Sorry, Jeannie -- I dream of IPOs. Some of my fantasies are mere pie-in-the-sky hopes; a few, I know, will never happen. But a tiny core of realistic opportunities always remains.
Not long ago, Google
Put that stock down and back away slowly
If online networking sites like Facebook and Twitter want to make the most of their success, they'd better cash in with IPOs before their 15 minutes of fame run out. According to The Wall Street Journal and its usual cadre of anonymous sources, Facebook would hit the market at $40 billion or thereabouts in 2011. Twitter has no profitable business model yet, but it's estimated to fetch $1 billion or more in a hypothetical IPO.
Online giants like Google, Yahoo!
Internet-centric IPOs are so last decade, you know. In the more tangible world of hardware and software, better opportunities await.
Here's the hardware you wanted
Technology retailer Newegg has actually filed for an IPO, hoping to collect $175 million under the proposed ticker EGGZ. Newegg has been my preferred destination for hardware buys for years, dating back to when I made some pocket money building computers from parts. The catalog is always well-stocked, customer service is egg-cellent (sorry!), and the IPO cash could be put to good use marketing the existence of this brilliant little seller. Best Buy is for emergency use only in my book, because Newegg simply does Best Buy's business better.
Don't forget the software!
On the software side, I keep an eye on Canonical, the organization behind the Ubuntu Linux platform. Ubuntu started out as a desktop operating system, where it was a cheaper and quirkier alternative to Microsoft Windows. But it's now making serious inroads into the server market, challenging the likes of IBM
It's hard to get the average desktop user to change systems to something unfamiliar, but it's much easier to convince IT managers that there's a better platform available. Dell
Did I miss your favorite upcoming IPO, real or imagined? Spill the beans in the comments below, and let the spitball fights commence.