Can Best Buy Sustain a Service Premium?
February 10, 2011
Best Buy May Switch to Wal-Mart-Style Everyday Prices | www.bloomberg.com
There is a fundamental conflict between high service levels and everyday low prices. Retailers must choose between slower inventory turns that enable price arbitrage and faster turns that enable everyday low pricing in a low overhead system. It is not clear how Best Buy would retain its identity or its staff in an everyday low-price regime.
February 4, 2011
Plasma TV Panel Shipments Hit Record High in Q4’10 | www.displaysearch.com
Ross Young of IMS Research anticipated Samsung's promotion of 720p PDP TV sets in 2010. That is why he was more bullish on total flat panel shipments than DisplaySearch was at SID last year.
LG Display and the AMLCD Industry Remain on Track
January 21, 2011
LG Display Posts First Loss in Almost Two Years | www.bloomberg.com
Active-matrix LCD (AMLCD) producers have provisioned for fines but that does not alter their long-term trend. Results at LG Display confirm that sales continue to fall faster than cash cost. Their EBITDA per CapEx trend remains one; a dollar in, a dollar out.
Display Supply Chain Adapting to Tablet Diversity
January 4, 2011
Introductions of iPad-alternatives see,s all the rage at CES at the start of 2011. News from Asia suggests that Hon Hai (Foxconn) will support Vizio tablets as well as Apple products but it needs to hive off its small panel business units to serve multiple clients well.
January 4, 2011
Dell to acquire Secureworks | content.dell.com
Dell announced today that they are acquiring the Atlanta based Secureworks, a managed security services provider(MSSP). This is an enterprise play and does not enhance Dell's offering to their small business base.
LCD TV Prices Will Fall Some More
December 17, 2010
AU to Build $3 Billion LCD Factory in China | www.bloomberg.com
Taiwan approves technology transfer to China Korea has approved similar transfers already Best Buy results indicate demand remains elastic
OLED Mobile Displays Consume More Power, Not Less, Than LCD
December 15, 2010
Huge growth seen in OLED use for phone displays | www.eetimes.com
For some odd reason many, including industry analysts, believe OLED mobile displays consume less power than LCDs. That is generally not correct, but by incorporating smart UI designs OLED can indeed be made to consume less power.
3D Is More Than Hype but Less Than Hoped
November 21, 2010
Why 3D Camera Technology Will Be The Future | benchmarkreviews.com
The article by Olin Coles looks at the topic from the standpoint of a gadget fan rather than from the viewpoint of a display expert. I just few home from Latin Display 2010 in São Paulo where experts in human vision, display manufacture and TV technology shared their latest findings. They noted several advances toward acceptable, affordable 3D systems for consumer use but their consensus was that these would take several more years to realize.
Advance Retail Sales Neutral for TV and Gadgets
November 15, 2010
October sales in electronics and appliance stores rose 2% Y/Y but fell 4% M/M Electronics retailer sales remain below Feb '09 levels Spending in warehouse and superstores sets new records
No Surprise in Samsung or Sony Guidance on TV
October 29, 2010
Sony, Samsung Face `Miserable' Christmas Amid Price War | www.bloomberg.com
LCD TV set prices have always fallen 25% or more a year. Price premiums for new LCD features have always approached zero after three years. Long-term demand elasticity trends remain on track.
E-Insurance: When will the insurance industry adopt modern communication tools?
February 14, 2012
ATMs could distribute prepaid Visa cards
January 23, 2012
PayPal can thrive as a standalone company
January 9, 2012
Europe's CO2 Emissions Trading System works, but it can be improved
December 16, 2011
European women wonder why their insurance premiums will increase
December 15, 2011