Hi, straight life - "For what it's worth, I think Infowave is a risky stock, and by that I mean that the execution of management is not assured."
You're right; and you're also correct when you state:
"So far however, I'm very pleased with their execution and I'm happy to be a shareholder."
But...the execution of management never is assured, is it? Look at the history of Apple, IBM, Motorola (with Iridium), and on, and on...
Always, the shareholder has to be looking over management's shoulder, second-guessing each move. Sometimes, it's extremely difficult to tell when they've got it wrong (or right).
But I've always liked IW's approach:
1 - Identify a market segments. Make a realistic business case for the identified segment.
2 - Tailor software for the identified segment.
3 - Market aggressively in the segment. Grow market share.
4 - Don't stray from "The Plan".
This strategy is exemplified by their current "ownership" of the Mac printer driver business.
Their plan, marking the corporate wireless user as the first revenue-producing customer, was correct.
On a secondary basis, their initiative with Symmetry was also correct.
I love Infowave for the Net - what a great product! I can't believe reaction has been so muted.
The consumer side awaits; it's still early days. WAP won't be mainstream for a while yet.
And yes, I'd like to see less dependency on Microsoft; the question is whether Microsoft's products, and network "vision" will continue to gain market share. Reaction to Win 2000 has been quite good.
Linux lurks, in the IBM cave.
Some of Palm's business would be nice. but I still hold the belief that its market share will be reduced, long-term.
So I expect Infowave to continue its successful strategy of taking incremental steps that have entirely predictable results.
And like you, I watch.
|
