The EC competition authorities have added fresh charges to their long-running complaint against Intel. In a letter to Intel, the EC said that the new charges are that:
Intel gave computer retailer MediaMarkt substantial rebates for it selling only Intel-based PCs.
Intel paid a manufacturer to delay introducing an AMD range of processors
Intel gave rebates to the same manufacturer for buying all its laptop processors from Intel.
An EC statement says that the new evidence "reinforces the commission's preliminary view that Intel has infringed EU treaty rules on abuse of a dominant position with the aim of excluding its main rival."
The US news site Marketwatch quotes David Balto, an antitrust attorney in Washington, and a former Federal Trade Commission policy director, who said: "The complaint documents how Intel has used handcuffs to force manufacturers to use more costly and less efficient products."
Intel has eight weeks to reply and can ask for a hearing. If found guilty as charged, Intel may be ordered to alter its behaviour, or pay a fine up to 10 per cent of its $30bn+ revenues.
Intel CEO Paul Otellini has said that the worst that can happen is that Intel will have to 'write a cheque'. Intel's lawyer has accused the EC of selective use of evidence.
However Japan and Korea have already found Intel guilty of anti-competitive practices, and both the US Federal Trade Commission and the State of New York are also carrying out investigations into Intel's alleged anti-competitive prices.
The EC's new charges were announced July 17, on the eve of Intel's 40th birthday. The company was incorporated on July 18th 1968.
The information from:www.electronics-in-china.com
2008年8月21日星期四
EU, UK Clamping Down On Mobile Content Scams
EU Consumer Commissioner Meglena Kuneva reported that a EU-wide investigation into 500 sites offering mobile content found that 80 percent of them needed to be checked further for “suspected breaches of EU consumer laws,” more worrying as 50 percent of them were targeted at children and teens.
The breaches range from the more mundane to the serious—including unclear pricing or hidden charges, or not making it clear that consumers were signing up for a subscription service, rather than a one-off purchase. So what next? The EU is apparently going to work with a country’s authorities to hunt out as many rouge sites as they can and ask them to clarify or correct any problems. If they don’t, the site may be fined or shut down.
The EU study found that ringtones make up 29 percent of the overall mobile content market in Europe, and valued it in 2007 at around 691 million euros. .
Separately in the UK, the country’s premium rate telephone services regulator PhonePayPlus is also cracking down on errant mobile content sellers. Starting immediately, any subscription service that doesn’t allow a consumer to stop easily and quickly will be shut down and not allowed to operate. More proposals to be implemented later this year will try to regulate mobile spam and ensure that consumers get fewer unwanted messages. The regulator puts the 2007/8 mobile premium content market worth at £460 million (US$921 million) .
The information from:www.electronics-in-china.com
The breaches range from the more mundane to the serious—including unclear pricing or hidden charges, or not making it clear that consumers were signing up for a subscription service, rather than a one-off purchase. So what next? The EU is apparently going to work with a country’s authorities to hunt out as many rouge sites as they can and ask them to clarify or correct any problems. If they don’t, the site may be fined or shut down.
The EU study found that ringtones make up 29 percent of the overall mobile content market in Europe, and valued it in 2007 at around 691 million euros. .
Separately in the UK, the country’s premium rate telephone services regulator PhonePayPlus is also cracking down on errant mobile content sellers. Starting immediately, any subscription service that doesn’t allow a consumer to stop easily and quickly will be shut down and not allowed to operate. More proposals to be implemented later this year will try to regulate mobile spam and ensure that consumers get fewer unwanted messages. The regulator puts the 2007/8 mobile premium content market worth at £460 million (US$921 million) .
The information from:www.electronics-in-china.com
NFC payments to hit $75 billion in 2013
The gross transaction value of payments made via NFC contactless technology will exceed $75 billion in 2013 according to telecommunications analysis firm Juniper Research Ltd. (Basingstoke, England).
There is a significant opportunity for NFC mobile payment services, chips, phones and supporting services as the market reaches its tipping point over the 2011 to 2013 period, according to Juniper. The firm said NFC would turn the mobile phone into an electronic wallet used for relatively low value purchases such as refreshments, tickets and food.
"NFC will achieve traction initially in developed countries and regions, with Japan already leading the way with FeliCa-enabled phones. North America, Western Europe and countries such as Korea, Singapore and Australia are likely to see service take-up," said Howard Wilcox of Juniper, in a statement.
In 2009 will limited numbers of NFC devices will be shipped but the market will begin to ramp up from 2010 onwards and by 2013 about 20 percent of mobile phones will possess NFC capability, Juniper asserted.
The annual transaction value is set to grow by a factor of five between 2011 and 2013 and the top three regions — Far East & China, North America and Western Europe — will represent nearly 90 percent of the $75 billion annual market in 2013.
