STUPID APPLE BLOWS IT AGAIN! An excerpt from a letter dated May 22 to Exponential investors from the Chairman of the Board:
"The reason for Exponential's shut down was simple: Apple. The delays in procuring the funding related to Apple and problems in the PowerPC market. The current Apple "bad press" helped keep investors away. Then to make an already difficult financing more difficult, in early March, Apple informed Exponential that they had resource issues and would have difficulty finishing the productization for the Apple product using the Exponential processor. Only two weeks before, in an informal conversation, Dr. Gil Amelio, Apple CEO, assured us that Apple was still proceeding forward. Apple then solicited proposals from Exponential on how to finish the productization using outside resources. We felt we had made good progress towards this goal and that Apple was close to working together with us on a solution when 3 weeks ago Apple concluded that they could not support any type of program working with us. We diligently and quickly worked back-up plans. Additionally, Apple was not forthcoming in allowing the "clones" (such as Power Computing and UMAX) to use the Exponential part prior to the CHRP licensing which was not to take place until at least October. Therefore, we had no viable revenue path until at least October and even then it was subject to Apple staying on schedule for releasing the appropriate platform. In essence, we had no revenue path with Apple and without cooperation from Apple we had no viable revenue path with the clones."
Okay folks, granted, Exponential had a couple of months delay in getting the 533 MHz out and in meantime had executed a 400-plus MHz chip. The bug accounting for the reduced speed was identified and corrected, and was partly due to the testing software they were using. So the x704 533 MHz was bug-free and ready to go for crying out loud.
I personally believe Apple, in its short sightedness and small weenie management style blackballed Exponential to placate IBM and Motorola. So much for American entrepeneurial risk taking and ingenuity!
So I know this is coming from a biased perspective with some sour grapes thrown in, but Apple, in my opinion and experience, is rotten to the core. Karma has a way of coming back and biting one in the booty when least expected. I hope it takes a big mouthful out of Apple. Shame on Apple for violating its agreements! |
