Strategy in TECH...
Reuters reported that all Google Glass social media pages went dark last week…with no explanation given. It was an ignominious end to one of the most anticipated tech products with one of the greatest buzz building campaigns of all time. Alas, in the end all we got was a costly beta test…
Control4 launched their new EA (for Entertainment & Automation) Series of controllers which looks to broaden the appeal of the brand to potentially a whole new class of users. The EA series offers simple but competent control of your music and video content – with solutions priced as low as $600 – as well as automation. Some Control4 integrators are saying this new line effectively bridges the gap between the DIY consumer and the entry-level automation system.
Apple, Inc. is starting to look brown, bruised, and past its prime in wake of the surprising quarterly results that showed growth in sales of their bellwether iPhone product to be the slowest since the company launched the product category in 2007. Not only that, but the company forecast an overall sales decline for the first quarter of 2016 – their first sales decline since 2003. Reaction from Wall Street was swift with the price of Apple stock down more than 6% in mid-afternoon trading.
TiO, the home automation division of Anuva Automation, announced this week several interesting moves, including a price drop, a new Home Starter Kit, and program changes for both distributors and dealers. The combination of these moves makes the innovative wired and wireless home automation and multi-room entertainment system easier to buy…and easier to sell.
High-end manufacturer Bryston announced the launch of a major new line of amplifiers – they call it their “Cubed” Series – at CES in Las Vegas this week. This new line replaces their respected “Squared” Series launched back in 2009 and embodies the latest technological breakthroughs from the company’s continuing research.
AudioControl, a specialty designer and manufacturer of mobile and home electronic products, launched several new models in its mobile A/V line at CES 2016 – including innovative DSP matrix-processors and full-range amplifiers. Not only that, but the company is participating with Mobile Solutions to create a very cool Show Car that highlights AudioControl technologies and products.
GoldenEar Technology has launched newly updated versions of their popular Triton Two and Triton Three floor-standing speaker systems…now called the Triton Two+ and – you guessed it – the Triton Three+. The company has also introduced a new subwoofer called the SuperSub X.
We recently raved about the company’s first sub, the SuperSub XXL – and can’t wait to get an opportunity to hear this new little brother.
CES is back and its bigger than ever. According to the CTA (formerly CEA), the show spans 2.3 million sq.ft. of exhibit space, in which more than 3,600 exhibitors of all sizes and types have set up booths to hawk their wares. The show is expected to draw more than 150,000 attendees and 6,000 member of the press. It is impossible to cover the entire event…it has just gotten too large.
Luckily, with the industry stuck in several well-worn trends, we in the media can focus our attention beyond these usual suspects – automotive tech (autonomous vehicles and related technologies), drones, 4K UHD TV, Internet of Things (IoT), wearables – to new areas (such as Virtual Reality), and iterative updates from current companies.
Last week, Moody’s Investors Service announced that it was cutting Toshiba Corp.’s long-term senior bond rating to Ba2, or “junk” status. Considering recent reports from Toshiba, a major industry player that is stumbling in the wake of a scandalous accounting misstep reported earlier this year, the move from the rating service makes sense. But the headline about a brand that was once one of the most admired companies in Japan, and a worldwide industrial and electronics powerhouse for many years, is stunning nonetheless.
The media in Japan is reporting that Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., a Taiwanese manufacturer mostly known for its Foxconn OEM division that is Apple Inc.’s largest supplier, has made a $2.5 billion offer acquire Sharp Corp., Japan’s troubled LCD display manufacturer. But Hon Hai’s offer has one very special condition of sale that won’t be popular in Sharp’s Osaka headquarters…
