Samsung had released a new ads shedding light on the upcoming Ativ lineup of Windows 8, RT for tablets and Windows Phone 8 on handsets.
The iPhone 5 launch was “and still” big, that it turned out so big that it slowed the growth of Android in the US and the UK, according to Kantar World Panel.
The rest of the EU5 (France, Germany, Italy and Spain) saw just the opposite – Android’s share went up, iOS went down.
It should be noted that iPhone 5 was on sale for only a week in Q3 (even less in some markets) and is yet to launch in China and Brazil, so Q4 is bound to bring big gains for iOS.
Anyway, during this year’s Q3, the market share of iOS in US went up to 35.7%, compared to 21.5% during the same period last year. That’s a massive increase of 14.2 percentage points. Meanwhile Android dropped from 66.4% to 57.5%. Another notable decline is that of BlackBerry, which is now below Microsoft’s OS (which is currently at 2.9%).
In the UK, iOS market share increased by 9.9 percentage points to 18.1%, but Android went up too – from 53.4% to 58.2%. RIM still holds a respectable 8.8% there, while the WP share more than doubled. Symbian practically went extinct in the UK.
iOS shares declined in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Australia, while Android’s shares increased in these markets. In Germany and Spain in particular, it’s almost complete domination with 77.8% and 82.7% respectively. In Brazil Android went from controlling a fifth of the market to half of it.
In EU5, iOS remained relatively constant, buoyed by its conquests in the UK, while Android went up by 16.2 percentage points. Windows saw decent gains, now controlling about 5% of the market, ahead of the former king, Symbian.
If you want to see all the numbers for all OSes, you can download the PDF from Kantar.
In its quarterly earnings report, Corning announced it’s protective Gorilla Glass screen is now used to protect more than 1 billion devices from scratches worldwide.
You could argue that toughened glass is the cornerstone of the modern mobile industry: without the knowledge that our touchscreen phones and tablets could survive the everyday risks of scratches and minor drops, many of us would be terrified of leaving home with a glass-covered mobile device in our hands. Corning now has evidence to prove just how important that silicate can be. Gorilla Glass is used by every company imaginable including the big dogs like Apple, Samsung, Nokia, HTC, LG, Sony and ASUS. The material helped the Specialty Materials division of corning to bring in $363 million in sales, which is a 21 percent increase over the same quarter of last year.
The company’s overall sales result in $2.04 billion, 7 percent on the last quarter and down 2 percent YoY.
Corning is also planning its next big product launch – an ultra-slim flexible glass dubbed Willow Glass.
According to Corning, the Willow Glass will be the key to new smartphone and gadget designs allowing curved glass surfaces at an affordable production cost.
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Official Press Release
Corning Announces Third-Quarter Results
Record sales of Corning® Gorilla® Glass
New agreements with LCD customers
CORNING, N.Y., October 24, 2012 – Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW) today announced its results for the third quarter of 2012.
Third-Quarter Summary
Sales were $2.04 billion, up 7% from quarter two and down 2% year over year.
Earnings per share were $0.35. Excluding special items, earnings per share were $0.34,* up 10% sequentially, and down 29% year over year.
Display Technologies total glass volume, from Corning’s wholly owned business and Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co., Ltd., was up by a low-double digit percentage, as expected. Price declines remained moderate.
Specialty Materials sales were up 23% sequentially and 21% year over year, driven by strong growth in Corning® Gorilla® Glass volumes, and much higher than expected.
Telecommunications sales decreased 6% sequentially and 7% year over year, and were lower than expectations.
Quarter Three Financial Comparisons
| Q3 2012 | Q2 2012 | % Change | Q3 2011 | % Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Sales in millions | $2,038 | $1,908 | 7% | $2,075 | (2%) |
| Net Income in millions | $521 | $462 | 13% | $811 | (36%) |
| Non-GAAP Net Income in millions* | $514 | $465 | 11% | $766 | (33%) |
| GAAP EPS | $0.35 | $0.30 | 17% | $0.51 | (31%) |
| Non-GAAP EPS* | $0.34 | $0.31 | 10% | $0.48 | (29%) |
*These are non-GAAP financial measures. The reconciliation between GAAP and non-GAAP measures is provided in the tables following this news release, as well as on the company’s investor relations website.
