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Pegatron reportedly nabs 50 to 60 percent of iPad mini orders, breaks up Foxconn's monopoly

Richard Lai — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 16:32:00 -0400

While folks are waiting for their precious new iPhones to arrive on their doorsteps, word has it that the leaky iPad mini has unsurprisingly entered mass production, but with a twist. According to today's front page news on Taiwan's Economic Daily News, reports from two local securities firms claim that Pegatron's managed to nab a staggering 50 to 60 percent of iPad mini orders from Apple, meaning Foxconn is finally no longer the sole assembler of iPads. Together (plus component suppliers Foxlink, AUO, TPK and others), both companies will apparently be able to churn out up to 5 million iPad minis monthly.

Then there's the iPhone 5 as well: the paper says at least 53 million units are expected to be shipped this year, therefore Apple's adding Pegatron to the assembling front line as early as Q4 in order to maintain a steady supply of products. Obviously we can't use this information alone to deduce whether Apple is moving away from Foxconn, but as long as people get their iDevices then it's all dandy.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets

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Source: Economic Daily News (Chinese)

Sony postpones Nasne NAS due to quality control issues

Sharif Sakr — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 05:09:00 -0400

Due to a quality control hiccup just one day before the Nasne was due for release in Japan, Sony has been forced to postpone it. The product combines a networked recorder with 500GB of storage and can be used to stream TV and other media to a range of Sony devices including the PS3, Vita, VAIO, Tablet and Xperia phone ranges -- potentially becoming a key example of Kaz Hirai's "One Sony" strategy. Judging from the official explanation of the problem, it sounds like some goods were simply damaged while being transported and hence the delay shouldn't last long.

Filed under: Gaming, Storage, Networking

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China Times: HTC wants to develop its own processors for low-end phones

Sharif Sakr — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 05:03:00 -0400

Encroaching into the semiconductor business might not seem the most obvious move for a phone manufacturer that's trying to unify its efforts. Nevertheless, China Times reports that HTC has signed a "memorandum of cooperation" with ST-Ericsson to co-develop a new dedicated chip for low-end handsets coming out next year. Since ST-Ericsson is a fabless chip designer, HTC won't risk getting silicon between its fingernails. Instead, if this agreement is what it seems, the Taiwanese manufacturer may simply want more direct control over its supply chains and to reduce its current reliance on ready-made designs from Qualcomm or NVIDIA. After all, it can't be easy for HTC's new CFO, looking on while others gobble up those margins.

Filed under: Mobile

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Sony Ericsson posts surprising Q2 loss, blames Japanese earthquake

Amar Toor — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 04:40:00 -0400

Many analysts and market watchers were expecting a strong Q2 earnings report from Sony Ericsson today, but the company took them by surprise, posting a net loss of some €50 million (about $70.5 million), compared with a net gain of €12 million (around $17 million) at the same time last year. The manufacturer also sold only 7.6 million phones during the quarter, marking a 31 percent year-on-year decrease, while overall revenue fell from €1.76 billion (about $2.5 billion) last year to €1.19 billion (almost $1.7 billion) during Q2 2011. CEO Bert Nordberg attributed much of the decline to the Japanese earthquake, which disrupted the venture's supply chain, resulting in the loss of around 1.5 million devices. The report comes after Sony Ericsson launched a widespread cost-cutting campaign and re-focused its efforts on smartphone production, which comprised more than 70 percent of all sales during Q2, compared with just 40 percent at the end of last year. For a more thorough breakdown, head past the break for the full press release.

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Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo delayed to Q3, Arc and Play facing limited supply due to Japanese quake

Vlad Savov — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 06:49:00 -0400

There hasn't been much good news coming out of Japan lately and this sadly keeps up with the unhappy trend. Sony Ericsson has officially bumped the broad launch (it's already available in limited quantities) of its Xperia Neo handset to at least July, explaining the delay as the result of "supply chain disruptions." Additionally, the Xperia Arc and Play devices, two other members of the company's new Android Gingerbread family, will be available in smaller volume than expected, at least for the near term. We guess that might go some way to explaining why the Xperia Play failed to reach some UK carriers in time for its April 1st launch date. Skip past the break for a statement from Sony Ericsson, who promises to be more explicit about the situation when it delivers its latest quarterly results on April 19th.

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Wii shortage finally nearing its end, says GameStop exec

Ross Miller — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 04:26:00 -0400

We never, ever thought it'd take this long, but we've finally received a sign that the Wii supply and demand might be nearing some equilibrium, almost two and a half years later. According to GameStop SVP Bob McKenzie, the retailer now has a couple weeks' worth of supply, which seems to be fairly unprecedented given the numerous shortage stories we've heard over the console's 852-day lifespan. That's not to say the console's popularity is waning -- it's still topping US sales charts, and according to NPD, pushed over 750,000 units last month. So now that one shortage might be nearing its end, how about Nintendo find a way to keep Wii Fit in stock?

