Strategy in TECH...
Only a matter of days after the announcement of Vin Bruno’s resignation as CEDIA CEO, and a few weeks after a 15% headquarters staff reduction, we now learn that Ron Fleming, CEDIA VP of Business Development is out in what appears to be a major reorganization at the industry trade group. The news went out earlier today in the form of an email from COO and interim CEO Tabatha O’Connor to exhibitors.
Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai is feeling pretty good these days. After an incredibly tough turnaround period where many questioned his plan, Hirai said this week that the company expects to book an operating profit of ¥500 billion ($4.5 billion) in the fiscal year ending March 2018, its highest operating profit in 20-years according to a report by the Nikkei. But the CEO admits that, as good as this news is, the company is still short of a full turnaround.
What’s needed for a complete turnaround of Sony’s business? Innovation…
In February, we reported that George Leslie Manlove was convicted on approximately 170 out of a total of 200 Federal felony counts stemming from his tenure as CEO of the now-defunct Vann’s Electronics & Appliances in Montana. A few days ago, Manlove learned his fate in the form of a sentence from U.S. District Court Chief Judge Dana Christensen, and it wasn’t a pretty picture. Manlove has been ordered to serve a sentence of more than 5 years in a Federal Penitentiary.
Ft. Collins, CO-based CasaTunes announced this week that it has launched a new feature to better address their growing global business. This new feature is a call to Muslim Prayer feature, which will be very handy for end users in their growing Middle East business. A unique capability ignored by most system providers, this new call to Muslim Prayer support allows users to schedule and customize their personal call to pray.
What started as a roar appears to be ending as a whimper, as Asian wannabe-giant LeEco announced this week plans to lay-off nearly 70% of their entire U.S. workforce. This significant retrenchment occurs just weeks after its proposed $2 billion acquisition of Vizio fell apart just before closing, and suggests the company, which is in multiple businesses, may have gotten ahead of itself…and ahead of its funding.
Simply Reliable Software announced this week that it has added a dramatic new feature called “Digital Proposals” in the latest update of its SmartOffice software. The company called Digital Proposals “a game changing feature.”
Momentum continues to build for voice-enabled devices like Amazon Echo and Google Home products, according to new data and forecast from eMarketer. Usage rates also appear to be increasing for the broader category of virtual assistants, such as Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, Google’s Now and Microsoft’s Cortana.
Savant Systems has launched a clever new package that allows them to address a new entry-level market segment, and provides custom integration pros with a more robust solution for their less sophisticated clients. Called the Simple Host and Pro Remote System, Savant applies what they’ve learned from their consumer business to offer a solid solution sold only through professional integrators.
Control4 Corp. announced today the launch of a line of outdoor audio solutions from their newly acquired Triad Speakers division. Called the Triad Garden Array outdoor speakers, the line includes a satellite speaker along with an outdoor subwoofer – all designed to be placed broadly throughout an entire outdoor entertainment space.
One of the greatest challenges for those of us in the residential technology business is the surprising lack of real hard data on the market. Now, you can do something about that. By participating in the 2017 CEDIA Size and Scope of the Residential Electronic Systems Market survey, you help the organization collect the data that will give you a better understanding of your market…a true win-win.