Reflecting on the company’s third-quarter performance, Wendell P. Weeks, chairman, chief executive officer, and president, said, “We were pleased with Corning’s overall performance this past quarter as we grew sales and earnings sequentially, and exceeded our expectations for the period.
“We are making progress on our goal to improve Corning’s overall profitability. We had our strongest quarterly sales to date for Corning Gorilla Glass. Our Display Technologies segment continued to stabilize its earnings with another quarter of moderate LCD glass price declines. However, weakening global economic conditions worked against our sales results in Telecommunications and Environmental Technologies.”
Weeks referenced Corning’s entry into new supply agreements with industry-leading LCD display manufacturers this past quarter. “These new customer agreements will assist us in maintaining Corning’s market position at specified levels and contain mechanisms that establish a relationship between Corning’s glass price and the market’s glass price. We believe these new agreements will allow us to manage our capacity more efficiently and enable us to continue improving our cost position,” he said.
Third-Quarter Segment Results
Sales in the Display Technologies segment were $763 million, a 19% sequential increase and 6% year-over-year decline. Glass price declines for LCD were moderate, as expected.
Telecommunications segment sales were $523 million, declining 6% sequentially and 7% year over year. The decline was driven by lower sales in North America and Europe, partially offset by growth in China. North American sales were impacted by certain project delays and a winding down of U.S. stimulus spending on optical cable in support of telecommunications infrastructure projects. European sales were impacted by a softening in market demand.
Specialty Materials segment sales were $363 million, a 23% sequential and 21% year-over-year increase driven by Gorilla Glass sales in the handheld and information technology device markets. Sales of semiconductor products were down sequentially and year over year.
Environmental Technologies segment sales were $233 million, a 6% sequential and year-over-year decline. Following the summer’s seasonal manufacturing shutdowns, higher light-duty diesel product sales were offset by lower sales of heavy-duty diesel filters and substrates. Orders for heavy-duty emissions products declined substantially as truck demand slowed significantly in the third quarter and manufacturers began to manage inventory.
Life Sciences segment sales were $155 million, down 4% sequentially and up 1% year over year. The company expects its acquisition of the majority of the BD Discovery Labware unit to be completed this year, pending regulatory approvals. When complete, the acquisition will be integrated into Corning’s Life Sciences business segment, providing a much broader portfolio of high-quality laboratory research products and expanded global market reach.
Dow Corning Corporation’s equity earnings were $48 million, down 21% sequentially, driven primarily by the absence of two non-recurring gains in the second quarter, and a higher tax rate. Dow Corning’s equity earnings were down 46% on a year-over-year basis, driven by severe weakness in the solar polysilicon market.
Corning’s gross margin for the quarter was 43%, up slightly over the previous quarter. The company ended the second quarter with $6.4 billion in cash and short-term investments. Corning continued to purchase outstanding common stock throughout the quarter, and expects to complete its stock repurchase program in the fourth quarter.
Looking Forward
“In quarter four, we will build on the great strides we have made toward achieving positive momentum in our LCD glass business,” James B. Flaws, vice chairman and chief financial officer said. “It was nearly one year ago that our LCD business experienced an upset that significantly reduced our profitability. Since then, we brought our glass capacity in line with demand, made significant progress in moderating LCD glass price declines, and established new supply agreements with key customers.”
The company has the following fourth-quarter expectations:
In Corning’s wholly owned display business and Samsung Corning Precision, total glass volume is expected to be consistent to down low-single digit percentage sequentially, depending on the level of normal seasonal inventory correction expected from panel manufacturers. Corning anticipates price declines for the fourth quarter will be slightly higher than the previous two quarters.
Telecommunications segment sales are anticipated to be consistent with third-quarter performance. Normal seasonal declines are expected to be offset by continued demand for optical fiber and cable products in China.
Specialty Materials segment sales are anticipated to be consistent with the record performance of the third quarter. Gorilla Glass sales are expected to remain strong in the fourth quarter.
