12/30, 5:55am
Any issues only with pre-beta units
RIM has issued a statement in an attempt to stymie reports that its forthcoming flagship PlayBook tablet is facing possible delays due to issues with its battery. Kaufman Bros analyst Shaw Wu made the claims and said that the issues revolved around RIM’s use of the QNX OS, which was not originally optimized for tablet devices. RIM’s statement refutes these claims and insists that any issues that might have been detected are only in non-optimized, pre-beta devices.
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12/06, 9:15am
Verizon iPhone said helped by slow Android, BB6
Verizon's CDMA iPhone may be coming about because of a loss of favor for BlackBerry and likely Android, Kaufman Bros analyst Shaw Wu said in an investment note today. Sources told Wu that Verizon doesn't think the upcoming launch of BlackBerry 6 devices on its network will have a "material impact" on its sales, ruling it out as a savior. The researcher also believed that even Android was leading to a change of heart as its growth has lagged AT&T despite multiple high-profile devices from HTC and Motorola, giving Apple a larger bargaining chip.
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10/06, 8:30am
Supply checks suggest candy-bar ‘nano’ iPhone
Analyst Shaw Wu has stated that supply chain checks indicate signs of new form factor iPhones under development, including both larger and smaller touchscreens than the iPhone 4’s current 3.5-inch screen size. According to Kaufman Bros sources, the new models could be both a new high-end addition and a new low-end model. While noting that Apple traditionally ships new iPhone models on an annual cycle, Wu speculates that the models under development could ship much sooner.
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11/17, 2:30pm
Analysts see Palm at Verizon next year
Palm may prove to be Verizon's best hope if the Droid line doesn't bear fruit, Kaufman Bros analyst Shaw Wu said in a note today. He points to contacts within the cell industry and supply chain that suggest Verizon will carry one or more of Palm's webOS phones, such as the Pre or Pixi, sometime in 2010. Sales of both the Motorola Droid and HTC's Droid Eris have purportedly been "somewhat disappointing" and may lead to Verizon using Palm to bolster its smartphone catalog.
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