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To: Return to Sender who wrote (52268)	6/1/2011 2:36:45 AM
From: Sam	2 Recommendations Respond to of 95572

Intel Ultrabook Will Power Bring-Your-Own-Computer Trend By Robert Dutt, PCWorld pcworld.com With the introduction of the Ultrabook, Intel has made the consumerization of IT even more of a reality. Launched at the Computex trade show in Taiwan Monday, Ultrabook is Intel's new name for a class of full-performance laptops in ultra-slim cases. The chipmaker says the devices will be less than an inch thin, will offer long battery life, will cost less than $1000, and will offer tablet-like "instant-on" capabilities. In short, it will look a lot like the current Apple MacBook Air. In fact, the first-introduced poster product for the Ultrabook, the Asus UX21, comes in a very similar form factor to the diminutive Mac. That's not a bad thing. The MacBook Air has become iconic partially because of Apple's unstoppable marketing machine, and partially because it offers a thin-and-light package with capabilities more in line with a full notebook. Intel's game plan for the Ultrabook involves three waves of products, the first of which will launch later this year and feature Sandy Bridge Core i5 and i7 processors. Following generations will have more computing power plus longer battery life, according to Intel's roadmap. Even at the first step, this offers a significant power advantage over today's MacBook Air, although there are already signs that Apple will soon revise the Air using Sandy Bridge processors. When the MacBook Air launched, both initially in early 2008 and in its most recent flavor last October, it provided a boost to the then-nascent idea of the business computer as a personal device. The original Air was one of the first notebook computers that business users purchased themselves and then demanded to use in a corporate environment. But if Intel succeeds in getting computer makers to buy into its vision for the Ultrabook, it will take that trend to a new level. Consider that Intel estimates that by the end of 2012, 40 percent of consumer laptops sold worldwide will fit into the Ultrabook category. Certainly, some of those machines will go to students and home users who want a thin and light device for their day-to-day computing needs. But a lot of them will also show up in businesses large and small, purchased by companies that have embraced the "Bring Your Own Computer" philosophy and either provide their employees a budget for acquiring and maintaining their own PC or simply allow employees to connect their own devices to the corporate network. Done right, as no doubt some of Intel's PC-maker partners will do, the Ultrabook has the potential to offer the same "That's cool, I have to have it!" response that the MacBook Air has enjoyed. It also has advantages for PC buyers that the Mac product does not--users in businesses with mission-critical Windows apps or PC-centric security policies will not have to either learn to fit OS X into their environment or force the compromises inherent to either offering Mac-based Windows virtualization or forcing users to use Boot Camp. And while the entry-level 11-inch MacBook Air currently lists at $999, Intel's "sub-$1000" price guidance for the Ultrabook, combined with the sure-to-emerge competition amongst Ultrabook vendors, it's likely to keep the price below that point and offer greater price performance options for those who want to stick with Windows. The Ultrabook promises a powerful compromise: Sexy enough and cheap enough to make consumers want to bring it to work; powerful enough to meet the work needs of the majority of business users; and familiar and manageable enough thanks to Windows that IT will likely feel a little more easy about welcoming it into the fold instead of the MacBook Air. Robert Dutt is a veteran IT journalist and blogger. He covers the Canadian IT technology solution provider scene daily at ChannelBuzz.ca. You can also find him on Twitter.

To: Return to Sender who wrote (52268)	6/28/2011 3:00:56 AM
From: 2MAR$	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 95572

3 Reasons for Nvidia's Swoon thestreet.com JMP Securities’ Alex Gauna today reiterated an Outperform rating and a $25 price target on shares of Nvidia (NVDA), one of the six tech stocks he thinks can be a safe bet over the next two months. In the past five years, the stock has delivered a return of 9.6% between June 30th and August 31st, better than the S&P’s 2.7%, Gauna writes. Although the name is hardly free of controversy given its 66% sales exposure to GPUs, exposure to some poorly positioned Android platforms, and just completed Icera acquisition, we believe improving seasonal build cycles remain intact for its most promising Tegra 2 smartphone and tablet design wins as well as for its GPU products that stand to benefit this summer from back-to-school and share gains. NEW YORK (Trefis) -- Nvidia's(NVDA_) stock has fallen by more than 20% in the past three weeks. We think this move could be exaggerated due to recent market pessimism and some short-term thinking on how Nvidia's graphics business will hold up against AMD(AMD_) and Intel(INTC_). Our price estimate for Nvidia stands at $21.25, implying about a 30% premium to the market price. During this month, Nvidia's stock has slid from close to our price estimate to under $16. This has been a result of a series of negative events, including Nvidia's GPU sales disruptions in China and lingering concerns over the U.S. economic recovery. Nonetheless, while many tech stocks were able to hold up last week, Nvidia's outpaced its peers to the downside. One of the reasons cited for AMD's fall has been that the company continues to push into PC market (for example AMD's Llano launch), which is in decline. One of the primary reasons behind the PC market weakness is the growth of tablets. If that is the case, shouldn't Nvidia gain with its Tegra line of chips which are targeted at smartphones and tablets? The possible explanation behind this may be that Apple(AAPL_) still continues to dominate tablet sales and Android-based tablets haven't picked up as investors would have earlier expected. It seems like Nvidia is facing competition from three fronts. While its discrete GPU sales are at risk from Intel & AMD's launch of hybrid processors, it also faces direct competition from AMD in the graphics market. To add to this, Apple's popularity now seems to be affecting the company. We look forward to the company's earnings to update our pricing model with a clearer picture in mind. What do you think? Can Nvidia hold its ground? Let us know in the comment box below or by adding your take using our quant tools. See our complete analysis for Nvidia here.