41.   So what would happen if Motorola did decide to get rid of its chip business?

42.   The chip business is in the tank, but Applied Materials Inc. still eked out a profit for the latest quarter, the company reported Tuesday.

43.   The company also agrees to sell its money-losing laptop computer division to Acer Inc. to focus on its chip business.

44.   The chip business has been booming as demand for home computers and interest in the Internet have blossomed.

45.   The chip business is notoriously cyclical.

46.   The chip business, a fountain of gloom last year, is a source of hope now.

47.   The chip business.

48.   The company also said it is expanding its cost cutting in its chip business, and those actions will hurt fourth-quarter earnings.

49.   The chip business tends to be cyclical.

50.   The company also said it is expanding its cost-cutting efforts in its chip business, and those actions will hurt fourth-quarter earnings.