Maybe, if you moved out of the boonies in the Southwest and back to civilization, you'd see these things....

Oh wait! There is that beautiful view of the mts, and that not too hot, not too cold wx. And, the fact that you are retired and don't need to even think about those things anymore, not to mention being independently wealthy. Life is good. Keep up the good work!

Smooth

That's a very good point and a good analogy. I simply posted the article and didn't think about that. Obviously, neither did the writers of the articles. :)

Smooth

Intel’s Medfield chip limited to the entry-level smartphone market, report claims

http://www.androidauthority.com/intels-medfield-entry-level-smartphones-65987/

Smooth

Intel's chip wouldn't be any different...not sure what' going to make it better.

Smooth

So, it's the "news flow" that does it...

The analyst says that the the stock has underperformed for the last six months, but that news flow should reverse in ARM’s favor with the launch of the new Apple iPad and the launch of Windows 8 on ARM products at Computex, among other things.

Seems to me, that if he thinks ARM is undervalued, he should be looking elsewhere for value....

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavitz/2012/03/08/arm-morgan-stanley-ups-to-overweight-now-best-idea/

Smooth

http://seekingalpha.com/article/419941-intel-s-growth-won-t-stop-here

Smooth

Maybe not so obviously, Intel is designing it's own "fabric" for densely populated servers. I suspect that that will be one of the outcomes of an SOC ala IB or later. Hopefully, Intel will see the way to manufacturing the plugin products themselves as I hope they will with phones and tablets....

Smooth

Yes, and it seems according to the article that there is something more here than everyone seems to be brushing off. It looks like it saves component costs and power. It might warrant looking into...

Smooth

From the article:

The more tempting possibility is one that I'm not sure Intel is feeling risky enough to explore, at least not in 2012. Selling its reference design through a carrier is one thing, what I really want to see is Intel selling the reference design, unlocked, to consumers directly. Intel already has branded motherboard and server businesses that easily coexist with competing businesses from Intel's own customers, there's no reason it can't do the same with smartphones. I suspect Intel is more interested in appeasing carriers and device vendors today and thus it wouldn't make sense to announce intentions to compete directly with them, but I do hope that we'll eventually see this option explored.

My opinion exactly... The new business model has been defined. The sooner Intel gets into it the better. Going through OEMs just doesn't make any sense. They'll just beat their heads against the wall to no avail. They're already too far behind.

Smooth

He's being very generous with his "one to two generations behind" when you consider than Intel has multi-threading and is introducing dual core. One, I would believe, two?

Smooth

Not for nothing, but this is yet another example of mfg companies cutting out the middleman and selling direct.

Smooth

If SeaMicro was such a going concern in the very low power server market, why did they go to Xeon?

SeaMicro Unveils the Industry’s Most Energy Efficient Xeon® Server

SAN FRANCISCO, January 31, 2012 – SeaMicro™, the pioneer in energy efficient servers, today announced its foray into the world of brawny compute with the immediate availability of the industry’s first fabric-based Intel® Xeon® micro server, the SM10000-XE™. SeaMicro has once again defined best in class by building a micro server that uses half the power and one-third the space, but for the first time is targeted at heavy weight workloads as opposed to the light weight ones that are traditionally associated with micro servers. By offering both Intel® Atom™ and Intel® Xeon® based micro servers, SeaMicro is the only server company able to deliver low power high density solutions to all parts of the scale out data center.

And if they had developed any new technology and were a customer of Intel's, why didn't Intel buy/invest in them?

This all sounds like they weren't making it... Don't know the VC background...

Smooth

Interesting. Intel has an in-house phone making plant.

Smooth

Old article but interesting. Citing change at Intel on Smartphones.

http://allthingsd.com/20120221/in-a-change-intel-hopes-to-matter-at-mobile-world-congress/?reflink=ATD_yahoo_ticker

Smooth

Koog:

Here's what they say; satellite broadband is not supported... Sorry.

AT&T 3G MicroCell Online Activation Process for Business Accounts
________________________________________
Last Updated: 05/02/2011
Troubleshooting Steps

SUBJECT:
AT&T 3G MicroCell Registration Process for Business Accounts
Activate an AT&T 3G MicroCell on a CRU Account
How to Register AT&T 3G MicroCell
Set Up AT&T 3G MicroCell
AT&T 3G MicroCell Online Activation Process for Business Accounts

FIX:
Prerequisites
• A postpaid monthly voice rate plan
NOTE: Prepaid customers can use the service, provided they are on the Approved User List and have a 3G or 4G wireless device.
• An AT&T 3G or 4G capable device and SIM
NOTE: Older AT&T Wireless and Cingular SIM cards are not supported.
• The device is able to receive Text Messages (SMS).
• A broadband internet connection. Minimum download speeds of 1.5 Mbps and upload speeds of 256 Kbps recommended. Most broadband providers supported. Satellite Internet is not supported.
• The AT&T 3G MicroCell must be used within the AT&T 3G MicroCell coverage area.
o Verify coverage at att.com/3GMicroCell under Check Availability.

Ahem. To my last comments: Well there's nothing wrong with supplying the services too! :)

Smooth

re: Other than greasing the skids, what is the benefit of giving away valuable IP for free?

None, other than that.

re: Doesn't it make more sense for Intel to cut out the middle man in some cases, and contract their own manufacturing?

Absolutely, we don't disagree. But, AFAIK, Intel is handing over the designs to the carrier with the mfg in hand for nothing. What is the sense in that? Why do all this innovation only to let someone out innovate you? It would make more sense to supply the basic phones to the carriers and let them add services on that technology platform. That's what kept the PC market alive and thriving...

re: Maybe not in the U.S., but in some regions it probably makes sense.

