[credit provider=”IBM”] IBM’s board of directors has just announced that president and CEO Sam Palmisano is stepping down at the end of the year.He will be replaced by Virginia “Ginni” Rommety, as expected.

[credit provider=”Wikimedia Commons” url=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ibm_px_xt_color.jpg”] Shares of IBM are sliding by about 2% after hours after the company said that revenue had come in a bit light in Q2.A top-line of $26.1 billion is just below estimates of $26.3 billion.

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Have you heard the news? — IBM is now worth more than Microsoft for the first time since 1996.

A few months ago, Apple (AAPL) completed the humiliation of its long-time foe, Microsoft (MSFT)—surging past Microsoft’s market-capitalisation and becoming the most valuable tech company in the world.

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[credit provider=”IBM”] WellPoint, Inc. and IBM have announced an agreement to develop computer-based medical solutions, reports TechI.IBM’s Watson can process 200 million pages of data in three seconds, an ability it used to win a game of Jeopardy against human opponents earlier this year.

[credit provider=”Fortune Live Media via Flickr” url=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/fortunelivemedia/5959218821/sizes/z/in/photostream/”] Aaron Levie is unusual for a 26-year-old CEO—he’s much more excited about business software than consumer products like Foursquare.Levie founded Box.net, an online service for sharing and collaborating on documents and other files, in 2005.

Breaking news in the “Robots taking over the world” movement: IBM has created a computer chip capable of functioning like a human brain. A very quick and highly intelligent human brain.

[credit provider=”Wikimedia Commons” url=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ibm_px_xt_color.jpg”] As IBM celebrates its 100th birthday, many observers are rightly calling attention to the many strategic changes the company put itself through to remain relevant amidst dramatic technological and economic change. But one of the biggest transformations IBM went through is less about computers and more […]

Brit flickr

30 years ago IBM introduced the world-altering IBM PC. Back then, I was a high-school senior who had very little experience with computers of any kind. I knew of their existence, having in 11th grade stealed away into the maths lab to play a “video” game with no graphics, just coordinates and commands […]

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[credit provider=”AP”] The IBM PC shipped 30 years ago tomorrow, and every single unit came with a game that was coded by Bill Gates himself in a late night sessionHarry McCracken at Technologizer has a remarkable slideshow of IBM PC oddities today. 

The 30th anniversary of the IBM PC is Friday, and the two companies most responsible for its success both explained how they’re moving on today.

[credit provider=”Illustration: Ellis Hamburger”] The tech sector has had a split personality for the last year or so.VCs and angels have been throwing big money after startups and the young hotshot engineers who run them, and the tech IPO market has been hotter than any time since the late 1990s.

[credit provider=”IBM” url=”http://www.almaden.ibm.com/almaden20/images/08-25-2003%2002;44;20PM.jpg”] If the market crashes of the last few days indicate that the U.S. economy is slipping into another recession, are there any safe havens among tech stocks?Let’s get this out of the way first: past results don’t predict future performance.

[credit provider=”Wikimedia Commons”] It was August 1981 when IBM released the Personal Computer Model 5150. Costing $1,265, it didn’t have a monitor, parallel ports or even a hard disk. To the casual observer, it was more of a box than a computer.But it sold like crazy, even after the wild […]

[credit provider=”AP”] Google bought a portfolio of patents from IBM, Bloomberg reports.This is another step in the global patent arms race, which got even hotter recently because of all the patent litigation swirling around Android and the many battles between Apple, Microsoft, IBM, Google, Oracle, HTC (did we miss anyone?), […]

[credit provider=”Dylan Love”] That iconic black screen and blinking cursor are no longer in active use, but they’re hardly forgotten.It was 30 years ago today that Microsoft released DOS to the world, but the things that happened behind the scenes would shock you.

[credit provider=”ap”] Maybe, just maybe corporations are ready to start hiring.The 20 companies with the most vacancies on this year’s Fortune 100 are looking to hire 96,000 new workers. That’s a big increase from 60,000 openings last year.

