Tuesday, November 3, 2009
European Union Mulling Objection to Oracle-Sun Deal
Oracle CEO Larry Ellison is famous for his admiration of “The Art of War,” Sun Tzu’s sixth-century treatise on battle tactics. And the ancient wisdom has served Ellison well in Oracle’s long-running battle with SAP and its hostile bid for PeopleSoft. But it may get him in trouble when it comes to Oracle’s dealings with the European Commission and its inquiry into the company’s planned acquisition of Sun. The Financial Times reports that Oracle’s refusal to offer any concessions to European antitrust regulators may lead them to issue a formal complaint objecting to the deal.
Apple’s long-rumored tablet device may arrive at market before the winter holidays, not after them. This according to the Financial Times, which has managed to flesh out some recent reports coming out of China. According to the FT, the “full-featured” tablet is being prepped to launch alongside a next-generation digital album format Apple is cooking up with the four largest recording companies, one designed to gin up sales of CD-length music.
What silliness. Microsoft and the European Commission have canceled a face-to-face hearing in an antitrust case pending against the company over a scheduling dispute, of all things.
Is the Wii juggernaut finally slowing? Perhaps. In March, Japanese sales of Nintendo’s wildly popular game console fell below those of rival Sony’s PlayStation 3 for the first time.
The word “Nintendo” literally translates as “leave luck to heaven,” but another translation might be “leave luck to your employees.” Because Nintendo’s are among the most productive in tech. In fact, the average Nintendo worker earns more for the video game maker than average Google or Goldman Sachs workers earn for their respective employers.
