rdowns
Apr 14, 09:44 AM
Long and very interesting article on taxes. Very good read. (http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-17350-9_things_the_rich_dont_want_you_to_know_about_taxes.html)
As millions of Americans prepare to file their annual taxes, they do so in an environment of media-perpetuated tax myths. Here are a few points about taxes and the economy that you may not know, to consider as you prepare to file your taxes. (All figures are inflation-adjusted.)
The Internal Revenue Service issues an annual report on the 400 highest income-tax payers. In 1961, there were 398 taxpayers who made $1 million or more, so I compared their income tax burdens from that year to 2007.
Despite skyrocketing incomes, the federal tax burden on the richest 400 has been slashed, thanks to a variety of loopholes, allowable deductions and other tools. The actual share of their income paid in taxes, according to the IRS, is 16.6 percent. Adding payroll taxes barely nudges that number.
Compare that to the vast majority of Americans, whose share of their income going to federal taxes increased from 13.1 percent in 1961 to 22.5 percent in 2007.
(By the way, during seven of the eight George W. Bush years, the IRS report on the top 400 taxpayers was labeled a state secret, a policy that the Obama administration overturned almost instantly after his inauguration.)
A corporate tax rate that is too low actually destroys jobs. That�s because a higher tax rate encourages businesses (who don�t want to pay taxes) to keep the profits in the business and reinvest, rather than pull them out as profits and have to pay high taxes.
The 2004 American Jobs Creation Act, which passed with bipartisan support, allowed more than 800 companies to bring profits that were untaxed but overseas back to the United States. Instead of paying the usual 35 percent tax, the companies paid just 5.25 percent.
The companies said bringing the money home��repatriating� it, they called it�would mean lots of jobs. Sen. John Ensign, the Nevada Republican, put the figure at 660,000 new jobs.
Pfizer, the drug company, was the biggest beneficiary. It brought home $37 billion, saving $11 billion in taxes. Almost immediately it started firing people. Since the law took effect, Pfizer has let 40,000 workers go. In all, it appears that at least 100,000 jobs were destroyed.
As millions of Americans prepare to file their annual taxes, they do so in an environment of media-perpetuated tax myths. Here are a few points about taxes and the economy that you may not know, to consider as you prepare to file your taxes. (All figures are inflation-adjusted.)
The Internal Revenue Service issues an annual report on the 400 highest income-tax payers. In 1961, there were 398 taxpayers who made $1 million or more, so I compared their income tax burdens from that year to 2007.
Despite skyrocketing incomes, the federal tax burden on the richest 400 has been slashed, thanks to a variety of loopholes, allowable deductions and other tools. The actual share of their income paid in taxes, according to the IRS, is 16.6 percent. Adding payroll taxes barely nudges that number.
Compare that to the vast majority of Americans, whose share of their income going to federal taxes increased from 13.1 percent in 1961 to 22.5 percent in 2007.
(By the way, during seven of the eight George W. Bush years, the IRS report on the top 400 taxpayers was labeled a state secret, a policy that the Obama administration overturned almost instantly after his inauguration.)
A corporate tax rate that is too low actually destroys jobs. That�s because a higher tax rate encourages businesses (who don�t want to pay taxes) to keep the profits in the business and reinvest, rather than pull them out as profits and have to pay high taxes.
The 2004 American Jobs Creation Act, which passed with bipartisan support, allowed more than 800 companies to bring profits that were untaxed but overseas back to the United States. Instead of paying the usual 35 percent tax, the companies paid just 5.25 percent.
The companies said bringing the money home��repatriating� it, they called it�would mean lots of jobs. Sen. John Ensign, the Nevada Republican, put the figure at 660,000 new jobs.
Pfizer, the drug company, was the biggest beneficiary. It brought home $37 billion, saving $11 billion in taxes. Almost immediately it started firing people. Since the law took effect, Pfizer has let 40,000 workers go. In all, it appears that at least 100,000 jobs were destroyed.
ImAlwaysRight
Aug 3, 10:34 PM
Merom in the MBP for sure. Now.
Apple is showing "64-bit" in the one banner.
But don't expect Merom in the MacBook anytime soon.
Apple is showing "64-bit" in the one banner.
