sales – Page 3 – iGyaan Network

Royal Enfield Targets 150,000 Sales In 2013

Royal Enfield, India’s oldest maker of motorcycles, is looking at doubling its sales at 150,000 units during the next year (2013) as against 75,000 units sold in 2011. For the year 2012, the company is aiming at selling 100,000 bikes.

In order to meet the growing demand for its high performance motorcycles, the company is setting up second manufacturing unit at Oragadam near Chennai at an investment of Rs 150 crore. It has bought 50 acres land for the purpose. The plant will commence production during the first quarter of 2013, Shaji Koshy, senior vice president, sales and marketing, Royal Enfield said.

[quote]“Last year we sold 75,000 units, whereas we have achieved that mark in the first three quarters of this year. Our monthly sales volume has increased to 10,000 units from 7,000 units in January this year. With the launch of Thunderbird 500 we hope to double our sales in 2013,” he said.[/quote]

Talking to reporters after the launch of Thunderbird 500 and all-new Thunderbird 350 in Bangalore on Thursday, Koshy said the company would have a combined manufacturing capacity of 150,000 units in 2013. The company has also increased its dealer network in the country to 237 outlets. The company will start delivering the newly launched bike from end of November and the customers, who have booked Thunderbird 350 would be given a choice to shift to Thunderbird 500 before commencing the booking for new customers, he added.

The company plans to export about 5 per cent of its total capacity next year. It currently exports its bikes to USA, UK, Canada, and Latin America among other markets.

Thunderbird 500 is available for Rs 186,622 (On-road, Bangalore) and Thunderbird 350 comes with a price of Rs 146,466 (On-road, Bangalore)

[Business Standard]

October 26, 2012

Apple Announces Q3 results : $35 billion revenue, $8.8 billion in net profits

Apple has announced their Q3 results and as always the company has posted a massive profit. The company pulled in $35 billion in revenue, pocketing $8.8 billion of pure profit, a record for both in Q3. Profits were up $1.5 billion from Q3 of 2011. During the last three months the company shipped 17 million iPads, an 84 percent increase when compared to the same quarter in 2011.

More than $16 billion of the total revenue is directly attributable to the smaller member of the iOS family, the iPhone. The iPad is also not behind getting over $9 billion in this quarter alone. As an up, Apple is able to award its investors a $2.65 per-share dividend.For the next quarter Apple actually expects a small drop in both revenue and earnings per-share.

Tim Cook also discussed how China has instrumental in Apple’s continued growth. While revenues were down $2.2 billion from the previous quarter in the country they were up roughly 48 percent year-over-year to $5.7 billion.

[toggle_box title=”Apple Q3 Earnings Report” width=”Width of toggle box”]

Apple Reports Third Quarter Results
17 Million iPads Sold

CUPERTINO, Calif., Jul 24, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — –Board Declares Quarterly Dividend of $2.65 per Common Share

Apple(R) today announced financial results for its fiscal 2012 third quarter ended June 30, 2012. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $35.0 billion and quarterly net profit of $8.8 billion, or $9.32 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $28.6 billion and net profit of $7.3 billion, or $7.79 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 42.8 percent compared to 41.7 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 62 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

The Company sold 26.0 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 28 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 17.0 million iPads during the quarter, an 84 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 4.0 million Macs during the quarter, a two percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 6.8 million iPods, a 10 percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter.

Apple’s Board of Directors has declared a cash dividend of $2.65 per share of the Company’s common stock. The dividend is payable on August 16, 2012, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on August 13, 2012.

“We’re thrilled with record sales of 17 million iPads in the June quarter,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We’ve also just updated the entire MacBook line, will release Mountain Lion tomorrow and will be launching iOS 6 this Fall. We are also really looking forward to the amazing new products we’ve got in the pipeline.”

“We’re continuing to invest in the growth of our business and are pleased to be declaring a dividend of $2.65 per share today,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO. “Looking ahead to the fourth fiscal quarter, we expect revenue of about $34 billion and diluted earnings per share of about $7.65.”

Apple will provide live streaming of its Q3 2012 financial results conference call beginning at 2:00 p.m. PDT on July 24, 2012 at www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/earningsq312 . This webcast will also be available for replay for approximately two weeks thereafter.

This press release contains forward-looking statements including without limitation those about the Company’s estimated revenue and diluted earnings per share. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ. Risks and uncertainties include without limitation the effect of competitive and economic factors, and the Company’s reaction to those factors, on consumer and business buying decisions with respect to the Company’s products; continued competitive pressures in the marketplace; the ability of the Company to deliver to the marketplace and stimulate customer demand for new programs, products, and technological innovations on a timely basis; the effect that product introductions and transitions, changes in product pricing or mix, and/or increases in component costs could have on the Company’s gross margin; the inventory risk associated with the Company’s need to order or commit to order product components in advance of customer orders; the continued availability on acceptable terms, or at all, of certain components and services essential to the Company’s business currently obtained by the Company from sole or limited sources; the effect that the Company’s dependency on manufacturing and logistics services provided by third parties may have on the quality, quantity or cost of products manufactured or services rendered; risks associated with the Company’s international operations; the Company’s reliance on third-party intellectual property and digital content; the potential impact of a finding that the Company has infringed on the intellectual property rights of others; the Company’s dependency on the performance of distributors, carriers and other resellers of the Company’s products; the effect that product and service quality problems could have on the Company’s sales and operating profits; the continued service and availability of key executives and employees; war, terrorism, public health issues, natural disasters, and other circumstances that could disrupt supply, delivery, or demand of products; and unfavorable results of other legal proceedings. More information on potential factors that could affect the Company’s financial results is included from time to time in the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of the Company’s public reports filed with the SEC, including the Company’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 24, 2011, its Forms 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended December 31, 2011 and March 31, 2012, and its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2012 to be filed with the SEC. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or information, which speak as of their respective dates.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple’s PR website ( www.apple.com/pr ), or call Apple’s Media Helpline at (408) 974-2042.

