Apple poised for strong earnings despite supply constraints, Omicron

Apple Inc navigated pandemic-related supply chain issues better than rivals at the end of 2021, likely helping the iPhone maker surpass Wall Street revenue growth targets of 6 percent, some analysts estimate.

Apple, which is set to post quarterly earnings on Thursday, was buoyed by strong iPhone 13 sales globally, sales in China and continued growth in Mac shipments, several analysts told Reuters.

The market is closely watching earnings at Apple, Tesla and other tech companies to see if they quell the sell-off that has wiped out nearly $3 trillion in value from the Nasdaq 100. Investors are dumping tech stocks on fears that the Fed will hike interest rates fairly aggressively and erode the value of their future earnings. Some are concerned that the surge of pandemic at-home tech buying will not last as conditions improve.

"We expect Apple to reach its highest market share in China since Apple entered the market in 2008," said analyst Nicole Peng of Canalys.

Investment firm Wedbush Securities forecasts record iPhone sales of more than 40 million units during the holiday period from Black Friday to Christmas. Morgan Stanley estimates total holiday quarter iPhone shipments at 83 million, representing a 4 percent increase from the previous year.

Wall Street analysts expect Apple to post about $118.7 billion in revenue, representing 6.48 percent year-over-year growth, and quarterly earnings per share of $1.89, according to Eikon data as of Tuesday.

Apple posted a rare revenue miss in the fiscal quarter ended Sept. 25, which Chief Executive Tim Cook attributed to pandemic-related supply constraints and manufacturing disruptions that together cost the company an estimated $6 billion in sales.

Cook at the time forecast an even bigger drag in the holiday quarter, but analysts expect strong growth compared to competitors in the just-ended quarter, which began days after Apple started shipping the iPhone 13.

"Since Apple has many customized components going into the iPhones, Macs, Apple Watch and others and the scale (volume and price) at which it procures, Apple has been able to lock-in suppliers’ capacities to timely produce those parts with lesser delays," said Neil Shah of Counterpoint Research.

Shah added that Apple is seeing the highest demand for iPhones since the 2015 "supercycle."

Smaller rivals are struggling to keep up with production, leading to Apple market share gains in regions such as China, said Angelo Zino of CFRA Research in a research note.

Apple has said it expects iPads to be its only product with lower sales compared with a year ago due to supply constraints. Analysts say Apple likely prioritized iPhone units for components.

Preliminary holiday quarter data from IDC indicates almost 9 percent growth in Mac shipments, compared with a 1 percent rise in the PC market as a whole. 

Analysts played down concerns about the impacts of the Omicron variant surge, saying closings of some retail stores did not likely have a big impact on Apple's online-heavy business. Analysts also are watching for signs that rising Omicron cases in China could impact Apple's production.

Apple, the first company worth $3 trillion, has been losing value along with the broader stock market. Apple stock has fallen 10 percent this month and the S&P 500 index has dropped 9 percent.

Analysts may also ask Apple management about App Store payment rules, after regulators in the Netherlands found that the US company had abused its market dominance by requiring dating app developers to exclusively use Apple's in-app payment system.

-reuters-

App store antics: Legal screws tighten for Google, Apple

PARIS - David Barnard owes his entire livelihood to Apple.

In 2008, he sold his car to start a company building apps for the fledgling iPhone. He's since found success making what he self-deprecatingly calls "boring" apps, including ones that check the weather or help drivers monitor their gas use.

But his conflicting feelings sum up a growing debate -- playing out in courts and parliaments around the world -- over whether both Apple and Google are abusing their monopoly over the app market. 

In a world first, South Korean MPs passed a law Tuesday banning the two tech giants from forcing app developers to use their payment systems.

Until now, those restrictions have allowed Apple to take a cut of up to 30 percent from payments made inside apps downloaded via the App Store, and Google to do the same through its Play Store. 

The tech giants, whose operating systems run on 99 percent of the world's smartphones, have argued this is fair recompense for providing the platforms that allow apps to be downloaded in the first place.

And to some extent, Barnard agrees. "Apple enabled me to build a business, which I'm incredibly grateful for," he said from his home in Texas. "But it comes with some pretty big trade-offs."

Barnard said he had witnessed frustrating cases of companies building clever apps, only for Apple to release similar features that work better with the phone's technology "in ways that developers can't compete with".

And with tens of billions of dollars floating through Apple and Google's payment systems as apps become increasingly integrated into people's shopping and entertainment habits, the commission charges have come in for particularly fierce opposition.

EPIC LEGAL BATTLES 

The fees are at the heart of a bitter lawsuit between Apple and Epic Games, maker of the phenomenally successful video game Fortnite.

The game lets players spend real money on digital items like clothing and weapons. It sounds frivolous, but the trial revealed that this translated to at least $100 million collected by Apple. 

Furious over these lost profits, Epic is also suing both Apple and Google in Australia and has filed complaints with EU and UK competition authorities, in what competition lawyer Pierre Zelenko described as a "worldwide battle" against the tech giants.

"They're piling on the pressure on multiple fronts to have more chances of a recognized authority coming out in their favor," the Linklaters lawyer said. 

Epic are not the only challengers taking on the app market overlords.

In July, 37 US states banded together to sue Google, alleging that the Play Store represents an illegal monopoly.

They claim Google used various strategies to prevent viable competitors to the Play Store emerging, including offering to pay Samsung to make its Galaxy Store less appealing. 

Consumers are meanwhile waging class actions against both companies in the US and UK, while France's competition authority has joined forces with an alliance of start-ups to take Apple to court.

'TOXIC MESS'

Analysts say the new South Korean law could set a precedent as US and European lawmakers debate similar proposals to ban tech giants from forcing customers to use their app stores and payment systems. 

