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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) new investments in advanced 16-nanometer (nm) and 10nm technologies were thwarted again as a development project was suspended in the third environmental review on Wednesday.
However, the company might engage a backup plan to build new advanced factories in Southern Taiwan Science Park if its investment plan makes no progress in the Central Taiwan Science Park, TSMC chief financial officer Lora Ho (何麗梅) told reporters last week.
TSMC, which supplies microprocessors for Apple Inc’s iPhone 6 series, was reportedly planning to invest NT$500 billion (US$15.9 billion) on building new 16nm and 10nm capacities in central Taiwan over the next few years.
The Central Taiwan Science Park Administration said that it expects TSMC’s new investments to create 7,000 jobs and generate NT$300 billion in revenue after operations begin in 2019.
The company has been asked to submit more supplementary information for an air pollution evaluation and health risk assessment after it failed the five-hour review on Wednesday.
The chipmaker plans to spend a record US$12 billion this year — mostly on 16nm and 10nm technologies — to safeguard its market share.
TSMC is scheduled to ramp up production of 16nm chips in the third quarter this year, with its 10nm technology likely to enter volume production in 2017.
TSMC shares fell 0.71 percent yesterday to close at NT$140 in Taipei trading, underperforming the TAIEX, which rose 0.53 percent.
UBS Securities Ltd has a “buy” rating on TSMC shares, with a target share price of NT$180, implying another 28.57 percent upside in the next 12 months.
“We believe TSMC’s share price this year will be supported by increasing Apple business; the expectation of a larger cash dividend; rising book value valuation; and improving profitability,” UBS said in a note on Wednesday.
From the customer’s perspective, car rental is a straightforward business. The only uncertainty is whether the hire company will charge you for the scratch they discover when you hand back the vehicle. Hertz Global Holdings Inc’s bankruptcy protection filing on Friday last week was a reminder that today even the simplest business models are underpinned by a lot more financial complexity than meets the eye. The proximate cause of Hertz’s demise was of course the sudden collapse in bookings caused by COVID-19 travel restrictions. The company’s monthly revenue last month fell 73 percent year-on-year, a shortfall that even the most resilient
Uber Technologies Inc, Lyft Inc and Airbnb Inc have slashed thousands of jobs. Salesforce.com Inc and Visa Inc are letting employees work remotely for months; Twitter Inc and Square Inc are allowing them to do so for good. For the companies’ hometown of San Francisco, the moves are early signs of a dire blow. In a city with a long history of booms, busts and natural calamities, the COVID-19 pandemic has suddenly upended nearly a decade of prosperity. While municipalities across the US are grappling with economic fallout from the virus, San Francisco stands to take a deeper hit given its high
BULK PURCHASE: The French chain and Hong Kong-based Dairy Farm International reached a deal covering 224 stores, which is expected to be finalized by year’s end Carrefour SA yesterday announced it would acquire Wellcome Taiwan Co (惠康百貨) for 97 million euros (US$108.33 million), and bring all the Wellcome supermarkets (頂好超市) and Jasons Market Place stores nationwide under its banner within 12 months of the deal closing. The France-based hypermarket chain reached an agreement with Hong Kong-based Dairy Farm International Holdings (牛奶國際控股), the pan-Asian retailer that launched Wellcome Taiwan in 1987. The transaction involves 199 Wellcome supermarkets, which have average sales areas of 420m2 and 25 high-end Jasons Market Place stores, which have an average sales area of 820m2, as well as a warehouse in Taoyuan, Carrefour Taiwan (家樂福)
‘ONE-STOP SHOP’: A Miaoli official said that the factory in the Jhunan section of the Hsinchu Science Park would create more than 1,000 jobs and boost prosperity A new high-end IC packaging and testing plant planned by contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in Miaoli County is expected to start operations in the middle of next year, Miaoli County Commissioner Hsu Yao-chang (徐耀昌) said. Hsu wrote on Facebook that TSMC, the world’s largest pure wafer foundry operator, would invest NT$303.2 billion (US$10.1 billion) to build the plant, the largest-ever single investment in Taiwan. However, TSMC declined to disclose the financial terms of the deal, while a company board meeting on May 12 approved a spending plan worth NT$168.2 billion as part of its investment plans. Construction of the


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Another buying spree for Dixon
REGUS chief executive and founder Mark Dixon has just spent a further £300,000 buying 1,000,000 shares at 30p in the serviced office company. It is his third sharebuying spree since the price plunged in the summer.
In July, Regus warned it would do no better than break even this year and the shares plunged by two-thirds in days. Soon after, Dixon began his share buying, spending £219,000 at the end of July and £436,000 in October.
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domain: news


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Company: Best Buy
Tenure: Five months
This one is less notable for the time at the helm, considering Mikan was only hired as an interim CEO. What’s notable about his stint is just how much money Mikan made in all of five months in office.
In April 2012, Brian Dunn resigned as chief executive of big-box electronics store Best Buy (BBY) following a personal conduct investigation. Mikan was named to replace him, then was replaced by Hubert Joly in September 2012 — not even half a year later.
BBY shares shed more than 30% under his reign, and more than 40% from its late February peak. Yet Mikan received pay of $3.32 million, broken out as $1.35 million in salary, then $1.97 million in stock awards.


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The agony and the agony: Dick Smith's journey from private equity plaything to IPO
It was appropriate that it was Forager Funds chief investment officer Steve Johnson who predicted "Receivership could be round the corner," for Dick Smith.
"Dick Smith is a very niche business and it is getting out-competed by Harvey Norman and JB Hi-Fi," the analyst said as shares went into a trading halt on Monday.
Dick Smith director of investor relations David Cooke responded that the company intended to resume trading by Wednesday. But before Tuesday morning trading began, it was announced Dick Smith had indeed been placed in receivership.
Forager Funds is already off the retailers Christmas Card list following its much-quoted October blog post titled "Dick Smith is the greatest private equity heist of all time".
Anchorage Capital bought Dick Smith from Australian retail giant Woolworths in a deal worth $A115 million in 2011 and floated it with a market capitalisation of $A520 million less than two years later. According to Forager Funds, Anchorage "used all the tricks in the book to turn Dick Smith from a $A10m* piece of mutton into a $A520m lamb." They included (in Forager's words) pre-IPO inventory stripping, ripping cash out of the business, and aggressive accounting around write-downs and how profitabiity was presented to potential investors in the public float.
Anchorage sold its final 20% for $A2.20 a share in September 2014; ahead of the trading halt, shares were at 35 cents.
The troubled retailer Dick Smith's ASX-listed shares were placed in a trading halt yesterday.
A brief market statement by the company [ASX:DSH] says an announcement is pending in regard to its debt covenants. A debt restructuring was expected. Dick Smith had $70.5 million of total debt as of June 28, according to its annual report.
Dick Smith hit business press headlines on November 30 as its shares plunged 58% in a day, wiping $A90 million from its market cap, as the retailer abandoned its profit forecast and it would have to take a $A60 million write-down on stock.
Shares were already under pressure after the company warned on October 28 that profit full-year profit would be $A5-8m below previous guidance of $A45-48m.
While many retail chains have been under pressure — especially in the consumer electronics space — as the deal with the rise of e-tail, Dick Smith has faced the added challenges of being a financial plaything as its the private equity owners who bought it from Woolworths wheeled and dealed to maximise their profit. Then, when the wheels started to come off, vulturish speculators built up huge short positions (for details of the sorry saga, read Tim Hunter's The big Dick Smith short).
Dick Smith ran a huge sale in the build up to Christmas, which has continued into the New Year. While the promotion has featured some killer deals, such as HDMI cable (usually up to $40) for $1, UBS said it would not have much impact on rivals like JB Hi-Fi because key product lines like Apple gear were not subject to large discounting. Promotional emails from Dick Smith have listed 10% discounts on some Apple products. The big discounts were reserved for Dick Smith's house brand products, which are often low-cost peripherals.
In early December, Dick Smith said it might have to write down stock further, depending on how Christmas sales went.
Shares, which were $A2.20 at the time of Dick Smith's 2013 IPO, were at 35 cents ahead of the trading halt.
* Anchorage also made subsequent payments to Woolworths for a total payment reported variously as $A94 million or $A115 million
POSTSCRIPT: I was one of those who stocked up on HDMI cables during the Dick Smith sale. At $1 each, it seemed rude not to. I soon realised I had paid an extra "price" as special marketing emails began arriving from my inbox. While each has the legally-required Unsubscribe option, I've stayed on their list out of morbid fascination of just how much Dick Smith would spam me. So far it's run to an average four messages per day (confirmed by a keen NBR reader who has kept a spreadsheet). So far the company's yet to tempt me to buy a big ticket item, or indeed any extra item.
If you are travelling by Air New Zealand this week, remember Koru Lounge wi-fi provides you with FREE access to NBR ONLINE premium content.


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Sales drop worries Harcourt apple growers
Apple growers in Harcourt, south of Bendigo, are feeling the effects of a dramatic drop in sales this year.
Victoria's fruit industry has begun a public awareness campaign on the benefits of apples, with predictions of a 30 per cent drop in sales this year.
The Harcourt and District Fruitgrowers Association president, Trevor Peeler, says the sales drop is concerning.
"Certainly the domestic market in Melbourne, it's suffering dramatically - at least 30 per cent down out of Harcourt, which is the bulk of where our product goes to," he said.


