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Strategies & Market Trends : Gorilla and King Portfolio Candidates -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: voop who wrote (19840)3/11/2000 11:08:00 PM
From: Mike Buckley  Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 54805
 
Voop! Chalk up yet another superior write-up to Project Hunt. No doubt the San Diego shindig inspired you to finish it up. Fabulous job, my fellow threadmate!

Having seen the quality of your write-up, I wonder if 100 still questions your wisdom to walk instead of taking a cab.

By the way, it sure is nice to see all these screen names and remember the faces that go with them if not the real name, yours included of course. In the case of 100's face, I get double the pleasure because there was the pre-Opus look and the post-Opus look. :)

--Mike Buckley



To: voop who wrote (19840)3/11/2000 11:57:00 PM
From: Uncle Frank  Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 54805
 
Voop, thanks for an outstanding presentation of KOPN. It was worth the (long) wait <gg>.

About all I can add constructively is if you put < pre > ahead of table data and < /pre > afterwards, it will cause the data to be displayed in fixed font, which will line up all of the numbers in columns.

Do you hold a position in kopn, and if not, will you take one now that you've analyzed them?

uf



To: voop who wrote (19840)3/12/2000 3:32:00 AM
From: FLSTF97  Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 54805
 
Kopin

Voop, nice write up on Kopin. I first came across them researching CREE. You mentioned that they just recently became profitable, but my research from a few months ago revealed that in 15 years of existence they have never had a profitable quarter. I found this difficult to understand especially since they claimed 80% market share in the HBT market.

I came to the conclusion that their future then must be in the display area primarily. That area is intensely competitive with many patents that are usually cross licensed (at least among the Japanese firms). As far as I know (which is not very far!), Kopin's method of building the display is unique. My understanding is that it was based on Si, if so I'm wondering why it is transparent.

I want to comment on several of the discontinuous innovations you mentioned.

So discontinuous innovations include
1) Wafer Engineering Technology to produce a 3D IC via Atomic level layering
2) Lift Off Technology to Produce AMLCD and Smart Cards
3) Unique patented color generation
4) Single Crystal Integrated Circuits that are transparent
5) Displacement of filters, reduction in pixels in AMLCD
6) Displacement of traditional viewfinders in video cameras and other handhelds
7) Increased battery life in both products
8) The gigabyte transmission of data over GaAs HBT IC


The first one about 3D devices was probably discontinuous about 20 years ago. Most of the GaAs industry employes something called MBE(Molecular Beam Epitaxy)to build up different layers. This in principle (along with other techniques) permits a 3D structure. I haven't reviewed their patents so it may be they have blocked out certain applications using this technique. That may give them a strategic advantage, but I'm not sure that I would say it is discontinuous. What is your thought on this?

Secondly the "lift off technique" has been know for probably 25-30 years. This may be a new application, but I think it may fall into the same category as the above. Did you review the patents and if so was there something unique in them that leads you to believe this application of lift off might be discontinuous? If you can give me the number, I'd be willing to review it.

From your research, can you make any projections about the timing of profitability and the ramp rate? I think they are in the right spaces: Telecom and Displays, to have huge volumes. If they really have superior technology that can be protected, they ought to be able to finally become profitable.

TIA,

FATBOY



To: voop who wrote (19840)3/12/2000 8:47:00 AM
From: Eric L  Respond to of 54805
 
Voop,

<< KOPIN Project Gorilla Hunt >>

Great job. I have really been looking forward to your report and you did it proud.

Kopin was the first company I researched on SI back in mid 1997 but after hanging in for about 9 months I tuned out because they were so far from profitability. Glad to see the profit picture changing.

<< CyberDisplay ... Agreements are currently in place with .... Mustek and GemPlus for Smartcards. ..... Smartcards have not crossed the chasm but a mass market is certainly envisioned. >>

I'd like to comment that although Smartcards are still mired in the chasm here in the Americas, they are well into the bowling alley and probably entering the tornado in the rest of the world. We are probably several years away from seeing a Kopin CyberDisplay in the credit card size ISO 7816 smart card form factor, but it will happen.

- Eric -



To: voop who wrote (19840)3/12/2000 2:34:00 PM
From: KevRupert  Respond to of 54805
 
Voop, excellent report. I appreciate your efforts, and read your report, and am printing a copy as I write this. Thanks again for your efforts.



To: voop who wrote (19840)3/20/2000 6:59:00 PM
From: Apollo  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 54805
 
Kopin....

