Apple Builds New Team of Chip Gurus

iPhones and iPods could get efficient next-generation chips

(NEWSER) - Apple has acquired a designer of sophisticated, low-power computer chips, Forbes reports. Analysts say the move will likely lead to a new kind of chip powering future iPhones and iPods, as well as new Apple designs, helping the company differentiate itself from competition scrambling to keep up. The news comes as a blow to chip maker Intel. More»

'Fact tags' only confused customers: Intel exec

(NEWSER) - PC makers seem to have gotten the hint and are beginning to hawk their wares not with dazzling technobabble but with information useful to the average consumer, the New York Times reports. For years, tech concerns have touted their achievements in impenetrable language on “fact tags” (DDR2 RAM, anyone?), but that approach may not fly when most people just want a fast Internet connection. “We have been stuck in 1995,” an AMD exec says. “We are basically the laggards.” More»

(NEWSER) - Intel has rolled out a new chip for servers that will more than double the effectiveness of systems but consume no extra power, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Xeon 5500 excels at “virtualization,” allowing multiple operating systems and applications to run on one server—which Intel hopes will attract buyers in a recession. “The Xeon 5500 becomes a cash machine for IT,” an Intel exec said. More»

Circuit-carrying cellulose undercuts silicon on price

(NEWSER) - The future of electronics may be etched on paper, reports the Economist. Researchers have found a cheaper, easier way to make transistors using cellulose, paper’s key ingredient. Paper could soon replace silicon as a surface on which to mount transistors, which control the flow of electric currents and power most gadgets. More»

Profit jumps 9% as chip-maker surprises Wall Street

(NEWSER) - Global demand for computer chips helped Intel power to a 9% first-quarter revenue gain, beating analysts' estimates and sending a message that while US sales may be slumping, the world’s largest chip maker’s still got game. Intel stock rose 7.7% in after hours trading, the New York Times reports, as the news allayed worries that computer sales are slowing. More»