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More testing is needed before shipping out the Leap Motion controller.
The Leap Motion gesture-based controller has the potential to finally deliver Minority Report-style computing, but we won't find out for sure until at least the middle of July. Leap Motion pre-orders for the flash drive-sized device kicked off in February of this year, and at the time, it was promised the units would be begin shipping out on May 13. With that date fast approaching, Leap Motion's developers thought it best to put push back the release a couple of months so that they can put the controller through some additional testing.
Intel CEO Paul Otellini recently said that touchscreen PCs could start selling for as little as $200 sometime in the next few months, though it's tough to imagine a Windows 8-based machine carrying such a low price tag. That's because they probably won't. Instead of Windows 8, most of these affordable PCs will be laptop machines built around Google's open source Android platform.
Casing out a chassis for your next PC build? You've come to the right place. Today's top deal is for a Corsair Carbide Series 500R Arctic White Gaming Case for $100 with free shipping (normally $140 - use coupon code TECH4LESS10; additional $20 mail-in-rebate). It has a 200mm fan on the side panel to keep your GPU nice and cool and plenty of cable cutouts for a tidy interior.
For other computer case deals, click the "Read More" button.
The long wait for the terribly long-in-the-tooth Xbox 360’s successor is set to end on May 21, when Microsoft says it will finally lift the curtain on its eighth-generation console at a special event. Despite Microsoft’s formal announcement of the Xbox 720 curtain-raiser event, the rumor mill hasn’t stopped buzzing. With Xbox 720 rumors thus far running the gamut from the unlikely to the unreasonable, no one can blame you for thinking that you have heard it all. But have you?
Free-to-play games proving popular on mobile devices.
Mobile gaming is already popular, but if new data from Juniper Research proves accurate, the number of game app downloads will steadily rise to more than 64.1 billion over the next four years. That would mark a greater than three-fold increase over the 21 billion game downloads that occurred in 2012, and it's thanks to a combination of free-to-play games, more capable devices, and a growing number of smartphones around the world.
Size matters, which is precisely why Corsair went small with its latest computer case.
It's not the size of your computer case that matters, but how you use it, right? Well, not exactly. If you're building a small form factor system and don't want to waste a ton of space, size is most certainly a factor, followed closely by features. Corsair hopes to impress on both fronts with its new Obsidian Series 350D case. Like its larger Obsidian brothers, the 350D is made from black, brushed aluminum and has an optional side window, but is intended for micro ATX and mini ITX motherboards, the two sizes it supports.
Samsung's Galaxy S4 brings a 5-inch Full HD PenTile OLED panel to a display fight.
DisplayMate Technologies president Dr. Raymond M. Soneira managed to sweet talk Samsung into giving him an early production unit of its upcoming Galaxy S4 smartphone to test and analyze for its Display Technology Shoot-Out article, the results of which are now live. In it, Dr. Soneira compares the Galaxy S4's upgraded 5-inch Full HD 1080p PenTile OLED display with that of that of its predecessor, the Galaxy S III, and Apple's iPhone 5. How did it fare?
The newest version of Ubuntu promises dramatic graphical performance enhancements.
Canonical's pretty good about keeping its Ubuntu Linux distro up to date with frequent releases, the latest of which is Ubuntu 13.04, otherwise known as Raring Ringtail. Now available to download to desktops and servers, version 13.04 is being billed as the "fastest and most visually polished" build to date. Canonical said it particularly focused its attention on fine tuning performance on lightweight systems as it gets ready to launch Ubuntu to a range of mobile devices.
Windows 8 has turned us all into a bunch of touchy-feely types, but what good is that if your system doesn't have a touchscreen display? That isn't a problem with today's top deal, an Asus VivoBook 14-inch Touchscreen Ultrabook for $700 with free shipping (normally $750). To sweeten the pot, Newegg's tossing in an Asus Memo Pad 7-inch tablet with purchase!
For other deals that include an Asus VE247H 23.6-inch monitor, Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 graphics card, and more, click the "Read More" button.


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A stock market analyst, Mark McKechnie, estimated that Verizon stores had 200,000 units of the Motorola DROID on hand to sale at launch. He figures that the stores were able to sell half of its' stock which would indicate that Big Red sold 100,000 phones during the opening weekend. Motorola expects 1 million DROID's to be sold over the balance of the year with 10 million crossing the cash register in 2010. "I see the first few days as encouraging," McKechnie said. "There seemsto be pretty good demand -- they've taken the right steps and picked agood partner with Google on the Android side." Another analyst, Jim Suva of Citigroup, expects 1.3
million handsets to be sold in the fourth quarter with 9.2 million moving in 2010. While we hate to bring up the "i" word, these figures compare with Apple's forecast of 8 million iPhones that will be sold in the current quarter with 28.5 million getting sold in 2010.
The Motorola DROID should be a boon to the Schaumberg based manufacturer whose marketshare in the handset biz has dropped from 10% in the second quarter of 2008 to a current 5.6% As for the nation's number one carrier, Verizon now has a phone that can match up to the iPhone and the current roster
of ads cracking on AT&T's notoriously spotty 3G coverage has led to a negative perception of the latter carrier among the 18 to 34 year old demographic, a group that has the necessary discretionary funds to purchase a phone like the DROID.Motorola DROID Specifications

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Driven Brands Holdings has reported financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2022.
For the fiscal year, Driven Brands delivered revenue of $2 billion, up 39 percent versus the prior year. System-wide sales were $5.6 billion, up 24 percent versus the prior year with 14 percent same-store sales growth and 9 percent net store growth.
Net income increased $33.6 million versus the prior year to $43.2 million or $0.25 per diluted share inclusive of a $125.5 million one-time non-cash impairment charge related to intangible assets in the second quarter as a result of the company’s decision to re-brand its U.S. car wash business. Adjusted Net Income increased 41 percent to $207.9 million or $1.22 per diluted share1, while Adjusted EBITDA increased 42 percent from the prior year to $513.8 million.
“2022 was a year of record performance and significant strategic progress for Driven Brands. We deepened our competitive moat as our differentiated offering resonated with our customers,” said Jonathan Fitzpatrick, president, and CEO. “We gained significant market share in this large and growing $350 billion, needs-based automotive services category, and we are leveraging our proven playbook to drive long-term, sustainable growth.
“Building on our strong performance last year, we entered the first quarter of 2023 with momentum, excellent visibility into our expense base and a robust development pipeline that provides us with strong line of sight to multi-year growth. Our guidance reflects that momentum, our continued confidence in our business model, the resilience of the category, and a track record of execution.”
For the fourth quarter, Driven Brands delivered revenue of $539.7 million, up 38 percent versus the prior year. System-wide sales were $1.5 billion, up 24 percent versus the prior year with 11 percent same-store sales growth and 9 percent net store growth.
Net income increased $66.2 million versus the prior year to $27.4 million or $0.16 per diluted share. Adjusted Net Income increased 35 percent to $42.2 million or $0.25 per diluted share1, while Adjusted EBITDA increased 54 percent from the prior year to $130.5 million.
Fiscal Year 2023 Guidance
The following guidance reflects the company’s expectations for fiscal year 2023 ending Dec. 30, 2023:
- Revenue of approximately $2.35 billion.
- Adjusted EBITDA1 of approximately $590 million.
- Adjusted Earnings Per Share1 of approximately $1.21.
- The Company also expects:
- Same-store sales growth of 5 to7 percent.
- Net store growth of approximately 365:
- Maintenance: approximately 170 stores of which 70% will be franchised and 30% will be Company-operated
- Car Wash: approximately 65 stores which will be company-operated
- Paint, Collision & Glass: approximately 130 stores of which 25% will be franchised and 75% will be Company-operated.
The Company has not included future M&A in its guidance for fiscal year 2023.