But don't expect Merom in the MacBook anytime soon.
akm3
May 6, 02:45 AM
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8H7 Safari/6533.18.5)
Umm guys? OS X already runs on ARM. It's called iOS. The developer tools to create this from standard obj-c already exist in Xcode.
Retiring or updating certain legacy API would be pretty easy (with a 3-5 yr time span) to make Xcode easily compile fat binaries that run on either architecture.
Also, what does apple pay for 1k ARM CPU bs intel? Far, far less. This would give apple a very competitive price advantage.
An ARM MacBook air for example could run 100% cool for a very long time.
Finally, heavy utilization of grand central dispatch and open cl (which modern apps like final cut pro x support) could even do all this with adequate performance.
I think the rumor source is making stuff up, but this isn't as far fetched as it sounds and actually fits with apples strategy. Don't be so fast to knock it.
Umm guys? OS X already runs on ARM. It's called iOS. The developer tools to create this from standard obj-c already exist in Xcode.
Retiring or updating certain legacy API would be pretty easy (with a 3-5 yr time span) to make Xcode easily compile fat binaries that run on either architecture.
Also, what does apple pay for 1k ARM CPU bs intel? Far, far less. This would give apple a very competitive price advantage.
An ARM MacBook air for example could run 100% cool for a very long time.
Finally, heavy utilization of grand central dispatch and open cl (which modern apps like final cut pro x support) could even do all this with adequate performance.
I think the rumor source is making stuff up, but this isn't as far fetched as it sounds and actually fits with apples strategy. Don't be so fast to knock it.
bigandy
Jul 29, 08:46 PM
i'm betting it will be introduced by apple's special flying pig. :rolleyes:
munkery
Nov 2, 03:07 PM
ClamXAV is free and it's pretty good if you think you need it. Plus it's open source (I think).
ClamXav also is much lighter on system resources because it does not have real-time scanning.
It real-time scans emails (optional) and the specific folders you tell the sentry to watch; both via resource friendly daemons that launch ClamXav in the background when they detect changes in those areas. It does not real-time scan exhaustively (running processes & entire filesystem) but, at this point in time, this level of real-time scanning is not required on Macs.
The benefit of the lack of true real-time scanning is much less resource consumption.
EDIT: To clarify, email scanning needs to be set up with the Sentry. The option to scan email in the preferences is an option to scan the contents of mbox folders as individual items; not an option to real-time scan email. Add ~/Library/Mail and ~/Library/ Mail Downloads to real-time scan email for Mail.app.
ClamXav also is much lighter on system resources because it does not have real-time scanning.
It real-time scans emails (optional) and the specific folders you tell the sentry to watch; both via resource friendly daemons that launch ClamXav in the background when they detect changes in those areas. It does not real-time scan exhaustively (running processes & entire filesystem) but, at this point in time, this level of real-time scanning is not required on Macs.
The benefit of the lack of true real-time scanning is much less resource consumption.
EDIT: To clarify, email scanning needs to be set up with the Sentry. The option to scan email in the preferences is an option to scan the contents of mbox folders as individual items; not an option to real-time scan email. Add ~/Library/Mail and ~/Library/ Mail Downloads to real-time scan email for Mail.app.
Multimedia
Aug 7, 01:50 PM
What a great idea. Offering ONE model that you tweak to suit your fancy. I love that they kept the old exterior and added a second optical slot. Perfect. :)
ChrisTX
Apr 20, 07:54 AM
Happy it is coming this year, that way the real update, iPhone6 can be released next year.
I'm as pleased as punch with my iPhone4, no need to upgrade until the geniuses at Apple open a book learn about a little thing called 4G speeds.
4G right now is a joke. More of a marketing gimmick as the 4g footprint in America is laughable at best. Not even sure about the rest of the globe. People want 4g only because they know 4 is a higher number than 3(Not because they really know the difference). Apple will add "4G" capability when it becomes the standard across the globe. I doubt they will do so to appease the small number of Americans that might actually have access to 4G.
I'm as pleased as punch with my iPhone4, no need to upgrade until the geniuses at Apple open a book learn about a little thing called 4G speeds.
