Q22012
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Toshiba Q2 results: profit of $722 million, whole-year forecast cut by $500 million
Toshiba has managed to pick itself up this quarter, recording $17.8 billion in sales, making for an operating profit of $722 million over the past three months. The "social infrastructure" segments recorded a healthy profit ($518 million), while income from digital products, home appliances and electronic devices fell due lower than expected demand. Forecasts for the year have been cut for the full year by approximately $500 million to $3.26 billion, as Toshiba expects lowers sales and operating profits due to the uncertain global economic situation. Individual segments are expected to continue their distinct trends, with the social infrastructure business pulling in more while its other arms bear the brunt of the economic slowdown. [Image credit: Wikimedia Commons]
HTC announces Q3 2012 financials, net profit down again to $137 million
HTC has released its third quarter financials, with the same trend continuing from the last quarter: lower net revenue. The company said it gained NT$70.2 billion total ($2.4 billion), with pre-tax net income at NT$4 billion ($137 million), a nearly 50 percent drop from the $250 million it earned last quarter. All that is a far cry from its salad days last year, and the company will have to hope that its new Windows Phone 8X launch along with a new flagship One X+ will reverse its fortunes.
IDC: iPhone wait cuts Apple's China phone share by nearly half, Lenovo seizes the opportunity
There's a lot of talk of a new iPhone coming soon, and the Chinese know it. IDC researchers estimate that Apple's share of smartphones in the country was sliced almost in half during the second quarter, to 10 percent, as expectations and rumors led the local population to wait for the big update. Better competition also played a part in denting iPhone shipments, although it's not Apple's chief rival Samsung who's responsible. Rather, it's China's own Lenovo that had the most impact. It broke into the double digits with a second-place 11 percent share thanks to recently started indirect sales of its Android-dominated lineup, while Samsung saw its own share dip slightly to 19 percent. Chinese companies ZTE and Huawei bracketed Apple at third and fifth. We wouldn't be surprised if the balance of power shifts in about a month, but the impacts to Apple and Samsung alike show just how tough it can be to stay on top in one of the fastest-growing markets on Earth -- especially one with so many local brands.
HP exceeds Q3 expectations: rakes $29.7 billion in revenue, still posts a loss
To say that HP is in a bit of a transitional period would probably be an understatement. As expected, the $8 billion hit it took over the EDS purchase severely impacted its bottom line. While revenue was down year-over-year to $29.7 billion, that five percent drop equated to a 568 percent decline in income as the company posted a loss of $8.9 billion. If not for the combined $10.8 billion in charges it was forced to absorb this quarter, the company's net-income would have stood at $2 billion -- which would have been a significant improvement over Q2's $1.6 billion in profit. While such a staggering loss does appear bad, the non-GAAP results should give investors some hope, as the merger and layoff related charges are a one-time deal. Still, the outlook continues to be grim at the Personal Systems Group which has seen revenue drop 10 percent over the last year. The lone bright spot in the company's line up appears to be its software division, where revenue has grown 18 percent year-over-year. CEO Meg Whitman issued a statement alongside the Q3 2012 earnings report looking to assuage nervous investors' fears. "HP is still in the early stages of a multi-year turnaround, and we're making decent progress despite the headwinds," she asserts and assures that better days lie ahead. For more financial fun, check out the PR after the break and all the tables and charts you can handle at the source.