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|Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance Honors The Genius Of Porsche's 911 at 50|
|Porsche's 911 has defied common wisdom, outlived its competitors and, from roots in the early Sixties, leads Porsche Cars into a new century as the only car built today that carries its engine behind the rear axle. At 4:00 PM on Friday, March 8th, 2013 in the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance presents 'THE PORSCHE 911 SEMINAR: PORSCHE'S FLAGSHIP at 50'. The Porsche 911 Seminar will be empaneled by a pride of Porsche 911 legends. Brumos Porsche's Hurley Haywood, three-time Le Mans and five-time Daytona 24 Hour winner, raced with Brumos' Peter Gregg to win the 1973 24 Hours of Daytona, scoring the 911's first major international victory. Joining Haywood will be Brumos Racing crew chief Jack Atkinson who guided Brumos' winning Porsche through dozens of championship and race victories including the 1973, '75 and '78 Daytona 24 Hours and the 1973 12 Hours of Sebring. From Porsche Motorsport North America, Alwin Springer, ex Andial and Porsche Motorsport North America President and CEO. Vic Elford, 2012 Amelia Concours honoree and winner of Porsche's first 1968 Monte Carlo Rally in a 911, joins Haywood and fellow Briton Brian Redman winner of the `1981 24 Hours of Daytona in the Porsche many consider the ultimate 911, the turbocharged 200-mph 935. Author and photo journalist Jeff Zwart is not only an award winning photojournalist and cinematographer, he's raced Porsche 911s to victory in the Pikes Peak Hillclimb. Peter Schutz is the man many Porsche insiders and enthusiasts consider the savior of the 911. The only American to serve as Porsche Auto Group CEO is joined on the all-star seminar panel of 911 legends by famous Porsche designer Harm Lagaaij 'The Porsche 911 is one of those classic shapes, instantly recognizable from any angle, in any light and at any speed,' Said Amelia Concours founder and Chairman Bill Warner. 'I've owned and driven 911s for decades. Visually and dynamically, there is no other car like the 911. It is the car that made Porsche. It's more than Porsche's flagship, it's the heart and soul of the company and one of the most desirable automobiles in the 127 year history of the automobile. About The Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance Now in its second decade, the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance is among the top automotive events in the world. Always held the second full weekend in March, 'The Amelia' draws nearly 250 rare vehicles from collections around the world to The Golf Club of Amelia Island at Summer Beach and The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island for a celebration of the automobile like no other. Since 1996, the show's Foundation has donated over $2 million to Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, Inc. and other deserving charities on Florida's First Coast. The 18th annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance is scheduled for March 8-10, 2013. For more information, visit www.ameliaconcours.org or call 904-636-0027. Image credit: second image: Bill Warner|
|Pinehurst Concours Announces Chief Judge for 2015VILLAGE OF PINEHURST, N.C. (Nov. 20, 2014) – Internationally-renowned concours judge Nigel Matthews has been named chief judge of the 2015 Pinehurst Concours d'Elegance, a vintage car showcase the first Saturday in May in the North Carolina Sandhills, event president Jay Howard announced Thursday.|
In addition to Matthews being named chief judge, the Pinehurst Concours has unveiled its 12 collector classes for the judged competition to be staged on the fairways of Pinehurst Resort on Ma....
|ONE-OF-A-KIND FORD 'SHORTY' MUSTANG OFFERED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 47 YEARS AT AUCTIONS AMERICA'S FORT LAUDERDALE SALE• Auctions America kicks off its 2015 collector car calendar, March 27-29 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida|
• Regarded as South Florida's premier collector car auction, the multi-day sale is expected to feature nearly 500 cars spanning all segments of the collector car market
• Early entries led by a one-off 1964½ Ford Mustang III 'Shorty' Factory Prototype, one of few surviving 'Total Performance'-era Ford factory prototypes
• Frequently updated list of entries available online at auctionsamer....
|LE MANS WINNING SCUDERIA FILIPINETTI FERRARI 275 GTB COMPETIZIONE JOINS BONHAMS SCOTTSDALE AUCTIONThe Ferrari Classiche red book certified, three times Le Mans entrant, Spa-Francorchamps winner, Imola winner and concours award recipient joins impressive early consignments for January's sale|
Bonhams is delighted to announce the consignment of a very special and historic competition Ferrari to its auction in Scottsdale, Arizona next January.
From the most famous and respected name in sports and racing is the 1966 Ferrari 275 Gran Turismo Berlinetta Competizione Scaglietti – class winner ....
|2014 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Raises Record Amount for CharityDonations to Charities in 2014 Total $1.9 million |
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (Nov. 12, 2014) -- In addition to showcasing significant automobiles in a spectacular setting, the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance raised $1.9 million -- a record amount of giving -- for charity. The full sum of charitable donations was announced Monday at a luncheon honoring the event's charitable partners.
'We're proud to host an event that strives to set the bar for excellence in the automotive ....
|Pinehurst Concours d'Elegance Announces 2015 DateVILLAGE OF PINEHURST, N.C. (Nov. 6, 2014) – The third annual Pinehurst Concours d'Elegance, a vintage car showcase of rare and pristine collector automobiles, will be staged on the fairways of Pinehurst Resort on Saturday, May 2, 2015, Pinehurst Concours president Jay Howard announced Thursday.|
The Pinehurst Concours continues its trend-setting and cutting-edge philosophy, moving its judged car competition from the more traditional Sunday date to a Saturday. In its first two years, the Pinehu....
|MAJOR EVENT SPONSOR ANNOUNCED FOR THE BROADMOOR PIKES PEAK INTERNATIONAL HILL CLIMBCOLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. - When drivers and riders take the green flag for 93rd Running of The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on June 28, 2015 they will be doing so with a new and exciting Platinum Sponsor of the event in Gran Turismo. |
The long-term partnership will see the event officially retitled as The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Brought to you by Gran Turismo. Gran Turismo has become the first Platinum Sponsor in the Race to the Clouds' history a....
|Trio of Iconic Supercars Lead Early Entries for RM's 2015 Arizona Sale• RM Auctions' annual Arizona Biltmore sale returns January 15 – 16|
• A staple on the global collector car calendar, 2015 auction to feature 120 blue-chip automobiles
• Early highlights are packed with high performance, led by an exciting trio of European supercars from Porsche, Ferrari and Bugatti
• Full event information and a frequently updated list of entries available online at www.rmauctions.com
BLENHEIM, Ontario (November 5, 2014) – RM Auctions, the world's largest col....
|TANNER FOUST'S RAUH-WELT BEGRIFF VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE TO BE UNVEILED AT SEMALAS VEGAS, Nev. (November 3, 2014) - A Volkswagen Beetle that represents a collaboration between Volkswagen rallycross driver Tanner Foust and famed Porsche tuners RAUH-Welt Begriff is set to be unveiled this week at the SEMA show in Las Vegas.|
The Tanner Foust Racing ENEOS RWB Beetle will be introduced at the Las Vegas Convention Center in the ENEOS Motor Oil booth (#24723) this week during the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world.
The 2014 Volkswagen Beet....


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Economist, Howard Archer says: "While inflation should trend lower over the coming months, the very real danger is that it will prove significantly stickier than had been hoped for due to persistently high oil prices.
Sticky consumer price inflation would maintain an appreciable squeeze on consumers' purchasing power and dilute hopes that consumers will increasingly step up their spending as 2012 progresses."
More top news
The TV host’s tweet came as the West African nation recorded a 2-1 victory over Poland.
Three judges ruled the football coach’s 30-year jail term was not excessive.
The Labour mayor will seek a second term in City Hall.


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ISLAMABAD: Like the auto industry in Pakistan, the mobile phone industry has also attracted at least 36 companies to manufacture/assemble smartphones under the policies introduced by the government in 2020.
According to officials, the ‘Make in Pakistan’ policy introduced by the previous Imran Khan government has resulted in the establishment of 31 companies which manufacture a great number of renowned international mobile phone brands in the country.
As per the data, local manufacturing plants have manufactured over 19.7 million phone handsets during the first 11 months of 2022 compared to just 1.37 million commercially imported phone handsets. Data provided by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) reveals that the local manufacturing plants assembled 1.56 million mobile phone handsets in November 2022
Despite the increase in local production, the country imported mobile phones worth $ 290.57 million during the first five months (July-November) of the current fiscal year 2022-23. However, this was a decrease of 66.08 percent when compared to the imports of the same period last year at $ 856.73 million.
To review further expansion and issues related to the newly flourishing industry, the Ministry of Industries & Production (MoI&P) will hold a mobile device manufacturing summit on Tuesday (today). As per the officials of the Engineering Development Board (EDB), the relevant department of the MoI&P is jointly organising the summit in collaboration with the Pakistan Mobile Phone Manufacturers Association.
The summit will be addressed by the Federal Minister for Board of Investment, Chaudhry Salik Hussain, and will also include an exhibition of technology and products by the members of association including Xiaomi, Realmi, Infinix, Tecno, Itel, Alcatel, G-Five, Oppo, Vivo, Premier Code etc. The exhibition will be open for targeted general public.
According to officials, the purpose of organising this summit-cum-exhibition is to get input from all the relevant stakeholders which includes mobile device manufacturers, government officials from MoI&P, PTA, Ministry of Commerce, National Tariff Commission, Board of Investment, Ministry of IT & Telecom, Federal Board of Revenue and academia to boost local assembly of mobile devices through enhancing investment and employment opportunities in this sector.
The summit will focus on the localisation of parts and components used in mobile manufacturing, localisation of allied equipment like laptops and tablets, targeting export of mobile phones and promoting ease of doing business in Pakistan. The mobile device manufacturing sector is expected to benefit from this summit as it will facilitate further collaborations with international counterparts which can enhance the competitiveness of the sector.
The mobile device manufacturing policy was formulated by EDB in 2020 with the aim to promote local manufacturing of mobile devices in Pakistan and to provide an attractive environment for investors under the “Make in Pakistan” policy of the government.
According to data by PTA, 55 percent of the mobile devices in the country are smart phones while the remaining 45 percent are on 2G Pakistan network.


