Apple (Cupertino, CA) ranked fourth among electronic product designers in the first half of 2007, behind Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP), Dell Inc., and Motorola. Apple’s influence has grown faster than that of any other company in the sector. Apple’s 2007 design activity thus far has driven the largest semiconductor spending increase among top-10 electronics OEMs in the U.S., iSuppli asserts, estimating the influence to equal $3.8 billion in the first half.

(August 17, 2007) SAN JOSE, CA &#151 The July book-to-bill for North America-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers fell to 0.84, reports SEMI. The book-to-bill has hovered around parity throughout 2007, but July saw lower order levels than any previous months in 2007, with a month-to-month drop of $167.6 million.