Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Intel Corporation (INTC) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Amy J who wrote (84948)	7/6/1999 4:31:00 AM
From: Amy J	Respond to of 186894

For North America's semiconductor makers, 1999 is shaping up as a good recovery year. The consensus is that chip consumption will grow near the 17 percent level that semiconductors have recorded historically. [CMP Publications] From newsedge.com

To: Amy J who wrote (84948)	7/6/1999 4:35:00 AM
From: Amy J	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 186894

National Semiconductor turns to info appliances From newsedge.com: July 6, 1999 Asia Computer Weekly via NewsEdge Corporation : National Semiconductor continued to display Cyrix-based PCs at its Compu-net booth just days after the company announced it would not be investing further in the Cyrix-driven PC business, but the focus was elsewhere. Said Shanghai-based Bob Xu, regional manager, East China, National Semiconductor: "Our focus is now on the information appliance. Cyrix has been very successful in China, but we were losing money." Robert Su, senior marketing manager, Cyrix and PC Business Unit, Asia-Pacific, National Semiconductor Far East in Taiwan, explained that everyone may have a PC in the office, whereas the ubiquitous device for the home is the TV. "The TV will be the focus for information appliances," he said. At the show, National Semiconductor highlighted Cyrix-based Windows terminals, set-top boxes, the WebPad, as well as interactive DVD stations. Webpad is National's touchpad solution for wireless information access at the home, communicating with PCs or set top boxes. It can also be used as a standalone device. Su said Cyrix-based set top boxes are already produced by Taiwan companies such as Tatung, but that none of the companies in East China had come forward as yet to manufacture any of the prototype solutions.

To: Amy J who wrote (84948)	7/6/1999 4:38:00 AM
From: Amy J	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 186894

Compaq thins out its strategy From newsedge.com July 6, 1999 InfoWorld via NewsEdge Corporation : Compaq will finally step up to the thin-client plate this fall when the world's largest PC maker unveils its first Windows-based Terminal product. According to Mike Winkler, senior vice president and group general manager of PC products at Compaq, the company will introduce a Windows-based Terminal running Windows CE in September. The move underscores the changes the PC market is currently undergoing given the effect of the Internet on traditional client/server computing. (See " PC at a crossroads," June 21, page 1.) "We believe it is a viable market and that we have to have an offering, " Winkler said of the thin-client market. "There is an Internet-appliance model and it can be a very attractive alternative [to the PC]." But Compaq will not be stopping with a Windows-based Terminal. The PC giant is also planning "purpose-specific" PCs, designed for targeted users. One such product is an Office 2000-specific PC, intended to serve basic office-productivity applications without the superfluous functionality of a general-purpose PC. Terming the products "office appliances,"Compaq intends to shave costs off of systems by stripping out unnecessary hardware and software. "There won't be just one kind of thin client," Winkler added. Compaq's vision of the network of the future is one in which a variety of devices share access to the network, delivering functionality for disparate types of end-users. WinCE handhelds, thin clients, and full-function PCs will all reside on one network throughout an enterprise. But according to Winkler, that type of network requires infrastructure and bandwidth that are not yet available. "The backbones of today won't serve that environment," Winkler said. The highly anticipated Windows 2000 Server product expected from Microsoft by the end of the year will likely spur mixed-client environments. Windows 2000 will include multiuser thin-client support as part of the core OS. Despite its financial woes, Compaq continues to churn out new products, such as a thin-and-light notebook and the Aero 8000 WinCE handheld, which were introduced last month. But Compaq is also stepping up its efforts to reassure its customer base that it is stable and has a viable long-term strategy. Beginning this week, the company is sending written correspondence to customers and mobilizing a force of salespeople to visit large accounts and spell out its vision. Compaq Computer Corp., in Houston, is at www.compaq.com.