Antitrust regulators have had IBM in their sights for a while amidst concerns that the computer giant may squelch too much of its competition and hold a monopoly in the mainframe market. However, many analysts have begun to point out that IBM’s so-called monopoly on the mainframe market might actually only exist in small subsets of the market.
According to analysts, the part of the mainframe market that antitrust regulators have accused IBM of monopolizing makes up only a small portion of the wider server market, a playing field in which there is now plenty of competition. Oracle’s impending acquisition of …read more

For those who program, you might remember the term “Garbage In, Garbage Out” (GIGO) in reference to what you input when programming is what you get out. The same is true when it comes to running your business, the efforts that you put into your business affect the results that you receive.
When managing a business, it is important that you “smart plan” how you run your business so that you not only understand where you are now but also where you are going with your business. “Smart plan” is the process of setting up a solid foundation today so that …read more

Time Warner’s magazine unit does not have a long future with Time Warner, as the media giant is apparently on the way to selling its magazine business. This information comes from Gordon Crawford, managing director of the Capital Group and a shareholder in the company that insists that the news is correct.
According to Crawford, the company plans to sell its Time Inc. unit, which includes titles such as Time, Fortune, People, and Sports Illustrated in what Crawford sees as an attempt to emulate AOL. By shedding its print division, Time Warner would essentially rely on its television stations and other …read more

Videogame maker Electronic Arts has experienced a surge in the value of its stock following speculation that computer giant Microsoft is considering a takeover of the company. However, both companies have declined to make any comments on such an arrangement and analysts remain largely skeptical about how the acquisition would be practical.
To some analysts, Microsoft acquiring Electronic Arts makes no sense at all because of the fact that Microsoft is developing newer forms of videogame technology, making an acquisition of a traditional videogame company pointless. This potential roadblock has not stood in the way of trading, with EA’s shares climbing …read more

It appears as though some small business owners are beginning to feel more optimistic about the economy.

The Ford Taurus was once the auto company’s best-selling car, but after twenty years of underperformance, the brand was discontinued and Ford focused its attention on other better-selling vehicles. However, Ford has decided to reinvent the Taurus, using technology found on jet fighters and a host of other eye-catching improvements to draw interest for the vehicle.
 
According to Ford, the Taurus will feature radar devices that will help to avoid crashes by using an alarm system and flashing red lights to warn the driver if the car gets too close to another car. The device marks Ford’s emphasis on providing a …read more

Texas Instruments has raised its third-quarter earnings forecast on the expectation of a gradual recovery in the global semiconductor market, predicting much stronger earnings than it predicted back in July. TI has not stated that it expects end demand to increase, but it has revealed that TI customers have been increasing production. 
 
Several other companies in the semiconductor industry, such as Intel, seem to be raising their expectations for the third quarter, hinting at an overall improvement in an industry that originally suffered because of the recession’s crippling impact on demand and corporate technology spending. In particular, Intel’s brighter forecast provided …read more

Kai-fu Lee made headlines when he quit Google and abandoned his post as the Internet search giant’s China chief. Now, Kai-fu Lee, who has become a well-known figure in China as the face of Google, has announced via his Twitter page that he will start up his own company dedicated to funding Chinese technology start-ups.
 
According to Lee, his plan is to launch a venture business platform that will eventually grant funding to young Chinese entrepreneurs hoping to get a foothold in the technology sector. The money will be given as part of “angel funding,” which is a practice in which …read more

Nvidia Corp. managed to rein in its fiscal second-quarter loss after the graphics-chip maker’s product line-up experienced a significant recovery from where it had been coming into this quarter. Although the loss marked its fourth loss in the last five quarters, Nvidia’s results still managed to top analyst expectations and gave the company more confidence in drafting its estimate for the current quarter.
 
Following the results, Nvidia’s shares jumped to $14.25 in after-hours trading, an increase of 8.6 percent. The company’s stock reached a four-year low last November but has managed to nearly double in value since then, reflecting the dramatic …read more

According to a report posted by Bank of America, less and less customers are visiting banks to deal with withdrawing and depositing, relying on other methods of doing so. Instead of waiting in line at the bank, customers are relying more on virtual account access through the Internet and ATMs.
 
The report revealed that almost 50 percent of all deposits are made using ATMs, which marks a 17 percent increase from six months ago. About 2.8 million customers have begun banking via cell phone in the last year and a half, and Bank of America is responsible for 60 percent of …read more