Q4-2012
Latest
Lenovo pulls in best-ever revenue of $7.8 billion for Q4 2012/13, record $34 billion for the year
Lenovo's just announced its Q4 and full year 2012/13 financial results, and it's touched new highs on the two most important indices. It earned $127 million on $7.8 billion in revenue for the quarter and $34 billion for the full year, both records for the company, while netting $635 million in profit for the full year -- another all-time high. The only sore spot for Q4 was Lenovo's laptop business, which dropped two percent over last year to $4.2 billion, but that's a far milder plummet than many PC makers saw -- thanks to a 74 percent revenue growth in China. Otherwise, desktop PCs held flat for the company at $2.4 billion during an otherwise down period, and it held firm as China's number two smartphone manufacturer, seeing shipments grow at 206 percent year-over-year, double the average rate. It remains to be seen if Lenovo can continue to buck the downward PC trend that's continued unabated with the release of Windows 8 -- but if not, maybe we'd finally see some of its smartphones over here.
T-Mobile USA revenue drops 5.2 percent to $4.9 billion for Q4 2012, customers and income also fall
Is it a good thing that T-Mobile's US operation is in the crosshairs of a MetroPCS merger? We'll see, but meanwhile the operator again shed revenue, customers and profit in Q4 2012. Total revenue dropped during the quarter to $4.9 billion from $5.2 billion last year, while income was down a whopping 25.1 percent to $1.05 billion year-over-year. Meanwhile the company lost 515,000 branded contract customers compared to 492,000 last quarter, representing a 'churn' rate of 2.5 percent in that category, a slight improvement over last year. All that culminated in a rather miserable year for the carrier, which earned $424 million less than in 2011 ($4.9 billion), while showing a total loss of $6.4 billion thanks to depreciation and impairment charges. Meanwhile, parent Deutsche Telecom said recently that MetroPCS would merge with T-Mobile as early as April -- which sounds like it can't come soon enough.
World of Warcraft subs drop to 9.6 million
Activision has posted its Q4 2012 earnings report today showing a rise in profits totaling $1.14 billion, or a 257 percent increase over last year. While this is certainly good news for the company and fans of most of its titles, World of Warcraft subscribers have dropped to 9.6 million from the Q3 2012 number of 10 million, but still up from the Q2 2012 figure of 9.1 million. Of course, World of Warcraft is in no danger of losing its position as the number one subscription-based MMO title, according to the company, but with most MMOs switching over or launching with no subscription, the competition in that realm continues to dwindle.
Zynga posts $209.4 million loss for 2012
Though 2012 was a rough year Zynga – with the company seeing studio closures, layoffs and departures – the casual game developer and publisher fared better financially than it did in 2011. Zynga ended 2011 in the red to the tune of $404.3 million, while the company has posted a net loss of just $209.4 million in 2012. Year-end revenues stacked up at $1.28 billion; a 12 percent increase over 2011.The difference between Zynga's overall Q4 revenue in 2012 and 2011 is negligible: $311.1 million as compared with $311.2 million, respectively. Online game revenues were down by three percent year-over-year, while advertising revenue was up by 35 percent, cresting $36 million. Year-over-year net losses are dramatically different, however, with Q4 2012's loss of $48.5 million an 88 percent decrease from the $435 million loss posted in Q4 of 2011.Looking forward, Zynga anticipates a net loss for Q1 2013, somewhere in the ballpark of $12 million to $32 million.
NCsoft earnings report shows healthy growth
NCsoft just released its fourth quarter 2012 earnings report, and things are looking pretty good across the board for the multi-MMO company. NCsoft's earnings are up both quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year due to the releases of Blade & Soul and Guild Wars 2, not to mention "record-breaking annual revenues" from Lineage. Guild Wars 2 accounted for 45% of the company's sales in Q4, followed by Lineage (24%) and Blade & Soul (10%). ArenaNet's newest game increased the North American market from 16% in Q3 to 25% in Q4. It's not completely sunshine and roses, however. Lineage II and Aion both experienced declines during the period. NCsoft's net income was in the red for the quarter and its stock has slid since September, losing half of its value in the process. [Thanks to Paul for the tip!]