[credit provider=”IBM” url=”http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/biography/10066.wss”] Today’s advice comes from Steve Mills, IBM’s head of software and systems, in an interview with IDG news:”All public companies have a motivation to make money. It’s not a matter of, they’re the only ones that think about making money. But some companies are more aggressive in […]

[credit provider=”Courtesy of Pension Risk Matters” url=”http://www.bvallc.com/pensionblog/2006_09_01_archive.html”] If you’re in business, you create documents.Whether they’re legal records, product plans, strategy memos, or even just records of meetings or casual brainstorming sessions, those documents have value to somebody somewhere in your organisation.

[credit provider=”IBM”] Today’s advice comes from IBM CEO Sam Palmisano’s interview with Forbes: “We invented the PC but viewed it incorrectly. We saw it as a gadget, a personal productivity tool. Unlike Intel and Microsoft, we didn’t see it as a platform. We missed the shift. So the lesson to […]

[credit provider=”Wikimedia Commons”] IBM’s Centennial anniversary is fast approaching (as in TODAY), and their 100 years of hard work shouldn’t go unnoticed.Behind every major technological advance, you’re likely to find IBM’s name floating around somewhere. Here are 9 of our favourite IBM-aided innovations.

  IBM chief Sam Palmisano turns 60 in July, and that’s usually the age when the company’s CEO names a successor.

[credit provider=”Motorla”] U.S tech companies have been the driving forces behind innovation in America for over two hundred years.Together IBM and General Electric have filed over 1.5 million patents, 60 times the number filed by the U.S. government.

[credit provider=”wikimedia commons” url=”http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carcharhinus_perezi_-_jackfish_attack.jpg”] This year could see increased M&A activity by well capitalised tech companies that need to spur growth, according to a new report by GigaOm Pro.The report, written by Jake Lynch (from The Street) and Kevin Kelleher, looks at likely buyers based on their cash, debt, and […]

We noted it was about to happen a few days ago, and now it has.

It’s not Google. It’s IBM.

[credit provider=”wiki commons” url=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Peter_Paul_Rubens_115.jpg”] After hit after hit after hit, Apple has finally emerged as the most valuable brand in the world.Apple’s brand is worth a $153.3 billion, a stunning 84 per cent increase from last year, according to the definitive list from BrandZ.

May 5th was the 50th anniversary of the first U.S. manned space flight.

Some analysts are still bullish on Research In Motion, despite its generally bad metrics and an earnings warning last week.

[credit provider=”Wikipedia” url=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Osborne1.jpg”] Apple didn’t invent the portable computer. Neither did Toshiba. Or IBM.The first portable computer was created in April 1981 by a company called Osborne, led by a journalist turned entrepreneur named Adam Osborne.

These days, cash is king. Especially in the tech world.

IBM’s Mark Dean helped invent the PC, but he thinks its day is almost done: the PC being replaced in importance by the mobile phone.

The SEC has sued IBM for bribing Chinese and South Korean government officials with cash, gifts, and travel, in exchange for government contracts. The Wall Street Journal reported the lawsuit this afternoon.

Hewlett-Packard CEO Leo Apotheker hasn’t been known for his fiery presentation style — he comes from SAP, and is well versed in the calm tones of enterprise computing. Which is why it was so refreshing to see him show some fire at today’s HP strategy event in San Francisco.

[credit provider=”IBM”] The computer is a moron” – Peter DruckerComputer programming technology is still dominated by “if – then” logic.  That means computers are still using logic (human programmed) to determine the answer to a question which must be part of a pool of answers. 

[credit provider=”ap”] Reddit blog readers requested someone who worked on Watson over in IAMA, and IBM Watson Research team  to answer questions about Watson, how it was developed and how IBM plans to use it in the future.Below are answers to the top 10 questions, along with some bonus common […]

[credit provider=”ap”] IBM is not known for being cool.At a party thrown by IBM a couple weeks ago in San Francisco to celebrate the company’s 100th birthday this year, what stuck out most wasn’t the video demonstration of 100 years of innovation (IBM invented the barcode!) or the great appetizers […]

[credit provider=”wikimedia commons” url=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1987-04-22Jeopardy!Podiums1.jpg”] IBM’s Watson is gearing up for a championship round of Jeopardy against brainiacs Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter next month.To prep, the supercomputer has sparred against dozens of former Jeopardy Tournament of Champions.

