Expo promoters are truly itching to get their industry back on track after getting absolutely trounced by COVID-19 quarantines and shutdowns in 2020. And from the looks of it, that description includes Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), a longtime international integration industry event taking place this year in Barcelona, Spain, for the first time and running from June 1 – June 4, 2021.
With Direct Sales Expanding, Sonos Reports Record 1st Qtr Fiscal 21 Results
On Wednesday after the close of markets, Sonos announced that it had turned in a record first quarter in their current 2021 fiscal year with revenues up, profits up, long-term debt down and new records set in several performance categories. In fact, actual performance came in so much stronger than the company had originally anticipated, that after just this first quarter of the year they announced they were revising and raising their guidance for their anticipated revenues and profits for the remainder of the fiscal year.
But were there any dark clouds in the super sunny Sonos report?
[Read more…] about With Direct Sales Expanding, Sonos Reports Record 1st Qtr Fiscal 21 ResultsAmazon Readies Entry into Step-Up Smart Home Control Market
Amazon Looks to Compete with Control4 & Others
Amazon.com Inc.’s secretive tech innovation development center, called Lab126, is said to be working on a more robust, step-up smart home control solution designed to be mounted into the wall, in a bid to take share in the custom integration channel. The move, first reported by Bloomberg News, is designed to take on major players such as SnapAV’s Control4 and other “professionally installed smart home control” providers.
But will it cannibalize their own Echo Show line?
[Read more…] about Amazon Readies Entry into Step-Up Smart Home Control MarketSavant Integrator Summit Celebrates 2020 & Kicks Off 2021 with Big Ideas
At the end of January, Savant held their popular annual Integrator Summit – its 15th summit ever…but its first such summit held online as a virtual one. In a Zoom meeting with industry media following the summit, President J.C. Murphy recapped the event which is held privately with only Savant integrators in the room.
Savant had a lot to talk about.
See more on the Savant 2021 Integrator Summit…
[Read more…] about Savant Integrator Summit Celebrates 2020 & Kicks Off 2021 with Big IdeasSony’s Strategic Shift From Hardware to Services Pays Off; It Now Projects Record Profits
Like the hero in their anime movie Demon Slayer, Sony has blown away investors with their latest (and probably last) revision to their fiscal year net profit estimate. Announced on Wednesday, the company now says that it forecasts that it will set a new all-time record net profit for the fiscal year that ends in March. The major reason? A shift in focus away from hardware to services and content revenues and profits.
See more on this latest report from Sony…
[Read more…] about Sony’s Strategic Shift From Hardware to Services Pays Off; It Now Projects Record ProfitsLong Time Bryston VP Partners with Colquhoun Audio to Acquire Company
This week, high-end specialty brand Bryston announced that long time company Vice President James Tanner had partnered with Colquhoun Audio Laboratories, Ltd. to acquire the company. The news was a bit of a surprise and appears to be connected to Bryston CEO Chris Russell’s decision to retire from the company.
See more on this big change at Bryston…
[Read more…] about Long Time Bryston VP Partners with Colquhoun Audio to Acquire CompanyHow is SnapAV Doing? Moody’s Gives Us a Glimpse
Moody’s Investors Service is one of the world’s largest credit rating services that offers ratings used by many investors who target debt investing, such as buying corporate bonds or equity investors. Moody’s rating can literally impact – positively or negatively – the interest or coupon rate companies offer their debt at – and therefore can be critical. Recently, Moody’s published a credit rating decision on Wirepath LLC – the company behind SnapAV.
How did Moody’s rate SnapAV? Read on…
See Moody’s opinion on how SnapAV is doing…
[Read more…] about How is SnapAV Doing? Moody’s Gives Us a GlimpseThe Dizzying Drop of Traditional TV in 2020 Cord Cutting
New data shows that consumer content consumption trends are changing dramatically…and at a quickening pace. Fresh reports from eMarketer and separately from Axios show that people are unplugging from traditional cable and satellite TV in huge numbers. If traditional pay TV is losing, who is winning? And what does this mean for the Tech industry?
See the latest data on consumers cord cutting…
[Read more…] about The Dizzying Drop of Traditional TV in 2020 Cord CuttingLG Wins an Emmy for OLED TV
LG Electronics announced this week that the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has awarded it an Emmy for its OLED TV at the 72nd Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards event. The award is said to recognize LG’s “continuing innovations to enhance and evolve the televisions to meet reference studio specifications.”
See more on LG’s OLED Emmy win…
[Read more…] about LG Wins an Emmy for OLED TVGlobal Chip Shortage Auto-Brakes Automakers Hard
A global supply chain shortage of key semiconductors has hit automakers around the world hard, like the automatic braking solution on self-driving cars. The shortage is so severe that auto makers are literally being forced to close factories for weeks as they wait for their supply of chips. As the industry is trying to rebound from a tough 2020, this situation has become so painful, some manufacturers are turning to politicians – asking them to pressure chip manufacturers to prioritize shipments to the auto industry.