Acer scrapes $1.87 million in profit as it becomes world's third biggest PC maker
Acer rose a place to become the world's third biggest PC maker this quarter, with net profits rising to $14.48 million, up net profit a slender $1.87 million, down from $11.2 million last quarter. Despite the drop, it's the company's second positive period since it ended 2011 with a $212 million loss, but the financial crises in the US, Europe, China and Asia Pacific all hampering its recovery. Like many of its PC brethren, it's pinning hopes on Windows 8 to spark a buying frenzy, but thanks to tight margins, only expects profits to be "on par" with those it's just announced. [Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons]
IHS iSuppli: Apple iPad takes 69.6 percent of tablet brand market share in Q2, reader tablets take a bruising
An earlier portrait of the second quarter's tablet market share made it quite clear that the iPad was on a rebound, if it was ever in a slump to start with. All those numbers focused on platforms and not brands, however -- we didn't know how the individual makers were doing. If IHS iSuppli's figures are on the ball, there's even more of a discrepancy if you break down the period's results by manufacturer. The iPad staked out 69.6 percent of tablet shipments in the spring. That wasn't just an 11-point jump over a year earlier; it was a level of share Apple hasn't had since the Motorola Xoom was just cutting its teeth early in 2011. As for the rest? Transformer Pads kept ASUS growing, but it's not a pretty sight if you're making an Android reader tablet; both Amazon and Barnes & Noble shed roughly a point and a half each, which is no small amount relative to their size. Samsung also lost share by this after its deliveries of Galaxy Tabs mostly stayed flat. We'd add that there's some wiggle room as to real performance knowing that units shipped and sold aren't always one and the same. Most of these companies are leaving clues regarding upcoming tablet refreshes that might level the playing field, some not so subtle, but it's currently Apple's game to win.
NVIDIA Q2 earnings bounce back through Tegra: $119 million profit on $1.04 billion in revenue
NVIDIA's fiscal performance in its second quarter shows the rewards of patience in the mobile sphere. It just saw its profit double versus a glum first quarter to $119 million, even though the company only slightly edged ahead in revenue to $1.04 billion. In explaining the success, the company is quick to point to a confluence of events that all worked in favor of its bank account: a slew of Tegra 3 phones and tablets like the Transformer Pad TF300 made NVIDIA's quarter the brightest, but it could also point to a much-expanded GeForce 600 line on the PC side and the shipments of the first phones with NVIDIA-badged Icera chips. The graphics guru expects its revenue to climb more sharply in the heat of the third quarter as well -- between the cult hit Nexus 7 tablet and a role as a major partner for Windows RT, NVIDIA has at least a temporary license to print money.
T-Mobile USA Q2 2012 results show net customer losses of 205k, progress on LTE and AWS
The results for T-Mobile USA's second quarter of 2012 are in and first up is the bad news -- reported net customer losses of 205,000 are more than the 50,000 lost in the same period last year, and more than give back the growth reported in Q1. Of course, the carrier is banking on strategic initiatives to launch LTE service and expand coverage thanks to that AWS spectrum its receiving from AT&T and Verizon (if the deal is approved) to turn all that around, and those plans are still on track. Other high points for the quarter included the launch of Samsung's Galaxy Note and Galaxy S III, as well as a host of other handsets. Also it announced the opening of it's 1,000 T-Mobile Premium Retailer store, started pushing its prepaid and Monthly4G services at Dollar General Stores, launched two new mobile broadband data plans and added two MVNO partners. All the details are in the press release after the break, although it seems that as busy as T-Mobile has been putting pen to paper, investors will have to keep waiting to see the benefits.
NPD: Apple, Samsung control 55 percent of the smartphone market, prepaid sales up 91 percent
According to NPD Group, Apple and Samsung control more than half of the American smartphone market. The second-quarter figures reveal that while contract phone sales are flatter than month-old soda, those for pre-paid handsets have shot up by 91 percent compared to the same quarter last year. The upswing is credited to last year's flagship handsets falling down the price ladder, snaring lower-income customers who were unable to afford to be early adopters. Cornering that element of the market has helped the battling duo increase their sales by 43 percent, leaving the rest of the technology pantheon scraping around for crumbs. Speaking of which, HTC is a distant third, having 15 percent of the market, while Motorola (12 percent) and LG (six percent) round out the top five.
