Jittery market awaits deluge of Q3 earnings October 21, 2012 US earnings started the quarter on the wrong foot, and things have only got worse. Expectations for the third quarter were dismal, with forecasts for a decline in profits from a year ago. But a recent flurry of high-profile reports has investors scowling at the weak revenue numbers, adding to worries about the state of [...]
Nokia posts £787m loss as sales falter ahead of crucial period October 18, 2012 SALES of Nokia’s flagship smartphones failed to impress over the summer ahead of the launch of the crucial next generation of models, although figures released by the Finnish firm yesterday showed that cheaper models performed well. Nokia posted a loss of €969m (£787m) in the three months to October, its sixth successive quarterly deficit, although [...]
Apple loses UK court battle on claims Samsung copied iPad October 18, 2012 APPLE failed yesterday to overturn a UK court judgement ruling that Samsung’s Galaxy Tab had not copied the iPad and ordering the Californian firm to run newspaper adverts saying so. The Court of Appeal upheld the High Court’s July verdict that Samsung did not infringe on Apple’s intellectual property, in part because Samsung’s device was [...]
You can’t always get what you want but the Rolling Stones defy the gloom October 18, 2012 DON’T paint Mick Jagger too black. The Rolling Stones have come in for criticism over high ticket prices for their fiftieth anniversary gigs at the O2, which go on sale this morning. But I have some sympathy for the devil. While the cost may have disappointed some of the veteran rock band’s passionate fans, it’s [...]
What the other papers say this Morning October 17, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES Paris steps in over Peugeot unit The French government has been forced to step in with a rescue package for troubled carmaking group PSA Peugeot Citroën’s financing arm, which is threatened with a credit rating downgrade. The government said it will seek a solution “using the French banking system and the support of [...]
Fable: right game, wrong execution October 17, 2012 GAMES FABLE: THE JOURNEY Xbox Kinect * Fable: The Journey is exactly the game Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect needs: a much-loved title that plunges gamers into a familiar environment. The Kinect has shown it can excel in mini “party games” but has, thus far, come up empty on anything grander. It’s a shame, then, that The [...]
A childhood fear of household appliances didn’t put me off the new Dyson October 17, 2012 WHEN I was a child, I was afraid of the tumble dryer. Not an all-consuming phobia – more of a general distrust, as if the offending appliance wasn’t an immediate threat but a vaguely malign presence in the corner of the kitchen. When it rumbled into life I would adopt a low voice like a [...]
What the other papers say this Morning October 16, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES Apple set to unveil iPad Mini Apple hopes to maintain its dominance in the tablet market despite competition from Microsoft, Google and Amazon with a cheaper, smaller iPad, which is expected to be unveiled next week. The California-based technology group has sent out invitations to a press launch next Tuesday. Months of leaks [...]
Softbank seals Sprint buyout in record for Japan October 15, 2012 JAPANESE telecoms giant Softbank confirmed yesterday it will buy a majority stake in US mobile operator Sprint Nextel in the biggest ever overseas investment from a Japanese firm. Softbank will acquire 70 per cent of the US’s third-biggest mobile operator for $20.1bn (£12.5bn), the firm’s billionaire head Masoyashi Son announced in Tokyo yesterday, standing alongside [...]
Microsoft launches Xbox music service in bid to take on iTunes October 15, 2012 MICROSOFT is launching a new music streaming service in an effort to take on Apple’s iTunes and Swedish startup Spotify, and build up excitement around its new Windows 8 operating system. The company’s Xbox Music offering, which launches today on the Xbox 360 console and later this month on Microsoft’s forthcoming Windows 8 PC, tablet [...]