… as Finnish handset maker launches phones for under £30 in attempt to bump up flagging sales May 15, 2012 NOKIA yesterday launched a range of low-end smartphones in a bid to counter its plunging market share. The Finnish company unveiled two models to the European market which will retail at around €35 and €38 (around £28 and £30) respectively when they hit the shelves later this year. And to entice consumers to its latest [...]
RAPID RESPONSES May 15, 2012 Premier play things [Re: Do we need rules to stop football teams buying success?, yesterday] I am a Chelsea boy, so it’s no surprise that my answer is no. If a billionaire decides he wants to buy a football club, let him. If that means that the club gains an advantage, tough. Man U has [...]
Loewe soars on rumours of an Apple buyout May 14, 2012 SHARES in German TV maker Loewe jumped 32 per cent yesterday following rumours of an Apple takeover. Online rumours this weekend claimed the tech behemoth has offered €87.3m (£69.6m) for the high-end television maker, which Loewe’s management has been advised to accept. But despite denials from Loewe, investors jumped on the Frankfurt-listed stock ahead of [...]
Seamless and simple: the Steve Jobs television dream May 14, 2012 AFTER Steve Jobs realised he was terminally ill, he made a dying wish. “When I was diagnosed with cancer, I made my deal with God or whatever,” he said in 2007, “which was that I really wanted to see Reed [his youngest son] graduate”. Tragically, he didn’t get the chance: Reed Jobs is due to [...]
CITY VIEWS WOULD YOU BUY AN APPLE TV? May 14, 2012 RICHARD LAMBERT FORMER DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE CBI I’m reading the Steve Jobs biography so the answer is I have no choice, I’ll have to buy it. Apple has done a compelling job in producing products that we always wanted but never knew we did. DOMINIC HENNESSEY NORTON ROSE I’ve already got a TV that’s similar so unless [...]
A Facebook bank is far more likely than you imagine May 13, 2012 THE internet gives banks innovative ways of providing services to customers. But it also brings new dangers. Online giants like PayPal, Facebook and Amazon are leading the way on customer experience. Could they go further, and take on banks directly? Facebook has already moved into the world of “virtual currency”. Facebook Credits, costing 10 cents [...]
Sony shares hit three-decade low May 11, 2012 Shares in Sony Corp slumped more than seven per cent to near 32-year lows, as investors doubted the Japanese consumer electronics giant has a strategy to fix its loss-making TV business and compete in the smartphone market against Apple and Samsung. Yesterday the maker of Bravia TVs, Vaio laptops and PlayStation games consoles posted a [...]
John Lewis sales rise May 11, 2012 Department store chain John Lewis posted another double-digit rise in sales last week as the nation’s wet weather proved favourable for its key household goods business. The employee-owned retailer said on Friday its sales increased 18.3 percent year-on-year to £64.3m in the week to May 5. April was Britain’s wettest since records began and the [...]
Dixons Retail beats forecasts with sales rise May 10, 2012 DIXONS RETAIL has shrugged off the high street gloom and managed to win over cash-strapped shoppers as the owner of Curry’s and PC World reported better-than-expected sales. The group, which runs 640 stores in the UK and Ireland as well as outlets across Europe, yesterday said improved customer service and better ranges of products had [...]
RAPID RESPONSES May 9, 2012 Facebook’s trials [Re: Is Facebook’s estimated market value excessively high?, Tuesday] Facebook is often compared to Microsoft. They’re both hugely successful companies that tens of millions use, but which few really love (in contrast to Apple). Facebook has shown impressive growth in revenues and profitability, but to become a $100bn company it must face two [...]