Apple Inc.
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In millions, except number of shares which are reflected in
thousands and per share amounts)
Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended
——————————- ——————————-
June 30, 2012 June 25, 2011 June 30, 2012 June 25, 2011
————— ————— ————— —————
Net sales $ 35,023 $ 28,571 $ 120,542 $ 79,979
Cost of sales (1) 20,029 16,649 66,281 47,541
——- ——- ——- ——-
Gross margin 14,994 11,922 54,261 32,438
——- ——- ——- ——-
Operating expenses:
Research and development (1) 876 628 2,475 1,784
Selling, general and administrative (1) 2,545 1,915 7,489 5,574
——- ——- ——- ——-
Total operating expenses 3,421 2,543 9,964 7,358
——- ——- ——- ——-
Operating income 11,573 9,379 44,297 25,080
Other income and expense 288 172 573 334
——- ——- ——- ——-
Income before provision for income taxes 11,861 9,551 44,870 25,414
Provision for income taxes 3,037 2,243 11,360 6,115
——- ——- ——- ——-
Net income $ 8,824 $ 7,308 $ 33,510 $ 19,299
======= ======= ======= =======
Earnings per common share:
Basic $ 9.42 $ 7.89 $ 35.89 $ 20.91
Diluted $ 9.32 $ 7.79 $ 35.48 $ 20.63
Shares used in computing earnings per share:
Basic 936,596 926,108 933,672 922,917
Diluted 947,059 937,810 944,440 935,688
(1) Includes stock-based compensation expense as follows:
Cost of sales $ 70 $ 52 $ 196 $ 155
Research and development $ 172 $ 119 $ 500 $ 336
Selling, general and administrative $ 206 $ 113 $ 596 $ 379

Apple Inc.
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In millions, except number of shares which are reflected in
thousands)
June 30, 2012 September 24, 2011
——————– ——————–
ASSETS:
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents $ 7,945 $ 9,815
Short-term marketable securities 19,709 16,137
Accounts receivable, less allowances of $94 and $53, respectively 7,657 5,369
Inventories 1,122 776
Deferred tax assets 2,309 2,014
Vendor non-trade receivables 6,641 6,348
Other current assets 6,560 4,529
———- ———-
Total current assets 51,943 44,988
Long-term marketable securities 89,567 55,618
Property, plant and equipment, net 10,487 7,777
Goodwill 1,132 896
Acquired intangible assets, net 4,329 3,536
Other assets 5,438 3,556
———- ———-
Total assets $ 162,896 $ 116,371
========== ==========
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY:
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable $ 16,808 $ 14,632
Accrued expenses 10,430 9,247
Deferred revenue 5,822 4,091
———- ———-
Total current liabilities 33,060 27,970
Deferred revenue – non-current 2,530 1,686
Other non-current liabilities 15,560 10,100
———- ———-
Total liabilities 51,150 39,756
———- ———-
Commitments and contingencies
Shareholders’ equity:
Common stock, no par value; 1,800,000 shares authorized; 937,266 and 15,573 13,331
929,277 shares issued and outstanding, respectively
Retained earnings 95,641 62,841
Accumulated other comprehensive income 532 443
———- ———-
Total shareholders’ equity 111,746 76,615
———- ———-
$ 162,896 $ 116,371
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity
========== ==========

Apple Inc.
UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In millions)
Nine Months Ended
—————————————–
June 30, 2012 June 25, 2011
——————– ——————–
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of the period $ 9,815 $ 11,261
——— ———
Operating activities:
Net income 33,510 19,299
Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash generated by operating
activities:
Depreciation, amortization and accretion 2,296 1,271
Share-based compensation expense 1,292 870
Deferred income tax expense 4,066 2,232
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable, net (2,278) (592)
Inventories (346) 162
Vendor non-trade receivables (293) (955)
Other current and non-current assets (3,238) (1,551)
Accounts payable 2,450 2,480
Deferred revenue 2,575 1,276
Other current and non-current liabilities 1,686 2,608
——— ———
Cash generated by operating activities 41,720 27,100
——— ———
Investing activities:
Purchases of marketable securities (121,091) (75,133)
Proceeds from maturities of marketable securities 10,344 16,396
Proceeds from sales of marketable securities 73,140 34,301
Payments made in connection with business acquisitions, net of cash (350) 0
acquired
Payments for acquisition of property, plant and equipment (4,834) (2,615)
Payments for acquisition of intangible assets (1,067) (266)
Other (56) 34
——— ———
Cash used in investing activities (43,914) (27,283)
——— ———
Financing activities:
Proceeds from issuance of common stock 433 577
Excess tax benefits from equity awards 1,036 915
Taxes paid related to net share settlement of equity awards (1,145) (479)
——— ———
Cash generated by financing activities 324 1,013
——— ———
(Decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents (1,870) 830
——— ———
Cash and cash equivalents, end of the period $ 7,945 $ 12,091
========= =========
Supplemental cash flow disclosure:
Cash paid for income taxes, net $ 5,901 $ 2,563

