Why some businesses will fail to see the writing on the wall February 17, 2013 IMAGINE you invent the pen in a world of only pencils. You are so excited – you are going to change people’s lives! Pens are easier to write with, easier to read, and don’t need sharpening. You dream of success. Mixed in with your excitement is a dose of paranoia. Of course, anyone could steal [...]
Mobile craze boosts Wolfson February 6, 2013 EDINBURGH microchip maker Wolfson Microelectronics reported a 52 per cent jump in revenues yesterday following rising sales of smartphones such as Samsung’s Galaxy SIII. The company, which makes audio chips for processing voice input and audio output on phones and other electronic devices, said revenues rose to $56.1m (£35.8m) in the final quarter of last [...]
Panasonic sees shares rocket on shock profit February 4, 2013 SHARES in Japanese TV maker Panasonic saw their highest increase in 38 years yesterday after a weak yen moved the company into an unexpected profit. The shares rose 17 per cent in Tokyo until the rise was halted by Japan’s daily limit of a 100-yen price increase. In the run up to Japan’s December election, [...]
HTC to focus on China as revenues fall February 4, 2013 SMARTPHONE manufacturer HTC said yesterday it planned to focus on emerging markets, having been squeezed out of the US and western Europe by Samsung and Apple. The Taiwanese firm has seen its market share plummet in the last two years. The Taiwanese firm’s chief Peter Chou (pictured) warned of a 17 per cent revenue fall [...]
Super Bowl advertisements hit record prices in age of YouTube February 3, 2013 ADVERTS at this year’s Super Bowl have hit record prices, with the price of a 30-second advertisement at the event reaching an average of $3.8m (£2.4m). Companies including Samsung, Budweiser and Coca-Cola have paid US television network CBS around nine per cent more than they did last year for the event, which was broadcast last [...]
Apple’s slice of the tablet pie shrinks in the fourth quarter January 31, 2013 APPLE’S share of the tablet market fell over the Christmas period, even as it sold record numbers of iPads, according to research. Figures from market analysts IDC claim that the iPad and iPad mini accounted for 43.6 per cent of worldwide sales in the fourth quarter of 2012. This was down from 51.7 per cent [...]
The Debate: After a rebrand and new product launch, can BlackBerry save itself from decline? January 31, 2013 YES Jeff Kagan BlackBerry can be saved, but it won’t reclaim its position as a market leader. The question is who is going to be the third player in the market behind Apple and Google: Microsoft, Nokia, or BlackBerry? BlackBerry still has a sizeable customer base – especially corporate users. Its brand was looking tired, [...]
BlackBerry unveils long-awaited facelift with revamped handsets January 30, 2013 THE NEXT generation of BlackBerry phones was finally revealed yesterday, kicking off a make-or-break period for Research in Motion. The Canadian firm revealed a radical overhaul of its ageing mobile software and two new smartphones, which it hopes will be able to compete with the dominant Samsung and Apple. The new operating system, BlackBerry 10, [...]
Apple loses attempt to triple Samsung’s $1bn patent charge January 30, 2013 APPLE has seen its request to increase its rival Samsung’s $1.05bn (£665m) copyright fine rejected in US courts. The Korean company was ordered to pay Apple the sum in August after it was found to have used patented iPhone designs in its Galaxy handsets. Apple had attempted to up the fine, claiming Samsung purposefully infringed [...]
Asian tech firms bring life to smartphone race January 30, 2013 THREE Asian companies injected fresh competition into the smartphone industry yesterday, boosting British chip firms Imagination Technologies and ARM Holdings. LG, ZTE and Lenovo all outlined a focus on competing with the likes of Apple and Samsung, and said they anticipate better sales of high-end devices this year. China’s Lenovo, which is likely to become [...]