Both Apple and Google have sought to fend of criticism that its hefty fees strangle smaller businesses, by taking a reduced 15 percent from companies earning less than $1 million a year from app sales.

Last week, Apple also proposed a settlement to a class action that would see it pay $100 million to smaller developers like Barnard. 

The offer "clarified" the company's policies to state that developers can use information collected inside apps -- like customers' email addresses -- to tell them about payment efforts that don't involve handing money to Apple.

But developers have complained that the changes are much less radical than Apple claims.

"I've finally come to the conclusion that it's going to take regulation to get Apple to do right by developers and ultimately customers," Barnard said. 

Both tech giants have argued that their stores help consumers by vetting apps, offering better security and privacy. 

Without the App Store, Apple chief Tim Cook told the Epic trial, the app marketplace would be "a toxic kind of mess". 

Barnard broadly agrees that Apple's system makes life easier for consumers, and that it's entitled to reward itself for that.

But he also thinks the vast amounts the company is paying itself are untenable.

"It's time for Apple to rethink how much they charge," he said.

Agence France-Presse

Globe releases first 5G phone, to spend P63 billion for network expansion

MANILA - Globe Telecom on Thursday said it was releasing the first 5G phone in the Philippines for its premium subscribers and will spend P63 billion to further expand its network this year. 

The Ayala-led telco, which launched commercial 5G services last year for home broadband subscribers, said it would now offer the Huawei Mate 30 Pro for its Platinum mobile subscribers

The telco said it would transform areas within major business districts to 5G mobile-capable sites within the year. 

Globe said it spent 34.2 percent of its revenues in 2019 to improve internet services and fulfill its commitment to provide 2 million homes with at least 10 Mbps connectivity by the end of 2020.

“Amid competitive pressures and rising challenges in the operating environment, Globe continues to fulfill its long-term commitment to provide the Philippines with first-world internet connectivity,” Cu said.

Cu said last year that prices for 5G handsets needed to come down before the technology becomes more widely adopted by mobile subscribers. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

iPhone 11 prices revealed, to arrive Oct. 25

MANILA - Apple has announced prices for its newest line of iPhones which are set to arrive here on Oct. 25.

Like its previous offerings, Apple's latest and greatest phones don't come cheap, with the least expensive iPhone 11 featuring 64GB of storage costing P47,990. 

The most expensive iPhone 11 Pro Max with 512GB of storage meanwhile costs P95,990.

Both Globe Telecom and Smart will start taking preorders for the new iPhones starting Oct. 18. 

iPhone 11

P47,990 - 64GB
P50,990 - 128GB
P56,990 - 256GB

iPhone 11 Pro

P67,990 - 64GB
P76,990 - 256GB
P89,990 - 512GB

iPhone 11 Pro Max

P73,990 - 64GB
P82,990 - 256GB 
P95,990 - 512GB 
With the launch of the new iPhones, Apple has implemented a P10,000 cut in the price of last year's iPhone XR, which now lists 
at P40,990 for the base model featuring 64GB of storage. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Huawei awaits US nod on resuming usage of Google's Android

China's Huawei said on Monday it is awaiting guidance from the US Department of Commerce on whether it can resume using Google's Android mobile operating system on upcoming smartphones.

"We acknowledge President Trump’s comments related to Huawei over the weekend and will wait for guidance from the Department of Commerce but have nothing further to add at this time," said Tim Danks, Huawei vice president of risk management and partner relations, in response to a reporter's question about its access to the Alphabet Inc Android operating system.

Over the weekend, US President Donald Trump softened his stance on the Chinese tech giant, and told G20 summit attendees that the United States will allow expanded sales of US technology supplies to Huawei.

But the Commerce Department has not clarified if the decision affects Huawei's access to Google's Android mobile operating system and services that are used in Huawei's smartphones. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

K-Pop's BTS now in your pocket with mobile game

LOS ANGELES, United States—K-Pop stars BTS have conquered the charts with their music and the box office with documentary "Burn the Stage: The Movie," and now they're aiming for mobile phones with the game BTS World.

The 7-member boy band, which has led a wave of Korean pop music in the United States and beyond, spent 2 years recording exclusive photos, videos and music for the game.

BTS World, out on Tuesday, allows players to go back in time, take the role of the band’s manager and make choices that lead BTS to global stardom.

Fans can also find out what would have happened if the band members failed to find success and went back to their other dreams, like being a strawberry farmer or Taekwondo champion. The game comes with 10,000 new images and 100 video clips of BTS.

“Those alternate realities are based on some of the members’ interviews, and they said, ‘If I wasn’t in BTS band, my vision was this’,” Simon Sim, president of South Korean mobile gaming company Netmarble Corp, which developed the game told Reuters Television.

The game allows fans to be involved in video calls and texts with BTS members, including cheering them up if they are feeling down.

BTS first formed in Seoul in 2013 and broke through in the US pop market in 2017, becoming the first Korean group to win a Billboard music award.

Three new songs from the game - "All Night", "Dream Glow" and "A Brand New Day" - were released earlier in June.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

OnePlus 7 promises display with 'unprecedented smoothness'

MANILA -- China's OnePlus said Tuesday it would focus on the display of its upcoming smartphone, as it further closes the gap between its so-called "flagship killers" and premium offerings from Samsung and Huawei.

The resolution on OnePlus phones, until 2018's OnePlus 6 and 6T, have always been a step below the 2K or Quad HD panels on Samsung's Galaxy S and Note lines and Huawei's Mate series.

OnePlus said it would offer "unprecedented smoothness" in the screen of the OnePlus 7, hinting at a faster refresh rate compared to devices on the market.

