Aside from the technical argument about whether predatory pricing really exists there is another aspect of "race to the bottom" that is at least worth a thought

Aside from the technical argument about whether predatory pricing really exists there is another aspect of "race to the bottom" that is at least worth a thought. Ironically, Torvald's post and the Engadget article both have an assumption that whatever provides better quality(innovation) and product choice at lower prices to consumers is an unequivocal good. While seems likely to me that this is true, I don't quite get the conflation in popular culture between "consumers" and the public good. I recently picked up a Nexus 7 and I was a bit stunned at the level of technology I could get for $200. If the margin is getting squeezed, that means entities on the other side of the transaction are too, including labor. At what cost to humans (and the environment) is this rock bottom technology being created? Is there a connection between ultra competition and increasing income inequality in the US, if not the world. It seems at least intuitively plausible.