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The partnership between eBay and PayPal officially ends next month after eBay's board of directors agreed on the completion of separation of both businesses. After July 17, eBay and PayPal will act as two independent publicly traded companies and the first day of regular trading, as distinct companies, will be on July 20, according to an official press release.
Following the official split of the companies, eBay stockholders expect to receive one share of PayPal common stock for every share of eBay common stock held as of July 8. Subject to the agreement of the terms and conditions, the dissemination of PayPal common stock will happen on July 17. PayPal will trade under the ticker "PYPL" on the stock market, while eBay will continue to transact under the ticker "EBAY."
As a global commerce leader, eBay is set to celebrate its 20th anniversary in September. The company has been a busy marketplace that connects 157 million active buyers and 25 million active sellers globally. Last year, eBay produced $8.8 billion in revenue.
Supporting 10 million merchants worldwide, PayPal is one of the most trusted digital wallet brands. The company handled one billion mobile transactions and processed $235 billion in payment volume across 165 million active customer accounts and generated $8 billion in revenue in 2014.
Many business analysts considered it an awkward partnership when eBay acquired PayPal for $1.5 billion in 2002. Initially seen to increase PayPal transactions through eBay's auction participants, the result of the merger has not been beneficial aside from pushing traffic. When eBay announced the upcoming split of the companies in September, its shares immediately soared by more than 7 percent in hours after the news.
"eBay and Paypal are two great, special businesses. As separate, independent companies, eBay, led by Devin Wenig, and PayPal, led by Dan Schulman, will each have a sharper focus and greater flexibility to pursue future success in their respective global commerce and payments markets," stated John Donahoe, eBay's CEO and President. He plans to step down as the company's top executive and will join one or both of the boards of the two newly separated companies after the tax-free spinoff in July.
Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns | Flickr


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Apple plans to phase out iTunes.
GoPro stock fell 12.2 percent Tuesday after Apple received patent approval for a remote-control camera system. Investors fear Apple might set its sights on GoPro's half of the $2.2 billion... ...READ MORE
The success of Apple Pay will in part be determined lies in the hands of the people behind retailers' counters. How are those people doing two months after the service ...READ MORE
By The Associated PressATLANTA — Former President Jimmy Carter canceled plans to teach Sunday school just days after undergoing surgery for a broken hip."Though he is progressing well, he underestimated ...READ MORE
Steve LackmeyerThe Care Center is showing no signs of slowing down on plans to destroy the Brockway Center at 1440 N Everest over protests by the black community and preservationists ...READ MORE
A Detroit burger restaurant pays $15 an hour -- and makes money. How businesses can manage holiday parties. And how one business owner responded to an antigay request. Source:: Today ...READ MORE
This week, Apple announced plans to roll out the iPad Pro, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, Apple Pencil and a Siri-Controlled Apple TV. This came as a huge disappointment to ...READ MORE
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Officials: Hungary detains 60 migrants under new laws, plans to charge them .Read more on NewsOK.comRead more on NewsokREAD MORE
GoPro takes a dive as Apple looks to
A Day With Apple Pay
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Today in Small Business: Problems With Apple Pay?
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Officials: Hungary detains 60 migrants under new laws,
Coolgreens plans to spread like prairie fire


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A new Toyota Tundra is finally one the way. With its current version more than long in the tooth, the forthcoming 2022 Toyota Tundra is poised to be a breath of fresh air into the Japanese automaker’s stable. Toyota has released a short video of the front end of the model to aid in building excitement for its launch.
The redesigned 2022 Tundra has long been rumored and heavily speculated about. The new full-size pickup truck is expected to take design cues from the recently-revealed Toyota Hilux. Expect the new Tundra to be bigger than the last, flowing in the footsteps of the GMC Sierra, Chevrolet Silverado, and Ford F-150 redesigns over the last few years.
Whether or not the truck has a bigger bed, additional cabin configurations, and more towing capacity than the currrent model has yet to be revealed. Those things would be beneficial to help the truck compete against its biggest competition.
The biggest variable that has yet to be revealed is the truck’s powertrain and drivetrain. Toyota is big on hybrid technology so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the truck be offered with at least one hybrid engine for buyers to choose from. Expect it to be available in two-wheel drive and possibly come with four- or all-wheel drive as an option. A variety of drive modes are likely.
The current Toyota trucks lineup features totally different interiors than what you’ll find in their smaller cars and SUVs. Expect the interior of the Toyota Tundra to set a precedent for what we might see in a future Sequoia cabin.
The to-be-revealed technology on the Tundra will also give us an idea of what to expect from future Toyota vehicles. With Ford adding BlueCruise and GMC getting GM’s Super Cruise tech in the coming months, Toyota could easily and quickly find themselves behind the eight ball.
It is likely that Toyota will load up the new Tundra with a suite of safety technology just like it does every other model in its lineup. This could include blind spot monitoring, lane-keeping assist, lane-centering assist, and rear cross traffic alert.
Toyota plans to reveal the 2022 Tundra soon. Stay tuned for more information.


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The famous London taxi might be something people around the world forever associate with Britain’s capital city but I’d wager aren’t many who know it’s made in Coventry.
Versions of this truly iconic vehicle have been produced in the city for more than 70 years and it’s a tradition that continues.
But recently the vehicle, made by the London Electric Vehicle Company, underwent what has to be its biggest change to date.
The clue is in the company’s name - reflecting the fact the London taxi has gone electric with the latest TX model.
This represented such a seismic shift that the company changed its name - from the London Taxi Company to LEVC.
Formerly known as LTI and more recently the London Taxi Company, the name change to LEVC represented a switch from internal combustion to electric power.
The company traditionally made diesel taxis, often referred to as Hackney carriages, at a factory in Holyhead Road but a new Ansty Park plant was created specially to produce the first electric vehicles.
It represented a £325million investment from LEVC’s Chinese owners Geely, who also own Swedish car maker Volvo.
In automotive industry terms this all-new EV has been delivered in a remarkably short space of time and represents a vote of confidence in LEVC from Geely.
The new TX is already on the streets of several cities , and not just London but places like Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg and Oslo.
It can also be spotted closer to home in cities like Coventry and Birmingham.
In production since January 2018, the TX is technically a hybrid as it combines battery power with a small petrol generator known as a range extender.
It means the vehicle has a potential range of 377 miles.
LEVC estimates the technology can save UK drivers around £100 a week on average on their fuel bills.
However, as well as benefits for drivers the new TX is all about making a contribution to achieving better air quality in cities.
Its very creation was in part driven by demands from Transport for London to have cleaner and greener taxis on the streets of the capital.
So what’s it like?
I took a spin as a passenger in the back of one and travelled into and around Coventry city centre.
The first thing you notice is that the TX is instantly recognisable as a London taxi.
It might be all new and it even has a fresh, modern look but there’s not mistaking what it is and what it’s been designed for.
It looks smart, snazzy and full of character.
It’s also huge. When you stand next to it there’s no denying its presence - this is a big vehicle.
And it’s big on the inside too - considerably larger than its predecessor.
Step in and you’re in a very open and bright space, helped considerably by the panoramic glass roof.
One of the key differences is that the TX can transport more people - six as opposed to five.
The thinking in its design was that it should be able to take three couples out to dinner in a relative degree of comfort.
The interior looks and feels very plush indeed and there’s also a high degree of connectivity for passengers, with built in WiFi and USB charging points.
A sophisticated suspension set-up makes for a super smooth ride and the most noticeable thing from a passenger point of view is how eerily quiet it is due to the electric motor.
Insulation is also top notch meaning you can hardly hear a thing when you’re on the move.
The familiar see-through screen separates driver from passengers, as it did previously and where a front seat might normally be there’s space for carrying suitcases or whatever.
Given it’s always a fairly big vehicle one of the amazing features of the London taxi was its tight turning circle.
The phrase it could ‘turn on a sixpence’ was often quoted and this is still the case with the latest model.
The TX is also up to the minute in offering disabled access and wheelchair users can get on board via a ramp with space aplenty in the cavernous cabin to accommodate them.
LEVC says it is the company’s most accessible taxi yet.
Have you tried the new groundbreaking CarCloud app? It's changing car ownership forever, offering free reminders for tax, MOT and other car needs as well as a free valuation service. It's simple to use and there's no charge - download here for iOS or here for Google Play.


