Panasonic Reports Steady Demand for Plasma
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Plasma will comprise 30 percent of the market for flat-screen TVs, exec says.
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(InfoWorld) - Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. (Panasonic) is refreshing itsÂ Toughbook rugged laptop PC lineÂ and aiming for a big jump in international sales of the computers over the next three years. The company, already a leader in the rugged PC market, aims to ship 7.5 times more rugged PCs outside Japan by 2010 than it did in 2006, said Toshiyuki Takagi, director of the IT product division and Panasonic's AVC Networks division, at a Tokyo news conference. In Europe it is aiming for a ten-fold increase in shipments. The new 7-series machines, aimed at corporate users, are beefier than the current 5-series machines and can survive a fall from a greater height. The new models can be dropped from 76 centimeters -- the height of an average desk -- while switched on and still work, according to Panasonic. Its current Toughbook models for the corporate PC market are rated for a 30 cm drop but only when switched off. The 76-cm claim was backed up at the news conference as the laptops were dropped numerous times without any problem. Panasonic also demonstrated a new irrigation system in the keyboard that can funnel water through the machine and out of a drain hole in the base. It can handle up to 200 milliliters of water -- about the amount in a medium-sized glass -- without the PC experiencing any problems. The four new laptops -- one of which will be available in Japan only -- are based on Intel's Santa Rosa platform, which combines a processor, chip set, and wireless adapter. They have double the memory of their predecessors, at 1GB, and the hard-disk capacity is one-third larger, at 80GB, than in the previous models. They all include 802.11 a/b/g wireless LAN but the new 802.11n variant is not supported. The Japan-only CF-R7 has a 10.4-inch screen with 1,024 pixels by 768 pixels (XGA) resolution but no optical drive. It will be launched on Oct. 19 and will cost about Â¥205,000 ($1,780). The CF-T7 has a 12.1-inch XGA screen and will be launched in Japan on Oct. 19. It will cost Â¥220,000. The CF-W7 adds a DVD Super-multi drive to the mix and will go on sale in Japan on Nov. 16 for around Â¥250,000. Finally, the high-end CF-Y7 has a 14.1-inch screen with 1,400 pixels by 1,050 pixels (SXGA) resolution and the DVD Super-multi drive. It will launch on Oct. 19 and will cost about Â¥270,000. The CF-T7, CF-W7 and CF-Y7 will be launched in Europe on Nov. 27. The CF-W7 will cost â¬1,950 ($2,760), the CF-T7 will have a â¬2,100 price tag and the CF-Y7 will be â¬2,170. North American and Asian prices are yet to be announced. Launch dates will be around the same time as those in Europe.
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Earnings meet analyst expectations, and company continues to gain momentum through wireless and fiber-to-the-home business.
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Given up for dead less than a year  ago, plasma TVs are making a comeback, with manufacturers  boosting sales forecasts amid a continued shortage of LCD TVs  and surging demand in developing countries.
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Hanging stockings by the chimney with care? Retailers hope that St. Nicholas soon will be there &#151; to hang a 42-inch plasma-screen TV. As prices drop for high-end televisions, sales are leaping. Retailers expect to sell twice as many plasma-screen televisions and three times as many LCD televisions this year, according to the Consumer Electronics Association.
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Panasonic maker Matsushita Electric  Industrial Co Ltd (6752.T) posted a 3 percent gain in quarterly  operating profit on strong sales of digital cameras and flat  TVs, but kept unchanged an annual outlook that falls short of  market expectations.
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The leading electronics and entertainment retailer continues to produce strong results.
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Larry Weber has been a leading force behind the big-screen TV tech. Now he's trying to tame its power consumption.Photos: A history of plasma panels
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Business confidence in Japan has remained steady in recent months,  according to the latest tankan survey.
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LAS VEGAS - Hewlett-Packard Co. and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. (Panasonic) have agreed to support each other's favored rewritable DVD technologies in some of their respective products, they said Wednesday at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
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Panasonic maker Matsushita (6752.T)  reported a 22 percent gain in quarterly operating profit on  brisk demand for its digital cameras and flat televisions, and  it stood by its annual outlook that falls short of market  expectations.
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The company said it has benefited from growing demand for handsets that work on the new higher-speed networks being introduced by carriers in the U.S., Europe and Asia.
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MANHASSET, NY - Sony Corp. is considering leaving the plasma display market to focus on flat-panel liquid crystal (LCD) displays, according to several online reports.
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The consumer electronics retailer continues to produce strong results.
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Sales, led by increasingly affordable flat-panel TVs, are expected to be strong.
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Sales are up, prices are down: The latest figures paint a rosy future for both buyers and sellers of HDTVs.
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The number of overweight Americans is holding steady as U.S. consumers are becoming more aware of what they eat, an annual report by market research firm The NPD Group said.