Strategy in TECH...
The latest government data on sales of newly built residential homes in May showed a significant drop of 13.7% as compared with revised sales in April. This data is a sign of continuing struggles for the housing industry, which is grappling with material cost increases and hesitant buyers concerned about still-high mortgage rates and the future of the economy.
Yelp, the social media site that was started to help you find the best local Chinese takeout, but now covers a very wide range of interests, such as home improvement, has released a comprehensive report of the latest trends in site user interest. In a report titled 2025 Summer Home & Outdoor Trends, Yelp noted a recent surge in user interest in a wide variety of home remodeling projects, including a huge leap in those making project requests for “home theater installation,” up 562% as compared to 2024.
Josh.ai (Josh) expands its market presence by partnering with Southern California-based manufacturer representative firm Unified Representatives. Josh calls Unified Representatives “a premier manufacturers’ rep firm” who will support what it says is its “rapidly growing dealer base” in Southern California.
AVPro Edge, part of the AVPro Global group of companies, announced this week that it has expanded its commercial channel distribution in the GCC region, part of the Middle East, by partnering with Keyston Distribution Fzco. This move, which the company calls a “strategic step,” will help further extend its presence in this major world region.
Cambridge Audio seems to be single-handedly attempting to dispatch the intense summer heat by introducing two new products that are pretty darn cool – the Evo 150 SE Streaming Amplifier and the Melomania A100 true wireless earbuds. Both embody the traditional strengths of Cambridge Audio products with thoughtful component selection and matching, careful engineering, and extensive listening/tuning.
The Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) announced on Tuesday that it is launching its first-ever consumer advertising campaign – something members have been asking it to do for years. The campaign is a professionally conceived, created, produced, and now distributed advertisement that includes, amongst other things, a 60-second video that educates consumers on the “magic” of a well-designed smart home and the need for a professional installer.
One of the remarkable stories to emerge from the demise of high-end loudspeaker brand THIEL Audio, which went out of business in 2018, was the phoenix-like rising of THIEL Service from the ashes of the bankrupt company. Long-time head of service Rob Gillum, sensing the continuing needs of a significant installed base of THIEL owners, purchased service-connected assets out of the bankrupt company and launched the independent Coherent Source Service (CSS), a full-fledged repair center dedicated to servicing the ongoing needs of THIEL legacy model owners everywhere.
Now, in the wake of Rob Gillum’s recent retirement, CSS has been acquired by Gary Dayton, another long-time THIEL service executive (trained by Gillum), who seeks to carry on the mantle of offering THIEL owners ongoing exceptional service of THIEL legacy products.
Beginning in 2021, Nielsen – a global leader in audience measurement – began tracking the share of viewership between legacy linear providers (broadcast and cable) and streaming services. Since the launch of that tracking, streaming has been continually gaining on linear TV. Now, the latest data from Nielsen shows that streaming has overtaken linear TV for the first time in May.
Surprising news on Wednesday as we learn that the latest residential construction data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development show that overall housing starts in May dropped a substantial 9.8% compared to the reading in April, and ranks below May 2024 starts by 4.6%. This is the slowest pace in housing starts in the last five years.
If you are a fan of premium loudspeaker maker Bowers & Wilkins (B&W), you are likely familiar with the fact that Abbey Road Studios – the famous London, England recording studio that was the studio of choice for mega groups like The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Amy Winehouse, Stevie Wonder, Oasis, Lady Gaga, and many, many others – utilizes B&W models as monitor speakers for its recording engineers. Some of the most famous music singles and albums were tracked and mixed on 801s, offering superior sound quality and providing engineers and producers with a more accurate sound to produce a better end product…the music that you and I listen to every day.
This “enduring and influential collaboration” has existed for 45 years, and to honor this unique history, B&W has introduced a limited edition model of its top-of-the-line speakers, the 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition Loudspeaker.
