Browse by Tags
-
Posted
Oct 20 2009, 03:53 AM
by
Douglas McIntyre
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Price cuts work. In September, Sony’s (SNE) PlayStation 3 outsold the Microsoft (MSFT) Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii for the first time in recent memory.
Industry research firm NPD said that the video game industry, which includes both consoles and games, had sales of $1.28 billion in September, up 1% from a year ago.
Sony shipped 491,800 PS3 units in September, moving ahead of Nintendo’s Wii which shipped 462,800 units, and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 which dropped to third place with 352,600 units shipped.
Read More...
-
Posted
Oct 08 2009, 03:46 AM
by
Douglas McIntyre
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
 Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon (AMZN), is being praised as the man who has invented the next big and important electronic device.
That category includes the Sony (SNE) PlayStation 2, the Apple (AAPL) iPod, and the Nintendo Wii. The iPod has sold 200 million units worldwide. That, in the nomenclature of the electronics industry, makes it a once-in-a-generation success, a truly mass market product.
Bezos lowered the price on the Kindle to $249 from $299, and Amazon will release a version this month that can work over wireless networks in 100 countries. There is some compelling research that says people will not pay more than $200, or even $100, for an e-reader. That has not prevented Sony and Barnes & Noble (BKS) from entering the e-reader industry. Rumors are that Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp (NWS) will come out with a product of its own.
Read More...
-
Posted
Oct 02 2009, 08:19 AM
by
InvestorPlace
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
 This article was written by InvestorPlace.
Disney (DIS) wants to get children and their parents interested in reading online. Disney Digital Books is the latest in what is becoming a long line of hardware and content companies, including Amazon (AMZN), Barnes and Noble (BKS) and Sony (SNE), that hope to get readers to throw away newspapers, magazines, and hard and soft cover books. Bing: Disney Stock
In the place of traditional media will be “print” products that can be read on the web or on news readers like the Amazon Kindle, Sony’s new e-reader and products from Barnes & Noble and several other content distribution firms.
Disney’s approach is slightly different from Amazon’s. Disney assumes that children will read from a PC screen. The company bills Disney Digital Books as a "cutting-edge way for children to experience the joy of reading in a robust and safe interactive environment."
Read More...
-
Posted
Sep 29 2009, 03:33 PM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
This article is written by Minyanville's Mike Schuster
Tsk tsk, volume abusers. In between tucking in your shirt and wiping the dirt from your face with a saliva-soaked thumb, the European Union has noticed that you might be setting your MP3 player just a tad too loud. So they're gonna go ahead and limit that for ya.
In strict accordance with the "If it's too loud, you're too old" mantra, 52-year-old Meglena Kuneva -- the EU's Consumer Affairs Commissioner -- said that the division will be drafting an industry-wide ordinance to limit the default volume on digital music devices sold in Europe. And since the standards will apply to all players, companies like Sony (S), Panasonic (PC), and of course Apple (AAPL) will have to readjust the settings on their popular MP3 devices.For more on Apple products, see Overhyped Products: Apple Newton. In addition to the default settings, a health warning will be displayed when the user chooses to override the default maximum volume settings -- a guilt trip worthy of a long-distance phone call from your mother reminding you to wear your jacket.
Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Kuneva said she hopes that this initiative will limit the cases of hearing loss with younger patients. "If you want to enjoy your favorite songs in 20 or 30 years time, turn the volume down," Kuneva said in defiance of personal responsibility.
Read More...
-
Posted
Sep 22 2009, 04:02 AM
by
Douglas McIntyre
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
DVD sales are flagging and rentals are up -- news likely to be unwelcome at the major movie studios. The Digital Entertainment Group announced that in the first half of this year, DVD sales fell almost 14% to $5.4 billion. DVD rental revenue rose 8% to $3.4 billion.
While kiosk operator RedBox and DVD mailer NetFlix (NFLX) are a large part of the rise in rentals, it is Apple (AAPL) and Amazon (AMZN) that really crush studio DVD sales.
Revenue for online stores was up 21% for the period to $968 million. At that rate of growth and the drop in DVD sales, Apple and Amazon have become essential to studio revenue and a real danger to premium DVD profits.
Read More...