It would make sense here too. People are looking to not be locked in as with Apple.


Smooth

No. It's not a new business model until Intel sells phones (and tablets). Otherwise, it's just mfg reference platforms and giving them out for free. It's what I've been advocating...

Smooth

Well, of course.

Fat chance.
http://www.bgr.com/2011/08/15/apple-iphone-shipments-could-approach-100-million-this-year/

But, if you were shipping 100M phones a year, you'd be stupid not to mfg them...

Note in this mornings WSJ, that AAPL ain't doin' so well in Europe. That's b/c some carriers there don't subsidize the phones, the consumers buy them outright. That makes the plans cheaper too. You know, if it weren't for the subsides, Apple wouldn't be making a lot of money, the carriers would be doing better and have more money to build the infrastructure they need from these smartphones hogging the airwaves. This all started when the FCC decided that we need multiple systems in place to ensure competition instead of a monolithic GSM. That split the business into 5ths so in order to survive the carriers came up with gouging both the caller and the receiver minutes on the plan for the call whereas Europe only charged the caller. But, I digress.

Net net, I'm not sure the present subsidy model is going to make it. For sure, no one is going to again get away with what Apple is doing and they may not get away with it for too much longer. Just as the PC model is falling apart, the phone model may not follow in it's steps. There is a time when SOMEONE will supply phones and the technology to go along with it (iCloud, etc) such that the carriers can provide their own services (to make more money) instead of one company dictating what the services will be...

Smooth (iPhone owner)

Smooth

That's interesting. It doesn't look like the reference design itself, it looks like a proto of the real thing, especially since it has the Orange software shown on the screen and the reviewer fondled it. Only has Gingerbread tho' at launch...

Smooth

I don't think Intel has the means to source or build these units.

Smooth

Starting to look like AAPL. No wait, that's only one day...

Smooth

https://www.google.com/search?q=at%26t+femtocell+free&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Smooth

See here:

http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=72584403

Smooth

Skype?

Smooth

None. I think you are looking for a femtocell (connects to broadband and transmits carrier signals). The one from ATT costs $150. They all have one. I use it in the contained metal building of my business. I found a 2nd one for my remote mountain house on Craigs list for $35. No additional cost on your cellular plan...

Smooth

In 2011, Intel shipped in more than 400 million cellular platforms.

http://www.4-traders.com/INTEL-CORPORATION-4829/news/INTEL-CORPORATION-Intel-Expands-Smartphone-Portfolio-New-Customers-Products-Software-and-Services-14045119/

I guess you could say that they know who the players are, no problem there...

Smooth

So which one caused the stock to jump? Visa or three mobile phone customers?

Smooth

Well, where do you think it stops? I would say that Intel has a mfg that can do this for them. They pay for the engineering and the final products for the reference design. The new customer pays for re-engineering and the final products for their customers or takes it elsewhere. Not.

I don't see why Intel can't open a factory to do this...

Smooth

Where does it say that? I think those reference designs are free...

Smooth

Not exactly right. In an S corp you pay taxes on your salary, then any other monies in the corporation are your without tax. You still get your personal assets protected.

Smooth

Wow. Insane performance.

The problem is that Intel is only a meets (if that) compared to Krait (which should be out earlier). That leaves one to wonder why someone would switch to the x86 architecture. Even carrier branding will be done by others, so that won't be the oasis everyone thinks. After all, this is a smartphone. It's a world where new apps are desired, not older x86 apps. Besides, what x86 app would run without significant rewrite for the HI? This is going to be a real struggle for Intel, something they haven't seen before. There are no surprises, not even process technology. Perhaps security, but that won't carry the ball. Couple all that with a reduction in profit margin as they, if successful, get into producing 1B parts.

And, the same thing happens with WOA.

Don't get me wrong, Intel can bumble along successfully, become a competitor in this market and do well as a reinvented 21st century company. But remember, all that process technology and design is being funded by one of the most profitable machines on the planet. As those profits get diluted by lower margins, how will that affect the process machine? Does that become a meets too?

Sorry, but the new model is producing reference platforms direct to the carriers. They can choose to be what they have been in the past, but they will need to expect profits somewhere between the ARM model and the PC model. Or, they can choose to become the inflection point.

Ask yourself what AG would have done if he were 40 now? Then ask what PO is doing 5 years from mandatory retirement?

Smooth

Oh good. That would mean that Intel will win the iPad and the iPhone...

Smooth

The difference between $3.5T (3500 billions) and 35 billions is a factor of 100, not 10. So, that would make it .2% not 2%...

Just sayin'

Smooth

How the hell do you get to manage assets of $3.5T???

Sheesh!

Smooth

I took the 5% to be that of Intel. You might be right.

Smooth

I think it's a valid point. 5% is $7B. Blackrock is only $35B large. That's a very high percentage to put in one investment.

Of course they could be stupid too.

Smooth

I think that misses the point. If you're AMD, you are looking to establish a heterogeneous computing standard to which you can build microprocessor hardware. If you're not leading the pack, you need to get your ideas out there way before something is adopted that you can't support.

Actually, I'm surprised that with all of the new heterogeneous architectures being developed in the ARM community, that Intel hasn't taken this lead. Is this going to be another adoption of standard vis a vis 64 bitness?

Once again, I think AMD is grabbing the spotlight ala Athlon, etc.

Smooth

Good link

http://www.hpcwire.com/hpcwire/2012-02-09/amd_opens_up_heterogeneous_computing.html?featured=top

Smooth

Well, at the time, they gave the money to AMD. There was a little angst over that.

Smooth