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Technology Stocks : The Panda Project (PNDA) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TheLineMan who wrote (1172)	4/7/1998 1:20:00 PM
From: Jumper	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1521

S.C. said they could handle 1000MHz. He also said the company is in good shape financially...

To: TheLineMan who wrote (1172)	4/7/1998 1:21:00 PM
From: Anaxagoras	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1521

Not to butt in, but I agree, Valentine, and it suggests to me that once again Panda is making a mistake- this time they seem to be confusing the strategy of being a low cost producer with a sub-$1K box with being a show case item incorporating certain "top of the line" components. BTW, if I'm not mistaken (I couldn't check because the RockCity site is down right now) I don't think the first round of Rock City's are going to be incorporating their special tech at all- that's supposed to come in the "near future". So in contrast to the Archistrats which at least had a coherent marketing strategy, this hybrid is questionable right off the bat. All IMO. Anaxagoras PS: Just found where I got that impression: <<The Rock City ST-100 (base price $895) and the Rock City ST-200 (base price $995), initial shipments of which are expected later this month, are the first in a line of innovative computer systems. Future Rock City models are also planned to serve as a platform for Panda's advanced semiconductor packaging and interconnect technologies. >> PPS: BTW, I also think the 'puter is butt ugly (just wanted to begin and end this post on the same note). I must admit however that it probably has some appeal to certain 14 year old boys. And although it has a reduced footprint, it would still go on the floor of my office like a tower to get out of my site. Seriously, though, that weird positioning looks like it would chew up a lot of width, albeit not on the desk top per se.

To: TheLineMan who wrote (1172)	4/7/1998 2:22:00 PM
From: Mitchell Ryan	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1521

From Panda's Rock City press release: " Within the next three months, Panda expects to introduce advanced Alpha-based models and upgradeable models of Rock City that incorporate VSPA and Compass technologies to extract additional performance at a very low price point in a small form factor. " This statement implies that neither VSPA nor Compass are used in the current offering, and therefore, it is simply a packaging solution. I think that the press release is misleading in that at a glance, one would assume that these technologies are incorporated into these sub $1000 systems. Smoke and mirrors! Crane's marketing model is very simple. He projects his buying habits (i.e. designer oriented, conspicuous consumption, etc.) on the general public, and assumes that if he would want this, then everyone else will. Furthermore, since he would be prepared to pay a premium based simply on artistic appeal, so will everyone else. The seeming paradox of Rock City is that the budget minded consumer, those most likely to purchase a sub $1000 PC, are not apt to place any premium on its unique appearance. They'll opt for a comparably equipped $699 Compaq simply because it's cheaper. And how does Crane validate his marketing model? At trade shows! If 30,000 people at a trade show told him they'd buy a Rock City, he'd view that as a 30,000 unit opportunity. Never mind that 99.9% of those responding were casual browsers with no cash in hand. In other words, he validates his marketing model without actually qualifying the buyers. The results can be very misleading as was the case for Archistrat. The biggest mistake that anyone can make trying to analyze Panda is to apply logic. There is no logic. There is no 5 year business plan for this company. There's no 2 year plan, or even a 1 year plan. There is no plan at all. Crane does whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and it doesn't have to make any sense. He considers Panda to be HIS company, and he alone is the sole decision maker. Ryan

To: TheLineMan who wrote (1172)	4/7/1998 2:56:00 PM
From: Q.	Respond to of 1521

Valentine, re. <<One thing puzzles me -if the "Rock City" is meant to showcase Panda's VSPA and Compass technology >> Here's what 'puzzles' me. Are they seriously trying to sell product above cost? If they use VSPA, they will be just about the only customer to do so. They will be buying microprocessors and re-packaging them, in small quantities, in their own package. Which sounds like a formula for high costs and small or more likely negative gross margins. All for the sake of 'showcasing' their package. Basically, the whole company is a 'showcase', or perhaps one should say simply 'show', rather than a serious effort at generating operating profits.