q2
Latest
Nielsen has Android near 52 percent of US smartphone share in Q2, iPhone ekes out gains
If there was doubt as to whether or not Android would soon become the majority smartphone platform in the US, that's just been erased by Nielsen. Google crossed the tipping point in the second quarter after getting close in the winter, with 51.8 percent of current smartphone users running some variant on the green robot's OS. As we've seen in the past, though, the increase is coming mostly at the expenses of platforms already being squeezed to within an inch of their lives, such as the BlackBerry (8.1 percent) and Windows (4.3 percent combined). Apple still isn't in a position to fret: it kept climbing to 34.3 percent and swung the attention of recent buyers just slightly back in its direction. The real question for many of us might center on what happens in a summer where Samsung has thrown a Galaxy S III-sized curveball at Americans and any new iPhone is likely still a few months away.
IDC and Gartner: PC market flattened out in Q2 while Apple, ASUS and Lenovo remain the stars
Microsoft's Steve Ballmer might be working overtime to keep Apple at bay, but the PC market that his company largely built is hurting, if you ask researchers at Gartner and IDC. Both estimate that shipments of traditional computers dropped by a tenth of a point in the second quarter of 2012 -- not a good sign when Intel's Ivy Bridge processors and a wave of Ultrabooks were supposed to usher in a PC renaissance. While the exact numbers vary, the two paint a partly familiar picture of the world stage: HP and Dell are taking a bruising, while ASUS and Lenovo are making huge leaps forward. Depending on who you ask, though, Acer is either kicking Dell down to fourth place or occupying that all too comfortable spot itself. The economy and tablets are once again blamed for making would-be PC upgraders jittery, although this time it may also be the wait for Windows 8 leading some to hold off. If there's a point of contention, it's the US figures. Gartner and IDC alike agree that Acer, Dell and HP all took a drubbing. The two analyst groups are at odds with each other when it comes to everyone else, though. Apple will have gained market share to as much as 12 percent, but either increased or shrank its shipments; it's Lenovo or Toshiba completing the top five outside of the usual suspects. Accordingly, take results with a grain of salt until all the PC builders have reported in. Nonetheless, if the groups have the same reasonable level of precision as they've had in the past, Microsoft may have to defer its ambitions for a little while longer.
HTC reveals Q2 2012 financial results: 57.8 percent net profit drop blamed on customs issues and weak sales
HTC has reported a substantial drop in its quarterly profits, with unaudited results for Q2 2012 totaling T$7.4 billion ($250 million), down from T$17.52 billion this time last year. While it marks an improvement compared to the company's dire first quarter of this year, HTC's been troubled by weaker-than-expected European sales, while customs issues have hampered US sales for high-end devices like the One X. Despite the continued global roll-out of the One series, sales continue to stall, with consolidated sales for last month totaled T$30 billion, unchanged from May and 33.4 percent less than June 2011.
Samsung expects record earnings for Q2 thanks to all those Galaxy phone sales
Samsung's complete earnings results for the April - June 2012 period won't come out until July 27th, but Reuters reports its early guidance to investors estimates the company's profit at a record 6.7 trillion won ($5.9 billion). That's mostly due to strong sales of the ever-expanding (and increasingly targeted by lawsuits) line of Galaxy smartphones. Sales forecasts are slightly below earlier estimates, and while there's no specific numbers for each division, a Bloomberg breakdown of analyst predictions suggests there should be more good news to go around later this month.
HP cuts 27,000 jobs, profit tumbles 31 percent in Q2
Looks like rumors of major cost-cutting measures at HP are true: the company along with its fiscal Q2 results has just outlined plans to slash 27,000 jobs by the end of its fiscal 2014. The group of affected staffers, or about eight percent of the workforce, is being offered an "early retirement" if it doesn't want to wait to be let go involuntarily. The move is intended to streamline HP's operations and save between $3 billion to $3.5 billion a year by the time the cuts are done. As for the results themselves, they explain all too clearly why the cuts are inbound: HP 's profit dropped a massive 31 percent to $1.6 billion, and its revenue dropped three points to $30.7 billion. CEO Meg Whitman touted the results as exceeding an earlier glum outlook, but with the enterprise, printer and services groups all dragging the company down, it's clear that HP is in the same boat as a struggling Dell.
