John G. Spooner

Gateway says its latest turnaround effort is on track. The Irvine, Calif., computer maker, whose CEO Wayne Inouye resigned on February 9, said that its making progress on numerous fronts, including beefing up its direct sales—later this quarter, it will open a new customer support center to serve those customers—as well as searching for a […]

PC makers are beginning to offer far more aggressive prices, in addition to delivering extras to customers, all in an attempt to weather slowing worldwide PC unit shipment growth. So far, 2006 hasnt become like 2001—the period in recent history where a tanking economy caused PC shipments to decrease year over year—but the wave of […]

Intel says its plan to lay off 1,000 managers worldwide is a bet on its future. The company began informing those managers affected by the job cuts—which could be the first such action resulting from a broad-based internal review of its business—on the morning of July 13. Intel, which has been under pressure from rival […]

Intel is set to lay off about 1,000 managers worldwide in a bid to streamline its operations. The company began informing those managers affected by the cuts on July 13. The move comes as Intel, which has been under pressure from rival Advanced Micro Devices of late, has progressed through about two months of a […]

Dell has decided do away with rebates in an effort to get to the bottom line on its PC prices. As expected, the PC maker will begin phasing out rebates and other special offers in August in favor of presenting lower prices upfront to SMBs (small and midsize businesses) and consumers in the United States, […]

Intel may cut a significant portion of its work force following the completion of a broad business review, one analyst says. The chip maker could reduce its employee roster of about 100,000 by between 10,000 and 15,000, according to a July 13 report published by analyst Doug Freedman of American Technology Research in San Francisco. […]

PC makers are going back to the basics on pricing in an attempt to entice buyers. Dell, which has scheduled a news announcement for July 13, is expected to reveal a revised PC pricing strategy that will present SMBs (small and midsize businesses) and consumers with a more straightforward menu of price options. The move, […]

Intel is planning a lengthy introduction for its Core 2 Duo processors. The chip giant is expected to officially roll out its Core 2 Duo for desktop PCs, otherwise known as “Conroe,” on July 27 at an event at its headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif. At the same event, it will offer more detail on […]

Microsoft wants to reframe Windows for mobile devices. To that end, the software maker has formed a Windows Client Mobility Marketing Team to devise new marketing methods, find new partnerships and research more mobile-friendly features for future Windows upgrades. While small—run by Mika Krammer, director of Windows product management and consisting of fewer than 20 […]

IM Flash Technologies, the Intel-Micron Technology flash memory venture, is hoping for large gains from investing in nanotechnology research. The company on June 29 expanded its collaboration with Nanosys, a Palo Alto, Calif., nanotechnology startup thats designing microscopic nanowires that could be used to boost NAND flash memory chips capacities in the future. NAND flash […]

Gateway intends to return to its roots as an up-market direct-seller of PCs. The Irvine, Calif., PC maker, whose CEO, Wayne Inouye resigned on February 9, continues to sell PCs via retail and direct to businesses and consumers. However, on June 29 it announced a simplified direct-to-consumer product line, including fewer, more richly configured desktop […]

Microsoft wants to reframe Windows for mobile devices. The software giant has formed a new Windows Client Mobility Marketing Team within its Windows Client Product Marketing Group and charged it with devising new marketing methods, finding new partnerships and researching more mobile-friendly features for future Windows upgrades. While small—run by Mika Krammer, director of Windows […]