In a separate Twitter post, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau said the company "invested significantly" on the display, which is "3x the cost of other flagship displays."

According to tech website The Verge's interview with Lau, the new display technology will be reserved for a "Pro" version, which could be more expensive than the regular OnePlus 7.

OnePlus phones have cost nearly half that of Samsung's S series, but prices have crept higher in recent years. A McLaren-branded edition of the OnePlus 6 retailed for roughly P40,000.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Samsung delays Galaxy Fold phone launch over screen problems

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Monday it would delay the retail launch of its Galaxy Fold smartphone for an unspecified period of time after reviewers discovered problems with the display, a hit to the reputation of the world's largest handset maker.

Last week, reviewers started posting problems with the device on Twitter, but as of Friday the company did not know the root cause of the screen defects, according to Patrick Moorhead, founder of Moor Insights & Strategy, who said he was in direct contact with the company.

About 50 units of the $1,980 foldable device had been sent for review to journalists, analysts and bloggers in the United States ahead of a planned April 26 launch, Moorhead said.

It was not immediately clear how many of the devices were defective. Four units sent to journalists and a YouTube personality contained problems, according to their posts on Twitter.

Samsung declined comment beyond a prepared statement.

"To fully evaluate this feedback and run further internal tests, we have decided to delay the release of the Galaxy Fold. We plan to announce the release date in the coming weeks," a Samsung spokesperson said on Monday.

Samsung also postponed media events for the device planned for this week in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

While Samsung has not said how long the delay could be or whether production of the unit has halted completely, some analysts said the delay was minor compared to the massive recall and production halt that the company endured with its Galaxy Note 7 in 2016.

"It's certainly an embarrassment to Samsung's reputation but this won't have much financial impact on them since they created a whole new category of foldables with this product. There is no market share to lose," said Moorhead, who added that his test version of the phone was working without any issues.

Instead of plaudits ahead of the phone's planned launch, the South Korean conglomerate has been blighted by a handful of technology journalists reporting breaks, bulges and blinking screens.

Samsung said initial findings showed that the issues could be associated with impact on exposed areas of the hinges. It also said there were instances where substances found inside the device affected the display performance.

Wayne Lam, an analyst with IHS Markit, predicted the issue would likely be resolved within a month.

"We all know that Samsung has a technology that works. It's likely that this glitch is a problem with mass production and the failure is just in the single digit percentage," he said.

Samsung has hailed the folding design as the future in a field that has seen few surprises since Apple Inc's iPhone in 2007. Chinese rival Huawei Technologies Co Ltd has also announced a folding handset, the Mate X.

Samsung was initially planning to begin South Korean and European sales of the unit in May and Chinese sales from an undisclosed date.

AT&T, one of Samsung's US launch partners for the Galaxy Fold, said the carrier was working to communicate with customers who pre-ordered the device as soon as possible. AT&T did not disclose the number of pre-orders.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Look but don't touch as smartphone's flexible future unfolds

BARCELONA - Flexible and folding formats framed the future of smartphones this week as manufacturers focused on new forms in an effort to jolt the market out of uniformity and re-invigorate sales.

But anyone hoping to tap or swipe Huawei's Mate X, a smartphone that wraps the screen around the front and back, was soon disappointed at Barcelona's Mobile World Congress.

Initial cheers were quickly followed by gasps when the Chinese firm revealed its eye-watering 2,299 euros ($2,600) price tag, although that includes a 5G connection.

This is even more than Samsung's Galaxy Fold, which was unveiled last week and will be priced from $1,980 when it goes on sale in some markets in April. It was on display in Barcelona in a glass case like a museum artifact.

While the hands-off stance indicates neither firm has a consumer-ready device, 2019 would be remembered as the year of the foldable Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight, said, adding that the new format was still in its infancy.

"But we are at the stone age of devices with flexible displays; it's a whole new phase of experimentation after the sea of smartphone sameness we have seen for the last decade."

Samsung took the opposite approach to Huawei by putting its folding screen on the inside of its device, with another smaller screen on the front panel for use when its is closed.

"That was the solution we felt was best for longevity," Samsung's European Director of Mobile Portfolio & Commercial Strategy Mark Notton told Reuters.

Smartphone makers have been trying to innovate to persuade consumers to upgrade from devices which already meet most of their needs, in an effort to reverse falling sales.

And although more vendors will soon follow with their own takes on foldable displays, 2019 will not be the year they go mainstream, market analysts Canalys said. They will remain exclusively ultra-luxury devices with fewer than 2 million expected to be shipped worldwide this year, Canalys added.

The mobile market slipped 1.2 percent in 2018, research company Gartner says, although it expects growth of 1.6 percent in 2019, driven by replacement cycles in the largest and most saturated markets China, the United States and Western Europe.

GEARING UP FOR 5G

With 5G next generation mobile networks not becoming widely available until 2023 in the United States and China and 2026 in Europe, analysts say, the vast majority of customers will be buying the latest 4G devices like Samsung new Galaxy S10.

Nonetheless, manufacturers such as LG were keen to show they could squeeze 5G technology into 4G smartphone form, although most lacked launch or pricing information.

Chinese maker OnePlus had a 5G device running a video game using a 5G connection on show, but visitors were teased with only a glimpse of the phone's screen in a display cabinet.

"For us, launching means commercial availability, it doesn't mean PowerPoint," OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei told Reuters.

"We are confident we are going to be one of the first with a commercially available smartphone in Europe," he said, adding that this would be within the first half of 2019.

Xiaomi Corp, which ranked fifth in smartphone shipments in the last quarter according to IDC, did reveal pricing information along with its first 5G device.

