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Sun Microsystems’ losses narrow

November 7th, 2009 1:41am
by Richard Waters

Things at Sun Microsystems do not seem to be quite as bad as Larry Ellison has been suggesting.

The Oracle boss said in late September that Sun was losing $100m a month as European regulators put its $7.4bn acquisition on hold. Then, a month later, Sun announced plans to sack 3,000 workers - a move that was widely seen as having been caused by the European delay.

The latest quarterly figures from Sun, filed with the SEC on Friday, paint a slightly different picture. Continue reading "Sun Microsystems’ losses narrow"

November 7th, 2009 1:41am in Computers, Tech, Tech Finance | Permalink | Comment

Oracle/Sun: the plot thickens

November 3rd, 2009 11:25pm
by Richard Waters

When it comes to deal-making, predicting what Larry Ellison will do next is never easy - which is just the way he wants it.

So what to make of the fact that Mr Ellison’s pursuit of Sun Microsystems has now reached a point few expected, with the European Commission close to drawing a line in the sand with a formal objection to the deal?

This doesn’t necessarily mean that Brussels will act to block it. But it does show that things have reached an impasse in Brussels, which at the very least means a longer delay - with further detrimental effects to Sun’s business.

Assuming neither side balks before the EC issues its objection, Mr Ellison now appears to have a number of options. Continue reading "Oracle/Sun: the plot thickens"

November 3rd, 2009 11:25pm in Computers, Tech, Tech Finance | Permalink | Comment

FT techtalk - Your lucky number is Seven

October 16th, 2009 4:44am
by Chris Nuttall

Seven days in tech, seven days (counting today) till Windows 7 launches. In this edition of FT techtalk, the San Francisco bureau looked back on a week of recession-busting earnings from the likes of Google and Intel and forward to the next booster for the tech industry.

Find out what Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer thinks is the best thing about Windows 7 and why his chum over at Yahoo, Carol Bartz, is in the hot seat next week, in our transcript of the conversation after the jump.

And don’t forget to join us live for FT techtalk, a multimedia chat with the FT’s tech correspondents, at the same time - 0800 Pacific (1500GMT, 1600BST) next Friday. Continue reading "FT techtalk - Your lucky number is Seven"

October 16th, 2009 4:44am in Computers, Digital media, Hardware, Internet, Software | Permalink | Comment

Larry Ellison on the economy, the cloud, and sailing

September 22nd, 2009 8:24pm
by David Gelles

It is perhaps with good reason that Larry Ellison does not speak in public that often. Whenever he does, the famously bombastic Oracle chief executive seems certain to trash his rivals, make bold predictions about Oracle’s future, and wander off topic.

Last night at a meeting of the Churchill Club, Mr Ellison said that Sun Microsystems was losing $100m a month as European regulators scrutinise Oracle’s proposed takeover of the struggling hardware maker.

On the economy, Mr Ellison said it would be at least another five years before the US begins to recover. He said it would not be a V shaped recovery with a sharp rebound, or a W shaped recovery with a double dip, or a U shaped recovery with a pause before an uptick, but an L shaped recovery — “down and not coming back up.” Continue reading "Larry Ellison on the economy, the cloud, and sailing"

September 22nd, 2009 8:24pm in Computers, Hardware, Software | Permalink | Comment

Semi industry looking more chipper

August 31st, 2009 6:22pm
by Chris Nuttall

The semiconductor industry appears to be recovering rapidly from the recession, according to the latest industry figures.

Sales in July were down 18.2 per cent on the same month last year, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association.

However, that compares to an average monthly fall of 25 per cent in the first six months of the year. Continue reading "Semi industry looking more chipper"

August 31st, 2009 6:22pm in Computers, Consumer Electronics, Hardware | Permalink | Comment

Good news and bad news on cyber security

August 4th, 2009 1:31am
by Joseph Menn

Monday brought mixed news on the ever-expanding cyber-security front.

The good news is that a small band of researchers got together and identified a major new suspected source for malevolence on the Web, Real Host Ltd., then convinced connection provider TeliaSonera to pull the plug. Continue reading "Good news and bad news on cyber security"

August 4th, 2009 1:31am in Computers, Internet, Software, Telecoms | Permalink | Comment

Light at the end of D-Ram tunnel?

July 30th, 2009 9:56am
by Robin Kwong

Is there finally light at the end of the tunnel for embattled D-Ram memory chipmakers?  Research consultancy iSuppli seems to think so, and this week changed its near-term outlook rating for D-Ram suppliers to “positive” for the first time since last September.

In fact, D-Ram’s troubles had begun long before last September, with the market “stuck in a state of oversupply for nearly three years,” according to iSuppli chief analyst Nam Hyung Kim. Continue reading "Light at the end of D-Ram tunnel?"

July 30th, 2009 9:56am in Computers, Hardware | Permalink | Comment

Apple ties tablet release to music sales drive

July 27th, 2009 3:39pm
by Joseph Menn

Apple is aiming to ship its oft-rumoured tablet-style touch-screen computer this fall, we reported over the weekend, combining a big screen with the functionality of an iPod Touch.

The company has been striving to perfect the device for years, while attempt by PC makers to peddle Microsoft-powered tablets have fizzled.

Continue reading "Apple ties tablet release to music sales drive"

July 27th, 2009 3:39pm in Computers, Digital media, Hardware, Mobile | Permalink | Comment

Apple sells 5.2m iPhones, most of them recently

July 22nd, 2009 1:28am
by Joseph Menn

Even sceptics would agree, that’s a lot of iPhones: Apple just said it sold 5.2m of them in the three months through June.

True, it’s not as many as the company sold when it introduced the iPhone 3G a year ago, a blockbuster 6.9m units in the initial quarter. But the 3G had just shy of three months to help rack up the overall shipment numbers.

Continue reading "Apple sells 5.2m iPhones, most of them recently"

July 22nd, 2009 1:28am in Computers, Digital media, Mobile, Tech Finance, Telecoms | Permalink | Comment

techfile 16.07.09

July 16th, 2009 7:05am
by Chris Nuttall

  • Twitter is facing death by a thousand cuts - well, at least 310, anyway. That is the number of confidential internal documents that Mike Arrington of TechCrunch says he has been supplied with by an anonymous hacker, who obtained the information from a Twitter employee’s account with Google. The leak has caused red faces both at Twitter, which also revealed that personal internet accounts of co-founder Evan Williams had been hacked before, and Google, which defended the security of its Gmail and Apps services.
  • The PC market is looking up. Sales were stronger in the second quarter than industry analysts had predicted, suggesting that the industry could be bottoming out as consumers begin to spend more. Worldwide PC sales slipped only 3.1 per cent by volume from a year earlier, about half the retreat expected by market researcher IDC and less than half of the first-quarter’s 6.8 per cent drop. Continue reading "techfile 16.07.09"

July 16th, 2009 7:05am in Computers, Hardware, Internet, Mobile, Software | Permalink | Comment

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