With little or no news that is impressive enough to merit a big piece, some interesting tid-bits about Apple, and its stock, that is in gravity defying mode. Rob Hof of Business Week, who doesn’t blog enough, though he should, points me to this story over on News.com, that points out that Apple stock closed at $80.86 yesterday.
…the accidental reference to Intel’s 8086, the 1978 processor that spawned the x86 architecture that PC users are so familiar with.
Over on WSJ’s Morning Brief, Joseph Schuman points out that with the stock being what it is, Steve Jobs is going to be worth about $808.6 million in just Apple stock. Three years ago he exchanged seemingly worthless options for 10 million shares of restricted stock. There is that 8086 number again!
Chuck Jones, manager of $16 billion for Atlantic Trust Stein Roe is happy to fork over “another $808.6 million to have him create another $65 billion in market cap.” Ah nothing like fair weather friends. Like Google, Apple is one punch away from getting pounded in the stock market. Not enough iPod sales, “sell-off.”
PS: Does anyone else find it funny that CEO of Intel, one of the largest tech companies in the world, is willing to show-up on stage in a bunny suit? I bet you Andy Grove won’t do that! And what does it really say about Intel and its relevance in the tech ecosystem!
Google to $1000 and Apple to $200 (why not, let’s dance to the dot com drums all over again — its the American Way).
Does anyone else find it funny that CEO of Intel, one of the largest tech companies in the world, is willing to show-up on stage in a bunny suit? I bet you Andy Grove won’t do that! And what does it really say about Intel and its relevance in the tech ecosystem!
It shows Intel has stopped being an exclusively engineering driven company and is now equally focused on consumer marketing.
Intel has now become that old friend of yours who has been lonely for a while and then gets a new girlfriend who has him totally whipped. So whipped in fact he agrees to go to a halloween party at one of HER friend’s house dressed up as Sonny and Cher or a Doctor and Nurse or some other pathetic “couples costume”, meanwhile all of HIS friends are at a bar watching a ballgame.
Consumer marketing is one thing, but a mega billion dollar company ceo in bunny suits making a fool out of … never mind. maybe that is consumer marketing!
SJG…. that is a wonderful analogy… crude but works.
Yesterday was a sweet reminder that innovation has pushed the Wintel Dynasty off its perth.
Props to Otellini, for being bold enough, to put a different face or space-suit on for his new audience;)
so what about IBM/MOTO? and is this the reason that moto is going to take iTunes out of their phones? in retaliation for apple dropping their chipset?
Andy Grove actually attended the event. I saw him with Steve. He was not in a bunny suit.
Moto’s chip business, freescale is a free standing business now, and I wonder if they have that kind of “influence” anymore. I am sure… they must have tried, but INtel must have given huge “financial” sops for this deal
I also found the bunny suit thing to be pretty funny… but… I do have a vague memory of Andy Grove dressing up in something similar for a technology announcement. I could totally be imagining things, but it’s on the tip of my brain right now. Could have even been at a Windows conference (which are generally very forgettable).
Somebody chime in if they remember what I’m talking about.
I believe that Google will have its stock split soon this year. Probably two stock splits if they continue launching good products without backlash such as Google base.
I thought the bunny suite was great…kudos to Ortellini. Much better entrance than another stuffed shirt walking out on stage.
Intel is the cream in your Ben & Jerry’s.
Important, but not the main event.
You guys are wandering aimlessly and missing the real fun to come:
1) The Apple vs. Dell faceoff in the educational markets.
2) The (soon to be announced) Dell alliance with AMD, for the extra performance.
Apple-Intel is the best thing to ever happen to AMD, now if they could only boost mfg capacity.
PS. I wonder what the MSFT guys have to think about being called dull in the new Apple-Intel TV ads. rotf.
Jobs sure knows how to drive a wedge between former business partners.
In the Wintel market, Intel basically defines the platform and companies like Dell just manufacture and sell it. But the Mactel relationship is the opposite: Apple controls the Mac platform and Intel is just a parts vendor.
“And what does it really say about Intel and its relevance in the tech ecosystem!”
It means that Intel is VERY glad to be free of a Microsoft only partnership.
Of particular interest, is when Otellini said that there were 1000 Intel staff working on teh project. Why so many? That number doesn’t even include the Apple staff which must have added at least anothe 250 people.
To me, this points to something way bigger. In teh past, Intel has purposely hamstrung their processors to retain backward compatibility with Windows and Windows software. With Apple on teh scene, they have an oportunity to simplify their processors by removing that backward compatibilty from the CPU. This will allow the CPU to be smaller, faster and cooler. A small CPU also means they can fit more cores onto a single die, which is what they are driving towards these days.
I think that Apple and Intel (mostly Intel) are working on a revised version of teh Intel processor that will not be backward compatible with legacy version of Windows and related software. This will severly hamper MS in the desktop (and other)market. This give Apple an obvious advantage but it also give Intel an advantage as it now has a partner that controls “the whole widget”.
I could be wrong…but a transition does NOT require this many people.
thoughts on number of people
* one of the chip industries dark realities is that chip development productivity (design etc) does not come close to keeping up with Moore’s Law. Absolute chip sizes are growing and thus the development resources required seem to track Moores Law. (ie chip development resources sky rocket) Said using a housing analogy – Moores Law results in the reality that the next house you build is twice the size. Thus it takes close to twice the resources to build. Extend this over a few generations and it grows very fast.
Everybody knows this was a “goof” on the Apple Toasted Bunny commercial from 1998, right?
The spoof on the toasted bunny was my very first thought too. Otellini was around at the time, as of course was Grove, and who knows how much Jobs’ hand was in there too, creatively speaking. I thought it was good jesting, as was the ad that followed. Gates And Nick Carr say customers don’t care “what’s inside”, and they’re probably right for most. But I think there are many others in the game who do care, and want to see evidence of the alliance, even if it starts with an ad. supporting a product, with more to come.
http://metroxing.blogspot.com/2006/01/apple-about-to-pass-dell-market-cap.html
Yes, Andy Grove dressed in a bunny suit, one of the metallic colorful ones and came out with the dancers at one of the Pentium MMX launch events.
I guess that Paul Ottellini did not dance and wore a standard fab suit, so some difference.
pal
It is a culture in intel which you morons cannot understand. It is not funny wearing the bunny suit if u can really understand what it means and what it signifies (oops sorry i forgot u are a moron)
I could tell you more if you can start thinking at least from now on. Stop making judgements based on the knowledge of you tiny winy brain.
Grow up and be a matured writer and dont crap about something that you dont know.
love