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Business
April 19, 2012
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iPhone sales to continue declining until ‘iPhone 5′ launch, Canaccord says

By on April 19, 2012 at 10:00 AM.

iPhone sales to continue declining until ‘iPhone 5′ launch, Canaccord says

Sales of Apple’s popular iPhone line of smartphones will continue to decline until the next-generation model launches later this year according to one analyst. Mike Walkley of Canaccord Genuity on Thursday raised his price target on shares of Apple stock to $740, reiterating a Buy rating. Walkley believes that Apple will post strong results for the second fiscal quarter ended in March, however he lowered his EPS estimates for fiscal 2012 to $43.13 from $44.58. Read on for more. More →

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TV
February 8, 2012
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Samsung plans to offer low-end TV models as sales grow stronger

By on February 8, 2012 at 7:15 PM.

Samsung plans to offer low-end TV models as sales grow stronger

With Samsung’s high-end TV sales doing well, the company is now looking to launch cheaper television sets according to Reuters. Demand for lower-end TVs has been on the rise in recent months, with major South Korean retailers teaming up with local manufacturers to provide flat-screen models that are as much as 40% cheaper than Samsung sets. “As long as there’s demand, we’re open to get into that segment,” Samsung’s executive VP of visual display, Kim Hyun-suk said. “We’ve been preparing to introduce cheap models and have been studying to optimize production costs and retail prices. Those models will be ready for sale in one or two months.” Samsung is the world’s largest TV manufacturer and is aiming to sell 50 million units this year, with half of those shipments being Internet-enabled smart TVs. More →

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Tablets
February 2, 2012
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Demand for Amazon’s Kindle Fire begins to cool off, study suggests

By on February 2, 2012 at 3:51 PM.

Demand for Amazon’s Kindle Fire begins to cool off, study suggests

Demand for Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet has started to cool off according to one study. ChangeWave published results of a survey on Thursday, which found that just 2% of customers in January were “very likely” to buy a Kindle Fire, down from 4% in December. Respondents who were “somewhat likely” to buy the tablet fell as well, from 13% in December to 10% in January, though demand following the holidays is expected to slow. Amazon’s tablet has better satisfaction ratings than several other tablets, however. ChangeWave’s survey found that 54% were “very satisfied” with the Kindle Fire, compared to 49% of those surveyed who were “very satisfied” with other tablets and 74% who were “very satisfied” with the iPad. Read on for more. More →

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mobile
January 31, 2012
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Smartphone vendors said to be delaying launches to avoid competing with iPhone 4S

By on January 31, 2012 at 9:00 AM.

Smartphone vendors said to be delaying launches to avoid competing with iPhone 4S

Global smartphone vendors including Samsung, HTC, Nokia and LG are expected to launch new smartphone models in the second quarter to avoid competing directly with the iPhone 4S, according to Digitimes. “Mainly due to hot sales of the iPhone 4S, Apple recorded the largest global smartphone market share of 23.9% in the fourth quarter of 2011, followed by Samsung with 23.5% and Nokia with 12.6%,” the publication’s supply-chain sources said citing data from Strategy Analytics. “Based on previous experience, sales of iPhone 4S will remain at peak in the first quarter of 2012 and then begin to decline.” Samsung, HTC, Nokia and LG are all expected to unveil new smartphone models this year’s Mobile World Congress on February 27th, but devices supposedly won’t begin rolling out until the second quarter. More →

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Tablets
January 20, 2012
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Kindle Fire demand cooling off? Amazon sales charts say otherwise

By on January 20, 2012 at 10:01 AM.