[credit provider=”Leif K-Brooks”] IBM is rolling out a new product that is meant to replace the traditional PC running a local operating system and applications.The idea is to help businesses save the expense and hassle of managing a bunch of PCs. Eventually, it might help them break the  PC upgrade […]

[credit provider=”Amy via Flickr” url=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/amylovesyah/3336739744/”] IBM has released a self-congratulatory video for its 100th birthday made by filmmaker Errol Morris and scored by minimalist composer Philip Glass.It’s an interesting document in its own right, explaining the origins of bar codes and airline reservation systems. But it also got us to […]

[credit provider=”IBM”] IBM shares are up More than 2% after hours after the company reported fourth quarter earnings ahead of analyst estimates, including record quarterly revenue and earnings. Hardware was the biggest contributor to the growth.Revenue was $29.0 billion, up 7% from last year (adjusting for currency fluctuations) and nearly […]

A couple weeks ago, Gmail creator Paul Buchheit came out publicly against Google’s Chrome OS, predicting that it would be merged with the far more popular Android OS within a year.

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[credit provider=”IBM”] IBM just beat the Street’s earnings expectations on revenue and EPS. But, the stock’s getting crushed in after hours trading, down ~3%.A tipster suggests IBM is falling because it only delivered this EPS beat thanks to share repurchases. In the release, IBM says it made $3.7 billion of […]

IBM will buy data analytics firm Netezza for $1.78 Billion, Dow Jones newswires reports.

[credit provider=”IBM”] IBM CEO Sam Palmisano is throwing hard punches at HP and its departed CEO Mark Hurd.In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Palmisano says HP spent way too much on 3PAR, but it had “no choice,” because, “Hurd cut out all the research and development.”

[credit provider=”Glassdoor.com”] A couple of weeks ago we took a look at the top 25 tech workplaces, based on employee reviews at Glassdoor.We’re here to tell you there’s been a little shakeup atop the list.

Apple has done an incredible job growing while remaining fiscally disciplined, SAI contributor Steve Cheney wrote in a post we published yesterday. One of data points Steve used to bolster his case is Apple’s low R&D spending as compared to its rivals.

With the FTC breathing down its neck, Google has stepped up its lobbying spend in the last year, shelling out $4.03 million in 2009. That’s up 44% from the year prior.

Tech companies, which generally throw off tons of cash, added a healthy sum of debt to their balance sheets last year, the Wall Street Journal notes.

Here’s what you need to know this morning via The Money Game:

[credit provider=”AP”] Here is an Email from “Voice in the Dark” about IBM and outsourcing. VID writes …Hello Mish I read your blog every day. I do not comment much, but I think the MSM and most blogs are missing out on the greatest story not being told. Large corporations […]

When news that executive Robert Moffat was arrested as part of the Galleon insider trading case broke last fall, experts we talked to expressed doubt he would ever admit to committing any crime.

Click to see the week’s charts as a slideshow →

In the tech world, the rich companies are getting richer, while the rest of the pack is basically staying still.

Though Wall Street’s obsession with the tangled web that is the Galleon insider trading case has abated a bit, the defendants are still working their way through the system.Robert Moffat, a former senior VP at IBM, is reportedly going to waive his right to an indictment and has agreed to […]

[credit provider=”IBM”] IBM is pushing the “Internet of Things” as one of its next big businesses.There’s over 1 billion people on the Internet now. Soon it will be 2 billion. IBM things eventually there’s more things like refrigerators, stop lights, washing machines and TVs on the Internet.

