U.S. tech giant Apple Inc.'s market share in tablet PCs declined on-year in 2013 despite improved sales of iPad lineup as Android-powered models became more dominant, market data showed Monday.The world's No. 2 smartphone maker sold 74.2 million units of iPad last year, up 8.5 million iPads from a year earlier, to take up 32.7 percent of the global tablet PC market, according to the data by market researcher Strategy Analytics.It marked a 5.7 percentage point drop from 2012 when Apple accounted

Korea’s communication regulator decided to fine Google Inc. Tuesday for collecting data of unspecified people by taking pictures for its Street View service. Holding a meeting to discuss the alleged data collection by Google, the Korea Communications Commission decided to impose a fine of 210 million won ($196,000) on the Internet giant. The commission has also ordered the California-based firm to delete all personal data it had gathered without consent, and to notify the progress on its Web-sit

Samsung Electronics Co.’s smartphone shipments are estimated to have declined in the fourth quarter as competition intensified with its U.S. rival Apple Inc., market research data showed Tuesday.The world’s top smartphone maker sold 86 million smartphones around the globe in the October-December period, down from the 88 million units in the previous quarter, according to figures from Strategy Analytics.Samsung’s market share, which achieved a record high of 35.2 percent in the third quarter, fel

SK Telecom Co., the country’s top mobile operator, said Tuesday its fourth-quarter net profit halved amid rising competition among local telecommunications firms.Net profit came to 293.6 billion won ($272 million) in the October-December period, compared with 519 billion won tallied a year earlier, SK Telecom said in a regulatory filing.Revenue rose 3.3 percent on-year to 4.2 trillion won, while operating profit edged down 5.4 percent to 509.7 billion won.For all of 2013, the company posted a ne

SK Telecom Co., the country's top mobile operator, said Tuesday its fourth-quarter net profit halved amid rising competition among local telecommunications firms.Net profit came to 293.6 billion won ($272 million) in the October-December period, compared with 519 billion won tallied a year earlier, SK Telecom said in a regulatory filing.Revenue rose 3.3 percent on-year to 4.2 trillion won, while operating profit edged down 5.4 percent to 509.7 billion won.For all of 2013, the company posted a ne

Samsung Group, the top South Korean conglomerate and one of the most preferred employers, said Tuesday it has decided to scrap the new recruitment plan announced earlier this month amid public criticism that it favored some universities over others.Samsung had announced a new employment system from this year allowing local college presidents to recommend their students for jobs with the business group, a means it said would help to hire diverse array of applicants with varying talents.While all

Samsung Electronics Co.'s smartphone shipment is estimated to have declined in the fourth quarter as competition intensified with its U.S. rival Apple Inc., market research data said Tuesday.The world's top smartphone maker sold 86 million units of smartphones around the globe in the October-December period, down from the 88 million units in the previous quarter, according to figures from Strategy Analytics.Samsung's market share, which achieved a record high of 35.2 percent in the third quarter

South Korean telecom giant KT Corp. said Tuesday it posted a net loss in the fourth quarter last year amid intensified competition at home with two rivals including top mobile carrier SK Telecom Co.Net loss came to 300 billion won ($277 million) in the October-December period, compared with a net profit of 106.6 billion won a year earlier, the country's top fixed-line operator said in a regulatory filing.Revenue remained almost unchanged on-year at 6.2 trillion won, while the company turned to a

LG Innotek Co., an electronics parts maker affiliated with South Korea's LG Group, said Monday it posted a net loss in the fourth quarter despite improved operating profits.Net loss came to 12.5 billion won ($11.6 million) in the October-December period, improving from the net loss of 30.5 billion won posted a year earlier, LG Innotek said in a regulatory filing.Revenue edged down 5.1 percent on-year to 1.54 trillion won in the fourth quarter, while operating profit came to 28.8 billion won, soa

South Korea's tech giant LG Electronics Inc. said Monday its net loss narrowed in the fourth quarter of 2013 from a year earlier on improved smartphone sales.Net loss came to 63.4 billion won ($58.76 million) in the October-December period, improving from the net loss of 478.1 billion won posted a year earlier, LG Electronics said in a regulatory filing.Revenue edged up 0.8 percent on-year to 13.9 trillion won, and operating profit surged 103.8 percent to 238.1 billion won, it said.For all of 20

South Korea's No. 1 mobile carrier, SK Telecom Co., said Monday it has joined hands with 10 global telecommunication firms to seek cooperation in developing machine-to-machine technologies.SK Telecom said it has joined the so-called Bridge M2M Alliance with players in a handful of Asian countries such as Singapore, Vietnam and India, as well as with an Australian mobile carrier.The M2M technology allows both wireless and fixed-line systems to communicate with other machines, providing customized