Japan's home appliance giant Sharp Corporation recently announced the restructuring of its business in China. While maintaining its focus on mobile phones and LCD televisions, the company will unveil a series of eco-friendly white goods in China, including refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners and air purifiers.
The home appliance maker disclosed that Sharp (China) Investment Company began operations in Beijing last month to replace its previous China head office in Shanghai. The eco-friendly white goods to be sold in China, including four models of refrigerators as well as two models of washing machines, air conditioners and air purifiers, are all from Sharp's newly established healthy environment department.
Sharp's business in the Chinese mainland used to be homogenous, and about 70 percent of its income came from LCD TVs, followed by mobile phones and electronic components. The contribution from white home appliances, such as refrigerators, washing machines and air conditioners was relatively low.
Given the slow pace of growth in the LCD TV market, home appliance producers are all making efforts to diversify its operations to avert market risks. For foreign brands like Sharp, it means breaking into the home appliances that used to be only available at home markets to China. Furthermore, after establishing the information and communications department, Sharp also plans to introduce products including e-book readers, calculators and electronic dictionaries into the Chinese market.
Nobuyuki Kanno, Sharp's CEO of the greater China region, said that the proportion of the corporation's sales revenue from the greater China region to the total sales revenue of all the other non-Japan regions is increasing year by year and currently has exceeded that of the U.S. market. The greater China region has turned into the largest overseas market of the corporation.
2011年11月14日星期一
2011年4月11日星期一
Consumer Reports' 75 years of flops and latter-day stinkers
Our latest list of Best & Worst Home & Yard Products includes a rogues’ gallery of unimpressive coffeemakers, air purifiers, oven cleaners, and others from our tests. But we’ve also seen some product categories we once maligned turn into winners—and others remain iffy in our tests.
French-door fridges make good
“Who would want the French-door models?” we asked during our first, 1996, test of these models, which put the freezer on the bottom and split the fridge portion so you can open one or both doors. French-door refrigerators are now the fastest-growing segment, cost less than before, and outperform many top-freezer and side-by-side models. Notable performers from our most recent tests include the Samsung RF266AE[WP], $1500, and the Whirlpool Gold GX5FHTXV[Q], $1700.
Oven cleaners fall by history’s wayside
“Dirty, undignified, and hard on the back,” is how we described oven cleaning in 1980. Brush-on pastes were tedious, and aerosols could burn skin and eyes. Today’s self-cleaning ovens make these products largely unnecessary. Among wall ovens, the Kenmore Elite 4809[3] $2,100, and the Bosch HBL54[50]UC, $1,900, were impressive at removing baked-on food in our latest tests of wall ovens. Both are also top picks.
Coffeemakers clean up their act
In 1958, this Cory vacuum coffeemaker spurted water when pushed upon too hard. Now simpler—and neater—drip coffeemakers like the Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200, $100 and the Kalorik CM25282, $80, are the norm. Even simpler and less messy: Single-serve pod coffeemakers like the Senseo Supreme 7832, $130—which outscored models from Keurig, Bosch and Krups in our tests—are steadily gaining market share, although none of them scored highly enough to make our winner's circle. And there’s still one other frontier to conquer: a talking coffeemaker that actually listens.
Air purifiers still go with the wind
Consumer Reports’ tests have included some notably ineffective air purifiers, including some from the Sharper Image brand that declared bankruptcy in 2008 but was purchased a year later by private investors, who now license its name to other products.
Some air purifiers in our latest tests were also unimpressive. The plant-based Andrea, $200—yes, there’s a real plant inside—and LightAir IonFlow 50F, $400, were dismal at removing dust and smoke; we judged the LightAir a Don’t Buy: Performance Problem. And last week, the Oreck Corporation agreed to stop making “allegedly false and unproven claims” about its ProShield Plus air cleaner, paying a hefty $750,000 to the Federal Trade Commission as part of that settlement. Consumer Reports had judged the $400 ProShield Plus to be only slightly more effective than the LightAir.
If you really need an air purifier, consider the Whirlpool AP51030K, $300, and Hunter 30547, $260. Both worked very well even at the lower, quieter fan speeds best suited for use in bedrooms. But before buying an air purifier, try these ways to improve indoor air quality from the Environmental Protection Agency and Consumer Reports. Proper vacuuming can also safeguards indoor air quality, and our Buying Guide to vacuums includes Ratings (available to subscribers) that measure each model’s emissions as well as cleaning performance.
We’ve also got a details on the best houseplants to improve indoor air quality—just be careful not to pick any named Andrea or Audrey II.
French-door fridges make good
“Who would want the French-door models?” we asked during our first, 1996, test of these models, which put the freezer on the bottom and split the fridge portion so you can open one or both doors. French-door refrigerators are now the fastest-growing segment, cost less than before, and outperform many top-freezer and side-by-side models. Notable performers from our most recent tests include the Samsung RF266AE[WP], $1500, and the Whirlpool Gold GX5FHTXV[Q], $1700.
Oven cleaners fall by history’s wayside
“Dirty, undignified, and hard on the back,” is how we described oven cleaning in 1980. Brush-on pastes were tedious, and aerosols could burn skin and eyes. Today’s self-cleaning ovens make these products largely unnecessary. Among wall ovens, the Kenmore Elite 4809[3] $2,100, and the Bosch HBL54[50]UC, $1,900, were impressive at removing baked-on food in our latest tests of wall ovens. Both are also top picks.
