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Smartphones Eclipse PCs by 2012 as IPhone, Android Take Off: Chart of Day

by on March 10, 2010

By Ian King March 10 (Bloomberg) — Demand for Apple Inc. ’s iPhone and Google Inc.’s Nexus One will help propel smartphone sales past those of personal computers in two years, Gartner Inc. forecasts. The CHART OF THE DAY shows that smartphone sales will more than triple to 491.9 million units by 2012 from 139.3 million in 2008, according to the Stamford, Connecticut-based research firm. The PC market will expand to 443.1 million units from 290.8 million in the same period, Gartner predicted on March 4. “Smartphones are headed towards that billion-unit category that handsets are in today,” said Jim McGregor , an analyst at research firm In-Stat in Scottsdale, Arizona. “The smartphone is the billion-unit pot of gold that everyone wants.” The rise of the smartphone has prompted the computer industry to respond with their own products in an attempt to retain control over consumer access the Internet. Intel Corp., the largest maker of computer chips, has revived an earlier failed attempt to get its processors into phones. So far, only LG Electronics Inc. has said it will make a phone using an Intel chip. Microsoft Corp., the biggest maker of computer software, unveiled a new version of its Windows mobile phone operating system earlier this month, aiming to hold off gains made by Apple and Google. Apple fired up interest in phones that double as handheld computers with the first iPhone, introduced in 2007. Google, owner of the world’s most visited search engine, has since responded with the Nexus One handset and Android operating system, which is being used by phone makers such as Motorola Inc. To contact the reporters on this story: Ian King in San Francisco at ianking@bloomberg.net

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AT&T to Release Smartphones With Palm, Android Operating Systems This Year

by on January 6, 2010

By Ari Levy and Amy Thomson Jan. 6 (Bloomberg) — AT&T Inc. , the second-largest U.S. wireless carrier, plans to introduce phones with Palm Inc. ’s and Google Inc. ’s operating systems this year to expand its lineup beyond the iPhone and BlackBerry. AT&T will start selling two smartphones from Palm, which run on the WebOS operating system, in the first half, Ralph de la Vega , head of the carrier’s wireless unit, said today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Details on the phones weren’t disclosed. De la Vega, 58, is working to take advantage of increasing demand for smartphones and other wireless Internet devices as customers cut off their land lines. Larger competitor Verizon Wireless already offers phones running the Google software, called Android. Verizon also plans to offer two Palm devices, the Pre and the Pixi, by the end of the month, a source familiar with the companies’ plans said this week. Winning new carriers is a boon for Sunnyvale, California- based Palm , whose phones in the U.S. are currently offered by No. 3 wireless-service provider Sprint Nextel Corp. Palm’s share of the global smartphone market fell to 1.4 percent in the third quarter from 2.7 percent a year earlier, according to research firm Gartner Inc. in Stamford, Connecticut. Palm reported its 10th straight quarterly loss last month. Palm, which more than tripled last year, rose 68 cents, or 6.5 percent, to $11.23 at 4 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. AT&T fell 41 cents to $27.61 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The stock declined 1.6 percent last year. AT&T’s current smartphone lineup includes Apple Inc.’s iPhone and Research In Motion Ltd. ’s BlackBerry. Its network also supports Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle digital reader. The surge in data use has strained some parts of AT&T’s network. Traffic has increased 5,000 percent in the past three years, the Dallas-based company has said. To contact the reporters on this story: Ari Levy in San Francisco at alevy5@bloomberg.net ; Amy Thomson in New York at athomson6@bloomberg.net

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Nokia Sees Industry Mobile Device Volumes Rising About 10%, Its Share Flat

December 2, 2009

By Diana ben-Aaron Dec. 2 (Bloomberg) — Nokia Oyj , the world’s biggest maker of mobile phones, said it expects the handset industry to expand about 10 percent in 2010, while projecting that its own share will remain flat. The company said at its investor day event today in Espoo, Finland, where it is based, that it will focus next year on scaling up its services business, improving margins and pushing smart phones globally. Nokia is releasing new touch-screen phones and improved software to compete with Apple Inc. ’s iPhone, which has made the U.S. company the world’s most profitable handset vendor, according to market researcher Strategy Analytics. The company expects its non-IFRS operating margin to break-even to 2 percent next year, it said. Nokia has lowered its margin guidance for the devices and services unit twice in the past year as it lost buyers to the iPhone. Handset profits fell to 11.4 percent of sales in the third quarter from 18.6 percent a year earlier. Its share of smart-phone sales slipped to 39.3 percent in the quarter from 42.3 percent a year earlier, while Apple and Research In Motion Ltd., maker of the BlackBerry, gained, according to researcher Gartner Inc. Nokia began shipments this quarter of its N900 top-of-the- line handset, based on a new Linux-based software platform; and its X6 music phone, which comes with unlimited track downloads and has a more responsive touch-screen than previous models. Nokia has announced more than 45 new phone models and variants this year, including phones designed for the U.S. and China. Nokia posted a third-quarter loss of 559 million euros as it took a writedown of 908 million euros on its Nokia Siemens Networks joint venture with Siemens AG . Nokia’s average selling price declined to 62 euros in the quarter from 72 euros a year earlier. To contact the reporter on this story: Diana ben-Aaron in Helsinki at dbenaaron1@bloomberg.net

