SAN FRANCISCO -- Investors had two reasons to stick with Sirf Technology(SIRF) as the chipmaker floundered: a takeover or a turnaround.
Both of those hopes evaporated with last week's legal ruling against Sirf. The preliminary finding by a U.S. International Trade Commission judge that Sirf is infringing on six of Broadcom's(BRCM) patents represents more than the latest in a string of bad news for Sirf -- it marks the end of any reason to care about a company that once seemed poised to be a central player in a new world of iPhone-like gadgets. Shares of Sirf plunged 24% to $2.44 Monday as news of the ITC ruling spread. Sirf developed -- and once ruled -- the market for GPS chips that communicate with overhead satellites to provide an electronic device with its precise geographic location. But a rush of competitors has eroded the price of Sirf's GPS chips and its market share. According to iSuppli, an industry research firm, Sirf had more than a 90% share of the market for GPS chips in cell phones in 2006. In the first quarter of 2008, Sirf's share had dwindled to 36%, while Texas Instruments(TXN) had grabbed 35% and Infineon(IFX) had 21%. In the market for portable navigation devices -- a larger market for Sirf than cell phones -- competition has also been fierce with chipmakers Broadcom and ST Microelectronics(STM)stealing significant share from Sirf at customers like Garmin(GRMN) and TomTom, according to RBC Capital Markets analyst Mahesh Sanganeria.- Loading Comments...
- Loading Comments...
Recent Comments
Featured Photo Galleries
-
Microsoft pulls Bing iPhone app outside U.S.
Beyond Binary
-
China Mobile Still Pushing Apple to Adopt TD-SCDMA for iPhone
MacRumors : Mac News and Rumors
-
10 minutes with Windows Phone 7 simulator unlocked [video]
techAU
-
Official Verizon BlackBerry Curve 8530 Update Coming on Monday?
CrackBerry.com blogs
-
Young tech addicts who can't quit the screen offered treatment
BBC
-
YouTube hits back in Viacom row
BBC
-
Push-To-Talk now available for Verizon BlackBerry smartphones
Boy Genius Report
-
DIY Social Network Platform GROU.PS Now Syncs With Yahoo Groups
TechCrunch
-
The iPad May Change Computing, Just Not Your Life
GigaOM
-
Hacking the Car: Cyber Security Risks Hit the Road
GigaOM
| Dow Jones | S&P 500 | NASDAQ | 10-Year Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10,741.98 | 1,159.90 | 2,374.41 | 36.87 |
Oil *
79.80
|
|
DOWN
37.19
|
DOWN
5.92
|
DOWN
16.87
|
UP
0.15
|
10 Yr
3.69%
SPDR Gold
108.28
|
|
-0.34%
|
-0.51%
|
-0.71%
|
+0.41%
|
Data delayed 20 minutes |
More From TheStreet
Latest HeadlinesBrokerage Partners
Sponsored Links














