[bigbuppo]

And it's exacerbated by the companies that have to invest their own Real Money to produce factories to make the chips. Same goes with the power utilities. Everyone knows it's a bubble and they don't want to be the one left holding the hundred billion dollar bag like back when Enron went belly up.

[paulnpace]

But they create a new problem for themselves of converting consumers into non-brand loyalty pure price hunters. I don't think I'm speaking for myself when I say I will use the other guy if it saves me a penny for the rest of my life.

The counter-example I hold up is Harley-Davidson. They could hardly pay a bill in the late '70 through the '80s. They'd even get free samples from suppliers and put them into production. They survived with very strong brand loyalty from customers and after-market companies.

Samsung sells directly to customers of all sizes, so they have a very good idea as to where products end up. Cutting the legs off of innumerable small businesses is despicable behavior.

I don't care if Samsung is literally starving to death, where I was previously at least a marginally loyal customer not even looking at other brands because prices were fine.