Apple to Continue to Supply PA Semi's Chips

[Virgil-TB2]

What 😕 Apple are essentially going out of their way, with no obligation, to supply chips so that the current customers aren't left high and dry. It is a good thing for them to do.

I fail to see how this is a bad thing, unless of course your only goal is profit and even then it is not exactly a great argument as this may lead to more customers in the future.

I think the poster (with which I also agree), was talking about the moral implications.
This seems to have gone right over your head. 😉

I also, am saddened by the idea that Apple is going to be producing products that are used to kill people.

I am clinging to the hope that the DoD forced them to continue selling them (that's how it seems so far), that it's for a limited time only, and that they won't make any more or contribute to the product development in any way.

Someone made a good point about mine-sweeping, but the majority of these products will be used for killing people. No biggie for citizens of the USA I am sure, but for a lot of people this is something that is usually called "wrong."

At least that's what my Mum taught me. 🙂

.

 

[JeffDM]

i really don't like this. I had hoped Apple was better than this...🙁

I think people noted that Apple already sells computers to the DoD. There probably isn't a major tech company that doesn't sell to the DoD, though Apple's are probably not built into military-specific hardware.

There may have been pre-existing contractual obligations that mean that they must be supplied with the parts or face the penalties for breaking the contract.

 

[jnc]

I also, am saddened by the idea that Apple is going to be producing products that are used to kill people.

.

Ugh. Apple are not "producing products that are used to kill people".

They're producing chips. A component that could be used for many purposes.

It's like calling someone an arms dealer when they merely produce the metal that someone else then uses to make a gun.

If Apple were rolling out tanks and missiles, you'd have a point.

 

[goosnarrggh]

I think the poster (with which I also agree), was talking about the moral implications.
This seems to have gone right over your head. 😉

I also, am saddened by the idea that Apple is going to be producing products that are used to kill people.

I am clinging to the hope that the DoD forced them to continue selling them (that's how it seems so far), that it's for a limited time only, and that they won't make any more or contribute to the product development in any way.

Someone made a good point about mine-sweeping, but the majority of these products will be used for killing people. No biggie for citizens of the USA I am sure, but for a lot of people this is something that is usually called "wrong."

At least that's what my Mum taught me. 🙂

.

Intel makes chips that are used in DoD projects. Should we banish them as well?

Fact is, you will be hard pressed to find any tech firms in the free world that don't have some link to military applications.

Personally, I think it's highly likely that you right - the DoD could have very easily intervened and stated that the sale must not go through unless their supply of chips was guaranteed.

As for the "limited time" bit... Well, in all probability, they likely have contracts requiring a guaranteed supply of spare parts for the entire design lifetime of the applications in question. If we assume the application (for example) is a missile navigation system, then that could easily span a couple of decades.

What Apple are essentially going out of their way, with no obligation, to supply chips so that the current customers aren't left high and dry.

If the DoD really is one of those customers, then it would be a national secuirity issue. If that's the case, then Apple could very easily have been in a situation where simply discontinuing the product line without providing a duly licensed second-source would have landed them in a whole world of trouble.

I'm sure those customers are probably happy about this news, but since Apple is unlikely to devote many resources to improving those chips, it really just seems like it ensures that those customers will be using outdated technology for the foreseeable future.

Note that the DoD wouldn't care about research into upgrades of the existing chip offerings. In fact, they would be outright opposed to even a small unneeded change in any mission critical subsystem, because it would necessitate a complete re-evaluation of the entire design.

 

[BenRoethig]

I think the poster (with which I also agree), was talking about the moral implications.
This seems to have gone right over your head. 😉

I also, am saddened by the idea that Apple is going to be producing products that are used to kill people.

I am clinging to the hope that the DoD forced them to continue selling them (that's how it seems so far), that it's for a limited time only, and that they won't make any more or contribute to the product development in any way.

Someone made a good point about mine-sweeping, but the majority of these products will be used for killing people. No biggie for citizens of the USA I am sure, but for a lot of people this is something that is usually called "wrong."

At least that's what my Mum taught me. 🙂

.

By that train of thought, don't ask where your clothing or the beans in your espresso came from. This is about Apple, not politics.

 

[dam0dred]

I have to say I'm quite surprised that Apple, a company which is so very careful with it's branding and image, is willing to be associated with the US military.

 

[Exponent]

I have to say I'm quite surprised that Apple, a company which is so very careful with it's branding and image, is willing to be associated with the US military.

Yes, the US military, that dastardly group that rid the world of Hitler (9 million+ dead), withstood the attacks of Mao (20 million+ dead), stood vigilant against the Soviet Union (somewhere between 15 and 30 million dead), goes after brutal beheading terrorists, brought Saddam Hussien to justice (5 million executions documented), etc., etc. 🙄

It takes a solid free world in order to create the fantasy world many of you live in. You ought to thank the armed forces and law enforcement of the free countries of the world, USA included, for that. And I'm proud that Apple now apparently, if in a backdoor way, supports the tough sustenance of freedom as well.