4G right now is a joke. More of a marketing gimmick as the 4g footprint in America is laughable at best. Not even sure about the rest of the globe. People want 4g only because they know 4 is a higher number than 3(Not because they really know the difference). Apple will add "4G" capability when it becomes the standard across the globe. I doubt they will do so to appease the small number of Americans that might actually have access to 4G.
ergle2
Sep 15, 11:09 PM
If you really want longer battery life, then you should be hoping to keep the X1600. It's regarded as having the best "performance per watt" of recent mobile GPUs.
I'd rather have a bigger battery and a Go 7700. I've not seen any decent figures for power draw on the mobile chips. The 7700 is manufactured on an 80nm process tho', so that should help some.
Personally, I hope (well, pipe dream actually) they'll make MBP build-to-order like Mac Pro. I'd downgrade the CPU to the 2.0GHz version. It wholesales for $130 less than the 2.16, and $340 less than the 2.33. That's way too much to pay for a fractional speed increase.
OTOH, the 2.0 Xeon is $370 less than the 2.66 and Apple only cuts the price $75 for two of them. That's robbery. So I guess MBP BTO probably wouldn't help me even if they did it.
Bear in mind custom options effectively "cost" Apple a lot more due to requiring special attention in a way the rest of the line doesn't. More so with the laptop line due to the processor being socketted rather than soldered.
Personally, I think the 2.33GHz part price is insane considering the small speed-bump, but that's up to Apple.
I'd rather have a bigger battery and a Go 7700. I've not seen any decent figures for power draw on the mobile chips. The 7700 is manufactured on an 80nm process tho', so that should help some.
Personally, I hope (well, pipe dream actually) they'll make MBP build-to-order like Mac Pro. I'd downgrade the CPU to the 2.0GHz version. It wholesales for $130 less than the 2.16, and $340 less than the 2.33. That's way too much to pay for a fractional speed increase.
OTOH, the 2.0 Xeon is $370 less than the 2.66 and Apple only cuts the price $75 for two of them. That's robbery. So I guess MBP BTO probably wouldn't help me even if they did it.
Bear in mind custom options effectively "cost" Apple a lot more due to requiring special attention in a way the rest of the line doesn't. More so with the laptop line due to the processor being socketted rather than soldered.
Personally, I think the 2.33GHz part price is insane considering the small speed-bump, but that's up to Apple.
Michaelgtrusa
Apr 18, 03:19 PM
And they are an Apple supplier.
ChickenSwartz
Aug 4, 01:42 PM
1. If you check Apple's knowledge database or the manual that come with MBP, it actually says not to put this laptop on top of your lap, ....
I have a 4 year old Toshiba that runs (under moderate load) fairly cool. It also warned against using in lap.
I think all "laptops" will come with that warning now. It is just an attempt to prevent lawsuits.
Plus, guys, it is bad for your...ummm....baby makers...they are on the outside for a reason.
I have a 4 year old Toshiba that runs (under moderate load) fairly cool. It also warned against using in lap.
I think all "laptops" will come with that warning now. It is just an attempt to prevent lawsuits.
Plus, guys, it is bad for your...ummm....baby makers...they are on the outside for a reason.
babydinosaur
Apr 20, 09:00 AM
Hopefully it comes in WHITE :o
addicted44
Mar 26, 11:11 PM
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/8C148)
Yay let us all surrender our privacy to the cloud...
Cloud Focused OS != Cloud OS.
Yay let us all surrender our privacy to the cloud...
Cloud Focused OS != Cloud OS.
chaosbringer
Apr 29, 11:26 AM
They already provide fewer USB ports than the ICH10 actually provides (12 on the chip, but Apple only provides access to 5), so it's certainly possible this sort of thinking could be applied elsewhere.
I also wonder what else they would consider denying access to in the X79 (i.e. RAID functionality in particular).
Isn't Apple using usb connections for other hardware?
Bluetooth come to mind, the physical connection may not me nothing like a usb port or header but a usb connection may still provide the means to connect the Bluetooth mini board...
On the PSU subject, since Transporteur confirms that there are no vents from the HDDs going into the PSU Area, the only thing that could justify movin the PSU to the bottom area of the case would be.. having the power cable closer to the ground :D lol
On the top location, it does serve to balance the existence of the 2 ODD, allowing that separate airflow area.
