August 5, 2009
Seagate closing Singapore plant
The Register
Chris Mellor writes that Seagate will be closing its hard disk drive plant in Singapore at the end of this year.
“Seagate says (the plant) makes all of the company’s mission-critical hard drives – understood to mean enterprise drives. There are about 4,000 employees at the plant. The company’s Asia International Headquarters will remain in Singapore. Seagate has said 2,000 staff from Ang Mo Kio will lose their jobs, which amounts to 4.2 per cent of its 47,500 global head count. It hopes to save $40m a year with the plant shuttered.”
HP rolls out more Compaq budget laptops
ZD Net
John Morris writes about HP’s Compaq brand of PC netbooks and notebooks.
“Lately HP has been making good use of its Compaq brand to meet this demand for budget netbooks and notebooks. Last week, Wal-Mart began selling a 15.6-inch Compaq mainstream laptop for $298. Now HP has announced two new additions to the Compaq Essentials line for small business. Both new HP models are pre-configured only, unlike the HP Compaq business laptops and other business brands such as the EliteBook and ProBook-all of which are configurable.”
Growing Google Chrome
Network World
Ledford and Davis explain why Google could have success in the netbook market.
“The growth of Internet-enabled cell phones has been phenomenal. So, it makes sense that a move into the netbook world would be on Google’s long-range plan. Why? Well, it’s likely that within a year, netbooks will be in the affordable range–around $99. And with Android in the background, and Chrome up front, Google stands able to storm the netbook market.”