Apple Q2 2012 earnings: $39.2 billion in revenue, net profit of $11.6 billion
Tim Cook: Apple focusing more on iPad for enterprise Tim Cook hates litigation, not quite ready to call a patent truce 365 million iOS devices 'in play,' iPad taking off in education and government markets How do you follow up a stunning Q1 where you set record quarterly earnings and issue a sizable dividend to investors? Well, if you're Apple, you just keep on keepin' on, shattering even the wildest expectations with "a record March quarter." Leading up to today's earnings, the outfit's stock was down around two percent, mostly on reports that iPhone activations were something other than mind-blowing. That said, shares have already started to creep back into positive territory in after-hours trading. Wall Street was hoping for around $36.88 billion in revenue (despite lower guidance from Apple itself), with upwards of 30 million iPhones sold and 12 million iPads sold -- galling numbers, no matter how you slice it. The actuals? Well, we're seeing $12.30 earnings per share, compared to an estimated $10.04 earnings per share. It all adds up to $39.2 billion in revenue and $11.6 billion in pure, unadulterated profit with 35.1 million iPhone units sold alongside 11.8 million iPads. (Of note, the new iPad was only on sale for around a fortnight in this quarter, making that figure even more impressive.) The former represents an 88 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter, while the latter shows a 151 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. Though Mac sales weren't equally astonishing, the four million units sold in the past three months indicates a seven percent uptick compared to Q2 2011. The iPod department, which has been sinking in recent years as iPads and iPhones become the primary music players of consumers, still saw 7.7 million units sold, representing a 15 percent decline from the same quarter last year. Just to put things in perspective, Apple nearly doubled its profits in Q2 2012 compared to Q2 2011, and practically quadrupled it compared to Q2 2010.Just to put things in perspective, Apple nearly doubled its profits in Q2 2012 compared to Q2 2011, and practically quadrupled it compared to Q2 2010. As for CEO Tim Cook's reaction? Aside from grinning from ear-to-ear looking at his growing stash of loot, he stated: "We're thrilled with sales of over 35 million iPhones and almost 12 million iPads in the March quarter. The new iPad is off to a great start, and across the year you're going to see a lot more of the kind of innovation that only Apple can deliver." Keep on telling us that, Tim, and we'll keep waiting. The conference call kicks off at 5PM ET, and we'll be liveblogging it just after the break!
Qualcomm breaks records with Q2 2012 earnings, thanks 'strong demand' for 3G- and 4G-enabled devices
It's a good time to be in business. And by "business," we mean, "in the wireless business." Apple and Samsung seem to be selling every smartphone they make, and Qualcomm seems to be outfitting those very devices with quite a few components. After a record-setting Q1, Qually has just revealed that its Q2 2012 earnings made for "another quarter of record revenues and earnings per share." The driving force? "Strong demand for 3G- and 4G-enabled devices across both developed and emerging regions," according to Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, the outfit's chairman and CEO. Mobile device usage isn't apt to start contracting anytime soon, which has pushed the company to increase operating expenses to "facilitate additional 28 nanometer supply." Getting down to brass tacks, we're told that Q2 revenues reached $4.94 billion, representing a 28 percent uptick year-over-year, while operating income hit $1.9 billion -- a 15 percent increase year-over-year. Net income was reported at $1.76 billion (a 21 percent improvement over Q2 2011), but it's important to note that these figures included $761 million, net of income taxes, for discontinued operations as a result of a $1.2 billion gain associated with the sale of "substantially all of its 700 MHz spectrum." Those looking for more figures can hit the source link; those looking to improve Qualcomm's bottom line can just buy another phone.
