Tag Archives: SSNLF.PK

Intel Won’t Build Apple’s Chips; It Still Makes No Sense

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By Ashraf Eassa:

I see a lot of quite interesting viewpoints from a number of very thoughtful and insightful contributors both here on Seeking Alpha as well as on other sites. A big theory that many seem to have is that Intel (INTC) should build Apple’s (AAPL) A-series processors since Intel has a lot of capacity and that it may not be filled with Intel’s own parts. I present what I believe is a very compelling argument against such a deal occurring.

There Is Plenty Of Room In The Non-Apple World

There is a misconception that the only devices that require high-end applications processors are those from Samsung (SSNLF.PK) and Apple. While it is certainly true that these players are large and vertically integrated, it’s no secret that the current apps processor leader – Qualcomm (QCOM) – doesn’t need to have an apps processor in the iPhone to own


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Apple And Samsung Just Don’t Have A Chance Against BlackBerry

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By George Kesarios:

You have all probably read that both BlackBerry (BBRY) and Samsung (SSNLF.PK) have been cleared for use on Defense Department networks. Apple (AAPL) has not yet been cleared, but is expected to be soon. One small surprise is that BlackBerry tablets were also cleared, but Samsung Android tablets were not.

The U.S. military is in the process of overhauling its security standards to be able to track thousands of Android, Apple and Windows devices that were recently found unaccounted for on Military networks, according to a recent report by the DOD IG. In the Department of Defense alone, there are over 470,000 BlackBerry devices, vs. 41,000 Apple and 8,700 Android devices. Up for grabs is a contract that will be rewarded whereby the U.S. military establishment will manage, monitor and enforce security for about 8 million devices.

However, with BYOD policies everywhere these days, the need for


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Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News

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Wall Street Breakfast Editors submit:

Top Stories
Bain, Golden Gate close in on $6.5B BMC deal. Private-equity firms Bain and Golden Gate could reportedly announce a deal today to acquire BMC Software (BMC) for over $6.5B, with the $46-share-offer above the latter’s close of $45.42 on Friday. The proposed deal would follow pressure from activist investor Paul Singer for BMC to sell itself. Singer, who holds 9.7% in BMC, has criticized the company for failing to realize the opportunity in Internet-based business software.

P-E firms mull $8B Neiman Marcus exit. Neiman Marcus owners TPG Capital and Warburg Pincus are reportedly considering a sale or an IPO of the luxury retailer, with the private-equity firms believing that they can pull in $8B for the department-store chain after buying it for $5.1B in 2005. If a deal is struck, the valuation could be of interest to investors of mall rivals Saks (SKS) and Nordstrom (JWN).


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Intel: Silvermont – The ARM Killer

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ByRuss Fischer:

Intel (INTC), as we all know by now, is the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturer by dollar volume. We also know that Intel provides up to 90% of the CPU chips used in Windows Personal Computers. We also know that he PC business has experienced two years of softness.

The Name Game

In the early days of PCs, Intel used a well understood number system for their CPU chips; 80286, then 80386, then 80486. During these times, competitors, mainly AMD (AMD) simply numbered their processors using the Intel numbering system whether the devices were fully compatible or not. Since numbers can’t be copyrighted, AMD and others were clean legally. So Intel, at what would have been the 80586 level, decided to name the CPUs and copyright the names. Brilliant, just brilliant. Now a guy like me, who has difficulty reciting the names of my immediate family, has to keep track of


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Intel: Something Big Is Coming On May 6

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By Ashraf Eassa:

Forget Haswell. Well, okay, don’t forget it, but as compelling as I believe this particular chip will be in reinvigorating the Ultrabook as well as in securing the lead in the uber high-end tablet space, the really interesting thing – coming on May 6th – is the public disclosure of Intel’s (INTC) upcoming “Silvermont” low power processor architecture. For the first time, Intel’s “Atom” processors will cease to be the red-headed step-child of Intel’s offerings, and instead be the processor core that will drive significant unit volume growth going forward.

What Do We Know?

So, what do we know so far? Well, check out this slide that leaked a little while ago:

(click to enlarge)

We know that the microprocessor architecture is new (the current Atoms are based on a 5-year old micro-architecture), which means that unlike the original Atom, which launched in 2008, it should feature quite


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Nokia: Did You Make The Same Mistake As Me?

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ByFusion Research:

Recently, Nokia Corporation (NOK) posted its first-quarter earnings for 2013. Following the results, the stock headed down, depicting investor dissatisfaction. The company’s mobile segment volumes decreased by around 30% on a quarterly basis to 55 million units. Also, the sales of phones under Asha range fell by more than 40% in the quarter. Moving ahead, I expect that mobile sales will pick up with improvements in the product portfolio. The company is renewing its Asha range, which can provide a boost to its second-quarter sales.

On the positive side, Lumia volumes were up by 27% to more than 5 million units as compared to the previous quarter, which came as a bright spot in the results. Lumia sales were up in all the regions, except North America where it is facing competitive pressures. The ASP (average selling price) increased to 34% on yearly basis, thus


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Investors Should Keep Apple In Their Portfolios

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BySandeep Godiyal:

The collapse of Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) stock price over the past six months has caused the once seemingly-golden stock to fall from grace with investors. A look at the way Apple stock has performed relative to the respectable gains of the S&P 500 seems to confirm the “disappointing” tag placed on it by stock analysts, with the stock price falling 40% from its peak level despite profits of close to $42 billion in 2012 on earnings of close to $165 billion. As of April 15, Apple stock closed at nearly $420, the lowest it has seen since prices started falling from the $700 level last September. Because of this, Apple stock is experiencing one of its worst sell-offs in the past ten years.

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So why should investors keep Apple stocks as part of their long-term investment portfolios? Basically, the price fluctuations that Apple is currently experiencing


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Apple And Boeing Stumble: Was Outsourcing Innovation Part Of The Problem? Part I

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By Juan Carlos Zuleta:

In my latest piece I argued that not only lack of quality innovation but also failure to deliver certain advertised, promised or understood services for which shoppers bought the products in the first place may be some key sources of company reputation loss.

Two recent events can be used to explain why investors turned their backs on Apple (AAPL) and Boeing (BA) for such sort of complication: The new Apple maps application and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner battery fire. Let me start referring to the new Apple maps application included in the iPhone5 released back in September. I have already dealt with this issue in previous contributions. In them, I simply said that if Apple thought that its shares would continue growing no matter what, it was definitely wrong and that, in this context, the new maps app was a real embarrassment for the now second-most valued company in


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