Apple Inc.
Q3 2012 Unaudited Summary Data
(Units in thousands, Revenue in millions)
Q2 2012 Q3 2011 Q3 2012
———————- ———————- ———————-
Sequential Change Year/Year Change
——————- ——————-
Operating Segments Mac Units Revenue Mac Units Revenue Mac Units Revenue Mac Units Revenue Mac Units Revenue
——— ———– ——— ———– ——— ———– ——— ——- ——— ——-
Americas 1,214 $ 13,182 1,487 $ 10,126 1,522 $ 12,806 25% – 3% 2% 26%
Europe 1,048 8,807 922 7,098 941 8,237 – 10% – 6% 2% 16%
Japan 158 2,645 150 1,510 173 2,009 9% – 24% 15% 33%
Asia Pacific 771 10,153 620 6,332 593 7,887 – 23% – 22% – 4% 25%
Retail 826 4,399 768 3,505 791 4,084 – 4% – 7% 3% 17%
——— —— ——— —— ——— ——
Total Operating Segments 4,017 $ 39,186 3,947 $ 28,571 4,020 $ 35,023 0% – 11% 2% 23%
========= === ====== ========= === ====== ========= === ======
Sequential Change Year/Year Change
——————- ——————-
Product Summary Units Revenue Units Revenue Units Revenue Units Revenue Units Revenue
——— ———– ——— ———– ——— ———– ——— ——- ——— ——-
Mac Desktops (1)(9) 1,199 $ 1,563 1,155 $ 1,580 1,010 $ 1,287 – 16% – 18% – 13% – 19%
Mac Portables (2)(9) 2,818 3,510 2,792 3,525 3,010 3,646 7% 4% 8% 3%
——— —— ——— —— ——— ——
Subtotal Mac 4,017 5,073 3,947 5,105 4,020 4,933 0% – 3% 2% – 3%
iPod (3)(9) 7,673 1,207 7,535 1,325 6,751 1,060 – 12% – 12% – 10% – 20%
Other Music Related Products and Services (4) 2,151 1,571 2,060 – 4% 31%
iPhone and Related Products and Services (5)(9) 35,064 22,690 20,338 13,311 26,028 16,245 – 26% – 28% 28% 22%
iPad and Related Products and Services (6)(9) 11,798 6,590 9,246 6,046 17,042 9,171 44% 39% 84% 52%
Peripherals and Other Hardware (7) 643 517 663 3% 28%
Software, Service and Other Sales (8) 832 696 891 7% 28%
—— —— ——
Total Apple $ 39,186 $ 28,571 $ 35,023 – 11% 23%
=== ====== === ====== === ======
(1) Includes revenue from iMac, Mac mini and Mac Pro sales.
(2) Includes revenue from MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro sales.
(3) Includes revenue from iPod sales.
(4) Includes revenue from sales from the iTunes Store, App Store and
iBookstore in addition to sales of iPod services and Apple-branded
and third-party iPod accessories.
(5) Includes revenue from sales of iPhone, iPhone services, and
Apple-branded and third-party iPhone accessories.
(6) Includes revenue from sales of iPad, iPad services, and
Apple-branded and third-party iPad accessories.
(7) Includes revenue from sales of displays, networking products and
other hardware.
(8) Includes revenue from sales of Apple-branded and third-party Mac
software, and services.
(9) Includes amortization of related revenue deferred for non-software
services and embedded software upgrade rights.

[/toggle_box]

[Apple]

July 25, 2012

Google halts 16GB Nexus 7 sales due to heavy demand

Sources close to Google say the search giant seriously underestimated the demand for the 16GB version of its 7in Nexus 7 tablet, which has sold out from stockists and other sources while demand for the smaller 8GB version remains comparatively low.

The company has now halted further orders of the 16GB version of the tablet, costing £199, on its Google Play store in the US and UK. Orders made in the period up to the end of last week are due to be fulfilled, but a shortage of stock now means a hiatus in sales.

While the 8GB model, which costs £159, is shown as “in stock“ and being delivered in 3-5 business days, the 16GB version only offers an option to “sign up to be notified by email“ when it becomes available.

The 8GB version is only being sold through Google’s own store, rather than physical retailers – but online buyers appear to have shunned it, surprising Google, which had thought that the cheaper version, despite having only half as much storage, would sell better than it has.

The Guardian understands that Google’s planners had thought that buyers on the Google Play store, more than from physical or online retailers, would be more committed to the company’s “cloud” concept, and so would have more of their content stored online, rather than wanting to keep it on the device.

