Looking for Computer Hardware Stores in the UK?
If you are looking for computer shops or computer hardware stores online in the UK, then why not visit computer hardware department of the The UK Shopping Centre. First launched in 1995, this online shopping portal remains on of the most popular and established online shopping malls in the UK offering a very comprehensive range of online shopping across the UK.
Sony hits stumbling blocks on road to recovery
It seems to be one thing after another for Sony these days.
After a recall involving millions of Sony-made personal computer batteries and yet another delay for the PlayStation 3 game console, even one of Sony's top executives is questioning whether the company is on the right track.
"If you asked me if Sony's strength in computer hardware was in decline, right now I guess I would have to say that might be true," game unit head Ken Kutaragi said after Sony pushed back the PS3's European launch by 4 months to March.
The delay means Sony will miss the crucial Christmas computer hardware shopping season in Europe, giving Microsoft and Nintendo a head start in the race to win over next-generation gamers in key markets like Germany and Spain.
But for investors, the bigger worry is what the setback says about Sony's reputation as a top-class computer hardware manufacturer with the ability to deliver quality products to the market on time.
The news came within weeks of two major recalls by computer hardware giants Dell and Apple Computer of Sony lithium-ion batteries that can overheat and catch fire. All of this has raised concerns about whether there is something fundamentally wrong with Sony's hardware manufacturing process, and it could further damage the Sony brand.
Gateway Computers gets 5th CEO in six years
J Edward Coleman will face the challenge of prising Gateway Computers out of the budget end of the Personal Computer market.
Gateway Computers has tapped J Edward Coleman, a 31-year veteran of the distribution and services side of the computer hardware business, to be its next chief executive. He is the 5th chief executive in 6 years and, like his predecessors, will face the challenge of getting Gateway Computers out of the budget end of the computer hardware business. Although the company continues to ship PCs at a rapid rate, it has had difficulty churning out profit consistently.
During a phone interview, Coleman said he isn't likely to change the company's strategy in the near term, but over time will try to grow the enterprise and direct segments of the business. He will also place more emphasis on customer service, an issue that has bedevilled Dell Computers over the past two years.
"I come to this job with the belief that service and quality customer support [are] the key differentiators with our customers," he said. "It is a unique opportunity to lead a company that has great brand recognition and great products." Coleman also noted that he's helped turn companies around before. As the chief executive of CompuCom Systems in the early part of the decade, he helped turn the company from being a seller of PCs and computer hardware for corporations to a service provider. Many of CompuCom's competitors didn't react as quickly and faded away. After CompuCom, Coleman went to Arrow Electronics, a distributor. Before CompuCom and Arrow, he worked at Computer Sciences Corp and IBM.
Coleman will have his work cut out for him. Over the past few years, Gateway Computers has tried a number of different strategies — getting into consumer electronics, getting rid of its computer hardware shops and stores, selling more PCs and computer hardware in retail, aiming for budget customers — but it has continued to stumble when it comes to profits.
The company reported a net profit during the second quarter of 2005, its first time in the black after 13 consecutive quarterly losses. It then reported profits for the next two quarters and for the year. But so far in 2006, Gateway has lost $12.3m in the first quarter and $7.7m in the second quarter.
Nonetheless, the company still ships a large number of Personal Computers. Gateway remains the third-largest Personal Computer seller in the US market with a 6.2 percent market share, which is bigger than Apple's. Gateway Computers also grew shipments in the second quarter in the US, its main market, faster than Dell, HP, Apple, Lenovo and the market as a whole, according to Gartner.
During the 1990s, Gateway Computerswas one of the fastest-growing PC and computer hardware makers in the world. Volume shipments grew 20 to 30 percent in some quarters. Like Dell computers, it sold the bulk of its Personal Computers directly to buyers, bypassing shops and stores and integrators. |
