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iSuppli: Samsung forecasted to unseat Nokia for top ranking in 2012 global phone shipments
Between the years of 1998 and 2011, Nokia consistently took the first-place prize for global unit shipments, outpacing both Samsung and Apple. This year, however, iSuppli projects that the Finnish firm will slip to the second position, representing 24 percent of device shipments, compared to 29 percent for Samsung and just 10 percent for Apple. It looks like further adoption of smartphones is to blame for the shift (feature phones and basic handsets represent a large portion of Nokia's sales), and based on expectations for the future, demand for full-featured devices is only expected to rise, potentially enabling Samsung to maintain its new top slot for many years to come. This year, Samsung is expected to dominate the smartphone market as well, with 28 percent of total shipments in that category, compared to 20 percent for Apple and just 5 percent each for Nokia, HTC and RIM. Hit up our source link for the full breakdown.
Hulu announces 2012 results: $695M revenue, 3 million Hulu Plus subscribers
It looks like Hulu has rounded out 2012 with some very solid figures. The company's CEO, Jason Kilar, has announced revenue of $695 million -- a 65-percent jump over 2011. Kilar also shared subscriber numbers, adding that 3 million users fork over fees for the Hulu Plus service, which is double last year's paying viewers total. Throughout the year, Hulu boosted content offerings by 40 percent, with 430 current content partners, 2,300 TV series with some 60,000 episodes, and a total of 50,000 hours of video -- since Hulu launched in 2007, it has generated more than $1 billion in revenue for content partners. Kilar ended on another high note, stating that the site's Japanese version has quadrupled content offerings this year, and is now accessible from 50+ million devices in Japan. You'll find full details at the source link below.
Facebook posts $59 million net loss in fiscal Q3, touts 1.01 billion active users
The bloom is slightly off the rose for Facebook. After a banner first post-IPO quarter, it's recording a net loss in its fiscal third quarter of $59 million despite its revenue climbing to $1.26 billion -- a big swing that the company is blaming on payroll tax tweaks and income taxes, which becomes clearer when you learn that the company posted a $311 million profit before factoring in standard accounting practices. Facebook hasn't said exactly what had the biggest impact, although its closing the Instagram deal wouldn't have helped matters. Still, the company isn't glum about its prospects: following an earlier mention of the milestone by founder Mark Zuckerberg, the earnings report touts that there are over 1.01 billion active Facebook users who check in at least once a month, over 604 million of which were mobile. Between a reworked iOS app, a freshened Facebook Messenger and new ad-friendly SDKs, the social network is bracing for a potential bonanza ahead.
Microsoft announces Q1 earnings with $5.31 billion in profit, braces for Windows 8 surge
It's Microsoft's turn at quiet-before-the-storm quarterly results, and that's evident in the fiscal first quarter earnings it just dropped on our laps. The Redmond team is reporting $16.01 billion in revenue, but a more modest than usual $5.31 billion in profit over the summer -- while it's healthier than the Q4 loss stemming from the aQuantive write-off, it's not as impressive as the $7.2 billion profit from a year ago. While a tough PC market is partly to blame, it's equally hard to say that Microsoft couldn't have done better. There's a real chance that some of its customers have been holding back on purchases in anticipation of the Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 launches; it's already setting aside $1.36 billion in revenue for Windows and Office upgrades. The company is unquestionably preparing itself for a giant spike in demand once at least Windows 8 rolls around later this month, so we'd say that the real litmus test will be the results we get after the holidays.
Nokia's Q2 2012 financials: 4 million Lumias sold, $1.01 billion dollar loss
The past three months haven't been the best for Finland's former world number one. It hasn't been helped by the three biggest credit agencies lowering the company's bond rating to "junk," and the Lumia 900's violently slashed price. Unfortunately the latest results reveal continuing gloom: the manufacturer made an operating loss of $1.01 billion dollars for the quarter. The company managed to make €7.5 billion in sales ($9.2 billion, down .5 billion since the last quarter), shifting four million Lumia handsets in the process. In fact, the only cause for optimism is that sales of the Lumia range have roughly doubled each quarter. The number of handsets pushed out the door increased (thanks to the Asha range of budget phones) with the company selling 73 million phones. That said, the company has clearly failed to crack America, selling a paltry 600,000 handsets in the States. The cash pile has also continued to dwindle, with the piggybank currently standing at €4.1 billion ($5.1 billion), down from $6.3 billion in Q1, despite getting a further $250 million in kickbacks from Microsoft. Unsurprisingly, the prediction for the third quarter of the year was similarly dour, summed up rather euphemistically as "difficult."
