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Strategies & Market Trends : Sharck Soup -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Canuck Dave who wrote (32627)	8/6/2001 7:07:40 PM
From: puborectalis	Respond to of 37746

Monday August 06 06:47 PM EDT Opinion: Who Will Be the Buyer of Be, Inc. ? By Kelly McNeill, www.osOpinion.com The Internet rumor mill has been buzzing once again, as recent reports have suggested that struggling Be Inc. (BEOS - news) has found a buyer. • Why BeOS Missed the Mark • Microsoft's Strange Obsession with Be, Inc. • Operating Systems: To BeOS or Not To Be Similar stories have been floating around the Internet for several months now, but talk of the Be buyout kicked into high gear last week after the company made yet another round of sweeping layoffs, which reportedly were part of the supposed buyout agreement. While Be hasn't made any official statement on the topic, industry analysts have held up a few likely contenders for the rumored buyout. Last May, I was among the handful of individuals who speculated that AOL was considering buying Be's assets so that it could build an operating system to integrate with its Internet services for Sony's Playstation 2 after having secured an ISP partnership with the gaming console manufacturer. AOL continues to be a strong candidate for such a buyout. Being There An unknown fact hidden from the press, but made known to only a few after the deal fell through, was that Apple nearly purchased Be (again) back in March of this year. Apparently Apple was so interested in purchasing Be's assets for bargain basement prices that Apple actually funded Be while the company mulled over the decision. Only a few people know exactly what caused the deal to go sour, but either Be or Apple decided that the two companies would not create a successful marriage. Despite rumors and wishful thinking, I think it can be said with confidence that Apple is not among those who are currently likely to buy Be, Inc. Palm Reading On a purely technical level, Palm makes a likely contender to buy Be's assets. Be's recent refocus on the embedded-Internet appliance market really showcases the advantages of the company's operating system. A real-time (or at the very least, low-latency) operating system can shine. Moreover, since Microsoft hasn't yet conquered the embedded market, the barriers to entry aren't the same as the desktop market. PalmOS is quite sufficient for the current generation of PDA's. However, as devices become more inclusive -- personal organizer + MP3 player + cell phone + Web browser -- the need for a well-architectured operating system such as BeOS, is absolutely necessary. Another rumored buyer is found within Transmeta, the company that makes the Crusoe Processor. Some have suggested that the company could use BeOS and BeIA as an embedded operating system for its chips and thus create its own Internet appliances. Not Playing Games Earlier in this report, I suggested that AOL might purchase the operating system to aid in an ISP partnership it recently created with Sony for its Playstation 2 game console. Indeed, Sony all by itself may be a worthy contender for the buyout agenda. Despite money that Microsoft helps generate for Sony by creating an operating system for the company's stylish VAIO line of personal computers, it has been suggested that Sony's partnership with Microsoft is a reluctant one. Sony would love to have an OS that could be tuned for superior multimedia capabilities with its own hardware, not to mention create a superior standard similar to that of Apple's OS and hardware for interfacing with its line of digital and video cameras, MP3 players, memory sticks (heck, even Aibo). Sony is one of the few companies with the marketing clout and the consumer know-how to pull off a Be buyout. Sun in My Eyes One Be buyout contender that only few have proposed is Sun Microsystems. Sun is most noted for producing high-end hardware, focused on the server side rather than for consumers. Java was Sun's attempt to make a significant footprint on the desktop. While Java has had considerable success since its inception, Java's penetration levels haven't been as significant as Sun had originally hoped. This was due in part to Microsoft's bastardization of the software through its traditional extend and extinguish techniques. Who Be It? Now that Microsoft has been exposed for its misuse of its monopoly, and future extend and extinguish techniques of Sun technologies are now all but quashed, Sun may choose to re-enter the consumer desktop market once again. Sun is already known for its savvy in the network computer market. Be's BeIA makes it an attractive opportunity for Sun, which is looking to fulfill its dream of a world using Sun-branded network computers. Who do you think is the most likely buyout contender -- assuming the rumors are true? Let me know by responding in the talkback forums below. Author's background: Kelly McNeill is the creator and managing editor of osOpinion.com as well as the talent behind all of those cool graphics you see each day on OSO's home page. He appreciates comments in regard to this editorial, and hopes you'll post them to osOpinion's forums for all to see. Email this story - View most popular \| Printer