But most buyers appear to have noted that the storage on the device cannot be upgraded and decided to get the larger model.

The Nexus 7 appears to have been a huge hit, although Google has not yet released any figures for sales. Its principal competitors for sales in physical stores such as Currys and PC World in the UK are Apple’s iPad and Amazon’s Kindle Touch. A spokesperson for Dixons Retail, which sells all three, said sales of the Nexus 7 have been “extremely brisk” but declined to say where it ranked against the other two.

Google has already put off the date for deliveries of the 16GB versiononce, extending it by up to a week. Asus is believed to be ramping up production of another batch of models, but that could take some weeks to arrive.

In the UK, Tesco is understood to have turned down a number of orders made online for the 16GB version after overwhelming demand. It is not selling the 8GB version.

Google has seen huge demand for the Nexus 7 since announcing it on 27 June and offering online ordering directly from the Google Play online store, followed a few days later by the announcement that a number of physical retailers would be selling it.

The Nexus 7 marks Google’s first foray into the tablet business. The device is made to Google’s specifications by Asus; the 8GB version is being sold almost at cost ($199 compared to the build cost of $157), according to estimates by IHS iSuppli. The 16GB version is more profitable for Google.

Source : The Guardian

July 23, 2012

Inspan focuses on Corsair Force GT 240, 480 SSDs

Inspan Infotech, one of the largest IT distribution companies for motherboards and hardware components, aggressively focuses on the sales of Corsair Force GT 240 and 480 SSDs. The efforts are being put to increase the sales of SSDs with the increasing demand for these units across the country.

[quote]The market is demanding for Corsair Force GT 240 and 480GB units because of its slashing prices. The products of Corsair have always been known for its superior quality and innovative technology and if the combination is available at a lower price, who will not ask for it said Sudhir S, Managing Director at Inspan Infotech. Our partners are all ready to make this available for their customers and we are more than happy to serve them said Sudhir S.[/quote]

The demand for Corsair Force GT 240 & 480GB SSDs is increasing with the decreasing prices of SSDs. It is across the country and Inspan plans to target all the metro cities and also encourage its partners to get the awareness of the same in tier II and tier III cities in their specific regions.

These products are designed for performance and durability. Force Series GT SSDs support the Windows 7 TRIM command. This allows them to store only the data they need and perform memory optimization to ensure the fastest possible write speeds. Because SSDs have no moving parts, they can handle shock, vibration and temperature changes far in excess of traditional hard drives, which are important for desktop PCs, and essential for notebooks. There is also no noise or vibration as compared to the traditional drives and the lower power consumption helps keep things cool inside the PC.

Price, Availability and Warranty

Corsair Force GT 240 – Rs 19,990

Corsair Force GT 480 – Rs 38,990

The products come with a warranty period of 3 years and are available ex-stock.

June 20, 2012

Samsung SIII gets over 9 Million Pre-Orders Worldwide

Samsung Galaxy SIII, the device recently launched in London with a worldwide announcement of features, has received over 9 million pre-orders worldwide according to the Korea Economic Daily. If these numbers are to be believed, then Samsung is almost close to the half of the 20 million SIIs they sold overall till FEB 2012.

According to a separate report by Reuters, the company’s factories are producing 5 million units monthly, so it does not seem like stocks should be an issue once the device does get launched.

[Korea Economic Daily]

May 18, 2012

Apple Q2 Earnings show net profit of $11.6 billion, $39.2 billion in revenue

Talk about big bucks, while companies stubble to hit the million mark, Apple continues to show good results Quarter over Quarter. The new numbers rank in at US $ 39.2 Billion in Revenue for the company , with upwards of 30 million iPhones sold and 12 million iPads sold.

The new $12.30 earnings per share, compared to an estimated $10.04 earnings per share – adds up to $39.2 billion in revenue and $11.6 billion in profit. The iPhone sales show an 88% growth from the previous years quarter and the iPad sales show a whopping 151% increase over the last years same quarter.

Apple also sold over 4 million Mac units, making it a 7 % increase, with the same quarter last year.

We’re thrilled with sales of over 35 million iPhones and almost 12 million iPads in the March quarter. The new iPad is off to a great start, and across the year you’re going to see a lot more of the kind of innovation that only Apple can deliver.”

-Tim Cook , CEO Apple

In a comparison with the last 2 years, Apple’s profits ar double compared to Q2 2011, and Four times compared to Q2 2010.

[Apple]

April 25, 2012

Samsung sells 20 Million Galaxy S II units

Samsung has just announced that they have sold over 20 million Galaxy S II phones till date since launch. After crossing the 10 Mil mark back in September, the overly popular device crossed the 20 million mark in Feb 2012. The device was the most prominent phones of 2011, simply because of the mix of the amazing specs and hardware, along with great customizations from Samsung. If you are still considering the device you can see our review here.

February 23, 2012

Gartner: Apple leads, Android level dips

According to a recent report by Gartner Apple leads as the world’s top smartphone vendor by market share (19 percent), majorly thanks to the holiday quarter. During the season Apple sold some 35.5 million handsets to end users, a 121.4 percent increase from Q4 2010.

