It Took Real Failure For Samsung To Break Through With their New Galaxy S3 COMMENT: Apple may have delivered the first real smartphone back in 2007 when they rolled out the all new iPhone, but it is Samsung that is now pushing the design boundaries with their latest offering, the Galaxy S III, which comes with a big new Super AMOLED screen.
Price Gouging: Where Are Adobe & Microsoft Profits Going? COMMENT: As Microsoft and Adobe face a Federal Government probe into their pricing practises in Australia, one has to question why the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has not called for an investigation into the monopoly that both Companies have in the Australian market in the past.
Why Are News Ltd Journalists Avoiding One Of The Biggest Stories This Year? COMMENT: Despite having easy access to some of the most senior News Ltd executives, journalists at Rupert Murdoch owned publications seem to be avoiding one of the biggest stories of the year after the Australian Financial Review claimed that News Corp had promoted the pirating of its international pay-TV rivals, including Foxtel.
Retail Association Left With Egg On Their Face Over Lost Internet Jobs Claim The National Retail Association appears to have gone into the spin doctor and "questionable" figures business in an attempt to back up the Chairman of Harvey Norman, Gerry Harvey who last year led the charge in claiming that online web sales and the lack of a GST on imported goods is hurting Australian retailers.The claim was rejected by the Australian Federal Government at the time.
COMMENT: Poor Sales, Lost Profits Now The Internet Gets The Chop At Harvey Norman COMMENT: Last week Harvey Norman management was demanding that we pull down a story that revealed 24 Harvey Norman electrical store franchisees were set to be moved into new jobs. They also demanded that we hand over confidential emails sent to ChannelNews.
The Social Nework Beast Vs Gerry Harvey Who Will Win? COMMENT: Consumers today are using social networks to vent their anger about Harvey Norman following this morning’s announcement that sales have slumped 10.2% at their Australian stores and that pre tax earnings are down 17.69% for the period ending December 2011.
Why Apple Should Buy Sony COMMENT: Apple whose share is now hovering at $500 has more money than it needs, according to CEO Tim Cook.
Moan & Groan Gerry Vs JB Hi Fi Who Is Winning? COMMENT: While Harvey Norman boss Gerry Harvey spent the last six months preaching doom and gloom for the retail industry, including “massive” job losses,” his opposite number Terry Smart at JB Hi Fi was getting on with the job of delivering an increase in revenues of 5.4% with sales for the six month period ending December coming in at $1.77 Billion.
Has Gerry Harvey Called In His Mates To Get Him Out Of A PR Hole? COMMENT: There is nothing like rounding up your high profile mates or the odd media group where you spend millions of advertising dollars to lobby for you, when you have dug a hole that you now find yourself struggling to get out of.
Sony Is Weak, Sliding Downhill & Gathering Speed To Their Demise COMMENT: Back in 1997 when Apple was facing the real possibility of Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Sony was the high flying kid on the block. Sony Trinitron TVs were popular, as was their portable music player, the Walkman.
Why Dick Smith Is An Out Of Touch Whinger What is it with Dick Smith and his obsessive attitude to everything having to be either made in Australia or owned by Australians?
Why The HTC Velocity Is Facing A Short 4G Life And Apple 4G Could Be King A new problem has emerged for the new HTC 4G Velocity in that it sucks battery life at a fast rate of knots when you are talking, downloading video, watching video or simply accessing web pages. This could see the device have a very short life in Australia compared to new vendors, such as Apple, who are set to launch 4G smartphones with new Qualcomm V2 LTE technology.
Gaming Fight Reveals The High Cost Of Shopping At Harvey Norman COMMENT: Why are consumer electronics, games and IT gear so expensive in Australia? It’s because retailers like Harvey Norman have been screwing manufacturers for years. Now the big retailer is trying to deflect blame onto other retailers.
Why A TV Is A High Risk Device For Apple COMMENT: If Apple do go into the TV business they are going to need two things to give them an edge, superior content and software similar to AirPlay that delivers a TV experience beyond what we have today from other TV manufacturers.
Apple Hands Over Millions In Free Samsung Tablet Publicity COMMENT: Despite their $86 Billion in the bank and their millions spent trying to teach Samsung a lesson in patent law, Apple have been left with egg on their face after the Australian High Court today denied Apple's request to appeal an earlier decision overturning a ban on Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1.
Dumb Move By High Court In iiNet Appeal Case The Australian High Court has warned journalists planning to cover the forthcoming appeal in the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft v iiNet case that they won't be permitted to tweet from the courtroom – or to use any electronic device such as voice recorders.
COMMENT: Canon, Stop Being Pathetic Consumers Are Now In Control Not You Canon, the Japanese digital Camera Company who earlier this year started direct selling to consumers, is now miffed because JB Hi Fi has chosen to source cheap Canon products direct from an Asian distributor as opposed to selling their expensive locally supplied products.
Why JB Hi Fi Is On A Winner Grey Importing Digital Cameras COMMENT: The decision by JB Hi Fi to sell branded digital camera products imported directly from overseas distributors as opposed to sourcing products directly from digital camera subsidiaries operating in Australia has been brought about solely because of competition.
