Sony makes one in four connected TV devices capable of streaming Internet video, technology research firm Strategy Analytics said in a report Thursday. Sony (SNE) has a worldwide installed base of 123.8 million connected TV devices, including smart TVs, smart Blu-ray Disc players and video game consoles. Its market share in the category is 24.8%, well ahead of No. 2 Samsung’s 12.5%. Worldwide ownership of connected TV devices for streaming video
China’s three major wireless carriers have received pre-orders for roughly 1 million iPhone 6 series handsets in the first day of reservations, Rosenblatt Securities reported Thursday. The demand comes despite customers not knowing what sort of subsidies will be available for the new Apple (AAPL) smartphones. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus go on sale in China on Oct. 17, with official pre-orders set to begin on Oct. 10, Apple said. Reservations in China for the iPhone 6 series are higher than last year’s iPhone 5S and 5C launch, Rosenblatt analysts Jun Zhang and Brian Blair said in a research note. Other high-end phones, such as Samsung’s Galaxy S5 and Note 4 and handsets from Sony (SNE) HTC and Huawei, are already seeing a drop-off in sales since the start of iPhone 6 pre-orders, they said. “We think the initial iPhone 6 and 6 Plus China weekend sales will…
Expectations for the Apple Watch are modest, with many consumers on the fence about Apple’s (AAPL) upcoming smartwatch fitness band. In a research note Wednesday, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said he expects Apple (AAPL) to sell 10 million units of Apple Watch next year at an average selling price of $500. That would generate $5 billion in sales, adding 3% to his revenue projections for Apple in calendar-year 2015. Munster noted that some media reports have suggested that Apple could manufacture 30 million smartwatches next year, indicating a wide range of expectations for the new device. To date, less than 3 million smartwatches in total have been sold from manufacturers such as Samsung, Sony (SNE) and Pebble, Munster said