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Emerald Expo Releases Registration Data for CEDIA Expo & CIX 2024

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The Crestron booth at CEDIA Expo 2023 which is put on by Emerald Expo
CEDIA Expo 2023

Emerald Will No Longer Report Event Attendance Numbers

Once again, the industry gathered to celebrate the world of custom integration last month at the CEDIA Expo 2024 in Denver, Colorado. An annual event that is part business conference, part education/training confab, and part social get-together & party, many in the industry look forward to this one-time seminal event in anticipation of finding the seeds of future business growth in the innovation shown there.

This week, Emerald Expositions released the registration numbers for CEDIA Expo & Commercial Integrator Expo 2024 (CIX), but did not disclose the verified attendance number. At first, I thought this was an oversight…

See more on data from CEDIA Expo 2024…

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Split Decision: A Masimo Win and an Apple Win in High Stakes Legal War

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An annotated illustration from a 2005 smartwatch patent discovered by Masimo containing technology like an Apple patent in 2021
An annotated copy of an illustration from a 2005 patent for a smartwatch (Kotanagi) containing the same or substantially similar technology that Apple was granted a patent for in 2021

While many things have changed in the wake of Joe Kiani’s exit from Masimo Corporation (Nasdaq: MASI) – and many more changes are likely still to come – one thing continues on, the many lawsuits existing between Masimo and Apple Inc (Nasdaq: AAPL). And in the last few days, we have learned of two significant developments in that regard. One is a significant win for Masimo…and the other a significant win for Apple.

However, the war between these combatants continues…

[Read more…] about Split Decision: A Masimo Win and an Apple Win in High Stakes Legal War

Coastal Source to Move President Jeff Poggi to Consulting Role at Year End

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Coastal Source logo

Coastal Source, one of the industry’s leading providers of outdoor audio and lighting solutions announced this week that current President Jeff Poggi will be moving outside the company to take a new role as a consultant. The move will take place at the end of this current calendar year.

See more on Poggi moving to a consulting role

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SVS Sets a New Reference Standard with All-New 17-Ultra R|Evolution Subwoofers

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SVS PB17-Ultra R|Evolution subwoofer

SVS, an independent manufacturer of subwoofers, speakers, wireless audio, cables, and accessories announced this week that it has outdone itself – launching a beast of a subwoofer design that raises the bar in low-frequency performance. The company tells me that the launch of this new design is “a momentous day for SVS.”

Learn about the 17-Ultra R|Evolution flagship subwoofers

[Read more…] about SVS Sets a New Reference Standard with All-New 17-Ultra R|Evolution Subwoofers

Sonos Announces ‘New Commitments’ to Consumers; Analyst Issues Double Downgrade

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Sonos Ace headphones
Is she winking at me? Or wincing in the pain of Sonos’ problems?

Sonos (Nasdaq: SONO) announced this week that it was issuing new quality and customer experience “commitments,” as it seeks to rebuild its deteriorating reputation in the wake of a disastrous app launch earlier this year that has caused many, if not most, Sonos systems to stop operating properly – if they operate at all. There has been tremendous upheaval among Sonos customers who have reacted angrily and negatively on Sonos-related message boards and other social media sites.

And now, just last week, Morgan Stanley analysts issued a rare “double downgrade” on Sonos shares – a significant ratings drop indicating that it expects the value of Sonos stock to underperform the market in the near- and mid-term future. Morgan Stanley’s analysis of why this double downgrade was necessary is pretty devastating.

See more on the Sonos slide and its attempts to turn things around

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Supply Chain Nightmares Return; Union Strikes at 36 Eastern & Gulf Ports

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The supply chain stressed by port strikes
Cargo ship loaded in New York container terminal at night viewed from Elizabeth NJ

On Tuesday this week, at precisely 12:01 a.m., 45,000 dockworkers in 36 ports up and down the East Coast and throughout the Gulf of Mexico went on strike. That sentence should send a shiver down your spine because, yes folks, a new supply chain nightmare has begun. This possibility has been on my radar screen for a couple of weeks, but I hesitated to write about it because I was hopeful that negotiations would yield a resolution that would prevent this nightmare from happening…and then I would have been accused of fear mongering.

But negotiations did not yield a solution…so here we are!

See more on a new supply chain nightmare

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Savant Announcements, Taken in Whole, Offer a Picture of a Smarter Smart Home

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A Savant smart home

Savant released several announcements at CEDIA Expo 2024, each of which was interesting on its own. Seeing these announcements reminded me of some of its past announcements – such as the acquisition of GE Lighting and J Geiger Shading – that were also interesting in their own right.

But only when you start putting these and other company developments together, like individual pieces of a mosaic, does a picture emerge of just where Savant is headed. And that picture…is truly compelling one of a smarter Smart Home.

See the Savant picture that emerges from multiple announcements

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Residential Construction Jumps in August as Mortgage Rate Drops Promise a Lift in Sales

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A prime example of residential construction - a home being built

The latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development showed that residential construction (housing starts) took off in August with high single-digit overall and even double-digit upside gains in the single-family construction segment. Many industry observers attributed the upturn to now more optimistic builders looking to take advantage of improving housing affordability with mortgage rates declining. Many builders believe this will stimulate a big upturn in sales.

See all the latest residential construction data

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Masimo: Elvis Has Left the Building; New Management Gets to Work

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Masimo headquarters in California

In a public press release and a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Masimo Corporation (Nasdaq: MASI) revealed that CEO, Chairman and Founder Joe Kiani resigned his position as CEO on September 19, 2024, in the wake of learning that William Jellison and Darlene Solomon, both Politan nominees, had been elected to the Board of Directors by a decisive margin. The Board has appointed an interim CEO and launched a search for a new permanent CEO.

See all the latest Masimo news as a new day dawns at the company

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Stock Value Jumps 8.7% on News Politan Nominees are Elected to Masimo Board

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The Days of Sound United as Part of Masimo are Likely Numbered

Masimo Corporation’s [Nasdaq: MASI] 2024 Annual Stockholders Meeting concluded yesterday, September 19, 2024, to the surprising news that the battle for control of the company’s Board of Directors was over…and there’s a new sheriff in town. According to a public statement released from Politan, activist investor Quentin Koffey, and his Politan Capital Management group’s nominated candidates, both won election to the two open Board seats – guaranteeing that the new independent directors are a majority of…and control…the Board.

Investors reacted to the news…and it was a strong reaction.

See more on the investor reaction to the Politan directors gaining control

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