Sharp in trouble

Below is an article that discusses the woes of not only Sharp, but other manufacturers which may be potential B&O suppliers.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/nov/01/sharp-doubles-loss-forecast-japan

One word Chris... Apple

Just because an electronics company is huge in one decade, certainly doesn't constitute it to be successful the following decade. Look at SONY - HUGE in the 80s. Look at the Walkman...

Never very impressed with Sharp. Two of my friends have their LCD TVs and the picture quality from both is pretty dire! Should be VERY interesting when Panasonic & SONY combine efforts for their TV panels. Maybe B&O will use these instead of Samdung?

You can add micro suck to the gone in 5 years list too.

I wouldn't think Samsung have particularly endeared themselves to potential partners in the future either after the apple fiasco.

What goes round comes round ....

Yes it's all because of apple. Nothing to do with the global economic slowdown, or the fact that everyone bought a new flat screen to replace the tube in the last few years - often when they upgraded their house during housing boom, and companies invested as if was sustainable demand rather than an anomaly. Yes apple, the company that doesn't even make a tv. 

Stan

The mere thought that Apple may eventually bring out a TV an disrupt the industry just as theyve done before has no doubt had an effect on the competition.

panasonic have announced they're leaving the market to concentrate on making screens for the iPad.

Try reading up on it. 

Very sad news for Panasonic. My experience with them over the past 20+ years has demonstrated to me that they produce some of the most genuine, reliable and top performing products that i've ever come across. Dare I say it, hand on heart, far superior to BANG&OLUFSEN products in longevity, reliability and performance. They are certainly a brand to be trusted to deliver. Can only be great news for Apple!!!

So if Panasonic are to stop Plasma production, that signals the end of the BV12 & BV4. With OLED just around the corner, that is not a problem...

Paul W:

My experience with them over the past 20+ years has demonstrated to me that they produce some of the most genuine, reliable and top performing products that i've ever come across. Dare I say it, hand on heart, far superior to BANG&OLUFSEN products in longevity, reliability and performance. They are certainly a brand to be trusted to deliver. Can only be great news for Apple!!!

I'll play devils advocate here and take you mildly to task Paul....

How many B&O products and how many Panasonic products have you owned over the 20+ years to make the comparison?

Is this personal anecdotal opinion, or do you have some objective facts to back up your comments?

A peer reviewed academic survey perhaps?

Just teasing.... but we all have our POV based upon anecdotal tales, or personal experiences - the facts could be quite different though in terms of an overall market picture..

Best Regards

John...

 

My post didn't come through :-(

Flappo:

What goes round comes round ....

Like a balloon or a football perhaps?

Shouldn't that read 'What goes around comes around'?

 

Flappo:

The mere thought that Apple may eventually bring out a TV an disrupt the industry just as theyve done before has no doubt had an effect on the competition.

panasonic have announced they're leaving the market to concentrate on making screens for the iPad.

Try reading up on it. 

Riigght... The "mere thought" that Apple *may* bring out a tv has long time manufacturers running for the exits. The Steve Jobs reality distortion field lives on. How about Panasonic is concentrating on markets where people are actually buying products?  Nobody is buying tvs right now, and they will probably never buy them at the same rate as the last 10 years...  I guess the market is not buying because Apple *may* bring out a tv?!?!  Not because they already have a fairly new tv, and see no compelling reason to replace it.  

I also believe the Japanese are getting clobbered by the Chinese - tvs (non-B&o) are so cheap and margins so thin, yet investments are huge, why bother?  Especially since there are rumors that Apple *may* produce a tv ( /sarc) 

Stan:

Riigght... The "mere thought" that Apple *may* bring out a tv has long time manufacturers running for the exits. The Steve Jobs reality distortion field lives on. How about Panasonic is concentrating on markets where people are actually buying products?  Nobody is buying tvs right now, and they will probably never buy them at the same rate as the last 10 years...  I guess the market is not buying because Apple *may* bring out a tv?!?!  Not because they already have a fairly new tv, and see no compelling reason to replace it.  

I also believe the Japanese are getting clobbered by the Chinese - tvs (non-B&o) are so cheap and margins so thin, yet investments are huge, why bother?  Especially since there are rumors that Apple *may* produce a tv ( /sarc) 

- Call the iLynch mob - a dissenter!!!!

 

I agree. Panasonic is an extremely good brand. I recently bought one of their new smart inverter fridges and it is superbly quiet and briliant quality. Many of my friends have had multiple Panasonic products and for the life of me i can't think of one thats had issues. Sharp however is one of those electronic manufacturers that sort of made everything, but didn't really have a usp in any way...they didn't seem to specialise, for me in any one area. Maybe i'm wrong, but i can't ever remember anyone saying "lets get the Sharp..."

 

 

Some of there tv's were not that great,looked ok but never enough to buy! As for Panasonic,I have had tv's microwaves and no problems.there home phones are not that great but the only company I can think of making a profit at the mo!

If I did not have B&O stuff Panasonic would be my choice!

Seem to remember B&O used Sharp panels on the BC6-26 TVs. They worked OK. I think the company's troubles are more due to the market than its technology .

The fact is that TVs have become a commodity and one that - in the middle of a global recession - there is little reason to want to replace. 3D has not taken off (history repeating itself!) and the drive to super HD is likely to be limited for some time by download and storage capacity.

If Apple moves into the TV sector it won't be to compete on hardware (although I'm sure it would be nice looking piece of kit) but to provide a new environment through which it can channel more and more Apple-approved (and Apple revenue generating) content.

Seems that there is some annual report financial evidence that Apple may be propping up SHARP 

 

http://www.macrumors.com/2012/11/07/did-apple-spend-2-billion-to-bail-out-sharp/

Bv7Mk3:

Some of there tv's were not that great,looked ok but never enough to buy! As for Panasonic,I have had tv's microwaves and no problems.there home phones are not that great but the only company I can think of making a profit at the mo!

If I did not have B&O stuff Panasonic would be my choice!

Panasonic home phones are first rate. The three other people I have recommended it to also think the same: great calling features, easy to copy phone books to other phones, easy to pair additional handsets and all this without a separate beoline or separate answering machine. No brainer in my book :-)

I have a Panasonic LCD tv in my bedroom matched with a blu ray hard disk recorder. That combo is faultless. Never had an issue and it just works. BR disk goes in, TV turns on automatically and flicks over to the right input. Too easy. Good PQ and sound for a bedroom.