Not a surprise really. I mean Apple doesn't release the specs of a product before they launch, and since accessory manufacturers like to have their product launch day, they either have to guess, or more safely, pay off someone for the right technical specifications.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Supply Manager Arrested in Kickback Scheme Involving Accessories Manufacturers
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
“Kickback” seems like the wrong word. This is selling your employer’s trade secrets, whereas a kickback would be when you get your employer (or other party) to buy or hire something from a third party, and then that third party slips something back to you for making the deal happen. (And a kickback in that sense could even be legal sometimes. If not, then “bribe” might also apply! But “blackmail” doesn’t seem to be connected to this at all.)
Irony?
Is it ironic that as I scrolled through to the bottom of all your replies lo and behold! An iPhone case ad, provided by Google.
Is it ironic that as I scrolled through to the bottom of all your replies lo and behold! An iPhone case ad, provided by Google.
I agree. Its a bribe (money in exchange for information). Neither kickback nor blackmail fit.
That does seem likely, else Apple is just getting sloppy.On first glance, I thought the article read "medieval manager."
I wouldn't doubt that this is where many of the recent leaks have been coming from. It was quite unlike Apple to let so many secrets out. I can see one or two slipping by in a year, but it was as if the flood gates had opened.
That's what I was thinking. Maybe they do it for the thrill?
Personally I'd be happy with an Apple exec wage and I'd do whatever I could to keep that income.
What you describe as a bribe is more like blackmail. Bribes are for influencing decision making.
Really what's going on is he just was selling trade secrets.
This guy is fried. He has committed the ultimate sin against Apple. I wonder what Apple lawyers will try to do to him in civil court.
"Ultimate sin against Apple"? You make it sound as if you think Apple is some kind of cult. If that's what you think, you should get a reality check. This is just an ordinary common thief, and Apple's lawyers will probably try to get any single penny he's got for damages he's caused. Plus they'll want to know exactly what information was given to whom, since they may go after the companies that paid him as well.
Wow. This guy got off easy. Usually, Steve orders Apple's Orwellian soldiers to take the perpetrator down below the Apple headquarters to the Orwellian dungeon, where their brains are constantly barraged with newspeak until their brains literally overload and freeze up like a frozen computer.
Corporate espionage is still alive and well
This is how knock-off clones and third party competitors catch up real fast.
They bribe guys like this dirt bag and presto! we have a new iPhone copy killer.
This is how knock-off clones and third party competitors catch up real fast.
They bribe guys like this dirt bag and presto! we have a new iPhone copy killer.
lol sorry I thought the post said "fired" instead of "arrested".
Anywho people always are like "WHY IS APPLE SO DANG SECRETIVE"...
...well...
...here ya go...
Hi. You are correct. I did describe blackmail.
I remain unconvinced that bribe is the correct word though. I had a look at the Dictionary widget.
I must have this issue resolved so that i can sleep tonight.
Bribery is initiated by the person wanting the information?
Kickbacks take place when the person with the information initiates the deal?
bribe |brīb|
verb [ trans. ]
persuade (someone) to act in one's favor, typically illegally or dishonestly, by a gift of money or other inducement.
blackmail |ˈblakˌmāl|
noun
The action, treated as a criminal offense, of demanding money from a person in return for not revealing compromising or injurious information about that person.
kickback |ˈkikˌbak|
noun
A payment made to someone who has facilitated a transaction or appointment, esp. illicitly.
This is a myth. Do you know there is always a time lag between Jobs launch of a new prodcut and actually delivery of the product? How difficult is it for case manufacturers to retool during this time delay?
I think apple is trying to clean house more than anything. This could have been going on for a long time and people could have had suspicions of such activities but just looked the other way, even internally in Apple. The stakes are higher than ever, Apple is under the magnifying glass more than ever..... Apple's house needs to be squeaky clean to maintain the level of products they develop, combined with the secrecy they would like to maintain.
I'm being sarcastic FGS! Haven't you ever heard that Apple is secretive and aggressively guards those secrets? Some would argue that it is a cult but I'm not one of them.
Hi. You are correct. I did describe blackmail.
I remain unconvinced that bribe is the correct word though. I had a look at the Dictionary widget.
I must have this issue resolved so that i can sleep tonight.
Bribery is initiated by the person wanting the information?
Kickbacks take place when the person with the information initiates the deal?
bribe |brīb|
verb [ trans. ]
persuade (someone) to act in one's favor, typically illegally or dishonestly, by a gift of money or other inducement.
blackmail |ˈblakˌmāl|
noun
The action, treated as a criminal offense, of demanding money from a person in return for not revealing compromising or injurious information about that person.
kickback |ˈkikˌbak|
noun
A payment made to someone who has facilitated a transaction or appointment, esp. illicitly.
A kickback is when some gets paid additionally "under the table" for things that are outside of the scope of the agreement. It's the "under the table" part that makes it illegal. If everyone knew about the agreement along with the money exchanging hands then it wouldn't be illegal. The actual exchange of money for information is typical with licensing gigs or manufacture specs (such as ARM, etc). It's the fact that he was probably providing extra information to 3rd party developers which apple wanted secret, or favoring a specific manufacture for a task because he would receive additional income from that manufacture to either choose to go with them, or look the other way when they were breaking rules ... either way, introducing additional compensation for any of those activities is what makes it sooooo much worse than him just doing those activities... which alone would have gotten him fired at Apple.