A story that has stunned many in Japan, the partnership between two former arch-rivals Sharp Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co., continues to churn out surprising new details of the backroom drama worthy of the most melodramatic soap opera. As the Japanese press digs up more of these stories, it is clear that Sharp – as desperate as it had become – was nervous, measured, and a little tentative in approaching the new pact.
Samsung
Samsung Takes Significant Stake in Sharp Corp.
*STORY UPDATED BELOW* – FOXCONN ‘OFFENDED’
The Nikkei reported today that South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Company has agreed to invest ¥10 billion ($107 million) into former high-flying, now troubled Sharp Corporation as it continues to struggle to raise much-needed cash. According to the report, Sharp will issue the shares to Samsung possibly as early as this month.
The surprise announcement signifies that Samsung will have own significant share of Sharp… [Read more…] about Samsung Takes Significant Stake in Sharp Corp.
Plasma: The Rumors of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
The conventional wisdom in the world of television technology is that LCD won the panel platform wars and most talk of the future has moved from LCD to LED to OLED and beyond. But wait a minute, as new data from market researcher Quixel Research shows, don’t bury plasma in the grave just yet…
The rumors of plasma’s death appear to be greatly exaggerated as the tech shows growth in 2012… [Read more…] about Plasma: The Rumors of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
CES Overview – A Lot of Nervous Laughter
Today is DAY ONE of the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) taking place in Las Vegas, NV and running through Friday. While many attendees arrived today, most of the press has already been here – lost in the desert – for the last two days…desperately searching for even just a drip…of innovation…
See what we know so far… [Read more…] about CES Overview – A Lot of Nervous Laughter
Was Tech Represented on the List of the World’s Best CEO’s?
Recently, we told you about the worst CEO of 2012 (former Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn). Turnabout is fair play, and now Harvard Business Review offers a list of the 100 Best CEOs in the World as a very effective counter-point.
But were technology companies represented on this list? Can we claim some of the best CEOs in the world? Read on and see…
See the top CEOs in the world below…
[Read more…] about Was Tech Represented on the List of the World’s Best CEO’s?
Onkyo Forges Global ‘Strategic Collaboration’ with Imagination Technologies Group
Out of Tokyo, Japan this past Monday came word of a new global strategic collaboration between Onkyo Corporation, U.K.-based Imagination Technologies Group, and Imagination’s consumer division known as Pure. A global technology creator, Imagination Technologies Group largely focuses on multimedia, cloud, mobile, and connected audio technologies – often licensed to major consumer brands as part of their product offerings.
See more on this technology agreement…and what it portends for future Onkyo products… [Read more…] about Onkyo Forges Global ‘Strategic Collaboration’ with Imagination Technologies Group
Consumer Reports Picks Top Ten Electronics of 2012; Their Choices May Surprise You
Consumer Reports, that venerable organization known for torture testing products, ranking their results, and offering advice to consumers on how to pick the right product for them, announced on Thursday their picks for the Top Ten Electronics products for 2012. The list of their picks will appear in the December issue which is its Annual Electronics Issue.
The company said it tested over 600 products for their December issue, but “only ten standout products made the short list for performance and innovation.”
What electronics did they pick? See more below… [Read more…] about Consumer Reports Picks Top Ten Electronics of 2012; Their Choices May Surprise You
Can Sharp Survive? Company’s Performance ‘Raises Serious Doubts About [Our Ability] to Continue’
Last week, we reported on a rumor out of Japan that Sharp Corp. was about to report a dismal interim net loss that was much worse than anticipated. This Wednesday, Sharp confirmed those rumors announcing an interim (Apr-Sept) operating loss of ¥168.9 billion ($2.1 billion). This result was after a ¥84.4 billion ($1.1 billion) charge for costs associated with restructuring their struggling business.
But what really has the industry and investors talking is that the company affirmed that it is likely to show a “huge” net loss for the entire fiscal year of ¥450 billion ($5.6 billion), almost double a previous estimate of ¥250 billion. It is also well above analysts’ estimate of a ¥296 billion loss according to a survey of 17 analysts by Bloomberg. [Read more…] about Can Sharp Survive? Company’s Performance ‘Raises Serious Doubts About [Our Ability] to Continue’
J.D. Power & Assocs. Survey Proves What We’ve Said All Along: 3D is Dead as a Sales Motivator
I know not everyone who reads this post agrees with us, and we’ve taken a fair share of criticism for our viewpoint, but we’ve been consistently skeptical of the power of 3D to drive HDTV sales. And now, after the industry spent millions (billions?) of dollars in promotion and advertising , as well as several years of intense sales effort, and probably billions of dollars in research & development – a new survey of HDTV-purchasing consumers from reputable researcher J.D. Power and Associates shows that 3D was ranked a distant last as the reason they purchased their set.
The survey held some other surprises as well… [Read more…] about J.D. Power & Assocs. Survey Proves What We’ve Said All Along: 3D is Dead as a Sales Motivator
After Surprising Analysts with Initial Downgraded 2012 TV Sales Forecast, Sony & Sharp Stun Again with Deeper Cuts
The Nikkei Reported today that both Sony Corp. and Sharp Corp. have further reduced their original forecast for fiscal year 2012 flat-panel HDTV sales in the wake of a worldwide slowdown in demand. The move surprised analysts, as both companies had forecast weaker demand as part of their initial 2012 forecast. But, as we’ve been reporting for months, sales of flat-panel TVs in Japan’s domestic market have fallen off a cliff as previous government rebate programs meant to encourage consumers to switch to a new digital TV system, as well as to more energy-efficient TVs and appliances, came to an end. Now, manufacturers are experiencing slack demand around the world, including a slowdown in the market they had been counting on to provide substantial growth – China. [Read more…] about After Surprising Analysts with Initial Downgraded 2012 TV Sales Forecast, Sony & Sharp Stun Again with Deeper Cuts