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Japan’s Electronics Under Siege

Hedge-fund billionaire Daniel Loeb’s campaign to pressure Sony Corp. into spinning off its entertainment arm is the latest tremor to ripple through Japan’s electronics industry, already reeling from unprecedented losses stemming from its lost standing in the technology world.

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Sharp Loss Widens to $5.36 Billion

After posting an annual net loss of ¥545 billion ($5.4 billion), the biggest in its 100-year history, Sharp Corp. said it plans to replace both its president and chairman after just one year in an unusually public rebuke of former management that underscores the depth of the struggling electronics maker’s problems.

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Sharp Faces Dwindling Financing Options

Japan’s Sharp Corp. is trying to find new sources of capital ahead of key looming financing deadlines. But the electronics maker’s options have shrunk, as management has told potential funders it doesn’t want to relinquish control of key decisions, while rebuffing demands from creditors that it shed core assets.

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The Battle for the Living Room Is Over — The War for the Consumer Is On

Companies that control the UI will dictate which software is accessed, and how.

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Apple Tests Designs for TV

Apple Inc. is working with component suppliers in Asia to test several TV-set designs, people familiar with the situation said, suggesting the U.S. company is moving closer to expanding its offerings for the living room.

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Sharp to Get Much-Needed Investment From Qualcomm

Sharp Corp. said it reached an agreement for Qualcomm Inc. to invest up to ¥9.9 billion ($120.4 million), in what is expected to be the first in a series of capital injections to shore up the Japanese electronics manufacturer’s finances.

News Byte

Sharp Retires Early Retirement Plan Early

Sharp’s early retirement plan was supposed to run from November 1 to November 14. But the struggling Japanese company was forced to cut it short when it was overwhelmed by volunteers. Sharp said Tuesday it curtailed its early retirement program a week into its two-week run after receiving nearly 3,000 applications — 1,000 more than it had expected. The company will book a $311 million one-time charge this quarter to eliminate those jobs.

Sharp Says iPhone Display Production Is Finally up to Speed

A week after launch …

Apple’s iPhone 5 Is Pried Open and Its Profitable Secrets Start Bursting Out

Is Apple curtailing the parts it buys from Samsung? Maybe.