Markets likely to fall as uncertainty prevails January 31, 2010 European stock markets are headed for a major tumble this morning, as a sell-off on US markets gathered steam on Friday evening. GFT is forecasting the UK’s FTSE 100 to open down a hefty 90 points from Friday’s close, around 5,212. The German DAX is expected to open down 105 points at 5,590 and the French CAC 40 [...]
Amazon profits soar thanks to book reader January 29, 2010 AMAZON profits surged by 71 per cent in the final three months of 2009. The online bookseller said its Kindle electronic book reader had driven the sales boom. The device – Amazon’s bestselling product – will face competition from Apple’s new iPad, which was unveiled this week. Overall sales at Amazon – which now offers [...]
Trademark claim for Apple’s iPad January 28, 2010 APPLE could face a legal battle over its decision to name its new tablet computer; the iPad. Europe’s largest chipmaker STMicroelectronics trademarked the name for its proprietary semiconductor technology almost a decade ago, and has been using the name since. STMicro said yesterday it was “looking into the situation.” The news came as it emerged [...]
Toshiba on the comeback trail January 28, 2010 JAPAN’S largest chip maker Toshiba has said it made a smaller-than-expected loss in the final three months of last year due to a recovery in its electronic components business. The company made a net loss of 10.6bn yen (£72.7m) compared with 121.1bn yen a year earlier. Toshiba’s chip business was hit last year but is [...]
Apple surprises with $499 iPad January 27, 2010 APPLE last night unveiled the iPad – a gadget it said would revolutionise the way that consumers surf the internet, watch movies and TV, and read books and magazines. After months of hype, Steve Jobs, Apple chief executive, launched the tablet computer that sports a high-resolution 9.7 inch, full-colour touch screen in a conference hall [...]
No wonder there is no British Apple January 27, 2010 WHY isn’t there a British Apple? The sight of Steve Jobs standing up again on stage last night to unveil yet another blockbuster – this time, the iPad – is a stark reminder of how bad we have become at creating world-beating corporate giants. We’re still able to create a steady stream of small, successful [...]
Will the iPad become the latest must-have device? January 27, 2010 APPLE’S product launches are legendary, but the hype that surrounded the unveiling of its iPad yesterday was without precedent. At first glance, the device looks like an iPhone on steroids. Its ambitions are even bigger: it is supposed to revolutionise the way we surf the internet, watch television and movies, and read books and newspapers. [...]
Wall St rises after Fed rates held again January 27, 2010 US stocks rose yesterday after the US Federal Reserve said it will keep interest rates near zero and ahead of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address tonight. But the Nasdaq got a late surge from of almost one per cent in the shares of Apple after the iPad’s debut. Market analysts said the [...]
LG widescreen TVs lift profits January 27, 2010 LG Electronics yesterday posted a four-fold rise in operating profits riding on better-than-expected flat-screen television sales, helping it to achieve the best quarterly results in the company’s history. The group’s fourth quarter profits, including overseas affiliates, rose to £238m from £54m a year earlier outperforming analysts’ estimates of £215m. LG is the world’s second largest [...]
Software firm SAP sees higher 2010 sales and profits amid tough market January 27, 2010 GERMAN software maker SAP yesterday said it expects to increase core sales and operating margins in 2010 but cautioned that market conditions are still tough because companies remain wary about investing. “What we see is that the markets are still cautious … but what we see in 2010 is it’s going to be a very [...]