BU Now » Apple Inc.

Apple online-music antitrust probe

Dick Taffe — Wed, 26 May 2010 21:25:28 +0000

The Justice Department reportedly is in the early stages of an antitrust investigation against Apple Inc., the largest seller of music online, looking into allegations that it used its dominant market position to try to keep music labels from granting exclusive access to content to Amazon.com. Law Professor Keith Hylton, an authority on antitrust law, says it makes sense for Apple to trim market support for certain songs when gets a smaller share of the profits from their sale — but they’re gotten aggressive about it lately.

“There are details that might indicate that they have gone too far in some instances; that remains to be seen. Still, in the long run, consumers generally gain from this activity.”

Contact Keith Hylton, 617-353-8959, knhylton@bu.edu

Dell to roll out iPad rival

Dick Taffe — Tue, 25 May 2010 18:25:30 +0000

With Apple having sold its one millionth iPad last month, Dell says it will roll out its 5-inch-screen rival tablet — The Streak — next month in England in in the U.S. later in the summer. It will run on Google‘s open-source Android operating system. School of Management Professor N. Venkat Venkatraman, chairman of the Information Systems Department, asks what Dell can do to differentiate and win, beyond a lower price point which depends on scale.

“More interesting question is, how will these Android-powered tablets perform against Apple iPad? That is the real battleground.”

Contact N. Venkat Venkatraman, 617-353-7117, venkat@bu.edu

iPad rival from Verizon/Google

Dick Taffe — Wed, 12 May 2010 16:53:06 +0000

Verizon and Google are teaming to develop a tablet computer in their combined effort to catch up with Apple‘s iPad and host AT&T. School of Management Professor N. Venkat Venkatraman, head of the Information Systems Department, is researching competition in business network and says this is a new form of competition — not between firms but between pairs or clusters of firms.

“The real question is whether it will be a Google-branded tablet like NexusOne or Android-OS running on multiple variations of touchscreen tablets manufactured by many different hardware vendors.”

Contact N. Venkat Venkatraman, 617-353-7117, venkat@bu.edu

Apple draws antitrust suspicions

Dick Taffe — Tue, 04 May 2010 19:39:26 +0000

Federal antitrust enforcers are considering a probe into Apple Inc. after changes in the company’s licensing agreement with iPhone application developers that forbids the use of software tools other than Apple’s to build programs or the transmission of analytical data to third parties like advertisers. It’s yet to be decided if the inquiry would be conducted by the Federal Trade Commission or the Department of Justice. School of Management Professor Michael Salinger, a former FTC director, says there was a time when the DoJ might have gone easier on Apple than the FTC.

“During the Bush years, Apple would surely have preferred that DoJ get the case. I question whether that is still true.”

Contact Michael Salinger, 617-353-4408, salinger@bu.edu

Google buys 3-D software maker Bump

Dick Taffe — Mon, 03 May 2010 19:54:20 +0000

Continuing its furious buying spree, Google has acquired Bump Technologies, maker of software that makes computer desktops appear to be 3-D. This latest acquisition by the world’s most popular search engine, says School of Management Professor N. Venkat Venkatraman, just intensifies the competitive battle between Google and Apple.

“Looks like Google and Apple may be defining the battle for user interface when, just a few years back, we would have expected Microsoft to do so.”

Contact N. Venkat Venkatraman, 617-353-7117, venkat@bu.edu

Palm bought by H-P

Dick Taffe — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 20:15:32 +0000

Struggling smart-phone pioneer Palm Inc., unable to keep up with Apple’s iPhone or RIM’s Blackberry, is being bought out by Hewlett-Packard for around $1.4 billion in cash. School of Management Professor N. Venkat Venkatraman, chair of the Information Systems Department, says he has his doubts if H-P CEO Mark Hurd can make this bet pay off.

“But if he can develop a series of devices (netbooks, smartphones and other devices) using Palm WebOS, then H-P could emerge as a serious competitor to Apple, Google, Nokia, RIMM and Microsoft. “

Contact N. Venkat Venkatraman, 617-353-7117, venkat@bu.edu

Amazon e-book sales boost by iPad?

Dick Taffe — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 17:20:25 +0000

Apple is looking for a chunk of the growing e-books market as it rolls out the iPod, and some publishers like Penguin are cutting deals to dump sales via Amazon. But the iPad doesn’t have Apple’s iBook software preinstalled, so readers can just as easily choose Amazon’s Kindle app. School of Management Prof. N. Venkat Venkatraman, chair of the Information Systems Department, says Amazon can benefit from iPad sales.

“[Amazon] has always maintained that e-books and devices are separate businesses with no cross-subsidization. If that is truly the case, Amazon’s e-book business should see iPad as a boon to enlarge their set of potential consumers. The real area of friction will be when the same books are sold at differential prices on the two stores.”

Contact N. Venkat Venkatraman, 617-353-7117, venkat@bu.edu

Apple planning non-AT&T iPhone

Dick Taffe — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:40:29 +0000

In what could break the AT&T monopoly on iPhone sales in the U.S., Apple Inc. reportedly is planning to produce an iPhone that can be sold by other carriers like Verizon using the CDMA wireless network. School of Management Professor N. Venkat Venkatraman, chairman of the Information Systems Department, says it’s a strategic move by Apple to establish superiority in the USA.

“Consumers love Verizon’s network and that has allowed Google’s Android to gain a stronghold. This will ensure that consumers get iPhone on their favorite network and then Apple can migrate them to iPad and other future devices.”

Contact N. Venkat Venkatraman, 617-353-7117, venkat@bu.edu

Technology ad blitz under way

Dick Taffe — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:44:23 +0000

Many technology companies facing timid customers and increasing competition – e.g., Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Cisco, and for the first time Juniper Networks — are ramping up advertising campaigns. Advertising Professor John Verret, a 40-year veteran of the ad business, says they can thank Apple for showing that great messages, widely disseminated, build great markets.

“All the tech/Internet brands are going to try to ‘out Apple’ one another. This will be fun – and it’s a great sign for the economy.”

Contact John Verret, 617-353-7737, jverret@bu.edu

Jobs back at Apple job

Dick Taffe — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:50:38 +0000

With Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs back to work after a six-month medical leave and a liver transplant, questions remain about the company’s responsibility to inform shareholders about Jobs’ condition. School of Management Senior Associate Dean Mike Lawson, an economics professor, can discuss the tricky situation.

Contact Mike Lawson, 617-353-2664, mlawson@bu.edu