The cost of the 12 Days of Christmas: $107K+
By The Associated Press - Monday, November 26, 2012 - 0 Comments
Partridge: $15. Pear tree: $189.99 …
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Add seven swans, six geese and five golden rings to the list of Christmas gifts that cost more than they did a year ago.
And if you get all 364 items repeated throughout “The Twelve Days of Christmas” carol, you’ll pay 6.1 per cent more this year, according to the annual Christmas Price Index compiled by PNC Wealth Management.
That comes to $107,300.
“The rise is larger than expected considering the modest economic growth we’ve had,” said Jim Dunigan, managing executive of investments for PNC. He noted the government’s Consumer Price Index has risen just 2 per cent in the United States in the 12 months before September.
Thrifty shoppers may find some reasons for cheer. Six items mentioned in the song haven’t gone up in price: maids-a-milking, ladies dancing, lords-a-leaping, calling birds, turtle doves and the partridge. The eight maids-a-milking still cost just $58 because the minimum wage hasn’t risen.
Twelve drummers drumming ($2,775.50) and eleven pipers piping ($2,562) might also be considered relative bargains compared to seven swans, which will set you back $7,000. Nine ladies dancing will cost you $6,294.03.
Dunigan said the 2011 drought caused the prices of some birds to soar, partly because of corn and other feed costs.
“The geese were up 29.6 per cent, and swans were up 11 per cent,” Dunigan said, adding that none of the gifts in the song went down in price this year.
The price of a pear tree is $189.99, an 11.8 per cent jump from last year’s $169.99. Five gold rings jumped 16.3 per cent this year, to $750, and three French hens are now $165, instead of $150.
The $15 partridge is the cheapest item, and swans the most expensive, at $1,000 each.
Last-minute shoppers who turn to the Internet will pay a bit more for the gifts. Buying one set of the core items in each verse costs $24,431 in traditional stores this year, but $40,440 online. Part of that difference is the extra expense of shipping live birds, Dunigan said, adding that Internet costs rose 1.5 per cent compared to last year.
PNC Financial Services Group Inc. checks jewelry stores, dance companies, pet stores and other sources to compile the list. Some of its sources this year include the National Aviary in Pittsburgh and the Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Ballet Company.
Prices of items in the Christmas carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” according to PNC Wealth Management:
— Partridge, $15; last year: same
— Pear tree, $189.99; last year: 169.99
— Two turtle doves, $125; last year: same
— Three French hens, $165; last year: $150
— Four calling birds (canaries), $519.96; last year: same
— Five gold rings, $750; last year: $645
— Six geese a-laying, $210; last year: $162
— Seven swans a-swimming, $7,000; last year: $6,300
— Eight maids a-milking, $58; last year: same
— Nine ladies dancing (per performance), $6,294; last year: same
— 10 lords a-leaping (per performance), $4,767; last year: same
— 11 pipers piping (per performance), $2,562; last year: $2,428
— 12 drummers drumming (per performance), $2,776; last year: $2,630
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Sony to offer slimmer, lighter PlayStation 3 ahead of holidays
By The Associated Press - Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 4:00 AM - 0 Comments
TOKYO – Sony Corp. is introducing a smaller, slimmer and lighter version of its PlayStation 3 home console ahead of the year-end holidays as it gears up for growing competition in games from smartphones.
TOKYO – Sony Corp. is introducing a smaller, slimmer and lighter version of its PlayStation 3 home console ahead of the year-end holidays as it gears up for growing competition in games from smartphones.
The announcement Wednesday from the Japanese electronics and entertainment company comes a day ahead of the annual Tokyo Game Show, where game makers show their wares. But the timing also coincides with Friday’s launch of the iPhone 5 smartphone, which is already drawing long lines at some retailers.
The new PlayStation 3, closer to the size of a laptop, is half the size of the original model, introduced in 2006. It also offers more hard-drive memory at 500 gigabytes and 250 gigabytes, up from the current 320 and 160 options.
The global rollout starts Sept. 25 in North America, where the 250 gigabyte version will sell for $269. The other version sells for $299 from Oct. 30. In Japan, the models go on sale Oct. 4 for 29,980 yen ($380) and 24,980 yen ($316).
Tokyo-based Sony is struggling as its other electronics businesses get battered by competition from Apple Inc.’s iPhone models as well as by cheaper Asian rivals.
The maker of Bravia TVs and Walkman portable players posted its worst loss in its 66-year history for the fiscal year ended in March — its fourth straight year of red ink.
The company is banking on games to help steer a turnaround. President Kazuo Hirai has shaped much of his career by leading the game division.
To woo consumers, Sony is slashing the price on its PlayStation Portable, or PSP, mobile device as it increasingly moves on to focus on its upgraded PlayStation Vita, which went on sale last year, for on-the-go games.
The PSP, which first went on sale in 2004, comes down Thursday to 13,800 yen ($175) in Japan from 16,800 yen ($213). There is no change to the U.S. price now at about $130.
Sony plans to expand entertainment based on cloud computing, which offers storage and other computer services over the network, after recently acquiring Gaikai Inc., a U.S. game company.
The PlayStation Vita won’t be getting any upgrades just yet. But it will be available in new colours, blue and red, in addition to white and black, but only in Japan.
Some speculation is buzzing about a PlayStation 4, possibly before the end of next year, but officials were mum on that topic.
The PS Vita, which has a touch-panel, allows users to live-stream video and works as an electronic book function for colorful comics, according to Sony.
But Sony has already slashed its PS Vita sales target for this fiscal year through March 2013, to 12 million units, down from 16 million that was given three months earlier.
In lowering the target, Sony pointed to the economic slowdown, especially in Europe. But it also noted the intense competition from smartphones and social-networking entertainment.
Hiroshi Kawano, who heads Sony’s game business in Japan, said the networking feature of PlayStation 3 allows users to enjoy millions of tunes, karaoke at home and a growing library of movies.
“Even after six years, the PlayStation 3 has not lost momentum and continues to deliver powerful home entertainment,” he said at a Tokyo hall.
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Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at http://twitter.com/yurikageyama