Environmental Technologies segment sales are expected to be even to down slightly from the previous quarter.
In the Life Sciences segment, Corning forecasts sales to be down about 5% sequentially, driven by normal seasonality.
Corning’s tax rate is anticipated to be approximately 19% in the fourth quarter, and for the year in total.
“The weakening economy is affecting sales in many of our businesses, with several not achieving the growth expectations we set for the year. We believe these economic headwinds will persist next year. In order to deliver on our plan to grow earnings, we are likely to implement selected cost reductions in the areas of project spending, capital expenditures, and fixed costs, which may include modest headcount reductions,” Flaws said. “Once the restructuring plan is determined, we anticipate taking a pretax charge of up to $50 million in the fourth quarter to cover the cost of that restructuring.”
“We are executing our strategy to improve profits and deliver new growth opportunities, despite these challenges,” Flaws said. “Gorilla Glass, now available on more than one billion consumer electronics devices around the world, has been a resounding success for Corning, and we continue to bring other new technologies to market. We are excited about the development of Corning® Willow™ Glass, an ultra-slim flexible glass that we believe could revolutionize the shape and form of next-generation consumer electronics technologies, and we are experiencing success introducing new high-speed wireless connectivity solutions that greatly expand bandwidth capabilities in large venues such as stadiums and arenas. Moreover, we continue to supplement our organic growth with strategic acquisitions that expand our product offerings and increase our market access,” he said.
Flaws added, “These positive prospects, combined with Corning’s continuing strong operating cash flow and declining capital spending, gave the board of directors confidence to increase the company’s dividend payout by 20% earlier this quarter.
“Corning is executing the strategy we laid out to investors at the beginning of the year, and we believe our future is very bright.”
Last few days (in Europe) there was an outage in Amazon Web Services on the US East Coast caused disruption of some major online services that we all use and love. Websites and apps such as Reddit, Airbnb, Flipboard, and Viber have all been non-responsive. The outage has been felt the worst by users in Asia and the US, where the downtime was actually running through the day.
A member of the collective hacker group called Anonymous went public on Twitter to claim responsibility. Later on, an Amazon spokesperson stated this is not the case and Amazon servers had not been under attack.
Of course, it’s anyone’s guess what actually had happened. The good news is that by Tuesday morning in Europe most of the servers functionality was up again. Some services may be still experiencing slight hiccups, but that’s due to the high number of users trying to connect back and no longer due to a malfunction in Amazon’s cloud infrastructure.
Via : Cnet
After the ASUS Vivo Tab RT, AT&T addings the Samsung ATIV Smart PC to its lineup of 4G tablets. The Windows 8 slate features an imposing 11.6″ display, which makes it one of the most formidable around.
The Samsung ATIV Smart PC is powered by an Intel Clover Trail 1.5 GHz dual core processor, and features 64GB of built-in memory, which can be further expanded via microSD card slot. With an optional keyboard docking system, the slate is able to transform itself into a capable notebook.
The Samsung ATIV Smart PC boots Windows 8. It will come preloaded with a trial version of Microsoft Office 2013.
Its build quality and finish struck us as practically identical with what we saw in the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. With an 11.6″ display on board, the slate is definitely not from the compact crowd – we guess that most users will choose it along with the keyboard docking system.
The Samsung ATIV Smart PC will hit AT&T’s shelves in time for the holiday shopping season for a yet to be known price.
Source : AT&T
Samsung brining at the IFA 2012 not only one but two dockable Windows 8 tablets, the ATIV Smart PC and ATIV Smart PC Pro are two hybrid 11.6-inch tablets, which come with a detachable keyboard docks with handy touchpads. Both of them run a full version of the upcoming Windows 8 OS, but are also backward compatible with Windows 7.
Designed for the less demanding users, the ATIV Smart PC is powered by an undisclosed next generation Intel Atom processor, 2GB of RAM and offers a 128GB SSD. Both slates come sans optical drives.
In addition to that, both slates come with the Samsung S Pen, which will make most of the screen’s support of 1024-levels of pressure. The ATIV Smart PC Pro sports a full HD resolution screen, while the ATIV Smart PC makes do with a display of just 1366 x 768 pixels. Both have 10-finger multi-touch support and boast 400-nits of brightness.
