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Politics : Formerly About Applied Materials -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Proud_Infidel who wrote (28139)	2/10/1999 8:33:00 PM
From: BigDaddyMac	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 70976

what happens if we don't hit earnings, will we be downgraded to a hold instead of a strong buy, since the stock has gone up so much in the last 4 months. what is the word on the street????/ thanks mitchell

To: Proud_Infidel who wrote (28139)	2/11/1999 5:25:00 AM
From: Duker	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 70976

Motorola, Siemens Chip Factory Completes Initial Production Run By a WALL STREET JOURNAL Staff Reporter SCHAUMBURG, Ill. -- Motorola Inc. and Siemens AG said they have completed initial production of chips in a prototype chip factory in Dresden, Germany. The companies said they had completed production of memory chips on wafers that are 12 inches in diameter, rather than the current eight inches. Bill Walker, senior vice president at Motorola, said the development shows the company is making good progress toward its goal of mass production on the new manufacturing lines in 2001. Company Profile: Motorola Motorola started working on the 12-inch technology in 1994, but it postponed mass production last year and delayed the opening of a $3 billion chip complex in West Creek, Va., because of a chip recession. The company now plans to use 12-inch wafers at the West Creek complex once it restarts construction. Mr. Walker said the 12-inch factories should cost about $2 billion to build, compared with Thursday's $1.5 billion eight-inch factories. However, he noted that an equivalent 12-inch factory could produce 2.5 to three times more chips than an eight-inch factory.

To: Proud_Infidel who wrote (28139)	2/11/1999 5:29:00 AM
From: Duker	Respond to of 70976

Analysts Expect Record Growth In the Asian-Pacific PC Market By CONNIE LING THE WALL STREET JOURNAL INTERACTIVE EDITION HONG KONG -- Record growth is predicted for the personal-computer market in Asia-Pacific for 1999 on the heels of a report that PC shipments in the region increased for the first time since the beginning of 1998. According to International Data Corp. Asia/Pacific, PC shipments in Asia-Pacific, excluding Japan, increased 7% to 2.89 million units in the fourth quarter from the year-ago period, marking the highest quarterly total ever recorded for the region. Much of the growth came from China, which saw a whopping 27.2% increase in the period compared with a year ago. The fourth-quarter growth also marked the first increase in PC shipments since the beginning of 1998, when the regional economic crisis began affecting the PC market. But despite the fourth-quarter gains, PC shipments fell for the year to 10.47 million from 10.54 million in 1997. "I think the worst is over," said Dane Anderson, director of computing systems for IDC Asia/Pacific, who predicted that almost all the battered markets in Asia-Pacific will start seeing a rebound in 1999. Mr. Anderson is forecasting a 14% increase in shipments in 1999 to almost 12 million units -- the highest ever for the region. Indonesia is expected to be the fastest-growing market in 1999, with shipments increasing more than 45%, Mr. Anderson said. However, even with the 45% growth, the market will still be only about a quarter the size it was in 1997, he said. Indonesia suffered a 81% drop in PC shipments in 1998 compared with the year before. China, India and Australia will lead the market growth in 1999, predicted Mr. Anderson. China accounted for about 38% of the total PC shipments in the region in 1998, and its share of the pie is expected to grow to more than 40% in 1999, he said. However, there remain some concerns about China's economic situation and its currency stability. "If China falls," Mr. Anderson noted, "it could derail the regional market recovery." India, while not as big in size as China, will most likely outpace China in terms of growth, Mr. Anderson said. He expects India to register 30% growth in PC shipments in 1999. Meanwhile, Australia and New Zealand will continue to post stable growth. Compaq Computer Corp. finished the year atop the regional PC market with a 8.5% market share, down from 9.2% in 1997. International Business Machines Corp. came in a close second with a 8.1% market share, up from 7.8% in 1997. Hewlett-Packard Co. and Chinese computer maker Legend Holdings Ltd. tied for third place, both with 5.4% market share. Legend recorded the most impressive gain of all PC vendors, as its dominance in the Chinese PC market helped it record 73.4% growth in 1998. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PC Units Shipped 1997 (market share) 1998 (market share) Compaq 974,000 (9.2%) 891,000 (8.5%) IBM 820,000 (7.8%) 848,000 (8.1%) Legend 325,000 (3.1%) 564,000 (5.4%) HP 482,000 (4.6%) 564,000 (5.4%) Acer 604,000 (5.7%) 488,000 (4.7%) Others 7.33 million (69.6%) 7.12 million (68%) TOTAL 10.54 million 10.47 million Source: International Data Corp. Return to top of page \| Format for printing Copyright © 1999 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Personal Path