"Xiaomi has fired the starting gun with a $599 price. That will bring tears to the eyes of many other mobile phone makers," Wood said, adding that many sub-scale makers such as Sony, LG and others could find it tough to make any kind of margin on 5G.

Sony did not show a 5G device, relying instead on its ownership of a major Hollywood studio to release a new line of Xperia phones with a 21:9 display ratio optimized to watch movies and Netflix content. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Huawei's folding Mate X smartphone challenges Samsung Galaxy Fold

MANILA -- Huawei launched its folding Mate X smartphone on Sunday, in a response to Samsung's Galaxy Fold, as it teased the arrival of its photography-centered P30 series in March.

Shenzen-based Huawei, the world's second largest smartphone maker also highlighted its 5G technology at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

Huawei and market leader Samsung are racing to innovate in the smartphone space as sales cool, with consumers holding on to their handsets longer and avoiding the yearly upgrade cycle.

The Mate X folds out to reveal an 8-inch near borderless screen with no notch and no punch holes for the camera. Huawei consumer business CEO Richard Yu said it would be the fastest 5G device upon release.

When folded, the Mate X functions as a 6.6-inch smartphone.

"You can use this in any way, either you open it or you fold it. It's very convenient," he said. The design, inspired by the falcon's wing, took 3 years to develop, he said.

The Mate X's entire screen is visible even when folded unlike the Samsung Galaxy, which unfolds to reveal a tablet-like screen while keeping a smaller smartphone-style panel one one half of the device.

Aside from the Galaxy Fold, Samsung also unveiled last week its 10th generation S line, the Galaxy S10 Plus, S10 and the lower priced S10 e.

Huawei, on its Philippines Facebook page, teased the P30 Pro with a shot of the moon with the watermark slightly blurred. Leaks point to as many as 4 cameras on the rear of the P30 Pro.

The Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus and Xiaomi's Mi 9 have 3 rear cameras each on the rear.

Huawei also unveiled Sunday 5G WiFi devices for the home and on the go and its Matebook X Pro touchscreen notebook with a 91 percent screen-to-body ratio and a wider 3:2 aspect ratio.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Britain managing Huawei risks, has no evidence of spying; official

LONDON/BRUSSELS -- Britain is able to manage the security risks of using Huawei telecoms equipment and has not seen any evidence of malicious activity by the company, a senior official said on Wednesday, pushing back against US allegations of Chinese state spying.

Ciaran Martin, head of Britain's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), said Britain had yet to decide on its security policy for national 5G networks, but that Huawei equipment was subject to detailed oversight and strict government controls over where it was used.

"Our regime is arguably the toughest and most rigorous oversight regime in the world for Huawei," Martin, whose NCSC is part of Britain's GCHQ intelligence agency, said at a cybersecurity conference in Brussels.

Asked later whether Washington had presented Britain with any evidence to support its allegations, he told reporters: "I would be obliged to report if there was evidence of malevolence ... by Huawei. And we're yet to have to do that. So I hope that covers it."

Huawei, the world's biggest producer of telecoms equipment, faces intense scrutiny in the West over its relationship with the Chinese government and US-led allegations of enabling state espionage, with Washington calling for allies not to use the company's technology.

No evidence has been produced publicly and Huawei has repeatedly denied the claims, but the allegations have led several Western countries to restrict the company's access to their markets.

Martin said it was for the US government to comment on what information it had about the company but added: "From our point of view ... if you look at the detailed paper we're publishing, we set out the way we manage the risks."

The White House did not return a request for comment and the Federal Bureau of Investigation declined to comment.

US Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, responded by saying he wanted to "more fully understand the UK's reasoning."

"The United States and its allies need to maintain a common front against the supply chain risk of equipment from countries that do not respect the rule of law and that routinely place extra-judicial surveillance demands on domestic firms," he said.

HUAWEI UNDER FIRE

Britain is a key battleground for Huawei in its campaign to resist US pressure in Europe.

Any decision by London to allow the Chinese company to participate in building next-generation 5G networks would be watched closely by other nations because of Britain's membership of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing group along with the United States.

But the company has come under fire in Britain since a government report in July last year found that technical and supply-chain issues with its equipment had exposed national telecoms networks to new security risks.

Vodafone, the world's second-largest mobile operator, said last month it was "pausing" deployment of Huawei equipment in core networks until Western governments give full security clearance.

Other operators in Europe, including Britain's BT and France's Orange, have already removed Huawei's equipment or taken steps to limit its future use.

Commenting on the report, Martin said: "As we said then, and repeat today, these problems are about standards of cyber security; they are not indicators of hostile activity by China."

A Huawei spokesman said the company would spend $2 billion on efforts to address the problems. "We remain committed to designing and producing technology to the highest standards of security and safety for customers in 170 countries around the world," he said.

Martin said Huawei had accepted the findings of the report and pledged to address them, but acknowledged that doing so would take some years.

"We will monitor and report on progress and we will not declare the problems are on the path to being solved unless and until there is clear evidence that this is the case," he said.

"We will not compromise on the improvements we need to see from Huawei."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Samsung's folding phone with 5G costs nearly $2,000

SAN FRANCISCO -- Samsung Electronics Co Ltd on Wednesday unveiled a nearly $2,000 folding smartphone in a bid to top the technology of Apple Inc and Chinese rivals and reignite consumer interest in a massive consumer electronics category that had its worst sales ever last year.

The Galaxy Fold will go on sale on April 26 and take advantage of new and faster 5G mobile networks. The device looks similar to a conventional smartphone, but then opens like a book to reveal a display the size of a small tablet at 7.3 inches (18.5 cm).

