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Motorola Mobility reports $3.3 billion in revenue and $32 million net loss, offers more details on Google buyout
Just in time for the company to be acquired by Google, Motorola Mobility is beginning to right the ship, as evidenced by today's quarterly earnings report. The company reported total net revenues of $3.3 billion -- precisely the same amount earned last quarter, incidentally, and up 11 percent from this time last year -- and a GAAP net loss of $32 million. While the number may put frowns on a few faces, it's still an improvement from Q2's loss of $56 million, and more than half ($18 million) of the losses were attributed to expenses from the Google acquisition. Mobile device revenues are up 20 percent year-over-year and 11.6 million devices were shipped, including 4.8 million smartphones and 100,000 Xoom tablets. On the regulatory front, Moto offered a few new details about the progress of the company's acquisition. It announced that it will hold a meeting with stockholders on November 17 to gain approval of the Google merger, and -- pending antitrust clearance by the US Department of Justice, the EU and several other government entities -- expects to close the transaction by the end of this year or early 2012 at the latest. Check out all of the numbers after the break.
iPod touch fee could go bye-bye
Chris Foresman over at Ars Technica has an interesting pronouncement: A rule governed by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, that's been heavily lobbied for by Apple and other electronics companies, may be enough to lift the charge that iPod touch owners have had to pay for updates of significant features to their devices. It's complicated, but it all has to do with "subscription accounting" -- devices that gain "significant new functionality" after their sale, like the iPhone, have to be reported over a series of years rather than all at the same time (presumably because the revenues associated with the product were the result of a series of updates, not just one lump sum). For the iPhone, it's fine -- they have subscription charges associated with them over two years anyway. But the iPod touch is different -- because Apple doesn't want to report the sales of those devices over a period of time, they've had to charge minimum fees for updates -- the $10 (and more recently, $5) that iPod touch owners have paid for the firmware updates. But if the new rule goes in (it still requires FASB approval), then Apple would be able to report sales of the iPod touch all together without having to worry about charging for updates, as well as the dual GAAP and non-GAAP reporting we've heard on their conference calls. Plus, as Foresman says, it would help Apple's stock price (seeing all of the iPhone's sales at once would boost investor confidence), and it would help developers who are asking all users of both the iPhone and iPod touch to update right away -- they wouldn't have to wait for iPod touch owners to find a few bucks in their couch. With the weight of Apple behind this one, we can probably expect to see the rule approved (even if they have to make some concessions). And so while iPod touch owners will probably have to still keep waiting for a camera, they at least won't have to pay for more software updates.
Apple pushes to change subscription accounting rules
Apple's pretty famous for using subscription accounting for the iPhone and Apple TV as a way to bend the rules and offer free software updates after purchase -- basically, instead of putting all the money from the sale on the books at once, the company's accountants spread the revenue out over two years, extending the "transaction" to cover upgrades. That's great for iPhone owners, but it's not so great for Apple or its investors, since the company's stock price doesn't always reflect the true amount of iPhone money coming in -- in fact, Apple earnings reports now include a second, unofficial balance sheet that does away with subscription accounting to show off the real numbers. Yeah, it's confusing, but it might finally be about to change, since the Financial Accounting Standards Board just tentatively approved new rules that could allow Apple to do away with subscription accounting and still deliver free updates. That means Apple's quarterly earnings will now feature much larger official revenue and profit figures -- last quarter's official revenue was $8.34 billion, while the unofficial number was $9.74 billion -- the lawyers and accountants will be happy, and we'll still get free iPhone updates. Good deal all around -- except for iPod touch owners, who will still have to pay $9.95 and not get a camera. [Via Yahoo]
