Apple manages to exceed analyst expectations for Q2 2012-- with $39.2 billion in revenues and net profits reaching $6bn with 94% Y-o-Y growth.

Wall Street was expecting Apple revenues to reach $36.81bn.

Apple also managed to beat analyst sales forecast-- at least when it comes to iPhones. Q2 2012 is the 2nd best quarter for iPhones on record (the best being Q1 2012), with total sales reaching 35.1m (with 88% Y-o-Y growth), up from an expected 30.5m.

On the other hand iPad sales see a slight Q-o-Q slump, reaching 11.8m units (with 151% Y-o-Y growth) since new iPad sales only account for 2 weeks out of Q2.

According to Apple, the iPad remains the fastest selling Apple product yet. The company also claims “the new iPad is on fire. We are selling them as fast as we can make them.”

Mac sales for Q2 reach 4m units with 7% Y-o-Y growth, while iPod sales decline by 15% Y-o-Y to total 7.7m.

Speaking at the earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook commented on the current convergence trend-- noting the company will not get into the tablet-laptop hybrid market.

"I think that anything can be forced to converge... But the problem is that these products are about tradeoffs. You begin to make tradeoffs to the point that what you have at the end of the day won’t please anyone," Cook said.

Go Apple Q2 2012 Results

Nokia reports troubled results for Q1 2012, with "mixed" sales for its first Windows Phone-powered devices adding to dwindling profits and cash reserves. 

First, the numbers. Total Q1 2012 Nokia sales are down by -29% Y-o-Y (reaching €7.4 billion) while total net cash (cash less debt) are down by -24% Y-o-Y, amounting to €4.9bn. Total 2011 spendings for Nokia total €1.5bn, while Q1 2012 spending is already up to €700 million.  

Back in 2011, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop compared Nokia's situation as being on "a burning oil platform"-- with jumping into the ocean as the only option for survival. He was, of course, referring to Nokia's jumping on the Windows Phone platform. 

Did Nokia miss the lifeboat and land in dangerous waters instead? 

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According to Business Insider SAI Nokia might have done exactly that... SAI predicts "at the first quarter's burn rate, Nokia would blow through its net cash in 7 quarters (less than 2 years) and its total cash in 4 years." 

Elop knows that, and is urging to company to start conserving cash-- even if it still needs to spend money to make money. 

Nokia is also losing its bread and butter, the lower-end market. Judging from the earnings report, Nokia doesn't have much of a feature phone plan (other than "renewing" the series 40 platform), and risks losing the market to the Android-powered competion like Samsung, Huawei and ZTE. 

Was moving to Windows Phone a step in the wrong direction for the once mighty Nokia, then? Only time will tell-- until then, Nokia will continue slashing costs and pushing Lumia devices, in hopes of boosting its chances for survival. 

Go Nokia Q1 2012 Interim Report

Go And Now Nokia Has a New Problem-- It Might Go Bankrupt (Business Insider SAI)

News on Intel's plans for tablets starts emerging from IDF 2012, Beijing-- including an Ultrabook-tablet hybrid design and a specification list for future Windows 8 tablets.

First, the Ultrabook-tablet hybrid. Named "Cove Point" (or Letexo, depending on who you ask) the design is similar to the Asus Transformer and its ilk, using both touchscreen and a keyboard.

However unlike the Transformer (which uses a clamshell design), the Cove Point display slides out of the keyboard, and has a number of folding modes depending on how the user will use the device.

The prototype seen at IDF 2012 runs the Windows 8 Consumer Preview and carries an Ivy Bridge CPU. It has a 12.5" display, x2 USB 3.0 ports and an HDMI port.

Specifications are also available for other future Windows 8 Intel tablets-- Atom Z2760 dual-core Clover Trail processor, 9 hours of battery life, 3G or 4G connections and NFC and Wifi Direct capability. Weight should be under 700 grams, while proposed thickness is under 9mm.

Watch IDF 2012 Beijing Day 1 Highlights

Go Intel Shows Off Ultrabook-Tablet Hybrid Running Windows 8 (Wired)

As European and US Blackberry sales plunge, RIM is going for other territories-- specifically MEA, as it prepares to open a flagship BlackBerry store amongst the glitzy malls of Dubai.

The Dubai store will measure up to 140 square metres and will be the first of series of stores across the Middle East, Bloomberg reports. RIM is still doing good business in the M. East, and plans to open stores in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.

Customising the M. Eastern BlackBerry stores is mobile phone distributor Axiom.

RIM is also looking at the African market-- Bloomberg says the company plans to open flagship stores in Nairobi, Kenya, Lagos and Nigeria.

According to IDC Q4 2011 BlackBerry shipments in MEA total 2.29 million, doubling from the same period in 2011. This contrast with Europe and the US, where customers are replacing BlackBerries with iPhones or Androids.

Go RIM Plans M. Eastern Retail Push With Dubai Store (Bloomberg)