The device "answers skeptics who said that everything that could be done has been done," DJ Koh, chief executive of Samsung Electronics, said at an event in San Francisco. "We are here to prove them wrong."

With the foldable phone, Samsung is trying to take the technology lead on two fronts in the smartphone race, offering an eye-catching new feature with the big, bending screen and the first 5G connection in a premium phone, a feature analysts do not expect Apple to match until 2020.

It also challenges the notion of what a phone can cost, debuting at nearly twice the price of current top-of-the-line models from Apple and Samsung itself.

Patrick Moorhead, founder of Moor Insights & Strategy, said the new folding device could help Samsung stay at the top and lure consumers to upgrade devices that have looked largely the same over the past five years.

"Samsung and Apple go back and forth" to lead the premium smartphone market, Moorhead said. "I think this is Samsung's chance to take back the innovation crown."

And even though the $1,980 starting price is steep, some dedicated Samsung fans said they would pay it. Navneet Kumar Singh, a Samsung enthusiast from India who traveled to San Francisco to watch the launch, is ready to place his order.

"The prices of the flagship models have been a little aggressive in India," he said, "But in the end, if you invest the money you're getting a different experience."

Samsung also introduced several accessories to compete against Apple, including a pair of wireless headphones called Galaxy Buds. The headphones include wireless charging, a feature that Apple has promised to put into is competing AirPods but has not yet released.

Samsung also said that its new Galaxy phones will be able to wirelessly charge its headphones and new smartwatches by setting the accessories on the back of the phone.

Samsung said it had developed new manufacturing processes for the phone's hinge and flexible display to tolerate opening and closing hundreds of thousands of times.

10 TIMES FASTER

Along with the folding phone, Samsung also added new cameras and a 5G version to its Galaxy series of phones.

Verizon Communications Inc will be the first carrier to offer service for Samsung's 5G phones. The networks are expected to be 10 times faster than current ones, improving viewing of live news and sports events.

The 5G smartphones, both folding and rigid, aim to beat major rivals Apple and Xiaomi Corp to market with a next-generation device as Samsung defends a narrowing lead in global handset shipments.

With the 5G versions of its flagships, the Korean electronics maker looks to have beaten Chinese rivals in the 5G race, although the device will operate only on the small number of networks launching later this year. Apple is not expected to release a 5G smartphone until late 2020.

Rival smartphone makers are expected to announce 5G models at next week's Mobile World Congress, the industry's top annual event, in Spain. Samsung said its 5G handset would be available in the early summer.

The Galaxy 10 series needs to appeal to consumers who are reluctant to upgrade for only incremental technological improvements in performance. Such reluctance led to the worst-ever year for smartphone sales in 2018.

All of the Galaxy series of rigid phones except the 5G will be available from March 8, with the S10+ priced from $1,000, the S10 priced from $900 and the smaller S10e from $750.

The mainline S10 compares with $999 for Apple's iPhone XS and $858 for Huawei Technologies Co Ltd's premium Mate 20 Pro.

Samsung is still the global smartphone market leader with about 19 percent share but it underperformed the market, which was itself down.

Huawei and Apple are vying for second place with about 13 and 12 percent respectively.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Samsung seeks to reignite smartphone lust with Galaxy S10

MANILA -- Samsung, the world's largest smartphone maker, sought to arrest plateauing sales with an overhaul of its flagship S line, unveiled globally on Thursday.

The Galaxy S10, S10 Plus and a lower priced S10 E were unveiled in San Francisco, California as Samsung attempted to lure premium consumers from Apple while fighting off competition from Chinese firms, including world number 2, Huawei.

The Galaxy S10 series retained the curved edges and shaved off the top and bottom bezels almost entirely, with the front-facing cameras housed in a tiny cutout.

The S10 Plus has a 6.4-inch screen with a 90-percent screen to body ratio. The S10 has a 6.1-inch panel while the S10 E has a 5.8-inch panel.

The S10 line is the first Samsung phones to ship with an in-display fingerprint sensor. The company said its "ultrasonic" technology will work even with oily and damp fingers.

The S10 and S10 Plus have three rear cameras with wide shooting capability to capture landscapes and group shots. The phones can shoot video in ultra-high definition and HDR 10+. The cheaper S10E has dual rear cameras.

The S10's back, given gradient paint jobs this time, can wirelessly charge other phones and other devices including Samsung's answer to Apple's AirPods. The S10 Plus is powered by a 4,100 mAh cell

The S10 and S10 Plus will come with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, with the option to have 12GB of RAM and 1TB storage in the larger model. The S10E will have 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

The S10 white will be available in white for all models, black for the S10 and S10 Plus, green for the S10 Plus and Ceramic Black for the 1TB model.

Pre-orders will start on Friday and will run until March 3. The Galaxy S10 phones will be available on March 8.

COOLING SALES

The innovation would be arriving on a global smartphone scene that has cooled as the devices become ubiquitous and buyers put off upgrading from models they own.

"The industry is in flat to declines and we've reached a saturation point of smartphones," said Moor Insights and Strategy principal analyst Patrick Moorhead.

"What Samsung needs to do, no different from Apple, is give people a reason to get rid of a phone that might be perfectly fine for something different."

The argument for a phone that can fold open to provide a larger screen is an easy one - buyers have shown a preference for "more real estate" to watch videos, play games, work, and more.

Samsung was mocked when it introduced large-screen Note phones, only to wind up giving rise to a "phablet" trend that rivals followed.

"I am expecting there to be trade-offs," Moorhead said of a Samsung foldable phone.

"You can't take leading-edge technology and fold it, and have it not be thicker."

