TexasDude,
A little history about OEM-ing--a subject that I know, let's say, from the inside. As little as a year and a half ago, there was no such thing as a major-label PC under $1000. Margins were decreasing, but that decline has accelerated, especially in the past year. It has been my direct dealings with "the box boys" that they are, by nature, incrementalists... doing things one step at a time... slowly.
I have no idea what or how the WAVX folks pitched "the box boys". But, I can imagine (painfully) some of the slack-jawed looks they got. And who knows the state of the Wave Systems deliverable (silicon) at that point.
Now, though, the world is diferent. We have HP on record (not just in support of the EMBASSY chip with Versecure) stating that they are now actively considering giving away hardware in exchange for percentages of sales at online sites. Now, that's something new from an OEM. We have the whole FREE PC/ISP SUBSCRIPTION convergence phenomenon. $1000 major-label PCs are extremely common. So, OEMs are having to (this isn't a matter of choice) take a look at new business models. And, here at this juncture, is a company called Wave Systems who's not only talking through their collective hat about this "chip" that can deliver ongoing revenues... but is actually proving the concept via HAUP WinTV tuner cards. EMBASSY I in the HAUP product IS delivering revenues. This is no longer an abstraction. Or just a cool, drawing-board idea.
Best Regards (and for somebody with no position here... you spend a lot of time hanging out... Interesting),
c m
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