Apple now also overtook LG as the Third largest seller of mobile handsets with 7.4 percent market share in the past holiday quarter right behind Nokia (23.4 percent) and Samsung (19.4 percent).

[box style=”rounded” border=”full”]

Gartner Says Worldwide Smartphone Sales Soared in Fourth Quarter of 2011

Apple Became Top Smartphone Vendor in Fourth Quarter of 2011 and in 2011 as a Whole

Egham, UK, February 15, 2012-

Worldwide smartphone sales to end users soared to 149 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011, a 47.3 per cent increase from the fourth quarter of 2010, according to Gartner, Inc. Total smartphone sales in 2011 reached 472 million units and accounted for 31 percent of all mobile devices sales, up 58 percent from 2010.

Smartphone volumes during the quarter rose due to record sales of Apple iPhones. As a result, Apple became the third-largest mobile phone vendor in the world, overtaking LG. Apple also became the world’s top smartphone vendor, with a market share of 23.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, and the top smartphone vendor for 2011 as a whole, with a 19 percent market share. “Western Europe and North America led most of the smartphone growth for Apple during the fourth quarter of 2011,” said Roberta Cozza, principal research analyst at Gartner. “In Western Europe the spike in iPhone sales in the fourth quarter saved the overall smartphone market after two consecutive quarters of slow sales.”

The quarter saw Samsung and Apple cement their positions further at the top of the market as their brands and new products clearly stood out. LG, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and Research In Motion (RIM) again recorded disappointing results as they struggled to improve volumes and profits significantly. These vendors were also exposed to a much stronger threat from the midrange and low end of the smartphone market as ZTE and Huawei continued to gain share during the quarter.

Worldwide mobile device sales to end users totaled 476.5 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011, a 5.4 percent increase from the same period in 2010 (see Table 1). In 2011 as a whole, end users bought 1.8 billion units, an 11.1 percent increase from 2010 (see Table 2). “Expectations for 2012 are for the overall market to grow by about 7 percent, while smartphone growth is expected to slow to around 39 percent,” said Annette Zimmermann, principal research analyst at Gartner.

In the fourth quarter of 2011, Nokia’s mobile phone sales numbered 111.7 million units, an 8.7 percent decrease from last year. “Samsung closed the gap with Nokia in overall market share,” said Ms. Cozza. “Samsung profited from strong smartphone sales of 34 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011. The troubled economic environment in Europe and Nokia’s weakened brand status posed challenges that were hard to overcome in just one quarter. However, Nokia proved its ability to execute and deliver on time with its new Lumia 710 and 800 handsets. Nokia will have to continue to offer aggressive prices to encourage communications service providers (CSPs) to add its products to portfolios currently dominated by Android-based devices.”

Apple had an exceptional fourth quarter, selling 35.5 million smartphones to end users, a 121.4 percent increase year on year. Apple’s continued attention to channel management helped it take full advantage of the strong quarter to further close the gap with Samsung, which saw some inventory build up for its smartphone range. Apple’s strong performance will continue into the first quarter of 2012 as availability of the iPhone 4S widens. However, since Apple will not benefit from delayed purchases as it did in the fourth quarter of 2011, Gartner analysts expect its sales to decline quarter-on-quarter.

After Apple, ZTE and Huawei were the fastest-growing vendors in the fourth quarter of 2011. “These vendors expanded their market reach and kept on improving the user experience of their Android devices,” said Ms. Cozza.

In the fourth quarter of 2011, ZTE moved into fourth place in the global handset market. ZTE posted a strong smartphone sales increase of 71 percent sequentially. The company was able to extend its portfolio to three CSPs in its home market and benefited from consumers’ interest in low-cost smartphones. Huawei moved ahead of LG in the Android marketplace to become a top-four Android manufacturer, thanks to strong smartphone growth in the quarter. Huawei has made significant progress in moving to its own-branded devices, and it has continued to expand its portfolio into higher tiers as its tries to build more iconic products.

RIM dropped to the No. 7 spot in the fourth quarter of 2011, with a 10.7 percent decline. RIM’s delay with its BlackBerry 10 platform will further impair its ability to retain users. However, RIM’s biggest challenge is still to expand the developer base around its ecosystem and convince developers to work and innovate with BlackBerry 10.

In the smartphone OS market (see Table 3), competition between Google and Apple intensified. Android’s share declined slightly sequentially. This was due to strong iPhone sales, driven in particular by the iPhone 4S in mature markets and the weakness of key Android vendors as they struggled to create unique and differentiated devices. Samsung remained the main contributor to Android share gains in the second half of 2011. iOS’s market share grew 8 percentage points year-on-year, but Gartner analysts expect Apple’s share to drop in the next couple of quarters as the upgrade cycle to the iPhone 4S slows. Nokia’s first Windows Phone smartphones, the Lumia 710 and 800, made their debut, but, as expected, sales were not enough to prevent a fall in Microsoft’s smartphone market share.[/box]

February 16, 2012

China government Ban on iPad causes removal of stocks from stores.

Government authorities and retailers in China have started removing stocks of iPad from the shelves in the market, in response to a ruling issued in December. According to Hebei Youth Daily, local representatives of the country’s Administrations of Industry and Commerce (AIC) have started confiscating Apple’s tablet from retail outlets, with some merchants are voluntarily removing the device from their storefronts as a pre-emptive measure.