Microsoft announces Q2 earnings: record $20.89 billion in revenue, $6.62 billion net income
Microsoft has just announced its second quarter earnings, and it's touting a record $20.89 billion in revenue, up five percent year-over-year. Net income came in at $6.62 billion, which isn't far off at all from the $6.63 billion it netted in the same quarter a year ago. Breaking things down further, the company's Business Division saw a 3 percent increase in revenue to $6.28 billion, its Server & Tools business jumped 11 percent to $4.77 billion, its Windows and Windows Live Division dropped 6 percent to $4.74 billion, its Online Services business was up 10 percent to $784 million and, last but not least, its Entertainment & Devices Division jumped a full 15 percent to $4.24 billion. On that last bit, the company also reminded folks that it's now sold 66 million Xbox 360 consoles and 18 million Kinect sensors, and that its Xbox Live user base now stands at 40 million worldwide. As for Windows, while the division saw a dip in revenue, Microsoft continues to move plenty of Windows 7 licenses -- those now stand at 525 million, up from 400 million in July of last year.
Barnes & Noble's Q2 earnings reveal Nook to be a $220 million business, Nook Tablet said to be fastest-selling yet
Barnes & Noble's second quarter earnings weren't all good news for the company -- it reported a net loss of $6.6 million and an ever-so-slight dip in total sales from $1.90 billion to $1.89 billion -- but it did have a fair bit to boast about on the technology side of things. Sales on its B&N.com website increased 17 percent year-over-year, totaling $206 million for the quarter, and the value of the company's Nook business (including devices and content) now stands at $220 million, up a full 85 percent. The company also revealed that its new Nook Tablet has been the fastest-selling Nook device to date, although it's not providing any specific sales numbers, noting only that it expects to sell "millions of devices" during its third quarter. Additional figures can be found at the source link below.
PS3 catching up with Xbox 360 shipments worldwide
Sony reported 3.7 million PS3 unit sales worldwide for Q2 of fiscal year 2011 (which ended September 30), bringing its life-to-date total to 55.5 million units and improving on its year over year Q2 sales by around 200,000. Just last month, Microsoft touted 57.6 million shipped units of the Xbox 360 worldwide, bringing Sony within sight of the vaunted number two position behind Wii (Nintendo reported 89.36 million units shipped as of October). While Sony's document says "sales," it's difficult to tell whether that refers to sales to consumers ("sell-through") or shipments to retail ("sell-in"). Both competitors' numbers refer to shipments.
Lenovo posts Q2 earnings, sees increase in profits, shipments and market share
The quarterly earnings stats just keep rolling in today -- this time, from Lenovo, which has just posted yet another stellar report. According to the company, profits for the second quarter of this year reached $145 million, marking an 89 percent increase over the same period last year. Consolidated sales, meanwhile, rose by 35.8 percent to a record $7.8 billion, giving Lenovo a worldwide quarterly market share of 13.5 percent, also its highest ever. Laptops, not surprisingly, were at the forefront of this surge, accounting for 57.5 percent of the company's total revenue, with PC shipments rising 35.4 percent over the year. Lenovo also saw a 25.4 percent increase in shipments to China, as well as a 54.5 percent year-over-year increase in shipments to mature markets, including Western Europe and the US. For more statistical delights, check out the full PR, after the break.
Sony posts $350 million loss in Q2 earnings report, forecasts full-year loss
Sony's Q2 earnings have just come in and, as you might guess, they're not particularly glowing. A few days after announcing plans to buy out Ericsson's stake in Sony Ericsson, the manufacturer posted a quarterly loss of ¥27 billion ($346 million) today, compared with a net income of ¥31.1 billion during the same quarter last year. Last quarter, the firm posted a net loss of ¥15.5 billion, or about $200 million. Sony attributed much of this decline to a stronger yen, lower TV sales and recent flooding in Thailand, which has disrupted its supply chain. On this basis, the company lowered its full year forecast, predicting a net loss of ¥90 billion ($1.2 billion), compared with a net profit of ¥60 billion that it had previously expected. It appears, then, that Sony's TV division is primed to post an annual loss for the 8th straight year, which would certainly explain those plans for a forthcoming shakeup. Find the full report at the source link, below.