The ATIV Smart PC Pro weighs 884 grams without the keyboard dock and 1.6kg with it, while the ATIV Smart PC is lighter at 750 grams without a dock and 1.48kg with it. The difference in the weight is due to the Pro’s Intel Core i5, 4GB of RAM and up to 256GB SSD drive inside it. The battery life of the slates is rated 13.5 hours for the Smart PC and just 8 hours for the Smart PC Pro. Unfortunately, the keyboard docks don’t pack additional juice. Both slates feature 3G and LTE connectivity, as well as Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 as well as microSD card slots. The ATIV Smart PC Pro also offers a USB 3.0 port. Both keyboard docks feature 2 x USB 2.0 ports and one mini-HDMI port for connecting to an external high-resolution display. Availability and pricing isn’t available at this stage.
For more head up to the PR and tell us after the break what you think in the comment section.
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Official Press Release
Samsung Ready to Go With Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8
Introduces ATIV[ati:v] family of Smart PCs, Tablets, and Smartphones
with a true unified Windows experience
BERLIN, Germany – August 29, 2012 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today announced its brand-new ATIV devices based on the Windows 8 for Smart PCs, tablets and Windows Phone 8 for smartphones.
With the introduction of Microsoft’s Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 operating systems, Samsung introduces “ATIV”, the new brand for its Windows-based devices. ATIV, the reverse order of the word VITA, meaning “Life” in Latin, is a pledge by Samsung to make everyone’s life extraordinary with excitement. The full range of Windows-powered devices will enable this goal. Today Samsung introduces ATIV SMART PC, ATIV Smart PC Pro, ATIV Tab, and ATIV S, a full range of ATIV devices. Samsung is one of very few companies that is capable of offering such a diverse product lineup and is committed to offering more choices based on the Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 platforms for consumers.
“Samsung is delighted to introduce a wide portfolio of Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8-powered devices. With our leadership in design and technology and Microsoft’s leadership in operating systems, together we are able to provide customers with a full range of ATIV devices for cross-category convergence,” said Seong Woo Nam, Executive Vice President of IT Solutions Business at Samsung Electronics.
“Samsung is a highly valued partner and it’s great to see this investment in a global brand for its Windows-based Smart PCs, tablets, and phones,” said Nick Parker, corporate vice president, OEM, Microsoft. “This gives us an increased opportunity to inspire our customers with excitement and confidence as they enjoy Windows experiences across their beautiful Samsung devices, including entertainment scenarios, mobile productivity and cloud services.”
Samsung’s ATIV devices are simple, powerful, and beautiful. The Windows operating system is sleek, intuitive and compatible across devices. Together Samsung and Microsoft will provide users with an advanced, productive and creative experience with its ATIV devices. Its full lineup is designed for a simple user experience to share your work and ideas as well as enjoy consuming content.
Furthermore, Samsung’s Windows devices are enhanced with Samsung’s own unique services and content. Samsung Family Story provides fun and intuitive content sharing. Samsung’s ChatON service complements Microsoft’s popular People Hub to provide a wide range of social communication options across these versatile devices.
Samsung ATIV Smart PC & Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro
Combing revolutionary design, the power of a notebook PC and the convenience of a tablet PC, the 11.6-inch Samsung ATIV Smart PC and ATIV Smart PC Pro are Samsung’s next set of smart devices. These provide computing power with Windows 8 functionality as well as full Windows 7 compatibility. Each device features a detachable keyboard-docking system that allows users to easily switch between a clamshell notebook PC and a tablet PC form factor. These devices allow for great mobility with maximum productivity.
An advanced 10-finger multi-touch screen provides a technological leap in interactivity, surpassing the traditional two-finger touch features. Its enhanced sensitivity allows users to pinch-to-zoom, rotate images and scroll through pages with ease to enjoy the full capabilities of the latest entertainment applications.
