channel checks

RIM’s new BlackBerry phones faring well with enterprise, consumer adoption slow

September 8th, 2011

Zach Epstein

Research In Motion’s new BlackBerry 7 smartphones are seeing strong initial sales among businesses looking to upgrade from older BlackBerry smartphones, however consumer sales have been weak according to Canaccord Genuity. In a research note, Canaccord analysts Mike Walkley and Matt Ramsay found during channel checks that upgrade sales of BlackBerry 7 devices in North …

Apple shipped 1.1 million MacBook Air laptops last quarter, analyst claims

March 7th, 2011

Zach Epstein

Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revealed on Saturday that Apple shipped a total of 1.1 million MacBook Air units over the course of the refreshed laptop’s first quarter of availability. Though the firm’s figure is most certainly not confirmed by Apple, Ming-Chi cites channel checks in Asia in revealing shipment numbers, which would make the …

HP TouchPad to launch in April, report claims

February 22nd, 2011

Zach Epstein

Hewlett-Packard’s first webOS-powered tablet will launch this April, a new report claims. Industry watcher DigiTimes cites sources from within HP’s component suppliers in stating that manufacturers will begin shipping the TouchPad by the end of March. The TouchPad, which will launch with webOS 3.0, will then be ready for release some time in April. The …

BlackBerry PlayBook production in full swing ahead of launch

January 28th, 2011

Zach Epstein

Rumors of possible delays may be further quashed on Friday as industry watcher DigiTimes reports that production of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is now in full swing. Quanta, the China-based manufacturer charged with building the BlackBerry tablets, is said to have ramped up production ahead of the device’s anticipated release in March. A pace of …

Sony Ericsson has Windows Phone 7 devices ‘in the pipeline’ according to report

January 24th, 2011

Zach Epstein

A new report suggests Sony Ericsson is more deeply invested in Windows Phone 7 than the manufacturer has let on at this point. Rumors of a Windows Phone from Sony Ericsson date back as far as this past summer but the phone maker would not confirm its plans, saying only that it was looking into …

1M BlackBerry PlayBook tablets, 800K Motorola XOOMs on order for Q1 according to report

January 14th, 2011

Zach Epstein

According to an unconfirmed report, Chinese manufacturer Quanta Computer will build and ship over 1 million BlackBerry PlayBook tablets for RIM in the first quarter of 2011. DigiTimes cites industry sources in reporting the numbers, and also states that Quanta will ship between 700,000 and 800,000 Motorola XOOM tablets in Q1. The report claims RIM …

Four arrested for insider trading; charges include leaking Apple secrets

December 16th, 2010

Zach Epstein

Four new arrests were made Thursday as the Securities and Exchange Commission and other U.S. government agencies continue to crack down on “channel checks” and other related practices. The defendants – identified as Walter Shimoon (VP of Business Development at Flextronics), Mark Longoria (supply chain manager at AMD), Manosha Karunatilaka (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd) and …

SEC investigates legality of ‘channel checks’

November 24th, 2010

Zach Epstein

Some analysts could soon find themselves in hot water as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has opened an investigation into the legality of “channel checks.” Channel checks refer to the practice whereby analysts contact inside sources at manufacturing companies in order to glean inside information. This information often has a tendency to move the …