Nintendo posts first annual loss of $460 million, predicts turnaround next year
Nintendo has announced its first annual operating loss following an initially lukewarm response to its new 3DS handheld and an aging Wii console -- set to be replaced later this year. Nintendo made an operating loss of 37.3 billion yen ($459.54 million) from 2011 to 2012, but intends to spin it around to a 35 billion yen operating profit in the forthcoming year. Net sales dropped by 36.2 percent compared to 2010-2011 , despite price cuts on its existing hardware like the 3DS and Wii. The Japanese games manufacturer has also seen increased competition from new rivals on Apple and Android hardware, as mobile gaming continues to go from strength to strength. Nintendo also laid some of the blame at the feet of the weakened yen, but expects the incoming Wii U, cheaper 3DS production and incoming titles like New Super Mario Bros. 2, Brain Training and Animal Crossing will all help turn its fortunes around. Nintendo intends to stop selling the 3DS "below cost" (that is; at a reduced manufacturing cost) by the middle of the next financial year, after strong sales from the substantial price cut last year. The company sold 13.53 million 3DS devices and 36 million 3DS games, compared to 80.2 million on the original DS. The original DS still managed to sell 5.1 million units in the last year. Nintendo's main console, the Wii, sold 9.84 million units in the last year, with 102.37 million games sold.
EVE Online's seventh CSM results are in
EVE Online's seventh Council of Stellar Management elections have come to a close, and moments ago at the EVE Online Fanfest, the results were announced to Fanfest attendees and players watching the livestream from home. Although the CSM was originally put together as a way for players to submit specific ideas to CCP, it has become an essential part of the game development process. The council is now consulted on practically everything that goes into EVE, acting as a democratically elected advisory council. Last year's chairman, The Mittani, secured the chair again this year with a record voting turnout of over 10,000 votes. Making it into the CSM as full council members are Two step, Elise Randolph, Greene Lee, Trebor Daehdoow, Kelduum Revaan, Seleene, UAxDEATH, and Hans Jagerblitzen. In the event of their absence or inability to continue as part of the CSM, alternate council members Meissa Anunthiel, Dovinian, Issler Dainze, Alekseyev Karrde, and Darius III will take over. Read on for a full graphic summary of this year's CSM members along with their campaign information from our CSM roundup.
Drama Mamas: The results edition
Drama Mamas Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are experienced gamers and real-life mamas -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of the checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your realm. Once upon a time, we published the results of some of our advice. Since then, a few of the letter writers from the last year have responded, so we again get to tell you what happened next. (Note: Some of the responses had to be edited for length.) Let's get right to it, shall we? Robby from when "just friends" intrude on love gives us more details on his situation and reports a mostly happy ending for him and his girlfriend. It also seems I (Robin) was completely incorrect in my assumptions -- but I'm OK with that. Thank you very much for posting my letter in your column. I found both yours and Lisa's advice to be spot on considering what little bits of info I could fit into the letter. I feel that after reading all the comments thus far that I have a bit of explaining to do.
Amazon elbows past Samsung for No. 2 tablet spot in Q4, according to IHS
Amazon had some serious trombone action going on last year -- what with all the horn tooting it did about Kindle Fire demand. Turns out Amazon was on to something, as the company has apparently grabbed the No. 2 spot from Samsung for tablet sales in the last quarter, according to research firm IHS iSuppli. Based on its numbers, Amazon sold 3.89 million tablets during the fourth quarter, eclipsing Samsung's 2.14 million units. The numbers equal a 14 percent share of the tablet market for Amazon while Samsung grabbed an 8 percent share, down from 11 percent in the third quarter. The brisk sales came at a price for Amazon, which saw fourth-quarter profits drop since it sold Kindle Fire tablets at a loss. Amazon's tablet sales also were still below the 15.4 million iPads sold by Apple for the period. All the competition is apparently taking a bite out of Apple's market share, however, which fell to 62 percent in 2011, compared to 87 percent in 2010. Samsung did manage to hold on to the No. 2 spot for the year, but with rumors already swirling about new iPads plus the Galaxy Note 10.1, the tablet wars aren't likely to cool off anytime soon.
