Averatec 3250 versus Apple IBook

Om Malik on October 19, 2004

A diehard Apple fan, that I am, it pains me to write what I am going to write. The new Apple IBook with its brilliant $999 price, and all the cool features pales in comparison with Averatec 3250for the same price point. For a Windows XP PC, it is pretty radical and cool looking, has more hard drive capacity (60GB), more in-built RAM (512 Megabytes) and has all a DVD+ CD-Burner. IBook has 30 gigabyte hard drive, and 256 MB built-in memory. Two points for Averatec. Averatec has 3 USB 2.0 ports, while Apple has two. Another point for 3250. The IBook scores a bonus point because it has a Firewire port.
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My Name is, My Name is….

Om Malik on August 9, 2004

Not Eminem but Napster. Roxio, in a classic move of a company without direction sold its money making software business to Sonic Solutions and changed its name to Napster. “With the successful completion of the transaction, Napster will emerge as a well-positioned pure-play in the fast-growing digital music sector with a substantially enhanced balance sheet that will support our growth plans,” stated Roxio CEO Chris Gorog. Question: what share of the downloadable market does your company have? In the fiscal first quarter 2005 software sales were $22 million, profits about $6 million. Napster business sales: $7.9 million, operating loss around $8.1 million before hiring, firing and other such pesky corporate expenses. New ticker, NAPS… which could ironically mean, the company and its stock are about to take a long nap. And then be declared comatose.