Dell goes on Australian hiring spree

Original article by Paul Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 24 : 9-Jun-15

The Australian division of global IT group Dell plans to hire at least 30 additional executives across its operations. The MD of Dell in Australia and New Zealand, Angela Fox, adds that the group intends to significantly increase its global headcount. Dell aims to lift its market share at the expense of industry rivals such as Hewlett-Packard, which plans to shed 5,000 employees worldwide.

CORPORATES
DELL COMPUTER CORPORATION, DELL COMPUTER PTY LTD, HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY, NASDAQ

Android leads Apple in smartphone wars

Original article by Yolanda Redrup
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 5-Jun-15

Data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech shows that 53.8 per cent of smartphones that were sold in Australia during the first quarter of 2015 used the Android operating system. In contrast, Apple iOS-based smartphones accounted for 36.8 per cent of sales. Apple had been the market leader in the December 2014 quarter. Android is also the market leader in the US and Europe.

CORPORATES
KANTAR WORLDPANEL, COMTECH, APPLE INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, MICROSOFT CORPORATION, SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS COMPANY LIMITED

Patrick Grove, 40, cracks the Rich List with $286m

Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 9 : 26-May-15

The 2015 edition of the "BRW" Rich List includes 12 new technology entrepreneurs, including iFlix founder Patrick Grove. The company offers streaming video services for mobile phone users in Asia, which Grove notes is a market of up to 250 million people. Grove has previously listed a number of companies on the Australian sharemarket, including iProperty and iCar Asia, and he says an iFlix IPO is possible in the future.

CORPORATES
IFLIX LIMITED, IPROPERTY GROUP LIMITED – ASX IPP, ICAR ASIA LIMITED – ASX ICQ, IBUY GROUP LIMITED, REV ASIA BERHAD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, HULU LLC, CATCHA GROUP, PHILIPPINE LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE COMPANY, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, STAN, REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA, ANDERSEN

Retailers locked out of Apple Watch deals

Original article by Madeleine Heffernan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 10-Apr-15

Telsyte MD Foad Fadaghi estimates that about 300,000 Apple Watches could be sold in just one week. The product will be available to pre-order in Australia from 10 April 2015, and it will be sold exclusively in Apple stores and via the Apple website from 24 April. However, it is uncertain as to when or if other retailers will stock the smartwatch

CORPORATES
APPLE INCORPORATED, TELSYTE PTY LTD, MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, DAVID JONES LIMITED, DICK SMITH HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX DSH, JB HI-FI LIMITED – ASX JBH, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW

MYOB owner dismisses criticism from Xero

Original article by Shaun Drummond, Sarah Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 & 17 : 1-Apr-15

US-based private equity firm Bain Capital will retain a controlling stake in MYOB when the software group debuts on the Australian sharemarket on 4 May 2015. The IPO is seeking to raise about $A830m, and shares in MYOB will be priced between $A3 and $A4 apiece. Rival accounting software group Xero has questioned MYOB’s claims about the size of its customer base

CORPORATES
MYOB TECHNOLOGY PTY LTD, BAIN CAPITAL LLC, XERO LIMITED – ASX XRO, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, GOLDMAN SACHS AND PARTNERS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, MERRILL LYNCH (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, ARCHER CAPITAL PTY LTD, HARBOURVEST PARTNERS

Digital economy chips in $79b a year

Original article by Paul Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 25-Mar-15

A Deloitte Access Economics report estimates that the digital economy now accounts for 5.1 per cent of Australia’s GDP, and this is forecast to reach 7.3 per cent by 2020. The value of the digital economy is expected to rise from $A79bn at present to $A139bn in five years’ time. The report was produced on behalf of Google, whose Australian MD Maile Carnegie says action is needed to increase the supply of skilled workers in the information and communications technology sector

CORPORATES
DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT

Banks to put out welcome mats for the disruptors

Original article by James Eyers
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 17 : 4-Mar-15

The New South Wales Government has unveiled plans for a financial technology hub in the Sydney CBD. The Stone & Chalk hub will receive financial backing from a range of companies, including major banks, insurers, retailers and technology groups. The hub will provide financial technology start-ups with subsidised office space and facilities to work with financial and technology companies to further develop their business

CORPORATES
NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, HSBC AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS PTY LTD, SUNCORP BANK, INSURANCE AUSTRALIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX IAG, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, VEDA GROUP LIMITED – ASX VED, AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, INTEL CORPORATION, ORACLE CORPORATION, FINZSOFT SOLUTIONS (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, ALLENS, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CAPITAL MARKETS CO-OPERATIVE RESEARCH CENTRE LIMITED, CENTRE FOR INTERNATIONAL FINANCE AND REGULATION, FINANCIAL SERVICES INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALASIA, AWI VENTURES LIMITED, SOCIETYONE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, LEVEL39, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Xero soars and eyes US listing

Original article by Paul Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 & 28 : 26-Feb-15

Australian-listed online accounting software developer Xero has received a $NZ132.9 million ($A127.6 million) investment from US firm Accel Partners. Xero CEO Rod Drury said the company will seek a US listing at the end of 2015. Its shares rose sharply on 25 February, closing 27.8 per cent higher at $A22.60

CORPORATES
XERO LIMITED – ASX XRO, ACCEL PARTNERS, ATLASSIAN SOFTWARE SYSTEMS PTY LTD, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, MATRIX CAPITAL PTY LTD

Apple’s pick of the crop as reality bites for other heroes

Original article by Philip Baker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 12-Feb-15

The market capitalisation of Apple rose to $US711bn on 11 February 2015, and the IT giant may be on track to become the first company to achieve a market value of $US1trn. Apple shares have risen by more than 50,600 per cent since its IPO in 1980. Meanwhile, shares in Australian-listed Commonwealth Bank and CSL retreated on 11 February, although both remain close to record highs and are candidates to reach $A100 per share

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, APPLE INCORPORATED, EXXONMOBIL CORPORATION, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, MICROSOFT CORPORATION, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. INSTITUTE OF APPLIED ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH

Atlassian fast tracks NYSE float

Original article by Patrick Durkin
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 12-Feb-15

Australian entrepreneurs Scott Farquhar and Mike Cannon-Brookes are currently in 35th and 36th place on the "BRW" Rich List. However, their personal wealth is likely to increase significantly if Atlassian Software lists on the US sharemarket. The company has recruited former eBay executive Erik Bardman to fill the post of CFO. Atlassian president Jay Simons has given indications that the group could pursue an IPO in 2015

CORPORATES
ATLASSIAN SOFTWARE SYSTEMS PTY LTD, EBAY INCORPORATED, GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE, NASDAQ, ORACLE CORPORATION, SAP AG, IBM CORPORATION, MICROSOFT CORPORATION, COCHLEAR LIMITED – ASX COH, UNITED STATES. NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION, T ROWE PRICE GROUP INCORPORATED, DRAGONEER INVESTMENT GROUP LLC, HORTONWORKS, NEW RELIC, BOX, CISCO SYSTEMS INCORPORATED, CITRIX SYSTEMS INCORPORATED