Not sure if we've hit rock bottom
Intel CEO Paul Otellini says the outfit is starting to see some
predictability in its business, but it's still unclear if the market
has hit the bottom.
Otellini commented the state of the semiconductor market on a
conference Wednesday, following bleak forecasts by Gartner researchers
who claim global semiconductor revenue will slip 24 percent this year.
Otellini is confident about netbook sales, describing them as the
"only bright spot of growth in the PC industry," and
he expects sales figures to keep growing. Intel's profit margin on
netbook chips is higher than on low end notebooks, and the company
still lacks any serious competition in the netbook market segment.
MIDs are the next big thing, and Otellini was enhusiastic about
upcoming products based on the Atom platform. Intel is confident it
will remain top dog in the MID market.
Otellini also commented on Intel's legal fight with Nvidia over chipset
licenses, saying it was simply an attempt to "defent the status quo" on
the part of Nvidia.
More here.