Facebook finishes 2012 on a high note: Q4 revenue $1.585 billion, $64 million in net income
Facebook's Q3 earnings left something to be desired, as the social network posted a net loss. Zuckerberg and company have ended 2012 on a financial high note, however, as Facebook raked in $1.585 billion in revenue -- an increase of 40 percent year-over-year -- and net income of $64 million. The number of folks on Facebook also continues to grow, with its monthly active user count burgeoning to 1.06 billion as of December 31, 2012. Of particular interest is the breakdown of daily mobile vs. web users -- more folks used Facebook on phones and tablets than on the web for the first time in the company's history. Revenue generated from mobile isn't commensurate with the usage stats, however. Mobile advertising accounted for just 23 percent of the 'book's total ad revenue, though that is an increase from 14 percent in Q3, so that imbalance may not remain much longer. We'll be listening in on the earnings call and updating things here as more details are revealed, so stay tuned.
Nokia says Lumia smartphones did 'better than expected' last quarter: 4.4 million units sold
In the process of drawing up its quarterly results, Nokia has uncovered some good news to report. The manufacturer says its Lumia portfolio "delivered better than expected results" in Q4, selling 4.4 million units compared to just 2.9 million in Q3. The Asha series also did well, with 9.3 million units shifted. In the same breath, however, the company's accountants warn that Q1 of this year may not be so glowing, due to "seasonality and the competitive environment." All financial results are preliminary at this point -- we'll learn more more when the final report arrives in a couple of weeks.
Samsung estimates $8.3 billion in profits for Q4, brags about phone sales
What's the lion's share look like in sales numbers? About 500 handsets a minute, according to Samsung. The Korean hardware giant flaunted the sales estimate in its Q4 investors guidance, where it says it expects to see $8.3 billion in profits when the official earnings report drops later this month. That's just shy of double what it reported over the same period in 2011. Sammy contributes the growth to a plentiful supply of regional variants of handsets like the Galaxy S III and Note II, as well as high demand for its display technology. The streak may not keep forever though, according to Reuters, analysts are predicting a first quarter slump without a new Galaxy S phone for the spring. We'll have to wait for the full earnings release to see how things pan out, but it doesn't look like the firm will be hurting for cash any time soon.
HTC made just $34 million last quarter, its lowest profit since 2004
Think back to the days of Windows Mobile, to when PDAs were a thing, to when HTC barely had enough clout to put its name on its own hardware. That was the last time the Taiwanese manufacturer reported a profit as measly as today's. Despite Peter Chou's recent bout of hopefulness, the Taiwanese manufacturer says it took home just NT$1 billion ($34 million) in net income in Q4 of 2012 -- which is less than a tenth of what it made in the same quarter of 2011. Revenue was at least in line with HTC's pessimistic forecast of NT$60 billion, which equates to a 41 percent drop year-over-year, so the stock market won't find any of this particularly shocking -- even though history says it is.
HP takes a $9 billion hit due to Autonomy 'improprieties', reports Q4 earnings down 7 percent
This sounds scarily like the $8 billion write-off that tainted HP's Q3 balance sheet, but the source of the company's woes is different this time. It's had to take a nearly $9 billion writedown on the value of one of its biggest assets, the British software company Autonomy, following the discovery of serious accounting "improprieties." These concerns cast major doubt over the $11 billion sum that HP coughed up to purchase Autonomy last year, and have a direct impact on both these Q4 earnings and the reported earnings for 2012. Nevertheless, fourth-quarter net revenue still hit $30 billion, which is a 7 percent fall year-over-year, or just a 4 percent fall if you're kind enough to factor in the effects of currency. Of that income, the company managed to clutch onto $2.3 billion as profit -- a 3 percent fall compared to the end of 2011. Speaking during the earnings call, CEO Meg Whitman stressed that HP remains "100 percent committed to Autonomy and its industry leading technology," and more generally described HP's turnaround strategy as a "multi-year journey" that "will not be linear."
