Thursday, May 24, 5:43 AM
Sony (SNE) will dissolve its LCD joint venture with Sharp (SHCAY.PK) by selling its entire stake in Sharp Display Products Corp. In return, Sony will get ¥10B ($125.8M), the same price it paid in when it started the JV.
Comment![Tech]
Wednesday, May 23, 4:13 AM
Sony (SNE) and Samsung (SSNLF.PK) are trying to force retailers to rein in discounts on televisions, a move that could not only save profit margins at two of the world's largest TV makers but also help retail chains like Best Buy (BBY) and Target (TGT) remain competitive against online discounters.
Comment![Consumer, Tech]
Tuesday, May 22, 6:24 PM
OmniVision (OVTI -2%) announces two 16MP image sensors for smartphones and digital cameras. The chips are capable of taking 60 fps video at full resolution (3840x2160), and also support burst photography at 16MP. Overkill? Probably for many consumers. But smartphone vendors are pulling out all the stops to differentiate themselves, and OmniVision needs the margin boost provided by high-end sensors, given tough competition from Sony (SNE) and others.
Comment![Tech]
Tuesday, May 22, 2:47 PM
Sony (SNE) throws its hat into the crowded mobile music market by releasing an iOS app for its Music Unlimited service. The service charges $3.99/month for access to "core" online music stations and a user's collection, and $9.99/month for full access to Sony's library and "premium" stations. It competes with services from Apple, Google, Pandora, Spotify, Clear Channel, MOG, Rdio, Turntable.fm, and a few other companies.
1 Comment[Tech]
Tuesday, May 22, 12:05 PM
Amidst Sony's (SNE -0.3%) global woes, a bright spot is India, where the company forecasts that sales will jump 30% this FY from $1.15B last year as it benefits from rising incomes.
Comment![Tech, Consumer]
Monday, May 21, 6:07 PM
Sony (SNE) recently began mass production of "in-cell" touch panels that will be used in Apple's (AAPL) next iPhone, the Taipei Timesreports. It's added Sharp (SHCAY.PK), Toshiba (TOSBF.PK), and LG Display (LPL) will also supply Apple with in-cell panels, which can reduce a device's thickness and weight relative to conventional touch panel tech.
1 Comment[Tech]
Monday, May 21, 5:57 PM
Leveraging the patents the companies acquired last year from Nortel, AAPL, MSFT, RIMM, SNE, and ERIC have officially entered the patent-trolling business via the Rockstar Consortium. Funded by the aforementioned companies and owning 4,000 ex-Nortel patents, Rockstar examines tech products for evidence of infringement, and demands licensing fees when it's found. Since Rockstar, unlike its owners, doesn't make anything, it can't be countersued.
2 Comments[Tech]
Wednesday, May 16, 6:57 PM
Though Sony (SNE) is posting huge losses thanks to its electronics woes, its financial services and entertainment ops reported a $2.5B operating profit in FY12. The FT thinks Sony's growing entertainment business could be worth $10B or more, making it a potential gold mine for a company valued at just $13.8B. That is, assuming management is willing to consider a spinoff. (previous)
Comment![Tech, Quick Ideas]
Monday, May 14, 6:49 PM
Panasonic (PC) and Sony (SNE) are reportedly in talks to form a JV that would produce OLED TVs, with the goal of commercializing sets by 2015. Though offering superior image quality and lower power consumption than LCD TVs, progress in mass-producing OLED sets at a reasonable price has been slow, much to the chagrin of Universal Display (PANL). Nonethless, LG and Samsung OLED TVs are due in the coming months. (previous)
Comment![Tech]
Friday, May 11, 1:18 PM
Sony (SNE -7.5%) ADRs take a hit after the Japanese conglomerate reported its fourth straight annual loss overnight. The company also noted, without significant impact however, that it expects swing to profit in FY12.
4 Comments[Global & FX, Tech, Earnings, On the Move]
Friday, May 11, 2:54 AM
Sony's (SNE) Japan-listed shares get a chance to react to yesterday's earnings debacle, closing down 6.4%. Shares had fallen more than 7% earlier in the day to a near 32-year low. Says one blunt trader: "There is really nothing in there that can justify buying the stock."
2 Comments[Tech, On the Move]
Thursday, May 10, 2:23 AM
Sony (SNE) reports a record annual loss of $5.7B in its fourth consecutive year of red ink, hurt by losses at its TV business. Consolidated sales -9.6% on currency impact, macroeconomic weakness. Sony expects to to post an operating profit of ¥180B this year, with FY net profit of ¥30B. (PR)
Comment![Tech, Earnings]
Tuesday, May 8, 4:02 PM
U.S. flat-panel TV prices continued their year-long surge in April, reports iSuppli: the price of the average set reached $1248, up 11.4% from December. Adoption of LED TVs and 3D TVs is contributing to the increase, but so are stabilizing LCD panel and glass prices, and an end to the brutal price war TV manufacturers such as Sony (SNE), Panasonic (PC), and Samsung (SSNLF.PK) were engaged in last year.
2 Comments[Tech]
