Insiders' Blog

Earlier in the session, EMC (NYSE: EMC) announced the release of VFCache, "a new hardware and software solution leveraging PCIe Flash technology and intelligent caching software that dramatically increases throughput and reduces latency."

The most direct competitor that EMC appears to be aiming for is Fusion-IO (NYSE: FIO). Fusion-IO CEO David Flynn, however, has been making the rounds trying to downplay EMC's offering while enhancing the value of his company's position.

The following are a few excerpts from an interview by Flynn on CNBC Monday:

• EMC is following Fusion's architecture with VFCache -- something which should be tough for EMC to leverage as the company depends on its legacy business.
  
  
• Flynn downplayed Fusion-IO as a takeover target, saying the company was more focused on growth now than at any time prior.
  
  
• Growth may come from all angles at Fusion-IO, both organically and through mergers.
  
  
• A GAAP loss last quarter was attributed to rising costs related to refocusing on accelerating growth as the company enters into a large marketplace.
  
  
• Other opportunities for Fusion-IO include Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) and Facebook (FB). Companies like those are making stronger moves into cloud storage and utilizing Fusion-IOs quick flash memory.
  
  
• Flynn hopes to further integrate with Facebook. The current relationship translates to FIO products touching 1 billion users almost daily.

Word that Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) is making strong moves in the enterprise environment isn't greatly overstated and its gains are coming at the cost of at least one major competitor: Research In Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM).

Word on the Street today is that another blow was delivered to RIM in the form of a lost client. According to AppleInsider, major energy company Halliburton (NYSE: HAL) is beginning to phase-out RIMs BlackBerry devices and phase-in iPhones and Apple's iOS platform.

Not only that, but an internal memo circulated last month said Halliburton also evaluated Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) Android mobile OS, determining in the end that "the iOS platform offered the best capabilities, controls and security for application development."

Company-wide, Halliburton employs some 70,000 people. Further, those that do business with Halliburton will likely need to adapt to the shift, meaning potentially even more business for Apple. What about Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT)? Previously, Halliburton brass were in favor of Microsoft, and the Windows Phone was the only alternative available to BlackBerries. Macs were outlawed, AppleInsider notes, while Linux was highly frowned upon.

With its latest quarterly report, Apple's CFO Peter Oppenheimer said "nearly all" Fortune 500 companies now approve and support iPhones on their networks.

Apple is up about 0.9 percent while RIM is down over 2 percent in the late-Monday session.

Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) is now making much more money per square foot in its retail stores than even luxury jeweler Tiffany's (NYSE: TIF).

According to data from Apple's 10-Q filing as well as analyst comments by Needhan & Company, Apple's quarterly revenue per square foot of retail space is $2,033, or about $8,133 per year. By comparison, Tiffany's is pulling in $2,974 per square foot each year. Based simply on sales per square foot, Tiffany's is the closest competitor to Apple.

Apple reported a 60 percent increase in overall retail sales and a 42.5 percent increase in revenue per store to $17.08 million. Overall square footage is assumed to be about 3 million.

Store size also increased from 6,000 square feet 10 years ago to 8,400 today.

Shares are up about 1 percent Monday.

Those who watched the Super Bowl (or couldn't resist looking at the ads ahead of the game) may have been treated to a rather comical spot from General Motors (NYSE: GM) highlighting the Chevy Silverado as the sole surviving truck following a catastrophic apocalypse of the earth. Of note, earlier versions of Silverado's are also seen in the commercial, suggesting Chevy's quality spans generations.

Toward the end of the spot, one survivor said "Dave" didn't make it because... he drove a Ford. The commercial ends with the Chevy slogan to the effect of them building the "longest lasting trucks on the road."

Ford (NYSE: F) didn't like this direct shot, possibly to no one's surprise. Normally in ads, there's a "generic" competitor with a vehicle shaped strikingly close to an F-150 or Tundra (in the case of Toyota (NYSE: TM), or whatever vehicle one company is trying to position as a superior product to the competition.

Ford issued a statement Monday saying, "What's important is that Ford is proud to be the best-selling truck in America for 35 years, the best-selling vehicle for 30 years and the only brand with more trucks on the road with more than 250,000 miles -- demonstrating just how durable our trucks are in the real world." Unfortunately, no one got Ford's message because it wasn't in a cleverly insinuated advertisement...just plain black-and-white lettering.

Hilariously enough, CNN got a quote from GM Global's marketing chief Joel Ewanick, who said, "We stand by our claims in the commercial, that the Silverado is the most dependable, longest-lasting full-size pickup on the road...In the meantime, people who are really worried about the Mayan calendar coming true should buy a Silverado right away." Yes, that's the statement.

While the advertisement may have been the talk at water coolers in offices nationwide, neither the Ford F-150 or Chevy Silverado are really that great, according to Consumer Reports anyway. The CR rep said the F-150 had "predicted reliability" while Silverado's was "below average." Beating both were the Toyota Tundra and Nissan (OTC: NSANY) Titan.

So, what do you press to make it go then?

According to reports from The Verge Monday, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) has conveniently removed the "Start" button from it's upcoming Windows 8 (W8) operating system from its "Consumer Preview" edition. Actually, Microsoft might just plan to scrap the lovable "Start" button for the final release of W8, according to some other tech blogs.

Instead, Microsoft might introduce something called a "Superbar," or simply "Super Bar." There will be a thumbnail-sized interface which will appear in either Metro or desktop mode, allowing users to access the Windows desktop and Start screen in W8.

Microsoft may reintroduce the "Start" button should demand deem it necessary, but let's hope it doesn't; for Microsoft to make a stronger move into expansion and fend off competition from Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), et. al., it might just want to move to the new format if engineers think that's the best option for the OS. Consumers will adapt and it will become as natural as when the "Start" button was introduced back on Windows 95.

Shares are down 0.7 percent Monday afternoon.