Boca Research Inc, The Boca Raton, Florida-based provider of modems, datacom equipment and thin client hardware, has reported a first-quarter net loss of $3.8m on revenue down 31.5% at $10.7m, up from a net loss of $3.5m in the year-ago quarter. The loss amounted to $0.43 per share, far worse than the First Call consensus estimate of a loss of $0.18. The revenue decline for the quarter is being attributed to Apple Computer Inc’s introduction of the Universal Serial Bus interface, which left Boca with no modem offering for the Power Mac G3 until it began shipping the Global Village TelePort Internal 56K modem in the second half of February. Boca says that Mac-based modems have been a significant source of revenue since its acquisition of the modem business of Global Village Communication Inc in mid-1998.
