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.
Strategy
Foxconn Goes All In – Ups Offer to $5.3 Billion to Bag Sharp
But Will They Lose Out to a Bid Only Half as Much?
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., the largest Apple, Inc. supplier that is better known as Foxconn, has upped the ante according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, doubling their initial offer to a big $5.3 billion. Yet many in Japan are predicting that the Taiwanese company will lose to another bid rumored to be only half as much. How is that possible?
See the rapidly increasing drama surrounding a once mighty world brand… [Read more…] about Foxconn Goes All In – Ups Offer to $5.3 Billion to Bag Sharp
Employees Treated Well by Their Companies are More Innovative
In an interesting article in the Harvard Business Review, author Walter Frick cites several studies whose results suggest that where companies treat workers better, there is more innovation. Sound crazy? Not a connection you’d usually make? Actually, the article notes a few studies where researchers directly correlated a company’s score of worker treatment against their patent filings. The results appear to hold up, across different studies in different industries in different countries.
See more on another reason why you want to treat your workers well… [Read more…] about Employees Treated Well by Their Companies are More Innovative
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
SnapAV Names Adam Levy as President
Levy Recently Rejoined Organization After a 1-Year Hiatus
Adam Levy, one of the original founding executives of SnapAV in 2006 who left the organization about a year ago “to try some other things,” has rejoined the organization and been appointed President. Levy will be in charge of store operations with day-to-day operational responsibility focused on serving their dealers.
See more about this significant addition to SnapAV’s management team… [Read more…] about SnapAV Names Adam Levy as President
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.
