Neowin.net

A release candidate of Microsoft's long-awaited Systems Management Server 2003 is on track for a September ship date, Microsoft said Tuesday.

Microsoft in September shipped the beta-test version of SMS 2003, developed under the code name Topaz, to about 10,000 customers.

The release candidiate announced this week offers improved mobile support for laptops and roaming users, tighter integration with Windows 2000/2003 Active Directory and new metering and Web-based reporting tools, Microsoft said.

Microsoft has been discussing its Topaz project for more than three years and originally planned to ship it in the spring of 2002.

Download: Download SMS 2003 RC1 (Must be SMS 2003 tester, login required)
View: Information on SMS
News source: Internetweek.com

"Europe is under-exposed to the PC market and is therefore not benefitting to the same degree from the seasonal demand improvements," Woolf said. "If a higher exposure to the telecoms market has led Europe to underperform in May, then this increases the likelihood that STMicroelectronics could miss its second quarter revenue target."

Analysts polled by Thomson Financial expect STMicroelectronics to report revenue of $1.7 billion for the three months ended June 30. Some of the weakness in the European market could be offset in coming months by the region's strength in the automotive and industrial markets.

The entire chip market witnessed an unexpected upswing in May with the Semiconductor Industry Association reporting that its three-month moving average figures showed sales improved as the effects of SARS on the sector began to wane.

Actual May chip sales rose even more strongly as unit shipment surged at a double-digit rate. Worldwide sales increased to $12 billion, up 11% from $10.7 billion in the year-ago month. Sales increased from $41.2 billion in April.

"The revenue increased chiefly because of strong shipment of 12% month-over-month and 54% year-over-year," said Jay Kim, an analyst at Goodmorning Shinhan Securites, Tokyo, in a report. "Although the shipment growth of 54% year-over-year is lower than the previous months' 73% in March and 69% in April, strong pricing in recent weeks bodes well for the global DRAM outlook."

On a regional basis, sales in the Americas declined 7%, to $2.47 billion from $2.65 billion in May 2002, continuing a trend that has seen the region lose market share to Asia-Pacific, which grew 12%, to $4.65 billion from $4.16 billion. Japan recorded the strongest year-over-year sales increase in May, rising 26% to $2.93 billion from $2.33 billion in the year-ago month.