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Google and Apple have always known to attract some of the brightest and best minds in the business. Lately, this has turned the other way round. Earlier this week, a Federal Judge summoned Apple, Google and five other prime companies to court over allegations of violating the antitrust laws; these big boys conspired poaching employees [...]
The online mega body, Google has issued a statement before the court hearing regarding the alleged controversy of hosting objectionable and obscene content in India. According to Google, it is practically impossible to monitor all data that is submitted by users. As monitoring content on different websites is a tedious task, Google cannot come to [...]
With something new coming around, something old has to die. Not too long ago, it had been reported that Google introduced a few changes to suit their search engine preferences. Thanks to these new settings, the entire aspect of Search Rankings has lost its purpose mainly due to the fact that there will be no [...]
Be it good or bad, the search engine giant, Google, and the social networking king, Facebook, seem to steal the limelight, like always. This time, both of them seem to be in trouble as they face a danger of being charged for criminal conspiracy by the Delhi High Court. Well, this case has been going [...]
Google has been working over an interactive game for their social networking platform, Google +. This game is based upon the outdoor and indoor maps available on Google Maps service.
Google has managed to uphold the ‘Google’ part in “Google+” and things have not been better. Today, Google has launched a few additional features to its search options such as Personal Results, People and Pages, as well as Profiles in Search. These new features mark the beginning of a new era in the Google’s Social [...]
Well, here is something for all you phone lovers. Taiwan news site, DigiTimes, has reported earlier today that Google is expected to launch a new Android tablet to compete with Amazon‘s sensational Kindle Fire(sounds interesting). This tablet is expected to be launched in spring and the price is set to be below $299 as a [...]
Christmas may have passed us. But as a gift from this festive season, Google has acquired more than 200 patents from IBM. These patents cover a wide range of technologies, including server backup, e-commerce, email management, recovery and tuning, instant messaging, database tuning, advertising, online calendaring and mobile Web page display.
Ready for the 2012 elections? Well, if not, Google is here! A true fact it is that the U.S Elections that are to be held on 6th November 2012, can be viewed online. The web giant launched the Google.com/elections page this past Monday, which allows you to browse by issue or candidate. This means that [...]
Well, here’s something great for all you Android users. On Tuesday, Google announced its acquisition of a company called Clever Sense. You ask why? Read further.
Just when you began contemplating over the thought of whether, or not, technology has reached its peak, Google pleasantly crashes your entire thought process with its latest contribution to the world of technology. Well, that’s vintage Google!
The concept of Mobile Internet is growing rapidly in India and it seems that even the search engine giant Google can’t resist a piece of this market.
For many small and medium scale Indian businesses, Google has some good news. The search engine giant will be giving out free websites to these businesses as part of a new campaign.
Just last week, Google gave out news that they were upgrading their E-mail service Gmail. Today, those changes have started to come out.
People who refer to the Google’s News search tool to receive updates on the latest trends might be in for an unpleasant surprise! Sometime back, the Google News search is faced a temporary outage.
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REY is making a project of a new Showroom.
This space will be located in its headquarters and will offer its customers a suggestive tour through the entire range of REY products, in dialogue with the latest trends in fashion and clothing. This showroom is being designed according to the new vision of the future of the company that aims to make the brand play a more active and close role with the main players in the creative scene of the fashion industry, designers, design students, etc. .
Here you will also have an exhibition area in which you can see the latest news of the brand along with a representative sample of products made with KINGS. Next to the exhibition area, a co-work space is being projected as an atelier to be used as a collaborative area in which to promote co-creation and the development of new innovative ideas with our clients.
Also in this space will be located the new center of professional 3D printing of REY that has fast prototyping machinery of the latest technology from Stratasys, which will allow designers to explore the limits of their creativity.
This space is a clear bet of the REY brand to maintain an innovative attitude to address the new challenges of the fashion industry.


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The Balearic Islands will have the best summer in history in 2022 as long as Covid doesn’t rear its ugly head again, according to tourist group forecasts.
That prediction was backed up by the Fitur-Madrid fairs at the end of May and the World Travel Market in London in early November and experts are adamant that the Islands will be the leading holiday destination in the Mediterranean, with more visitors than 2019 and record profitability and employment.
The only thing that could burst that bubble is Covid and what happens with the disease in the next four months will be crucial, because most people usually book their summer holidays between mid-December and the end of March.
Jet2 Tour Group Chairman, Steve Heapy and TUI CEO, Friedrich Joussen also agree that 2022 will be a bumper season and stress that demand for holidays in the Balearic Islands is stil very high in the UK, Germany, France, Central Europe, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Sweden and Ireland. Tourist destinations such as Greece, Turkey and Egypt are also popular.
“Our recommendation to customers is to book their holidays in advance, because demand will grow exponentially next year,” said Heapy. “The only problem we face, in terms of logistics and operations, is what happens with Covid and the restrictions different governments may impose."
“Tourist reservations sales are 50% higher than they were at this time last year, which is an indication that the situation will continue to improve,” said Joussen.
Several Airlines in the UK and Germany, including Jet2, EasyJet, Condor, Lufthansa and Eurowings say they fully expect extra flights to be added to the Balearic schedule next summer, but warned that price increases are also on the cards to offset the rise in fuel costs.
"Price increases will affect all holiday destinations in the Mediterranean equally, so there will be no privileges in this regard," said an airlines spokesperson.
The Balearic Islands are a safe destination with a high percentage of the population vaccinated and that’s the message being hammered home in all emitting markets through campaigns by the Balearic Tourism Strategy Agency, Fundació Mallorca Turisme, and Fundación 365.


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Super femme Kim Kardashian nearly broke the Internet Friday morning with an early and now deleted Instagram post of her Vogue Japan August 2019 cover story. It’s absolutely fabulous, and while the haters are out in full force, we say let them scream in silence.
Kardashian pulls off one enormous feat after another — like she’s eating a bag of Skittles. The woman is absolutely, positively a reincarnated goddess with powers beyond human comprehension.
The August issue of Vogue Japan is dedicated to the rising power of influencers under the theme of The New Reality. The issue is on sale June 26.
Kim Kardashiam is lensed by Luigi & Iango and styled by famous fashion editor Anna Dello Russo. More details to follow.


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In the wake of Rite Aid reportedly dropping support for Apple Pay by closing its NFC-based payment systems comes word of another rumor that claims another major pharmacy chain in the US, CVS, could be doing the exact same thing.
According to MacRumors, CVS sent out an email to its stores informing them of the decision to remove NFC payment support, which would affect both Apple Pay and Google Wallet. There's no word on why the company has made this rather sudden decision. However, competitor Walgreens still supports Apple Pay. Does this affect your decision to shop at certain pharmacy stores?


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By Nancy Dahlberg for the Miami Herald
The HighBoy’s founders are on a mission to modernize an antiquated industry.
The HighBoy is a curated online marketplace for high-end antiques and fine art, and it’s the brainchild of husband-wife team Douglas Scott and Olga Granda-Scott. In just a year since the Coral Gables company launched, The HighBoy has already attracted more than 100 dealers and $25 million of inventory, and traffic is growing at a 35 percent month-over-month rate, the company said.
Olga Granda-Scott grew up in the antiques industry. Her father was an antiques dealer and her mother a historian. Before launching The HighBoy, she worked in her family’s longtime antiques business, Coral Gables-based Alhambra Antiques, as director of sales and communications. In 2001, she and her husband took the reins in doing what few antiques dealers were doing back then — putting their collections online.
Douglas was a consultant for Cap Gemini Ernst & Young and a project manager at Mount Sinai before coming aboard Alhambra Antiques as director of marketing. He helped Alhambra’s online site become one of the top-ranking single-dealer antique websites in the U.S. Together, Douglas and Olga bring deep expertise in the industry, as well as business know-how.
After seeing that online selling was working at Alhambra, Douglas and Olga decided to develop a marketplace for multiple dealers that takes advantage of their expertise in marketing. While HighBoy’s editors won’t completely rewrite marketing copy, they will tweak it and make suggestions. “We’ve had dealers say no one can sell my stuff like I can. Well, we probably can,” said Douglas, The HighBoy’s CEO. “I understand where they are coming from, but we are pretty good at it. We know the merchandise, the time periods, the styles, the craftsmanship.”
The site goes beyond listing merchandise to explaining why each piece is interesting, said Olga, COO. “It is about story-telling and connecting the dots for people — they love history, they love poetry, they love a movie, and it comes together with the decorative arts as part of the whole experience. The experience of living with beautiful things affects your everyday life.” (She personally prefers 19th century French furniture, while Douglas leans toward modernism.)
Not that building a company from the ground up has been easy. “It’s challenging every day,” Douglas said, sitting in the company’s conference room, where the walls are lined with handwritten charts, lists and brainstorming notes. “It’s stress, but it is a good stress. It’s gratifying seeing your dream come to life. We try to stay focused on that, even when we’re having a rough day.”
The dealers acquired so far have been through the founders’ professional network, trade shows, city visits and event sponsorships. Each dealer is fully vetted so that only the most reputable professionals are represented on The HighBoy. The young startup already has seven employees.
There’s a big world out there — a $65 billion market where only 5 percent of those sales were online, but for now The HighBoy is focused on the U.S.
Up next: high growth. The founders raised angel funding to get started but now are seeking to raise $1million to $1.5 million to fund their customer acquisition strategy. Their goal is to attract 1,000 dealers by 2018.
The HighBoy has competition nationally, including 1stdibs in New York, established in 2001. But there is room in the market for multiple players, believes one of The HighBoy’s first customers.
“We were already on 1stdibs, but I think The HighBoy’s platform is equal to 1stdibs in every way,” said Michael Flick of Bonnin Ashley Antiques in Miami. “The HighBoy’s visuals are excellent, the presentation, the resolution of the photography, it pops off the page. The articles — you want to open them up and read them. It’s working for us.”


