April
The month started with a flurry of activity from Intel, which launched its latest server CPUs, two new Atoms, and yet another attempt to introduce some reason and order to its processor naming system.
Giant Taiwanese OEM Acer was also going for a bit of an overhaul of its image, with the acquisitions of eMachines, Gateway and Packard Bell potentially creating confusion about its brand proposition. Acer also continued its commitment to jump on the Atom bandwagon by being the first OEM to to produce a system utilising NVIDIA's ION chipset, designed to bring enhanced graphics to Atom systems.
The economic smelliness was still very much apparent as tech giants Microsoft and Nokia announced unprecedented falls in revenues. And Apple continued to rub salt in their wounds, not only through its enduring success, but also via directly mocking advertising campaigns. This theme was to continue throughout the year.
