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Will Microsoft Get Squeezed by Chrome OS?

Good article. However, I think it's worth pointing out that the "low end" of the market is probably no larger than Apple's 5% market share unless a few things change. Most of these changes are centered around Google Docs.

For some of the sub-segments:

1. Netbooks/Chrome will be the dominant choice among students IF schools start accepting Google Doc formats as a standard. Although I don't know anything about the educations systems policy on this, but I imagine it would be likely with the current budget cuts.

2. Business users will only switch if Google Docs becomes accepted as a universal format. I've anecdotaly heard of a few companies switching, but I don't see it happening broadly anytime soon.

3. Home users will keep their Windows systems with very few exceptions. Some homes might purchase a second machine running Chrome, but this can be viewed as an expansion of the market rather than a shift in market share.

Apples to Apples: Will History Repeat Itself as Android Gains on the iPhone?

By comparing the iPhone and Android, I think you're missing the real significance of what is going on.

Based on hype factor alone (which may, but won't necessarily turn into a market changing event), this could significantly change the market- but not in a Apple vs. Google way.

Yesterday, the market consisted of Apple and everyone else. Today, the market consists of Apple, Android, and everyone else. This affects the "everyone else" category much more than it affects Apple.

Why Apple Is Worth $80

I own AAPL, and I believe in the stock. However, the author brings up a good point. At what point is a share of Apple stock overvalued? Is it $200, $250, or $400?

Remember one of the principle rules of investing. Price is what you pay, value is what you get. Although I don't have the same numerical details, I'm inclined to partially agree with both Cramer and Kai. This stock has a lot of momentum, and will continue growing in the short (and maybe medium) term. However, at some point in the future, the growth rate will have to come down, and the multiple will compress. That's simple economics. It doesn't mean I'd ever consider shorting this stock though.

Cramer's Stop Trading! The Correction Is Coming (9/24/09)

Cramer does need to be taken with a grain of salt, if not ignored (depending on the type of info you're looking for).

However, I can't understand why people that hate him so much continue to read his articles and comment on them. Why don't you just go read articles from sources you like?

Google Drops a Nuclear Bomb on Microsoft. And It's Made of Chrome.

This could be the beginning of an entire shift in the computing industry. Microsoft's largest lever in maintaining their monopoly was by saying "all programs are written for windows, none are written for other OS's".

As more and more functionality has shifted to the web, this is much less important than it used to be. I used to have 50+ programs installed on my PC. Now I have maybe 10. Everything else is web based. And Google has the market power to get those other 10 publishers on board.

I imagine the biggest issue will be compatible external devices like printers, hard drives, cameras, etc. If Chrome OS gets a good response, this will change in the long term, but could cause uptake problems up front.

These are interesting times indeed.

Revising Apple's Outlook in Line with Reality

My favorite comment of all:

"Duh. There is a reason that Warren Buffet is a billionaire and you are not."

So how many billions have you made following Buffet? He obviously knows what he's doing, but there are millions of people following his strategy and only one billionaire. Unless people were replicating his results consistently, I hardly think following his ideas will work outside of Omaha.

I know I'm off the topic of Apple, but I couldn't resist a comment like that.

Will Intel's New Processor Be a Game-Changer?

Chris-
You hit the nail on the head. Although these chips are absolutely faster, they don't make the end users life noticeably different. There might be some value in making virtualized services run faster (I don't know how true that is), but this only affects a small portion of the market.
In addition, a good percentage of gamers are transitioning from PC's to console's. The game quality is comparable, and a console costs a fraction of a new PC.

The article is correct that Intel will keep its lead in the semiconductor space. I just question whether it's a market investors want to be in at all.

Netbook Sales Cannibalizing PC Revenues

Not to mention that high end PC/laptop buyers used to be mainly hardcore gamers or business power users. These days a gamer can replace a $5,000 computer with a 1 year shelf life with a $400 game system and a 3-4 year shelf life. A business user needing the ultralight laptop can go straight to a netbook with very little loss in functionality for ~25% of the price.

It's gonna be a great year for consumers, and a horrible year for the PC makers.