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A nasty brawl has broken out between Soul Telecommunications and some of its resellers over the aggressive marketing of mobile phones.
Some resellers are claiming that Soul is unfairly holding back payments worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, which Soul denies.
One reseller told SmartCompany that he was owed more than $200,000. He says he had dealt with Soul for 12 months and there had been no bad debts.
Then three weeks ago, he says he was told that 35% to 40% of customers that he had referred to Soul had not paid their bills.
His complaint, shared by other resellers, is that they were given no sign that their aggressive marketing campaigns were not working.
Another reseller, Michael Karikis from AMD Telecom, who claims to be owed $300,000, says he was urged to drive the sales harder. He heard nothing about defaulting customers until three weeks ago. “We work as a dealer for other telecommunications companies and they approve maybe four to six customers we send them while Soul would approve eight.
“But they never told us the quality of the customers were bad. If anything it was the opposite. The (Soul) sales manager rang me up and said drive the numbers harder so I got my team to crank it up because the more customers we get the more money we make.”
Karikis is owed $300,000 but has written it off. “The others won’t get their money either.”
Soul, a subsidiary of SP Telemedia, finalised a merger with Australian internet provider TPG in April this year.
One re-seller speculates that the new management has the broom out. “The reason for the slow disconnections of defaulting customers in the past could be that Soul has to pay telecommunciations providers a disconnection fee.
“I think under the previous management they didn’t disconnect people because they didn’t want to pay.”
Attempts by SmartCompany to contact the chief executive of Soul failed. “David Teoh does not usually speak to the media,” says a spokesperson.
However Soul says in a statement to the Australian Stock exchange that it has commercial agreements with many dealers in Australia but it has only recently withheld payment from five dealers who are call centre based operators.
“Soul has agreements in place with each of those five dealers which entitle Soul to withhold or claw back dealer payments in certain circumstances,” it says.
It adds that Soul will defend any suggestion that it has wrongly withheld money from these dealers.
Read more about telecommunications


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Mubasher: US business inventories barely saw a change during March at $2.018 trillion on a seasonally adjusted basis, the US Commerce Department’s Census Bureau said on Wednesday.
However, on an annualised basis, business inventories climbed by 5% last March.
The collective value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments jumped 1.6% to $1.470 trillion.
The ratio of overall inventories to sales in March was 1.37, easing from 1.39 in February, while it came slightly higher than the ratio of 1.36 in the same month of the previous year.
By 2:03 pm GMT, the US dollar index, which gauges the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, rose 0.18% to 97.69.


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Debt collector in market first
As Britons become more and more weighed down by record debt, the first ever flotation of a debt collection company will be announced this week.
Equidebt, largely owned by private equity group RJD Partners, will be valued at about £74m on the Alternative Investment Market.
That will provide up to £56m of new money to strengthen the balance sheet and help secure new business. RJD will maintain a small stake after the float.
Equidebt's chief executive Wes Mulligan said: 'This will improve our credibility-with our banking trading partners - the debt sellers - and so increase their level of comfort in selling larger volumes of debt to us.'
Fox-Pitt Kelton is acting as broker on the deal and is joint financial adviser with Rothschild.
Equidebt's main business is to buy large amounts of debt from banks for a fraction of the face value. It then attempts to recover the loans.
Godfrey Lancashire, president of the Credit Services-Association, said the debt collection industry had only really expanded and become more professional over the past decade, which had led to this float and also acquisitions by US and European players.
Equidebt operates in a market of unparalleled growth. Unsecured consumer lending has risen 42% over the last five years, to reach £211bn in November 2006. Debt collection agencies were last year passed £21bn of debt to chase.
High levels of consumer confidence based on record employment rates and fast house price growth have contributed to the sharp increase in unsecured debt.
Average household debt levels are rising significantly faster than household incomes, with the overall UK debt-to-income ratio reaching 153% by the third quarter of 2006.
Mulligan added that the long-term priority was to develop new types of income, but that at present Equidebt wanted to focus on expanding its core areas.
He said: 'A key objective is to allow us to look at acquiring more portfolios than we do at present.'
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We have some of our babies out in the wild,” Pilkington said. “The reason we did so well was at the time there was no one else doing 3D printers on Kickstarter, though there had been one or two before us.”
Robo 3D’s printers also were inexpensive — selling for $699 at the time. The price was raised to $799 as more features were added.
“When we went on Kickstarter, we were the cheapest one on the market,” Pilkington said. “Things have changed since then, but I think what is driving sales for us is the organic marketing that has happened since then.”
3D printers cut a digital file of a product — such as a shoe or purse — into tiny slices. The printer then lays down each slice, which is slightly different from the previous one, on top of each other.
“Think of it as a layer cake with a 1,000 layers, said Evans of 3D Systems. “We layer these things together, and it grows the product.”
Until now, 3D printing has been confined to the industrial market, where engineers use computer-assisted design (CAD) software to print small-run plastic prototypes of products, build machine shop tools and so forth.
The printers themselves were too large and expensive to be a consumer product. And relatively few average consumers had the CAD skills necessary to use 3D printers.
But that is changing. Prices for printers are falling, with several on display at CES for less than $1,000.
“We have a road map to lower prices, and we think we’ll bring the price over time to where this will be considered a Christmas purchase on par with an Xbox or PlayStation,” Evans said.
In addition, websites are offering free downloads of digital CAD designs for all sorts of products that enthusiasts can share with each other and print on their 3D machines.
Robo 3D has founded Makable.com, an online marketplace to showcase 3D CAD designs. It aims to build a community, where registered users can find designers they like and follow them. Other 3D printer companies have similar marketplaces that allow people to download CAD designs, usually at no charge.
3D printer firms, including Makerbot and 3D Systems, also sell scanners. These devices allow users to scan a product — say frames for glasses. They create a digital CAD file of the frames that can be uploaded directly to a 3D printer. 3D Systems sells Sense scanner for $400.
“The other thing happening is these machines are making their way into schools,” Evans said. “So kids are working on these machines. They’re coming home and saying, ‘I made my own wrist watch at school.’ So parents think maybe we should do that at home, too.”
Within the industry, printer makers think consumer appliance, automobile and other manufacturers will eventually offer free CAD designs for replacement parts for download on their websites.
So if a knob on a refrigerator, washing machine or car breaks, owners can download the CAD file and print a new knob at home, Evans said.


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The ‘cold cap’ is found by many people to be beneficial
in lessening hair loss during *chemotherapy*. However, it
does not always reduce hair fall and can cause significant,
sometimes unacceptable discomfort, particularly when
Some patients prefer to completely *shave* their heads
before their treatment, giving them a sense...
The search for a new *Miss South Africa* to replace current
ambassador Rolene Strauss, when her reign ends in March next
year, has begun and the final open casting will take place
at The Maslow in Sandton on Sunday, October 26.
Castings have already been held in Cape Town,...
For thousands of school children the threat of lice
infestation looms large as the warmer season approaches,
leading to increased lice activity.
Head lice are small, wingless parasites which live on human
hair and feed on tiny amounts of blood drawn from the scalp,
causing skin irritation and sometimes infection....
*Mammograms* are used as a screening tool to detect early
breast cancer in women experiencing no symptoms. It also
plays a central part in early detection of breast cancers,
because it can show changes in the breast up to two years
before a patient or physician can feel them.
Spirulina, widely regarded as one of the world’s most
nutritious super foods, has been shown to significantly help
alleviate the effects of seasonal allergies.
Springtime can be a struggle for allergy sufferers with a
host of triggers setting off allergic reactions. The most
common triggers are:
Tree, grass and weed...
In *1974*, *Audrey Hepburn* first visits *Philip Kingsley*
to help with the condition of her hair. *Elasticizer*, the
world's first pre-shampoo conditioning treatment is born.
Philip Kingsley recounts his first meeting with Audrey
Hepburn, who inspired the creation of Elasticizer and helped
to make it the timeless classic it...
2014 sees iconic hairdresser *Trevor Sorbie* celebrate his
65th birthday, but there’s no plan for retirement on the
horizon. The son and grandson of barbers, Sorbie was born in
Paisley, Scotland in 1949, and began working with his father
after leaving school at 15 with no qualifications. He
With Summer just around the corner it's time for some skin
pampering, get the latest in beauty and skincare from the
professionals at Lamelle Research Laboratories in Issue 6 of
Lapelle. Medical Director at lamelle research laboratories,
Dr Bradley Wagemaker, answers a few FAQs around serums.
*1. What is the...
The only spa in South Africa to carry the exclusive *ESPA*
range of beauty and body treatments and products, *One&Only
Cape Town* *Spa* recently launched the brand’s new
LIFESTAGE Facials as well as ProSerum, an age-defying
product that offers immediate results. These groundbreaking
skin treatments have received much praise and...
ghd has launched a new and extraordinary hairdryer, *ghd
aura™*, that is set to change the way we style hair. The
*ghd aura™* has been developed by the team at the
brand’s research and development facility in Cambridge.
ghd’s global creative director Sam McKnight – who used


