Commenting on its figures, Texas Instruments Inc says it enters 1997 viewing the year as a period of transition that will see it tested by continued difficult market conditions even as it moves away from several large business lines. Among the issues facing the company are low prices for memory chips, and the company expects the market to remain difficult over the near term. In the coming year, it will cut capital expenditures at its continuing operations by nearly half, but research and development spending will increase slightly. It plans $1.1bn in continuing operations capital expenditures in 1997, off from $2.1bn in 1996. Research and development spending will rise to $1.1bn from $1bn, with the most important products chips derived from its signal processor design.