Between the Lines

Intel: Fourth quarter sales worse than expected (again)

podcast@zdnet.com (Dan Farber, Larry Dignan and David Berlind) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:08:41 +0000

Updated: Intel said Wednesday that its fourth quarter, which was already dismal, was actually worse than expected. The chip giant forecast fourth quarter revenue of $8.2 billion, down 20 percent from the third quarter and 23 percent from a year ago. Intel warned about the fourth quarter in November and forecast sales of about $9 billion. [...]

Sun acquires cloud computing vendor

podcast@zdnet.com (Dan Farber, Larry Dignan and David Berlind) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:57:10 +0000

Sun Microsystems said Wednesday that it has acquired Q-layer, a Belgium company that automates cloud computing deployments. Sun didn’t offer a lot of detail in its statement. Q-layer will become part of Sun’s cloud computing unit. The general idea is that Q-layer’s technology will allow Sun to more easily provision and deploy applications. Q-layer’s software allows [...]

Why Schiller’s Macworld keynote is a big deal in the big picture

podcast@zdnet.com (Dan Farber, Larry Dignan and David Berlind) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:30:58 +0000

There are two ways to view Philip Schiller’s keynote at Macworld Tuesday: It was either a respectable effort by one of Steve Jobs’ understudies or a bummer since the main attraction wasn’t on stage and the announcements left a lot to be desired. Both would miss the big picture. The big picture is this: For the [...]

News to know: Macworld, CES preview, Windows 7

podcast@zdnet.com (Dan Farber, Larry Dignan and David Berlind) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:00:20 +0000

Macworld Coverage: Photos: Jobs fill-in touts media, MacBook updates Jason D. O’Grady: Live: Philip Schiller keynote at Macworld 2009 Sam Diaz: Apple’s final Macworld: Schiller delivers but announcements disappoint Apple expands DRM-free music selection [video] Apple reveals new iPhoto features [video] Ed Burnette: Apple iTunes goes all DRM free, with three price tiers New high-end MacBook Pro has 8 hour battery Jason [...]

Macworld show floor: More than just iPhone covers and iPod speakers?

podcast@zdnet.com (Dan Farber, Larry Dignan and David Berlind) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:26:29 +0000

Clearly, the jury is back on the Macworld keynote this morning. The “new and exciting” announced on stage this morning was, well, mostly new but hardly exciting. That’s why I was expecting to see some great things on the expo floor today. Also see: Live: Philip Schiller keynote at Macworld 2009 Some of the buzz after Apple [...]

Forget MacWorld and the keynote. Jobs as Obama’s CTO? No.

podcast@zdnet.com (Dan Farber, Larry Dignan and David Berlind) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:03:53 +0000

So Mike Contaxis at MacSoda had the “real reason” why Steve Jobs was not going to give the keynote today at MacWorld. This was before Jobs’ disclosure of the “hormonal imbalance” that his medical team has determined is leading him to lose weight. Jobs is set to become Obama’s Chief Technology Officer. Nice stab in the dark, [...]

Apple rolls the dice on fixed MacBook Pro batteries

podcast@zdnet.com (Dan Farber, Larry Dignan and David Berlind) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:51:48 +0000

Apple’s Macworld swan song had a little bit of everything–DRM free music on iTunes, iWork.com and Philip Schiller’s first and final keynote–but the biggest item may have been a bet that customers will go for a fixed battery on the 17-inch MacBook Pro. Jason O’Grady’s live notes on Schiller’s debut (Techmeme) sum up the initial reaction [...]

Apple’s final Macworld: Schiller delivers but announcements disappoint

podcast@zdnet.com (Dan Farber, Larry Dignan and David Berlind) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:44:44 +0000

Moments before Apple VP Philip Schiller stepped on stage at Macworld 2009, there seemed to be a buzz of anticipation in the auditorium at Moscone West in San Francisco. How would Schiller - filling the shoes of the ailing Steve Jobs - perform in this venue? Would he make a mention of his missing boss? [...]

Apple expands DRM-free music selection [video]

podcast@zdnet.com (Dan Farber, Larry Dignan and David Berlind) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:42:53 +0000

At Macworld 2009 in San Francisco, Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of marketing, announces a new music price plan and an expanded selection of digital rights management-free songs in its iTunes Store. Users will be able to strip their existing DRM-wrapped music of the controversial copy protection software, but doing so will [...]

Apple reveals new iPhoto features [video]

podcast@zdnet.com (Dan Farber, Larry Dignan and David Berlind) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:40:27 +0000

At Macworld Expo 2009 in San Francisco, Philip Schiller, Apple’s vice president of marketing, demos new iPhoto features. He shows off new GPS geotagging that allows users to organize photos using a digital camera by embedding geographical tags into photos, as well as new face detection software that helps users find photos by detecting faces [...]