Blast at Apple’s China supply factory halts production May 24, 2011 Production of Apple technology products at a Chinese factory have been suspended after an explosion last Friday left three workers dead and 15 injured. The blast was in the polishing department of Foxconn Technology’s Chengdu plant in southwest China, where Apple’s iPad 2 tablets are finished, according to local media reports. Foxconn has not confirmed [...]
IBM passes Microsoft’s market cap after 15 years May 23, 2011 International Business Machines surged past old rival Microsoft in market value for the first time since April 1996, marking the latest twist in the fluctuating fortunes of two of the world’s most storied technology companies. IBM ruled the computer industry for decades until it hired the tiny, unknown Microsoft to provide an operating system for [...]
Sony expects to post $3.2bn net loss in 2010 May 23, 2011 Consumer electronics giant Sony has said it expected to post a $3.2bn (£2bn) net loss for the year that ended on March 31 due to a write off on tax credits. The net loss would be Sony’s biggest since 1995 and its second-largest ever. The news caused its shares to fall 2.8 per cent in [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 19, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES MOVE TO QUASH HERMÈS’ POISON PILL Minority shareholders in Hermès have sought to quash the luxury goods group’s poison pill defences devised by its controlling family, potentially bolstering LVMH’s protracted takeover push for its smaller rival. CHINESE SET A NEW STANDARD IN BUYING GOLD China overtook India to become the largest market for [...]
Intel ups ante on ARM with raft of new tablet PCs May 18, 2011 INTEL fired yet another warning shot across the bows of ARM Holdings yesterday, revealing that it will release at least 10 new tablet computers powered by its chips. Intel has failed to break into the market for mobile microprocessors, which is cornered by Cambridge-based ARM. However, Intel boss Paul Otellini told the firm’s investors this [...]
HP slashes outlook as spends on service overhaul May 17, 2011 Hewlett-Packard has slashed its 2011 profit forecast as it prepares to spend heavily to revamp a troubled division that provides everything from computer maintenance to high-level tech consulting, sending its shares tumbling more than seven per cent. Chief executive Leo Apotheker, who took the helm in September, blamed the division’s “missed opportunities” under his predecessor [...]
Technology clusters at the pinnacle of success May 16, 2011 SILICON Fen is the UK’s answer to California’s tech-rich valley. The Cambridge cluster is proof that, by forming a hub of creativity, UK technology companies can compete on the world stage. Charles Cotton of Cambridge Phenomenon explains that the original catalyst for Silicon Fen came from Tim Eiloart and David Southward, chemical engineering graduates from [...]
After the May drought expect a gadget monsoon May 16, 2011 @steve_dinneen Gadget junkies in need of a fix may have to accept a few more weeks of gut-wrenching, palpitation inducing cold turkey. May has not been a good month for so-called “hero” product releases. The single most exciting thing to hit the shelves has been Motorola’s Atrix handset, which is a bit like saying magnolia [...]
RECOVERY HINGES ON IPAD 2 May 12, 2011 DIXONS Retail is pinning its hopes for a revival in fortunes on iPad 2 sales. The company issued a profit warning a month ago, saying trading had been weak since January. But Dixons has opened 60 new megastores, and sales of the iPad 2 have been soaring according to chief executive John Browett. He yesterday [...]
Strong branding needed to survive PR pitfalls May 10, 2011 UNDERSTANDABLY brands put in a lot of work to control PR but sometimes disasters happen and the impact that then has on the brand is dependent on the response and the underlying strength of the brand. Apple’s branding has been exceptional over the last few years but it has not stopped things going wrong. However [...]