On CE - For Dealers, Distributors and OEMs of Consumer Electronics throughout EMEA

"Ready to be smart?" Samsung asks in a Facebook with the picture of a mysterious device it will reveal at IFA 2012-- a tablet-laptop hybrid running on Windows 8.

What exactly will this Samsung offering be? Most probably (if not certainly) it is a finalised version of the Series 5 tablet prototype first seen at Computex 2012.

The Computex prototype is similar to other hybrid devices from the likes of Acer and Asus-- a transforming tablet with an 11-inch display and an attachable keyboard. It also has a slot for a stylus together with front- and rear-facing cameras.

We should learn much more once we head to Berlin for IFA 2012 next week.

Go Samsung Notebook Facebook Post

TheJapan Times reports Sony is out of the PC optical drive business-- blaming "fierce competition" for the closing of wholly owned subsidiary Sony Optiarc.

The CD and DVD drive maker will stop operations from March 2013 before Sony liquidates all unit assets. According to sources most of around 400 employees will be taking early retirement.

Formed as a joint venture with NEC in 2006, Optiarc was turned into a full Sony subsidiary in 2008.

The Optiarc closing comes as part of a company-wide restructuring of money-losing Sony divisions following the huge fiscal 2011 and 2012 losses. Sony losses in Q2 2012 alone total $312 million as operating profits decline by -77% Y-o-Y.

Sony hopes to slash its total global workforce by 10000 (or 6%) by March 2013, in a move to boost efficiency while improving profits.

Go Sony to Pull Plug on Optical Disc Drives (The Japan Times)

Global flat-panel TV shipments return to growth in Q2 2012 according to IHS iSuppli, as combined WW LCD and plasma shipments reach 48.9 million units with 3.6% Q-o-Q growth.

Shipments reached 47.2m units in Q1 2012.

“After an unusually weak start to 2012, global television shipments showed some signs of life in the second quarter,” the analyst remarks. Due to tentative consumer spending, the typical post-holiday season decline was even sharper than usual.

However the Q2 growth signals a return to seasonal TV shipment patterns, and "likely signals further growth ahead in Q3."

Both Q2 2012 LCD TV and plasma segments are positive-- WW LCD shipments reach 3.4% Q-o-Q growth (following a Q1 2012 -29.3% Q-o-Q decline) while the declining plasma segment grows by 6.6% Q-o-Q (compared to the -39.5% Q-o-Q in Q1).

Samsung leads the global LCD TV vendor rankings, taking over 19.2% of unit shipments thanks to "shrewd marketing, global distribution and efficient production.” LG follows with 13.2% share, as the S. Korean TV makers continue undercutting the Japanese on pricing.

Go iSuppli WW Monthly TV Tracker

Customers prefer convenience to actual ownership when it comes to music, Strategy Analytics reports-- leading to 40% Y-o-Y growth in streaming revenues (reaching $1.1 billion) by 2012.

Meanwhile download revenues will slow down, growing by 8.5% to $3.9bn, making way as streaming becomes "the leading revenue growth engine for the music industry in 2012."

Predictably physical music sales continue declining further-- Strategy Analytics forecasts 2012 packaged music sales will drop by -12.1% to reach $1.9bn. In comparison overall digital (including purchases from mobile devices) spending should reach $1.3bn with 17.8% growth.

The analyst predicts global digital music spending will overtake the physical by 2015-- although some countries (including Sweden, the US and S. Korea) are shifting to digital at a much faster rate.

"Streaming music services such as Spotify and Pandora will be the key growth drivers over the next five years as usage and spending grow rapidly," Strategy Analytics says.

Making streaming services even more attractive is cloud-based storage-- allowing instant, seamless access to one's existing music library via a range of connected devices.

Go Global Digital Music Sales to Top $8.6bn in 2012 (Strategy Analytics)