As a part of a local campaign this incident only took place in the city of Shijiazhuang, but vendors weary of the outcome have started to take precautions. Remember this is the same country where people literally give body parts to own iPads.

February 13, 2012

Volkswagen Ready to source double components from India – Spend US$ 942 Million

Volkswagen Group is looking to double ‘component sourcing from India’ with an expense of $924m for the current year said Audi Chief Michael Perschke. While Audi looks at multiple car launches and dealership expansion in 2012, VW Group luxury car maker acknowledges that cost effective manufacturing would find strength in component sourcing from India, and investment in new plants.

The Volkswagen Group sources various components from India that include crankshafts for vehicles across its Audi, Volkswagen and Skoda brands.

Audi sold just over 5,500 cars in India in 2011, and targets sales of 8,000 cars in the current calendar year, in line with luxury car sales growth of around 50 percent in the country.

In the long run, our expectations are to increase our global sourcing out of India,” Perschke said. “In terms of cost competitiveness […] India has a strategic advantage.”

-Michael Perschke

Audi sold just over 5,500 cars in India in 2011, and targets sales of 8,000 cars in the current calendar year, in line with luxury car sales growth of around 50 percent in the country.

Spending on luxury cars in India grew 36 percent in 2009-10 to $1bn, according to a recently released report by AT Kearney, outstripping growth in jewellery, electronics and watches. But, we still lack behind countries like China where Mercedes and BMW sold a combined 320,000 vehicles in the first nine months of 2011.

February 6, 2012

Samsung makes US $ 42 Billion in Sales and $ 4.7 Billion in operating profit

Samsung has released its Q4 results and it shows that the company is headed in the right direction to becoming bigger than ever before. The electronics mammoth company has posted a 5.3 trillion won ($4.7 billion) operating profit in Q4 2011, with a sales revenue of 47.3 trillion won ($42 billion). The major of the chunk of its income is thanks to the impressive smartphone sales by the company , with over 300 million phones sold in 2011.

The earnings also reported that the mobile division stood accountable for 40% in the total earnings, while other major contributors were Samsung Semiconductors and Display divisions with 2.3 trillion won ($2 billion) and 8.55 trillion won ($7.6 billion) in sales respectively.

Samsung reports that in 2012 the sales from mobile phones will account for 50% of its total revenue considering it has an impressive lineup coming. Shipments of Samsung’s smartphones jumped 30 percent compared to the previous quarter (holiday quarter). Looking forward, Samsung expects the demand for entry-level smartphones and LTE will grow the smartphone market by more than 30 percent over the year, and the company expects tablet demand to grow as well.

January 27, 2012

Amazon’s Kindle Fire Cost Apple US$ 1 Billion in iPad Sales this December

The Amazon tablet called Kindle Fire is eating into the profits that Apple would have made from iPad sales this holiday season in the United States. The average sales of the Apple iPad dipped from the expected 16 million to 12-13 million during the highly profitable holiday season. This is courtesy the entry level users shifting over to the Amazon Kindle Fire, especially because of all the features it holds and the basic difference in price of the Apple iPad and the Fire.

The Kindle Fire is also based on Android which has already been rooted, therefore that attracts the modders and themers.

January 4, 2012

Amazon sells over 4 Million Kindles this Season

The numbers are in, Amazon has sold over 4 Million Amazon Kindles this Holiday season including global shipments and including shipments to countries ilk India and China. The company also noted that its #1 and #4 best-selling eBooks released this year were published by independent authors through its Kindle Direct Publishing platform.

We are grateful to our customers worldwide for making this the best holiday ever for Kindle, And in a huge milestone for independent publishing, we’d also like to congratulate Darcie Chan, the author of ‘The Mill River Recluse,’ and Chris Culver, the author of ‘The Abbey,’ for writing two of the best-selling Kindle books of the year.”

-Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos

The Kindle Fire was the most popular device followed by the Kindle Touch and the Kindle, The company report states that E-Book gifting also went up 175% from Last Year. Read the extensively exhausting Press Release below for the full numbers

[toggle title_open=”Collapse” title_closed=”2011 IS THE BEST HOLIDAY EVER FOR KINDLE” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]

2011 IS THE BEST HOLIDAY EVER FOR KINDLE

Amazon customers purchased millions of Kindle Fires and millions of Kindle e-readers

#1 and #4 best-selling Kindle books released in 2011 published independently by authors using Kindle Direct Publishing

Businesses selling on Amazon have record-breaking holiday sales

SEATTLE, Dec. 29, 2011 – (NASDAQ: AMZN) – Amazon.com, Inc. today announced that 2011 was the best holiday ever for the Kindle family as customers purchased millions of Kindle Fires and millions of Kindle e-readers. Authors also continue to benefit from the success of Kindle — the #1 and #4 best-selling Kindle books released in 2011 were both published independently by their authors using Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP).

“We are grateful to our customers worldwide for making this the best holiday ever for Kindle,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com founder and CEO. “And in a huge milestone for independent publishing, we’d also like to congratulate Darcie Chan, the author of ‘The Mill River Recluse,’ and Chris Culver, the author of ‘The Abbey,’ for writing two of the best-selling Kindle books of the year.”