IDC: Android and iOS accounted for 85 percent of smartphones shipped in Q2 2012
IDC's Q2 2012 numbers are out and the figures are encouraging, but not spectacular for Apple. According to IDC, Apple shipped 26 million handsets and grabbed 16.9 percent of the global smartphone market. This is a 27.5 percent increase over the same quarter last year. Despite its double-digit growth, the iPhone didn't outpace the overall smartphone market which grew 44 percent year-over-year. IDC says demand for the iPhone has cooled because of rumors surrounding the launch of the new iPhone sometime this fall. iOS also still trails Android which grabbed 68.1 percent of the market share. Samsung was the dominant Android manufacturer and shipped 44 percent of the platform's total smartphones in the quarter. Combined, Android and iOS accounted for 85 percent of all smartphones shipped in the quarter and, as IDC senior research analyst Ramon Llamas says, "the mobile OS market is now unquestionably a two-horse race due to the dominance of Android and iOS." [Via Engadget]
IDC: Android and iOS continue to carve up the world, another record quarter for smartphones
According to IDC's latest figures, Android and iOS now account for 85 percent of the 152 million smartphones shipped in Q2 2012. Google's OS powered 68.1 percent of all smartphones sold -- with Samsung making the hardware behind for just under half of those. Apple's smartphones now claim a 16.9 percent marketshare and while plenty of phone shoppers are holding out for the iPhone's next iteration, iOS still saw double-digit growth in Q2. There's more bad news for both BlackBerry and Symbian platforms, which, combined, accounted for less than 10 percent of all smartphones shipped last quarter. Windows Phone 7, meanwhile, hasn't quite made it to that hallowed third place it reckons it deserves. The mobile OS continues to grow, however, albeit at a gentler rate than both iOS and Android. Microsoft's likely pinning its hopes on the adjustable widgets and meatier specifications of Windows Phone 8 to draw in some new customers this fall.
Redbox, Sony extend distribution deal, keep the movies flowing with no delays
While Redbox's parent company Coinstar rejoiced over earnings results that showed revenue growth that was partially due to last year's price hike, the kiosk movie renter had more good news after extending its DVD licensing deal with Sony Pictures. This means Redbox can rent Sony movies the same day they go on sale in stores and has the option to license Blu-ray movies as well through September 2014, when Sony will have the option of two one-year extensions. We'll still have to wait and see if it can work out an arrangement with Warner and Disney, and what its streaming service has to offer, but more new movies right away is always good.
Mobile Miscellany: week of July 30th, 2012
Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, the Galaxy Nexus for Sprint and Verizon Wireless each became available for free, while in the MVNO world, Simple Mobile dropped the price of its high-speed unlimited smartphone plan to $50. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of July 30th, 2012.
Time Warner Cable lost 169,000 subscribers, spares DirecTV's blushes
TWC pushed out its second quarter results, showing it's following the trend of shedding customers without hurting the bottom line. It took in $5.4 billion in revenue for the three month period -- with more cash coming from selling higher tiers of service to existing users -- leaving it with a net profit of $452 million. The company reported that it lost 169,000 residential video subscribers but gained 104,000 back across its high-speed data and voice businesses, which it described as "organic decline," but looks more like cord-cutting to us.
DirecTV waves goodbye to 52,000 subscribers in first ever net loss of customers
Viacom's frenemy, DirecTV, has announced that it suffered a net loss of subscribers for the first time in its history. The revelation came in its second quarter filing, which claimed that the exodus is actually a purge -- due to a tighter credit policy and a change of focus toward "higher quality" customers. The dip in numbers hasn't hurt the balance sheet, however, with revenues up seven percent to $5.65 billion, leading to a net profit of $604 million. This time out, there's no reference to the recently-minted deal to keep Viacom's stations on the service, believed to be in the region of $600 million per year -- but we expect it to appear on the books in the next quarterly report.
Strategy Analytics: Android lost US market share in Q2, isn't losing sleep just yet
Android is most definitely on the upward march when it comes to the world stage. But you might be surprised at how it's faring in the US: it's down, according to Strategy Analytics' estimates. As of the second quarter, Google's market share dropped from 60.6 percent a year earlier to 56.3 percent. No one would call it a moment of crisis for Android, but it implies that Apple was drawing in more of the customers jumping ship from other platforms -- the iPhone climbed to 33.2 percent while RIM and others lost ground. The real tests of where the market is going, we imagine, will come in the second half of the year. Apple will have to survive an American summer full of Galaxy S III variants, while Samsung and the rest of the Android camp may have to cope with a bigger than usual iPhone update as 2012 heads into the sunset.