Kindle Fire demand cooling off? Amazon sales charts say otherwise

Following what Amazon reported to have been a huge holiday season for the company’s debut tablet, demand for the Kindle Fire has slowed according to new claims. Citing unnamed sources from within Amazon’s component supply chain, DigiTimes on Friday stated that Amazon’s tablet orders with original device manufacturers have been cut in half from roughly 6 million tablets in the fourth quarter last year to 3 million units this quarter. The Kindle Fire had a hot holiday season so a drop-off in orders is expected in the quarter that follows, though it is unclear if a 50% decrease in device orders is industry standard. What is clear, however, is that Amazon — one of the largest electronics retailers in the country — is still selling plenty of Kindle Fires. We reviewed the Kindle Fire in November and called it a clear winner that would top Amazon’s best-selling electronics list for quite some time. Now, more than two months after being released on November 15th last year, the $199 Kindle Fire tablet still holds the No.1 spot on Amazon’s best-sellers list.

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mobile
January 13, 2012
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Chaos at Beijing iPhone 4S launch causes sales halt [video]

By on January 13, 2012 at 8:15 AM.

Chaos at Beijing iPhone 4S launch causes sales halt [video]

Pent up demand for Apple’s latest smartphone caused the company to halt sales of its just-released iPhone 4S in Beijing, China on Friday, fearing for the safety of its sales staff. According to Chinese tech blog M.I.C. Gadget, Beijing residents eager to get their hands on Apple’s iPhone 4S began to line up more than 12 hours before stores opened on Friday. A massive crowd had gathered at the Sanlitun Apple Store, and workers were forced to delay its opening. The crowd seemingly then became unruly to the point where Apple Store employees’ safety could not be guaranteed, and an announcement was made that the launch had been canceled. At that point fights reportedly began to break out, several members of the crowd began to throw eggs at the Apple Store, and SWAT teams had to be called in to restore order. Apple’s only comment on the matter was that the company has already sold out of its initial iPhone 4S supply in China. A video of the massive crowd that gathered outside Apple’s Sanlitun Apple Store follows below. More →

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mobile
November 17, 2011
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Huge iPhone 4S demand still forcing buyers to wait weeks

By on November 17, 2011 at 3:10 PM.

Huge iPhone 4S demand still forcing buyers to wait weeks

Demand for Apple’s latest smartphone is still outpacing supply, causing customers to wait three weeks or more to purchase the new phone. Apple launched the iPhone 4S more than a month ago, and the handset shattered opening-weekend sales records. BGR reported more than two weeks ago that strong demand for the handset was resulting in stock-outs around the country, and now Dow Jones Newswires reports that supply is not yet able to keep up with the mass of would-be iPhone owners waiting impatiently for their devices to arrive. Read on for more. More →

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Business
November 15, 2011
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iPad demand said to be fading as competition heats up

By on November 15, 2011 at 11:15 AM.

iPad demand said to be fading as competition heats up

Demand for Apple’s iPad tablet is said to be in decline as competition finally heats up thanks to the $199 Kindle Fire from Amazon, and investors could be in for a disappointing fourth quarter as a result. In a recent research note, Goldman Sachs analyst Bill Shope suggested Apple’s firm grip on the global tablet market may finally loosen unless the Cupertino, California-based company lowers its pricing. Read on for more. More →

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Tablets
November 10, 2011
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Amazon ups Kindle Fire orders on strong demand

By on November 10, 2011 at 8:00 AM.

Amazon ups Kindle Fire orders on strong demand

Amazon has reportedly increased Kindle Fire orders with its manufacturing partners following stronger than expected demand for its premier tablet. DigiTimes reports that more than 5 million units are now on order in 2011 as pre-orders for the $199 tablet remain strong; the online retailer took nearly 100,000 pre-orders on the first day of pre-sales availability alone. Amazon had already increased its orders last quarter according to the site’s anonymous industry sources, from 3.5 million to 4 million units. The Kindle Fire will launch on November 15th featuring a 7-inch display, a soft-touch case and deep integration with numerous Amazon services, granting users access to streaming music, streaming movies and of course, a huge library of eBooks. More →

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Business
November 9, 2011
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Apple reportedly slashes Q4 iPhone 4S orders on weaker than expected demand

By on November 9, 2011 at 11:01 AM.