More Kindle holiday facts:

· Throughout December, customers purchased well over 1 million Kindle devices per week.

· The new Kindle family held the top three spots on the Amazon.com best seller charts – #1: Kindle Fire, #2: Kindle Touch, #3: Kindle.

· Kindle Fire is the #1 best-selling, most gifted, and most wished for product across the millions of items available on Amazon.com since its introduction 13 weeks ago.

· Kindle is also the best-selling product on Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.es and Amazon.it this holiday season.

· Gifting of Kindle books was up 175 percent between this Black Friday and Christmas Day compared to the same period in 2010.

· Christmas Day was the biggest day ever for Kindle book downloads.

· Kindle Fire is the best-selling product on Amazon.com’s mobile website and across all of Amazon.com’s mobile applications.

Additional Kindle Direct Publishing successes include:

· December’s #1 best-selling Kindle Direct Publishing book “Wife by Wednesday” was also the #5 overall best-selling Kindle book in December and has appeared on both the USA Today and Wall Street Journal best seller lists. Author Catherine Bybee was formerly an emergency room registered nurse, and has now left her job to focus on writing full-time.

In 2011, KDP and CreateSpace author CJ Lyons reached #2 on the Amazon best seller list, #2 on the New York Times best seller list, and #4 on the USA Today best seller list. As a former pediatric ER doctor, CJ has lived the life she writes about in her cutting edge suspense novels, and she quit her job in medicine after 17 years to pursue her dream of becoming a full-time novelist. Her latest work includes “Face to Face” and “Hot Water.”

Businesses Selling on Amazon

2011 was also a record-breaking holiday season for businesses that sell on Amazon. Third-party sellers experienced record holiday growth: the number of sellers who exceeded $5,000 in sales during the holiday season increased 44 percent year-over-year. For the year, businesses on Amazon sold hundreds of millions of units worth billions of dollars worldwide.

Scharf Industries, an office supplies and electronics provider, increased its sales on Amazon by over 500 percent this holiday season compared with last holiday season.

“We greatly value the cooperation that we have developed with Amazon,” said Andrew D. Scharf, CMO of Scharf Industries. “They have provided us with the tools necessary to grow our business in a rapid and efficient manner.”

Ken Reiss, the owner of Reiss Innovations, LLC, started with one Amazon Webstore, selling five to 10 mouse pads for the year. Six years later he has a successful eCommerce business, selling through multiple Amazon Webstores. Just this year alone, Reiss saw a 21 percent increase in sales compared with the holiday season last year. He has also increased the number of product listings by 50 percent over 2010 and recently extended his business to Canada.

According to Reiss, one of the most beneficial aspects of his relationship with Amazon is that “It allows me to scale in efficiency. I can devote my time to building vendor relations and growing my inventory, rather than worrying about logistical aspects, such as shipping products.” Reiss currently stores 90 percent of his inventory in Amazon’s warehouses, up from 75 percent last year.

Other seller successes include:

· Amazon’s third-party sellers sold enough cameras for every fan at the next 10 Super Bowls to snap their own shots of the winning touchdown.

· Amazon’s third-party sellers sold enough toys in 2011 to give a toy to every resident of Chicago. In fact, they sold as many Lalaloopsy Dolls as there are lights on the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in New York City.

· Debra Keyes, CEO of The Internet Department Store, which sells costumes for both adults and children, began utilizing Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) – the Amazon service that stores, packs and ships orders for third-party sellers – as soon as it launched. By January 2011, she had 1,300 products listed in FBA. That number has now grown to 7,800 products by November 2011. During that same time period, the company’s sales increased by 34 percent.

Holiday Fun Facts

Shipping:

The last One-Day Prime order that was delivered in time for Christmas was placed on Dec. 22 at 11:59 p.m. PST and shipped to Ballwin, Mo. The item was “The Cook’s Herb Garden,” a book by Jeff Cox and Marie-Pierre Moine.

The last Local Express Delivery order that was delivered in time for Christmas went to Seattle, Wash. It was a Sony Rechargeable Battery Pack that was ordered at 2:35 p.m. PST on Christmas Eve and delivered at 6:15 p.m. PST that same evening.

Earlier this year, an Amazon customer called with an urgent request for large volume of a single book, which they needed at the airport the next day before they boarded a flight. The books were special gifts and no other retailer had them available in such short notice. Even though the cutoff time had passed for all traditional delivery methods, Amazon was able to arrange a delivery to the customer’s hotel just prior to their departure for the airport.

Customer Purchases (Amazon.com only; holiday timeframe-specific):

· Amazon customers purchased enough copies of Walter Isaacson’s “Steve Jobs” book to create a stack taller than Mt. Everest.

· The cumulative weight of the Bowflex 552 Adjustable Dumbbells purchased by Amazon customers would outweigh more than 70 adult elephants.

· If you unfolded and stacked each pair of jeans purchased by Amazon customers this holiday, the height would be 2,500 times taller than the Statue of Liberty.

· Amazon customers purchased enough sweaters to outfit each of Santa’s reindeer during Christmas Eve deliveries for the next 14,000 years.

