Mr. Jim Turley

GLG News by Mr. Jim Turley, Owner and Analyst

GLG News is now G+ Insights

G+ is a community for professionals, academics and entrepreneurs to connect through online discussions and in-person meetings. You will continue to see G+ Insights (formerly GLG News) here as well as on the G+ website, where you can share and discuss the G+ Insights you read.

PC Security Hack Is No Big Deal

February 10, 2010

Analysis of:Security Chip That Does Encryption In PCs Hacked | www.npr.org

The security hack was time-consuming, expensive, and technically difficult. It's not broadly applicable to PCs in general.It required physically obtaining and disassembling the entire PC, so it's only relevant to stolen machines, not "drive by" security hacks.The methods, although expensive and complex, are already well-known in the industry.

Software - The New Silicon Business

October 1, 2009

Analysis of:Intel Gets Deep Into Software | online.wsj.com

Software is becoming the key differentiator among silicon company, and especially among microprocessor companies. Intel's move is reflective of a larger trend already taking place among chip suppliers and IP vendors.

Clearer Signs of Intel's Post-PC Future

June 24, 2009

Analysis of:Intel Wins Nokia as Customer, Will Work on Devices (Update2) | www.bloomberg.com

Intel's tie-up with Nokia is more evidence, as if any was required, that the future is not with PCs. Intel has tried many times, and mostly failed, to penetrate this very large market. Only two percent (2%) of microprocessor chips are used in PCs; the other 98% is a market Intel has largely ignored. Having missed out on cell phones, Intel is now gunning for the next tier: portable Interned devices, a segment that has many names. It's a fair target, and Intel has a decent shot at making a dent there.

Growth Is No Longer in PCs, It's In Embedded Systems

June 5, 2009

Analysis of:Intel Gets Deep Into Software | online.wsj.com

Intel's acquisition of embedded-software vendor Wind River Systems (WRS) outlines today's reality for the company: the growth is no longer in PCs, it's in so-called "embedded" systems, or computers that don't look like computers. Only two percent (2%) of the world's microprocessor chips go into PCs. The other 98% are used in these embedded sytems, such as cars, TVs, games, HVAC, appliances, aircraft, etc. It's not a glamorous market, but it's a huge one. With PC sales leveling off, Intel needs to look elsewhere for growth, even if it antagonizes long-time partner Microsoft. (Microsoft has its own embedded-software strategy.) With Moblin and now WRS, Intel has stepped firmly into the embedded-systems marketplace.

Good move for the netbook market

June 1, 2009

Analysis of:Microsoft to Drop Three-Application Limit of Windows 7 Starter | www.bloomberg.com

Good work, Microsoft. This change makes Windows 7 more palatable for the fast-growing "netbook" market, where Windows was previously overpriced. * PC buyers show a strong preferance for Windows, they just don't want ot pay for it. * Intel, Linux vendors, and others are actively developing Windows alternatives * By dropping this restriction on Windows 7 Starter, Microsoft stays in the game.

Intel needs to sell processors any way it can

June 1, 2009

Analysis of:Intel goes after Windows 7 on netbooks with Linux | www.computerworld.com

* Netbooks have upset the apple cart for both Intel and Microsoft, so old alliances are starting to crumble. * To remain relevant, Intel has developed its own low-cost alternative to Windows, hoping to cling to the hardware-side of the equation. * It won't help much, as most netbook buyers want the Windows experience more than they want Intel hardware.

Netbook popularity grows as conventional PCs reach overkill

May 26, 2009

Analysis of:One in Five Laptops Shipped in Q1 Was a Netbook | www.informationweek.com

After my initial skepticism, I'm now a believer in netbooks. They slot nicely between feature-phones like BlackBerry or iPhone, and below traditional laptop computers. Price is the limiting factor, so cost-competitiveness is everything. Features and performance are secondary. Indeed, the who reason netbooks exist is because PCs are now faster and more feature-laden than most uers need. * Solid-state disks (SSD) may have finally found their niche. * Traditional hard disks will continue to sell well because of their greater capacity and established supply chain. * Linux will not maky any significant inroads. * Windows will remain the operating system of choice. * Netbooks will supplement, not replace, traditional PCs and laptops.

Oracle should kill SPARC. It's among the slowest CPU chips around, and the engineering costs are staggering.

May 14, 2009

Analysis of:Ellison Insists Sun's Sparc Still Has a Future | seekingalpha.com

* Microprocessor development is hugely expensive, to the tune of tens of millions of dollars per year, every year, forever. * It's an expensive treadmill. You can never stop improving the processor or you rapidly fall behind. * Unique CPU technologies do not translate into customer benefits. So what's the point? * In-house CPU development is largely an ego-driven enterprise. "Real men make microprocessors" is not a good business strategy. * SPARC is a dog. If you're going to bet the farm on an in-house CPU, pick a different one. * Using Intel (or other commercial supplier's) chips would be a much better use of Oracle's resources and it wouldn't hurt customers a bit.

Do It - It's the Best Option for a Dwindling Sun

April 6, 2009

Analysis of:IBM Talks Teeter as Sun Board Splits | online.wsj.com

* Sun's value in the industry has been declining for years. It needs an exit strategy before all the value is gone. * The company no longer innovates in any meaningful way and it's lost its importance, becoming an undifferentiated provider of hardware by the pound. * IBM would benefit from Sun's market share, and perhaps some patents and other technology.

No, they're both better off separate

April 3, 2009

Analysis of:Should Nvidia Merge with AMD? | www.rahulsood.com

Merging nVidia and AMD is a fair question. After all, there's a lot of consolidation happening in the industry, with more to come. But this particular combination won't work well. For starters, AMD already owns ATI, nVidia's major competitor. Acquiring nVidia as well would put both of the major formerly independant graphics companies under AMD's umbrella. Apart from antitrust concerns, it just just doesn't help AMD -- or nVidia -- very much. There's no synergy between ATI and nVidia technology, so there's no real gain to be had there. AMD would find itself with two very complelx and competing technologies and no good way to combine them. The whole would be worth exactly the sum of its parts. Second, the acquisition would be expensive. AMD's had a tough enough time swallowing the price of ATI, with little to show for it. Gobbling up nVidia too would be tough.   Finally, although it might take nVidia out of Intel's hands, Intel doesn't need nVidia, either.

Voltage Problems Are Painful, Expensive

August 29, 2006

Analysis of:Rumor: AMD is having trouble with 65nm processor voltages | www.legitreviews.com

Who cares about the voltage that a PC processor chip uses? Almost everyone. Here's why.

• The voltage, while tiny, determines the wattage (the total power and heat) that the chip consumes.

• Increasing the voltage a tiny bit increases power consumption by a lot (square law). It also increases heat dissipation, a big deal for laptops and other space-constrained systems.

• Finally, this is a difficult problem to fix. It involves a time-consuming and expensive engineering redesign of the chip.

Bad News for Rambus, but Little Effect on IP Licensing

August 3, 2006

Analysis of:FTC Finds Rambus Monopolized Memory-Chip Technology Markets | online.wsj.com

The FTC's ruling against Rambus has more to do with Rambus specifically than with the IP and patent licensing business in general.

Why AMD Wants ATI

July 24, 2006

Analysis of:WSJ: AMD to Buy ATI; Grasp for an Edge Over Intel | online.wsj.com

The acquisition will be good news for AMD, somewhat bad news for Intel, and terrible news for smaller third-party chip vendors.

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