demand.
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http://www.electronista.com/articles/10/02/10/asus.chief.thinks.eee.pad.will.take.on.ipad/

ASUS wants to transform itself into 'another Apple' and has a device in the works to help it along, company CEO Jonney Shih said Wednesday. He hopes his Taiwan firm will be put on the Mac maker's level but serve as an open-source alternative that uses Android and Chrome OS, not just closed options like Windows.
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Apparently Shih meant it a little more literally than people thought. ASUS' intentions are obvious, of course.
 
I'm confused. ASUS used to own Pegatron, but has been spinning off the manufacturing company. Have they finished selling off their investment?
 
We don't know enough to pass judgement here. It could be that:

1) Apple applied pressure illegally and is going to be hit with a lawsuit.
2) (as others have noted) Pegatron is dedicating their production capacity to Apple, and will have to pay terms to ASUS pursuant to their contract.
3) Apple licensed IP to Pegatron regarding unibody production, and Pegatron illegally used that IP for ASUS. Now Pegatron is halting ASUS production as fast as possible to avoid a lawsuit from Apple.

Or some other explanation. I doubt anyone on MR really knows.
 
I could understand this, if Apple invested in tooling to create the gear, and thus gave Pegatron the means to produce the technology. Though we know nothing, which is why this one is tough to judge.
 
*LTD* said:
From 2010:





Apparently Shih meant it a little more literally than people thought. ASUS' intentions are obvious, of course.
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in other words they are going to fight damn hard for the 5% of mobile profits that aren't taken by apple or samsung
 
A couple years back, not long after Apple switched to the aluminum unibodies for its laptops, I remember reading an article about a Chinese manufacturer which was working very closely with Apple in obtaining the aluminum machining robots for making these cases. I can't remember if it was Pegasus or Hon Hai or Foxconn or one of the others. Anyway, the implication was that it was Apple that initiated the request to establish these manufacturing facilities and to encourage the investment in the machinery, and that they worked closely with Apple on it. If Pegasus was among those companies, then Apple probably has a right to be miffed if they turned around and used those same processes and or facilities for another competitor. I guess that's also always one of the dangers of using outside contractors to do manufacturing instead of doing it in house.
 
lord patton said:
We don't know enough to pass judgement here. It could be that:

1) Apple applied pressure illegally and is going to be hit with a lawsuit.
2) (as others have noted) Pegatron is dedicating their production capacity to Apple, and will have to pay terms to ASUS pursuant to their contract.
3) Apple licensed IP to Pegatron regarding unibody production, and Pegatron illegally used that IP for ASUS. Now Pegatron is halting ASUS production as fast as possible to avoid a lawsuit from Apple.

Or some other explanation. I doubt anyone on MR really knows.
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4) Or some other explanation: ASUS Zenbook is not selling at high enough numbers, forcing ASUS to use a lower tier contract manufacturer to bring its costs down. Somebody comes up with the brilliant marketing spin that Apple is forcing them to switch through shady means. Everybody loves an underdog, great viral story.
 
Wiesenlooser said:
Because they should be confident in the quality of their own product and not what other companies are doing.
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Try to make a car that "only looks" like a Porsche or a Lamborghini, then get back to us.

Good for Asus for trying to cut ties with Microsoft and Windows, however. More options is always good.
 
Apple is guilty! Boycott!!!

Oh, wait, this is a Digitimes report. Never mind. False alarm... Awaiting real facts instead. If Pegatron isn’t making ASUS machines anymore, what’s the real reason?
 
here we go again ... first the iPad now every alu laptop with black keyboard is a rip off ... sometimes i feel embarrassed for all my apple products

the worst is that its just the VENDOR not the actual product designer, who is apple to tell them who they can and cant produce for. crazy

if apple were the government we'd all WISH we were in china
 
i prefer to see apple competing with the best products instead of pushing competitors out of the market by blackmailing vendors. i hope the antitrust offices will pick this up.

and this device doesn't even look like the macbook air.
 
This couldend up being a bigger problem. Look at Intel; they used to give rebates and incentives to OEMs that didn't use AMD chips and they ended up with big fines and legal issues for that.
 
*LTD* said:
Of course. Why should Apple tolerate their supplier churning out fake Macbook Airs for someone else?

Apple is now in a position to do this, and more power to them.
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In fairness, its not a bootleg MBA. If Apple has an issue with patent infringement...they should take it up with ASUS(and the courts).

Is Pegatron going to be bullied against making every ultrabook? They all end up looking like the Air...
 
They are doing a favor to anyone who buys those notebooks to type a lot of text. It's awful key travel size kills any desire to type whatsoever.

On the other hand they if they are pressuring factories like this it might go wrong. But since they get constantly copied I understand them.
 
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