Samsung, Apple, RIM: Who tops the latest smartphone scorecard?
Makers of mobile devices have begun releasing their earnings reports for the latest quarter. Many companies including Nokia and Research in Motion have been struggling to compete with Apple and manufacturers of devices running Google's Android software.
Here's a look at earnings and other reports from selected companies in the industry.
— July 10: BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. asks disgruntled investors at a shareholders meeting for patience as it develops new devices to rival the iPhone and Android smartphones. The company reiterates a warning that the next several quarters will be challenging. It also expects to report another operating loss in the current quarter, which ends Sept. 1, as the company cuts prices to sell its older BlackBerry models.
— July 19: Nokia Corp. says its net loss nearly quadrupled in the second quarter on sagging sales of smartphones, which fell 39 percent from a year ago to 10.2 million. The company's stock jumped, however, as sales of low-end phones buoyed revenue and shipments of the new Lumia phones, which run on Windows software and will replace the older smartphone models, were not as bad as feared. In North America, sales of the Lumia phones offset declines in traditional Symbian devices.
Google Inc., which completed its purchase of Motorola Mobility during the quarter, says it saw strengths in North America with Verizon Wireless, driven by the Razr Maxx device. But it says international sales of basic cellphones and mid-tier smartphones declined. Google reiterates that 1 million new Android devices from various phone makers are being activated each day, with more than 400 million activated worldwide.
— July 24: Apple Inc. says it sold 26 million iPhones, 28 percent more than a year ago. It also sold 17 million iPads, an 84 percent increase and a quarterly record. But average selling prices for both products were down.
— July 25: LG Electronics reports a lower quarterly profit as its mobile phone division sank to a loss. Basic handset sales declined while expenses to promote its new smartphones went up. The company says profitability at the mobile communication business will not be too bad for the rest of the year with new high-end mobile device launches due in North America and Japan. But it stops short of guiding investors on when the company can fully turn around its mobile business
— July 27: Samsung Electronics Co. reports another record-high quarterly profit as customers flocked to Galaxy smartphones. Samsung benefited as rivals including Apple had yet to release new models. The performance in mobile phones helped offset a slowdown in other consumer electronics businesses such as televisions.
IDC reports that Samsung has extended its lead over Apple in smartphones. Samsung had a market share of 33 percent in the second quarter, up from 17 percent a year ago. Apple's fell slightly to 17 percent, from 19 percent a year ago. The drop is typical several months after the release of a new iPhone model.
— Thursday: Sony Corp. says revenue in its mobile division more than doubled, but that's largely because it took full ownership of Sony Mobile, once a joint venture with LM Ericsson. Had the transaction been reflected in the year-ago quarter, growth would have been about 14 percent. Sony says more people have been buying smartphones rather than the cheaper, basic phones. It's also sold more smartphones, mostly because of strong performance of Xperia S and Xperia acro HD.
Coming up:
— Friday: HTC Corp.
— Sept. 27: Research In Motion Ltd.
