Nuts & Volts - July 2004

TechKnowledgey 2004

distribution systems), and power amplifier linearization. The AD9736 operates from 1.8 V and 3. 3 V supplies, consuming 380 mW at 1.2 GSPS with the interpolation filter bypassed and 550 mW with the interpolation filter enabled.

The device is offered in a 160-pin BGA (ball grid array) package to reduce parasitics and improve performance. Production quantities for the AD9736, AD9735, and AD9734 will be available at the end of 2004. In 1,000 piece quantities, the AD9736 is priced at $34.95; the pin-compatible 12-bit AD9735 is $19.95, and the 10-bit AD9734 is $14.95.

Industry and the Profession BASIC Language 40 Years Old

2004 marks the 40th anniversary of the Beginners’ All-purpose

Symbolic Instruction Code (BASIC) computer language, devised at Dartmouth University by Profs. John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz. Descended from FORTRAN and ALGOL, it was the first to use simple commands such as LIST, SAVE, RUN, END, and PRINT and it eventually became the world’s most widely used computer language, thanks to outreach efforts that brought the technology to a network of high schools, colleges, and corporate partners. Although C++, Java, and other languages have more or less superseded Basic, variations — such as Visual Basic — are still used. (I learned Basic in the seventh grade! — Editor Dan.)

100 Million eMacs Ordered, 0 Delivered

For years, malcontented Macintosh users have opined that the

machine’s rather pathetic market share is the direct result of an inability at Apple Computer ( www.apple.com) to control costs, which translates into prices that just don’t fly for the average purchaser. It’s simply a matter of price being inversely proportional to sales.

Back in April, this concept was dramatically underscored when Catena Corp. ( www.catena.co.jp) accidentally offered eMac computers for sale on Yahoo! Japan at a price of $25.45 each. In less than 24 hours, the company reportedly received orders from about 20,000 individuals for a total of 100 million computers.

Sadly, the machines actually sell for a base price of about $800.00, so the orders were not filled, but — had they been — Apple would have achieved an instant 90% share of the Japanese market. Is there a lesson here somewhere? NV