BlackBerry Passport will be a niche product. The uproar over bent iPhones has completely drowned out any real splash that BlackBerry was hoping to make with the launch of its new device: The BlackBerry Passport. At events in Toronto, London and Dubai, BlackBerry launched its new attack on the professional smartphone user. The BlackBerry Passport...
iPhone 6 just as profitable as the 5s despite bigger screen. The screen of a mobile device is by far the biggest single cost element of any mobile device. Hence, when Apple launched the iPhone 6 and 6+, my immediate reaction was that the BOM (Bill of Materials) would rise pressuring gross margins. However, I...
Apple Pay might just kick start the opportunity for everyone. The size and brand power of Apple has enabled all of the participants in the complex payments chain to line up together. With all participants signing-up to support the system, there is a good chance that the user experience will be as easy and as...
Microsoft is buying users and opportunity not electronic Lego. Microsoft has agreed to purchase Mojang, the games developer behind Minecraft for $2.5bn. Minecraft is a unique video game that emphasises building and exploring rather than any particular mission or story line. The game is best described as electronic Lego and is available on almost...
ST Ericsson is being quietly put to sleep after further failures. Ericsson is following Broadcom and Renesas into the void by announcing the closure of the baseband business that it took back from its j.v. with ST Micro in March 2013. The cat has finally run-out of lives after being reincarnated in a joint venture...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Richard is founder, owner of research company, Radio Free Mobile. He has 16 years of experience working in sell side equity research. During his 11 year tenure at Nomura Securities, he focused on the equity coverage of the Global Technology sector.
Nokia and Microsoft – Still HERE
Quality of HERE more important than availability on iOS or Android. There is confusion regarding whether Nokia is about to pull its support for Windows Phone for its’ HERE mapping service. Now that Nokia no longer makes mobile devices, it makes sense for it to spread its application to the widest possible audience. This means...