Australian Parliament issues summons to Apple, Microsoft, Adobe
IT Pricing inquiry bares its fangs, prepares to bite Apple over
price gouging, tiny tax bill  Evaluating the cost of a DDoS
attack  The IT Pricing Inquiry being conducted by Australia's
House Committee on Infrastructure and Communications has issued
summons to Apple, Microsoft and Adobe.  The inquiry kicked off
in 2012 and is investigating why Australians pay more for
hardware and software than those overseas.  At current exchange
rate one Australian dollar buys $US1.03. Yet Australians often
pay more in Australian dollars than Americans are charged in
their currency.  An example of the discrepancy can be seen in
the price of a 16GB WiFi iPad with Retina Display. In the USA
the fondleslab costs $US499. In Australia it's $AUD539.  A
year's worth of Office 365 Home Premium costs $AUD119 down
under, but $US99.99 in the land of the free.  Multinational IT
outfits have said Australians pay more because of local costs,
but have never explained just wh