Sony – Still in play

          Sony is still in a better position than many. Sony has reduced its FY2015E net profit forecast by JPY180bn ($1.66bn) due to the write down of all of the goodwill associated with the acquisition of Ericsson’s half of Sony Ericsson. Net loss for the year ending March 2015E will now be JPY230bn rather than the...

  • Comments Off on Sony – Still in play
  • 105

Microsoft – Glaring Obsolescence

          Microsoft is still missing the opportunity created by laptop obsolescence. The Surface Pro 3 is far more than a laptop replacement but so far Microsoft has totally failed to market this device to its full potential (see here). I am of the opinion that the laptop form factor is now obsolete as there is a...

Google – One Purpose

          Android One’s sole purpose is to push Google’s ecosystem into the lower tiers. Google has announced a new reference design for low cost Android called Android One at an event in India. The launch of this design goes hand in hand with availability of three devices from Micromax, Spice and Karbonn which will sell for...

Apple – Favourable Omens

          Signs point to scale making up for any gross margin weakness. Apple has entered a new product category and is attempting to kick-start wireless payments but in the short term, financial performance will be governed by the iPhone. All the signs are pointing to a very strong calendar Q4 for iPhone shipments as pre-orders look...

Google – Method in the madness

          iOS still makes more money for Google than Android does. Android may dominate the statistics when it comes to unit shipments and number of users, but iOS remains critical to Google’s revenues from mobile. This is why it will continue to ensure that the user experience of its apps on iOS is as good as...

Micromax – Bollywood beckons

          The home market is ripe for taking if Micromax is quick. Micromax is the latest of the new generation of handset makers from Asia that are starting to make an impact on the global stage. Top of this list is Xiaomi which is now the No.1 smartphone vendor in China and whose phones are used...

  • Comments Off on Micromax – Bollywood beckons
  • 67

Apple – Dazzling Banalities

          Great eye candy hides the missing spark of genius needed. Apple launched its first product in the wearables space along with new iPhones that were exactly in line with expectations. Apple also launched a payments solution incorporating both BLE and NFC but while this remains an Apple-only solution, it is likely to remain limited in...

Amazon – Fire damage.

          The damage to the Fire phone has already been done. Amazon has cut a massive $200 off the price of its Fire phone with the 32GB version at AT&T (2 year contract) going from $199 to 99c and the 64GB version going from $299 to $99. The device still comes with 1 year Amazon Prime...

Temporary Radio Silence – Back September 9th

RFM has taken a few days off but will be back just in time for Apple’s launch. 

  • Comments Off on Temporary Radio Silence – Back September 9th
  • 177

Amazon – A very good turn

          Amazon has done Sony and Microsoft a big favour by acquiring Twitch. Amazon has reached an agreement to purchase Twitch for $972m in cash. Twitch is a YouTube-like website that allows users to upload their video game experiences and share them with other like-minded users. The site has 55m users with 7m logging on every...

  • Comments Off on Amazon – A very good turn
  • 110