Microsoft also announced the reduction of up to 7,800 positions, primarily in the phone business.

The dramatic sell-off in China's main stock market has continued despite efforts by regulators to try to stem the losses.

Intel is set slip to third place in a ranking of chip companies compiled by Semico Research, based on forecast capital expenditure in 2015.

Tumbling markets and economic uncertainty in China pose a risk to major chipmakers such as Qualcomm that derive a big portion of their sales from the world's second-largest economy.

"S6 didn't sell as well as the market had hoped for, partly because of continued outperforming of iPhones combined with the supply constraint," said Greg Roh, a Seoul-based analyst at HMC Investment Securities Co. "Sales sharply missed the market expectation, which implies that overall technology industry demand for smartphones, TVs and PCs is weakening."

Apple distributors have slashed iPhone 4s to below Rs 13,000 (US$205.08), taking the battle right to the doors of domestic and Chinese smartphone players such as Micromax and Xiaomi in the popular mid-range smartphone market.

Doubts over the sales prospects of Samsung Electronics' new flagship smartphones are damping expectations of a rapid turnaround for the South Korean giant, even though profit likely continues to recover from last year's troughs.

Cricket Semiconductor, a company set up with the purpose of building and operating $1 billion analog and power semiconductor wafer fab in India has been in talks with state government of Telangana, according to a report in the New Indian Express.

Shares in Japan's Toshiba fell 5 percent in early Monday trade on fears that an ongoing third-party investigation into past accounting practices was finding more irregularities than previously expected.

On June 29, 2007, Apple released the original iPhone with a sleek form factor and revolutionary multi-touch screen and significantly disrupted an industry then dominated by companies such as Nokia, BlackBerry, Sony and Motorola.

Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has said that the Greeks made a "brave choice" in voting to reject the terms of an international bailout.

Air Force officials paid a contractor $19 million - and is scheduled ultimately to pay another $115 million - to reduce energy consumption at Joint Base McGuire in New Jersey without making sure the work was actually done and whether it made any difference.

Here's a bit of energizing news: In 2014, for the first time in four decades, the global economy grew along with energy demand without an increase in global carbon emissions.

Walk into any high street electrical store and you'll be greeted by a wide range of 4K Ultra HD televisions, as manufacturers turn up the brightness and crank up the contrast ratio to convince you to splash out on a technology claimed to be four times better than HD.

Tired of recording 'just' 1080p video on your iPhone while your friends produce clips in glorious 4K? You

South Korea's government has proposed pumping billions of dollars into its economy as it struggles with falling exports and an outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers).

Xilinx has announced its collaboration with China Mobile Research Institute for the development of the next generation fronthaul interface (NGFI).

Intel President Ren矇e James is among several top executives who announced plans to resign from the chip giant. Three other executives from various divisions will also leave the company.

According to industry sources, Hanwha Q Cells is expected to complete its solar cell and module factories this year and become number one in the global solar module sector as early as next year.

Tesla Motors' second-quarter sales jumped 52%, higher than the company had forecast, giving the Silicon Valley auto maker important momentum ahead of the debut of its Model X sport-utility later this year.

Smartphone thieves suffered a setback Wednesday when new laws took effect requiring all smartphones sold in California to come with an opt-out "kill switch," which slashes the phone's value if stolen and resold on the black market.

French microchip maker STMicro signed a US$500 million with China's Huawei on Thursday to bolster its supply relationship with the Chinese telecom equipment provider, the French government said in a statement.

The euro dipped on Wednesday, buffetted by a flurry of reports on new concessions made by Greece to its European creditors and the chances those might lead to a deal that prevents it becoming the first country to crash out of the single currency.

Micron Technology was bullish about the coming year at a conference in May, but its latest quarterly earnings released in late June have investors less optimistic.

Sony said the sale would help it to finance increased production within its image sensor business.