Expensive phone with no ecosystem does not make a hit. Amazon has launched its Fire smartphone but its cost and limitations will put a smile on the faces of Apple, Google and Microsoft. The smartphone Fire is a high end device with a HD screen with some funky 3D graphics effects, 2.2Ghz quad-core CPU, 2GB...
RFM continues to see the growth in the PC market in 2014E. Intel increased its Q2 guidance as end-of –life XP machines are being upgraded much more quickly than expected. Q2E revenues will now be $13.4bn-$14.0bn up from previous guidance of $12.5bn-$13.5bn. This represents a mid-point increase of 5.3% and is nicely ahead of consensus...
$25 dollar smartphone is likely to remain slideware Mozilla is moving to fulfil the promise of an ultra-cheap smartphone but the outcome of this initiative is out of its hands. In February 2014, Mozilla together with Spreadtrum launched a smartphone reference design that promised to put a Firefox OS smartphone in the hands of a...
Skybox has great strategic value for Google. Google wastes vast amounts of money on frivolous expenses but the acquisition Skybox is one that actually makes sense. Google will pay $500m in cash to acquire Skybox which is an end to end provider of satellite imagery and analysis. Skybox makes and operates a network of satellites...
Facebook needs one chat system that is a part of the whole. Facebook’s strategy around chat looks like a hodgepodge of different offerings that is likely to leave users non-plussed. Facebook has announced that it will discontinue instant messaging inside its own application but what it will be replaced with is not clear. Facebook owns...
Microsoft is on the back foot going into E3 2014. So far in the competition to be the leading next generation console, Sony has won every round against Microsoft and both have utterly destroyed Nintendo. Consequently going into E3 which kicks off in Los Angeles on Tuesday 10th June, Microsoft has everything to prove and...
Ericsson represents very little threat to Qualcomm or MediaTek. Ericsson’s handset radio chipset business is emerging from the ashes of two failed joint ventures to challenge Qualcomm and MediaTek yet again. The joint venture ST Ericsson has now been dismantled and integrated into Ericsson with Robert Puskaric re-appointed to run the business. Puskaric ran Ericsson...
Amazon is attacking the wrong end of the value chain. Amazon will hold an event in Seattle on 19th June to launch what is very likely to be a smartphone based on its own proprietary version of Android. Amazon is absolutely on the money when it comes to needing to differentiate its device from the...
The PC market is far from dead. It is just changing. Computex has kicked off in Taiwan and this year, more than ever, it is clear that the PC market is undergoing its biggest change in 20 years. This has confused many commentators who continue to count the PC market as just desktops and...
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.
Nuance & Samsung – Private preference
Nuance looks good for private equity not Samsung. Nuance is a provider of speech and language technology that is used by Apple in its Siri digital assistant. It has fallen on difficult times and with the recent addition of an activist investor, is feeling pressure to release some value. Hence, it appears very likely that...