I also wonder what else they would consider denying access to in the X79 (i.e. RAID functionality in particular).
Isn't Apple using usb connections for other hardware?
Bluetooth come to mind, the physical connection may not me nothing like a usb port or header but a usb connection may still provide the means to connect the Bluetooth mini board...
On the PSU subject, since Transporteur confirms that there are no vents from the HDDs going into the PSU Area, the only thing that could justify movin the PSU to the bottom area of the case would be.. having the power cable closer to the ground :D lol
On the top location, it does serve to balance the existence of the 2 ODD, allowing that separate airflow area.
SuperCachetes
May 5, 05:26 AM
Can you cite reliable figures for the cost advantage versus the cost to switch?
Sorry it took so long to respond to this; I assure you it took only a second to Google (this is just the first result I found):
http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/pays-off.html
Sorry it took so long to respond to this; I assure you it took only a second to Google (this is just the first result I found):
http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/pays-off.html
kalsta
May 3, 11:27 AM
That's sort of like asking, "aside from saving lives, what makes vaccines so great?" Base-10 is exactly what makes metric superior. Having a system of units based entirely on decimals is extremely powerful. You can convert between units simply by moving a decimal point, express very small/large numbers in scientific notation, and clearly see the greater of two numbers with precision clearly expressed.
For example, which is greater? 5/16 or 7/18
Nicely put. Not only that, but there are some pretty neat relationships between different types of units, where one can be derived from another. For example, one litre of water weighs 1 kg and is contained within a 10 x 10 x 10 cm volume. That makes for some relatively simple mental conversions if you're ever stuck without your iPhone unit-conversion app one day. :)
For a country that prides itself on technological advancement, I find it truly perplexing that the USA can't fully embrace so brilliant a system.
Sure, change is painful… It's a bit like getting into cold water. But the best way is just to jump in and get it over and done with quickly, like Australia did back in the 70s.
Stop dabbling your toes in and fart-arsing around America! Just dive in and join the rest of the world! The water is great once you get used to it.
For example, which is greater? 5/16 or 7/18
Nicely put. Not only that, but there are some pretty neat relationships between different types of units, where one can be derived from another. For example, one litre of water weighs 1 kg and is contained within a 10 x 10 x 10 cm volume. That makes for some relatively simple mental conversions if you're ever stuck without your iPhone unit-conversion app one day. :)
For a country that prides itself on technological advancement, I find it truly perplexing that the USA can't fully embrace so brilliant a system.
Sure, change is painful… It's a bit like getting into cold water. But the best way is just to jump in and get it over and done with quickly, like Australia did back in the 70s.
Stop dabbling your toes in and fart-arsing around America! Just dive in and join the rest of the world! The water is great once you get used to it.
Josias
Sep 16, 08:56 AM
Some people have requested more info on the res. independence thingy. I know Tiger has a manual way of Fonts settings and zooming, but with a DPI even a bit over 120, Tiger would really look bad.
With resolution independence, you have the ability to scale anything up and down, thsu delivering evrything the size you want it, at a much higher resoultion, thus resulting in richer image and also the capability of showing 1080p on portables and viewing way larger pictures at full screen.;)
That's pretty much all I know, but I'm sure there will be much more stuff awaiting us...:D
With resolution independence, you have the ability to scale anything up and down, thsu delivering evrything the size you want it, at a much higher resoultion, thus resulting in richer image and also the capability of showing 1080p on portables and viewing way larger pictures at full screen.;)
That's pretty much all I know, but I'm sure there will be much more stuff awaiting us...:D
citizenzen
Apr 18, 09:20 PM
You clause is a great idea, but we all know that taxes never go away.
You might need to question that notion, considering that Americans today are taxed at the lowest level in over 50 years.
From the Orange County Register, April 17, 2011 ...
Taxes reach historic low (http://www.ocregister.com/news/-117079-ocprint--.html)
For the past two years, a family of four earning the median income has paid less in federal income taxes than at any time since at least 1955, according to the Tax Policy Center. All federal, state and local taxes combined are a lower percentage of per-capita income than at any time since the 1960s, according to the Tax Foundation. The highest income-tax bracket is its lowest since 1992. At 35 percent, it's well below the 50 percent mark of much of the 1980s and the 70 percent bracket of the 1970s.