The information from:www.electronics-in-china.com
There is a significant opportunity for NFC mobile payment services, chips, phones and supporting services as the market reaches its tipping point over the 2011 to 2013 period, according to Juniper. The firm said NFC would turn the mobile phone into an electronic wallet used for relatively low value purchases such as refreshments, tickets and food.
"NFC will achieve traction initially in developed countries and regions, with Japan already leading the way with FeliCa-enabled phones. North America, Western Europe and countries such as Korea, Singapore and Australia are likely to see service take-up," said Howard Wilcox of Juniper, in a statement.
In 2009 will limited numbers of NFC devices will be shipped but the market will begin to ramp up from 2010 onwards and by 2013 about 20 percent of mobile phones will possess NFC capability, Juniper asserted.
The annual transaction value is set to grow by a factor of five between 2011 and 2013 and the top three regions — Far East & China, North America and Western Europe — will represent nearly 90 percent of the $75 billion annual market in 2013.
The information from:www.electronics-in-china.com
Platinum outlook comfortably above $2000/ounce despite macro concerns
The Fortis metals monthly says the outlook for platinum is comfortably above $2,000/ounce on new investment demand, higher capital costs stemming from power generators and a looming Cosatu strike in South Africa.
The Fortis/VM Group said in its monthly metals report more mining companies were likely to follow Eastern Platinum in installing their own diesel power generators that will add to their capital costs and could involve "new problems" given the high cost of crude oil.
Another factor that could support the platinum price in the near term is the fact that South Africa's umbrella trade union Cosatu has called for a general strike on 6 August to protest against job cuts linked to the power crisis in the country.
Platinum did not receive the same price support as palladium during June, partly due to concerns over demand growth as diesel vehicles now have an obvious disadvantage compared to gasoline vehicles. This comes as the diesel price is now at a significant premium to gasoline which could lead to a steady fall in diesel passenger car sales in the longer term, said the report.
Fortis said supply-side concerns stemming from South Africa's power situation have taken a back seat amidst macro economic concerns, but they have not disappeared. If a power supply crunch is averted in August, the medium term outlook still appears grim.
Taking a longer view, platinum will continue to remain well supported for the rest of the year due to the ongoing difficulties facing PGM producers in South Africa.
Although both platinum and palladium are at risk of a downturn in the global economy since they are heavily dependent on automobile sales and jewellery demand, platinum prices will likely remain strong as long as Eskom runs the risk of being unable to meet growing power demand.
Fortis is of the view that even if Eskom secured the $45bn financing required to build new power stations, the long-term outlook for electricity in South Africa remains bleak for at least the next five years.
The information from:www.fashion-accouterment.com
The Fortis/VM Group said in its monthly metals report more mining companies were likely to follow Eastern Platinum in installing their own diesel power generators that will add to their capital costs and could involve "new problems" given the high cost of crude oil.
Another factor that could support the platinum price in the near term is the fact that South Africa's umbrella trade union Cosatu has called for a general strike on 6 August to protest against job cuts linked to the power crisis in the country.
Platinum did not receive the same price support as palladium during June, partly due to concerns over demand growth as diesel vehicles now have an obvious disadvantage compared to gasoline vehicles. This comes as the diesel price is now at a significant premium to gasoline which could lead to a steady fall in diesel passenger car sales in the longer term, said the report.
Fortis said supply-side concerns stemming from South Africa's power situation have taken a back seat amidst macro economic concerns, but they have not disappeared. If a power supply crunch is averted in August, the medium term outlook still appears grim.
Taking a longer view, platinum will continue to remain well supported for the rest of the year due to the ongoing difficulties facing PGM producers in South Africa.
Although both platinum and palladium are at risk of a downturn in the global economy since they are heavily dependent on automobile sales and jewellery demand, platinum prices will likely remain strong as long as Eskom runs the risk of being unable to meet growing power demand.
Fortis is of the view that even if Eskom secured the $45bn financing required to build new power stations, the long-term outlook for electricity in South Africa remains bleak for at least the next five years.