Along with perhaps being a bit clunky, a folding phone could come with a lofty price of $1,500 or so, but the point for Samsung is not to sell truckloads of the handsets but to establish a new category to kindle demand in a global market devoid of growth, according to the analyst.

"Samsung always does better when they have something that Apple doesn't have that is valuable to consumers," Moorhead said.

"This is Samsung's opportunity to take some premium market share from Apple."

GOOGLE ON BOARD 

Apple has revealed no sign of pursuing folding screens for iPhones. The Cupertino-based company has stressed efforts to ramp up sales of digital content and services to devotees of its devices.

"I do believe Apple will have a foldable screen at some point, but will wait until they perfect the experience," Moorhead said.

Google has made it clear that it is working to adapt its free Android mobile operating system to Samsung's folding screens so video, apps, and more perform as desired when displays change sizes.

The incentive for Samsung and Google goes beyond what is shown off at Unpacked.

While Samsung is the top smartphone maker in the world, the company makes a lot of money selling components such as screens and chips to other consumer electronics companies.

Igniting a folding-screen craze in smartphones would make Samsung a natural prime supplier of such displays.

Android software is the most widely used mobile operating system, giving Google incentive to ride a folding phone wave.

Samsung is opening three US retail stores to promote its Galaxy line of smartphones.

The move ramps up Samsung's efforts to compete on the home turf of Apple, which has hundreds of retail outlets in the US and around the world.

Samsung remained the number one global handset maker with a 20.8 percent share in 2018 despite an eight percent sales slump for the year, according to research firm IDC -- which said last year showed the worst overall decline in sales for the smartphone sector.

Still, analysts don't see the sun setting any time soon on the smartphone era, seen as a must-have device for many people around the world.

"Mobile phones are here to stay," said Gartner analyst Werner Goertz said, while suggesting that consumers may be waiting for radical innovation in handsets.

"Foldable phones would represent a really nice disruptive feature," he said.

GlobalData research director Avi Greengart believes foldable phones will be a big trend this year.

He was among analysts that expected the challenge to folding smartphones to be on the software side, not with the displays, since applications will have to be designed to adapt to going from phone to tablet screen sizes.

-- with a report from Agence France-Presse

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Samsung bends displays to reignite smartphone desire

SAN FRANCISCO -- Samsung on Wednesday is expected to unveil new flagship smartphones including one with a screen that can fold closed like a book as it seeks to boost the moribund market.

Much of what is in store at a Galaxy Unpacked event that the South Korean consumer electronics giant is hosting in San Francisco has been revealed in leaks, including a Galaxy 10 television commercial accidentally aired.

New Galaxy models will mark the tenth-anniversary of the line, and Samsung is to show off wireless ear buds.

However, the spotlight is likely to be commandeered by a handset with a bendable screen that would allow it to fold from tablet-sized to a smartphone form.

The innovation would be arriving on a global smartphone scene that has cooled as the devices become ubiquitous and buyers put off upgrading from models they own.

"The industry is in flat to declines and we've reached a saturation point of smartphones," said Moor Insights and Strategy principal analyst Patrick Moorhead.

"What Samsung needs to do, no different from Apple, is give people a reason to get rid of a phone that might be perfectly fine for something different."

The argument for a phone that can fold open to provide a larger screen is an easy one - buyers have shown a preference for "more real estate" to watch videos, play games, work, and more.

Samsung was mocked when it introduced large-screen Note phones, only to wind up giving rise to a "phablet" trend that rivals followed.

"I am expecting there to be trade-offs," Moorhead said of a Samsung foldable phone.

"You can't take leading-edge technology and fold it, and have it not be thicker."

Along with perhaps being a bit clunky, a folding phone could come with a lofty price of $1,500 or so, but the point for Samsung is not to sell truckloads of the handsets but to establish a new category to kindle demand in a global market devoid of growth, according to the analyst.

"Samsung always does better when they have something that Apple doesn't have that is valuable to consumers," Moorhead said.

"This is Samsung's opportunity to take some premium market share from Apple."

GOOGLE ON BOARD 

Apple has revealed no sign of pursuing folding screens for iPhones. The Cupertino-based company has stressed efforts to ramp up sales of digital content and services to devotees of its devices.

"I do believe Apple will have a foldable screen at some point, but will wait until they perfect the experience," Moorhead said.

Google has made it clear that it is working to adapt its free Android mobile operating system to Samsung's folding screens so video, apps, and more perform as desired when displays change sizes.

The incentive for Samsung and Google goes beyond what is shown off at Unpacked.

While Samsung is the top smartphone maker in the world, the company makes a lot of money selling components such as screens and chips to other consumer electronics companies.

Igniting a folding-screen craze in smartphones would make Samsung a natural prime supplier of such displays.

Android software is the most widely used mobile operating system, giving Google incentive to ride a folding phone wave.

Samsung is opening three US retail stores to promote its Galaxy line of smartphones.

The move ramps up Samsung's efforts to compete on the home turf of Apple, which has hundreds of retail outlets in the US and around the world.

Samsung remained the number one global handset maker with a 20.8 percent share in 2018 despite an eight percent sales slump for the year, according to research firm IDC -- which said last year showed the worst overall decline in sales for the smartphone sector.

Still, analysts don't see the sun setting any time soon on the smartphone era, seen as a must-have device for many people around the world.

"Mobile phones are here to stay," said Gartner analyst Werner Goertz said, while suggesting that consumers may be waiting for radical innovation in handsets.

"Foldable phones would represent a really nice disruptive feature," he said.

GlobalData research director Avi Greengart believes foldable phones will be a big trend this year.

