Rich you're pushing the front side of the news envelope on Tiawan
Excellent sleuthing . This old news may get you info on Alpha Top's TWSE listed Taipei parent GVC :
" Apple Computer's iBook Laptop PC May Help Revive Taiwan's GVC
Taipei, July 23 (Bloomberg) -- GVC Corp. said Apple Computer Inc.'s new portable iBook personal computer may help the medium- sized computer maker in Taiwan make a profit in the second half.
GVC last year lost a net NT$957 million ($29 million), or NT$1.35 per share, because of competition and a squeeze on profits as consumers bought more low-end computers.
In the first half of this year, GVC lost NT$1.37 billion, or NT$3.06 a share, including losses of its subsidiaries.
GVC's unlisted Alpha Top Corp. unit is the sole maker of the new laptop in Taiwan under a contract manufacturing agreement with the U.S. computer maker.
''Apple's iBook production is now under way at our Alpha Top plant, and we hope that order can turn GVC around this year,'' said GVC spokeswoman Fu Yen-lin, who refused to disclose the size of the order, citing an non-disclosure agreement.
The contract could help boost Alpha Top's sales this year to NT$11 billion, from NT$6 billion last year, said Alpha Top spokesman Su Ting-hsin.
Alpha Top is expected to begin shipping the iBook to Cupertino, California-based Apple in August. The new laptop, which has a 12-inch display and will come in orange and blue, will sell for about $1,599 starting in September.
The machine has wireless Internet access and networking capabilities, and sports a rugged hard plastic case and rubber accents.
Quanta Computer Inc., Taiwan's largest notebook computer maker, makes Apple's PowerBook computers that sell for about $2,500.
GVC shares fell 0.5 percent to NT$21.6, compared with a 0.6 percent gain in the benchmark TWSE index. The stock is down 5.3 percent so far this year, compared with a 20 percent gain in the benchmark index.
Jul/23/1999 4:46 - from Bloomberg News"
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Damage reports of the earthquake overlook any commercial effect:
abcnews.go.com
Jim K. |
