Samsung finds labour failures November 26, 2012 Korean electronics giant Samsung said yesterday it had found evidence of “several instances of inadequate practices” at its suppliers in China. An internal audit of working practices at 105 Chinese suppliers found repeated examples of excessive working hours and incorrect contracts. The company, which is now investigating further factories, said it would remedy the failures. [...]
Apple adds products to lawsuit November 25, 2012 Apple has asked a federal court to add six more products to its patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung Electronics, including the Samsung Galaxy Note II, in the latest move in an ongoing legal war between the two companies. The case is one of two patent infringement lawsuits pending in the US District Court in San [...]
RIM shares rally on fresh hopes November 22, 2012 BLACKBERRY maker Research in Motion (RIM) received a rare boost yesterday as renewed optimism over its next range of smartphones sent shares in the company up more than 16 per cent. The Canadian firm has seen its share price repeatedly battered by gloom over its potential to recover former glories in the face of competition [...]
Panasonic and Sony struck by Fitch downgrade to junk status November 22, 2012 RATINGS agency Fitch downgraded the debt ratings of technology giants Sony and Panasonic to “junk” status, yesterday, citing weakness in their consumer electronics and TV operations and further diminishing the lustre of the once-great Japanese brands. The cut to below investment grade, the first by a ratings firm, comes as the floundering companies face weak [...]
Judge orders details of Apple’s HTC agreement to be revealed November 22, 2012 APPLE will have to disclose details of a peace treaty with HTC to its arch-rival Samsung, a US judge has ruled. In the latest development in the ongoing patent wars between the world’s two most successful smartphone makers, the Korean company’s lawyers will have special access to an agreement between Apple and HTC signed earlier [...]
ITC to review Samsung v Apple November 20, 2012 Samsung was handed a boost in its ongoing patent dispute with Apple yesterday when the US International Trade Commission (ITC) said it would review a judge’s decision earlier in the year that Apple did not copy Samsung technology in its products. The ITC has the power to ban sales of products if they are found [...]
Waiting for a special delivery to bring home the goods November 11, 2012 THE Royal Mail’s privatisation has been lost in the post for too long to get your hopes up right now. But if Royal Mail delivers first class half-year results tomorrow, it will pave the way for an initial public offering (IPO) next year. The state postal giant, which employs 159,000 people in the UK, has [...]
Apple and HTC make peace in global smartphone patent war November 11, 2012 APPLE and Taiwanese rival HTC have settled a patent battle over mobile phone technology and announced a 10-year licensing agreement, putting an end to a global dispute that has dragged on for two years. The firms announced the deal in a surprise joint statement yesterday. They did not reveal details, except to say that the [...]
Samsung overtakes Apple as Galaxy S3 becomes a bestseller November 8, 2012 SAMSUNG’S Galaxy S3 overtook Apple’s iPhone 4S to become the world’s bestselling smartphone in the third quarter of the year, according to research firm Strategy Analytics. Samsung shipped 18m of its flagship model, compared to the iPhone 4S’s 16.2m. This was partly due to the fact that the latest version of Apple’s device, the iPhone [...]
Apple shares hit a five-month low as it loses Facetime battle November 7, 2012 SHARES in Apple slumped to a five-month low yesterday after it was ordered to pay $368m (£230m) over a US patent dispute over its Facetime video calling service. Although the fine, paid to Connecticut company VirnetX, is small compared to Apple’s $120bn cash pile, the ruling could affect future use of the technology in Apple’s [...]