So let me recommend something. It's basically a reversal of your clause. The clause would allow a taxation adjustment (which would be predetermined) once 20% of spending has been cut (or some other amount).
I could go for something along those lines too.
You might need to question that notion, considering that Americans today are taxed at the lowest level in over 50 years.
From the Orange County Register, April 17, 2011 ...
Taxes reach historic low (http://www.ocregister.com/news/-117079-ocprint--.html)
For the past two years, a family of four earning the median income has paid less in federal income taxes than at any time since at least 1955, according to the Tax Policy Center. All federal, state and local taxes combined are a lower percentage of per-capita income than at any time since the 1960s, according to the Tax Foundation. The highest income-tax bracket is its lowest since 1992. At 35 percent, it's well below the 50 percent mark of much of the 1980s and the 70 percent bracket of the 1970s.
So let me recommend something. It's basically a reversal of your clause. The clause would allow a taxation adjustment (which would be predetermined) once 20% of spending has been cut (or some other amount).
I could go for something along those lines too.
balamw
Apr 10, 07:33 PM
Didn't all your methods, whatever they are called, give a priority to do the parenthesis operation first?
It is not my assumption, it is the method/explanation given by others
I already took that into account. Can't you see?
48/2(12) is something we should all be able to agree on. anything in parentheses must be evaluated before anything else.
x/y(a+b) becomes x/y(c). That's the P in PEMDAS and it's done. At this point there are only multiply and divide operations left. This is just x/y*c which should be evaluated left to right. Because it is indistinguishable from x*d*c = x*(1/y)*c. I can commute operands to get x*c*(1/y) and rewrite that as xc/y should I want to.
B
It is not my assumption, it is the method/explanation given by others
I already took that into account. Can't you see?
48/2(12) is something we should all be able to agree on. anything in parentheses must be evaluated before anything else.
x/y(a+b) becomes x/y(c). That's the P in PEMDAS and it's done. At this point there are only multiply and divide operations left. This is just x/y*c which should be evaluated left to right. Because it is indistinguishable from x*d*c = x*(1/y)*c. I can commute operands to get x*c*(1/y) and rewrite that as xc/y should I want to.
B
carmenodie
Apr 7, 10:38 AM
I want to say BS to this but what do I know.
I do know that Apple started this re-imagined tablet market and they are the front runners. Now as for RIM, who cares!
They are only trying to play catch up to a market they don't really don't need to be in, IMHO.
I do know that Apple started this re-imagined tablet market and they are the front runners. Now as for RIM, who cares!
They are only trying to play catch up to a market they don't really don't need to be in, IMHO.
sineplex
Apr 20, 01:54 AM
How many people think this is some elaborate scheme to get people to think it will come out in the fall, when they might be setting people up for a surprise with the release of iphone 4 -white as the new ip5?
Nobody, as the White Iphone 4 gets released @ end of this month.
Nobody, as the White Iphone 4 gets released @ end of this month.
b!temark
May 4, 03:43 PM
It's good to see the debate on the best delivery mechanism for large software releases such as this; there are clearly benefits for Apple to push it through the infrastructure they already have in place.
In my opinion, this is just another nail in the coffin for Apple resellers. Not content with giving single-digit margins on hardware, Apple is now actively removing another method of generating revenue. Software has better reseller margins (~15-20%) than hardware, but Apple's progress with the App store has seen key applications (iWork, iLife) on there for a substantial discount.
There are no reseller/affiliate arrangements for the App store, and resellers can't compete with their discount offerings (as Apple set both wholesale and retail pricing). As a result, resellers business will be affected, and continue to be affected if they continue down this path.
</rant>
*Disclaimer: I'm an Apple reseller
In my opinion, this is just another nail in the coffin for Apple resellers. Not content with giving single-digit margins on hardware, Apple is now actively removing another method of generating revenue. Software has better reseller margins (~15-20%) than hardware, but Apple's progress with the App store has seen key applications (iWork, iLife) on there for a substantial discount.
There are no reseller/affiliate arrangements for the App store, and resellers can't compete with their discount offerings (as Apple set both wholesale and retail pricing). As a result, resellers business will be affected, and continue to be affected if they continue down this path.