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The Digital Ad Armageddon That Never Was
Initiatives like the Trade Desk's UID 2.0 were supposed to save the industry - which no longer appears to need saving
“Where is this disaster I'm hearing about?”
Brain and I were running through the biggest stories of 2021 in media and advertising, and almost as an afterthought I mentioned the seeming disconnect between all the doom and gloom earlier this year regarding targeting and identity, and the massive spending growth in digital media.
“The idea that there is going to be less data used in advertising…is kinda ridiculous to me.” Morrissey said. “Programmatic advertising seems fine.”
If Google and Apple’s moves to limit identifiers were supposed to bring on an apocalypse where nobody was going to be able to target anybody, it seems that nobody told the advertisers.
In fact, GroupM and Zenith both recently had to up their ad forecasts, predicting spending spikes upwards of 20%
“It’s possible that this is the fastest growth in the history of advertising, at least in known history,” said Brian Wieser, GroupM’s global president of business intelligence.
It’s hard to wrap your head around such a staggering statement in light of all the ‘end of the world’ pieces written earlier this year, as well as the mad scrambling by much of the industry to forge some kind of cookie alternative.
At one point, I read a list of 30-plus companies who were building new ‘identifiers’ that could somehow replace the cookie - ranging from ZeoTap to LiveRamp to Neustar to, of course, The Trade Desk, which was pushing UID 2.0.
Back in the summer, the Trade Desk was touting progress on this independent, industry-wide coalition that would allow brands to not lose a step in ad targeting, and maybe even world better. And all throughout this year, we heard about ‘commitments” and endorsements of UID 2.0 from the likes of IPG and Omnicom. At one point, AdExchanger was publishing ‘AdExchanger’s Regularly Updated Guide To UID 2.0”
Except that hasn’t been updated since May.
It’s worth asking, where is UID 2.0 exactly? Where are any of these cookie alternatives?
Because more recently, what you hear about the UID 2.0 plan is that it might not even function in Europe and that the IAB isn’t sure it wants to run it.
Back in November, AdExchanger did publish a case study featuring a pots and pan manufacturer Made In, which said that the targeting tool was viable, but added “UID2 is not as widespread as we would like it to be,” the company’s CEO said.
Anytime I spoke to marketers about UID 2.0 this year, there was always some hesitancy. It was hard to tell if they wanted one of these new IDs to take off as much s publishers and ad tech companies seemed to. To be fair, these industry-wide plays don’t have a lot of great history (ask Xander!)I’m not saying it's not a worthy effort, but it's better to get more organized and scaled fast.
I realize Google gave everybody a reprieve by delaying the cookie’s demise until 2023. But from here, it sure looks like the industry isn’t waiting around.
For instance, there’s the fact that in GroupM and Zeniths’ forecasts, upwards of 80% of spending is going to Amazon, Google, and Facebook (the ultimate cohort, if you think about it).
In addition, just look at the explosion in Retail Media this year. From Walmart to Kroger to Instacart, everyone’s in the ad business now, and brands are down to work with anybody who’s got first-party data and can play matchmaker. They aren’t waiting around for somebody to come up with a cookie substitute. This market always moves fast -and as you’ve heard, things have gotten accelerated lately.
Now, to be sure, average publishers that don’t have much in the way of logged-in users may see things very differently.
Indeed, it struck me how much the recent wave of digital-native publishers making major moves, such as BuzzFeed going public and Vox Media buying Group Nine felt so irrelevant in this new reality. Certainly, they have big audiences and real ad businesses - but almost no relevance in this first-party data universe.
Earlier this year Axios reported that political advertisers were moving dollars away from ‘cookie-based targeting’ to connected TV advertising. These brands can’t afford to screw around (if the campaigns fail, they go out of business). So if they are shifting in this direction, I’d take that as a sign of things to come.
Because there’s no clearer intent data than where the money is going. And as of now, brands appear to have already moved on from cookies - or anything meant to taste just like them.


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Verizon Teases Its Next Droid
Updated: Added info on (clearer) video.
Verizon Wireless today tweeted a fuzzy photo — and a clearer video — of a Droid handset that resembles the Motorola Moto X. The company has a Droid-branded event taking place Oct. 28 and it is highly probable the device pictured today is the one Verizon intends to announce at that event. The photo is accompanied by text that reads, "Introducing the perfect phone for imperfect people." This implies the phone might be tough or rugged in some capacity. Previously Droid handsets have had Kevlar construction. Verizon didn't reveal any more details about this yet-unnamed smartphone.
Review: Motorola Droid Turbo 2 for Verizon Wireless
The Turbo 2 is the most advanced Droid Motorola has ever created for Verizon Wireless. The handset boasts an "unbreakable" screen and two days of battery life, making it ideal for clumsy oafs who need all-day power.
Hands On with the Motorola Droid Turbo 2 for Verizon
Motorola's new Droid Turbo 2 for Verizon aims to entice power users with two-day battery life, a powerful camera, and fast performance on Verizon's LTE 4G network. Motorola claims the Turbo 2 is more or less unbreakable thanks to what it calls "shatter shield" technology.
Verizon to Let Droid Turbo 2 Buyers Apply Star Wars Customizations
Dec 10, 2015
Verizon Wireless plans to make a special Star Wars edition of the Motorola Droid Turbo 2 available for purchase beginning Dec. 11.
Motorola Droid Turbo 2 Has 'Shatter Shield'
Oct 27, 2015
Verizon Wireless and Motorola today announced the Droid Turbo 2, an Android smartphone that claims to be shatterproof. Motorola says its engineers and designers built a rugged handset from the inside out over the course of several years.
Review: Motorola Moto E5 Play
Motorola is selling its able-bodied, entry-level Moto E5 Play from Boost Mobile, Cricket Wireless, and Verizon Prepaid. If you're in the market for a solid, low-cost phone, the Moto E5 Play plays well thanks to its simple hardware, easy software, and capable performance.


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According to reports coming out of Japan, Toyota will end production at the joint venture factory in California that it started with General Motors in March 2010.
According to Japan’s Asahi Shimbun, Toyota has started to inform its main suppliers about the plans.
A Toyota spokesman said the company has reached no official decision yet. Toyota has previously said that it will decide by the end of this month whether to pull out of the NUMMI plant.
Production of GM’s Pontiac Vibe is due to end this month. NUMMI also produces the Toyota Corolla and the Tacoma pickup.
– By: Stephen Calogera


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SEOUL South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co (005380.KS) said on Thursday its net profit fell 23 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier, hit by a sharp slowdown in China sales and aggressive global incentives which outweighed gains in the won against the dollar.
Hyundai Motor, which together with affiliate Kia Motors (000270.KS) ranks fifth in global auto sales, said net profit was 1.2 trillion won ($1.1 billion) in July to September, down from 1.5 trillion won a year earlier.
Also read: SUV boom leads Ford to sales gain in China
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18:30 White Sox trade Chris Sale to Red Sox for Yoan Moncada, three others14


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OnePlus 3T, that debuted in December 2016 as an updated edition of OnePlus 3, comes in two colors like Gunmetal and Soft Gold for its 64 GB model. Its 128 GB variant can be availed in Gunmetal color only. It seems that the company will be introducing a new blue color option for its existing flagship phone. The official tweet suggests that the company would be announcing it on March 15.
— OnePlus (@oneplus) March 13, 2017
The tweet with blue background has the date mentioned in American format and below it are the logos for OnePlus and Colette Paris, a well-known fashion and accessory manufacturer. It suggests that OnePlus may announce a stylish blue variant for OnePlus 3T.
Since the 128 GB OnePlus 3T comes in only Gunmetal color option, there is a possibility that the rumored blue colored variant may be exclusive to this storage model. Other rumors hint that both the companies may have collaborated to announce some kind of accessory.
Related: Amitabh Bachchan is OnePlus India First Brand Amabassador
In the last week, well-known smartphone industry leaker, Evan Blass had revealed a new wallpaper that carried the text “Never Settle,” which is the company’s signature line. It indicated that the company would be making a new announcement soon. The new tweet that reveals that OnePlus will make an announcement tomorrow does not seem to have any connection with the leaked image.
Since OnePlus is reportedly going to announce its new flagship smartphone in June, some sources have claimed that the leaked image hints the arrival of OnePlus 5. Rumors have it that as the number 4 is considered bad omen in China, OnePlus would be skipping the number and launching its next flagship with OnePlus 5 moniker.
OnePlus 5 is expected to feature 5.5-inch dual-edge curved screen with Snapdragon 835 and 6 GB of RAM under its hood. Other rumored specs include 64 GB and 128 GB storage option, a microSD card slot, 23-megapixel rear snapper, 16-megapixel selfie camera, Android 7.0 Nougat OS and 4,000 mAh battery.


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Sony’s new Vaio PC
Japan’s Sony Corp. plans to launch the world’s lightest 8-inch notebook PC, taking aim squarely at a rapidly growing market for ultra-portable personal computers.
The new 1.4-pound Sony Vaio PC will come with Microsoft’s Windows Vista operating system, supporting all the software programs found in full-sized notebooks. It will sell for about $900, setting itself apart from netbooks.
Netbooks, pioneered by Taiwan’s Asustek in 2007 and one of the rare bright spots in the electronics industry in recent months, are generally described as low cost, mini-laptops optimized for Internet use, and sell typically for $300 to $400.
Sony (NYSE: SNE) said on Wednesday the new notebook, which is as thin as a mobile phone, will be available for pre-orders on Thursday and be sold at major retailers in the United States beginning February.
But Sony isn’t the only one hopping onto the tiny notebook trend this week. Freescale Semiconductor has similar aspirations of cashing in with its i.MX515 processor, aimed at the netbook category.
The buzz around diminutive notebooks isn’t surprising, given their brisk sales. Acer, which got into the netbook market last year, is closing in on HP and Dell in global PC shipments, thanks to its success in selling the devices.
During third quarter, HP’s market share clocked in at 18.4 percent, barely changed from a year ago. Dell was in second place with a share of 13.6 percent, down 0.5 percent from last year, while Acer’s piece of the market jumped to 12.5 percent from 9.7 percent.
Copyright 2009 Reuters. Click for restrictions.


