sleepy

Why Research in Motion Is a Takeover Target

MSFT buy RIMM? Yes please - we missed out on the Yahoo chance to suck the cash out and let MSFT fade away faster.

Sorry, but it's not about devices, or even OS's (although you need both). Remember CPM/86 or OS/2? Or even the old Mac OS. They all looked like winners at one time, but were beaten from behind by a poorer product. And all those early iPhone comparisons saying something else was better, faster, cheaper or had more features. But people bought iPhones anyway.

Everybody does mobile messaging well enough now. RIM should sell to the first offer, but it's probably too late already. RIM's fallback task is to hold on to enough revenue for 5-10 years while it finds a new place. But I doubt if the management has that creativity in them, as Apple didn't before SJ's return.

Jobs' Integrity: A Reason to Buy Apple

Thanks for writing this. It's what many Apple admirers think, but can't say without being written off as "fanbois", "mactards" etc. Steve Jobs is a simpler guy than is generally made out. He has plenty of money for all personal purposes for the rest of his life, and he knows it.

Dell Gets Ready for a Comeback - Barron's

More than all the profit that Dell has made from the start has been spent on buying back the stock that insiders were selling as their options matured. That's how Dell has net tangible assets of a billion or so despite tens of billions in past profit. So insiders have already taken all the money - the cash that remains is borrowed.

The Wintel glory days are over. Dell and HPQ have gutted their companies in a drive for efficiency. Possibly a winning strategy in a growth market, but potentially suicidal in difficult times.

In a Recession, Who Still Needs Tech?

I'm not sure the writer actually knows what it's like to manage your affairs on a small budget. A smart phone is a key economic resource when you lose your job and/or home. Just two examples: rapid response is necessary to get items from the freecycle network (see wikipedia), and progressing job applications at no marginal cost by email. An iPod is a known one time cost that entertains you for almost nothing; so it's also justifiable in hard times, especially because you can always ebay it if things get tight. Can't do that with an evening out, or meals eaten at Macdonald's.

Consortium To Standardize Digital Rights Management, Take On Apple

Apple's Fairplay DRM is an optional service to content owners. Since it is proprietary, Apple can both make guarantees to content owners (if security is breached, Apple can force an update to every device wanting to load new Fairplay content), and offer consumers a fair deal (DRM'd content never dies; there is no "keep alive" callback to headquarters required, unlike other systems with guarantees).

The problem with a shared open standard is that once it's cracked, it can't be repaired, and content owners can't be compensated. Therefore it can't compete with Fairplay as an attractive DRM for content owners.

Apple does not in fact demand a monopoly on distribution; but only to distribute on its own terms.

The final solution some years hence may be that Fairplay is licensed broadly by means of Apple chips embedded in devices from all manufacturers.

The paradox for content owners is that no-one wants content until they are aware of it. An owner will pay to get his song on radio, yet wants paying for a consumer to hear it on demand. An industry wide "open" DRM is destined either to be cracked and bypassed (like DVD), or its protected content to be ignored and forgotten by consumers.

The industry needs to cut a long term deal to license Fairplay, in exchange for giving Apple distribution of its content.

Dell: Stick A Fork In It

The "can't paint it" story was convincing for a 2 week delay at product launch. It's now clearly nothing to do with the problems, and looks to have been a small problem used to distract from the larger real problem (whatever it is). Where's the problem in scrapping 50% of the painted plastic pieces while you're fixing the painting problem? It would only put cents onto the cost of the laptop.

And how come the overstated earnings were while Michael Dell was CEO and cashing his billions in options at shareholder expense, while the understated earnings were while Rollins was CEO, and the SEC were starting their informal investigation? Doesn't sound like Michael Dell resuming as CEO is in the least bit helpful. Let's see some action from the SEC, please, and some straightforward honesty from the analyst community.