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.
Manufacturers
Hon Hai Precision Makes Play to Acquire Sharp
BREAKING NEWS
Sharp’s Stock Price Skyrockets on News – Up Over 8% in Trading Yesterday
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…
See what Hon Hai is demanding as a condition of the acquisition of Sharp… [Read more…] about Hon Hai Precision Makes Play to Acquire Sharp
Japanese Media Speculates Sharp May Not Survive the Winter
Toshiba, who is on the verge of announcing a record loss and plans another round of layoffs, is far from the only Japanese giant who is stumbling. A new analysis by the Nikkei suggests it’s possible that Sharp Corp. may not have enough cash to survive the winter – despite the fact that multiple potential suitors are swirling around them in a head-spinning series of negotiations that, so far, are unproductive. And the news of these new troubles have surfaced after they successfully concluded negotiations for a ¥200 billion bank bailout in April.
See more on how Sharp’s situation has deteriorated this year… [Read more…] about Japanese Media Speculates Sharp May Not Survive the Winter
Silent Thiel Suddenly Trumpets a New App-Controlled Subwoofer
STORY UPDATED 12/23/2015 – SEE BELOW
Thiel Audio unexpectedly announced late today that it would show and demonstrate a new product – a powered subwoofer – at next month’s CES show in Las Vegas, Nevada. This new subwoofer, called the SmartSub™ 1.12, is the first new product introduced by Thiel in a year and appears to contain several new technologies for the company including Wi-Fi integration, app control, advanced signal processing and more.
See what we know so far about this new subwoofer from Thiel… [Read more…] about Silent Thiel Suddenly Trumpets a New App-Controlled Subwoofer
Emotiva in Major Launch of New Models
Emotiva Audio Corporation is one of those ideas whose core elements initially seemed incongruous – high-end products…sold on the Internet? When we learned of their launch 12-years ago, we predicted doom and damnation. After all, high-end audio, we posited, was as much about the experience -the audition – as it is about the product. Founder Dan Laufman proved us wrong. This week, Laufman caught our attention again when we recently received information about an impressive roster of new models to be launched at CES.
See what we learned from our interview with Dan Laufman… [Read more…] about Emotiva in Major Launch of New Models
OLED Adoption Tipping Point: Apple iPhone
Several reports have emerged saying that Apple, Inc. has told suppliers that it is committed to upgrading the displays on its popular iPhone from the current LCD-based touchscreen to an OLED display, starting in 2018. This decision has industry-wide ramifications and has suppliers scrambling to increase the capacity of their OLED factories. There are also competitive ramifications from this decision that is bound to rattle competitors.
Seen more on the dramatic implications of Apple’s decision… [Read more…] about OLED Adoption Tipping Point: Apple iPhone
Control4 to Sell Denon Products Directly to Dealers
Control4 Corporation announced today that it will begin offering Denon products to Control4 dealers through a web portal at which products from both brands can be purchased. The move is a first for both brands, as far as we’re aware, and represents a potential expansion of Denon’s distribution channel.
See more on this new Denon/Control4 relationship… [Read more…] about Control4 to Sell Denon Products Directly to Dealers
TiO 3.0 Updated Software Suite Adds Expanded Capabilities
Turn It On (TiO), a division of Anuva Automation that makes wireless multi-room home automation and entertainment systems, announced today that it has released a major software suite update called TiO 3.0. The main reason for this update is to incorporate the major system capabilities expansion announced last month at CEDIA Expo 2015.
See more on what’s been updated in TiO 3.0… [Read more…] about TiO 3.0 Updated Software Suite Adds Expanded Capabilities
What You Don’t Know About Auro-3D May Surprise You
At last month’s CEDIA Expo, we had the opportunity to meet Wilfried Van Baelen, the rather energetic, almost evangelistic, inventor of Auro-3D immersive surround sound technology. Van Baelen was quick to take credit for the concept of using speakers in the “z-axis” (height) to create a totally immersive surround experience. And he scoffed at the Dolby Atmos and DTS:X versions which miss the mark in several important ways, he tells us.
See more on Auro-3D…you may be surprised at what you don’t know… [Read more…] about What You Don’t Know About Auro-3D May Surprise You
Core Brands Turns to Vision Werks for ‘Brand Protection Program’
At last month’s CEDIA Expo, Core Brands announced that it has retained Vision Werks Consulting to help it establish a brand protection program. According to Core Brands release, Vision Werks will primarily be involved in issues revolving around unauthorized online resellers.
