W/E Sunday Feb 17th

[Kym]

Nikon cuts profit forecast, shares slump

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-07/nikon-plunges-most-since-1985-after-forecast-cut-tokyo-mover.html


Nikon Tumbles Most Since 1985 After Forecast Cut: Tokyo Mover
By Mariko Yasu - Feb 7, 2013 5:36 PM GMT+1030


Nikon Corp., Japan’s third-biggest camera-maker, plunged the most since 1985 in Tokyo trading after cutting its profit forecast because of slowing demand in Europe and falling prices.

The company dropped 19 percent to 2,139 yen at the close. That was the biggest decline among the 225 members of the Nikkei 225 Stock Average.

[Kym]

Sony focusing on Imaging Sensor Technology expansion in 2013

http://image-sensors-world.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/cnbc-sony-to-focus-on-image-sensors.html


Mykola Golovko, global consumer electronics industry analyst at Euromonitor International, expects Sony to move its main focus to image sensors in his interview to CNBC. Currently, 80% of Sony sensor volumes go to mobile phones, but most of the money is generated from DSLR sensor sales, Golovko says. One of the Sony challenges is to improve profits in its high volume mobile applications, Golovko says at the end of the interview (Adobe Flash player required):

Video
http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000146437#

[Kym]

http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/12/dell-intros-color-accurate-u2413-u2713h-and-u3014-displays/


Dell's UltraSharp displays still have a certain cachet among sticklers for quality, most of all at the high end -- so today's release of three advanced models might as well be a bonanza. The 24-inch U2413, 27-inch U2713H and 30-inch U3014 once more center on PremierColor and the visual accuracy to match. Even the two smaller displays have a 12-bit processor that helps their LCDs reach 99 percent of the Adobe RGB color space and all of the sRGB space, or enough of the spectrum to eliminate most rude surprises with photo work. What else is new? Dell hasn't divulged full details of the screens themselves, but there's now a single-display arm and a dual-display stand to get just the right placement. Like what you see -- or rather, what you will see? The U2413 and U2713H should be available now for $599 and $999 alongside the $149 arm and $169 stand, while the range-topping U3014 is due "soon" for $1,499.

Update: We reached out to Dell for more details, and the updates are substantial -- all three displays bump up to a 2-million-to-1 dynamic contrast ratio, an increase in Adobe RGB color gamut coverage (up from 96 percent), a more adjustable height and support for DisplayPort daisy chaining. The two larger screens also add Mini DisplayPort.

[Kym]

http://www.afr.com/p/technology/adobe_cuts_australian_prices_after_BgBXyFaCrXRGNIrS1M2fNN


US software giant Adobe has bowed to public pressure and slashed the price of some of its products for Australian customers a day after being ordered to front a parliamentary committee hearing in Canberra.

The move will be seen as a partial victory for consumer advocates and the politicians behind the Federal IT Pricing inquiry, which has been investigating allegations that US technology companies price gouge Australian customers.

In a statement seen by The Australian Financial Review, Adobe has pledged to cut the price of its Creative Cloud suite so that local users pay the same price as US consumers. The company is known for its Photoshop image editing suite and other software. Where individual customers previously paid $62.99 per month for an annual subscription to the online version of its full software package, they will now pay $49.99 per month. Access to individual software has also been cut to $19.99 per month.

But businesses will continue to be charged inflated prices and more traditional software sold through retailers will be offered at the same rates.

“As Adobe continues to attract membership to its cloud offerings, it is evolving its product offering to provide increased value to subscribers, including new pricing for customers in Australia and New Zealand,” the company said in a statement.

“Creative Cloud membership pricing in Australia for individuals has been reduced to AU$49.99 on an annual subscription per month for new and current customers, effective immediately. Month to month pricing was $94.99 per month [and is now] $74.99 per month.”

The price change comes a day after the Federal IT Pricing inquiry summonsed Adobe, Apple and Microsoft before a public hearing in Canberra on March 22 after all three companies refused to attend voluntarily. Adobe and Microsoft had previously offered individual submissions.

The AFR can also reveal that Adobe’s global chief executive Shantanu Narayen will open a major new office in Sydney on Thursday with Communications Minister Stephen Conroy. The office will be used to manage operations throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

Senator Conroy was the minister who first requested the inquiry in May 2012.

Labor MP Ed Husic, who has been a driving force behind the inquiry, welcomed Adobe’s price cut.

