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: John F. Dowd who wrote (94001)	12/14/1999 8:17:00 PM
From: Don Green	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 186894

Intel Looks Past the PC Lab Watch December 14, 1999 by Robert Buderi A chorus of digitally obsessed Delphic oracles swears the PC lingers on its deathbed -- that the network and information appliances represent the future of computing. In the past, this view hasn't exactly sat well with Microsoft (MSFT) and Intel (INTC). But Intel, in addition to gobbling up companies that produce or service data and voice communications networks, has recently broken precedent by launching a research effort to explore this alternative vision. "Our objective is to look for new uses and new users for our microprocessors," explains Fred Pollack, director of Intel's Microprocessor Research Laboratory (MRL). "So in this case we want to look beyond PC computing." A chorus of digitally obsessed Delphic oracles swears the PC lingers on its deathbed. The MRL, now 160 staffers strong, was established in 1995 to explore longer range computing issues. This fledgling project has been tentatively dubbed Smart Computing. But while it reflects the general view of pervasive computing - where people interact with machines on human terms and the computers seamlessly do the right thing - the project's intent is less to pioneer new trends than to make sure Intel's chips can handle them. Therefore, Pollack has dispatched his forces to first probe only one representative face of the vision: the home of the future. The premise is this: Just as most households possess a central heating unit, an increasing number will soon incude a central server, complete with broadband Internet connections. A host of devices - microphones, speakers, cameras, displays, appliances, televisions and more - will be linked wirelessly to the server, removing many inputs and outputs from the PC and creating a fundamentally new human-computer interface. Look Ma, No Hands Intel's initial approach to this goal is to create a "knowledge bus" for connecting functions such as speech, video, vision recognition and 3D graphics to both a distributed computer network and an information database that can mine the Web for needed data. MRL wants to then test this software backbone by prototyping three aspects of intelligent services: financial, communications and entertainment. Pollack explains these ideas by imagining himself returning home from work. A front-door camera sends his image to the server, which performs rapid-fire pattern recognition to identify which occupant has arrived. The system then greets him by name and posts Intel's closing stock price and the rest of Pollack's portfolio on the foyer wall display. Important related news is also shown, including a cheery item about Advanced Micro Devices' having problems with its latest chip. Satisfied he's still solvent, Pollack enters the living room, greets his wife and begins to unwind. Just then, the computer informs him that his boss, Albert Yu, is looking for him. All voice and e-mail communiqués are integrated, so Pollack doesn't care which mode Yu used. He just says, "Play that for me," and out comes Yu's message. Pollack then tells the system to telephone his boss, so it places the call. After a brief discussion about a key strategic hire, Pollack and his wife settle down to dinner. During the meal, they decide to go out to a movie. The system knows not to select "The Matrix" (Pollack's wife hates science fiction) but a romantic comedy rated highly by a trusted film reviewer. The show must also be at a nearby cinema and start at a convenient time. Such information is accessible via the Internet, notes Pollack, but it would take many clicks to get him there. It's far better to let the computer do it. The key technological elements for making this scenario real - the Internet, wireless and broadband communications, speech recognition and natural language processing - are close at hand. "The real challenge here, and it's a major challenge," Pollack notes, "is the integration of these technologies." If that can be achieved, the total available market for Intel's chips should expand nicely. If that means the PC isn't quite the icon it has been, he reasons, so be it. (For more on Intel's non-PC investment strategy, see "Intel Has a VC Inside.") upside.com

To: John F. Dowd who wrote (94001)	12/14/1999 8:32:00 PM
From: Road Walker	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 186894

John, re: "If we are component capacity limited how is it that today's concern is that every one is overstocked with components and hence next qrtr. will suffer?" Devils advocate again. Manufacturers over ordered in the expectation of great sales, but they couldn't get MB's, so they are overstocked in all other components. I know this is contradictory to the previous conjecture that the manufacturers are not ordering components because of a shortage in MB's. But I believe the analysts will always take whatever information is available, and figure out a way to make it a negative for Intel. Whatever it takes. John PS Sent you a PM as you posted this.