Former Economist.com publisher and executive vice president Ben Edwards has jumped to IBM in a newly created position as vice president of digital strategy and development.He will be charged with expanding the company’s Smarter Planet site, mobile apps, and social media presence. Smarter Planet, IBM’s corporate site, aims to help […]

Online newspapers are the only digital media category that dropped in popularity last year, according to a new study. The number of people who said they read newspapers online dropped 10% in 2009 from 64% in 2008.

IBM has deliver some pretty solid results — eking out revenue growth, expanding margins, and raising guidance. Fourth quarter earnings per share (EPS) jumped 3.6% year over year, and the company guides for another 10% or more EPS growth this year.

Back in 1999, AOL (AOL) was the blue chip Internet company.

[preserve] [/preserve] [preserve] [/preserve] The decade is littered with huge deals that could have changed the business world, but for whatever reason, never materialised.

Will there ever be indictments against the four people arrested along with Raj Rajnaratnam?

Robert Moffat, a top IBM executive who would perhaps have been the company’s next CEO, stepped down after being arrested in connection to the Galleon insider trading scandal.

Microsoft will close the decade the same as it started, as the world’s biggest tech company, as measured by market capitalisation.

IBM, the world’s biggest technology services company, is expected to announce this week the acquisition of database security start-up Guardium for $225 million, Israeli financial newspaper TheMarker reported. Continue →

Robert Moffat, a top IBM executive who would perhaps have been the company’s next CEO, is stepping down after being arrested in connection to the Galleon insider trading scandal.

Co-workers go to lunch, but the market never stops churning. Here’s a look at what’s been happening with the market today:

IBM may have just lost its next CEO to the Galleon insider trading scandal.

BusinessWeek and the brand consultancy firm Interbrand released the list of 100 best global brands for 2009.

IBM is planning to put some of its “smart” technologies in the northeastern Chinese city, Shenyang, says the WSJ.

IBM will acquire Chicago-based software-maker SPSS for $50 a share, or $1.2 billion.

Google (GOOG) dominates the Internet search market, and it has been the fastest growing company around.  But now that regulators have pounced, the company is desperate to prove it’s not that big after all.

Cheap valuations and glimmers of economic recovery are tempting cash-rich technology companies to seek acquisitions, and the second half of 2009 could see some steady dealmaking. Having assessed the damage to their balance sheets — at least for now — from the recession, tech companies from behemoths like IBM to […]

IBM (IBM) narrowly missed analyst estimates for revenue amidst a tough environment for corporate IT spending, but profit came in on the high end of forecasts, the company announced today.

Oracle will acquire Sun Microsystems for $7.4 billion, or $5.6 billion net of Sun’s cash and debt. The deals comes after IBM withdrew its offer to buy Sun earlier this month.

Sun Micrososystems (JAVA) apparently still thinks it’s the same company it was in the mid-1990s.  Alas, the market knows better.

IBM (IBM) withdrew its $7 billion offer for Sun Microsystems (JAVA) over a price dispute, the New York Times reports.

IBM (IBM) cut its takeover price for Sun Micro (JAVA) to $9 to $10 in exchange for commitments that IBM will finish the deal, the WSJ reports.

As expected, IBM’s (IBM) so-called “Open Cloud Manifesto” — basically an appeal to the industry to make their cloud computing components work together around common standards — is officially out this morning (it leaked late last week).

Last night we learned major tech companies have been secretly working on something called the “Cloud Manifesto,” a new set of standards to define how different clouds might work together.

More cuts at IBM: The IT giant is preparing to lay off “a large number” of U.S. employees in its business services unit, according to the WSJ. The work of “many” of those employees will be transfered to India.

We briefly wondered if there was bad blood between IT giants IBM (IBM) and SAP (SAP).

Earlier this week, we wondered if the departure of IBM’s (IBM) “Metaverse Evangelist” means the company is scaling back its interest in virtual worlds and Second Life. We haven’t heard much from the group in months, which only added to our speculation.

A few afternoon tech items worth noting:

Is IBM (IBM) finally done with Second Life?