Next Gen Ultrabook Vendors Face RISING Costs and 4 Dow Drivers

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC): Potentially high production costs could pose difficulties for ultrabook publishers wishing to price second-generation ultrabooks under $799, say Taiwan supply chain sources to Digitimes.

Don’t Miss: Apple is Turning the Page on Mobile Screens: Think 3D!

McDonald’s Corporation’s (NYSE:MCD) outgoing CEO Jim Skinner, in his final CNBC interview prior to his retirement, commented that he is ‘prepared to move forward into the future’.

Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK): On Tuesday the United States Senate passed a bill that will for the first time mandate that generic drug firms contribute to the cost of running the FDA by paying fees, says The Washington Post. The bill is now ready go to President Obama’s desk for his signature

Microsoft Corporation’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) headquarters in Athens was the target of an attack early Wednesday morning, according to an Associated Press report. No injuries were reported, but a van was driven through the front doors which set off an incendiary device within it that burned the building entrance.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT) is behind its competitors in opening in healthcare clinics in thousands of its stores, as was promised five years ago. The retailing giant does currently have 149 of the clinics in the U.S., but 33 have been closed so far in 2012 due to increased selectivity regarding the doctors and hospital chains it permits on its premises. In the meantime Walgreen Co. (NYSE:WAG) and CVS Caremark (NYSE:CVS) are launching hundreds of clinics, which are pulling in many more customers. WalMart’s president of health and wellness John Agwunobi comments, “By any account, clinics are still a pilot. We continue to watch and tweak, and we’re candidly evolving and innovating to see where to go.”.

Don’t Miss: Will Google’s NEXT BIG THING Be an iPad KILLER?

Want news like this in real-time so you can get an edge? Click here for Wall St. Cheat Sheet Pro.