Fujitsu, Toshiba to merge also-ran mobile businesses into one also-ran mobile business

“Japan’s Fujitsu Ltd. and Toshiba Corp. unveiled plans on Thursday to merge their mobile phone businesses in October to create Japan’s second-biggest cellphone maker in a rapidly shrinking market,” Sachi Izumi reports for Reuters. “Fujitsu will hold a majority stake in the joint venture.”

“Fujitsu has been keeping its mobile business in the black by focusing on its strengths such as water-resistant handsets, mobile phones with fingerprint readers and phones for older people,” Izumi reports. “But it does not offer cellphones in the growing smartphone segment and is eyeing Toshiba’s know-how.”

MacDailyNews Take: “Toshiba’s know-how.” Today is a day of comedy so far!

Izumi continues, “Smartphones such as Apple’s iPhone and Research In Motion’s BlackBerry combine capabilities of personal computer and mobile phones and are gaining popularity worldwide.”

MacDailyNews Take: Mentioning BOGOF RIM in the same sentence as Apple, as if they were on equal footing… Izumi’s full of jokes today.

Izumi continues, “Toshiba has been selling smartphones based on Microsoft’s Windows in Japan, Europe and some parts of Asia.”

MacDailyNews Take: No wonder they’re consolidating.

Izumi continues, “Despite their dominance in the domestic market, Japanese makers only have a combined share of about 3 percent worldwide, outmatched by bigger and more efficient rivals.”

Full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: 血風呂!

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Carl H.” for the heads up.]