Week in review: Apple, Netflix, Ancestry.com, Coinstar post second-quarter results

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com.

Audio chip designer Cirrus Logic seen slowing in fiscal first quarter. (July 27, 2012)

Apple likely buying AuthenTec to add digital wallet capability to iPhone. (July 27, 2012)

Coinstar sags as Redbox DVD rental activity declines. (July 27, 2012)

Monotype Imaging gets Q2 boost from Bitstream acquisition; plans quarterly dividend. (July 27, 2012)

Apple loses ground to Samsung in smartphone market as iPhone 5 waits in the wings. (July 27, 2012)

Coinstar investors give thumbs down to Redbox parent’s Q2 results. (July 26, 2012)

Ancestry.com climbs on Q2 results. Online genealogy service sees 1940 U.S. Census and DNA service as growth catalysts. (July 26, 2012)

Roku and Apple duel over streaming video set-top box market. (July 26, 2012)

Apple iPhone sales crimped by Samsung smartphones and rumors about the next-generation iPhone. (July 25, 2012)

Netflix expects to go in and out of profitability as it shovels earnings into international expansion. (July 25, 2012)

Five key take-aways from Apple’s Q3 earnings report. (July 25, 2012)

‘Bruised’ Apple misses Q3 targets and lowers Q4 outlook. (July 24, 2012)

Netflix will have a tough time hitting its U.S. streaming subscriber target this year. (July 23, 2012)

Apple sweats possible iPhone summer slowdown. (July 23, 2012)

Apple’s revenue, earnings poised for Q3 slowdown. (July 23, 2012)

Apple iPad Mini rumors likely to impact sales of Google and Amazon 7-inch tablets. (July 23, 2012)

Photo: Roku set-top box showing Netflix.

Week in review: 3D printers graduate from prototypes to end products

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com.

The fast-growing 3D printer market is transitioning from making plastic models of consumer goods to end products such as dental fittings and hearing aids.
Stratasys and 3D Systems are leading companies in the field. (July 20, 2012)

Samsung Electronics extended its lead in the worldwide LCD TV market in the first quarter, while the overall market shrank. (July 20, 2012)

Altera and Texas Instruments are seen posting year-over-year declines in Q2. (July 20, 2012)

Investors sour on Microsoft’s Q4 earnings report.
It turns out, Microsoft only matched EPS views, not beat them.
The software giant posts its first quarterly loss as a public company. (July 20, 2012)

Microsoft shares rise in after-hours trading following the company’s fiscal Q4 earnings news.
Microsoft’s Q4 results were helped by strong sales in its server and enterprise software businesses. (July 19, 2012)

Mellanox vaults higher on Q2 results and Q3 forecast. (July 19, 2012)

Mellanox Technologies shares leap to new highs after the fabless chip company obliterates Q2 estimates. (July 18, 2012)

Microsoft predicted to post first year-over-year decline in earnings in 11 quarters. (July 18, 2012)

Intel shares up as Q2 results and guidance show resilience. (July 18, 2012)

Intel beats Q2 profit views, but lowers outlook. (July 17, 2012)

Mellanox Technologies stock down sharply ahead of its Q2 results. (July 17, 2012)

PC sales slump weighs on chipmaker Intel’s Q2 earnings. (July 16, 2012)

Microsoft sells its MSNBC.com stake, preps Office 15. (July 16, 2012)

Photo: The Cube personal 3D printer by 3D Systems.

Week in review: Twitter co-stars with Katy Perry; Robot Hall of Fame returns

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com.

Twitter co-stars in Katy Perry movie, but followers didn’t follow through. (July 13, 2012)

Intuitive Surgical, iRobot and Terminator to be inducted into Robot Hall of Fame two years late. (July 13, 2012)

Coinstar shares fall on analyst report raising questions about Redbox-Verizon joint venture. (July 13, 2012)

Video game sales at U.S. retail are down nearly 28% year to date; Batman games stand out in June. (July 12, 2012)

Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Intel and Microsoft shares down on lackluster Q2 PC shipment data. (July 12, 2012)

LinkedIn shares down for second straight day on concerns about Facebook competition. New survey shows Facebook gaining in online job recruiting. (July 10, 2012)

Apple to start selling new iPad in China after settling tablet trademark dispute. (July 10, 2012)

Applied Materials lowers its full-year outlook on weak demand. (July 10, 2012)

LinkedIn stock falls on Facebook plans to launch a job posting board. (July 9, 2012)

Photo: Pop singer Katy Perry in “Katy Perry: Part of Me.”

Week in review: Apple facing new challenges from Amazon, Google and Microsoft

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com.