IDC: Samsung and Apple ship almost half of all smartphones, but Korean manufacturer maintains lead
IDC's latest figures offer some predictable reading. More phones are being sold than ever before; 406 million units were sold in Q2, against 401.8 million in the same period last year -- with a 42 percent increase in smartphone sales. The winners? Perennial court antagonists, Samsung and Apple, with the duo doubling their combined market share over the last two years. Samsung maintains its lead, reaching over 50 million phones sold -- and a new quarterly sales record -- while Apple saw a quarter-over-quarter decline, as buyers presumably wait for Cupertino's latest iteration, or go elsewhere. Nokia, meanwhile, had another "transitional" quarter, with sales of both Symbian and MeeGo devices shrinking, although its Windows Phones proved stronger. According to IDC's figures, Nokia and Microsoft's team-up handset sales have doubled since last quarter. HTC misses out on a top three spot, but its fortunes appear to have improved over the last two quarters, with the IDC pointing the finger at a more streamlined product range from the Taiwan manufacturer. ZTE continues to nip at its heels, reaching the top five thanks to strong entry-level smartphone sales in China, while continuing to inch onto US shores. If you're looking for a full breakdown of all phones sold, dumb and otherwise, read up at the source below.
MetroPCS 2012 Q2 sees profits skyrocket to $149 million despite losing nearly 200,000 subscribers
MetroPCS has announced that it pulled in $1.3 billion in the second quarter of the year, only slightly more than it managed in the first. It made a profit of $149 million, well up from the $21 million it pulled in between January and March, despite shedding around 200,000 subscribers in the process. The company's deliberately concentrated on raising cash at the expense of new subscriptions in preparation for its 4G LTE for All project, due to begin in the third quarter. It revealed that it now has 700,000 LTE subscribers, up from the 580,000 present in March and that it plans to have a full 10MHz of spectrum allocated for the super-fast mobile standard in "most major metropolitan areas" by the end of the year. As for devices that'll take advantage of the 4G goodness, MetroPCS says that we can expect to see either six or seven new LTE handsets by year's end, each which will be priced between $99 and $149.
Samsung's Q2 2012 earnings show $5.86 billion operating profit, that's a lot of Galaxy S IIIs
The numbers for Samsung's Q2 2012 earnings period are in and it was another big one, with the electronics giant reporting an operating profit of $5.9 billion, driven largely by growth in its smartphone business -- just as it predicted. That's up 79 percent from the same period last year, with the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note specifically mentioned as having contributed to both high sales and higher average selling prices. The company doesn't break out exact selling figures in its earnings reports, however that business unit contributed $3.65 billion in profit to the bottom line. Sales of memory chips and processors declined slightly from last year, TV sales were up slightly, thanks to demand for 3D and LED models. Samsung is claiming a mid-80 percent share of LED HDTV sales and plans to keep that going by pushing "entry level" models in emerging markets. Ready to dig through the numbers yourself? The press release follows after the break, if we find any more details or hear anything on the earnings call, we'll let you know.
Facebook posts first earnings as a public company: $1.18 billion in revenue, 955 million users
Facebook revealed its Q1 earnings in an SEC filing leading up to its big IPO earlier this year, but it's now officially out with its first earnings report as a public company. For Q2 of 2012, it brought in $1.18 billion in revenue, up 32 percent year-over-year and slightly better than what analysts were expecting, while GAAP net income sat at a loss of $157 million (down from a profit of $240 million a year ago). Looking at things on a non-GAAP basis, though, net income is actually up from $285 million to $295 million. What's more, the company also confirmed that it has 955 million monthly active users (or what it calls MAUs) as of the end of June, up 29 percent year-over-year. As you can see in the chart after the break, those users are distributed fairly evenly across the world, including 186 million in the US and Canada, 246 million in Europe, 255 million in Asia, and 268 million elsewhere. Daily active users totaled 552 million for the same time period, up 32 percent year-over-year, while mobile users now stand at 543 million, up 67 percent from last year. Not surprisingly, a huge chunk -- 84 percent -- of the company's revenue comes from advertising, which brought in $992 million for the quarter, an increase of 28 percent from last year. That apparently wasn't enough to please investors, though, who have sent the company's stock to a new low of less than $25 (down over ten percent) in after hours trading. Update: Expectedly, the ever-recurring topic of a Facebook phone came up during the Q&A portion of the company's earnings call, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg didn't avoid the issue entirely. While not completely dismissing recent rumors of an HTC-built, Facebook-branded phone, Zuckerberg did say that building a whole phone "really wouldn't make much sense for us to do," which should put at least a bit of a damper on some of the hype.
