In a research note Wednesday, Brian White of Topeka Capital Markets says the “iTV” will be 60 inches on the diagonal, but could also come in 50- and 55-inch versions. Apple will also release a small “iRing” that fits on the viewer’s finger, allowing the user to control the screen by pointing, White says.
Panasonic said Fumio Ohtsubo will step down as chairman in June ahead of schedule to take responsibility for the company’s string of dismal financial results. Company president Kazuhiro Tsuga promised to improve profitability over the next two years as he announced a business plan and strategy for the fiscal year that begins next month.
Rumor has it that Apple plans on releasing a 4K “ultra HD” television set in late 2013 or early 2014. The smart TV would feature a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 and include voice and motion control functions.
Exclusives
According to IHS Screen Digest, more than a quarter of all televisions shipped in 2012 had so-called “smart” Internet connectivity capabilities, and the organization projects they will account for more than half of all shipments by 2015. In total, 66 million smart TVs shipped in 2012 (up 27% from the 52 million that shipped in 2011).
Sony Cuts 3Q Loss To $115 Million
The company reported a 10.7 billion yen ($115 million) loss for the October-December quarter compared with a 158 billion yen loss a year earlier. Quarterly sales inched up nearly 7% to 1.95 trillion yen ($21 billion) despite declining sales of gadgets such as flat-panel TVs and Blu-ray video recorders, but only because Sony got a boost from a weaker yen. Sony has lost money for the past four years as it fell behind powerful rivals such as Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. in profitability and innovation.
500,000+ Ultra HD Televisions To Ship This Year
Mobile DTV: ‘Kinda Cool And Actually Works’
At CES in Las Vegas last week, two companies were pushing gadgets that will convert an Apple Inc. iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch into a TV. Escort Inc., best known for automotive radar detectors, offers Escort Mobile TV, while Elgato Systems sells the EyeTV Mobile.
The idea is to make TV watching easier and more pleasant as viewers are confronted with more and more choices — from the hundreds of live TV channels from the cable or satellite provider to online video services such as Netflix Inc., Hulu and Apple’s iTunes. A traditional remote control that lets you flip through channels one at a time suddenly seems inadequate.
As the annual Consumer Electronics Show gets underway in Las Vegas, the focus is on big screens with ultra-high resolution as well as the growing adoption of tablets as viewing options.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — LG Electronics Inc. started taking pre-orders on Wednesday for the world’s first big TVs that use an advanced display technology promising startlingly clear images on […]
Smart TVs Not Utilized To Full Capacity
Smart TVs are growing, but many of those U.S. consumer owners are not smart enough — or just not interested — in using those TV units to their fullest potential.
The TVii service will debut in the U.S. and Canada on Thursday. The aim of the service is to bring order to the hundreds of channels on regular TV and the thousands of shows and movies available through apps from Netflix Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Hulu Plus and Google Inc.’s YouTube.
Apple TV Could Generate $13B in U.S. Rev
A product that doesn’t even exist yet could net Apple as much as $13 billion in revenue from U.S. consumers, according to a study by Morgan Stanley. The nifty device remains hypothetical at this point, but Apple’s plan for an internet-connected television is one of the worst kept secrets in Silicon Valley.
Japan’s troubled TV makers, Panasonic Corp., Sony Corp. and Sharp Corp., are selling buildings and businesses in a giant “garage sale” that could raise a combined $3 billion as the firms look to trim fixed costs and improve cashflow at a time of intense competition, particularly from South Korean rivals such as Samsung Electronics Co.
Apple will manufacture of one of its existing Mac lines exclusively in the United States next year, CEO Tim Cook told Brian Williams during an interview for NBC’s Rock Center. Cook also hinted that Apple is ready to redefine the television: “When I go into my living room and turn on the TV, I feel like I have gone backwards in time by 20 to 30 years,” Cook told Williams. “It’s an area of intense interest. I can’t say more than that.”
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – Samsung Electronics Co. promoted its chairman’s only son to vice chairman, putting the 44-year-old closer to the top leadership position at the world’s largest maker […]
Once venerable names in consumer electronics such as Sony, Panasonic and Sharp have been besieged by competition from rivals in the U.S., South Korea and, increasingly, China.
The introduction of Apple’s long-anticipated iPad Mini yesterday heralded what should be a huge holiday season for tablets. Apple, Amazon, Google and Microsoft all have new devices to push, and the Consumer Electronics Association predicts that a quarter of holiday shoppers will buy a tablet of some sort. That has sparked a surge in tablet advertising among marketers eager to get in on the next big thing.
The early-stage format offering resolution four times greater then HD will carry an industry-wide moniker of Ultra High-Definition or Ultra HD. The less flashy 4K will be shunted aside as a consumer term, according to the Consumer Electronics Association.
Only 2% of TVs in the U.S. are able to show 3D programming, according to the most recent data from research firm IHS Screen Digest. That’s about 6.9 million sets out of 331 million. After this year’s Christmas buying rush, IHS expects the number of 3D-capable televisions in homes to jump to 19.3 million, mostly because many new larger TVs automatically include the technology. If you’re in the market for a big-screen TV, you’re likely to wind up with 3D, too. Even so, 3D TVs will amount to fewer than 6% of all sets.
The consumer electronics industry is looking to shed the glasses and provide TV pictures that are sharper and brighter than HDTV.
The new set with four times the resolution of standard HDTVs will go on sale in October for $20,000.
By December, U.S. stores will sell a TV set with four times the resolution of today’s best HDTVs, Sony Corp. said Wednesday. The set will measure 84 inches on the diagonal, making the screen area four times as large as the common 42-inch set.
Eddy Cue, Apple’s head of Internet software and services, says Apple won’t get into the television business unless it can create a great user experience, which isn’t the slam dunk people think it is.
Sharp Corp. shares tumbled nearly 30% to their lowest closing level since 1976 on Friday as investors questioned whether Japan’s last major maker of television panels will survive the sunset of the country’s TV industry.
Panasonic Returns To Profit On Cost Cutting
TOKYO (AP) — Panasonic Corp. said Tuesday it returned to the black in the April-June quarter, logging a net profit of 12.8 billion ($163 million) mainly on lower costs after […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – LG Display Co. said 11 people including six of its own employees have been charged with stealing advanced TV display technology from rival Samsung. LG […]