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Australian crocodiles are the real fashion victims
French luxury fashion brand Hermès is planning to open a massive new farm in the Northern Territory. If it opens, the farm will house up to 50,000 saltwater crocodiles to be slaughtered for non-essential luxury items like handbags, belts and shoes.
Each year, thousands of Australian crocodiles already suffer a short, crowded life before a brutal death. Three to four crocodiles are killed just to make one expensive luxury handbag for French fashion brand, Hermès. They are truly victims of fashion.
Ask the Federal Government to end the cruel crocodile skin trade.


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Helsinki-based developer RedLynx has revealed Trials Evolution
, a sequel to its best-selling Xbox Live Arcade title Trials HD
, with an expected release sometime in 2011.
The follow-up to the 2009 hit downloadable title is "more than just a sequel to Trials HD
," according to Antti Ilvessuo, creative director of RedLynx.
"We listened carefully to all the feedback we received from the previous game and added it to our own vision of what the ultimate Trials
game could be, coming up with a gamer’s wish list of must-play features."
Ilvessuo noted, "We took our time in carefully planning and developing it before announcing it, because we wanted to do it right." The game will be an Xbox Live Arcade exclusive.
RedLynx revealed last month
that Trials HD
has now attracted over 2 million downloads across the base game and its two DLC packs.


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The Texas Retailers Association celebrated champions of the retail industry during their inaugural Forum’s awards ceremony at La Torretta Resort on Lake Conroe. The Forum brought together more than 150 retail industry leaders for education, networking and honoring award winners.
Texas’ own Brookshire’s Grocery received the title of Large Retailer of the Year with Target and Walmart coming in as finalists. Brookshire’s Grocery has been actively involved at every level of supporting the state retail industry including promoting lobbying efforts both locally and nationally.
TRA presented Walmart with the Education Champion award for their support of the Retailers. They have contributed to TRA’s efforts to provide retail management training to small business store owners. Finalists within this category that also promote industry education were Academy and Lewis Foodtown.
Kroger was recognized as Grocer of the Year as an instrumental member of Texas Retailers Association. They are supportive of issues involving customers on the front end, especially the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. HEB, Brookshire Brothers and Brookshire Grocery were finalists.
The Forum also focused a session track on small but growing Texas retail businesses. Katy-based Amber’s Designs, run by Amber Gustafson, won Small Retailer of the Year.
Amber’s Designs creates and sells fine jewelry. Aggieland Bookstore and BookPeople were also recognized for their achievements in the small retail sector.
George Kelemen, President and CEO of the Texas Retailers Association said, “This has been a successful event that included industry leaders, respected speakers and state and federal representatives capped off by our awards ceremony. We are honored to have brought so many retailers together under one roof to congratulate our distinguished award winners.”


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January 02, 2015
"I think in 2015 and 2016, you're really going to see a huge impact with these devices," Mathu Rajan, founder and CEO of Stream TV Networks, told PhillyVoice.com.
The argument is this: 3D has, he readily admits, not caught on in the living room nearly as quickly as tech companies and manufacturers would like. But that's only because the technology wasn't there to make 3D-enabled devices an attractive purchase -- namely, the glasses stood in the way.
"Now that we've perfected the technology, we think the outside-the-movie-theater segment is really going to grow, and that'll have a big impact on the marketplace," he said. "Our TV also does 4K, so you can native 4K or watch with the glasses-free technology."
Additionally, the technology allows for 2D-to-3D conversion, meaning access to 3D content is not an issue. Stream TV Networks' Ultra-D is the product of five years of work, courtesy of a group of researchers who've spent 15 to 20 years working on the product, Rajan said.
The technology will also eventually be available in the form of tablets and laptops, he said. Stream TV Networks is currently partnered with Pegatron, a Taiwanese manufacturing company that makes products like Apple's iPhone, and Microsoft's Surface.
Skyworth, the No. 1 television manufacturer in China, plans to ship its Ultra-D enabled TVs in Q2 2015. Rajan teased that deals with major Japanese manufacturers are on the horizon.
As for a U.S. release of the technology, IZON plans to release a line of Ultra-D televisions later this year.
See the Ultra-D website for the scientific mumbo-jumbo breakdown of the technology.


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The district will hold its first and biggest New Year Countdown which will also set the scene for the launch of "Explore, Experience & Enjoy Penampang Year 2018." Some 5,000 people are expected to join the moment to welcome 2018 at Servay Hypermarket Penampang on Dec 31.
The event is jointly organised by the Penampang District Council, Sabah Tourism Board, Penampang Tourism Action Committee, KW Machinery and Servay Hypermarket Penampang.
"We've been told that it will be the first big New Year Countdown event ever held in the district and we're proud to be part of it," said Yeo Kheng Joo, Servay Hypermarket (Sabah) Assistant Manager.
He said a big stage will be set for all the entertaining performances leading to the countdown, including a crane that will lift some well-known local artistes.
The countdown will warm up on Dec 30 with a long list of activities starting from 9am until 12am. Among the highlights on that day will be a performance by local comedian, Sakinah, as well as Lily and Zackrindin of Ceria Pop Star.
There will also be 50 stalls offering a variety of foods and drinks as well as 10 food trucks.
The fun will continue on the following day with a big fireworks display as the main highlight.
The launch of "Explore, Experience & Enjoy Penampang Year 2018" will be held at 8.30 that evening.


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This season is full of surprises from the Redmont tech team, and yet, some common issues do not tend to disappear. Microsoft released quite a surprising number of patches this week only, and we need to draw your attention on some reported issues.
KB4458469 was recently released for Windows 10 version 1803 users, and you can read all about the changelog and how to download in our news article: KB4458469 fixes Bluetooth and update issues on Windows 10.
How to fix KB4458469 issues
This patch brings a long list of fixes and improvements. While Microsoft is not currently aware of any issues with this update, many users have reported some errors.
First of all, users have encountered difficulties installing the patch on their Windows 10 laptop. A fellow user from Germany reported this issue on the Community Forums:
windows encountered a problem while installing the updates. We’ll try again later. error 0x800706be
Sometimes a quick restart will solve the issue. Also, a good solution is to repeat the process. With some updates, users have managed to install it after 6 attempts.
Black screen error
Black screen issues have also been reported on the community forums.
..when starting the PC as it was requested, I had black screen with HP logo and after no better. The screen remains black.
I have turned off and restart several times and the screen is still black.
I made another attempt to reboot but I got a message that Windows could not start normally and had to be repaired.
Here is an effective troubleshooting guide to Fix Black Screen Issues in Windows 10.
We’ll update this post as soon as we find out more news about KB4458469 issues from Windows 10 users. Let us know how was your experience with the recent security updates in the comments below.
Still having issues? Fix them with this tool:
If the advices above haven't solved your issue, your PC may experience deeper Windows problems. We recommend downloading this PC Repair tool (rated Great on TrustPilot.com) to easily address them. After installation, simply click the Start Scan button and then press on Repair All.


text:
This Is Conservative Social Activism...Now With Added Flavor Enhancing Ingredients!
Driving the Left forward in confusion and disarray to their own destruction with a song in my heart.
Monday, July 8, 2013
Your Best Holiday Redneck Takedown
I took a break from my normal routine over the long holiday weekend...
I thought that you might enjoy the following video. This is what I call "Patriot Justice" in one local community that I visit occasionally...
I hope you had a great Independence Day!
ASHLAND, Ohio (AP) -- Workers at a small Ohio store say an escaped prison inmate asked to use the phone and bought an iced tea at a counter where his mugshot was displayed before a customer tackled him.
They say James David Myers was tied up with rope off the shelf until authorities arrived at the Olivesburg General Store in Ashland on Thursday night, less than 24 hours after Myers was found to be missing from a prison about eight miles away in Mansfield.
The store owner says the 47-year-old was wearing a white T-shirt and dark pants and used change from his pocket to try to cover his picture on the counter. Employees later noticed he'd been carrying a coat labeled with the prison's abbreviation.
Authorities have refused to discuss how Myers escaped...By NEWS9


