In an industry where speculation, guesswork, and leaked information form the bulk of the stories generated in the news, this week in technology pretty much took the biscuit.
All that we know for sure is we don’t know anything for sure. The first week of 2006 has seen rumors flying like a Monday morning at LaGuardia. So here’s a recap because there certainly isn’t anything real interesting happening right now.
The week started with some predictions from the LA Times. Google had a device to announce at CES in Las Vegas, the story said. It might be a $200 PC, it might be a cube or box that sits at the center of the home as a conduit for broadband entertainment to be displayed on PC, TVs, and perhaps family pets as well.
Google offered some mild denials of the PC rumor, but never really dismissed the box out of hand. Tech pundit Robert X. Cringely wrote in his recent column that he stands by his story about the Google Box, a story that analyst firm Bear Stearns likely picked up and passed along in its research. And then saw it appear in the Times.
The same article recounted rumors that Yahoo brushed off overtures from Microsoft to take over the Sunnyvale firm. $80 billion was quoted as the price Terry Semel et al dismissed out of hand. Reportedly. Did noting it was a rumor stop investors from bidding up shares of YHOO and issuing a huge number of put orders in the $40 to $42.50 range? Nope.
Then a CNN Money writer suggested Google should buy job site Monster.com. It would be an intriguing acquisition to consider, except that someone else made the same suggestion nearly a year and a half ago.
But the best rumor arrived on Friday. When Bill Gates wasn’t dissing Google or giving keynote speeches at CES, he apparently was busily recruiting Bill Clinton to take over Steve Ballmer’s spot as CEO of Microsoft. Andy Abramson posted that little tidbit, and one can’t help but believe a sizable grain of salt needs to be taken with the blog entry there.
As of press time, Google co-founder Larry Page had yet to make his CES keynote address. Will it be the software pack and pay-per-video options reported all over the place? The Google Cube? A letdown on par with the Sun press conference that took place in October?
We’ll find out soon.
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David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business.