Coffeemakers clean up their act
In 1958, this Cory vacuum coffeemaker spurted water when pushed upon too hard. Now simpler—and neater—drip coffeemakers like the Cuisinart Brew Central DCC-1200, $100 and the Kalorik CM25282, $80, are the norm. Even simpler and less messy: Single-serve pod coffeemakers like the Senseo Supreme 7832, $130—which outscored models from Keurig, Bosch and Krups in our tests—are steadily gaining market share, although none of them scored highly enough to make our winner's circle. And there’s still one other frontier to conquer: a talking coffeemaker that actually listens.
Air purifiers still go with the wind
Consumer Reports’ tests have included some notably ineffective air purifiers, including some from the Sharper Image brand that declared bankruptcy in 2008 but was purchased a year later by private investors, who now license its name to other products.
Some air purifiers in our latest tests were also unimpressive. The plant-based Andrea, $200—yes, there’s a real plant inside—and LightAir IonFlow 50F, $400, were dismal at removing dust and smoke; we judged the LightAir a Don’t Buy: Performance Problem. And last week, the Oreck Corporation agreed to stop making “allegedly false and unproven claims” about its ProShield Plus air cleaner, paying a hefty $750,000 to the Federal Trade Commission as part of that settlement. Consumer Reports had judged the $400 ProShield Plus to be only slightly more effective than the LightAir.
If you really need an air purifier, consider the Whirlpool AP51030K, $300, and Hunter 30547, $260. Both worked very well even at the lower, quieter fan speeds best suited for use in bedrooms. But before buying an air purifier, try these ways to improve indoor air quality from the Environmental Protection Agency and Consumer Reports. Proper vacuuming can also safeguards indoor air quality, and our Buying Guide to vacuums includes Ratings (available to subscribers) that measure each model’s emissions as well as cleaning performance.
We’ve also got a details on the best houseplants to improve indoor air quality—just be careful not to pick any named Andrea or Audrey II.
2011年4月7日星期四
Oreck to pay $750,000 and to stop making health claims
The Oreck Corporation has agreed to stop making "allegedly false and unproven claims" that its Halo vacuum and ProShield Plus air cleaner can prevent illness, in a settlement announced today by the Federal Trade Commission. Oreck also agreed to pay the FTC $750,000.
During the 2009 holiday season, Oreck began advertising the pair of appliances together under the headline "Introducing the Oreck Flu Fighters." The ads claimed that the vacuum and air cleaner would "help reduce the flu on virtually any surface and in the air in your home." The vacuum sold for $600 and the air cleaner for $400.
The complaint against Oreck also alleged that Oreck provided "deceptive advertisements" to its franchises to use in marketing the Halo and ProShield Plus and that by doing so it was providing the means for its distributors to deceive consumers. Oreck agreed that it would stop making the health claims unless they could be backed up by solid scientific evidence.
The decision was two years in the making. Shortly after Oreck introduced the duo, vacuum maker Dyson initiated a challenge to its claims for the Halo with the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Better Business Bureau. Dyson was specifically concerned about Oreck's claims that the Halo "can kill and reduce germs on all of your floors while you vacuum," and also that it "reduced up to 99.9 % of bacteria in laboratory testing."
After Oreck declined to participate in the NAD process, in which national advertising claims are reviewed for truthfulness and accuracy, the NAD referred the matter to the FTC. The agreement was approved 5-0 by that agency. It is subject to public comment for the next 30 days after which the Commission will decide whether to make it final.
Consumer Reports has tested both the Halo UVX (now discontinued) and Oreck Halo upright (no longer in our ratings). We operated under the premise that a vacuum need not kill pests as long as it removes them from the home and tested the vacuums the same way we test all models. The ProShield Plus is in our current ratings of air purifiers, where it did poorly. Oreck no longer makes germ-killing claims on its website.
During the 2009 holiday season, Oreck began advertising the pair of appliances together under the headline "Introducing the Oreck Flu Fighters." The ads claimed that the vacuum and air cleaner would "help reduce the flu on virtually any surface and in the air in your home." The vacuum sold for $600 and the air cleaner for $400.
The complaint against Oreck also alleged that Oreck provided "deceptive advertisements" to its franchises to use in marketing the Halo and ProShield Plus and that by doing so it was providing the means for its distributors to deceive consumers. Oreck agreed that it would stop making the health claims unless they could be backed up by solid scientific evidence.
The decision was two years in the making. Shortly after Oreck introduced the duo, vacuum maker Dyson initiated a challenge to its claims for the Halo with the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Better Business Bureau. Dyson was specifically concerned about Oreck's claims that the Halo "can kill and reduce germs on all of your floors while you vacuum," and also that it "reduced up to 99.9 % of bacteria in laboratory testing."
After Oreck declined to participate in the NAD process, in which national advertising claims are reviewed for truthfulness and accuracy, the NAD referred the matter to the FTC. The agreement was approved 5-0 by that agency. It is subject to public comment for the next 30 days after which the Commission will decide whether to make it final.
Consumer Reports has tested both the Halo UVX (now discontinued) and Oreck Halo upright (no longer in our ratings). We operated under the premise that a vacuum need not kill pests as long as it removes them from the home and tested the vacuums the same way we test all models. The ProShield Plus is in our current ratings of air purifiers, where it did poorly. Oreck no longer makes germ-killing claims on its website.
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