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Gout Drug’s Sales Flop Lands Savient Pharma in Chapter 11
Three years ago, Savient Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SVNT) was riding an FDA-approved gout drug to a stock price in the $20s. Now, its best hope to avoid an outright liquidation is a bankruptcy sale.
Bridgewater, NJ-based Savient completed its precipitous plunge today. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, which corporate entities often use to either reorganize their finances or sell themselves to pay creditors. Savient is choosing the latter strategy. It has a deal in place to sell itself to US World Meds, a specialty pharmaceutical company headquartered in St. Matthews, KY, for about $55 million.
As is the case in Chapter 11, however, a deal is only a deal after a bankruptcy judge approves it. Savient will ask the court to name US World Meds a so-called “stalking horse,” or lead bidder, and see if its offer gets topped at an auction. Savient expects to wrap up the process and close a deal by the end of the year.
For Savient, it’s the sad end to a drug launch that failed to live up to expectations. The biotech company developed a drug known as pegloticase (Krystexxa), a twice-monthly infusion for patients with severe cases of gout that don’t respond to conventional treatments. The FDA approved pegloticase in September 2010 and Savient, which owns full rights to the drug, was thinking big. It planned to use pegloticase as a carrot to sell itself for a windfall, and investors jumped onboard, sending shares past $20 apiece.
Things turned sour in a blink, however. Just a month later, Savient publicly called off a failed buyer search and was forced to try to sell pegloticase on its own. Shares plummeted 50 percent, and have continued to fall over time as the sales Savient hoped for never materialized.
According to legal papers filed with the court, the drug flopped for a few reasons. First, Savient miscalculated its market. It originally thought it was selling to a market of 120,000 patients in the U.S., only to realize with further market research that only a fraction of its targeted patient group—about 9,000 of them—were both insured, and being seen by rheumatologists likely to prescribe its drug. That severely curtailed the market for pegloticase, and Savient had to drive up the price for the drug several times as a result (it currently sells for $5,390 per vial, or over $30,000 for the estimated three-month treatment regimen).
Worse, while pegloticase was initially approved by European regulators, the National Institute for the Health and Care Excellence of England declined to reimburse patients for it, meaning they’d have to pay out of pocket. Savient hasn’t found a pharmaceutical partner to help sell it, and as a result, has never been able to tap into the European market.
The final numbers, as a result, are disastrous. Savient has only sold about $33.8 million worth of pegloticase between its launch and June 30. By comparison, it racked up $141 million in sales and marketing costs alone since the FDA approved the drug, according to court documents.
All that has added up to layoffs, a messy legal fight with shareholder Tang Capital Partners, a debt restructuring, and now, a bankruptcy filing. Savient has just $27.5 million in cash compared to more than $250 million in debt. Its shares, which traded at 57 cents apiece on Monday, changed hands at 8 cents apiece on Tuesday (stockholders are usually wiped out during a bankruptcy proceeding). Now, it’s hoping a few potential suitors will jump in and kick up the bidding for pegloticase.
“The board and management team have conducted a rigorous assessment of all of our strategic options and believe that this process represents the best possible solution for Savient, taking into account our financial and operational issues and helping to unlock the value of [pegloticase],” said Savient chairman Stephen O. Jaeger, in a statement.


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Panasonic has started rolling out HIT solar modules from its new solar production base in Kedah, Malaysia, which started operation on December 13, 2012 to meet the growing demand in Japan and around the world.
The Malaysian facility produces wafers to solar PV cells and modules. Panasonic says this plant strengthen cost competitiveness through reduction of transportation costs and use of local parts and materials.
To date, Panasonic has produced HIT solar cells at its two domestic plants and has three module assembly bases - two in Japan and one in Hungary - with an annual production capacity of 600 MW each of cells and modules. The new production base in Malaysia adds a yearly production capacity of 300 MW, increasing Panasonic's overall module production capacity by 50% to 900 MW.
In addition to offering solar modules discretely, Panasonic will step up efforts to provide integrated solar solutions combining solar modules with power conditioners, storage batteries and other components to meet the wide-ranging needs of customers.


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Fourth-generation artisan cheesemaker Carr Valley Cheese® has announced the hiring of Elle Fearing to a National Sales role. In her new position, Fearing will work alongside National Sales Manager Dave Christoff, developing new business opportunities and supporting current accounts.
“We’re so happy to have Elle on-board,” said Carr Valley Cheese Owner Sid Cook in a statement. “With her extensive knowledge of company culture, product line, and the cheesemaking process, she’s a fantastic representation of our company.”
Fearing grew up just down the road from the Carr Valley Cheese plant in La Valle, Wisconsin. She began working at the retail store attached to the manufacturing facility when she was in high school, continuing to work for the company during breaks from college.
Elle started full-time in National Sales with the company recently after graduating from the University of Wisconsin—La Crosse.
“We’ve had substantial growth nationwide and in order to provide quality customer support while expanding new markets, we needed to hire someone with a passion for cheese—and that’s Elle,” added Christoff.
In the short time she’s been in the sales role, the company noted, Fearing has traveled the country meeting buyers, conducting demos, organizing group tastings, and educating the public at food shows.
Congratulations, Elle, from all of us at Deli Market News.


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- Apple Inc. launched its version of an augmented reality (AR) headset, the Apple Vision Pro, on Friday.
- The new product aims to directly compete with Meta Platforms Inc.’s virtual reality (VR) headset, but the Apple Vision Pro costs seven times more than Meta’s Quest 3 headset.
- Analysts speculated that the Vision Pro’s high price tag would be affordable mostly for businesses, rather than individual consumers.
- Although the VR market has slowed over the past year, analysts are optimistic about Apple’s Vision Pro.
Apple Inc. (AAPL) moved into augmented reality (AR) with Friday’s launch of the Apple Vision Pro headset, setting it up for head-to-head competition with Meta Platforms Inc.
Apple‘s headset uses 12 cameras, six microphones, and five sensors to overlay applications on the user’s surroundings, and is controlled entirely by hands, eyes, and voice.
The AR computing experience runs on the new visionOS operating system and is compatible with more than a million apps on the company’s app store. Priced starting at $3,499, Apple’s foray into virtual reality (VR) comes with a significantly steeper price tag than competitor Meta’s (META) Quest 3 headset, which starts around $500 and uses controllers.
International Data Corp. analysts said in part that the “high price tag of the Vision Pro will likely relegate the device to businesses.” Deutsche Bank Research analysts were more optimistic, saying that “while the high price may slow initial adoption, the Vision Pro launch expands Apple’s ecosystem and diversifies revenue streams beyond the iPhone over time.”
Apple has also announced a new Spatial Video format that can be recorded via the Vision Pro and iPhone 15 Pro models. It is designed to let users “relive their favorite memories.” Thursday, Meta announced that the Quest 3 would be compatible with Spatial Video.
Although the VR market has slowed over the past year, analysts are optimistic about the Vision Pro. Wedbush Securities analysts estimate sales of more than 600,000 units this year, markedly ahead of the 460,000 Wedbush originally predicted.
First appeared on www.investopedia.com


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The new offering of this week from Hollywood, Transformers The Last Knight had huge buzz earlier but after the negative reviews of audience from overseas, caused much loss to it’s hype in India too. Even though this awaited fifth installment of the very popular American sci-fi franchise Transformers opened on a decent at Indian box office.
Despite having great brand value, it got failed to impress audience and received unfavorable reviews from critics. As per them, Transformers The Last Knight has lots of action which entertains to some extent, but the weak story line has ruined it badly.
Michael Bay’s directorial had paid previews on Thursday and collected 1.75 crore from them. On the opening day, it took decent start and fetched the business of 3.50 crores which is comparatively better than the last week released Salman Khan starrer biggie Tubelight.
On the next day i.e. Saturday being weekend and due to unavailability of any strong contender opposite to it, as Tubelight has been denied by audience, the movie showed decent growth and raked the business of 4.25 crores.
On Sunday, Transformers The Last Knight witnessed more growth due to public holiday and garnered the business of 4.50 crores. With this, total collection of the movie has become 14 crores nett. at Indian box office including English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu versions.
In metro cities, Transformers The Last Knight is giving strong competition to Tubelight and expected to stay almost steady in weekdays too.


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The delay comes as the result of additional development time required to complete the title. Take-Two Chairman Strauss Zelnick said, “Certain elements of development proved to be more time-intensive than expected, especially given the commitment for a simultaneous release on two very different platforms. We all recognize that perfecting the game is vital and I can assure everyone it will be worth the wait.”
The company has said that it is in “sound financial condition,” and that aside from questions of timing the delay will not have a significant impact on Take-Two. The company has updated its third quarter and fiscal year 2007 guidance as a result of the delay, as well as the impact of its ongoing Manhunt 2 difficulties.
Rockstar Games founder Sam Houser said, “The new consoles are allowing us to create the Grand Theft Auto game we always dreamed about. Every aspect of the game and its design has been completely transformed. The game is huge and is pushing the hardware platforms to their absolute limits.”
Originally released in 1997 as a top-down action game for the PC and PlayStation, Grand Theft Auto has since grown into one of the most successful, popular and controversial game franchises of all time. Grand Theft Auto IV is currently in development for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms.


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- IC design houses gearing up for 64-bit smartphone boom
- 14nm process to bring healthy competition among foundries: Q&A with Globalfoundries senior VP Chuck Fox
- ITRI, Netherlands-based TNO to jointly set up 3D printing R&D platform
- US finalizes anti-dumping tariffs on Taiwan-made solar cells
- Japan Display benefiting from booming sales of large-screen Huawei smartphones
- Wintek to lay off 2,360 more workers this week
- Foxconn IT shopping mall in Taipei to open in March 2015
- Taiwan market: Global Mobile allowed to upgrade to WiMAX 2.1
- Arbor Technology partners with mTouche to tap Malaysia market
- Acer CEO to be future chairman, says Shih
- India green IT and sustainability spending to reach US$34 billion in 2014, says Gartner
- Firefox-based smartphones to enter Africa in 2015
- Asustek tops Taiwan-based global brands in 2014, says MOEA
- Prices for 32-inch TV panels rising, say Taiwan makers
- LCD TV shipments to rebound in 2015; Samsung and LG to hold over 40% share, says WitsView
- Digitimes Research: ZigBee to unveil ZigBee 3.0 standard to take on Thread
- SMIC Shenzhen 8-inch fab goes into operation
- Digitimes Research: Global LED light bulb shipments in 2015 to reach 1.81 billion units
- TSMC chairman disagrees with Alibaba chairman on lack of entrepreneurs in Taiwan
- Some IC design houses look to brisk sales in 1Q15
- Epistar expects December revenues to grow sequentially
- Taiwan market: China-based MLS to wage LED lighting price war
- Thin clients emerge unscathed from the battle with PCs in EMEA, says IDC
- Microsoft rumored to make head-worn gaming device in 2015
- Digitimes Research: Average digital camera price in 5 main markets in December rises to US$366
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Global handset shipments topped 977 million units in 2006, according to Digitimes Research, with Taiwan-based handset makers accounting for 14% of the market on...