Amazon is working on its own smartphone to drive e-commerce. (July 6, 2012)

Trimble Navigation impacted by fears of slowing economy, particularly in Europe. (July 5, 2012)

Windows 7 Finally To Surpass Windows XP in August. (July 3, 2012)

Apple suffers setback in HTC legal fight, but scores win against Samsung. (July 3, 2012)

Microsoft admits its acquisition of aQuantive was a costly mistake. (July 3, 2012)

Sourcefire shares fall on CEO’s medical leave. (July 3, 2012)

Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating system continue to take market share in mobile devices and for mobile Web usage. (July 2, 2012)

Apple settles iPad trademark lawsuit in China for $60 million. (July 2, 2012)

Apple mini tablet seen replacing Apple’s iPad 2 as entry level product in the fall. (June 29, 2012)

Microsoft, Google and Amazon tune up to challenge Apple in digital music business. (June 28, 2012)

Apple’s iPhone turns 5, still “at the top of its game.” (June 27, 2012)

Photo: Children play with Amazon Kindle Fire tablets.

Week in review: Microsoft unveils Surface tablet

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com.

Onyx Pharmaceuticals up, Celgene down on cancer drug news. (June 21, 2012)

Cellular tower operators American Tower and Crown Castle International are among the companies reportedly bidding for T-Mobile USA’s cell tower assets. (June 21, 2012)

FDA advisory panel approves Onyx blood cancer drug. (June 21, 2012)

Microsoft reportedly making its own smartphone with Windows Phone 8. (June 21, 2012)

Microsoft rounds out mobile strategy with Windows Phone 8. (June 20, 2012)

Adobe Systems stock falls on lowered outlook. (June 20, 2012)

Adobe Systems cuts outlook, blames weakness in Europe. (June 19, 2012)

Microsoft is hoping to avoid Nokia’s fate.
Its decision to make its own tablets is a “vote of no confidence” in its hardware partners. (June 19, 2012)

Microsoft Surface tablets to take on Apple’s iPad as well as ultrabooks from PC vendors. (June 19, 2012)

Microsoft debuts its Surface tablet, which features a keyboard in the cover. (June 18, 2012)

Tablets using Google’s Android operating system have caught up to Apple’s iPad in market penetration, a new study says. (June 18, 2012)

Graphic design software company Adobe Systems is getting a boost from the release of Creative Suite 6, the latest version of its flagship product. But customers are upgrading at a slower pace than with previous versions. (June 18, 2012)

Photo: Microsoft’s Surface tablet.

Week in review: Apple expands use of Siri

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com.

As a takeover target, Nokia is worth more dead than alive. (June 15, 2012)

Sourcefire blazes path to broader security market. (June 15, 2012)

Microsoft reportedly buying Yammer for $1.2 billion. (June 15, 2012)

Microsoft seen likely to launch its own Windows tablet. (June 15, 2012)

Video game sector in the dumps, May retail data show.
Activision Blizzard’s “Diablo III” is the top-selling game for the month. (June 15, 2012)

Expected strong demand for media tablets, especially Apple’s iPad, in the second half of the year prompted research firm IDC to raise its 2012 forecast.
It also sees Apple gaining market share over tablets based on Google’s Android operating system. (June 14, 2012)

Apple gets friendly with Baidu, while shunning Google. (June 14, 2012)

Microsoft’s Windows 8 gamble faces Vista comparison (June 13, 2012)

Research projects involving cancer, genetics and micro-machines earn Intel Science Talent Search honors. (June 12, 2012)

Apple has big plans for Siri, including bypassing Google for searches, and popularizing a new type of computer interface. But the app has plenty of critics. (June 12, 2012)

Apple announces a refreshed lineup of MacBook computers, enhancements to its Siri personal assistant, Facebook integration, and Apple map software that will replace an offering from rival Google. (June 11, 2012)

Intel chooses Mellanox Technologies for its high-end server platforms. (June 11, 2012)

Photo: Siri virtual personal assistant software shown running on Apple iPad and iPhone.

Week in review: E3 video game show sees Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony making news

The following is a roundup of my stories from Investor’s Business Daily at Investors.com.

Winners and losers from the 2012 E3 video game show, including Microsoft, Ubisoft, Nintendo and social games. (June 8, 2012)

Mario on Apple iPad? Analyst says Nintendo should do it. (June 8, 2012)

Best Buy founder and chairman quits; plans to sell his 20% stake in the consumer electronics retail chain. (June 7, 2012)

Facebook stock has rare up day on Nasdaq settlement plans. (June 6, 2012)

Amazon, Google, other tech stocks up despite downbeat JPMorgan report. (June 6, 2012)

Sony says new games signal long life for PlayStation 3 console. (June 6, 2012)

Ancestry.com weighs sale of company as growth slows. (June 6, 2012)

Nintendo builds case for its upcoming Wii U, which is a more complex video game console with a second screen. (June 5, 2012)

At E3 event, Microsoft gave no word on next Xbox, but rolled out more apps and games that use its Kinect sensor array. (June 4, 2012)

Photos: The Sony booth (top) and Microsoft booth at the 2012 E3 trade show in Los Angeles.