IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 11 November
11-11-2009
by Sylvia Leatham
iPhone price war unlikely | Adobe to cut jobs
The Irish Times reports that 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2', the videogame expected to become the biggest-selling title ever, has gone on sale in shops around the world. In Ireland, some 30 Gamestop shops opened at midnight on Monday, with queues at some stores having formed since that morning. The game has generated the largest orders ever seen for a game and so far sales have been "breaking all records", said Michael Finucane, commercial director of Gamestop Ireland.
The paper also says that security software firm Norkom has posted a 2 percent year-on-year rise in revenue, as reported by ENN on Tuesday.
The Irish Independent says that consumers who are fleeced by rogue telecoms operators providing premium-rate text or phone services will be legally entitled to get their money back. The Government has approved further technical changes to the Premium Rate Services Bill, which is expected to be passed into law next year. Rogue operators will also face fines of up to EUR250,000 for breaches of the rules, and the potential loss of their licence. Communications Minister Eamon Ryan is due to brief the Oireachtas Communications Committee on the details of the legislation on Wednesday.
The paper also reports that students are swinging back to science and computing courses, with a 25 percent rise in acceptances for both these disciplines for the 2009/10 academic year. Science is now at its highest popularity in 10 years, while computing has been replaced by construction as the least popular discipline in the technology category.
The Irish Examiner says that Vodafone and O2 have played down talk of an iPhone price war when the two operators begin a battle for customers in the new year. Sources said customers should not expect cut-price deals when the two operators go head-to-head, given the popularity of the iPhone. O2 refused to say how many iPhones have been sold in Ireland but said the device has been "massively popular" and it expects strong sales in the run-up to Christmas. Vodafone will begin selling the iPhone in Ireland early next year when O2's exclusive contract to sell the device expires.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Logitech International is set to buy video-conferencing equipment maker LifeSize Communications for USD405 million. The deal expands Logitech's presence in the fast-growing video-conferencing market, which LifeSize says should grow by about 15 percent a year from 2009. Logitech is known for peripherals such as computer mice and already makes hardware used for videoconferencing by consumers, such as webcams.
The paper also says that Adobe Systems is to cut about 680 full-time jobs globally, or about 9 percent of its workforce, as the company moves to align costs with 2010 projections. The move marks the second wave of job cuts at Adobe since last December, when the company said it would eliminate 600 positions. The software maker said in a regulatory filing that it plans to record about USD65 million to USD71 million in pretax restructuring charges.
The Financial Times reports that Richard Chang has resigned as chief executive of Semiconductor Manufacturing International (SMIC), China's largest chipmaker, which he founded nine years ago. Industry sources said Chang was forced to leave because SMIC's major shareholders were increasingly unhappy with his strategy of building a scattering of fabrication plants all over China with the support of different local governments. Chang is being replaced by David Wang, former chief executive of Huahong, SMIC's smaller peer. The move comes after rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) agreed to settle a long-running trade secrets battle with a USD200 million payment from SMIC and a 7.4 percent stake in the Chinese company.
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