• Wednesday, May 23, 10:28 AM For whom the Dell tolls: As the IT giant's FQ1 miss and commentary lead to a tech selloff, PC-related names get hit harder than most, no doubt thanks to the 10% drop seen in Dell's (DELL -15.8%) notebook sales. Rival H-P (HPQ -4.4%), due to report this afternoon, is among the biggest losers. Also selling off: INTC -3.1%. MSFT -3.2%. AMD -3.1%. LOGI -3.3%. (more on DELL) 3 Comments [Tech, On the Move]
• Tuesday, May 22, 5:36 PM During its FQ1 earnings call (webcast), Dell admits its 10% Y/Y drop in notebook sales had much to do with tablet cannibalization (more with consumers, but also among businesses). Dell also claims price competition (especially in emerging markets) hurt PC sales, and an inefficient sales structure affected enterprise sales. Also, it adds April was particularly weak, and some enterprises are delaying IT purchases. DELL -12% AH. HPQ -2.5%. INTC -1.1%. (presentation - PDF). 2 Comments [Tech, Earnings, On the Move]
• Tuesday, May 22, 12:19 PM In tandem with Windows 8's fall launch, AMD is planning to release a new low-voltage CPU line, codenamed Hondo. Though based on an older 40nm manufacturing process, Hondo chips will consume only 4W-5W of power, making them rivals to Intel's (INTC) upcoming Clover Trail CPUs. AMD's Trinity CPU line, released last week, has been praised for its battery life gains, though commentary about its performance has been muted. Comment! [Tech]
• Monday, May 21, 10:24 AM Nvidia (NVDA) rolls out a line of low-end graphics processors - the GeForce GT 610, GT 620, and GT 630. Unlike recently-launched high-end products, the chips aren't based on Nvidia's cutting-edge 28nm Kepler architecture, but on its older 40nm Fermi architecture. The chips could face stiff competition from the graphics processors built into Intel's Ivy Bridge and AMD's Trinity CPUs. Comment! [Tech]
• Tuesday, May 15, 12:03 PM AMD has officially unveiled its next-gen A-Series CPUs, codenamed Trinity. Trinity is the successor to AMD's Llano, and will compete with Intel's (INTC) Ivy Bridge. Though its 32nm manufacturing process is less advanced than Ivy Bridge's 22nm, 3D-transistor tech, reviews turn up superior graphics performance to go with inferior-but-adequate CPU performance. Battery life gains relative to Llano are also reported - that could help "ultrathin" Trinity systems compete with Ivy Bridge-based ultrabooks. 1 Comment [Tech]
• Tuesday, May 15, 10:11 AM In spite of reportedly being given priority by TSMC (TSM) for output, Qualcomm's (QCOM) 28nm chip supply issues are continuing, says Digitimes, with the company failing to secure adequate quantities of its cutting-edge Snapdragon S4 processors. As a result, Samsung, HTC, and other customers are said to be weighing other chip suppliers, such as Nvidia (NVDA), ST-Ericsson (STM, ERIC), and Intel (INTC). (yesterday) Comment! [Tech]
• Monday, May 14, 2:18 PM Intel (INTC) announces new additions to its Xeon server CPU line. The chips include the high-end E5-4600 family, which are based on Intel's recently-launched Romley platform, and the low-end E3-1200 v2 family, which is based on its Ivy Bridge architecture and aimed at the rapidly growing high-density server market. AMD is aggressively going after the high-density market via its acquisition of SeaMicro. 1 Comment [Tech]
• Monday, May 14, 12:37 PM The first Windows 8 (MSFT) tablets sporting Intel (INTC) CPUs will arrive in November, sources tell CNET. It's added the devices will use Intel's upcoming Clover Trail Atom CPUs, and over half will be PC/tablet hybrids. A successful launch could give a lift to touchscreen controller vendors such as ATML, CY, and SYNA. A prior report claimed both Intel and ARM-based (ARMH) Windows 8 hardware will arrive in October. 4 Comments [Tech]
• Friday, May 11, 5:05 AM In contrast to John Chambers' pessimism on Europe, Intel (INTC) yesterday gave a rosier outlook at its annual meeting, saying it hasn't observed a slowdown in the region. "I don't see what he's seeing," said CEO Paul Otellini of Chambers' remarks. Intel was also fairly upbeat about PC sales, especially to emerging markets. Comment! [Tech]
• Thursday, May 10, 10:24 AM ARM (ARMH +3.2%) gets a boost from Bernstein's Pierre Ferragu, who raises his rating on the stock to Market Perform and asserts it is now fairly valued. Ferragu thinks ARM eventually can become a “credible alternative” to Intel (INTC) at the low-end PC and niche server markets, but is concerned about Intel's threat to ARM’s dominance in mobile phones and tablets. 2 Comments [Tech, Quick Ideas, On the Move]
• Tuesday, May 8, 6:21 PM Samsung (SSNLF.PK) has released a reference phone for the Tizen platform, which it's co-developing with Intel (INTC) and others. Though Tizen has been viewed as a low-end/mid-range OS, the reference phone features a 720p display and dual-core CPU - signs the world's biggest smartphone vendor might use it to lessen its dependence on Android (GOOG). Tizen's adoption could also give a lift to Intel's budding mobile processor ambitions. Comment! [Tech]
• Monday, May 7, 1:44 PM IBM bolsters its commitment to Linux, which has been rapidly growing its server share, by introducing a line of servers based on its Power CPUs that will exclusively run the open-source OS. Big Blue is hoping the performance of the systems will convince enterprises to accept their higher cost relative to Linux servers running on Intel (INTC) and AMD CPUs. IBM partner Red Hat (RHT) has to be pleased with the development. 1 Comment [Tech]
• Monday, May 7, 12:09 PM Apple (AAPL) is planning to release a $799 MacBook Air in Q3, claim Digitimes' sometimes-reliable sources - the cheapest Air currently goes for $999. MacBook Air sales have been taking off, though overall Mac sales have been hurt by iPad cannibalization. Digitimes adds Intel (INTC) is trying to bring prices for its MacBook Air-like ultrabooks down to $699. Plunging flash memory prices could make cheaper Airs and ultrabooks possible. (previous) 11 Comments [Tech]
• Monday, May 7, 9:25 AM With Intel (INTC) expecting another record year in 2012, the company will increase its quarterly dividend by 7% to 22.5 cents a share, starting with the payout that will be declared for Q3. CEO Paul Otellini says the company is experiencing "strong demand in our core business and significant progress in smartphones and other new growth areas." (PR) 3 Comments [Tech]
• Friday, May 4, 11:09 AM QLogic (QLGC -11.9%) tumbles after posting a mixed FQ4 report. BMO (Market Perform) thinks the results, together with archrival Emulex's (ELX -2.2%) uninspiring June quarter outlook, suggests a slower-than-expected ramp for Intel's (INTC) Romley server CPU platform, which many have expected will lead to a pickup in data center IT spending. The report might also be weighing on Brocade (BRCD -4%). Comment! [Tech, Earnings, On the Move]
• Thursday, May 3, 6:58 PM Texas Instruments (TXN -2.2%) CEO Richard Templeton says his company remains committed to its OMAP mobile app processor business, in spite of intense competition (I, II, III) from QCOM, NVDA, INTC, and (indirectly) Apple and Samsung's in-house chip efforts. TI's wireless chip sales fell 48% Q/Q in Q1, partly due to a plunge in OMAP sales to Amazon, which saw the Kindle Fire's tablet share dive. Comment! [Tech]