Are shares of IT vendors set to rise again? Fueled by strong sales reports from Lenovo and NetApp, tech stocks led a broad market rally Thursday that was generally ascribed to news about China's confidence in Europe, which faces a debt crisis in Greece and other Mediterranean countries.
The tech sector passed two poignant market anniversaries this week on its way to what investors and vendors hope will be a sustainable recovery from the recession and, in the best-case scenario, another boom cycle.
Since the beginning of the year, doubts about economic recovery have sent markets on a roller-coaster ride, but the IT sector keeps plugging along, showing signs that it is becoming increasingly dynamic.
While the computer industry in the 1990s thrived as corporations re-engineered business processes to incorporate IT, this decade has seen technology truly become part of mainstream culture and commerce via the Internet and ever-cheaper and smaller computing devices. Yes, the Internet revolution began in the '90s, but it was not until this decade that 14-year-olds raced ahead of professionals in figuring out how to tap social networks with hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of contacts. Here, in not-quite chronological order, are the top technology stories of the decade, selected by the IDG News Service for their singular impact on the industry as well as their emblematic status as examples of the trends that shaped the course of IT.
As the last full trading week of the year winds down, Oracle, Palm and Research in Motion financial results along with market analyst forecasts for 2010 are giving IT investors some data to mull over as they contemplate prospects for next year.
Intel and Advanced Micro Devices Thursday announced that they have settled all antitrust litigation and patent cross-license disputes between the companies.
Intel and Advanced Micro Devices Thursday announced that they have settled all antitrust litigation and patent cross-license disputes between the companies.
Good news about the economy along with upbeat statements from industry leaders and market researchers are helping to instill confidence in the tech sector after a rollercoaster ride on U.S. exchanges over the past few weeks.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took the stage in New York Thursday, playing the role of chief salesman in a day of worldwide launch events, executive speechmaking and sales promotions meant to persuade consumers and businesses to migrate to Windows 7.
With quarterly IT sales results pouring in, vendors including IBM, Google, Advanced Micro Devices and Intel appear more confident than ever that the global recession's depressing effects on the tech market are lifting.
U.S. markets are set to absorb a wave of earnings reports, with tech stocks lifting on positive macro-economic news and rising confidence among industry insiders such as Google CEO Eric Schmidt.
Despite Google's phenomenal growth, the Internet search giant does not appear to be worried about taking on too many projects, judging from comments made at a media roundtable Wednesday with company cofounder Sergey Brin and CEO Eric Schmidt.
Though not all the news was positive, revenue numbers from Red Hat, 3Com and Palm, Dell's acquisition of services company Perot, and continued improvement in hardware sector surveys fed confidence in the tech sector.
EBay Tuesday announced it has signed an agreement to sell its Skype voice-over-IP service to a group of private investors in a deal that values the business at US$2.75 billion.
Though virtually all IT vendors say they'll face a tough sales environment over the next few quarters, a range of companies including IBM, Intel, CA and even financially beleaguered Nortel offered some hopeful words this week.