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The coronavirus pandemic has hit revenues and profits at water services firm United Utilities, the company has revealed.
The Warrington-based company warned that first-half revenue to September 30 is expected to be 5% lower than for the same period of last year.
In a trading update issued to the markets on Thursday, it said that was due to lower consumption from businesses as a result of Covid-19, however that was partly offset by a higher consumption from households
The FTSE 100 firm, which supplies water to three million homes and 200,000 businesses, said underlying operating profit for the first half is also expected to be lower - "largely reflecting the lower revenue and an anticipated moderate increase in infrastructure renewals expenditure".
It also said it expects the underlying net finance expense for the first half to be around £30m lower.
Also updating the markets on its pandemic response, the statement added: "Our focus throughout the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be on supporting customers in the provision of essential services whilst protecting our colleagues.
"Throughout the pandemic, we have continued to supply drinking water, take away wastewater and carry out essential repairs for over 3 million households in the North West.
"We have also acted swiftly to support customers who are struggling to pay their bills through our extensive financial assistance schemes. Increasing numbers of vulnerable customers are being supported through our Priority Services scheme."


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On Sunday night, DVD rental/streaming giant Netflix announced they will be splitting the company in half, separating DVD rental and instant streaming. As if that concept wasn’t confusing enough, CEO Reed Hastings released an email (and blog entry) to Netflix customers that opens with the line, “I messed up. I owe you an explanation.” As if that isn’t going to cause uproar? My, my, this has been a busy week for Netflix.
Hastings explains that instant streaming will retain the Netflix name and operate exactly as it has in the past, but the DVD rental aspect will be from here on out called, “Qwikster” (not to be mistaken with the Twitter feed of a pothead who thought of the same name for his account.) These companies will operate independently, having two separate entries upon a monthly credit card statement. Qwikster will also start allowing a game rental upgrade, as that has been an expressed interest by consumers for some time now.
The huge drawback here is largely that consumers would be dealing with two separate companies and also that the ratings and recommendation system would now become redundant. For instance, if you gave a movie four stars that you streamed, Qwikster would not automatically be able to recommend similar movies. This means customers spending so much more time looking through ratings that many may find the lack of intuitiveness inconvenient and annoying.
Apologizing and talking about making a mistake is not exactly the best time to launch a new product, Mr. Hastings! Netflix morale has been at an all-time low since the price increase back in August, although this event does clear up some questions regarding the price change to begin with. On the new pricing system, streaming and DVD rental were two separate packages and no longer in a combination package. Looking back, this seems like it was clearly done in preparation for the switch.
The backlash from this letter and the company news has, if possible, lowered public opinion about Netflix even further. But before we get out our pitchforks, there are some pros to the plan. Hastings clearly sees DVD rental as a dying horse, and anyone in media or production would likely agree. Streaming is (and has been) the future of how we watch movies. Hastings simply didn’t want to keep a dud attached to his company after it became obsolete. I would bet his plan is to ride out Qwikster as long as possible, but then when it loses steam, let it crash and burn — without undue harm to Netflix streaming. This business plan makes sense.
However, this was some of the worst PR the media has seen this year. Netflix should be in constant communication with customers, and under no circumstances should the public find out about something concerning consumers before the consumers themselves. Secondly, the casual tone of the letter from Hastings smacks of indifference. This is not the time to establish a non-formal relationship with an audience on the brink of unsubscribing.
It is too soon to tell if this will lead to the end of Netflix, but this certainly opens up the opportunity for competition. The Netflix brand has certainly underestimated the intelligence of their consumers by thinking that a short, impersonal note would be enough to bring happy compliance. Perhaps explaining in detail the merits of this business route would have been the better option.


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EUROPE: Britvic can find franchise success in Spain - analyst
Fruit Shoot is part of a franchise scheme in the US
Britvic's expanding Fruit Shoot franchise model may next hit Spain, where it can benefit from the country's recovering economy, an analyst has said.
Wayne Brown, analyst at Canaccord Genuity, said Britvic is “testing the waters” with moves to distribute Fruit Shoot in Spain, announced today (23 January). This could lead to a franchise system similar to Britvic's US operations, where juice concentrate is sold to bottlers, he told just-drinks.
“If Fruit Shoot can get adequate appetite in Spain, then that could move to a franchise model in time,” Brown said, adding that Fruit Shoot has “universal appeal”.
“Despite the backdrop in Spain, there are some strong signs of a decent economy there,” he said. “If they can ride the back of that it would be a good fill-up for them."
Brown's comments came after Britvic, which is in the process of merging with AG Barr, reported among its Q1 results today that it is upping its franchise footprint in the US from nine to 30 states.
Brown said the expansion will not affect Britvic's results in the short term, but will help build a lucrative global platform. “Franchising in the US is a high-margin business, he said. “If you build your distribution over a period of time you can build a very strong model.”
Brown said today's results, which saw group sales increase by 4.8%, were "definitely a step in the right direction". But he warned: "I think it'll be a choppy ride throughout the year.”
Fruit Shoot was involved in a costly recall last year after its caps were found to be a potential choking hazard.
Britvic requires a "significant cultural change", an analyst has warned while dismissing its chairman's claims performance has improved since it agreed to merge with AG Barr....
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Respironics Inc, the Murrysville, Pa, manufacturer of respiratory care and sleep disorder treatment products, will be sold to Philips Electronics NV for $5.2 billion, the companies said today.
Netherlands-based Philips, the world’s biggest lighting maker and Europe’s biggest consumer electronics producer, said on Friday it is paying $66 per share in cash for Respironics, which represents a 24% premium over the company’s closing price of $53.11 on Thursday.
Respironics’ board has agreed to the offer. Shareholders must sign off on the deal as well, the company said in a news release.
The company has recently broken ground on a $32 million, 165,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Lower Burrell, Pa, but was to maintain its Murrysville headquarters.
The company posted sales of about $1.2 billion in the 12-month period from September 2006 to this year, and its sales have grown at a compound annual growth rate of 19 percent in the last five years.
Respironics will become the headquarters for Philips Home Healthcare Solutions group, and Respironics’ senior executives are expected to remain with the organization.
A spokeswoman declined to say whether the Respironics name will be retained following the completion of the deal.
"The combination of Respironics and Philips will allow us to continue to provide exceptional products and services to our customers and allow Respironics to expand its leadership in the global sleep and respiratory markets," said John Miclot, CEO of Respironics said in a statement. Miclot will remain as CEO of Phillips Home Healthcare Solutions.
The Respironics transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2008.


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By James Simons-
A Cheese and bacon thief has been jailed for nine months following a stealing spree at shops in the Spen Valley, while another has been slapped with a 12 month banning order.
Roland Lister, 42, was jailed for 12 weeks on April 27, after admitting four counts of theft and four counts of breaching a criminal behaviour order at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court.
Lister, of Providence Street, Cleckheaton, pleaded guilty to his crime spree, targeting three Co-operative stores over a two-month period earlier this year.
On February 28, he stole £110 worth of coffee, bacon, meat and butter from the Co-op in Birstall, breaching a criminal behaviour order banning him from entering Co-op stores in the process.
The serial thief struck again on March 28 at the Co-op petrol station in Gomersal, where he stole cheese and tuna worth £97, also breaching his behaviour order.
He offended again on April 11 at the same location, when he stole butter, cheese, meat and biscuits, and then he stole on April 26 at Drighlington’s Co-op, taking £65 worth of cheese and meat.
Magistrates jailed Lister for 36 weeks for his offending, describing the offence as serious “because the defendant has a flagrant disregard for people and their property”, and was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £156.
Sources close to the case told The Eye Of Media.Com that Mr.Lister suffers from mental health issues and substance misuse.
Another cheese thief pleading guilty was 36-year-old Paul Barraclough of Wycliffe Gardens, Shipley, who admitted three offences of theft on April 13 at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court.
His first offence was on May 27, 2020, at B&M in Dewsbury, where he stole two Oral B toothbrushes, cheese, cans of lager and a box of Bold washing detergent worth £53.98.
The second theft occurred on June 16, 2020, at the same B&M store, when he stole two Toni & Guy hair stylers worth £53.98. He then struck a day later at Asda in Dewsbury, where he stole two Oral B toothbrushes worth £70.
After admitting the offending, he was handed a community order banning him from entering either store for the next 12 months, and to take part in 20 rehabilitation activity days. He was also ordered to pay £107.96 in compensation to B&M, and to pay £85 in costs.


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BOBCARD Limited, a subsidiary of Bank of Baroda, in collaboration with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), has announced the launch of Corporate Credit Card on RuPay Network. The card offers a plethora of benefits for the corporates for varied use cases and convenience of linkage with UPI through any UPI- enabled apps.
The cardholders can look forward to a luxurious travel experience, including complimentary lounge access and fuel surcharge waiver. The Corporate Credit Card also has complimentary personal accidental death insurance cover for its cardholders. The rewards program further makes this credit card a valuable financial solution for various business transactions.
Ravindra Rai M, Deputy Managing Director, BOBCARD, said, “This launch further deepens our partnership with NPCI, and brings the convenience of UPI transactions to our corporate customers. I am sure that our valuable customers will find a well-designed and relevant payment instrument in the form of their BOBCARD RuPay Corporate Card. We look forward to catering to the Travel & Entertainment (T&E) and other payment needs of our corporate customers.”
Commenting on the launch, Praveena Rai, Chief Operating Officer, NPCI, said, “This initiative empowers cardholders with the convenience of UPI-enabled corporate credit cards coupled with enticing rewards. Moreover, this development will further enhance credit card penetration in the country, thereby contributing to the overall growth and development of the economy.”


