Comments on: The Papermaster chronicles: An Apple vs. IBM timeline

By: labrats5, New York NY

labrats5, New York NY — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:17:46 +0000

Not too many people know that Apple worked very closely with ARM well before they became the de facto embedded mobile core. Apple was instrumental to the development of the ARM 6 core, the precurser to the lower powered and far cheaper ARM 7 TDMI that really put ARM on the map. If steve had been CEO at the time, you better believe he would have bought ARM. Alas, ARM is now entirely untouchable: any company trying to buy them would be hit by a hundred lawsuits before they could blink.

This probably keeps Steve Jobs up at night. Apple could have been the Commodore of mobile computing. Commodore back in the day acquired MOS, the makers of the famous 6502 microprocessor that was used in the commodore 64, the Apple 2 and even the NES. This vertical integration gave Commodore a nearly insurmountable competitive advantage, which they famously squandered through incompetence. Apple could have had a similarly desirable position, but with better men at the helm.

But failure breeds motivation. Apple is now assembling a juggernaut of microprocessor design talent. First PA Semi, now Papermaster. They will be making a big move very soon, possibly as soon as next year, when the 3rd iphone launches. 2009 will be a huge year for mobile microprocessors as it is. ARMs Cortex A8 will finally be shipping in mainstream products, as will Power VRs SGX graphics core. It would be quite the coup if Apples next iphone had a custom ARM A8+SGX core designed by their PA semi acquisition. Apple is putting themselves into an unassailable position, not just with software and the app store, but now with hardware as well. They are making this look easy.

By: Andy, UK

Andy, UK — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:47:56 +0000

How can you be held under a contract after your employment is terminated ? A company can't have it both ways – if they want you to work for them, they pay you. If they don't pay you, you can work for someone else ! Who that 'someone else' is, that should be entirely your own decision – anything else is a violation of your human rights.

Land of the free, my arse !

By: Dallas, TX

Dallas, TX — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:53:44 +0000

Non-competes are very difficult to enforce. IBM will have to PROVE that Papermaster is working on projects directly related to his previous position as a PowerPC chip architect at IBM. Given that he will be leading the iPod and iPhone division, it will be impossible for IBM to have the non-compete enforced. Now, had Papermaster immediately started as the head of the PA Semi division of Apple, then there might be merit.

However, with California being a right-to-work state, IBM will have to PROVE substantial financial harm caused by Papermaster's employment by Apple.

By: Wendell Y., Toronto, ON

Wendell Y., Toronto, ON — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 02:49:01 +0000

Non-compete agreements are rarely upheld in court in this type of scenario. Even a company with IBM's broad scope and scale would be hard pressed to prove that Apple is 1) a significant competitor, especially in the area of consumer devices and 2) losing IP and / or trade secrets from Papermaster's departure as the "residuals" – the IP in Papermaster's head – is exempt from any kind of legal action now and in the future. I predict that this lawsuit will delay but not prevent Papermaster joining Apple.

By: Elle C. Dallas Texas

Elle C. Dallas Texas — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 16:32:50 +0000

Funny to see Big ol' IBM afraid of little ol' Apple!

By: John Doe New York, NY

John Doe New York, NY — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 16:18:57 +0000

Tom B., look closer: The suit was filed in Federal court.

By: Tom B, Durham, NC

Tom B, Durham, NC — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 21:48:59 +0000

Non-competes are unenforce and I doubt an injunction from a NY judge would carry any water in California. But I'm not a lawyer…..

By: Darrel P. San Jose CA.

Darrel P. San Jose CA. — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 21:26:32 +0000

Apple has $25 Billion in the bank… You bet IBM cares! Apple could steal a lot of talent with that kind of cash.

By: Alice S. Palo Alto CA.

Alice S. Palo Alto CA. — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 21:17:50 +0000

http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/11/03/three-disruptions-in-technology-and-how-to-benefit/

By: Tom, Philadelphia, PA

Tom, Philadelphia, PA — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 21:15:02 +0000

paul said "where have you been the last 2 years. they are up in the 20’s now or close to it." On what planet? Dude, you gotta put down the pipe! Apple owns just under 10% of the PC market as of October. Here's my source: http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/10/16/apple-continues-to-outperform-the-overall-pc-market-tops-9