I, for one, would feel more confortable with the company when they announce design wins with some of the tier one system manufacturers (Dell, HP, Compaq), rather than the strategy of promoting add-in cards. The quantities between add-in cards and OEM systems is huge.
This is what propelled Tseng Labs, Cirrus Logic, and S3 along their growth curves. But as all three of these companies proved, it's how you handle the growth once you're at the top that ultimately matters.
The add-in card houses can turn a new design in two weeks. Witness Diamond's abandoning of S3 chips in their new product introductions. Creative dropped Cirrus Logic really fast.
The OEM design wins are a longer revenue stream than the add-in cards. With Intel in the OEM market, 3DFX may remain just a small player in the twitch marketplace.
There is a BIG difference between Mindshare and Marketshare. |