“Lowering business IT costs will provide a big boost to small and medium sized enterprises – and we need to keep pushing to see this happen,” he said. “As a member of the IT Pricing Inquiry, I’m looking forward to finding out what else Adobe plans to do to reduce its prices.”

[Kym]

Olympus is denying reports that it is ceasing its production of DSLR cameras. In its official statement Olympus says there is no truth to these reports and the company will continue to offer DSLR cameras alongside its popular mirrorless camera range. The reports came as Olympus promised 'extensive business restructuring' in its imaging division, above and beyond the downsizing already taking place as part of its 'medium term vision.' The company announced that it expects its camera business to lose around ¥16 billion (~$170 million) in this financial year - double its forecasts.

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.olympus.co.jp%2Fjp%2Fcorc%2Fir%2Fdata%2Ftes%2F2013%2Fpdf%2Fnr20130213.pdf


http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-12/olympus-cuts-profit-forecast-on-impairment-at-imaging-business.html


Olympus Corp., a Japanese digital camera and endoscope maker, slumped the most in more than three months in Tokyo trading after cutting its outlook for profit on an impairment loss at its imaging division.

The medical and precision equipment maker fell 2.7 percent, the biggest drop since Nov. 6, to close at 2,020 yen. Net income will probably be 6 billion yen ($64 million) this fiscal year, compared with a previous forecast for 8 billion yen, the company said yesterday after market hours.

Olympus said it expects to lose about 16 billion yen this fiscal year at its camera business, double the 8 billion yen target set in November. The company intends to have a reorganization plan ready for its camera operations by the time it announces earnings for the year ending March, Senior Executive Director Yasuo Takeuchi said.

“We were too optimistic” about the camera business, Takeuchi told reporters yesterday in Tokyo. “We recognize that the forecast cut is large.”

[Kym]

http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2013/02/13/dell-launches-a-trio-of-adobe-rgb-monitors-with-even-wider-color-gamut


All may not entirely be well in the land of Dell, as shareholders decry founder Michael Dell's plan to take the troubled computer maker back private, and employees bemoan the loss of their stock options, but if you're a photographer there's good news coming out of the company as well. Dell has just launched several additions to its UltraSharp monitor series offering 99% coverage of the Adobe RGB color space, along with 100% sRGB coverage.

Three sizes are available for the new models: 24, 27, or 30 inches respectively. The most affordable of the trio is the 24-inch Dell U2413, priced at around US$600 and offering 1,920 x 1,200-pixel resolution. Basic specifications are similar to the existing U2410, but with a wider color gamut at the expense of a little brightness. The Dell U2713H (US$1,000) has a bit more screen real estate with a diagonal of 27 inches, and a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. Again, it's similar to the existing U2711 but with a wider color gamut, although its brightness is unchanged from the preceding model. Both the U2413 and U2713H are available immediately.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2013/02/14/Dell-releases-UltraSharp-monitors-with-99percent-Adobe-RGB-color-space-support


Dell has announced its 27" U2713H and 24" U2413 LED monitors designed for color critical applications like photo editing. These latest flagship models promise 99% coverage of the AdobeRGB color space, feature a 12-bit internal processor and 14-bit LUT (lookup table) for software calibration. The U2713H and U2413 are currently available at prices starting at US $999/£802/€829 and US $599/£490/€519 respectively.

The company has also launched the 30-inch U3014 monitor and its first ultra-wide monitor with a unique aspect ratio of 21:9 - the 29-inch U2913WM as an alternative to dual monitors.

[Kym]

http://www.theverge.com/2013/2/14/3987706/adobe-ceo-avoids-questions-about-high-price-of-creative-suite-in-australia


Adobe is in hot water in Australia over the high pricing of its Creative Suite applications in the country. Recently, the company has been asked to justify the disparities — which have left frugal Australians better off flying to America than buying a copy at home — at a public hearing on March 22nd. Many have questioned why Adobe and others have such wildly different prices across different countries in the age of digital distribution. In a press meeting yesterday, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen was asked multiple times to explain why Australians need pay up to $1,400 more for Creative Suite than US residents — he didn't.

[ricktas]

The 2012 World Press Photo award winners have been announced:

http://www.worldpressphoto.org/awards/2013

[ricktas]

The world's first bionic eye has been approved for use.

http://www.popsci.com.au/technology/world-s-first-bionic-eye-receives-fda-approval