Automobile industry

Trending Topics on the Web: Acura's Revival, HP's Fire Sale, and Robert Noyce's Legacy

Strategic Insights

Dec 11, 2011 — 1 min read

The world of technology and finance is constantly abuzz with new developments, and the Internet search landscape is no exception. In recent days, three major topics have generated significant interest among online users. Acura, Honda's luxury brand, is set to unveil a new sedan aimed at Generation-Y buyers, while Hewlett-Packard's HP TouchPad tablet inventory is dwindling rapidly. Meanwhile, Google is celebrating the birthday of Robert Noyce, the inventor of the microchip.

Key Takeaways:

Acura is reviving its luxury brand with a new sedan, the ILX, targeted at Generation-Y buyers who seek luxury but cannot afford higher-end price tags. The ILX will start at under $30,000 and will be available in manual transmission, automatic, and hybrid models.
The ILX will be unveiled at the Detroit auto show next month and will go on sale around the same time as the revamped Acura RDX model.
Honda reportedly expects to sell 40,000 ILX sedans per year, at a time when Acura has been struggling from reduced production.
HP's TouchPad tablet inventory is being significantly discounted in a fire sale on eBay, with the 16 GB model selling out within minutes of listing at $99.
The 32 GB TouchPad model, priced at $149, sold out shortly after, with reports of eBay crashing and significant delays in using PayPal.
Robert Noyce, the inventor of the microchip, is being celebrated on Google's Doodle on what would have been his 84th birthday.
Noyce co-created the microchip with Jack Kilby and founded Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957, before creating Intel in 1968.

Statistics:

40,000: The expected annual sale of ILX sedans by Honda.
30,000: The starting price of the ILX sedan.
$99: The listed price of the 16 GB HP TouchPad on eBay.
$149: The listed price of the 32 GB HP TouchPad on eBay.
1957: The year Noyce founded Fairchild Semiconductor.
1968: The year Noyce created Intel.
62: The age of Noyce at the time of his death in 1990.

Sources:

TheStreet
Honda
Acura
HP
Google
eBay
PayPal
Intel
Fairchild Semiconductor

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