Wired: "For a perfect example of the changing dynamic between the GPU and CPU, look at the Xbox. It uses a special version of Nvidia's nForce chipset, built around a tricked-out GeForce3 to handle graphics and sound. Microsoft paid Nvidia more than it did Intel for its 733-MHz Pentium III. For Huang, it's a proof of concept." [lawrence's notebook]

5:31:03 PM    

Why I am buying Nvidia's stock (Wes, do you agree?):

1. Graphics processors are chewing up cycles faster than the flatlined PC CPU.  Usage equals demand.  Control of the interface is extremely important.
2. The parallel architecture of graphics processors allow it to boost price performance at a 2 to 1 rate over PC CPUs.  A doubling rate of 6 vs. 18 months.  Nvidia's chips have twice the number of transistors the Pentium 4 has.
3. There is going to be convergence between the graphics used to create movies and games.  This is going to be huge.  Imagine if the Star Wars game looked as good as the movie -- the sales would be huge.
4. Nvidia will likely acquire AMD to add CPU functionality as a side feature of its chips (to move beyond their joint venture).  That means over time the price of a multimedia PC using an AMD/Nvidia combined chip could be 30% lower than an Intel powered model.
5. Microsoft is likely to create a home server that is tightly integrated (following on the heals of the Xbox's second generation).  An AMD/Nvidia chip could be central to that new box.  It's also likely that the brand of the chip used will be subsumed into the general conumer electronics style marketing that this new home server will use.  That loss of branding will hurt Intel.

[John Robb's Radio Weblog]

5:30:44 PM    

Milking The Cow Dry Of Every Drop Is Pretty Short-sighted. "In reference to the San Diego Union Tribune story about royalties on used CD sales, Rick Abruzzo has this though:

'If tampering with emerging technologies to extract more money from consumers wasn't enough, the music business is at it again. This time they want to tax used CDs extra as new music sales go flat. This 'royalty' could kill a place like Ameoba. I can imagine the RIAA sending lawyers to garage sales and flea markets to extort money from small vendors. What give the music industry special privileges over any other industry? Used cars, Used furniture, Used Japanese girls underwear, where could it stop?' " [pberry: Radio Edition]

[The Shifted Librarian]

Missed this one yesterday. Car manufacturers have no right to money from the sale of used cars, nor do clothing manufacturers, makers of sports equipment, writers/publishers of books, or artists of their paintings. Why the hell do record labels think they should get paid? This is ridiculous and I sincerely hope it gets shot down.

10:01:14 AM