From the looks of it, Apple’s iPhone 5 launch may have been a bit of a dud. Several news services such as Bloomberg News and the Nikkei in Japan are reporting that the company has cut orders to its suppliers for parts by as much as 50%. This moves follows a report that the company quietly cut production schedules on the iPhone 5 last month by 30% and suggests that the latest incarnation of iPhone is selling poorly – or at least below expectations based on initial order levels.
Pivot Point
In a Surprise Move – Sharp is Negotiating to Merge It’s Foundering TV Operations with China’s Lenovo
BREAKING NEWS
The Nikkei is reporting today that Sharp Corp., the struggling Japanese flat-panel TV manufacturer, is in the final stages of negotiations to merge its television division with China’s largest personal computer manufacturer – Lenovo Group, Ltd. If successful, Lenovo could leapfrog the competition to become one of the largest television manufacturers in the world.
See more on this surprise announcement out of Japan… [Read more…] about In a Surprise Move – Sharp is Negotiating to Merge It’s Foundering TV Operations with China’s Lenovo
HDBaseT Announces at CES 2013 That Onkyo & Pioneer Have Joined Alliance
The HDBaseT Alliance, a consortium of companies developing and supporting a connectivity technology that is viewed by many as an alternative to HDMI, announced at CES 2013 that it continues to build its membership. Consumer A/V brands Onkyo and Pioneer have both joined the group and are expected to add the technology in their products in the near future.
See more on this increasingly powerful consortium… [Read more…] about HDBaseT Announces at CES 2013 That Onkyo & Pioneer Have Joined Alliance
Two More Directors Leave Best Buy
Best Buy Company, Inc. announced this past Monday that two of its directors had resigned, including one that had served in the role of chief executive in the past. These departures come seven months after the departure of company founder Richard Schulze who is now working to make a bid for the struggling retailer.
With these departures, Best Buy’s board now has four vacancies… [Read more…] about Two More Directors Leave Best Buy
DDG Scrambles to Rebuild in Wake of Member Defections
The world of national distributor groups often resembles the ever-shifting sands of the desert – members change, vendors change, and its relative market position often changes. So it is a radically changed world in which the Digital Delivery Group (DDG) finds itself in the wake of last week’s announcement of the formation of a new national distributor group – Catalyst AV – an announcement that prominently featured the names of four DDG distributors who apparently defected to the new competitor.
But DDG denies that these defections spell its doom… [Read more…] about DDG Scrambles to Rebuild in Wake of Member Defections
Wally Whinna’s New Catalyst AV Distributor Group: AVAD Part Two?
The industry is abuzz about the recently announced launch of a new national distributor group known as Catalyst AV. While the emergence of a new distributor group has been rumored for months, the formal announcement came out just last week. The genesis of the group, according to our sources, was a triumvirate of Wally Whinna (Chicago’s Allnet Distributing), Glen O’Brien (California’s Electronic Stockroom), and Mike Hench (Florida & Southeast’s Electronics Source).
Wally Whinna was one of the original partners of the Alliance of Value Added Distributors (AVAD), the most successful of the national distributor groups that was ultimately purchased by Ingram Micro several years ago. We spoke to Whinna about his latest venture.
Is Catalyst AV really just AVAD, part two?… [Read more…] about Wally Whinna’s New Catalyst AV Distributor Group: AVAD Part Two?
Reps: Are They On the Right Track? Or Have They Run Off the Rails?
On Tuesday last week, much like any other day, after arriving at my office I powered up my computer and began wading through the usual 100-150 emails that greet me every morning. Some of these are client-related emails, some are personal, but most are press releases or announcements. On that day, however, one in particular caught my attention – it was from Richard Glikes of Azione and it included a link to a video which was…remarkable.
This press release caught my attention not because it was from Azione, that is an common occurrence. Rather it caught my attention because it was from Azione on a topic that I am not used to dealer buying groups concerning themselves with – sales representative companies.
Little did I suspect that this would be the beginning of a strange turn of events… [Read more…] about Reps: Are They On the Right Track? Or Have They Run Off the Rails?
Sharp Spike in Sharp’s Prospects – Said to Working with Hon Hai on Apple iTV
The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that unnamed sources are telling it that Apple has built and is testing a large screen, high definition television that it has worked closely with Asian suppliers to create. Most notably, these sources say that Apple worked closely with Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. (Foxconn) – it’s leading iPhone/iPad supplier – and Sharp Corp. – the troubled Japanese television company.
Will Apple’s iTV save Sharp?… [Read more…] about Sharp Spike in Sharp’s Prospects – Said to Working with Hon Hai on Apple iTV
Belden to Acquire PPC
BREAKING NEWS
strata-GEE.com has learned that Belden, Inc., the large cable manufacturing company, has acquired Syracuse, New York-based PPC, a broadband and specialty cable manufacturer that also markets the Perfect Path cable brand to the custom integration industry. The deal is said to be worth $515.7 million.
See what PPC’s Eric Bodley told us about this surprising news… [Read more…] about Belden to Acquire PPC
New THIEL CEO Tells Us THIEL’s the Real Deal
“It’s really not that fancy,” new Thiel CEO Bill Thomas told us with a chuckle and a noticeable Southern drawl when we asked about his private equity company that was mentioned in a Thiel press release announcing its acquisition last week. [See our post on the acquisition here…] In a telephone interview with strata-GEE.com earlier this week, the 55-year old Thomas said it was simply he and two friends that came together to purchase Thiel Audio Products Company – not some high-powered M&A company.