He was among analysts that expected the challenge to folding smartphones to be on the software side, not with the displays, since applications will have to be designed to adapt to going from phone to tablet screen sizes.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Huawei readies P30 series in answer to Samsung's Galaxy S10

MANILA -- China's Huawei said Wednesday it would launch its photography-centered P30 phones in Paris on March 26, a month after rival Samsung unveils its flagship Galaxy S10 line.

Huawei, which is second to Samsung in terms of worldwide sales, said in a Twitter post that "rules were made to be rewritten" with the P30 series.

The Huawei P20 Pro, launched in Paris last year, featured 3 Leica-engineered cameras on the back and a gradient paint job, which have since been adopted by other smartphone makers.

Leaks point to as many as 4 rear cameras on the P30 Pro. The Twitter tease from Huawei showed zoomed in images of Parisian landmarks, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and the Notre Dame Cathedral.

Up to 5 times artificial intelligence-assisted zoom was one of the main features of the P20 Pro. The Mate 20 Pro, released last October, offered a wide angle mode.

Huawei is scheduled to hold an event at Mobile World Congress in Spain on Feb. 24, where it is tipped to showcase a foldable and 5G-powered handsets.

Shenzhen-based Huawei is also releasing new hardware as it allays concerns over the security of its products. In a rare interview with the BBC, founder Ren Zhengfei said the recent arrest of his daughter and Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou was politically motivated.

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Samsung to unveil Galaxy S10 as mobile shifts to folding displays, 5G

MANILA -- Samsung will unveil its 10th generation Galaxy S device on Wednesday, as it defends its status as the world's largest smartphone maker in the face of rising Chinese rivals and slowing sales.

The Galaxy S10 is expected to have even smaller top and bottom bezels compared to its predecessor and a tiny cutout on the screen for the front-facing camera aside from memory, processor and camera upgrades.

Samsung is also expected to talk up its folding display during the S10 event, where it said it would "unfold" the future of mobile. It unveiled its "infinity flex" in November last year.

The top-tier S10 Plus is tipped to have triple rear cameras and dual lenses on the front according to leaks leading up to the official announcement in San Francisco California at 3 a.m. Thursday Manila time.

It will be the first major redesign of the Galaxy S line since 2016's Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, Last year's Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus kept the look of the phone largely unchanged and put dual shooters on the back of the larger model.

This year's crop of mobile devices will be among the first to support the 5G standard, which promises to be faster than 4G.

While 2018 was an iterative year for the Galaxy S line, Samsung's Chinese rivals pushed hardware and design boundaries.

Huawei put 3 cameras on the rear of its P20 Pro which came in a color-shifting glass shell. Oppo and Vivo put motorized pop-up selfie cameras on the Find X and NEX, respectively, while Xiaomi revived the slider form factor with the Mi Mix 3.

Samsung put 4 rear cameras on the Galaxy A9, which was released in late 2018, providing a preview of the unannounced Galaxy S10's photo capabilities.

Arch-rival Apple, kept the design of its 10th generation iPhone X for the iPhone Xs released in late 2018. It also released a "Max" model with a large 6.5-inch screen.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Samsung to launch US retail stores in smartphone push

SAN FRANCISCO - Samsung announced Friday it will open 3 US retail stores to promote its Galaxy line of smartphones as the South Korean giant sets to launch an updated flagship handset.

The move ramps up Samsung's efforts to compete on the home turf of Apple, which has hundreds of retail outlets in the US and around the world.

Samsung said in a statement it made the move after feedback from customers.

"They told us that they love having the ability to walk into a store and experience how the latest technology from Samsung works together to create a unique, immersive experience," the company said in a statement.

"Galaxy fans, in particular, mentioned that they were looking for a space to call their own, a place where they can get a feel for Samsung products first-hand."

The new stores will be at the Americana at Brand mall in Los Angeles; Roosevelt Field in Garden City, New York; and The Galleria in Houston, Texas.

Samsung is holding a product launch Wednesday in San Francisco amid speculation it may launch a folding smartphone, which would make it the first of the major handset makers in the segment.

Samsung has previously opened pop-up stores in the US and has a center showcasing its technology in New York City.

"Our new Samsung Experience Stores are spaces to experience and see Samsung technology brought to life, to empower people to do what they never thought was possible before," said YH Eom, president of Samsung Electronics America.

"We want to build a 'playground' for Samsung fans -- a place to learn about and try out all of the amazing new products we have to offer."

Samsung remained the number one global handset maker with a 20.8-percent share in 2018 despite an 8-percent sales slump for the year, according to research firm IDC, which said last year showed the worst overall decline in sales for the smartphone sector.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Apple to pull some iPhones in Germany as Qualcomm extends global wins

MUNICH/SAN FRANCISCO - Chip supplier Qualcomm Inc won a second court skirmish in its worldwide patent battle with Apple Inc on Thursday, with the iPhone maker saying it would pull some older models from its German stores.

Qualcomm's win in Germany comes weeks after it secured a court order to ban sales of some iPhone models in China. Apple, which is contesting both rulings, has continued to offer its iPhones in China but made changes to its iOS operating system in the wake of the Chinese order.

The German victory may affect only a few million iPhones out of the hundreds of millions that Apple sells each year. Still, it is a small but clear win in a complex legal battle that will spin into overdrive in the coming months as antitrust regulators and Apple both take Qualcomm to court in the United States.

Apple alleges that Qualcomm engaged in illegal behavior to preserve a monopoly on modem chips, which help mobile devices connect to wireless data networks. Qualcomm has in turn accused Apple of using the chip supplier's vast stable of technology innovations without proper compensation.

