"It could be that prices are simply down and that unit shipments are holding steady, " Matas says.

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Matas is now expecting sales growth for the second quarter to grow by a meager 4% over the first quarter.

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Influencers like Mr. Brichter as well as former Apple designers Mike Matas, who is now at Facebook, and Bret Victor thus draw big followings.

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"The financial crisis ends up putting a tighter grip on the supply of money, " says Brian Matas, vice president of market research at IC Insights.

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"Take away the gains in the memory business, and what you would have had is a 1% percent decline for the industry overall, " Matas says.

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"I'm not ready to declare a double-dip just yet, " Matas says.

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But that increase was largely artificial, fueled by the up-one-day, down-the-next prices in the computer memory business, says Brian Matas, an analyst with market research firm IC Insights.

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Matas says U.S. Department of Commerce figures for sales of electronic systems, a wider category that includes consumer electronics, computers and other electronic products, is slumping by about 4% for 2002.

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Still, talk of expanding capacity worries Matas.

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