Computer Hardware

Does Apple’s iPod matter any more?

3 Sep 2008

The tech company looks set to unveil a new product. Chances are, it's a new iPod. That should help boost the music player's flagging sales growth. But nowadays, the iPod is far from Apple's biggest moneyspinner. Shareholders should focus most intently on Mac computer sales.

AMD pays bill for debt-fuelled battle with Intel

25 Aug 2008

The chip maker s plucky multidecade fight against Intel has resulted in little except ruinous price wars. Its debtfuelled ambition has now unravelled, leaving it in the sad position of jettisoning bits and bobs to stay afloat.

Could iPhone software be a cash cow for Apple?

11 Aug 2008

Apple sold $30m worth of iPhone applications in their first month. But it only gets a 30% cut to cover costs. That s smart it needs to maximise iPhone sales for now. Once enough users are locked in, the software could become its next big money maker.

Market has got HP wrong on $14bn EDS purchase

13 May 2008

This is the rare deal where the numbers work: HP s returns will exceed its cost of capital. Yet the strategy of expanding into a lowergrowth business has led to a wipeout nearly equal to the purchase price. That s silly. After all, HP can always spin the thing off.

Nokia still king – but on earth

17 Apr 2008

The Finnish handset maker has come back down to earth with a bump. Nokia is still way ahead of the pack. But it has failed to beat estimates for the first time in four quarters and is warning of pressure from the gloomy macroeconomic environment.

Sony’s Blu-ray victory may not bring great profits

18 Feb 2008

Toshiba is set for unconditional surrender in the latest battle over video formats. That s a sweet victory for Sony, whose Betamax lost the first battle two decades ago. But how profitable will it be for Sony? It isn t the sole owner, and doesn t control the manufacturing.

Should Ellison’s Netsuite be part of Oracle?

5 Dec 2007

The tech billionaire isn t resting on his laurels. His new company, Netsuite, is in the sweet spot of the software market and set for a hot IPO. That should give Ellison s net worth a nice bump. Oracle investors may wonder why they don t have cause for celebration too.

TomTom goes for knock-out with Tele Atlas

7 Nov 2007

The Dutch navigation device maker has upped its offer for the digital mapmaker to E2.9bn and snapped up 28% of the shares. Outbid US rival Garmin looks like it has been left in the cold.

Nokia takes $8.1bn gamble on mobile maps

1 Oct 2007

Every cell phone user wants a map on their phone. With this in mind, Nokia agreed to pay 40 times profit for US group Navteq. Success isn t assured despite the stonking price everyone from phone operators to computer groups wants a piece of the pie. But falling phone prices leave Nokia little choice.

Google’s $30m moonshot prize is a winner

18 Sep 2007

Sponsoring a prize is a good way to encourage anything from basic research to exploration. Google s offer of up to $30m for anyone who can send a robot to the moon is both quirky and inspirational. It s also good business.

Google counters Yahoo’s blow in ad battle

9 May 2007

Yahoo claimed its new Panama ad system would close the gap with Google. But Google quietly tweaked its own system. That enabled it to maintain its lead. And Yahoo learned it s hard to leapfrog a moving object.

Jobs’ tenure atop Apple looks secure

26 Apr 2007

An exofficial fighting SEC charges claims Jobs knew of options backdating. But Apple and the SEC sources affirm he'll avoid prosecution. With this in mind, investors can properly celebrate an amazing secondquarter performance and hope for more to come.

Amazon’s valuation belongs in the fiction aisle

25 Apr 2007

The retailer's shares trade at a skyhigh multiple due to increasing revenues and optimism about future margin growth. But with steep marketing expenses pressurising margins, Amazon appears to be the most overvalued megabrand on the internet.

Redstone’s wrath plays into Google’s gambit

13 Mar 2007

By the time the Viacom boss s $1bn suit against Google wends through the courts, YouTube s lead in traffic may be beyond challenge. Sumner Redstone is wading into a legal morass when he should be building Viacom s own online media strategy. That s just fine by Google.

Microsoft image-polishing campaign falls short

6 Mar 2007

By lambasting Google, the software firm is strengthening ties to the search giant s enemies and trying to improve its own battered image. But its escalating war with European regulators over antitrust issues badly dents Microsoft s campaign to be seen as the good guy.

Have you been LinkedIn?

6 Mar 2007

Some 9m professionals already have been. The online networking service aims to be a MySpace for Suits. But most busy execs ignore emails inviting them to join. So far the online club lacks the exclusivity professionals crave.

Larry Ellison has struck again

1 Mar 2007

For the 30th time in three years, Oracle s boss has bought another company this time Hyperion for $3.3bn. He may just be getting started. Ellison has been banging the drum for rationalising the sector. And the likely returns from his latest purchase show why.

Odds stacked against McCaw’s Clearwire

28 Feb 2007

Craig McCaw is at it again, asking shareholders to join him in another leveraged bet on a speculative new technology. The IPO of Clearwire, his new wireless broadband company, may pop. But its longerterm prospects are murky at best.

Alcatel’s $1.5bn award provides a welcome respite

23 Feb 2007

Microsoft said it will appeal. And the close collaboration between the two on internet TV may prompt them to agree to a smaller settlement. But AlcatelLucent s victory ups the pressure on other companies to pay it royalties welcome news for the cashstrapped company.

Google’s obstinacy is spawning YouTube rivals

22 Feb 2007

Remember Napster? The contentsharing site was crushed by copyright litigation. And its flameout guided development of rivals like iTunes. Google's YouTube is repeating many of Napster's mistakes. It too may end up as an object lesson for successful online video rivals.