Australia parliament to grill Apple, Microsoft and Adobe about high prices

[menotu]

By Rob Taylor - Mon Feb 11, 2013 - reuters

(Reuters) - Apple Inc has been ordered to appear before Australia's parliament with fellow technology giants Microsoft Inc and Adobe Systems Inc to explain why local consumers pay so much for their products, despite the strong Aussie dollar.

Broadening a row between the world's most valuable company and Australian lawmakers over corporate taxes paid on Apple's operations, Apple executives were formally summonsed on Monday to front a parliamentary committee in Canberra on March 22.

"In what's probably the first time anywhere in the world, these IT firms are now being summoned by the Australian parliament to explain why they price their products so much higher in Australia compared to the United States," said ruling Labor government MP Ed Husic, who helped set up the committee.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/11/us-australia-apple-pricing-idUSBRE91A04H20130211

[menotu]

Adobe has cut its Creative Cloud subscription prices in Australia just in time for a price-gouging probe.

Adobe, Microsoft, and Apple have been taking some serious heat over allegedly over-charging for tech in Australia. Prices are so high that the Australian government ordered the tech heavyweights into court to discuss the alleged price gouging.

That may be why Adobe suddenly decided to cut prices on the digital software it sells in Australia. Adobe will now charge Aussie's a similar price to Americans for its creative suite subscription.

Now instead of paying AU$63 per month for a Creative Cloud subscription, those in the land down under will be charged AU$50 per month for the subscription.

http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/the-frontline-blog/2243417/adobe-slashes-prices-in-australia-in-lead-up-to-governmental-inquiry

[Just17]

I have heard many times over the years about this price gouging, from Exwintech (RIP), and it seems now the Aus gov are doing something about it ......  not before time, either. {no need to wonder what his reaction would have been  }

Would be nice if other govs around the world could do something similar   

[AndrzejL]

GO GO GO Aussies! Well done. I hope they will be forced to reduce prices!

Regards.

Andrzej

[Reb]

international exchange rate.............. whats that ?

I can't tell you how many times I have made telephone calls to American companies over pricing.
(especially concerning digital downloads (software etc)).

All they do is take their $ price and stick a £ sign in front of it.
(because the £ is usually stronger than the $).

For example $59.99 is not = to £59.99, at the moment it is = to £38.067

this is wrong, unfair, and total rip off.

If I don't end up getting the product for the properly adjusted $ price, I don't buy the product (they lose a sale).

personally I use XE's universal currency converter for latest currency conversion rates.

http://www.xe.com/ucc/

But I wish the British Gov would do the job like the Aus Gov is.

[deathromantik]

Macs are pretty overpriced, I only paid $500 including software for mine but it is so unreliable and is falling apart; I feel cheated.

[Tony]

I'll have to follow this up, it was announced last year (2012) . Whether Apple, Microsoft and Adobe, do anything about the high prices really is up to them.

It's an Election year in Australia in 2013 so there will be much publicised 'reasoning' going on in the lead up.
 
The Australian Parliament can only ask questions initially, maybe these big companies will heed the heat on them, most big companies don't give a rat's ...

In the Title, it's actually; Ausralian parliament 

[and then..]

But I wish the British Gov would do the job like the Aus Gov is.

This is an election year in Australia.  Politicians are shaking their collective fists at the devil (MS et al) to win popularity points with the electorate!
Not to worry, price gouging will be back as soon as the new parliament settles in.

EDIT>   Yeah - what tony just said...

[harley]

My understanding is (as someone who currently lives in Sydney) that this is a point scoring local story that wont ever be followed up. But it will create more unnecessary tension this country and the US.

Most of the talk on the interwebs here says that the perpetrators of this so-called action should shut their pie holes since their intentions are obviously not going to be so beneficial anyway.

[topcat]

This is an election year in Australia.  

Yeah, and about 186,000 days to go. Dog forgive me for saying this, but given the current choice between a budgie-smuggler and a collection of 8 year olds (economically speaking) I really have no choice at this moment other than "None of the above".

For all you peeps in the northern hemisphere, here in AUS we have no choice.  You must vote.  Some Saturday in August we must all get up, go down, line up, prove who we are .. and then cast our preferences for the less least liked local face-ape. If you don't vote you get a kind invitation from the government to donate (at the last time I checked) $AUD150. 

As for price gouging, excess stock dumping, etc etc, forget about it. It's been going on since the 1970's.  It's part of life.  The better things are:
- we have milk, not dairy whitener
- bacon can come in "sides"
- beer, say no more
- beef can come in butts
- most toxic, violent, aggravating fauna and flora only actually target tourists
- the whole country is actually bigger than Texas (review, it's Australia not Austria)
- beer, real cold beer out of a tap
- a couple of the guys and shielas look good too, but it doesn't matter really
- some can sing and dance and write songs and stuff - even plays, poetry and songs
- some even devote their careers to educating the young, helping the infirm or preserving the planet
- the vast  majority of the population (apart from the crocodiles) don't actually kill tourists

 So as far as  whether the Gummint is going to spend days and days on deciding whether certain offshore corporations are really truly overcharging for services, all I can suggest is that they might perchance take a little look at their own charges.

"None of the above"
 

 

[Just17]

For all you peeps in the northern hemisphere, here in AUS we have no choice.  You must vote.  Some Saturday in August we must all get up, go down, line up, prove who we are .. and then cast our preferences for the less least liked local face-ape. If you don't vote you get a kind invitation from the government to donate (at the last time I checked) $AUD150. 

I understood that you Aussies are NOT required to vote.

You are required to register to vote on the day (unless excused), but do not actually have to post a vote.

Have I misunderstood the situation?

[harley]

Nar, you're spot-on mate.

As long as you show up and get your name crossed off, you're good. From there you can just dump an empty ballot form in the box for your vote to be considered informal.

However, it is illegal to deliberately fill out a ballot form incorrectly and it is treason to write offensive things on it, if you were to be caught doing it.

[Just17]

Nar, you're spot-on mate.

As long as you show up and get your name crossed off, you're good. From there you can just dump an empty ballot form in the box for your vote to be considered informal.

However, it is illegal to deliberately fill out a ballot form incorrectly and it is treason to write offensive things on it, if you were to be caught doing it.

.....  but you DO have to drop the paper in the ballot box?

In that case I misunderstood as I thought once the name was crossed off you could do as you wished with the ballot paper.

Thanks for the clarification 

[and then..]

In Australia we are still colonial subjects of the crown - compelled to vote for the candidates on offer, no write ins, no option of "none of the above" - we are recognized externally as a nation state but internally we are governed by old colonial law - no bill of rights and no appeal to external UN charters.  Life is good in he lucky country if you just keep your mouth shut about things - I wish we had made a clean break when we had our chance in 1901 - like S. Africa did.....  

[Tony]

"...In Australia we are still colonial subjects of the crown - compelled to vote for the candidates on offer, no write ins, no option of "none of the above"

yes, there is an option for "none of the above" when filling your ballot form. Just write; "I don't like any of the candidates, or your shopping list, or whatever you please, boldy on the paper. The Vote will be deemed Invalid, and you have voted. Too easy