May 1901. Inside the White House residence, President McKinley sat at the Grant cabinet table with…read moreJ.P. Morgan, Charles Coffin, Thomas Edison, and George Westinghouse as the markets crashed. The Oval Office was still an unbuilt shell. Morgan denounced Tesla, who used a $150k radio grant to secretly build a wireless power tower--having already given 16 patents to Marconi and 46 to Westinghouse. Warning McKinley that wireless energy was "sorcery" that would ruin commerce, Morgan secured a wired AC future.
Outside, the titans relaxed. "Tesla nearly gave the biggest windfall away," Westinghouse breathed. Morgan sneered: "What does he think, we invest to give it away? How do we charge them if we can't plug a meter in?"
One hundred and twenty-five years later, Morgan's meter is still running, and I am the one paying for it.
I find myself in MediaMarkt standing at the service counter. I have just been robbed. Not by a masked highwayman with a pistol pointed at me shouting "Stand and Deliver," but by a pretty girl in a red and white uniform saying, "That will be €35.30, please."
My Spanish, is not so good yet. I'm learning. The girl points to the card machine. There is no doubt. I am being charged a ridiculous amount for an Apple mains cord. Cable in hand, I have just had my pants pulled down. €35.30 is a flex, to put it politely. J.P. Morgan would be smiling in his grave; they are still charging us for the wires.
I am not blaming MediaMarkt. They are actually less expensive than buying from Apple direct. A technology and white goods Goliath, with a jaw dropping range of products from giant TV's, the latest Tech, - Phones, computers etc, Fridge Freezers, Washing machines, toasters kettles... You name it they have it and at competitive prices with joking aside great customer service and knowhow.
I chose Apple because cable quality matters. My charger needs a premium, thicker cable to transfer full power. Counterfeit alternatives choke power delivery and lead to unsatisfactory performance.
The power is flowing, but until Tesla's dream comes true, I'll treat this 35-euro cable like my most prized luxury --who knew copper wire could feel so elite?