Voop, thanx so much for your excellent report on Kopin, which you published March 11th, G&K post #19842.

Just now read my printed copy.
So I like the notion of high resolution CyberDisplays, which will be an incredibly important ingredient for so many electronic digital devices.

What is the likelihood of this becoming a standard around which the industry forms a value chain for Kopin? I know there is competition, but what is the probability of Kopin's product becoming THE Standard?

BTW, I see Kopin is on sale today at $76/share, but still touts a P/E of 4000. <G> Yeah, I know, these are old economy valuations, but interesting nevertheless.

Please, please keep us advised.

Also, it would be interesting to hear James Sinclair's take on the CyberDisplay segments, since he did a nice job last year of discussing flat panel displays. You might post your Hunt report to him and see what he might have to add.

Best to you,
stan



To: voop who wrote (19840)3/28/2000 5:38:00 PM
From: JohnG  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 54805
 
voop. Ref. Kopin. Did you see this article?
JohnG

Monday March 27, 7:58 am Eastern Time

Company Press Release

Victor Company of Japan, Ltd. Expands Orders for Kopin
Corporation's CyberDisplay

Kopin Ships Miniature Flat Panel Displays for JVC's Newest Camcorder for
the U.S. Market

TAUNTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 27, 2000--Victor Company of Japan, Ltd. (JVC) has expanded its orders
for Kopin Corporation's (NASDAQ:KOPN - news) miniature flat panel CyberDisplay, which is being incorporated into the
newest JVC digital camcorders being launched in the United States. Kopin announced today that this is the second major
CyberDisplay order from Yokohama, Japan-based JVC, the world's third-largest camcorder manufacturer. In mid-1999,
JVC began incorporating the CyberDisplay into its line of CyberCam camcorders.

JVC's most recent CyberDisplay order is for GR-DVL digital camcorders, which already are being shipped to major
consumer electronics stores nationwide. The GR-DVL series, which fits into the palm of your hand, takes greater advantage
of the CyberDisplay's features, particularly its small size, light weight and power efficiency.

``We are exhilarated by JVC's response to the CyberDisplay and look forward to continuing to expand our relationship,'
said Dr. John C.C. Fan, Kopin's president and chief executive officer.

CyberDisplay, which is 1,000 times smaller than a laptop computer screen, has made it possible for JVC and other
companies to replace the bulky, high-voltage cathode ray tube (CRT). Flat panel displays are expected to surpass CRT's in
overall market share, accounting for 54 percent of the $130 billion display market by 2005, according to DisplaySearch, a
flat panel display market research firm based in Austin, Texas.

Dr. Fan said, ``At a time when consumers are demanding smaller, lighter weight wireless communications devices and
electronics, we see the CyberDisplay as an integral part of next-generation portable communications.'

About Kopin Corporation

Kopin is a leading developer and manufacturer of high resolution, flat panel display products and HBT wafers for
telecommunications and digital imaging applications. Founded in 1984 with initial technology developed at Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, Kopin holds over 130 patents and patent applications for technological breakthroughs in flat panel
display and device wafer technology. These technologies have enabled Kopin to market display products and HBT wafers
that enhance the delivery and presentation of video, voice and data. The Company has combined advanced AMLCD and
integrated circuit technology to produce its CyberDisplay family of ultra-small, high density imaging devices. The Kopin
CyberDisplay family has won many international awards for innovation in the last two years, and now includes the
CyberDisplay 1280, 640C, 320 and 320C - providing OEMs with a range of powerful, high quality display solutions.
Telecommunication providers are using Kopin's HBT wafers for power amplifier circuits used in wireless digital phones,
and gigabit circuits for fiber optic and Internet data transmission. For more information, please visit Kopin's Web site at
www.kopin.com

CyberDisplay is a trademark of Kopin Corporation.

Statements in this news release are made under `safe harbor' provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995 and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could materially affect future results. Among these risk factors are
general economic and business conditions and growth in the flat panel display and gallium arsenide integrated circuit and
materials industries, the impact of competitive products and pricing, availability of third-party components, viability of
integrated circuit fabrication facilities, cost and yields associated with production of the Company's CyberDisplay imaging
devices and Wafer-Engineered device wafers, loss of significant customers, acceptance of the Company's products,
continuation of strategic relationships, year 2000 matters, and the other risk factors and cautionary statements listed from
time to time in the Company's periodic reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including but not limited to, the Company's prospectus dated October 22, 1999 and its Annual Report on Form
10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1998.