The Old Order Changeth

The Old Order Changeth
by Paul McLellan on 02-07-2012 at 3:02 pm

It is interesting watching as changes in technology bring giants to their knees. Far and away the best book on the subject is Clayton Christensen’s The Innovator’s Dilemma. If you haven’t read it then rush out and buy it immediately. In tech, you are not educated if you haven’t.

Two things made me think … Read More


21st Century Moore’s Law Providing Unforeseen Boost to Silicon Valley

21st Century Moore’s Law Providing Unforeseen Boost to Silicon Valley
by Ed McKernan on 01-30-2012 at 10:00 pm

It has been a great conundrum to many of the 20[SUP]th[/SUP] century trained economists and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government folks as to why a government led massive spending spree and Ben Bernanke’s non-stop printing presses can’t at least engender a mediocre economic recovery.

I blame 21st century Moore’s Law!

Today’s… Read More


Apple blows away their numbers

Apple blows away their numbers
by Paul McLellan on 01-24-2012 at 11:38 pm

Well it looks like everyone (including me) was way too conservative about Apple’s iPhone sales last quarter. Analysts were expecting Apple to sell 30M iPhones and 13M iPads. In fact they sold 37M iPhones, almost a quarter more than expected, and over 15M iPads. In fact Apple sold more iPads than HP, the largest PC manufacturer,… Read More


Apple’s Blowout Earnings: Welcome to 2012!

Apple’s Blowout Earnings: Welcome to 2012!
by Ed McKernan on 01-24-2012 at 11:00 pm

Apple’s blowout earnings for the quarter that just ended has huge ramifications for the entire semiconductor industry as suppliers align much closer to them or figure out how to minimize the damage that is to come through the rest of 2012. The immediate implication is that Wall St. will likely toss to the sidelines any semiconductor… Read More


Intel Aims for the Upper, Upper Decks

Intel Aims for the Upper, Upper Decks
by Ed McKernan on 01-20-2012 at 3:07 pm

Since the introduction of Apple’s iPhone and then the follow on iPAD, it has been Wall Streets frame of reference that Intel would be playing defense as the PC market slid into oblivion and therefore a Terminal Value should be placed on the company. Intel’s Q4 2011 earnings conference call provided a nice jolt to the analysts as Paul… Read More


The Qualcomm PUT and The FABulous Year Ahead

The Qualcomm PUT and The FABulous Year Ahead
by Ed McKernan on 01-19-2012 at 5:14 pm

Humor can arise in surprising ways and yet still be disguised to many. As I was researching Qualcomm the other day, I came upon the transcript of their last quarterly earnings and I had to laugh. In the midst of last summer’s European crises, when the Club Med (Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal) Sovereign Debt was trying to be rolled… Read More


ARM vs Intel? Just look at ARM Top Customer in 2010!

ARM vs Intel? Just look at ARM Top Customer in 2010!
by Eric Esteve on 01-16-2012 at 3:47 am

Looking at the ARM Top Ten customers list (for 2010) brings useful information about the volumes production generated by the chip makers involved in the wireless handset segment. Revenue for an ARM licensee comes from upfront license and royalties. Upfront license are in the few $ million range (max), when the below listed contribution… Read More


The Innovator’s Dilemma Dagger Aimed at AMD and nVidia’s Heart

The Innovator’s Dilemma Dagger Aimed at AMD and nVidia’s Heart
by Ed McKernan on 01-13-2012 at 1:42 pm

There is one semiconductor company that for the last 3 years has outperformed ARM and more than doubled in stock price relative to Apple. They are everywhere but barely known to most. The success of this company in the coming year though could result in the leveling of AMD and nVidia as they try to adjust to the economics of the mobile… Read More


Samsung’s Regrettable Moment and the Coming of 3D Tick Tock!

Samsung’s Regrettable Moment and the Coming of 3D Tick Tock!
by Ed McKernan on 01-10-2012 at 12:35 am

The might have beens. The shoulda’s, coulda’s, woulda’s are what launches a thousand Harvard Business School Case Studies that are meant to prepare a generation of business leaders on how to make decisions that impact the future directions of companies. Right before the 2008 financial crises (September … Read More


Tracking the Big Semiconductor Story of 2012

Tracking the Big Semiconductor Story of 2012
by Ed McKernan on 01-06-2012 at 3:56 pm

It’s just a matter of time – perhaps just a few months – before the greatest mystery of the semiconductor industry is revealed and the peaceful co-existence of the Fab vs Fabless world is blown apart. An arms race was started by Intel to challenge TSMC and Samsung on who would control not only the high valued processor but soon… Read More