Further progress in the IBM Corp-Apple Computer Inc alliance is stalled by a Federal Trade Commission investigation according to our sister paper Unigram.X. Sometime between October 2 when the pair made their intentions formal, and a month later – the time limit set for the government to launch an investigation – the Commission started asking for more information on the alliance details such as the business plans of the proposed jointly-owned subsidiaries. It also started asking competitors what they thought about the whole thing. This, according to IBM corporate spokesman Paul Bergevin, cornered at an IBM Christmas party in New York last week, is why Taligent and Kalieda have not yet taken formal shape, although Apple and IBM are working together in anticipation of any official sanction.
