In yet another sign of an industry in transition, Chinese manufacturer Tong Fang Global – better known by the Seiki brand of A/V products it manufactures – has turned the typical industry model for introducing the latest and greatest technology on its ear. In the same show where Sharp rolls out a 70-inch 4K Ultra HDTV for $8,000, Seiki rolls out a 39-inch 4K Ultra HDTV for $700. How do they do it? Read on…
Sharp
Sharp Says: This is Our Sharpest Set Yet
The next phase of the TV wars has begun in earnest now in the wake of Sharp’s (and Toshiba’s) CE Week Day 1 roll-out of 4K Ultra HD television. In a presentation full of bluster and gusto, Sharp threw down the gauntlet with its 70-inch, top of the line Aquos UHDTV selling for a cool $8,000.
Learn more about this flagship set below – and see what Sharp’s VP told us about which retailers will participate in the rapidly approaching roll-out for this new technology.
Is Sharp’s 4K sharp enough?… [Read more…] about Sharp Says: This is Our Sharpest Set Yet
Sharp Adds Smarts to Its Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Sharp Corp. announced today that it will release a new updated model of its Cocorobo home cleaning robot with a very important added feature: smarts. Sharp has added the ability for this new model to adjust the amount of suction on an as-needed basis – dramatically improving battery performance for longer operation on a single charge.
See more about this smarter robot – a category that some think is “the next big thing” in electronics… [Read more…] about Sharp Adds Smarts to Its Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Sharp Launches 4K Ultra HDTV
Sharp Corp. announced today that it will begin selling 4K or Ultra High Definition televisions to high-end consumers in Japan starting in June, according to a report by the Nikkei. To be included as part of its Aquos line, the company says that 4K technology offers consumers four times the resolution of existing HDTVs.
See more on Sharp’s plans, including whether they have plans to export 4K to the U.S…. [Read more…] about Sharp Launches 4K Ultra HDTV
Huge Loss & Management Dismissals Induce Sharp Pain at Sharp Corp.
Sharp Corp. announced this week the worst net loss in its long corporate history for the fiscal year that ended March 31, 2013. Booking a net loss of ¥545.35 billion ($5.4 billion), the company has aggressively moved to shake up the company management replacing both the President and Chairman in a rare (for a Japanese company) public rebuke of company leaders. And in what may be a signal to the market, the new President has no ties to the company’s TV business…and he’s talking tough.
See more on this worse-than-expected result… [Read more…] about Huge Loss & Management Dismissals Induce Sharp Pain at Sharp Corp.
Banks Throw Sharp a $1.5 Billion Lifeline
Two key banks in Japan announced yesterday that they will extend Sharp Corp. an additional line of credit of ¥150 billion ($1.5 billion) over and above all of their other financing. Mizuho Corporate Bank and Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ originally had considered a ¥100 billion line, but ultimately decided to up the ante with each bank kicking in ¥75 billion – a real lifeline to the struggling electronics manufacturer.
See more on this surprise announcement out of Japan… [Read more…] about Banks Throw Sharp a $1.5 Billion Lifeline
WAVE Continues National Expansion with New Full Service Florida Location
WAVE Electronics (WAVE) announced this week that it has opened a new full service warehouse location in Dania Beach, FL, which is located in the more populous southern part of the state – just north of Miami between Hollywood and Ft. Lauderdale. Part of WAVE’s continuing national roll-out, just one month ago the company opened a new full service warehouse in New Jersey. This new Florida location brings their total to 10 locations.
Learn more about the success strategy for this rapidly growing CE distributor… [Read more…] about WAVE Continues National Expansion with New Full Service Florida Location
New Details of Drama Emerge in Continuing Sharp & Samsung Soap Opera
A story that has stunned many in Japan, the partnership between two former arch-rivals Sharp Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co., continues to churn out surprising new details of the backroom drama worthy of the most melodramatic soap opera. As the Japanese press digs up more of these stories, it is clear that Sharp – as desperate as it had become – was nervous, measured, and a little tentative in approaching the new pact.
See some of the surprising behind-the-scenes drama that is emerging from this unusual partnership… [Read more…] about New Details of Drama Emerge in Continuing Sharp & Samsung Soap Opera
Samsung Takes Significant Stake in Sharp Corp.
*STORY UPDATED BELOW* – FOXCONN ‘OFFENDED’
The Nikkei reported today that South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Company has agreed to invest ¥10 billion ($107 million) into former high-flying, now troubled Sharp Corporation as it continues to struggle to raise much-needed cash. According to the report, Sharp will issue the shares to Samsung possibly as early as this month.
The surprise announcement signifies that Samsung will have own significant share of Sharp… [Read more…] about Samsung Takes Significant Stake in Sharp Corp.
In Wake of Weak iPhone 5 Sales, Apple Cuts Parts Orders by 50%
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.
