Harrigan, Hope your'e right. The danger now is that with all the pre-publicity about the partial adoption of the direct model for some products, the actual announcement on the 11th will be a damp squib, unless there is some other substantial revelation.
Of course, Big Chief Wooden Face is also making a speech at COMDEX. If it is not a thematic speech on the indutry in, general, but about Compaq, then it will probably be a variation on an old theme. Most of us could write it now e.g. merger going according to plan, but some labour union issues holding-up lay-offs in continental Europe, merger accretive by the end of the 4th quarter, surpassing DELL in the total number of products sold each day via the Internet, broadening offering of products and (wait for it) $50 billion revenues by the year 2000.
I suppose there is a chance he might get carried away and start singing "Today, No. 1 PC Maker in the VORLD, Tommorrow Belongs to Me". I bet he doesn't say anything about the stock price.
As an optimist I hope the tantalising indications we have had lately that he is bullish in talks with analysts and vendors might be a precursor of guidance that earnings will exceed expectations - wouldn't that be nice!
Victor |