Qualcomm Q4 2012 earnings: $4.87 billion in revenue, $1.27 billion net profit
With Qualcomm's powerful, versatile and efficient Snapdragon S4 taking the mobile world by storm, it should come as no surprise that the company's accountants are smiling more than ever. Today, the firm posted earnings for the fourth quarter of 2012, which includes a net income of $1.27 billion with revenues of $4.87 billion. In terms of profit, these figures represent a 20 percent year-over-year increase and a five percent bump when compared to the previous quarter. A peek inside Qualcomm's books reveal that the company is now sitting on $43 billion in assets and $9.4 billion in liabilities -- if only our own pocketbooks were overflowing in similar fashion. Feel free to count some beans for yourself at the source link below.
Apple Q4 2012 earnings: $36 billion in revenue, $8.2 billion net profit
Just a day after introducing the iPad mini, a revised iMac, a 4th-generation iPad and a retooled Mac mini, the company is outing its Q4 2012 earnings -- and it looks as if it has narrowly fell short of Wall Street estimates. Revenue was pegged at $36 billion (compared to estimates of $35.08 billion), with net profit at $8.2 billion. For the sake of comparison, the outfit's fourth quarter of 2011 saw $28.27 billion in revenue alongside $6.62 billion net profit -- at the time, those comically large numbers were actually not up to Wall Street's comical expectations. If you're looking for a quarter-over-quarter comparison, the company's Q3 2012 report showed $35 billion in total revenue, with $8.8 billion in net profits. The company is guiding for $52 billion in revenues for Q1 2013, while announcing that it sold 26.9 million iPhones (up from 17.01 million a year ago), 14 million iPads (up from 11.12 million) and 5 million Macs (up from 4.89 million) in this quarter. As for the waning iPod business? Predictably, it sold just 5.3 million of those, representing a 19 percent drop from the year-ago quarter. Naturally, the company is expecting its next earnings report to be the one that blows everyone away, with holiday sales -- combined with a slew of new kit -- to propel things leading into 2013. Apple also announced that shareholders that hold stock as of November 12th will pick up a $2.65 / share dividend. As for other specifics, we're told that gross margin was 40.0 percent compared to 40.3 percent in the year-ago quarter, while international sales accounted for 60 percent of the quarter's revenue. Peter Oppenheimer, Apple's CFO, proudly boasted: "We're pleased to have generated over $41 billion in net income and over $50 billion in operating cash flow in fiscal 2012. Looking ahead to the first fiscal quarter of 2013, we expect revenue of about $52 billion and diluted earnings per share of about $11.75." As for the outfit's current stash of on-hand cash? $121.3 billion. Yeah. The financial results call will get going at 5PM ET, and we'll be liveblogging it right here!
Killzone 1 goes HD in PS3 'Killzone Trilogy,' packing all three games together this Oct.
Everyone's favorite yellow-eyed flunkies are returning to the PlayStation 3, albeit this time in a re-release of their greatest hits. Yes, Killzone's 1-3 – which aren't places, but games – are getting boxed and bundled for the PlayStation 3 as "Killzone Trilogy," arriving this October. The first of the three games is even getting an HD makeover for its re-release, and all the multiplayer content for the latter two games is included in the package.The whole shebang will run $39.99/€49.99/£40.84 when it arrives on October 23 in the US and October 24 in Europe. Head past the break for all the specifics on those bonus maps.%Gallery-164530%
Animal Crossing 3DS hits Japan November 8
Animal Crossing: Tobidase Dōbutsu no Mori (translated as 'Jump Out') is coming to 3DSes in Japan on November 8. Nintendo announced the news in this morning's Direct broadcast, in which footage of the game showcased its enhanced customization features, along with the fun of putting your head in an Iwata cut-out.Andriasang reports that Nintendo will release more details in a special Direct broadcast nearer its release. The game is expected in Europe next year, and presumably (hopefully) the US too.
