Holiday electronics sales strong, says SIA
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Sales of semiconductors in November indicate that consumer products such as LCD (liquid crystal display) TVs, digital music players, and other devices sold well during the holidays, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) said Monday.November chip sales rose 2.3 percent year-on-year to $23.1 billion, the SIA said.Unit demand has far outpaced last year. But falling chip prices have hurt industry revenue, the chip association said. For example, DRAM (dynamic RAM) bit shipments grew 25 percent in the three months through mid-December, but average selling prices have declined 20 percent over the same period.The association also noted that rising energy prices and concerns about the sub-prime lending issue in the U.S. do not appear to have had a significant impact on consumer spending for the holidays, the SIA said. The group reiterated its forecast that worldwide semiconductor sales will reach a new record in 2007. But it will take a stronger than expected December selling season to reach the 3.8 percent growth goal the group had&#160;forecast earlier this year, the SIA said.Investment banking firm Credit Suisse was not as optimistic as the SIA.The November data was below normal seasonal trends, noted analyst John Pitzer, in a report on Monday. Even if December reaches its normal seasonal growth, 2007 industry revenue will only reach $255.7 billion, up 3.2 percent over last year. The growth percentage would fall short of the SIA&#39;s 3.8 percent target.The slow November prompted Credit Suisse to lower its 2008 chip industry revenue forecast to 9.4 percent year-on-year growth, down from a previous target of 13 percent.
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The 2006 holiday shopping period got off to a strong start over the weekend, according to several e-commerce operators.
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The Consumer Electronics Association predicts solid growth in gadget sales this year.
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U.S. telephone carrier customers of  Samsung Electronics saw slowing sales of cell phones towards  the end of the holiday shopping period, which was a strong  sales period for Samsung, a top executive for the phone maker  said on Sunday.
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The companyâs third-quarter profit beat expectations, lifted by an extra week of holiday shopping and sales of video game consoles and GPS devices.
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Sony Corp.  said on Monday U.S. sales of electronics have been better than expected so far this holiday shopping season, fueled by demand for flat panel televisions and digital cameras.
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U.S. retail sales jumped a more-than-expected 1.2 percent in December, the government said on Thursday, as car dealers, furniture stores and on-line retailers reported strong sales.
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Apple Computer Inc.'s first-quarter earnings more than quadrupled, dramatically exceeding Wall Street expectations, based on strong holiday sales of laptop computers and its wildly popular iPod music players.
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Shipments of personal computers this year will be higher than previously anticipated, boosted by demand from businesses, research firm IDC said Monday.
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Dell, Gateway and HP are making another run at consumer electronics for the 2004 holiday season.
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The UK's leading supermarket chain sees sales, excluding petrol, rise by 7.6% over the Christmas holiday period.
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Amazon.com Inc.'s holiday sales set a record on strong demand for electronics and books, while Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said December sales at its US discount stores are rising about 2 percent as shoppers completed their Christmas purchases.
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The retail sector overall may be reporting a sluggish start to the season, but holiday shoppers are scooping up iPods, DVDs, digital cameras and other tech goods at a brisk pace -- and they
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U.S. sales of video game hardware  and software rose 28 percent in December from a year earlier as  holiday shoppers snapped up new consoles like Nintendo Co Ltd's  (7974.OS) top-selling Wii, market research firm NPD said on  Thursday.
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Electronic Arts Inc., benefiting from brisk holiday sales of video games used on Sony Corp.'s new Playstation 3, exceeded Wall Street's earnings expectations Thursday despite fiscal third-quarter sales that dropped 38 percent.
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Best Buy said its comparable-store sales rose 1.5 percent in December on strong sales of video games and notebook computers.
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SAN JOSE, Calif. - The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) said worldwide sales of semiconductors rose to $18.2 billion in August, exceeding expectations of $18 billion (see Tuesday, Sept.