-
Posted
Sep 02 2009, 11:46 AM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
This article is written by Minyanville's Mike Schuster
In a move so ominous it should have been preceded by a visit from the Silver Surfer, Disney (DIS) has agreed to buy Marvel Entertainment (MVL) for a cool $4 billion. As part of the deal, Marvel's massive 5,000-character menagerie will be under Disney control. While Marvel's film licensing deals with Fox (NWS) and Sony (SNE) will remain for now, the future may not be so bright. Disney Chief Robert Iger assured fans that it acquired Marvel simply to bring their creative force on board and not to revamp its library. However, the company's press release -- as well as Disney's history with its partners -- tell a different story. Bing: Robert Iger
In the statement, Iger stated, "This transaction combines Marvel's strong global brand and world-renowned library of characters including Iron Man, Spider-Man, X-Men, Captain America, Fantastic Four and Thor with Disney's creative skills, unparalleled global portfolio of entertainment properties, and a business structure that maximizes the value of creative properties across multiple platforms and territories."
In other words, tighter management is likely to come into play.
Read More...
-
Posted
Sep 02 2009, 03:50 AM
by
Douglas McIntyre
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Sony (SNE), which has failed at most of its new initiatives over the last two years, needs something to work. Its PS3 has sold poorly. Prices for its digital cameras and television screens are under pressure from firms in Korea and China. Its new e-reader is competing in a market which includes Amazon’s (AMZN) Kindle which is a well-marketed leader, endorsed by Oprah.
Sony has decided that its next best chance to recover its financial performance and reputation for inventiveness is 3D TV. The question is whether anyone wants it.
The 3D products operates that way that older 3D cinema does, giving the viewer the illusion of watching content as if it were in the same room. The technology has several drawbacks, none of which can be easily overcome.
Read More...
-
Posted
Jul 31 2009, 12:36 PM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
 This article was written by Minyanville's Scott Reeves
A Michigan teen has a novel excuse for not getting his homework in on time: Amazon's (AMZN) Kindle ate his book report. Justin Gawronski, 17, is a contemporary kid, so he got an attorney to press his claim against Amazon in federal court. Mixing high-tech and lawyers suggests the old ways are best: Pen, paper, and the family dog have served generations of slackers admirably. Gawronski, an advanced-placement student, said his notes lost all relevance when Amazon deleted electronic copies of George Orwell’s "Nineteen Eighty-Four" from his Kindle during a copyright dispute. Gawronski says he used the electronic book reader’s note function to make comments and annotations as he read the book, when -- zap! -- the text of the novel disappeared, thanks to the Thought Police at Amazon. This left him with comments referring only to empty disc space.
Read More...
-
Posted
Jul 30 2009, 03:53 AM
by
Douglas McIntyre
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Nintendo (NTDOY) had its worst quarter in a long time. Sales of its aging Wii video console fell by over half to 2.23 million units for the last period. Profits also dropped by more than half to $447 million.
Nintendo only has a few options to turn its fortunes around.
The company could cut the price of the Wii, but it is already the least expensive product in a market that includes the Sony (SNE) PS3 and Microsoft (MSFT) Xbox 360. (Microsoft publishes MSN Money.) The Japanese company is also reluctant to harm its margins.
Read More...
-
Posted
Jul 29 2009, 07:58 AM
by
Minyanville
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Minyanville presents 10 promotional stunts that horribly backfired.
What can a corporation do to generate some increased revenue and public awareness? While buckling down and delivering a sensational product is one tried-and-true method, the far quicker and easier route is a promotional stunt.
A straight-forward ad inside People Magazine or a witty banner on the side of a city bus doesn't seem to cut it any longer. What really generates word of mouth is a flashy and often explosive spectacle.
Take, for example, some of the most successful publicity stunts of all time.
Would Artisan Entertainment's (LGF) "Blair Witch Project" have generated all that buzz if it wasn't billed as a tragic, true-life documentary? A Web site featuring photos of the "missing" actors was set up as a makeshift memorial to the three young students. Missing-person fliers were distributed and fake local news reports were produced to amplify the ruse. Once IMDb.com listed the actors as "deceased," the movie had reached a level of epic publicity and led to a highly lucrative box office -- all thanks to a creative marketing team.
Read More...
More Posts Next page »
|