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The Maharashtra government has indicated that hotels and restaurants would be allowed to reopen from the first week of October, despite the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak in the country’s worst-affected state.
However, hoteliers and restaurateurs are likely to face an uphill task in running their businesses because of a raft of factors.
Hotels and restaurants will be allowed to operate at 50% of their capacity, as the state government has insisted on compliance with social distancing, an acute shortage of labourers, severe financial crisis coupled with panic about the Covid-19 pandemic among customers.
Hoteliers and restaurateurs said though they would not make any profit, they were relieved about the gradual unlocking of restrictions in a bid to revive economic activities battered by the viral outbreak.
Consider the case of Udupi Srikrishna Boarding, a reputed south Indian eatery in Matunga that can accommodate up to 79 customers.
“We will be able to cater to a maximum of 40 customers at one go. Our business will be reduced to half,” said Satish Nayak, the owner of the outlet.
Also Read: Restaurants in Maharashtra likely to reopen from first week of October
Nayak said it would be impossible for hotels and restaurants to break even in such a restrictive environment. “There were no earnings in the past six months. This move will at least provide us to pay our overheads to some extent,” he added.
Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, director, Pritam Hotels, cited an acute crisis of labourers because many migrants to the city had returned to their respective native places during the Covid-19-induced 68-day nationwide lockdown restrictions.
“It will be a Herculean task to bring back migrant labourers from their native places because of a shortage of outstation trains,” said Kohli.
“Besides, local employees live in far-off places and they are not being allowed to travel by suburban trains,” he added.
Hoteliers plan to petition the state government to allow their employees to travel by suburban trains and treat them as part of essential services.
Regular patrons to hotels and restaurants are wary of eating out because of an uptick in the number of Covid-19 cases in both Maharashtra and Mumbai.
“We are still apprehensive about the viral outbreak. We will wait for some more months before eating out,” said Vaishali Mandot, a Sewree resident, who used to dine out at least once a week during pre-Covid-19 days.
Maharashtra has around four lakh hotels that have been closed for the past six weeks because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Though the state government had allowed takeaways and home deliveries, Mumbaikars were lukewarm to avail of the services. There was a growing chorus for reopening of hotels and restaurants as part of the state government’s Mission Begin Again campaign, which was accepted on Monday.
Savio D’sa, a consultant to the food and beverage (F&B) sector, said the state government’s move was prompted due to economic issues. “Hotels and restaurants provide a huge amount of taxes to the state exchequer. It is imperative that the state government allows them to reopen,” said D’sa.
He said any further delay would have broken the back of the F&B sector, which is reeling under an acute financial crisis because of the contagion-induced lockdown restrictions.
Sign on to read the HT ePaper epaper.hindustantimes.com


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The ninth generation of Honda's Civic is still one of the automaker's best models, reports MotorTrend.
Offering better fuel economy, smoother handling, more room and a contemporary design, the Honda Civic continues to push boundaries in the compact car class.
Starting at $16,355, the gas-based Civic comes with a 1.8-liter engine with 140 horsepower and 128 ft-lb of torque.
The hybrid version, which starts at 424,800 comes with a 1.5-liter engine along with 90-horsepower and 97 ft-lb of torque.
"As before, the new Civic retains a front strut/rear multilink setup to which Honda has increased suspension stroke and reduced damper friction. According to Honda, the results are a smoother ride and improved stability," states the news source.
The acceleration is a little slow, varying from 6.5-10.5 seconds to reach 60 mph, but speed isn't the main concern on a Honda Civic.
When it comes to a compact vehicle, what matters most is value, and the Honda Civic delivers. With a roomy interior, fantastic performance and a really good price, there's not much else in its class that can compete with Honda's signature model.


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"Japan's cuisine is usually associated with the delicate flavours and textures of sushi, but the national airline is opting for an altogether more robust festive meal — KFC chicken."
That's from AFP, one of several news outlets reporting on Japan Airlines' decision to feature meals from the fried-chicken fast-food chain on its flights. The "Air Kentucky" meals will be served on select JAL flights this winter in coach-class on flights between Tokyo Narita and New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego*, London, Paris and Frankfurt.
JAL began serving the meals on those routes on Saturday and says they'll be served through Feb. 28.
JAL says its Air Kentucky meals will feature "one drumstick, one boneless chicken breast fillet, a piece of complementing flatbread made especially for AIR KENTUCKY, a cup of cole slaw and lettuce leaves."
In a press release, JAL says it has teamed up with KFC to create "an exquisite packaging just for this tie-up. The design features JAL and the famous founder and mascot of KFC, Colonel Sanders on a special box and tray mat, unavailable anywhere else but onboard these JAL flights."
However, JAL customers hoping for more traditional meals need not worry. Japan Airlines' main meal service will continue to feature selections from its usual in-flight menu. The KFC meal will be the second meal served on its long intercontinental flights, according to CNBC.
Adding context, the Los Angeles Times notes that "Japan is a voracious consumer of American fast food, often with a twist. Franchisees in the Asian market have launched caviar, lobster and foie gras burgers (Wendy's) and black and pumpkin burgers (Burger King). KFCs in Japan are currently offering a special American-style Christmas menu complete with cake and champagne."


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Steve Jobs »
Comedy website Funny or Die has made their very own Steve Jobs biopic, titled “iSteve.” Starring Justin Long, famous for his stint as a Mac during Apple’s “Get a Mac” ad campaign, the movie looks to be a more lighthearted and less serious look at Steve Jobs’ life.
The movie [...]Read More »
After the death of former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, there have been numerous products related to him released that range from the normal (a biography) to the bizarre (an action figure). I’m not quite sure where to place this one, now that I think about it.
Japanese manga artist Mari [...]Read More »
Reports are beginning to surface that the late Steve Jobs wanted to build an Apple-branded car before he died. Meetings with Volkswagen reportedly took place as far back 2007 to discuss the project.
iDB notes that somewhere in the New York Times story about Apple building a smartwatch, there was [...]Read More »
The Steve Jobs biopic, titled Jobs and featuring Ashton Kutcher as the late former Apple CEO, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. This is in advance of its nationwide screening, which is set for April 19th. Reviews from various sites have been published, and it’s looking like reactions are pretty [...]Read More »
Just a little over a year after Steve Jobs passed away, Russians pay tribute to the former Apple CEO with a giant iPhone. The tribute is located in St. Petersburg, and was designed by Gleb Tarasov was chosen among 200 other entrants in a contest to decide who would design [...]Read More »
First of all, I’m not sure I’ll be able to ever get over that title. Formerly titled, ‘Jobs. Get Inspired,’ the ‘jOBS’ title isn’t much better — it’s a lot worse, actually. But that’s beside the point. The movie chronicling the life of the late former Apple CEO is due [...]Read More »
Most, if not all, cultures say not to speak ill of the dead; no matter how much you dislike a person, you shouldn’t make fun of them after their passing. The following is a comic of Steve Jobs who, as I’m sure we all know, has died. It isn’t making [...]Read More »
Rumor has it United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has preliminarily ruled Apple’s ‘Steve Jobs’ patent as invalid upon reexamination. You might be wondering, what in the world is a Steve Jobs patent?
Its actual name is US Patent #7,479,949 which lays claim over technology related to “[t]ouch screen [...]Read More »
The iPad has been a huge success since it was introduced in 2010. In an attempt to carve out a similar but non-competing market, other manufacturers starting creating 7 inch tabs (primarily Samsung, who can be credited with creating this niche, with Amazon and Google following suit later). Apple has [...]Read More »
Recently, a US court had ruled out Apple’s request to bring an emergency ban on the import of HTC devices in the country, which Apple claimed to have violated a number of Apple’s patents. At the same time, Apple had filed lawsuits against HTC in UK and Germany (the German [...]Read More »
Along with all the big happenings around Apple, such as the WWDC 2012 coming to a conclusion; there’s yet another news related to Apple that has just hit the stands. Sotheby, an auction house, has just auctioned an Apple I (the motherboard, cassette interface, and its BASIC programming manual) for [...]Read More »


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The European Commission Needs to Uphold a Full and Complete Ban on Testing Cosmetics Ingredients on Animals
It’s a disgrace. Because of the provisions laid out in the world’s largest chemical testing programme, the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals Regulation (REACH), ingredients used in cosmetics continue to be tested on animals within the EU.
In 2013, the European Cosmetics Regulation was supposed to ban the sale of cosmetics products that had been tested on animals. This was a huge step forward in ending cruel and abhorrent cosmetics tests on animals. But under the guise of REACH, the European Commission and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) are still insisting on testing chemicals used in cosmetics for which there is a possibility of workforce exposure during manufacturing processes. Despite the clear mandate from the public and international governments on this issue, the questionable interplay between the REACH and Cosmetics regulations means that animals continue to die in tests for cosmetics ingredients.
The campaign to end these horrific tests is not over. With both a ban on testing cosmetics and their ingredients on animals and a ban on the sale and marketing of animal-tested cosmetics in Europe, Israel and, most recently, India, the cosmetics industry has witnessed great progress in the development of superior, human-relevant, non-animal testing methods. It was envisioned that such humane testing methods would prevent millions of animals from being blinded, poisoned and killed in cruel tests for cosmetics. It is inexcusable in these times that animals can be forced to suffer and die for cosmetics ingredient tests when there is already a saturated marketplace and when most people in Europe oppose it.
PETA and its affiliates are determined to make sure that the public’s opposition to cosmetics testing is respected and that innovative, humane testing methods are used in place of archaic animal tests. Please help by urging the European Commission and ECHA to fulfil the spirit of the law by never allowing cosmetics ingredient tests on animals, no matter what the circumstances are.