Apple reportedly slashes Q4 iPhone 4S orders on weaker than expected demand

Apple sold more than 4 million iPhone 4S handsets in the smartphone’s first weekend of availability but according to a new report, Apple thinks demand for its latest phone will stall in the fourth quarter. DigiTimes on Wednesday reported that Apple has cut fourth-quarter iPhone 4S parts orders with its suppliers. The report’s anonymous sources claim that some amount of production volume has been moved from the fourth quarter this year to the first quarter in 2012 due to weaker than expected demand and short supply of some key components. Read on for more. More →

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Tablets
August 10, 2011
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Apple looks to Samsung as LG fails to meet iPad 2 display demands, report claims

By on August 10, 2011 at 10:26 AM.

Apple looks to Samsung as LG fails to meet iPad 2 display demands, report claims

Apple will turn to Samsung and Chimei Innolux to supply display panels for its iPad 2 after LG’s panels failed to meet Apple’s quality requirements. The quality issues with LG’s displays forced the company to miss its July monthly shipment goal by 1 million units, DigiTimes said. Reportedly, LG’s LCD backlight units failed during Apple’s drop tests. LG had hoped to ship 4 million LCD units per month during the third quarter, but only shipped an estimated 2.5-2.6 million units in July. Samsung, by comparison, provided the Cupertino-based firm with two million displays, or twice its monthly average. Chimei Innolux shipped 450,000 units during the month and the company has a new monthly shipment goal of 1 million – 1.5 million units. Despite quality issues, LG is expected to remain the top supplier of LCD displays, and rumor has it the Korea-based company is also working on new Retina screens for the next-generation iPad. More →

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Retail
August 2, 2011
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iPad 2 orders from online Apple Store ship within one day for first time since launch

By on August 2, 2011 at 8:00 AM.

iPad 2 orders from online Apple Store ship within one day for first time since launch

It took 145 days, but Apple’s supply of iPad 2 tablets has finally caught up with demand. Purchases made from the online Apple Store will now ship within 24 hours of being placed, and the new fulfillment time applies to all six variants of the iPad 2. Since the tablet launched in the middle of March, Apple’s iPad 2 instantly became the world’s most sought after tablet. Inventory at brick and mortar Apple Stores, retail partners and at Apple’s online store depleted as fast as Apple could replenish it, and order fulfillment quotes grew as long as a month. Now, four and a half months later, fulfillment quotes have dropped to 24 hours for the first time since the iPad 2 became available on March 11th. In-store supply is still short at some heavily trafficked Apple Store locations according to reports, but most Apple Stores now have units in stock regularly, as do third-party retailers. Of course if rumors are accurate, we’re now just a few months away from seeing a new iPad launch, so enjoy those 24-hour shipping quotes while you can. More →

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mobile
July 22, 2011
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White Apple iPod touch parts leak ahead of fall launch

By on July 22, 2011 at 10:01 AM.

White Apple iPod touch parts leak ahead of fall launch

Parts for a new white Apple iPod touch have surfaced, courtesy of 9to5 Mac, suggesting that Apple has plans to release a new color scheme when it takes the wraps off its next-generation iPhone in late August or early September. The leaked images show the iPod touch’s digitizer component, although it is currently unclear if the unit is real or not. The Cupertino-based company has already placed orders for the new color scheme and production is slated to begin next month, according to Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. While we are expecting the iPhone 5 to pack a dual-core processor, Apple may hold off on updating the hardware guts of the iPod touch entirely. “[The] iPhone and iPad have higher priority to get shared components of iOS devices when the supply chain is tight (especially after the Japan quake),” Kuo explained. “It means no spec update of iPod touch this year,” Kuo said. “The demand forecast is strong and Apple prefers to allocate shared components to iPhone and iPad.” Apple already offers a white iPad and a white iPhone, so the idea of a white iPod touch doesn’t sound so far fetched. Read on for two more images of the white digitizer. More →

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