I remember when PDAs first hit the scene and how the very very smart VCs stopped investing in PC companies because “Pocket computers” were going to kill the PC. They were idiots, of course, but they were not alone, and their holdback on funding did damage the PC industry a little. It seems ludicrous now with the benefit of 20/20 … Read more
Being cool and hip in the computer industry is tough. Each company has their own following who, in turn consider their own brand to have these qualities. However, appealing to the high margin “influencers” is a different story.Despite their best efforts, Hewlett-Packard has not really been hip and cool to a key segment of this “influencer” group, nor has Acer/Gateway, … Read more
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=ah.zkXSTEhuo&refer=news
By now you should have seen and studied Kathleen Maher’s Practicality Gap thesis. There is another chart that is interesting to examine, the Information Curve. It’s a phenomenon that a company goes through as it succeeds and matures. The company starts out very secret, not wanting to let any information out about its precious ideas. Then it goes looking for … Read more
One of the things you learn quickly in the computer infomation business is that you are not in control, you are at best a laboratory rat running the maze in search of cheese or your freedom, neither of which you will obtain. It begins when you learn that computers are fast, scary scary fast and because they are so much … Read more
Overall market was up 3%, bucking seasonal trend.
Who wants to sit in front of a computer writing crap like this, or worse yet reading it, when there’s a beautiful blue sky over our beautiful bay that’s filled with beautiful people on their beautiful and expensive boats? Jon’s boat gets ready for a little cruise on the Bay As I was sitting on the deck on my boat … Read more
http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=9942
It was really hard not to write an editorial about the iPhone. We heard (from the San Jose Mercury News) that Hallmark is going to lobby the U.S. Congress to declare June 29 iDay. In terms of a marketing blitzkrieg, I think Steve Jobs can say Mission iComplished! But I swore I wouldn’t join the cacophony of critics of all … Read more
Before AMD acquired ATI it was enjoying a profitable and robust partnership with Nvidia, while ATI was nurturing their multi-decade relationship with Intel. Then AMD’s big checkbook came out and Intel let the jewel of ATI slip out of their fingers. Why they didn’t outbid AMD we’ll never understand; pride’s an expensive housemate. But the reactions were predictable and laughable. … Read more
Units not so bad, but revenue took a big hit
TIBURON, Calif—June 13, 2007—Times change, and they can change fast. As 2006 began, Intel’s Xeon was in a tailspin, while AMD’s Opteron could do no wrong. In the robust market for workstations, the roles have since reversed, with first quarter results reported from Jon Peddie Research showing Xeon has grabbed back much of the share it had lost to Opteron. … Read more
