WBMW Quote: Bull. When Intel kicked off their Moblin strategy in 2007, no one knew what an iPhone even was
Not true. Paul O and the folks involved with the discussions with Apple on the SoC knew what was coming up. They had seen Apple's humongous success with iPod and should have erred on the side of paranoia and gone with Apple. Paul O dismissed his gut and went with the bean counters. Fail!
WBMW Quote: Nokia was one of the largest phone companies, and I would think it seemed like a sure bet to combine a Linux distribution with tons of support with one of the world's biggest phone OEMs.
First rule of sale or partnering: Have a big funnel. Chandrasekher paid the price for going solely with Nokia, but indeed, it was the fault of Intel management including Paul O as well. Not that they didn't have a clue about mobility with their promotion of Wi-Fi and Wi-Max. In spite of all this, they were just not as serious about this business as they should have been.
WBMW Quote:What Intel could not have expected - nor anyone else for that matter - was that a little startup based on an Internet search engine would create a Linux distribution
With Paul O being on Google's board, again, Intel should have erred on the side of being paranoid and cast their hat in the ring with Google. By 2007, Google was the pre-eminent Internet company, not just a search startup.
WBMW Quote: I was in the company of enough people picking their jaws up from the ground when the headlines first ran of Nokia and Microsoft that I know no one saw it coming.
Don't know whose company you were in. But, Nokia was floundering big time and was searching for a strategy when Microsoft pounced on it with their investment. Nokia was not a reliable, strong partner as you make them out to be.
WBMW, you mean well. But you come across as very much of an Intel apologist excusing all their mis-steps.
Even Andy Bryant, Intel BoD Chairman, admitted to Intel's mis-steps and said that they had lost their way and he was personally embarrassed by their failures at the recent Investors Meeting. So don't feel the urge to defend Intel too much. We have to call a spade a spade.