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If people are tightening their purse strings, these 10 businesses wouldn't know. Their bestsellers have jaw-dropping price tags and plenty of buyers.
Halloween is just around the corner: Prime time for an outbreak. Are you ready? Here's what you'll need to assemble your apocalyptic go-bag.
Pop in some change and catch a soda can. That's so yesterday. Now innovation has produced vending machines that spin cotton candy, "gift" a soda to a friend miles away and make Ramen Noodles in three minutes.
Justin Bieber's new hairstyle (left) meant that dolls made with his trademarked sideswept shag were suddenly outdated. That cost one toy maker a lot of money,
Firing an employee is never easy. But these horror stories teach the following: Always be polite and professional when giving an employee the boot. And if the person getting fired starts to lose it, duck.
A few bargain brands got swept up in Chuck Taylor's net, but others cost a pretty penny.
Railroad beds become parks, power plants become aquariums and slaughterhouses are now art centers as an industrial past turns people-centric.
From working mothers raising their kids in RVs to stay-at-home moms who spend their days organizing events for the Oil Wives club, meet the moms of North Dakota's oil ...
The Ferrari F60 America is a V12 convertible that can go from zero to 60 in just over three seconds.
From super cheap housing to kidnappings, expat retirees share the good and bad of ditching the United States for their retirement years.
If you've got a big budget and you're looking for holiday gifts sure to impress, check out these 'fantasy gifts' from upscale retailer Neiman Marcus.
From King Solomon's Temple to New York's massive water tunnels, infrastructure experts say these are the grandest things ever built in cities.
The city is a leader at mining Big Data and tapping private sector funding. But efforts at improving infrastructure -- particularly flood defenses -- drew the most ...
From technology and infrastructure, to job creation and sustainability, these 10 cities are leading the pack when it comes to creatively solving urban issues.
|Domino's Pizza is hot again|
|Social Security benefits will rise by 1.7% in 2015|
|Warren Buffett's Berkshire loses $2 billion in two days|
|NBC's Dr. Nancy Snyderman to resume work in November|
|She's America's youngest female billionaire - and a dropout|


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Hate ads? Download Brave web browser. Fast, secure, built in ad-blocking.
LG's latest smartphone brings a lot to the table, on the spec sheet and practically - but how does it do in a head-to-head? Find out, in LG G2 vs HTC One!
Global phones are one thing - and carrier-branded variants can be quite another. Join us as we explore the differences in our LG G2 Verizon & AT&T unboxing!
To review a flagship smartphone, you must first unbox it. Join us as we free the LG G2 from its package & embark on one of the hottest reviews of the year!
The LG G2 specs contain impressive figures, and its feature set is useful and innovative. But ultimately, it's a collection of smart stuff in a lame box.
The Moto X is due to debut, the LG G2 is too, and the Lumia 1020 is playing Amazon pinball on the charts. All that and more on today's Pocketnow Weekly!
Find out what we've learned about the LG G2 launch plans, and which countries could see the phone, when.
Find out what's wrong with the most recent rumors about LG G2 color options going around.
Watch the new LG G2 video and take a look at the latest launch event invitation to go out.
Watch today’s Pocketnow Daily as we talk about the AT&T pre-orders for the Nokia Lumia 1020, which we know many of you are expecting. HP is next as all the headlines of their probable Android-based smartphone are sadly not as accurate as the renders we found. The Sony Honami is next as we have more detailed specs of the device. We later talk about the LG G2 and the reasons for those buttons at the back. We end today’s show talking about the iPhone 5S manufacturing, and some probable delays in the process.
All this and more after the break.
Stories: – [...]
Take a look at some new leaked images and find out what to expect for the LG G2 battery capacity.
Get the specs on the new LG full HD smartphone screen, and read which LG smartphone might be the first to use the component.
Much has already leaked about Nokia's Lumia 1020 specs & features- but plenty remains to speculate on. All that & more on today's Pocketnow Weekly podcast!
The Sprint LG G2 shows up in some allegedly leaked images, and there's also a video, plus more details on its specs. Check out the full post!
Find out why we're feeling so confident about the LG G2 launch date.
The G2 rumor train keeps on running as we pour over the latest collection of LG G2 hardware gossip.
The back of every smartphone is essentially wasted space. Read why the LG G2 rear volume rocker is such a great idea, and also why it isn't!
Watch today’s Pocketnow Daily as we talk about the Samsung Galaxy S 4 with LTE-Advanced which was recently announced for the Korean market. We later talk about LG and the recently leaked photos of the Optimus G2. HTC follows with a new 8XT smartphone that borrows some Boom Sound love for Windows Phone, aside from the launch rumors of the HTC One mini. Motorola is next as we have a new logo, new leaks of a phone, and a new series of smartphones that will be called the Droid ULTRA. We end today’s show talking Google’s launch of their Google Edition HTC One and Samsung [...]
Watch today’s Pocketnow Daily as we talk about the Android Nation stores that Google is helping promote in Asia. HTC is next as rumors have the company working on a Windows Phone variant of the HTC One. LG follows with an event scheduled soon and where we expect the Optimus G2 to be announced. The iPhone 5S follows as we finally have the first leaked photo of the device. We end today’s show talking about Sony’s hint of a new smart watch coming in their next event.
All this and more after the break.
Stories: – Google to help expand Android Nation [...]
Read what date we're looking at for the potential LG Optimus G2 launch event.
Take a look at the image that could be an early LG Optimus G2 picture.
Watch today’s Pocketnow Daily as we talk about Windows Phone 8 GDR2 and a a possible release date along with some billboards that show us what the Nokia Lumia 928 is all about. Then we move to HTC as the red HTC One shows itself in the UK, along with the fact that HTC has improved in sales this month when compared to last month. Then we go through the BlackBerry R10 being compared the Q10, just to make your choice for either much easier since the R10 is just ugly. Later we go through the leaks of a mysterious LG phone we assume to be the Optimus G2, and then we talk about the [...]
This phone pictured might very well be the LG Optimus G2 or Nexus 5. Check out the details and speculations about this latest leak!
There’s no denying that LG hit a home run with their Optimus G. We really didn’t see that phone coming, and we were quite pleased with our experience reviewing it. At first we though that the Optimus G Pro was a continuation to LG’s efforts in having additional presence in the Android market, but it seems that they’re not done yet as we’ve now discovered that there is an LG Optimus G2 in the works.
The LG Optimus G2 is now appearing in AnTuTu Benchmarks, which we’re very fond of, but if just one source isn’t credible enough for you, [...]


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Sitecore this morning bought its third company since raising $US1.2 billion earlier this year. The news that it has bought Moosend, a marketing automation and campaign management platform for brands such as Domino’s, Interpublic Group and Sephora, follows on from earlier swoops on Boxever and Four51.
The deal is expected to close by the end of May 2021.
According to Sitecore CEO Steve Tzikakis, “Moosend perfectly complements Sitecore’s industry-leading core offering to create a personalisation powerhouse for modern enterprises.”
Writing on a company blog he said Moosend’s marketing automation and AI-powered customer engagement features will streamline Sitecore’s ability to engage, nurture, and convert customer relationships to deliver personalised experiences across channels.
“The combined offering will make it easier for marketers to deploy and measure campaigns and automate workflows across the entire customer journey – a game-changer for the majority of brands not yet set up for lifecycle marketing, ” he claimed.
There are growing doubts in the marketing world about personalisation technologies, along with the rising concerns over data usage and privacy, and Tzikakis chose to address these head on.
“It’s worth acknowledging that broader trends around privacy – from new regulations globally to Apple’s tightened app settings and internet browsers eliminating third-party cookies – seem to disfavor data-driven personalisation. It’s a paradox of modern times: consumers expect brands to cater to them as unique individuals, providing a consistent experience everywhere and rewarding loyalty in deeper ways; at the same time, they want privacy first – more control over data, less confusion on how it’s used and an end to creepy targeting and algorithmically garbled messaging that only a bot would love.”
He said Sitecore’s view is that enterprise customers should take what he describes as a once-in-a-generation leaps forward in terms of human connection, customer acquisition, and brand loyalty.
“That’s why Sitecore is building the industry’s first fully integrated, end-to-end SaaS-based digital experience platform – to facilitate both the modern art and science of earning customer relationships through experience to make consenting to data-sharing an afterthought.”
This explains Sitecore’s recent buying spree . “Boxever’s customer data platform, which has long been architected for first-party customer acquisition and engagement, makes it seamless for brands to identify people in a cookie-less world; Moosend’s cloud-native, API-first platform helps teams move faster to capitalize on that data in sophisticated ways; and Sitecore ensures a great experience across every touchpoint – from beautiful content to best-in-class commerce via Four51.


