Analysis and Research

In December 2024, Xerox announced it would acquire Lexmark in a deal valued at $1.5 billion. For Lexmark, the acquisition was almost inevitable once the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) banned imports from its parent company, Ninestar, and eight of its China-based subsidiaries.

Let’s eliminate the mystery right off the bat: Sharp is not going to ditch its hardware business and go all in on becoming a leader in AI development. All of you who are disappointed by that statement can stop reading right now.I’m assuming you’re all still here.Sharp is in a good place, which is something constantly reiterated at their 2023 National Dealer Meeting, held April 18-20 at the Wynn in Las Vegas. And they’ve gotten to, and stayed in, that good place not by jumping on bandwagons, but...

If there is one phrase that encompasses 2020, it is, “expect the unexpected.” Or maybe it’s “prepare for the worst.” Or possibly, “Oy vey.” OK, there are actually quite a few phrases that encompass 2020, and many of them aren’t fit to be printed. The point is, 2020 keeps throwing new things at us, and the best any of us can do is prepare for the worst and hope for … something less than the worst.One area in which this is particularly true is cybersecurity, which was already an area of peak conce...

When we fielded our annual Market Trends survey in late 2019 and into early 2020, we had no idea the world would be turned upside down before it was complete. That’s the problem with surveys – you can spend weeks coming up with the right questions and asking for predictions and prognostications, but ultimately, those are all more or less based on known quantities. Throw a wild card like COVID-19 into the mix and it all goes out the window. We’d have needed a crystal ball to predict what’s happen...

Nuance Communications and Seiko Epson have announced a worldwide strategic partnership that will allow Epson to provide Nuance document imaging solutions through its distributors and resellers. Partnering with Nuance isn’t something especially earth-shattering, as most major OEMs have done so — but that’s precisely what makes this so interesting. This partnership specifically applies to Epson’s inkjet MFPs — the press release noted “Epson will sell and distribute Nuance eCopy ShareScan and Equit...

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