Apple Store Staff Mourn Jobs Consumers Buy Memento Products Steven P. Jobs, the Apple chairman and co-founder of the now legendary technology Company has never visited Apple Australia but there are a lot of Australians mourning his death today.
'Handle With Care': How Vodafone Labels Disgruntled Users Troubled telco Vodafone are treading carefully after what has been a catastrophic period in customer relations. So much so that it is now categorising customers “handle with care” or “service recovery” on their user database.
Is Nikon Set To Hurt Canon With New Mirrorless Cameras? COMMENT: Canon, who is already facing pricing and online trading problems in Australia, is facing a new threat after arch rival Nikon burst into the mirrorless camera market yesterday with their new Nikon 1 offering which they claim is faster than a lot of the pro cameras on the market.
Why Windows Tablets Could Be The Next Big Thing COMMENT: The decision by Apple to start a legal slugfest with the likes of Samsung, HTC and Google may have given arch rival Microsoft a new lease of life, as vendors who had started to migrate away from Microsoft Windows software for tablets & smartphones return to it as an alternative to the patent plagued Android software.
Sharp Launch TV With No Plug In Aerial, Its A Pity About Their Marketing COMMENT: Shortly Sharp will launch a brand new Freestyle Aquos that is not bound by the location of the traditional aerial plug. Instead Sharp is introducing a new wireless tuner that sends the broadcast signals to a TV anywhere in the house.
Will Samsung Buy Palm From Hewlett Packard? Shortly after the 2009 CES, where Palm revealed its new WebOS, Hewlett-Packard dived in and acquired the cash poor phone Company for $1.8 billion. It was a high risk gamble to get into the phone and tablet market which now appears to have imploded.
Retailers Blame OZ Post For Their Own Incompetence COMMENT: Mass market retailers along with the National Retail Association have launched a scathing attack on of all people Australia Post for the simple reason that they deliver goods purchased over the Internet.
Why Has Apple Chosen To Try And Bloody Samsung In OZ? COMMENT: Why has Apple chosen Australia to take on Samsung in a patent fight over tablet design? Is it because we are a Westernised test market that looks good for a legal fight or are our laws weaker than some other markets where Apple and Samsung compete in?
Nokia Management To Blame For Losses & Share Slump COMMENT: As Nokia slumps further into the mire and Samsung, HTC and Apple strip market share away from the Finish phone Company, one has to question the sheer stupidity of Nokia management, who on the surface appear to lack the marketing and sales skills need to turn the Company around.
Apple Profit Teaches Gerry Harvey A Lesson COMMENT: Revenue up 82%, profits up 125%, cash flow up 131%. This is just another day in the office for Apple who earlier today reported a bumper $8 Billion dollar profit.
Fujitsu General Management Issue Rant Email Fujitsu General management in Australia appear to have problems differentiating their company from Fujitsu Ltd. Best known for selling energy guzzling air conditioners, Fujitsu General management yesterday took a swipe at ChannelNews and SmartHouse, claiming that we got a story wrong.
COMMENT: Why Smart TVs Are Plain Dumb COMMENT: When the Financial Review recently panned a new so called 'Smart' Sony Bravia TV, using the headline ‘Beautiful but not Smart’ the reviewer touched on a subject that could well have an adverse impact on several TV vendors.
iCloud Apple Apps & Google Android Become High Risk Cloud Enviroments COMMENT: Hosting a document or an application on a cloud based server like iCloud has just taken a nasty turn after a US Company managed to intimidate Google into taking down several Android TV applications run by global TV Companies because of the use of the generic words TV Guide.
Nokia Likened To Betting On A Horse Thats On Its Way To The Knackers Yard The decision from Nokia to launch their new N9 phone with a new operating system called MeeGo when they are struggling to sell what they’ve already got was described by a UK journalist as trying to get consumers to bet on a horse that’s already on its way to the knackers yard.
COMMENT: Plonker Facebook Squad Left With Red Faces COMMENT: A Queensland Police Publicity stunt or cops that do not have a clue about technology and social networking? The recent arrest of Fairfax Journalist Ben Grubb by Queensland Police raises some interesting issues.
Sony Is A Mess & CEO Stringer Is Set To Be The Fall Guy COMMENT: Sony is a mess with little, if any, product innovation coming from the Japanese company, and while financial investors are baying for the dumping of their CEO Sir Howard Stringer, one has to seriously question the company’s ability to survive in a brutal consumer electronics market that is now being driven by the likes of Google, Samsung and Apple.
GST Probes Big Retail In Wake Of Borders, Colorado Collapse GST investigation has now opened a bag of worms, including the fact retailers here enjoy far higher profits than foreign rivals. The government investigation into retailers GST claims has led them to look at some other issues including the growth of retail giants including Officeworks.
Why Launching A New iPad 3 In September Makes Sense COMMENT: Speculation has it that Apple is set to announce an iPad 3 in September, with a faster processor and improved functionality. The product, if launched, will come six months after the launch of the iPad2, which goes on sale tomorrow.
JB Hi Fi To Sell Apple iPad 2 For Under Cost? COMMENT:JB Hi Fi has no plans to sell the iPad 2 under cost, but just imagine what would happen if they did? It would drive people to their stores with a high probability that many would spend their savings on other products in their stores.