Netbooks slip under tablet shipments, achieve has-bEeen status
Still unconvinced we're headed towards a post-PC future? We can at least conclusively say we've entered a post-netbook present, as Q2 2011 marks the first time their numbers have been eclipsed by tablets, according to ABI Research. 13.6 million slates were shipped in the quarter, besting the 7.3 million the diminutive laptops were able to clock in. When compared to the prior quarter, that works out to 112 percent or 7.2 million increase (!) for the former, and a 1.1 million decline for the latter. Cost apparently isn't a driving factor, as the firm notes that tablets pack an average price of $600 -- nearly double that of their trackpad-toting brethren. Oh, and in case you were wondering, 68 percent of tablets shipped were of Cupertino's flavor. More cold hard facts await you in the PR after the break.
RIM's Q2 earnings report: $329 million in net income, not enough to fend off critics
The first quarterly earnings report post-Wake Up Call have just been published for Canada's own Research in Motion, and while the cash is still flowing, investors and analysts alike aren't feeling too rosy about the future. Despite Q2 revenue of $4.2 billion and a GAAP net income of $329 million, RIM's stock plummeted nine percent following the news. Why? That reality was at the lowest end of estimates, and as we've seen, it takes a blowout quarter to please the folks on Wall Street. Nevertheless, the company's touting a subscriber base that ballooned 40 percent year-over-year (surpassing 70m total), and while it's quick to trumpet the rollout of seven new smartphones, not a one of them managed to astound the QNX-desiring critics. The report also notes that 10.6 million handsets were moved in the quarter, around $780 million was invested as "part of a consortium of companies that successfully bid to acquire intellectual property assets from Nortel," and it's forecasting that BlackBerry smartphone shipments in Q3 will grow between 27 percent and 37 percent compared to Q2. Sadly, the company only "shipped" 200,000 PlayBook tablets, with the prevailing thought being that it actually sold far fewer. Moreover, nary a forecast was given for future PlayBook sales.As for thoughts from the head honcho(s)? Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO, stated that "overall unit shipments in the quarter were slightly below our forecast due to lower than expected demand for older models," further noting that his firm will "continue to build on the success of the BlackBerry 7 launch to drive the business as we focus our development efforts on delivering the next generation, QNX-based mobile platform next year." Next year is a long, long way away, though, and there's no doubt whatsoever what kind of competition will be in place by the time 2012 rolls around. We'll be hopping on the analyst call here in a few, and you can look beyond the break for any notable mentions.
TiVo talks cable, satellite deals in Q2 results; DirecTiVo exposed! (video)
TiVo's results for the second quarter are here and there were a few tidbits that let us know where its products are going in the future. Despite reporting a net loss for the quarter, its cash position was up after receiving the first $300 million payment from its settlement with Dish Network. Things appear to be going well with Virgin Media in the UK where it reported 50,000 TiVo's live by the end of July and ONO is closing in on a launch in Spain, while closer to home RCN is almost ready to officially offer a whole-home DVR setup based on the quad-tuner TiVo Premiere Q. Charter and DirecTV are mentioned as "progressing towards launch", but the company seems particularly excited to see the current state of patent warfare going on, trumpeting its 210 issued patents and 389 applications. Speaking of the DirecTivo, an apparent training video has leaked. ZatzNotFunny has more information, but it reveals the hardware and UI, which disappointingly harken back to the days of older Series3 hardware instead of the updated HD menus on the new Premiere boxes. Check out the video and Q2 press release after the break.