HTC's 2011 Q4: good summer, bad winter
HTC's big 2011 was limited to those warm summer months, when everyone wanted a smartphone for the beach. Now the accountants have confirmed HTC's initial statement: fourth quarter revenues were down 2.49 percent (year on year). It made 101.42 billion Taiwanese dollars (just under $3.5 billion) in the last three months of the year, which looks worse than it is because of the blockbuster 135.8 Taiwanese dollar takings in Q3. Overall year on year revenue was up by 67.09 percent, but profits were down 11.88 percent, with the company saying the outlook won't get any better in the first quarter, but should pick up when it begins the process of shedding a few pounds phones.
ComScore: Android and iOS gallop ahead, US smartphone usage approaches 100 million
The latest report is in from ComScore, and as you might expect, the news is sunshine and roses for the crews at Google and Apple. Both companies platforms charted some worthwhile month-over-month gains, as Android is estimated to account for 47.3 percent of smartphones in the US, while iOS runs a strong second with 26.9 percent. Meanwhile, former BlackBerry fans continue to scatter, as the platform now accounts for 16 percent of smartphone users. Similarly, Windows Phone (and whatever's left of Windows Mobile) have taken it on the chin, and have fallen to just 4.7 percent market share. Without ever gaining much traction in the US, Symbian now makes up 1.4 percent of the smartphone pie. You'll find a quick look at the manufacturing side of the equation, along with the full ComScore press release, after the break.
Amazon announces Q4 2011 results: sales jump to $17.43 billion, but profits drop 58 percent
Amazon's just announced its earnings for the fourth quarter of the year, and it's a bit of a mixed bag. While net sales were up 35 percent year-over-year to $17.43 billion, net income dropped a hefty 58 percent to $177 million, or 38 cents a share -- that's off analysts' expectations, who were looking for sales in the neighborhood of $18.3 billion and earnings of 17 cents a share. As always, the company is remaining mum on any specific Kindle sales figures, but it says that sales of all Kindle devices nearly tripled over the holiday shopping season, and that the Kindle Fire remains the bestselling item across all of the products it offers; of course, the loss it's taking on each one is also one of the big reasons for that drop in profits. Specific figures are equally hard to come by for some of Amazon's other services, but the company says the number of Appstore for Android customers has nearly tripled from the previous quarter (with them downloading more apps in Q4 than all of the previous quarters combined), and that the number of Instant Video customers has more than doubled year-over-year (with the number of streams increasing 300 percent from the previous quarter). Looking at the full year, sales for all of 2011 totaled $48.08 billion, up 41 percent from $34.2 billion in 2010, while net income dropped 45 percent to $631 million (down from $1.15 billion in 2010). And as for the future, Amazon is also lowering expectations somewhat for the first quarter of 2012, projecting that revenue will come in at $12 to $13.4 billion, and that net income could range from a $200 million loss to a gain of $100 million.
Apple Q1 2012 results liveblog
Today, TUAW liveblogs Apple's first quarter conference call. If you'd like to listen live, point your browser to Apple's dedicated page. I'll be doing live updates as they're discussed, including coverage of the Q&A followup. The liveblog appears in reverse chronological order, with newer updates higher on the page. This post will not auto-update, so keep refreshing your browser. Also note that I do not usually cover the Financials. Our usual suspects are all on planes on their way out to Macworld/iWorld today. So please bear with me, as Apple spokespersons have a tendency to talk very, very fast on these calls.
Apple announces Q1 2012 earnings, sells a record-breaking 37 million iPhones
Apple released its earnings statement and announced yet another banner quarter. Apple knocked it out of the park, with record quarterly revenue of US$46.33 billion compared to $27.64 billion in the year-ago quarter. As predicted, iPhone sales were through the roof with 37.04 million units sold. This is up from the 17.07 million the company sold last quarter and up 128 percent from the 16.24 million it sold this quarter in 2010. iPad sales were also up to another record-breaking level. The company sold 15.43 million iPads units, which is up from the 11.12 million iPads the company sold in Q4 2011. It's also an 111 percent increase from the year-ago quarter when it sold 7.33 million units. Mac sales remained strong. Apple sold 5.2 million Macs, which is up slightly from the 4.89 million it sold during the previous quarter. iPod sales continue their downward decline from 19.45 million in Q1 2011 to 15.4 million iPods this quarter, a 21 percent year over year decline. Apple will livestream its conference call later today, and we'll be liveblogging it as it happens.
