Everyone, just stop with the die size comparisons. They're completely useless for differentiating profitability. They'd be useful for expressing differences in package size or interface speeds, but they do not belong in the conversation for profitability.
Let me put it to you as an illustration:
There are two shipping companies that go into business at the same time, OldShip and NewShip. OldShip buys older planes and used diesel trucks, warehouses relatively far out from airports in a cheap industrial zone, and tries to be as lean and nimble as they can to compete, even if that means using older but reliable equipment to save on costs. NewShip uses brand new planes and electric trucks, puts their solar-powered warehouses right on the high-rent flightline for super-fast loading and unloading of their cargo planes, and emphasizes the use of new technology whenever possible.
Assuming both can get the undamaged package delivered in the same amount of time, which company do you choose to ship a critical 10-pound package overnight from Miami to Seattle?
If you said "well, that depends - what does it cost?", you're exactly right. People don't buy shipping services for the company's brand new planes or their electric trucks or their solar-powered warehouses, they buy shipping services to get a package of a certain size across the country undamaged in the time allotted. Similarly, serious bitcoin miners don't buy die size or flashy packaging (unless you want a shiny AsicMiner USB stick for the lulz), they buy hashrate per [insert currency here] from whatever costs the least amount today. So, to put this on investment terms, who makes more money, OldShip or NewShip? Well, that depends on their effective costs. If OldShip can provide the same service as NewShip for less per package and can therefore charge less, they're going to get the bulk of the business and probably the bulk of the profits. (It's more complicated than this, but this is just an illustration.)
As I'm sure you can guess, I'm suggesting Labcoin is like OldShip, using tried but true technology that's available virtually off-the-shelf. They're focusing on the end result being the fastest hash rate for the least amount of capital. Companies such as ActiveMiner are like NewShip, striving for bleeding-edge technology, but they have to wait in line for the factory to fulfill their infrastructure orders before they can start shipping, and they lose out on the few months they could have been in business while waiting. That 10 pound box is like 10 gigahashes/second - as a buyer, it doesn't matter how you get it, what kind of label is on it, or if you sign a paper or electronic clipboard on delivery... you just want the most hash rate for the least amount of money ASAP.
So, please - enough with the emphasis on die size. As long as Labcoin's design can provide the same hashrate for less money, even if it means using more physical chips to do it, they can use vacuum tubes* for all I care.
*Very, very small vacuum tubes. Or maybe orphans with a bunch of abacuses, that would probably be less heat to dissipate.
+1
that's right, we're not making smart phones or tablets and I think we're long way off before we're going to see pocket miners.
Labcoin have decided wisely to get hashing in shortest time possible.