They have a leg up on U.S. banks in that they don't have the old legacy systems. He's taking that millstone from around his neck and saying, 'no, we're going to be a lean, mean, Navy Seal fighting team. We're going to make this a company that acts in Internet time.' And they're going to market it with the appropriate amount of dollars to put the wood behind the arrow. Not many bankers do that.

While the layoffs are intended to reduce operating costs, Apple said it trimmed its technology portfolio to streamline development efforts. "Time to market is very important to me," Amelio said. "With the narrowing of our focus, we can put more wood behind the arrow."

"Because there's so many titles and so little shelf space, we have to put our wood behind the arrows that are going to move through the retail channel," said Pat Becker, a spokeswoman for Electronic Arts of San Mateo, publisher of the "Madden Football" game and the "Wing Commander" flight-simulator series.