Chips For Info Appliances Could Shake Up Industry.(A)(Internet & Technology)

Byline: James DeTar

Investor's Business Daily

Some chipmakers missed out on the PC boom of the 1980s. Others didn't catch theground swell of the cell phone wave in the 1990s.

But there's a still-new thrust that's wide open, says International Data Corp. analyst Scott Hudson.

"If a company wasn't able to get into PCs or cell phones, now they can look at information appliances as a way to go," Hudson said.

They might have to. The PC sales-growth rate is slowing,

says Reston, Va.-based researcher PC Data. Intel Corp. on Thursday said its third-quarter microprocessor revenue will miss predictions because of slower-than-expected sales in Europe. (See related stories on …