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Channel Register got word from the PR department of Barclays UK informing them of the purchase, which is said to be the largest rollout of any tablet in the UK financial sector. Here’s what the PR rep said:
“We investigated a number of different tablet options and in this instance, we concluded that iPads were the best solution for their specific needs. We are now starting to use these across Barclays branches in the UK.”
The bank’s decision to opt for the iPad, besides employee demand, might have been due to an iPad app called Mortgage Brain made to help mortgage brokers in their work. The app is jointly owned by six banks including Barclays Woolwich.
The president of the retailer, from which the 8500 iPads were bought, notes that the iPad is seeing “significant interest” in the enterprise market. Apple has made it a point to highlight the strong growth in the adoption of iPads and iPhones in the enterprise, assuring investors that it doesn’t just cater to the consumer market.
The interest the iPad is seeing in the corporate segment could pose a long term threat to Microsoft’s revenues—a large part of which comes from the company’s enterprise customers. Its newest release, Windows 8, is marketed as a “no compromise” PC + Tablet environment, with hopes of appealing to CIOs of large companies. Most recently, Emirates handed over a 1000 HP Windows 8 tablets to flight crews to them them help passengers better. That number, though impressive, is significantly less than the 8500 iPad units Barclays rolled out.
While Apple still has a long way to unseat Microsoft as the leader in the enterprise PC/tablet market, its head start in the tablet space might just make the task much easier.
Via: The Next Web


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Over 85% of business leaders and decision makers say that reputation is a higher priority than margin when making decisions
The report also found that 91.6% of business leaders and decision makers believe using AI can augment aspects of their work
95.7% of business leaders believe technology solutions can help them make decisions differently and result in better outcomes
June 8th, New York & London — A new report featuring 1,000 c-level executives has found that over 85% of business leaders and decision makers place reputation as a bigger priority than margin when making decisions. The global report featuring 1,000 c-level executives also finds that 91.6% of business leaders believe AI decision augmentation will transform their work.
The in-depth report, which probed business leaders on the future of AI in the workplace and their decision-making processes, also found that U.S. companies missed out on upwards of $4.26 trillion in revenue last year by failing to use technology in their decision making processes.
David Benigson, CEO and co-founder of Signal AI says “This is highly relevant for comms leaders as the findings illustrate that reputation isn’t just a communications issue but is central to business decision making more broadly. This has implications for communications professionals taking a strategic seat at the C-suite, helping to drive and contribute towards corporate strategy.”
The full report, with insight from 1,000 business leaders and decision-makers, also found that:
- 96.1% of business leaders believe they can improve their business decision making process.
- 80.10% leaders feel they have too much data to weigh up when making decisions.
- 62.9% of business leaders spend upwards of 25-50 hours a week exclusively on making decisions.
- 69.2% leaders named data as the biggest influence on their business decisions, above instinct.
Gartner predicts that by 2030, Decision Augmentation will surpass all other types of AI initiatives to account for 44% of the global AI-derived business value.
Recognising the business need, Signal AI is building a decision augmentation solution leveraging its AIQ platform and knowledge graph to power and change the way comms leaders work. AIQ understands a decision maker’s context, monitors the world’s data and extracts knowledge from over 5 million news, blog, broadcast and regulatory documents each day.
Using Signal AI’s technology, comms leaders are able to make reputation based decisions by tracking the real-time relationship of an entity (eg a corporate) to a topic (eg diplomacy). This technology is already being used by decision makers at companies such as Bank of America, Google, World Bank, and Deloitte.
David Benigson, CEO and co-founder of Signal AI adds “Now more than ever those comms leaders who are able to power their commtech and comms strategy with AI, decision augmentation and other technologies that will help gain a significant advantage over their peers, drive crucial trust in their own brand, and ultimately power business performance. But more importantly it will help move the whole industry forward, and it is going to change the way communicators work. We are excited to be building a decision augmentation solution that will be instrumental to this.”
Read the full report here.
Signal AI, the leading global company empowering business leaders across a range of industries to make more informed and confident decisions, surveyed 1,000 c-level executives in an organization size of 500 and above.
About Signal AI
Signal AI is a leading global company providing a decision augmentation solution for Strategic Communications. 40% of the Fortune 500 including Deloitte, Bank of America and Google use the Signal AI decision augmentation solution for real-time market and media intelligence to uncover trends, risks and opportunities and to support critical decision-making. Signal AI’s brain, named AIQ, comes to understand a decision maker’s context, monitors the world’s data and extracts knowledge from over 5 million news, blog, broadcast and regulatory documents each day and can surface the relationships between companies, people, products and topics as well as other concepts. Trained over time, Signal AI helps businesses and the people who work within them make more informed and confident decisions. https://www.signal-ai.com/


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- Apr 12, 2001
Multiple rumors have indicated that Apple is working on a refreshed version of the Apple TV, and today, leaker Jon Prosser said that an updated 4K Apple TV model is "ready to ship."
According to Prosser, the Apple TV 4K will feature an A12X chip and 64 or 128GB storage options. The new Apple TV 4K could "drop any time," but Prosser does not know details on a specific launch date.
Signs of a new Apple TV were spotted in the iOS 13.4 beta in January, and at the time, it was believed it would feature an A12 chip. Prior rumors also suggested the same 64 and 128GB storage sizes mentioned by Prosser.
Beyond the new processor, we're not expecting major changes to the Apple TV. There have been signs of a new Apple TV with an updated remote in leaked iOS 14 code, but it's not clear if the new Apple TV that's rumored to be coming soon will feature remote control updates.
Prosser this week also said that Apple has a new iMac and AirPods ready to ship, but he did not provide additional details on these particular products.
Article Link: Rumor Suggests New Apple TV 4K With A12X Chip is 'Ready to Ship'


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Two-thirds of the Italian manufacturers of sporting goods have invested in their digital transformation or are doing that now to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic. Only 16 percent of them have not done it or have no plans to do it, generally because they cannot find the right skilled people to do the job in a country where about one million “digital talents” are missing.
These data emerged from a virtual conference organized a few weeks ago by Assosport, the Italian sporting goods industry association, on the occasion of Anna Ferrino’s election as its new president. Some of the data came from a survey to which 80 of its 120 members responded. Most of the respondents were relatively small firms, with an annual turnover of between €2 million and €50 million.
The survey also indicated that 53 percent of the producers have suffered a sales decline of up to 20 percent through September, but 17 percent of them reported flat or higher sales. A recovery was expected in the first half of 2021 by 23 of companies, with 4 percent of them predicting that it will be significant.
Investments in e-commerce and digital marketing have been the priority in the industry’s digitalization process. They have represented in general between one and five percent of sales, with some companies investing more than 20 percent of the turnover. The coronavirus epidemic has also lately driven investments in artificial intelligence and blockchain to help integrate the online and offline experience of the customers and to make them more loyal.
The majority of the respondents felt that they had to develop new business models, most of the efforts made so far having been concentrate more on sales and marketing than on logistics and the integration of the supply chain, and making use of the data collected by monitoring the consumers’ preferences.
Insisting that the companies should prioritize investments in human resources, Davide Dattoli, the young co-founder and chief executive of an international recruitment agency, Talent Gardens, said that the digital transformation process must be “human-centered,” and that all the members of the staff should be involved in it.
He said that companies must innovate because consumer behavior is changing rapidly. All of them must redefine themselves in the next five years, he said, because the speed of change is now 100 times faster than ten years ago.
Dattoli pointed out that new start-ups are being born more rapidly than before, although more investments are being made in the U.S. than in Europe. Regarding the sporting goods sector, he mentioned the example of Gymshark, which we have already reported about, and another English invention, Carv. It’s digital ski coach that responds to a sensor embedded in the ski boot. It uses artificial intelligence to monitor the skier’s performance and makes audio suggestions for its improvement. Developed about five years ago, the Carv app has been adopted by more than 10,000 skiers around the world.
Photo by Federico Beccari via Unsplash