· Amazon customers purchased enough copies of Just Dance 3 to give 15 copies to each person who participated in setting the world record for simultaneous dancing.

· Amazon customers purchased enough HeatMax HotHands Handwarmers to give a pair to each resident of Iceland.

· Amazon customers purchased enough Rory’s Story Cubes to give a cube to each person watching the New Year’s Eve ball drop live at Times Square.

Holiday Best Sellers (Amazon.com only; based on units ordered):

Electronics: Kindle Fire; Kindle Touch; and Kindle

Toys: Rory’s Story Cubes; Qwirkle Board Game; and Perplexus Maze Game

· Video Games: Just Dance 3; Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3; and Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Sports & Outdoors: Zumba Fitness Total Body Transformation DVD Set; Emergency Fire Starter; and Flexible Flyer Snowball Maker

Home & Kitchen: Cuisinart 5-in-1 Griddler; Fred M-Cups Measuring Matroyshkas; and Pure Komachi 2 Series Hollow-Ground Santoku Knife

Books: “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson; “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever” by Jeff Kinney; and “11/22/63” by Stephen King

Kindle Books: “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins; “Catching Fire” by Suzanne Collins; and “The Litigators” by John Grisham

CD: “Christmas” by Michael Bublé; “21” by Adele; and “Duets II” by Tony Bennett

Amazon MP3: “100 Classic Christmas Songs” by Various Artists; “Mylo Xyloto” by Coldplay; and “A Very She & Him Christmas” by She & Him

DVD: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2”; “Bridesmaids”; and “The Help”

Amazon Instant Video: “Super 8”; “The Help”; and “Crazy, Stupid, Love”

Watches: Timex 1440 Sports Digital Resin Strap Watch; LEGO Kids’ Star Wars Darth Vader Mini-Figure Alarm Clock; and XOXO Rhinestone Accent Gold-Tone Bracelet Watch

Jewelry: 10k White Gold Round Diamond Stud Earrings; Sterling Silver Amethyst Butterfly Pendant; and White Peacock and Pink Freshwater Cultured Pearl Button 3 Pair Stud Earrings Set

Clothing: Levi’s 501 Jean; Levi’s 505 Straight Fit Jean; and Levi’s 550 Relaxed Fit Jean

Shoes: UGG Australia Classic Tall Boots; Crocs Classic Clog; and BEARPAW Emma Short Boot

Beauty: Wonderstruck by Taylor Swift Eau de Parfum Spray; Olay Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System; and NARS Orgasm Blush

Health & Personal Care: Philips Norelco SensoTouch Electric Shaver; Philips Norelco Shaving System; and Philips Sonicare Essence Power Toothbrush

Tools & Home Improvement: Streamlight Nano Light Miniature Keychain LED Flashlight; Smith’s PP1 Pocket Pal Multifunction Sharpener; and Black & Decker All-In-One SureGrip Laser Level

Automotive: Battery Tender Junior 12V Battery Charger; Wagan 12-Volt Heated Seat Cushion; and Mystic Industries Reindeer Vehicle Costume

Baby: Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes; Vulli Sophie the Giraffe Teether; and Cloud B Twilight Turtle Constellation Night Light

· AmazonWireless: Motorola DROID RAZR 4G Android Phone (Verizon Wireless); Samsung Galaxy S II Epic Touch 4G Android Phone (Sprint); and Samsung Galaxy S II 4G Android Phone (AT&T)

Amazon Appstore for Android: Angry Birds (Ad-Free); TETRIS; and Pandora Internet Radio

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December 30, 2011

Nokia Lumia arrives, boosts Windows Phone sales throughout the board.

Since the massive AD campaign by Nokia for the Lumia series and limited availability, Windows Phone 7.5 based devices have seen a massive boost across the board of HTC and grey market Samsung devices. ConsumerReports states that there has been a 40 % boost in sales of HTC Radar since the announcement of Nokia Lumia devices.

A major cause of this is the high price and almost no stock of the units, Nokia has pushed devices to Nokia priority dealers and are selling the Lumia phones at MRP. With still a few days till stock arrives at major retailers, Samsung is all set to announce the Omnia W today. Lets see if Nokia is actually able to turn around the Windows Phone OS in the Indian market.

December 19, 2011

iPhone 4S Sales in South Korea Stalled – the iPhone is Uncompetitive

Sales of Apple iPhone 4S are reportedly very low in South Korea and wireless customers are reportedly disappointed with the phone’s poor performance. The Korea Times reports that the movement of the iDevice is slow due to problems with the phone’s battery life and the lack of support for 4G LTE.

Except for the ‘Siri’ function, I didn’t find any wow factors about the iPhone 4S and that’s why I decided to buy Samsung’s LTE smartphone, Also Siri doesn’t support Korean language and that means the iPhone 4S is technically the same as the iPhone 4. Why should I pay more to buy the same thing? It’s nonsense to purchase the 4S just to show my personal tribute to the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs”

– Korean Consumer

Internationally, Apple’s latest iPhone has seen record sales following its launch. In India the iPhone 4S went on sale on 25th November for a price os 44,500 for 16GB version

November 28, 2011

Tag: sales