Mugen Souls sees a short delay and an 'overwhelming' trailer
Mugen Souls, NIS America's latest turn-based RPG, will arrive in North America slightly later than planned. Originally set for September 18, the Compile Heart-developed game is now due on October 16. The European version will be released on September 28.The latest trailer highlights Mugen Souls' battle system, which combines turn-based combat with free movement. It looks complicated and, as the trailer itself admits, overwhelming. You need that kind of power if you intend to conquer seven universes.%Gallery-163214%
'Neogeo X Gold' portable arrives this December for a whopping $200
Despite the fact that 20+ years passed since you last played Neogeo, its portable rebirth this December will be shockingly expensive at $200. Tommo Inc. announced the handheld console's December 6 launch date for North America overnight, and put detail to the various pre-installed software it comes packed with (King of the Monsters and Samurai Showdown 2 are our personal highlights, but the full list of 20 games is below the break). The system also comes with the charging dock and joystick you see above, included in the $200 price.Beyond being a handheld Neogeo – which, admittedly, is pretty neat –the system doubles as a home console and can be hooked up to TVs/monitors via HDMI or traditional RCA. As such, an external joystick works with the device (though we'd suggest keeping that joystick locked to your domicile rather than take it on the go).It's unclear what retailers will carry the Neogeo X Gold just yet, but Tommo works with the usual brick-and-mortar suspects (Best Buy, Amazon, GameStop, etc.) Distribution in Europe and Asia is being handled separately, and no prices or dates are given for either territory.
LittleBigPlanet Karting starts its engines November 6
LittleBigPlanet Karting will have its vehicles cobbled together and ready to roll on Tuesday, November 6 in North America, Sony announced today. Of course, you'll be free to do your own cobbling after that.To accompany this news, Sony sent out the new "Summer Sports" trailer, which is worth a watch for anyone carrying a torch for this game. Honestly, it just shows us what we're missing in the summer Olympics. Right now, the best Slap Judo athletes in the world are going untested.
Pokedex 3D Pro catalogs 'em all on Nov. 8
Pokedex 3D Pro will come to 3DS eShop in North America on November 8, with the freeware Pokedex 3D going away October 1. The new version includes information about "more than 640 Pokemon," along with a new Pokemon Challenge feature with a selection of quizzes to help cement knowledge of all those nonexistent creatures.Pokedex 3D Pro is also updated with a price higher than "free" (which is what the original cost). In Japan, that's ¥1,500 ($19); Nintendo of America has not yet revealed the price stateside.Nintendo also revealed a series of features in Pokemon Black Version 2 and White Version 2 related to connectivity; these include the "Memory Link" that allows you to "connect" the new game to a copy of Black or White and follow the activities of certain characters between the two games.
Microsoft Surface launching alongside Windows 8 this October
Microsoft's Surface is launching on (or near) October 26, according to a recent Securities and Exchange Commission filing. "The next version of our operating system, Windows 8, will be generally available on October 26, 2012. At that time, we will begin selling the Surface, a series of Microsoft-designed and manufactured hardware devices," the report reads.The Surface launches in two flavors: Surface for Windows RT and Surface for Windows 8 Pro, the latter carrying beefier specs. It's unclear if both will launch simultaneously, and no pricing has been set on the two varieties of Surface. At least one game will be available at launch – Skulls of the Shogun – with others expected alongside it.
Street Fighter X Tekken Vita hitting Europe on October 19
Here's hoping you Europeans and your Vitas are ready to rumble, as Street Fighter X Tekken for Sony's handheld got a release date this morning of October 19. That's a full four days before your North American counterparts get their grubby mitts on the cross-publisher portable fighter, meaning you'll have a full 96 hours of practice time with which to become a master of Shadowloo.It also gives you some time to study up on your American English smack talk. Here, we'll get you started: "I do declare my good sir, your pugilistic pugnacity is that of a homeschooled hill person!" Gets 'em every time!