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Microsoft has released a new study, which emphasizes the positive impact of product repairs on the environment. It goes on to focus on the better repairability methods the company will adopt in the future and there’s a possibility that it might come up with a self-repair program, much like Apple, Samsung, and even Google. Here are the findings.
Microsoft Deems Product Repairs Good for the Environment!
The study, in collaboration with the UK-based consulting firm Oakdene Hollins, suggests how repairing (both factory and ASP repairs) a device has a better impact on the environment with the reduction of waste and greenhouse gas (GHS) emissions.
The report takes the Surface Pro 6/ 8 and Surface Book 3/ Surface Laptop Studio into consideration to showcase the changing design of Microsoft products for easy repairs. And hence, it was concluded that “expanded repair services, enabled by product and process design changes and available FRUs, have the potential to significantly reduce waste and GHG emissions by enabling device repair in lieu of device replacement.“
It is highlighted that this can reduce an average waste by a whopping 92% and average GHS emissions by 89%. Transportation logistics also played a role in GHS and waste emissions. Driving a broken product to a repair facility increased the emission of greenhouse gases, while mail-in services had a much better impact on the environment.
The report recommends “making more FRUs available to ASP providers and by creating Surface regional centers for Factory Repair similar to those currently in place for Xbox consoles.”
While this study focuses more on how the repairability process can be improved for a sustainable environment, it indirectly hints at a self-repair program since repairing is now proven to be a better option. However, we still don’t if Microsoft aims to follow the likes of Apple, Samsung, and Google. In a statement, Microsoft suggested that it has “been taking steps for years to improve device reparability and to expand the available choices for device repair.“
That said, it remains to be seen when will this happen. We will keep you posted, so stay tuned, and do let us know your thoughts on this in the comments below.


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SuperData’s July 2017 revenue report isn’t going to surprise anyone, I suspect, but it’s worth a look. On the PC side, there are no new entries since last month, and though League of Legends still tops the list in terms of global revenue, the rankings have been reshuffled, with World of Warcraft moving up to 5th, Dungeon Fighter Online displacing Crossfire, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds holding steady in the middle of the pack, and Dota 2 slipping down several places. (Expect Dota to resurge next report.)
On mobile, Pokemon Go has returned to the list for the first time in several months, landing at #7. Lineage M debuts at #3 for mobile, but Honor of Kings and Fantasy Westward Journey retain their top spots.
The analysis firm throws nods to Grand Theft Auto V, still riding in the front car of the console train. “Grand Theft Auto V stands strong for another month,” SuperData says. “Through its microtransactions model, GTA Online grew significantly year-over-year for the month of July across console and PC. It did not outperform its record-breaking numbers in June.”
I can’t quite believe that we are already on the penultimate chapter of Guild Wars 2‘s third Living World season, but if I were under any illusion that the story is rolling quickly toward its climax, then it was shattered upon watching the fabulous trailer for this story instalment. The fifth episode of Living World Season 3 is available to experience for yourselves right now and I know so many of you will be thrilled with its shocking reveals and fast-building action. The episode in question, dubbed Flashpoint, takes us into the thick of the action in yet another lore-rich zone that’s bursting with intrigue. Logging on any time from now until the release of the final episode of Season 3 will bank Flashpoint in your story journal for later play, so don’t forget to relog if you aren’t actively playing right now.
I was invited to another super-quick playthrough with the developers on the stage client in preparation for today’s launch so that I could throw out some quick first impressions to coincide with release day for this week’s Flameseeker Chronicles. I had a 30-minute guided session with the devs followed by free rein over the last weekend, but large chunks of what I experienced is information I’m not allowed to divulge just yet. I played through a little over a chapter during my playtesting and my jaw was on the floor for most of that time, so I do urge you to check out the content for yourself if you’re at all invested in the lore. Although my coverage will be as spoiler-free as possible, proceed with caution until you have played through for yourselves if you’re worried.
Happy SuperData day! That’s the monthly holiday when we pore over the market analysis report, freak out over something doing well, freak over something doing poorly, and then fight over definitions, the evils of trusting paywalled science, and why more MMOs aren’t on the current list. This round, there’s lots to bicker over — but also some bits to celebrate in the February 2017 charts of top-grossing game titles.
On PC, while League of Legends, Crossfire, and Dungeon Fighter Online continue their top-three dominance, the rest of the roster has seen a bit of a shake-up, as Overwatch has fallen from #4 to #6 and World of Tanks has pushed past it as well as World of Warcraft. WoW’s status is a tad confusing; last month, SuperData began reporting Western and Eastern WoW separately, even though it does not appear to be doing that for any other game. This month, it’s omitted the West/East tags but still has two entries for WoW, so we’re left to assume to top one is still West as it was last month.
On console, ARK: Survival Evolved has fallen from its #4 spot to #6. As always, we point out that ARK: Survival Evolved has yet to formally launch, and it’s absurd that it’s on this list at all, but fools and their money and all that.
What the heck is Crossfire? It’s a game that makes quite a bit of money, according to SuperData; we’re talking in the “massive numbers at the top of the list” category here. And yet it hasn’t really gained much traction in the west for whatever reason, as evidenced by the fact that this piece could open off with “what the heck is Crossfire” and most of our readers were probably nodding. So the fact that Smilegate is opening a European branch to help push the brand should say something.
Smilegate Europe’s biggest push will be getting Crossfire accepted as an eSports venue, although it’s probably facing an uphill battle against existing Western favorites such as Overwatch. Still, more games is a good thing, isn’t it? Time will tell if this push finally breaks open the western market for the title or ultimately fails to make a dent.
The analysts at SuperData have released to the public part of a report on December 2016’s gaming industry today, calling December a “weak month for retail software sales in the United States” following its “worst December in two decades,” though console revenue was booming with a “record sales quarter.”
Over on the PC side, the top-grossing games list hasn’t changed much since November. League of Legends, Crossfire, Dungeon Fighter Online, and World of Warcraft still sit in the top four slots; while the bottom has reshuffled, with CS:GO and Overwatch bumping up a bit, it’s still the same ol’ games.
On the mobile list, however, Pokemon Go has fallen from the top slot to #4 (it’s cold out there!). Collectible card games are continuing to make piles of money off us, too.
Superdata’s digital games market report for August 2016 landed in our inbox today. Those of you who’ve been consistently frustrated and confused over the way Superdata bins games might be happy to know that the research firm is now reporting just three categories, but unfortunately, that means most core MMORPGs will be kept off the list entirely and the data are far less interesting to us (and more likely to be more or less static from month to month).
League of Legends, World of Warcraft, and Crossfire continue to dominate in terms of global revenue on the PC side, while Overwatch shows up in the top 10 for both PC and console. No one will be surprised by Pokemon Go’s place at the top of the mobile category. The researchers claim that Overwatch and World of Warcraft “show shifting Chinese spending habits” and note that Chinese players are now paying for WoW subs in monthly chunks.
“NetEase also recently changed their payment policy for World of Warcraft with the rollout of the title’s new Legion expansion. Rather than let Chinese gamers pay by the hour in tiny increments, players are now required to pay upfront for full monthly subscriptions. Despite this, the expansion was very well received in China with NetEase-processed revenue up to $37 million in August compared to $8 million in July. The success of both [WoW and Overwatch] goes against the assumption that Chinese gamers will never warm up to paying for games upfront, and provides evidence that it is possible to convince Chinese consumers to purchase high quality full-priced games. Whether this will fundamentally change the market remains to be seen, as local gaming behemoth and NetEase rival Tencent is still sticking to free-to-play.”
Superdata’s latest report on the worldwide digital games market is out, and Overwatch owned the month of June on PC, to no one’s surprise, with GTA Online “dominating” (their word) by showing up on both the top 5 PC and console lists.
The pay-to-play MMO revenue list has held steady through May and June. World of Warcraft
still holds the top spot, but the addition of Fantasy Westward Journey II
at #2 back in May
, and TERA
one place apiece and booted Blade & Soul
from the top five altogether, and there they still sit. The free-to-play revenue list has been immutable this summer, with League of Legends
, Dungeon Fighter Online
, World of Tanks
, and Dota 2
maintaining their positions.
The research firm highlights Evolve’s free-to-play re-launch and says it expects more shooters — like Battleborn — to change up their business models accordingly. It also argues that CS:GO may actually benefit from the crackdown on third-party gambling sites and that the mobile market is being hamstrung by severe new regulations in China. “We expect stagnant mobile revenues until Chinese publishers and developers figure out exactly how the new laws will be implemented,” the firm writes.
Superdata has released a summary of its research on the worldwide digital games market for February 2016, claiming that the digital games market sales have increased by 10% year-over-year. League of Legends, Crossfire, Dungeon Fighter Online, World of Tanks, and Dota 2 lead the pack for “F2P MMO Games” by revenue, while the top-grossing sub MMOs by revenue are World of Warcraft, Lineage, TERA, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and Blade & Soul. Yes, we are likewise puzzled over the classifications.
The firm predicts more sales of western companies to China, headlined by the impending sale of British-owned Jagex to a mining company overseas:
Let’s just get this out of the way: Superdata is a research firm that sells its data analysis. It doesn’t disclose its methodology or sources if you don’t pony up for them. However, what it does make public is worth mulling over, and this week the company released top 10 lists for console games, PC games, and mobile games by gross revenue. If you’ve been paying any attention at all, the numbers won’t surprise you: The firm has named League of Legends the world’s “top-grossing digital game“:
“Riot’s League of Legends shows no signs of slowing down as December proved to be the game’s highest-earning month in its history. Close followers were Clash of Clans ($1.3B), CrossFire ($1.1B) and Dungeon Fighter Online ($1.05B) rounding out last year’s titles that earned over a billion dollars. Despite not being a household names in the west, games like CrossFire and Dungeon Fighter Online perform well thanks to the strength and momentum in markets like South Korea and China.”
The PC revenue chart is entirely online games, a number of them true MMOs, for that matter, including Dungeon Fighter Online, World of Warcraft, World of Tanks, Lineage, and Maplestory.
This week’s Massively Overthinking question comes to us from Kickstarter donor Taemys, who just so happens to be a guildie of mine. He’s clever, and so is his concern:
“Are all the smaller, ’boutique’ MMO’s the future? To put it another way, do you think we’ll see anything as big as World of Warcraft or EverQuest again?”
I put his questions to the Massively OP writers, who as usual were happy to overthink them!
When gamers are caught in the crossfire of international politics, bad things can happen.
Due to US sanctions against Russia, World of Warcraft and Diablo III service to the Crimea region was suspended yesterday. Blizzard said that it did not have a choice in the matter: “In accordance with current trade regulations relating to the region of Crimea, we are legally required to suspend access to your Battle.net account. All current subscriptions will be canceled.”
Blizzard is the latest company that has had to rescind business with the region due to sanctions, following others such as Apple and Amazon. Economic sanctions against the peninsula were levied by President Obama in December 2014.
[Source: The Moscow Times
Last year was a very good year indeed for Nexon
, which made $393M in revenue in 2014. However, Smilegate
clambered up to second place with an impressive $275.8M during the same period, largely thanks to the success of the online shooter CrossFire
MMO Culture has a chart on the top 10 publishers in Asia for last year. Third place went to NCsoft, followed by Netmarble and Com2uS. We’ll be keeping a particular close eye on Smilegate, as the company is in charge of handling the gorgeous-looking OARPG Lost Ark.
[Source: MMO Culture
. Thanks to Paul for the tip!]