While a sales ban in China could hurt Apple's bottom line, it is unlikely the 2 patent skirmishes will sway the outcome of the broader battle, where Qualcomm has suffered a series of setbacks fighting US antitrust regulators.

Shares of Apple were down 2.3 percent at $157.12 in late trading, weighing on the broader market. Qualcomm shares were down 0.2 percent at $56.69.

Qualcomm is not pursuing the software patents in the Chinese case in other jurisdictions and suffered an early loss while pursuing a US sales ban on the US version of the hardware patent at issue in Germany.

OLDER PHONES PULLED

On Thursday, Apple said it would pull older iPhones from its German stores after a court ruled that Apple had infringed a hardware patent of Qualcomm Inc and banned sales of iPhones there with chips from Apple supplier Qorvo Inc.

“Two respected courts in 2 different jurisdictions just in the past 2 weeks have now confirmed the value of Qualcomm’s patents and declared Apple an infringer, ordering a ban on iPhones in the important markets of Germany and China,” Don Rosenberg, Qualcomm's general counsel, said in a statement.

For each of the 2 Apple entities it won orders against, Qualcomm needs to post a bond of about 668.4 million euros, or $765.9 million, before it can begin proceedings to enforce the order, a move Qualcomm said it would carry out "within a few days."

The smartphone maker said it was appealing the decision, but the order goes into effect as soon as Qualcomm posts the bond.

Apple said it would pull some phones from its stores while it pursued an appeal.

"We are of course disappointed by this verdict and we plan to appeal," Apple said in a statement. "All iPhone models remain available to customers through carriers and resellers in 4,300 locations across Germany. During the appeal process, iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models will not be available at Apple’s 15 retail stores in Germany. iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR will remain available in all our stores."

Stacy Rasgon, an analyst with research firm Bernstein, said in a note that Germany was a small iPhone market for Apple, selling about 10 million units a year, with possibly only half of those being the older models affected by the court's order.

When Qualcomm posts the bond to enforce the order, it could seek to extend the ban to Apple's resellers and the newer iPhone models not included thus far, legal experts said.

Qualcomm said the court had granted its request for "a recall and destruction of all accused devices from all retailers in Germany."

RISKS

But pressing forward with enforcement presents some risks for Qualcomm. In an earlier proceeding before the US International Trade Commission, US regulators viewed a more extensive set of technical evidence about whether Qorvo's chips and Apple's phones violated Qualcomm's patents.

Those US regulators sided with Apple and Qorvo. If higher courts in Germany do the same when Apple appeals, Qualcomm could be forced to forfeit its bond if the decision becomes final.

The German case is Qualcomm's third major effort to secure a ban on Apple's lucrative iPhones over patent infringement allegations after similar efforts in the US and China.

In the United States, Qualcomm sought to ban the import of iPhones with chips from Intel Corp. Trade regulators found Apple had infringed one Qualcomm patent, but so far declined to ban the phones with Intel chips because regulators feared it would hurt competition in the chip marketplace.

"Competition authorities around the world have repeatedly found Qualcomm’s licensing practices unlawful, yet Qualcomm continues to try to achieve the same results through a campaign of patent lawsuits," Steven Rodgers, Intel's general counsel, said in a statement after the ruling in Germany.

In Germany, the judge ruled that phones with a chip from Apple supplier Qorvo violate one of Qualcomm's patents around so-called envelope tracking, a feature that helps mobile phones save battery power while sending and receiving wireless signals.

Mike Baker, Qorvo’s chief intellectual property counsel, said in a statement that US trade regulators had ruled that Qorvo's chips did not violate the US version of Qualcomm's patent and that the chip's inventor wasn't allowed to testify at the German hearing.

“We believe our envelope tracking chip does not infringe the patent in suit, and the court would have come to a different conclusion if it had considered all the evidence," Baker said.

In China, Apple is still pursuing a so-called request for reconsideration with the court that issued the bans.

Apple said its phones remained on sale and it believed it has complied with the Chinese court's order, but it also made changes to its iPhone software in the wake of the ruling. Qualcomm believes Apple is violating the Chinese court order despite the new software and must stop selling phones there.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

4-camera Galaxy A9 is 'more than just a phone,' Samsung says

MANILA – Samsung on Tuesday launched the Galaxy A9 with 4 rear cameras wrapped in a gradient glass shell.

Four rear lenses on a smartphone is a world's first, according to Samsung. It bests the 3 rear shooters on Huawei's Mate 20 series and P20 Pro and LG's V40 ThinQ.

"Over the years, smartphones has become more than just a phone for calling and texting. As our photos becomes the universal language, camera is the most crucial function of the smartphone right now," said Samsung Electronic's Product Marketing Manager Ellie Nicolle Huang.

QUAD CAMERA

The A9's 24 megapixel main camera can take clear and bright images and it also has low-light capabilities, Huang said.

The A9 is also equipped with a 120-degree 8 megapixel camera that can take ultra wide shots for travel photos, Samsung said.

It also has a 10 megapixel camera with 2x optical zoom.

Its 5 megapixel "depth camera" enables the device to take "Live Focus" shots with blurred background to highlight the subject.

Aside from the 4 rear cameras, it also has a 24 megapixel AI-enabled front camera.

The Galaxy A9 runs on Android 8.0 Oreo, powered by an octa-core processor and a 3,800 mAh battery. It comes with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage expandable to up to 512 GB.

The 6.3-inch Super AMOLED display has a resolution of 1080 x 2220. The curved glass back comes in gradient colors, similar to the finish popularized by Huawei.

The Samsung Galaxy A9 will be available in the Philippines starting Dec. 1 for P32,999.

Display pieces from the National Museum of Natural History taken with Samsung Galaxy A9.

source: news.abs-cbn.com