Re: Technology Companies 2006: Best and Worst

They don¹t try to be
everything to everyone, nor do they waste energy on projects unrelated
to their core goals.

What does Google Earth have to do with searching for content on the
Internet?

Thus we can look to Apple and Google to be the
trend setters for quite some time.

So, in the last three years, what has Apple introduced to take the world
by storm? I won't disagree that Google is on the forefront of software
innovation, but what has Apple done?


Innovators?A- ~ Intel, Samsung, IBM

These are the three biggest innovators where hardware is concerned.
Other companies might take their designs and improve them but these
three are the ones constantly pushing the boundries of what is possible.
Intel is looking to put dozens of cores on each processor, IBM is
working on a quantum processor

IBM seems like they're working on anything even vaguely related to
computer technology. From nanotechnology to weather modeling. Nothing
unusual there. IBM has always been big into research and development.

and Samsung is miniaturizing electronic
components we never thought possible.

Successful followers?B+ ~ ebay, Amazon, Yahoo, AMD

Ebay, Amazon, Yahoo and AMD are great companies that are very stable,
but not too innovative. Yahoo tends to add certain services only after
Google tries it first. AMD produces some of the best chips today, but
has no dynamic plan for tommorrow.

You mean they're focusing on real achievements, rather than lofty and
unreachable goals?

Ebay and Amazon have almost reached
the point where they can¹t really add anything new because they have
maxed out their business model. So like I said before, these companies
are steady performers, but don¹t expect too much change from them in the
future.

Holding their own?B- ~ HP, Motorola, Sony

Here are three companies who are still in the fight, but things could go
either way. HP is beginning to recover from the Carly Fiona disaster and
recently began to innovate again. Motorola has done a good bit of steady
business in its corner of the market by impressing everyone with its
Razor phone. Meanwhile Sony seems to be the most adrift of these three
but still doing well inspite of a lack of direction. Each of these
companies is profitable, and won¹t go anywhere soon, but they also seem
to lack the drive and direction that will ensure long-term success.

Slowly dying?C ~ Microsoft, Dell, Creative

If it weren¹t for its Xbox division I would say that everything at
Microsoft is going downhill. Don¹t worry, Microsoft won¹t be shutting
down anytime soon (its enormous resources will keep it afloat for a
decade easy) but it isn¹t really doing anything too positive either. Not
counting the Xbox (which is rather impressive) every other department in
Redmond seems to be just running in place without really getting
anywhere. The company¹s OS is a nightmare, MSN is getting killed by
Google and Yahoo, Office hasn¹t changed in a meaningful way in over a
decade

The next version is going to be introducing some substantial changes. I
just don't think they'll be well received.

and nothing else it is producing seems to have any plan behind it
(Origami anyone?). Microsoft is slowly and surely killing itself with
its incompetent leadership. Thus given enough time even its resources
will run out. This is quite unlike Dell, which is doing a wonderful job
in its chosen field but failing horribly at everything else (Dell DJ
ring a bell?). Dell is in trouble because it doesn¹t have anymore room
to grow in the computer hardware business.

Sure it does. Expanding into SE Asia, for example.

It has reached the point
where if Dell wants to grow anymore it will have to expand outside of
its core competency. Sadly this is something it just doesn¹t know how to
do. Meanwhile Creative has resoundingly failed at making a portable
music player. Thankfully they also sell other products or else they
would be out of business. Ideally they would pick off the pieces, exit
the portable music business completely, and start over in something
else. However, given the fact that its CEO is crazy, I don¹t see this
happening. Creative will hang on for a while but its death is only a
matter of time.

Dead but doesn¹t know it yet?D ~ Sun, Napster

I like Sun, I really do. I like Solaris, it is a very powerful OS.
However right now Sun is selling something that most of the market just
doesn¹t want.

High-end Linux servers? That's the core of their business these days,
not Solaris boxes. Sun has been turning around for awhile now. I'd
certainly put them up there with this year's software innovators. They've
done a lot more than Apple has.

It has a quality product, it just isn¹t what is needed
right now. Maybe under new leadership things will change for the better,
but realistically I don¹t think Sun will even exist in 10 years.

That prediction might have been true if they had continued down the path
they were on two years ago.
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