South Africa
Jasco Electronics Holdings announced strong results for the six months to December 2011, as well as progress on its new strategy and restructuring. Group revenue increased by 55% to R493,9 million following the combination of Jasco and Spescom. Headline earnings per share (HEPS) was up 96% to 6,9 cents per share, with earnings per share (EPS) up 130% to 6,4 cents per share.
Otto Wireless Solutions has been appointed as an official distributor for Option Wireless Technology, a leader in high-speed 3G/broadband connectivity that provides a range of highspeed, feature rich modules, as well as finished goods suitable for home use.
International
Business
MEMC Electronic Materials, the electronic wafer manufacturer, suffered a net loss for the 2011 fourth quarter of $1,5 billion, or $6,44 per share. The company’s financials were largely impacted by restructuring charges related to the announcement of more than 1300 job cuts last year. The company attributed its poor performance in large part to softer demand in its semiconductor business negatively impacting shipments and pricing.
NXP Semiconductors reported financial results for the fourth quarter and the full year 2011. For the quarter, revenue was $931 million and loss per share was $0,73. For the full year, revenue was $4,19 billion and earnings per share were $1,57, compared to revenue of $4,4 billion and a loss per share of $1,99 in 2010.
Announcing financial results for its fourth quarter and full year ended 31 December 2011, Atmel reported revenue for the quarter of $383,6 million, a 20% decrease compared to $479,4 million for the third quarter of 2011, and 16% lower compared to $457,8 million for the fourth quarter of 2010. GAAP net income totalled $32,9 million or $0,07 per diluted share for the fourth quarter of 2011. This compares to $116,7 million or $0,25 per diluted share for the third quarter of 2011. For the full year 2011, revenue increased 10% to $1,80 billion, compared to $1,64 billion for 2010, and net income was $315,0 million or $0,68 per diluted share, compared to net income of $423,1 million or $0,90 per diluted share for 2010.
Agilent Technologies reported revenues of $1,64 billion for its first fiscal quarter ended 31 January – 8% above one year ago. First-quarter GAAP net income was $230 million, or $0,65 per share. Last year’s first-quarter GAAP net income was $193 million, or $0,54 per share.
Industry
The Wi-Fi chipset market continues to march forward at a brisk pace as a growing number of consumer electronics are integrating Wi-Fi. As the demand for devices with Wi-Fi connectivity grows, and as prices for chipsets decrease, new markets for Wi-Fi are opening in areas traditionally dominated by other wireless connectivity standards. According to new NPD In-Stat research, new markets such as smart meters, wireless mice, automobiles and home automation will help drive sales of Wi-Fi chipsets to $6,1 billion in 2015.
Technology
STMicroelectronics announced the successful production of the world’s first semiconductor wafer whose dice were fully tested without contact probes. The company’s advance in testing technology enables a wafer containing chips such as RFID ICs to be tested using electromagnetic waves as the sole link to the array of circuits on the wafer. Higher yields, shorter testing times and lower product cost are among the potential benefits of this approach. In addition, contactless testing allows RF circuits to be tested under conditions that are close to the real application conditions.
An international team of scientists has demonstrated a revolutionary new way of magnetic recording which will allow information to be processed hundreds of times faster than by current hard drive technology. The researchers found they could record information using only heat, instead of a magnetic field. The result is the ability to record Terabytes of information per second, with less energy consumption.
Cree claimed a breakthrough in LED technology that it boasts “completely redefines the lighting industry and erases old assumptions about up-front LED cost and performance.” The company claims that the XLamp XT-E white LED, based on a new silicon carbide technology platform, delivers twice the lumens-per-dollar of other LEDs and features the highest performance and efficacy in the industry. The LED provides up to 148 lumens per Watt (LPW) at 85°C (or up to 162 LPW at 25°C) at 350 mA.
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