[Via Joystiq]

Read - McKenzie on Wii supply
Read - February NPD figures

Filed under: Gaming

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Nintendo cranking on Wii production for the holidays, still making no promises

Darren Murph — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:31:00 -0400

Hard to believe, nay, mind-boggling, that two full years after Nintendo launched the Wii in America we're still looking at shortages. In the midst of "economic turmoil," no less. Back in April, Reggie Fils-Aime proclaimed that he was "passionately upset" about the difficulty consumers were having in finding Wii consoles, and now that yet another holiday season is upon us, it's clear that he's made some changes. In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, he admitted that Wii production was up from 1.6 million units per month (during this time last year) to 2.4 million units per month (now), though he wouldn't go so far as to say you'd have an easy time finding one. In fact, he stated that "once you see [a Wii console] on the shelf, you ought to buy it." Also of note, those still scouting a Wii Fit may be in luck, as the Big N could decide to ship more units to America rather than Europe now that the greenback is gaining strength versus the euro. Good luck hunting -- we'd recommend you start looking, um, yesterday.

Update: Looks like Ninty's already turning up the burners -- that's a heretofore-unbelievable shot of Wii stock at reader Roberto's local Best Buy in West Paterson, New Jersey.

[Via GameDaily]

Read - Reggie Fils-Aime interview
Read - Analyst's take Wii Fit shipments

Filed under: Gaming

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Guts of BlackBerry Bold found to cost $170

Darren Murph — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 23:10:00 -0400

Not that it really matters to consumers one way or another -- after all, if you want a Bold, you'll pay the asking price -- but recent analysis by research firm iSuppli has found that parts and materials used to make the device "cost $158.16, and that assembly and testing add another $11.25, for a total cost of $169.41." Just for comparison, the Curve costs a cool $103 to build, and assuming RIM can sell the Bold to carriers at around $350, it'll net a gross margin of around 45% before R&D costs, software, marketing, shipping and freebies given to obscenely wealthy celebs are taken into account. The report (er, the part about the nice margins) should come as welcome news to shareholders, who have recently been worried that the current economic situation may keep individuals from snatching up new 'Berrys at a breakneck pace. Now, if only RIM / AT&T would let the thing get through testing, we'd be all set to contribute to those margins here in the US. Ahem.

Filed under: Handsets, RIM, Misc, Mobile

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Guts of BlackBerry Bold found to cost $170

Darren Murph — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 23:10:00 -0400

Filed under: Cellphones

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Samsung resumes chip production, minifies losses

Darren Murph — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 03:01:00 -0400

Merely hours after Samsung was staring at "at least" $54 million in losses from an unexpected power outage at its Giheung complex, the firm is now reporting that the half dozen production lines are "fully operational." Moreover, the outfit is now projecting losses to peak at around $43 million, which actually doesn't sound too horrific compared to prior estimates. It was noted, however, that the disruption could extend a shortage of NAND flash memory through "at least the first half of August," and reports are already claiming that prices of select NAND chips have risen "6.3-percent to a record $19.02."

Filed under: Storage

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TI launches second-generation RFID silicon

Darren Murph — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 12:24:00 -0400

With corporate giants like Wal-Mart embracing RFID in every potential nook and cranny of their supply chain, it's becoming quite the profitable little cottage industry, and Texas Instruments apparently wants a bigger piece of the pie. With the announcement of its EPC second-generation UHF-based RFID silicon, the company has blazed its own trail by insourcing the fabrication of its tags and marketing the new chips to retailers who rely on fast-paced data transmissions in their manufacturing and distribution channels. The new Gen 2 silicon obviously has complex underpinnings responsible for the changes; as TI states, it's developed "on the most advanced analog process node at 130 nanometer and with a built-in Schottky diode [saywha?] for more efficient conversion of RF signal energy." While that may not mean much to you, the skinny is that these new tags have increased chip-to-reader sensitivity, so more packages can be read at a faster pace from a greater distance than before. What this provides end-users with is greater flexibility, which has been a issue with passive RFID thus far -- new wafers and chips can be placed in more varied locations on pallets, boxes, and even flexible packaging such as bags, without fear of slipping under the radar (literally). And, as always, while retailers may dig the the increased read-range, we're sure it won't be long before the privacy advocates introduce a high-proximity RFID scrambler just in case these tags make the jump from packaging to people.

Filed under: Wireless

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