I agree, FR1, we can't overlook the spreading effect that layoffs are having throughout the economy, not just the high-techs. I've been watching the large layoff announcements recently (Lucent, Wards, etc.) and comparing that to job growth numbers (which were just drastically reduced downwards for the previous reporting period; what a shock!). Looks like the big layoffs engine is dumping a LOT more folks out there than we small business folks can absorb quickly.
And yes, they'll wait until later to see about upgrades, etc. Dell's seeing the pinch, and it may get worse from here, although they're surprisingly upbeat in the trenches at this moment. (I teach about 50 of them a week, so I'm getting a reasonable cross-section of sentiment these days.) We'll see how it holds up.
On related note, did you see the article in Wednesday's Wall Street Journal about the changes Ted Waitt is making at Gateway? They're gonna be a lean, mean computer-selling machine, if he has his way. But I bet the market forces keep him from doing much more than staving off loss of market share....
Mitch |