In addition to commonly-provided input methods, the ATIV Smart PC and ATIV Smart PC Pro are equipped with the renowned S Pen, delivering real writing and drawing experiences for maximum productivity, both on the desk and on-the-go. Just like using a pen or pencil, the Wacom digitizer pen is capable of meeting the demands of professional designers with its 1024-level pressure sensitivity. The pre-loaded S Note application accompanies the S Pen to make writing and drawing as simple and intuitive as possible.
While the S Camera fully exploits the performance of the integrated front and rear cameras, the S Player ensures seamless playback of images and videos in any format. This content is presented with Samsung’s SuperBright 11.6-inch Full HD LCD display, producing the most vivid colors and sharpness with 400nit brightness.
Beautifully stylish and ultra-portable, the ATIV Smart PC and ATIV Smart PC Pro are only 9.9mm and 11.9mm thick, respectively; and there are no compromises on performance. The ATIV Smart PC Pro’s powerful Intel® Core™ i5 processor can handle particularly demanding professional use and multimedia consumption; while the ATIV Smart PC’s next generation Intel® Atom™ processor is a solid match for everyday productivity tasks.
Despite their compact and portable form factor, the two devices feature USB 2.0(Smart PC), USB 3.0(Smart PC Pro), mHDMI, miniSD and two extra USB 2.0 ports on the keyboard. To get the experience going, the ATIV Smart PC has a battery life of up to 13.5 hours, whereas its stronger sister device, the ATIV Smart PC Pro, runs up to eight hours.
Samsung ATIV Tab: Windows RT Tablet with the optimization of PC experience and mobility
The new Samsung ATIV Tab is designed with a classy hairline finish, and delivers a full Windows 8-based PC experience with superior tablet mobility. Weighing 570g, featuring a 10.1″ display, and measuring 8.9mm thick, the ATIV Tab is always ready to go. It instantly boots up without lagging and comes with Office Home and Student 2013 RT, offering the new versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote to help transform the way people get things done at home, school or work. These applications are fully featured with complete document compatibility, meaning people can open and create any document, make edits on it and share it with others just like we do with PCs. An 8,200 mAh battery provides enough power to allow you to work on your projects and review or share them virtually anytime and anywhere. Moreover, the ATIV Tab is compatible with a range of Windows-based PC devices and accessories, including printers, keyboards, projectors, external monitors, and other peripherals, through its USB port and uHDMI, with no need to install extra software.
Samsung ATIV S: Smartphone with maximized PC experience
Samsung ATIV S is a new smartphone for both work and entertainment featuring Windows Phone 8.. ATIV S brings a stunning hairline design and high performance with a range of content-sharing and productivity options. Its impressive 1.5GHz dual-core processor and HSPA+42 connectivity enable great browsing performance and high responsiveness even for the most demanding gaming or work applications. Users can enjoy the brand new Windows Phone 8 experience on the ATIV S’s stunning 4.8″ HD Super AMOLED display.
Flipboard now supports video, but it’s always been focused on modernizing the reading experience. Until today, that is. Flipboard on Wednesday launched what it is calling “TV” channels – curated sections of its Content Guide sidebar that include only videos, no text, culled from popular YouTube channels.
In otherwise, this is nothing new – articles read through Flipboard can already contain videos. What is notable is that now Flipboard is making a specific play for audiovisual content inside its magazine-like applications. The app is now taking advantage of YouTube channels to give viewers a steady stream of video pattered along common themes.
Source : Flipboard
Today at the Samsung pre-IFA press conference, Samsung has showcased its Samsung ATIV Tab.
The Samsung ATIV Tab is powered by the same 1.5GHz dual-core processor as the ATIV S, but comes with 2GB of built-in RAM. The LCD display measures 10.1-inches and has a resolution of 1366×769 pixels. The ATIV Tab has a very slim 8.9mm body and weighs 570 grams, which is pretty decent for a tablet of its size. At the back, there’s a 5MP shooter, while a 1.9MP front-facing camera sits above the display.
The Samsung ATIV Tab will come with either 32GB or 64GB of integrated storage and will has a microSD card slot with support for up to 64GB. Connectivity options include NFC, microHDMI, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0. With a 8,200mAh battery at the back, this slate is sure to last quite long.
Source : Samsung
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