Comcast Xfinity joined the Super Bowl spirit (see 1901290017), noting X1 customers can use voice remotes while watching the game. Xfinity Home customers with Philips Hue or Lifx lights can use voice commands to change colors to match those of the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots, a Comcast spokesperson emailed Thursday. The company emailed customers about the commands Sunday, she said. X1 customers can get statistics from the sports app and see who’s at the front door via smart camera by issuing voice commands, wrote Bryan Kissinger, director-digital home product management.
Dolby is “reaping the benefits of growing momentum” behind its Atmos, Cinema, Vision and Mobile businesses, wrote Dougherty & Co. analyst Steven Frankel Thursday after the company’s Wednesday earnings call. Concerns Dolby was facing “stiff headwinds” from a slowing smartphone market, China slowdown and tariffs “proved to be for naught,” as Dolby’s $302.4 million fiscal Q1 revenue, and $98.2 million profit, beat guidance. Repeating a “buy” rating, Frankel cited Dolby’s “dominant competitive position, strong cash flow and increased traction with new revenue initiatives.”
Google said YouTube Music is available on all Sonos speakers, letting YouTube Music Premium or YouTube Premium subscribers play songs, albums, playlists and artist radio stations along with YouTube’s standard catalog of remixes, live performances and covers. We weren’t able to pull up YouTube through our Sonos app, and a search on the Sonos community site showed a question asking about YouTube from five months ago. A post dated “12 days ago” from a Sonos customer said: “I just discovered the Sonostube app. It plays youtube on your Sonos system.” We didn’t find an app under YouTube or Sonostube, but a Sonos spokesperson emailed us that software updates are being issued “on a rolling basis.” On whether the elevated coziness with another Google streaming service hinted at an impending release of an update for Google Assistant voice control -- expected last year -- she said: “we’ll share more as soon as we can!”
Silicon Labs shares closed down 14 percent to $76.85 Wednesday after revenue was $5 million short of low-end Q4 revenue guidance. Citing “macro uncertainty and volatility,” the company scaled back Q1 guidance to $183 million-$193 million, said Chief Financial Officer John Hollister on a call. IoT, infrastructure, broadcast and access are projected to be lower. CEO Tyson Tuttle attributed shortfalls to the macro environment and “not to share loss,” citing China’s “difficult environment” due to a slowdown in gross domestic product and factory activity as customers move production elsewhere on tariff concerns. Economic conditions are “decelerating in major markets,” leading to a semiconductor industry “down cycle,” Tuttle said. Noting it has been a decade since the last “macro correction,” Hollister said: “The question is, is this one going to be short-lived with a quick rebound, or is it going to be more protracted?” Some of that will be determined by the U.S.-China relationship and "Huawei, ZTE, in terms of the tariffs,” he said. Tuttle called geopolitical and trade factors “much more turbulent now." Wireless products now comprise more than 60 percent of total IoT revenue. Weakest sequential revenue performance was in the Americas, led by declines in wireless and other businesses.
After Jan. 2's warning on weak China sales, Apple (see Jan. 4 issue) continued efforts to promote its higher margin services business on the company's fiscal Q1 call Tuesday. Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri for the first time broke out gross margin into categories -- 34.3 percent for hardware, 62.8 percent for services in the year-end quarter -- saying the new reporting strategy “will foster a better understanding of our business.” The company is on track to reach its goal to double services from 2016 by 2020, said CEO Tim Cook.
Samsung Electronics North America CEO Tim Baxter will retire June 1, the company confirmed Tuesday. In a statement, a Samsung spokesperson emailed that YH Eom, "who co-led alongside Tim for the past two years, will be taking full leadership of the organization." The company has a "strong management team in place through the region and we will continue to grow our business," the spokesperson said. "Tim is an exceptional business leader who has helped define Samsung as an innovator in the consumer electronics industry. We wish him all the best and thank him for his many contributions to Samsung." Baxter was promoted to CEO in July 2017 (see 1707110023).
The Twittersphere’s response to news of an Apple FaceTime glitch that went viral Tuesday ranged from outrage to grins as iPhone users processed the possibilities that could have ensued before Apple turned off the feature that experienced the bug. Fingertip Solutions tweeted: “A major privacy flaw in #Apple’s FaceTime lets others listen in on you before you answer the call," broadening the message to say the bug “allows someone to dial one of their contacts and listen in to the recipient’s microphone before they actually answer the call.”
Amazon’s joining the Zigbee board is a “natural evolution,” Parks Associates analyst Brad Russell told us Thursday, signaling the company’s desire “to be at the center of the conversation on wireless networking and to be an influencer on where the standards go.” Amazon’s decision “is a strong message that the industry is focused on simplifying and adding convenience to the growing range of IoT devices available to customers,” the group said. The company pegged its decision to voice control. Christian Taubman, Amazon director-Alexa Smart Home, said “customers tell us they want smart home experiences that are simple to setup, easy to control, and add convenience to the tasks they do.” Voice control is helping to remove smart home complexity, he said. “There are even more ways we can help customers by ensuring their smart devices connect and work together seamlessly." Amazon’s Ring remains “a big Z-Wave supporter,” Z-Wave smart home/IoT alliance Executive Director Mitchell Klein emailed. Acknowledging Amazon’s role as a “big player” in the smart home industry, Klein noted it has competition from Apple, Google and Samsung.
SiriusXM General Manager-Emerging Business Joe Verbrugge said a new program gives AutoNation stores the ability to stay connected to their customers and improve retention after purchase. Under the program, five AutoNation USA Stores will give customers an Automatic Labs plug-in adaptor and introductory subscription, allowing them to become connected for access to safety and convenience features, service alerts and recall notices. Though there's no direct SiriusXM tie-in here, AutoNation customers are offered a free three-month trial subscription when they buy vehicles with SiriusXM factory-installed, a spokesperson emailed us. Customers who go to AutoNation locations for service can receive a complimentary two-month trial of SiriusXM if they have a compatible receiver, he said.
KB Home is offering Google Assistant smart home control as a standard feature in two Orange County, California, communities, joining homes in Denver, Jacksonville and Las Vegas, it said Friday. Dish Smart Home Services is installing and integrating the devices after move-in, and will integrate the smart home products with the homeowners' existing internet service, a spokesperson emailed us. A base package includes a Google Wi-Fi mesh network, a Google Home and a Home mini smart speaker, a Nest Hello video doorbell and installation and integration. Buyers can add cameras, smoke and carbon dioxide alarms, lighting controls, window shades, appliances and door locks, he said.