Nokia Lumia 900 and Champagne pop up in dev records, possible Tango build makes appearance
Nokia's field testers must be avid fans of the Times of India Windows Phone app, because unannounced phones like the Lumia 900 and Champagne are beginning to show up in its stats. This tells us nothing of specs, but here's what we learned: both phones are real, and they're not the same exact device. The app also discovered a new build of Windows Phone called 7.10.8725 in its system, a hint that one of these two handsets -- likely the Champagne -- may be running on the next OS update known as Tango. Does this mean the Champagne is destined for emerging markets? We're hoping to find out in Vegas at CES, just a month from now.
Consumer Reports: Verizon has highest satisfaction rate among major US carriers, AT&T is lowest
It's annual satisfaction survey time for Consumer Reports, and the magazine has a few results to share in anticipation of next month's issue. It appears that regional provider Consumer Cellular topped the charts -- the survey rated scores from 66,000 online subscribers -- though Verizon was ranked the highest out of the four major players for the second year in a row, followed closely by Sprint and T-Mobile. According to the survey, the latter company was still "significantly better" than last-place AT&T. The full results will be published in the January 2012 issue. Your own personal experience with each provider may vary depending on your locale, of course, but 66,000 people have certainly made their voice heard.
ComScore: Android continues to boom, RIM and Microsoft decline
Numbers, numbers, numbers. ComScore is back with a few more of them, this time covering the mobile market during a three-month average period ending in October. The results aren't going to shock you: Android not only continues to dominate the market, it's on the up-and-up. Out of 90 million smartphone users in the US, Android held strong at 46.3 percent (up from 41.9 between May and July). Apple bumped up a full percentage point, while RIM's BlackBerry OS took the largest fall from 21.7 to 17.2 percent. What about Windows Phone? Microsoft's mobile OS fell slightly from 5.7 to 5.4. Moving from mobile platforms to OEMs, Samsung was still the top vendor at 25.5 percent, though it didn't grow or diminish that number. Rounding out the top five was LG (20.6 percent), Motorola (13.6), Apple (10.8) and RIM (6.6). If more numbers are what you crave, check out the full press release -- as well as another chart -- after the break.
Google search promises to get fresh with you
After weathering some less than enthusiastic receptions to Gmail and Google Reader revamps, not to mention the long awaited launch of a Gmail app for the iPhone, the Google upgrade train just keeps on rolling along. This time out, Mountain View is targeting its real bread and butter: search. Google is harnessing its Caffeine indexing system to offer up fresher results -- a change that will apparently affect around 35 percent of the site's searches. The new results include more up to the minute results, prioritization for recent happenings and more frequent updates.
Apple's earnings "miss" more an issue with overzealous analysts
Apple reported its quarterly earnings earlier this week, and the results were lower than many Wall Street watchers expected (even though Apple beat its own revenue guidance by more than 12%). This miss was widely reported and Apple's stock took a hit -- AAPL dropped from above 420 before the announcement to under 400 on Thursday afternoon. But whose fault is this negative perception? Is it Apple's failure to perform this past quarter, or analysts' overenthusiastic predictions that led to this situation? According to Fortune contributor Andy Zaky, this foible is only a minor blip created by analysts whose predictions were off the chart. Zaky points out that Apple, in the past, has reported revenue that was about 12-18% above guidance. Analysts used this historical information and issued a consensus estimate that was 5-10% above guidance. That's how it worked. Analysts would predict on the lower side, Apple would earn on the higher side and life was good. This past quarter, though, analyst estimates had crept up to 18.8% ahead of guidance, while Apple's reported earnings were 13% above the company's guidance. Though Apple's earnings fell within the normal 12 to 18% over guidance, analysts got ahead of themselves and overestimated Apple's performance. And it's their own fault, says Zaky. Apple repeatedly warned analysts this was going to be a transitional quarter, but analysts failed to listen. [Via The Loop]
Apple posts record Mac quarter despite some iPad cannibalization
Along with the iPad, Mac sales were one of the highlights of Apple's quarterly earnings report. In the quarter that just ended, Apple sold 4.89 million Macs, a 26 percent increase over the year-ago quarter. Apple CEO Tim Cook was pleased about the Mac performance, but in response to an analyst question he did confirm that some customers are buying the iPad instead of the Mac. It's inexpensive and easy to use, two features that appeal to the average consumer. But Apple's computers are not as hard-hit by iPad cannibalization as the PC market. Cook suggested today, as he has in the past, that a far larger number of people are choosing to buy an iPad instead of a Windows PC (versus those choosing the iPad over a Mac notebook). Cook sees this as a growing trend and he said today he believes that the tablet market will someday eclipse the PC market. Considering that Apple currently has 3/4ths of all tablet sales, that's good news for the company's prospects.