</rant>
*Disclaimer: I'm an Apple reseller
rtharper
Sep 11, 12:00 AM
this event is going to be simulcast in LONDON. Does this mean that movies will be able to be purchased by folks in the UK??? as far as I know you still cant purchased TV shows sold through iTunes in the UK:confused:
Strange Apple would work out US and UK movie distribution deals at the same time.
Depends on who they're marketing. If its just US movie makers, or a small subset thereof, I see no reason why they shouldn't be working out contracts to distrubte them overseas. Of course, I haven't given this too much thought (the merom MBP overshadows this in my mind) so someone else might see a problem with it
Strange Apple would work out US and UK movie distribution deals at the same time.
Depends on who they're marketing. If its just US movie makers, or a small subset thereof, I see no reason why they shouldn't be working out contracts to distrubte them overseas. Of course, I haven't given this too much thought (the merom MBP overshadows this in my mind) so someone else might see a problem with it
neonfever
Aug 5, 12:58 AM
Just a few thoughts.
I think if there's any product that deserves to have a Merom in it this monday, it has to be the iMac. It's been virtually the same since the day it rolled out earlier this year. Because of the way it's designed I don't think they will put a conroe in it although it is a 'desktop' in it's own way.
Merom is gonna be great, esp for the ones still waiting to jump onto the intel-mac bandwagon, but doesn't offer much for those already with an intel-mac. I think the intel-macs have enough performance to go about for quite a while. What we really need is more UNIVERSAL BINARY SOFTWARES! I still use windows for heavy CS2 usage at the moment. How sad is that. I know this is not going to happen any time soon as adobe has announced no CS3 until but I think a considerable amount of people here would be more excited to hear about CS3 or at least a target shipment date for it on monday. How about a UB Maya and Sketchbook Pro?
Heck i'd trade off a full year of intel-mac upgrades if someone created UB's for everything right now.
I think if there's any product that deserves to have a Merom in it this monday, it has to be the iMac. It's been virtually the same since the day it rolled out earlier this year. Because of the way it's designed I don't think they will put a conroe in it although it is a 'desktop' in it's own way.
Merom is gonna be great, esp for the ones still waiting to jump onto the intel-mac bandwagon, but doesn't offer much for those already with an intel-mac. I think the intel-macs have enough performance to go about for quite a while. What we really need is more UNIVERSAL BINARY SOFTWARES! I still use windows for heavy CS2 usage at the moment. How sad is that. I know this is not going to happen any time soon as adobe has announced no CS3 until but I think a considerable amount of people here would be more excited to hear about CS3 or at least a target shipment date for it on monday. How about a UB Maya and Sketchbook Pro?
Heck i'd trade off a full year of intel-mac upgrades if someone created UB's for everything right now.
~Shard~
Aug 11, 12:31 PM
I think he means it's a speed bump in terms of sales. Not technically. Though I may have him/her wrong.
Ah, gotcha. Yeah, I could see that being the case now that you mention it.
Most of the "goodness" isn't anything a laptop user will notice.
Quite true. Again, I was speaking from a technical perspective, but practically, yes, this is quite true.
Umm..technically you are right, but the the difference of 5-15% is not very significant, especially compared to Conroe's 40% jump. Merom's power is limited by slower FSB which is not going to see any change anytime soon. I just hope they fix current MBP issues first like battery life, underclocked graphic card and Superdrives. CPU upgrade is just a ritual Apple has to perform to stay in the league.
Gotcha, and agreed - see above. ;) :D
Ah, gotcha. Yeah, I could see that being the case now that you mention it.
Most of the "goodness" isn't anything a laptop user will notice.
Quite true. Again, I was speaking from a technical perspective, but practically, yes, this is quite true.
Umm..technically you are right, but the the difference of 5-15% is not very significant, especially compared to Conroe's 40% jump. Merom's power is limited by slower FSB which is not going to see any change anytime soon. I just hope they fix current MBP issues first like battery life, underclocked graphic card and Superdrives. CPU upgrade is just a ritual Apple has to perform to stay in the league.
Gotcha, and agreed - see above. ;) :D
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