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Khurana Lauds Return to In-Person College Traditions
Harvard Health Researchers Launch Website to Dispel Cancer Misinformation
Khurana Calls on Students to Find ‘Common Ground’ After the Fall of the UC
Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Sherri Charleston Defends Harvard’s Race-Conscious Admissions Policies
‘An Exceptional Job’: Allston Residents and Harvard Students Commend the Ed Portal
Over the weekend of March 7, coffee professionals and enthusiasts from all over the world gathered in the colossal Boston Convention and Exhibition Center for the annual Specialty Coffee Expo. This year’s expo marked a return to the scale and breadth of pre-pandemic events for the first time in over two years. Hosted in a different city each year, the Specialty Coffee Expo is the largest gathering of specialty coffee professionals in the nation. From roastery engineers to branding designers, rural farmers to small coffee shop owners, every aspect of the coffee industry was represented at the convention. Lectures and workshops on topics ranging from food service incorporation to coffee roasting chemistry were available to all attendees, coffee professionals or not. More than 420 vendors and over 10,000 attendees visited the convention this year, bringing with them a diverse array of perspectives and experiences, all shaped in some way or another by the Covid-19 pandemic.
After postponing the in-person convention in 2021 and leaning into a hybrid option, 2022 was the closest to normal that the convention has seen in a while. A rigorous testing policy and mask-wearing recommendations helped ensure a safe return to connection and community within the world of coffee. The Covid-19 pandemic dealt a devastating blow to the coffee community, forcing many shops to close permanently and a lucky few to continue with mobile or to-go ordering. Nobody was left untouched by the economic shock: coffee farmers on the far reaches of the Earth were unable to sell their products and likewise coffee shops were unable to market it to a society, isolated and at home.
While the effects of the pandemic will be a part of everyday life for years to come, decreased case numbers and increased vaccine availability has allowed for a return to normal life, or rather a new normal. This optimism also applies to coffee. The Specialty Coffee Expo 2022 was a beautiful and passionate representation of the perseverance and emergence of coffee through the trials and tribulations of the Covid-19 pandemic.
One of the pillars of post-pandemic authenticity comes from the coffee farmers themselves. Spanning from Indonesia to Yemen, from the far reaches of the Ethiopian highlands to the rainforests of Brazil, coffee farmers from every coffee region of the world were present at the convention, proudly representing not only their beans but the culture that produces them. One such example was a coffee farm in Colombia called La Esperanza. La Esperanza’s representatives said that they were third-generation coffee farmers, representing not only their country but also their families’s heritage. Offering 11 different lots, or varietietals, of beans, La Esperanza yields some of the most successful South American beans on the market right now. Their geisha beans prove to be especially difficult to process, with a low crop yield and proclivity for misfermentation. Their natural processed geisha beans are few and far between in the specialty coffee market. La Esperanza claims they don't grow beans and offer the varietals because it’s easy, but because they want to be true to their farm and to their ancestors that came before them and spent decades nurturing the same plant they do. In pursuing the best beans that they can produce and choosing to stay close to their ideals of quality and authenticity, even at the cost of production value, farms like these are beacons of hope in an ever changing coffee industry. Excited to be able to sell their beans again, passionate farmers like those at La Esperanza represent the steadfast desire to remain true and authentic.
La Esperanza represents the earliest stage in the coffee production, but the shift to authentic, transparent production is present on the consumer side as well. Minor Figures is an oat milk company based out of London that has expanded into the U.S., trailblazing with an uncompromising commitment to remain true to their roots as baristas and, more importantly, coffee-lovers. Minor Figures makes oat milk by baristas for baristas.
In speaking with Alix Walper, the company’s Director of Foodservice Sales, she spoke of the brand’s ethos and what sets them apart from other oat milks in the increasingly flooded market of non-dairy milks. She said that first and foremost they produce oat milk that is as beautiful and as pure as can be, but also take every pain to ensure it’s just that: oat milk. She said that a lot of other non-dairy milks rely on a lot of smoke and mirrors, promising that their oat milk tastes exactly like milk, or that it has the exact same texture. She said that Minor Figures authentically makes really incredible oat milk that tastes exactly like oat milk, nothing less, nothing more.
Minor Figures has a very short ingredient list that stays true to their goal pursuing the best that oat milk can be instead of imitating what it isn’t. Alix said that their oat milk isn’t stark white because oats aren’t white, and oat milk shouldn’t have to be. Their business model and production is uncompromisingly honest, profoundly refreshing in a coffee market that is filled with artificial replacements fueled by hype.
From coffee farmers to oat milk millennials, the 2022 Specialty Coffee Expo was a delightful display of what coffee should look like after the pandemic. After spending so much time away from each other during the pandemic, coffee lovers took a step back and found what matters most to them. The many voices, companies, and perspectives represented at the Specialty Coffee Expo proved that coffee and its community remain true to their foundations while innovating towards an authentic, honest, and sustainable future for coffee.
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Earlier in the year, we wrote a blog about the growing popularity of ugly food.
Seems the campaign is catching on around the world as consumers join pressure groups to stop food waste and keep food natural.
One hugely successful campaign to promote ugly food has been run by French supermarket chain Intermarche. Their “Inglorious Fruit and Vegetables” promises 30% discounts for buyers of ugly food, in a bid to tackle the estimated 300 million tons of food thrown away in Europe each year.
To help them get their point across, Intermarche teamed up with French ad agency Marcel to produce a series of posters emphasising that grotesque is best. The posters included images of the grotesque apple, the hideous orange, the failed lemon and the disfigured eggplant.
Interestingly, despite the success of such campaigns companies in Europe and the US are keeping clear of the word ugly, trying to coin more offbeat terms for formerly unloved food. UK chain ASDA, for example, uses the term “wonky” food, while Canada’s Loblaws uses “naturally imperfect.
Popular chef Jamie Oliver has become the de facto figurehead of the “good food movement” in the UK and Australia, encouraging supermarket chains to support him.
But there’s more to ugly food than just food waste. In these media savvy days of Twitter and Facebook, the public are now wising up to what companies are promoting and selling them.
In the US a campaign called “what the fork” (www.change.org/p/whatthefork) is running an active awareness campaign on Twitter and Facebook and petitioning Walmart to stop food wastage and embrace ugly food.
And with such social media campaigns, customers are starting to question big companies directly about products and services. It’s back to trust.
Those companies that respondon Twitter and Facebook, answer queries, and talk to customers about problems will be the ones that customers turn to again and again. Those that ignore the new medium of trust will suffer the consequences – and the public backlash.
Many big brands have long considered their success, history and size as a certainty. A given. Well that’s all changed.
We’re witnessing a sea change in the perception of trust and distrust. Marketing and PR no longer solves the problem of trust. It’s now one-on-one with your customers – and the new brands are winning the trust game, while established brands like Intermarche are starting to wise up.
In our trust analysis studies we see that new brands score higher on the critical development, vision and relationship trust drivers. For large and established brands a little packaging rejig or acquiring the new brands won't do. It needs a rethink of what they need to be trusted for - at a corporate and brand level.


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In the fiercely competitive mobile market, Android has surpassed Apple iOS as the market leader in mobile application downloads in the second quarter of 2011, according to a new industry report.
Market shares of Android and iOS were 44 percent and 31 percent, respectively, according to figures released today by ABI Research.
Lim Shiyang, research associate attributed Android’s open source strategy as the main factor for its success.
“Being a free platform has expanded the Android device install base, which in turn has driven growth in the number of third party multi-platform and mobile operator app stores,” Shiyang said in a statement. “These conditions alone explain why Android is the new leader in the mobile application market.”
ABI also said that recent quarterly shipment growth figures also explain Android’s leap to the top app download position.
iPhone shipment growth in Q2 2011 slowed to nine percent from 15 percent a quarter earlier. In contrast, Android smartphone shipments increased 36 percent in Q2 2011, compared to 20 percent in Q1. Android’s install base now exceeds iOS by a factor of 2.4-to-1 worldwide; by 2016 this factor will grow to 3-to-1, ABI said.
However, despite leading in total mobile application downloads, Android’s app downloads per user still lag behind Apple’s by 2-to-1, according to Dan Shey, practice director, mobile services at ABI.
“Apple’s superior monetization policies attracted good developers within its ranks, thus creating a better catalog of apps and customer experience,” Shey said.
According to ABI, global app downloads for year-end 2011 are expected to swell to 29 billion, compared to only nine billion in 2010. Such increases are largely due to the proliferation of smartphones around the world, ABI added. The total smartphone install base is expected to grow 46 percent in 2011.
In a report released in September 2011, mobile app downloads are expected to increase 144 percent during 2011 compared to last year, according to a research firm study. Ovum also predicted that app downloads for Android devices would exceed those for Apple iOS devices for the first time, TechZone360 reported.
“Consumers’ seemingly insatiable demand for mobile applications is set to continue this year, with downloads from app stores increasing around the world,” Ovum analyst Nick Dillon said in a statement reported by Digital Trends. “The outlook for the longer term is also positive, with consumers set to continue to use apps to add new features to their phones and to access their favorite services on the go.”
Ovum predicted Android will see about 8.1 billion app downloads in 2011, compared to about 6 billion for Apple’s iOS devices.
In 2010, Apple saw 2.7 billion app downloads and Android saw 1.4 billion app downloads, according to Digital Trends.
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