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Technology Stocks : Qualcomm Incorporated (QCOM) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: tero kuittinen who wrote (12225)7/11/1998 10:43:00 AM
From: Jon Koplik  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 152472
 
Tero - in a strange way, I feel honored to have received a direct communication from you. Thank you.

I guess that I, too, am convinced you are indeed a Finnish biochemist, not an Ericsson PR operative.

(By the way, someone I know (an American) visited all over Scandinavia, Finland, and the Soviet Union many years ago, and highly recommended that I visit there some day).

(Also, by the way, when I was in high school, when someone asked me what I thought I would be doing for a living eventually, I would answer that I wanted to be a biochemist. Unfortunately, as I got more and more exposed to economics and Wall Street, I abandoned my original (more worthwhile (?)) career choice). (I still try to read a lot of science stuff in my spare time).

Regarding that Time magazine person's comments, I have to say that it was clear that he does not have the same level of familiarity with wireless stuff as does the average person reading these "posts." (And, he was probably guilty of (unconsciously) leaning towards U.S. "good," non-U.S. "suspect.")

This business about the "games" in the Nokia phones (and the nice colors on the handsets), and the huge popularity among younger purchasers in Finland reminds me a little bit of Swatch watches. It is very clever.

Anyway, getting back to the main thrust of your general views on Qualcomm's (purported) lack of being (to put it simply) as great as Nokia, I guess my response is : just give them a little time. Management at Qualcomm seems to be very clever and open-minded. I personally am willing to bet they will do the right thing for all of us shareholders (and suppliers and customers and ...).

Jon.



To: tero kuittinen who wrote (12225)7/11/1998 12:28:00 PM
From: Greg B.  Respond to of 152472
 

Tero. Now isn't market growth only one factor in your analysis?

This post might also shed some insight on production capacity:
techstocks.com

(Oh and found this: techstocks.com )

Nobody can argue that Nokia is not doing great on CDMA handset business.
Too bad they aren't also making money on CDMA infrastructure.
$1 billion one quarter; $1 billion another. $0 for Nokia.
So I guess the market is slow?

"What lessons does the story hold? One is don't underestimate competition. Qualcomm became too impressed with its own technology and was caught flat-footed by Ericsson."

So are you reading into the surface negativity here? But then again, wouldn't you agree that it is perfect fuel in framing a high profile trade dispute?

Regards,
Greg B.



To: tero kuittinen who wrote (12225)7/11/1998 4:53:00 PM
From: Maurice Winn  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 152472
 
Tero, I have to say you can be rated one of the best posters with that one! You know what I like most, is that you intelligently find the weaknesses in Q.com. Bill Frezza did the job once, but in a Machiavellan way. You originally said you'd come to learn English. You are doing okay at that too.

My criticism is that you are obtuse - when confronted with things, you tend to adopt the current fashionable Americanism of 'being in denial'. For example over the IPR issue. You claim Q.com should give IPR away, but seem unable to understand that Nokia, Ericsson and others don't give theirs away. Sure, they might give some away which suits them to enhance their position - as Mighty-Q does with Eudora to enhance the Eudora Pro position.

Have you understood yet that The Q should SELL IPR for what the market will bear? Not necessarily the highest price on the day, but the price which will maximize their long run profits.

cdmaOne is the fastest growth rate cellular standard Tero. You are thinking of handsets sold, I'm talking growth rate. They are different.

I laughed at your Sherlock comment about the guy who thought the games were juvenile. Nokia has done a great job of getting to the leading edge and taking over. They are obviously planning on being there with cdmaOne too. Don't you think it was a good idea for Mighty Q to license Nokia - they have got a red hot ally there who will help make cdmaOne succeed. Nokia and Qualcomm will usurp Ericsson and Motorola.

You said Nokia can't keep the customers supplied - well, they cold put their price up a little if they have a problem there while building capacity as fast as they can go. That will be in part because Motorola is having such a sad time and Nokia has done such a great job of design that more people than expected want a Nokia. So it is partly brand shifting. Not an indication that GSM has it all over cdmaOne.

Nokia's phone in a glass does look good. I was talking to a bank lady a week ago about handsets and she was buying a phone. Sure, the price plans were important, but she was gazing at the pictures and visuals were very important. Dark, hefty, 'business' phones won't do it for women and kids. A kaleidoscope of handsets will be needed to attract customers - Nokia is doing a great job. Similarly for young people - they will absolutely INSIST on a different phone. They wouldn't be seen dead with a 'crusty old geezer's' phone.

This is not going to be like calculators, which were never a fashion statement - handsets are communication, communication is personal, and personal means identity and identity means relationships. The race is very quickly shifting from technology - which is now decided in favor of cdmaOne and cdma2000 [while analog/GSM gradually live out their legacy days] to form factor and functionality.

Nokia understands and the others better understand very quickly that cellphones are a consumer product, with only a market segment [to satisfy the marketing jargonists] in the 'business' identity.

Ericsson missed the technology paradigm change. Motorola missed the marketing paradigm change. As you say, Q.com has got a way to go yet! Nokia is racing already, with a cdmaOne licence in its hip pocket.

Mqurice

PS: Don't forget the investing paradigm change folks
Dow 16000 Feb 2002. Don't laugh, remember when I used to say 8000 Feb 1998 and you thought it absurd a couple of years ago?]

[19 days to go till 31 July -- this is going to be a fast ramp up to $80!!]