Andy Patrizio

The word yesterday of Microsoft engaging in formal layoffs for the first time in its history was a bit chilling. Microsoft had been recession-proof in the past, but now even it was no longer immune. A total of 5,000 to 6,000 are to be released, 1,400 immediately and the rest over the next 18 months. […]

One step forward, one step back at Redmond. Microsoft appears to have a release candidate in the works for Internet Explorer 8, but the second service pack for Vista is going to be about one month later than planned. Officially, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) would not comment on the status of IE 8. It has had […]

AMD’s comeback under Dirk Meyer came to a screeching halt as the company was socked with the same economic problems that ail the rest of the sector. The company reported a loss of $1.4 billion, or $2.34 a share, for the quarter ended December 27, 2008, compared with a loss of $1.77 billion, or $3.06 […]

Source: Reuters One week after Intel reported a sharp drop in revenues, the world’s largest chipmaker said on Thursday that it would close four aging fabrication facilities, cutting another 5,000 to 6,000 employees in the process. The closures impact plants in the U.S. and southeast Asia, including the last remaining one at its Silicon Valley […]

It really was remarkable to listen to the Apple earnings call yesterday and hear Wall Street analysts, New Yorkers, most of them, just roll right over for Tim Cook and Peter Oppenheimer by accepting a non-answer on how the company will be run and Steve Jobs’ condition. The press has been excoriated for this lapdog […]

There’s just no stopping this company. Apple on Wednesday reported a record net quarterly profit of $1.61 billion, or $1.78 per diluted share, on revenue of $10.17 billion for its first fiscal quarter ended December 27, 2008. Revenue grew six percent over the $9.6 billion in revenue from the fourth quarter of 2007, but was […]

Intel’s next generation of Atom processors, codenamed Pineview, may hit the market by the second half of this year, according to a report by DigiTimes. The site quoted anonymous notebook makers for the story. Intel first discussed Pineview at last year’s Intel Developer Forum conference. It revealed then that Pineview would be an evolution of […]

With so many recent dire warnings and disclosures about fourth quarter earnings, IBM’s quarterly and year-end announcements on Tuesday were positively a breath of fresh air, even though it did note some dips in fourth quarter business. For the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2008, IBM (NYSE: IBM) reported revenue of $27.0 billion, a six […]

Microsoft does not appear to be considering a major round of layoffs at this point, despite a string of rumors floating around on the blogosphere, some of them openly hoping for them. Although that expectation could change, right now the company appears to be taking the tactic of reducing its rate of growth in office […]

Among the letdowns for Apple faithful at this month’s Macworld show was the lack of a new Mac Mini model — despite weeks of rumors, gossip and even images floating around the Web of what many Mac fans believed to be a case for a new Mini. That setback hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from […]

Source: Reuters Circuit City said on Friday that it would close down all of its U.S. stores, after failing to find a buyer — removing another player in the dwindling market of national electronics retailers and ending the long run of one of the nation’s largest purveyors of PCs and home electronics. The company had […]

UPDATED: Two days after taking the job of CEO of AutoDesk, Carol Bartz was diagnosed with breast cancer. She missed one month for surgery and chemo, returned to work, and proceeded to whip an aimless, undisciplined company into shape. Two days after taking the job of CEO of Yahoo, Bartz reportedly threatened to “dropkick to […]