Acer loses $234 million in worse-than-expected Q2
It may be the second largest computer manufacturer in the world, but things are not looking good for Acer. The Taiwanese company lost 6.79 billion New Taiwan Dollars (TWD), about $234.1 million, in Q2, far more than the already sizable anticipated shortfall of 3.3 billion TWD (around $114.7 million). That's a dramatic drop off from the 1.19 billion TWD profit the company posted in Q1. Things are expected to improve in Q3, but Acer still expects to operating in the red until at least Q4. Some of the problems can be blamed on recent restructuring that has the vendor increasingly focused on mobile devices and less on netbooks, which were successful for the company but have quickly declined in popularity. The extremely brief PR can be found after the break.
Gamestop Q2 financials anchored by strong used game and digital sales
GameStop's total sales were down 3.1% in the quarter ending July 30, 2011 -- $1.74 billion in sales this quarter compared to $1.8 billion in the same period last year. A boon for the company has been (get this!) used game and digital sales, which both rose 12% and 69% year-over-year, respectively. Digital sales are up 16% compared to Q1 of 2011 and with the recent announcement of downloadable PC games being sold at retail, we wouldn't be surprised to see even greater digital revenue in Q3. GameStop also cited lower hardware sales and fewer games this quarter compared to last year, both of which the company said contributed to an overall lower quarter for store sales, down 9.1%. The retailer also reported diminished net sales of $30.9 million compared to $40.3 million in 2010. LA Noire, NCAA Football 12, Infamous 2, Brink and Mortal Kombat were GameStop's top earners in the quarter, spanning the classic genres of shooters, sports games, fighters and whatever you'd call LA Noire. Crime drama genre? The "character actor did it" genre?
Dell's Q2 earnings fall short of estimates: $890 million net income, $15.66 billion revenue
Shares of Dell were down nearly eight percent in after-hours trading after the Texas-based PC maker posted lower-than-expected second-quarter results. Still, the company's revenue was up one percent over last year, totaling $15.66 billion, compared to $15.5 billion in Q2 2010. Net income jumped 63 percent, from $545 million to $890 million, over the year-ago quarter. Corporate and government orders were responsible for the jump in income, according to an AP report, but new sales predictions hint that orders may not be coming in as often as anticipated. Dell expects modest growth of one to five percent for the full year -- citing "a more uncertain demand environment" -- compared to previous estimates of five to nine percent growth. Jump past the break for the full rundown from Dell.
Gartner: Apple's global mobile phone share almost doubled in Q2 2011
Gartner's numbers were released for the second quarter in 2011 and Apple continues to show strong growth. The smartphone manufacturer is number four globally in the mobile phone market trailing Nokia, Samsung and LG. Its market share almost doubled from last year, climbing from 2.4% in 2010 to 4.6% in 2011. These figures are impressive for a company that makes a single smartphone and is competing against companies that produce a variety of smartphones and feature phones. Apple is also the #3 platform with almost 20 million iPhones flying off the production line. It now has 18.2% market share, up from 14.1% in 2010. Much of this growth is due to Apple's partnership with 42 new carriers and its expansion into 15 new countries during Q2 2011. According to Gartner, Apple still trails Symbian which has 22.1% market share, a significant drop from its 40.9% in the same quarter of 2010. Apple also trails Android which now has a 43.4% market share, up from 17.2% in 2010.
US Cellular Q2 results bring higher revenue, despite small customer loss
With the upcoming introduction of its LTE network and vast fall smartphone lineup, US Cellular's a regional carrier with a lot to look forward to. But its efforts over the second quarter, paired with the hopes of a bright future ahead, weren't enough to keep a few thousand customers from parting ways. While most of the reported figures were quite pleasant year-over-year -- service revenues bumped up three percent to $1 billion, percentage of smartphones sold skyrocketed to nearly 40 percent, ARPU increased to $51.84, and total operating income shot up a whole 61 percent -- the company also experienced a loss of 58,000 customers over the course of three months. The carrier doesn't seem too worried about this particular figure, however, as it stated its excitement about the launch of its 4G service later this year. Will the bleak and cold winter become warm and toasty because of a blazing-hot network? We're eager to find out. Hit the source link for the full quarterly earnings.
