Samsung's Q2 profits lower than expected
The consumer electronics giant said last week that second-quarter earnings are likely to be lower than expected. Operating profit is estimated at 6.9 trillion won (S$8.2 billion), or 4 per cent lower than in the second quarter of last year. Revenue has fallen 8 per cent.
Analysts believe Samsung's smartphone sales were affected by its failure to anticipate demand for the curved Galaxy S6 edge model, which led to supply issues.
But these results are better than its first-quarter earnings.
Microsoft to cut 7,800 more jobs
Microsoft plans to cut 7,800 jobs, mostly from its handset business. This is on top of the 18,000 layoffs it announced last year.
The company will also write off losses of around US$7.6 billion (S$10.3 billion) for its acquisition of Nokia's handset business over a year ago.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in an internal e-mail that the firm was moving from a standalone phone business to creating a "vibrant Windows ecosystem, including our first-party device family".
IBM makes even smaller computer chip
IBM says it has created a prototype chip with smaller internal circuitry than current ones. Working with an international consortium, it has created chips with circuitry measuring 7 nanometres, it said. Intel and Samsung's newest processors feature 14nm circuitry.
The breakthrough should help the semiconductor industry to maintain its record of doubling transistor density every two years, the so-called Moore's Law.
Liberty Wireless to offer mobile services
Singapore-based mobile telco Liberty Wireless will offer voice, messaging and mobile data services to local postpaid customers towards the end of the year. These mobile services will ride on M1's mobile network, but operate under the Circles Asia brand.
GoPro releases smallest camera yet
Best known for the action cameras used by extreme sports enthusiasts, GoPro has released its smallest camera.
The cube-shaped GoPro Hero4 Session weighs 74g, making it 40 per cent lighter than GoPro's earlier models. It is also waterproof to a depth of 10m without requiring an additional housing.
The camera shoots 1080p videos at up to 60 frames per second and takes 8-megapixel photos. Two models - Standard and Surf - are available in Singapore at $590.
Apple releases iOS 9 beta to everyone
For the first time, Apple is releasing a major update for its iPhone and iPad operating system for everyone before its official release.
Users can sign up at beta.apple.com to get the iOS 9 public beta. A beta version of the upcoming OS X El Capitan for Mac computers is also available.
But Apple suggests users install the software on a secondary device as it may have software bugs. In the past, it released early software updates only to developers.
Compiled by Vincent Chang
