Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson reported on Wednesday that its sales and pre-tax earnings fell sharply in the first-quarter although the number of shipped units increased.
First-quarter sales fell to about 2.7 billion euros (4.3 billion U.S. dollars), a decrease of 8 percent compared with the year-ago period due to slowing market growth in mid-to-high end phones in markets where Sony Ericsson has a strong presence, Sony Ericsson said in its quarter report.
Income before taxes for the quarter was 193 million euros, a decrease of 47 percent compared with a year ago, due to higher R&D investments as a percentage of sales, the report said.
Shipped units in the first quarter were 22.3 million, a 2-percent increase compared with the same period last year, it added.
Dick Komiyama, president of Sony Ericsson, sounded optimistic about the second half of this year.
"Our product announcements during the first quarter have been well received by the industry, and we expect to see a positive effect from these announcements during the second half of 2008," he said in the report.
Sony Ericsson was formed in October 2001 as a venture between Japan's Sony Corp. and Ericsson AB of Sweden.
Source:XinhuaAuthor：china business Time：2008-05-24 From：china daily