The information from:www.fashion-accouterment.com
Richemont reports 13 percent sales increase
Sales for luxury goods company Richemont increased 13 percent in actual exchange rates (20 percent on a constant exchange rate basis) in the first three months of its current fiscal year, including a slight increase in sales in the Americas.According to an interim management statement released on Wednesday by the Geneva-based company, sales from April to June for its Jewellery Maisons group—which includes the Cartier and Van Cleef and Arpels brands—increased 16 percent for the period (25 percent on a constant exchange rate basis), rising from about $1 billion in 2007 to about $1.2 billion in 2008.Sales for Richemont's watchmakers—which include A. Lange and Sohne, Baume and Mercier, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Officine Panerai, Piaget and Vacheron Constantin—increased 13 percent for the period (19 percent on a constant exchange rate basis) to about $658 million, from $582 million in 2007. When broken down by region, sales figures for the Americas show a 6 percent increase (20 percent on a constant exchange rate basis).Despite a sluggish Japanese economy, the Asia-Pacific region, buoyed by strong growth in Hong Kong and China, posted the greatest sales gains for the period, jumping 21 percent (35 percent on a constant exchange rate basis), from about $461 million in 2007 to about $559 million in 2008.In May, Richemont announced details of a restructuring proposal that would separate the group into two entities: a luxury business headquartered in Switzerland and a separate investment vehicle.According to the statement released on Wednesday, the company is not releasing any further information about the restructuring at this time.
The information from:www.fashion-accouterment.com
The information from:www.fashion-accouterment.com
Silver industry to launch consumer-marketing push
The Silver Institute has announced plans for a marketing initiative to increase awareness and encourage consumer purchases of sterling silver jewelry.Dubbed "The Silver Marketing Initiative" (SMI), the program will educate consumers and the trade press on sterling silver and be a source of marketing information and product news on the metal."The consensus of our executive committee is that the time is right to introduce an industry-supported marketing program in the U.S., with the initial focus being on silver jewelry," Silver Institute Executive Director Michael DiRienzo said in a media release.Marketing and management services firm Michael Barlerin Associates has been appointed as the consultant to the Silver Institute in the development and rollout of the SMI."In light of what has been happening to the price of the other noble metals, now is definitely the time for silver jewelry," Barlerin said in the release. "I am also gratified by the response I have already received from key members of the jewelry trade when I told them that SMI was to be launched, and I look forward to discussing mutual opportunities at the JA Show in New York City later this month."
The information from:www.fashion-accouterment.com
The information from:www.fashion-accouterment.com
Apple iPhone 3G unlocked already
A group from Brazil has managed to unlock Apple's iPhone 3G handset just days after its release.
The unlocked iPhone is displayed and demonstrated in an online video on a Portuguese-language news blog.
An unlocked iPhone can be used with any Sim card and service provider.
IPhone user Bruno MacMasi said in an interview with Gizmodo that the unlocking process involved modifying the Sim hardware so that the International Mobile Subscriber Identity can be overwritten and removed from the original network.
A similar process was used to unlock the original iPhone last year.
Separately, a group of researchers known as the iPhone Devteam has released the first 'jailbreak' software releases for the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 2.0 software update.
The 'jailbreak' term refers to the process of removing the software controls which prohibit users from installing software outside of the iPhone App Store.
The group, which has asked not to be linked to directly for bandwidth purposes, is currently offering a software utility which automatically performs the jailbreak process.
Unlocked and modified handsets have been an issue ever since Apple first released the iPhone. Users initially were eager to remove the strict controls over installing software and run the handset with other carriers.
While the iPhone App Store has allowed for the distribution of third-party applications, there remains a dedicated group of users wishing to run older third-party applications and software which have not been approved for the Store.
Apple has attempted to remain relatively neutral on the matter. The company said that, while the jailbreak processes will void the warranty and possibly cause damage to the phone when new updates are installed, no special efforts will be made to deliberately disable or 'brick' hacked iPhones.
The information from:www.1topsupplier.com
The unlocked iPhone is displayed and demonstrated in an online video on a Portuguese-language news blog.
An unlocked iPhone can be used with any Sim card and service provider.
IPhone user Bruno MacMasi said in an interview with Gizmodo that the unlocking process involved modifying the Sim hardware so that the International Mobile Subscriber Identity can be overwritten and removed from the original network.
A similar process was used to unlock the original iPhone last year.
Separately, a group of researchers known as the iPhone Devteam has released the first 'jailbreak' software releases for the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 2.0 software update.
The 'jailbreak' term refers to the process of removing the software controls which prohibit users from installing software outside of the iPhone App Store.
The group, which has asked not to be linked to directly for bandwidth purposes, is currently offering a software utility which automatically performs the jailbreak process.
Unlocked and modified handsets have been an issue ever since Apple first released the iPhone. Users initially were eager to remove the strict controls over installing software and run the handset with other carriers.
While the iPhone App Store has allowed for the distribution of third-party applications, there remains a dedicated group of users wishing to run older third-party applications and software which have not been approved for the Store.
Apple has attempted to remain relatively neutral on the matter. The company said that, while the jailbreak processes will void the warranty and possibly cause damage to the phone when new updates are installed, no special efforts will be made to deliberately disable or 'brick' hacked iPhones.
The information from:www.1topsupplier.com
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