First Solar Eyes GE’s Delay, Apple’s One-Up on Google

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is currently seeing iOS upgrades to the majority of iDevices within a couple weeks of a release, but Google’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) private data show that even 8 months after introducing Android 4.0 to positive reviews, only 10.9 percent of Android devices are running it. Android’s proportion of U.S. smartphone users seems to have plateaued this spring, and between a new iPhone and Windows Phone 8 intros, the fourth quarter might see Google’s first quarter of meaningful share loss in developed markets.

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GE (NYSE:GE) has placed the build-out of a Colorado thin-film solar facility that it announced in October on hold for 18 months, and is said to be laying off workers. Unpromising industry outlooks have apparently brought GE, which had promised to invest $600 million in the plant, intended to represent its return as a major solar player, to postpone its plans. However, GE’s thin-film competitor First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) should benefit from the delay.

RealNetworks (NASDAQ:RNWK) CEO Thomas Nielsen has stepped down, replaced by chairman and company founder Rob Glaser. Glaser declares that he returns to RealNetworks “with a sense of great urgency to set the company on a long-term path to success.”

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