E-Commerce Blog

Palm has issued sales projections that are much worse than expected — even though expectations were already low — sending its shares plummeting by 27 percent and prompting discussions about whether the company has any future at all. In the third quarter of fiscal year 2010, Palm’s total revenue on a GAAP basis was $349.9 million. Though it was a 286 percent increase from the same quarter the previous year, analysts were not impressed. When the year-ago figures were reported, Palm had not yet shipped its Pre — the device expected to save the company.

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Palm Beats Itself to a Pulp

Palm’s warning Thursday that revenues for fiscal year 2010 will be “well below” its forecast of $1.6 billion to $1.8 billion has raised questions regarding its ability to survive as an independent company. The company’s stocks closed at $6.53 Thursday, $1.56 down from the previous day’s close of $8.09. In disclosing Palm’s poor performance, CEO Jon Rubinstein said the company had miscalculated consumer demand for its devices. However, he said its carrier partners are working closely with it to increase awareness and drive sales.

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Will Verizon’s Marketing Juice Grease Palm?

In its first earnings report as an independent company, AOL posted a small profit for Q4. It recorded net income of $1.4 million, or 1 cent per share, for the quarter. In the same period a year ago, it lost $1.93 billion, due to a $2.2 billion noncash impairment charge. Revenue declined 17 percent to $809.7 million — down from $974.2 million from the same quarter a year prior — due to a drop-off in both subscription and advertising levels. Subscription revenue dropped 28 percent to $307.4 million; advertising revenue dropped 8 percent to $471.6 million.

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AOL Back in Black

PC users purchased record numbers of Windows licenses in the last three months of 2009, driving big gains for Microsoft over the company’s second fiscal quarter, the first quarter in which the company’s Windows 7 OS was on retail shelves. For its quarter ended Dec. 31, Microsoft reported net income of $6.66 billion, or 74 cents per share, from $4.17 billion, or 47 cents a share, a year ago. Revenue rose to $19.02 billion from $16.63 billion the same quarter a year ago. Microsoft’s performance for the quarter beat Wall Street estimates by 15 cents.

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Windows 7 Launch Sends Microsoft Profits Skyward

Amazon.com’s fourth-quarter earnings skyrocketed 71 percent, as shoppers spent more than ever during a holiday season that improved over the previous year for retailers on and off the Web. Despite the sluggish economy, Amazon did well throughout the year, drawing shoppers with its Kindle e-reader and deals on an immense selection of goods ranging from alarm clocks to stuffed zebras. Amazon reported Thursday that this behavior carried through the holiday season, which is typically the busiest time of the year for retailers.

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Holiday Megasales Propel Amazon’s Q4