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Panasonic issued their latest financial report (PDF download here). And the good news is that “Operating Profit Increased Significantly”. Bloomberg reports:
Net income rose 20 percent to 73.7 billion yen ($730 million) in the three months ended Dec. 31, the Osaka-based company said in an e-mailed statement today. That beat the 44 billion-yen average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News.
The reason why Panasonic did so well is because they did cut investments in unprofitable businesses (like Plasma TV) and started a huge restructuring program. Panasonic is particularly doing well in the car supplying industry. There is no info in their report about the camera business. The only major camera related news is that Panasonic announced the reorganization of the Semiconductor Business and Transfer of Shares of Subsidiaries regarding Overseas Factories (PDF here).
Good news for the company while it remains a bit of a mystery what will happen with the camera business. Panasonic said many times they now want to focus on the more professional market. And the G4K is exactly going into that direction.
48 Responses
Camera business is probably a very SMALL piece of their department. Gain or lose money, won’t make a dent on their already FRAGILE state.
small sensors, small department
no further text required
first time one of your comments makes sense!
Huh! Is it just me?
Looks like a loss in ALL divisions for the full year! Not good.
“Panasonic Corp. (6752), Japan’s biggest maker of consumer electronics, surged the most since at least 1974 after posting third-quarter PROFIT that was 68 percent higher than analyst estimates.”
They cut divisions that weren’t performing, and created new business ventures. Sure, their camera division may have not made them profit, but it must be doing well enough to keep it going for the time being, unlike it’s TV division.
The good thing is, their Relationships with numerous other companies are one of the strongest out there and they have many divisions to stay profitable and relevant, unlike some other companies.
Panasonic isn’t going anywhere.
“Panasonic isn’t going anywhere” — that’s a pity. I like Panasonic. I was hoping they would move forward.
Strange. New sensor that doesn’t offer improved image quality.
Don’t be so cute. No one is going to buy the G4K for its stills quality. Not at that price. Focusing on that would be idiotic.
They’re all less bad than they were.
Hope this speaks well for Panasonic’s digital imaging division’s future. Panasonic has a unique position in that they are the most capable major manufacturer that doesn’t have a high-end professional camera to protect from cannibalization. They have a real chance to change the landscape with their enthusiast gear by building the best features in a maturing and elegantly designed camera. The GH4K is likely to be purchased mainly by early entrants and is probably trying to bit off more than it can chew. That said, at least they are on the right track toward the inevitable technological direction.
Neither does Olympus… so why can’t Oly get video right ffs
I just hope Panasonic is dead soon. Olympus ftw!
It seems you simply do not realise if Panasonic goes that is *BAD NEWS* for Olympus, as it makes the Micro Four Thirds system as a whole much weaker.
I’ll never understand the Olympus vs. Panasonic thing.
Those who believe there is such thing also don’t understand.
Nice try “Donny” with your fake stirring, who’s payroll you on?
Rumors are Panasonic will launch a bigger sensored mirrorless system together with Leica. Maybe that will safe their ass. I think m43 will be dead in 5 years with all the other less compromised mirrorless systems on the market. The small lens selection advantage m43 has today will also be gone soon.
Small lens selection advantage? O_o
many lenses, but only 3-4 good ones
Lots of good ones, but only 3-4 affordable ones.
completely nonsense…..
A large sensor system is a surefire way to lose money.
Tiny market share of total photography market, huge development costs and very few people willing to shift from the established systems with their huge lens and accessories catalogue.
But hey, I’m sure a few Panasonic fanboys will buy it.
The trolls are out already 🙁
You got out early.
It’s a pity that they cut down investments into plasma TV… LCD is a vastly inferior technology.
Plasma is not the technology consumers wanted. Namely, it’s not NOT CHEAP
Plasma guns are cool. Similar to photon torpedoes. No-one wants LCD guns.
plasma was cheaper than comparable LCD at the same size
I agree… the only reason Plasma didn’t sell that well was because you couldn’t set the luminance to ridiculous values (like LCD) when you put them at display at a store. From most other perspectives (that should matter to customers), these displays had MUCH better quality.
I’m still using one of the first gen ons that I bought more than 10 years ago. Imagine that, 10 f’ing years without a single warranty case! Can’t say that about the LCDs that I had during that time even though none of my LCD panels were cheap…
People love shiny. So they buy the brightest and shiniest in the store. Then they get home and they have to turn the brightness down to 0%…
I got a 43″ Panasonic plasma. It was cheap (much cheaper than LCD of equivalent size) and it’s wonderful. The top models – which I couldn’t afford, because they cost as much as Oly E-Mx cameras (ha! ha!) – are jaw-dropping good. LCD is nowhere near even the cheapest of plasmas, and it never will be. Maybe (AM)OLED, one day, maybe. Maybe.
Will the Jesus camera be called GH4K, G4K, or just 4K?…
Same as the Muhammad camera….
4 = DEATH
Great profits, shit service….
Instead of whining, why don’t you hassle Zeiss into making a m43 tevidon for us?
Massive troll attack today… 🙁
Let the fight begin! At one side, heading the mirrorless realm YouDidntDidYou!
At the other side Thom Hogan, followed by his unsuspected ally mrAllCaps, who diserted mirrorless realm to face his archenemy YDDY!
Who will use more times the magic word “troll”?
Let’s see today, in this endless epic fight! And remember: this is just a battle in this endless war!
Seriously, I’m going out to take photos in the rain and snow.
Be careful Marco, you are suggesting your camera and lens will be ok out there in the wilds.
I’m out for the rest of day with clients 🙂
Nice, what business are you in?
Panasonic should concentrate more on microwaves and washing machines like in the old days. Housewife toys is the better business for them.
So your mom could be back home instead of making money on the streets.
I am posting this by way of balance. So often these fora are an exercise in mudslinging by people who don’t have much of a life.
While some here are bickering about Panasonic’s product line, or touting some other camera company’s profit/losses, marketing advantages, sensor size, MP, IQ, yada, yada . . . they could be using their camera’s to create or capture something beautiful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfSCPMadQ1E
Captured live @ Chandelier Room, Cosmopolitan Hotel – Las Vegas, Jan 24 2014 using the Panasonic GX7 with 20mm lens.
Man, That SUCKS big time.
This is sobering news. Panasonic took the path to dump money-losing consumer divisions, and as it hoped, this strategy proved positive to the company’s bottom line. Instead of consumer products, they said they’ll focus more on commercial products- such as car batteries.
This result reinforces their approach, and there’s no reason to think their successful strategy will not continue. Expect them to look in the year ahead at the next tranche of money-losing consumer lines, and that puts their consumer camera business- compact, micro 4/3- right in their sights. I’m just not seeing any good news here.
If Panasonic were to pull out from M43, then Olympus would be sure to follow, but would move forward under someone else.
They’ll be eaten up. All they have is Medical equipment and cameras. There is no dropping divisions.
The Olympus Fanboys seem to forget, they NEED panasonic to stay relevant.
What if this Leica APS-C is Panasonic’s way out of M43? What if we’re looking at the last of Panasonic’s lenses for M43? The 16mp four third sensor is about done. IQ is similar to all of the recent cameras for M43. What’s next?
The M43 partnership is broken. Oly and Pany have parted ways on sensors. There is no economies of scale in M43.