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ASML Reports First Profit in Four Quarters as Chipmakers Resume Purchases

October 14, 2009

By Marcel van de Hoef Oct. 14 (Bloomberg) — ASML Holding NV , Europe’s largest maker of semiconductor equipment, reported its first profit in four quarters as chipmakers resumed buying its machines after an industry slump. Net income fell to 19.7 million euros ($29.3 million), or 5 cents a share, for the third quarter, from a profit of 73.3 million euros, or 17 cents, a year earlier, Veldhoven, Netherlands-based ASML said in a statement today. That beat the 10.6 million-euro average of seven analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg. The company, led by Chief Executive Officer Eric Meurice , today said sales this quarter will rise to about 550 million euros from the year earlier as customers resume investments in machines that allow them to make smaller chips. ASML expects significant sales growth from the third quarter in the first half of 2010, based on its current order intake for the period. Before today, ASML shares rose 69 percent this year, compared with a 30 percent gain in Amsterdam’s benchmark AEX Index. Sales fell 20 percent to 555.3 million euros, beating the 528.9 million-euro average estimate of 15 analysts. Net sales in both the third and fourth quarters would exceed 500 million euros, the company said last month. Capital spending by semiconductor makers will bottom out at $22.9 billion this year, a drop of 48 percent from last year, Stamford, Connecticut-based Gartner Inc. said on Sept. 11. Intel Corp. , the world’s largest chipmaker, yesterday predicted fourth-quarter revenue of as much as $10.5 billion, topping the $9.5 billion average estimate in a Bloomberg survey. ASML is the world’s largest maker of machines to project lines on the silicon slices from which chips are made. Its main rivals are Nikon Corp. and Canon Inc., both from Japan. Applied Materials Inc., based in Santa Clara, California, is the world’s largest maker of semiconductor equipment. To contact the reporter on this story: Marcel van de Hoef in Amsterdam at mvandehoef@bloomberg.net

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Parallels Chief Predicts IPO of Software Maker in Two Years, Not Takeover

August 18, 2009

By Katie Hoffmann Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) — Parallels Chief Executive Officer Serguei Beloussov says he wants to take the software maker public in about two years, striving to stay independent. Companies including Microsoft Corp. and International Business Machines Corp. have “casually” approached him about an acquisition, Beloussov said in an interview last week. Parallels, based in Renton, Washington, would consider a bid if it provided a significant premium, he said, without elaborating. Parallels’ software lets computers run multiple operating systems. The market for so-called virtualization software , which lets clients reduce costs by buying fewer machines, will more than double to $4 billion in 2013, according to research firm Gartner Inc. Parallels competes in some areas with market leader VMware Inc . “For a few years, it is a fairly green field” in terms of growth opportunities, said Alan Dayley, a Gartner analyst in Alpine, Utah. “The main reason is the promise of cost savings.” VMware went public two years ago, in the biggest U.S. technology initial public offering since Google Inc. in 2004. Parallels, which has about 700 employees and $100 million in annual revenue, still needs to expand before offering shares, Beloussov said. VMware, spun off from EMC Corp., had about $1.9 billion in sales last year . Parallels tailors many of its programs for small- and medium-sized businesses. That could help it compete against VMware, “the 800-pound gorilla” competitor, which mainly targets large businesses, Dayley said. “Corporate accounts are definitely more penetrated than the small and medium enterprises,” Dayley said. “There is a lot of room there.” Seven U.S. technology companies have held IPOs this year. There were only four last year, down from more than 50 in 2007, as the recession crimped computer and software sales. Scott Brooks , a spokesman at IBM in Armonk, New York, declined to comment. Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft didn’t immediately respond to an e-mail request for comment. To contact the reporter on this story: Katie Hoffmann in New York at khoffmann4@bloomberg.net

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