Q22017
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The only Sony division to lose money this quarter was Mobile
Kaz Hirai's slimmer, fitter Sony hasn't just turned a corner, it's well on its way to earning its highest annual profit in years. The latest update on the company's financial health revealed that it pulled in $18.25 billion in revenue and squeezed out a quarterly net profit of $1.15 billion. As usual, it's Sony's two most prized businesses that stand out on the balance sheet: PlayStation and smartphone image sensors.
Uber grows in spite of scandals, but keeps bleeding cash
Uber's endless stream of scandals doesn't appear to have made much of a dent in its bottom line... not that the company is breaking out the champagne just yet. The ridesharing firm reports that its bookings surged in the second quarter of 2017 (150 percent more trips year-over-year, and 17 percent over the first quarter) despite a customer backlash, and it also managed to stem losses incurred from subsidizing fares and otherwise outdo its competition. However, those losses were still steep -- Uber 'only' lost $645 million in the second quarter versus $708 million in the first, and $991 million in the fourth quarter of last year.
Tesla is getting 1,800 Model 3 reservations per day
After narrowly meeting its promise to launch the Model 3 in July, Tesla has released its latest earnings report (PDF). Other than slightly higher than expected revenue, the company says that since the delivery event, it has averaged 1,800 Model 3 pre-orders per day. Of course, if you're getting in line now you could be in for quite a wait. The company expects to build about 1,500 Model 3s during the third quarter, but is maintaining its prediction that it will expand production to reach 5,000 of the cars per week by the end of this year.
Over a million Americans quit Twitter in just three months
Controversial presidential announcements and celebrity revenge porn are all in a day's work for the social network everyone loves to hate. Now, Twitter has announced its most recent financial results and things aren't looking good for the microblog beloved by the leader of the free world.
Samsung secured record profits in the second quarter
As expected, Samsung registered a record operating profit of 14.07 trillion won ($12.6 billion US) in Q2 2017. Interestingly, the breakdown reveals that while its mobile division's (including Galaxy S8 / S8+) sales were up over the same period last year, profits dropped slightly, which Samsung attributed to higher component costs. Luckily, since Samsung also makes chips for phones, storage and more, that division drove the record profit and seems poised to continue.
Netflix blows past the 100 million subscriber mark
A year after subscriber growth slowed due to price hikes, Netflix says (PDF) it added more US customers in the last quarter than it has since 2011. The company is now up to 103.95 million subscribers worldwide, up 5.2 million from last count. The company also unveiled a new strategy (PDF) for explaining its spending on content, that's presumably more appropriate for its abundance of award-nominated shows. In the letter to investors, execs also discussed recent series cancellations, saying "As much as we dislike ending a series early, it consoles us that it frees up investment for another new show, or two."
Part shortages thwart the PC's sales recovery
So much for the PC industry bouncing back after years of decline. Analysts at Gartner and IDC estimate that computer shipments fell between 3.3 and 4.3 percent in the second quarter, resuming an otherwise unbroken slump. However, the drop wasn't due to the usual issues, like the rise of smartphones -- it was the knock-on effect of part shortages that killed dreams of a recovery. Component companies raised prices on parts like solid-state drives and LCDs to keep the supply-and-demand balance in check, and the resulting price hikes at some PC vendors led to people staying away.
Samsung expects its record-breaking profits in 2017 will continue
After stumbling in 2016 Samsung appears to be back on track in 2017, as it just announced projected earnings for the second quarter that would show its highest operating profit ever. The company won't provide a detailed breakdown for a few more weeks, but it's estimating an operating profit of 14 trillion Korean won ($12.11 billion US). Analysts cited by Bloomberg and Reuters believe the figures got a boost from the well-received Galaxy S8, as well as the RAM, processors and display components Samsung makes.
The cloud and Office keep Microsoft afloat during PC slump
It's been clear for a while that a big part of Microsoft's future is ensconced in the cloud, and its latest (Q2 2017) earnings report just drives that point home. Wall Street types have been paying close attention to the company's Azure cloud services, and with good reason — Microsoft almost doubled its Azure revenue since this time last year, making up a considerable chunk of the Intelligent Cloud unit's 8 percent revenue bump.