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Genesco exploring sale of a key division
Genesco Inc. wants to focus its resources on its footwear business.
The company announced it is exploring the sale of its Lids Sports Group division. Lids operates the Lids headwear stores, Locker Room by Lids and other team sports fan shops and single team clubhouse stores
The company said its board has concluded through a strategic review process that it is in the best interest of the company and its shareholders to focus on its footwear businesses, which it believes “is the optimal platform to deliver enhanced shareholder value over the long term.”
The board has established a special committee, of four independent directors, to oversee the Lids Sports Group sale process. It has retained PJ Solomon to advise the special committee and the board in this matter.
“The Lids Sports Group has been an important part of Genesco, and we still see significant potential for the business,” said James W. Bradford, the company’s lead independent director and chairman of the special committee. “We believe, however, that it is in the best long-term interests of the company and its shareholders to focus on building upon our core footwear platform, in which the businesses share common strategic characteristics and where we believe we can generate greater operating efficiencies and synergies.”
Bradford went on to say that the company believes Lids Sports Group is undervalued as part of Genesco and that its sale “would generate capital that the company can deploy productively to further enhance shareholder value.”
In its release, Genesco said there is no assurance that the process to explore the sale of the Lids Sports Group business will result in any transaction or the adoption of any other strategic alternative.
Genesco Inc., a Nashville-based specialty retailer, sells footwear, headwear, sports apparel and accessories in more than 2,725 retail stores and leased departments throughout the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Irelandand Germany, principally under the names Journeys, Journeys Kidz, Shi by Journeys, Schuh, Schuh Kids, Little Burgundy, Lids, Locker Room by Lids, Lids Clubhouse, Johnston & Murphy, and on Internet websites.
Under Armour Q4 tops estimates amid global growth; North American sales fall
Under Armour released fourth quarter results that show it still has a ways to go in reviving its business here at home.
The athletic goods giant reported a net loss of $87.9 million, or 20 cents a share, in the quarter ended Dec. 31, compared with net income of $103 million, or 23 cents per share, in the year-ago period. The results included a one-time charge of $39 million due to the new U.S. tax law and restructuring charges. Excluding one-time items, the company met Street estimates that it would break even for the quarter.
Total revenue rose 5% to $1.37 billion, better than the $1.31 billion analysts were expecting. Direct-to-consumer revenue was up 11% to $575 million.
Sales in international markets surged 47% and represented 23% of total sales. Sales in North America, however, continued to decline and were down 4%.
For the full year, sales increased 3% to $5 billion. North America revenue fell 5%.
Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, commented that while Under Armour’s overseas growth is to be applauded, the brand is reliant on its North American operation to drive performance on both the top and bottom lines. As to why Under Armour is lagging domestically, Saunders cited several factors, including that its expansion into retailers like Kohl’s has weakened exclusivity and made the brand feel commoditized and ubiquitous.
“Consumers are unsure of what it (Under Armour) stands for, what it specializes in, and why they should use it,” Saunders said. “For many, it has become something of an also-ran.” (For more, click here.)
Under Armour has been working to transform its business amid fierce competition by such rivals as Nike and Adidas and online players. The company said on Tuesday it would expand its restructuring efforts, including closing facilities and terminating leases, resulting in a pre-tax charge between $110 million and $130 million this year.
“2017 was a catalyst for us to begin strategically transforming Under Armour into an operationally excellent company,” stated CEO Kevin Plank. “Our fourth quarter and full year results demonstrate that the tough decisions we’re making are generating the stability necessary to create a more consistent and predictable path to deliver long-term value to our shareholders.”
Analysis: Under Armour has lost its way in U.S.; needs to rethink strategy
Although Under Armour’s results are better than the last quarter, they still show signs of a company in difficulty. This is most evident in terms of disparities in regional revenue growth and the losses posted to the bottom line.
There is some comfort to be taken in the 4.6% revenue growth, which represents a marked improvement on last quarter’s 4.5% decline. However, this headline figure is driven entirely by international operations, where sales rose by 46.5%.
While overseas growth is to be applauded, it carries investment costs and also accounts for just 25% of group revenue. As such, Under Armour is reliant on its North American operation to drive performance on both the top and bottom lines. Unfortunately, the North American division had a lamentable quarter and is the main source of Under Armour’s woes.
North American revenue fell by 4.5% over the prior year. Admittedly this is better than the 12.1% dip posted last quarter, but it also coincided with a period of robust consumer spending growth. As such, we believe there has been little improvement in Under Armour’s relative underperformance. On top of this, the region made an operating loss of almost $44 million; something that compares unfavorably to the $157 million profit posted in the prior year.
So what went wrong in North America? There are a few specific things we would highlight.
The first of these is the brand seems to have lost power. Compared to last year, Under Armour was firmly off the radar for holiday gifting. Far fewer people thought of or requested the brand for gifts, and consequently fewer people bought into it. In our view, Under Armour has spent too much time trying to expand its footprint and product coverage, and too little time building connections with customers.
We would also call Under Armour out on customer experience. Customer service at some of its own stores leaves a lot to be desired. Meanwhile, expansion into retailers like Kohl’s has weakened exclusivity and made the brand feel commoditized and ubiquitous.
These actions show in our consumer data, which reveals Under Armour has lost its way. Consumers are unsure of what it stands for, what it specializes in, and why they should use it. For many, it has become something of an also-ran. These shallow roots are dangerous: they leave Under Armour vulnerable to competition and the vagaries of changing market conditions.
A brand like Lululemon is an interesting counterpoint to Under Armour. It has a very clear sense of identity, and its approach is more disciplined and focused. This has helped it to maintain price integrity and remain a destination of choice for many consumers. While we do not believe that Under Armour should simply emulate Lulu, we do think it can learn some lessons from its playbook.
Looking ahead, it is clear that 2018 will not be a year when growth resumes. Indeed, the company has penciled in a further full-year revenue decline in North America. Operating profit will also be weak thanks to restructuring and impairment costs.
For all of this, Under Armour still has potential; but it needs to use the year ahead to regroup and rethink its strategy. The company that once believed it could challenge Nike has come down to earth with a bump. Humble reflection is now the order of the day.


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Target is apologizing to offended customers after shoppers began slamming the retailer for offering “Baby Daddy” greeting cards ahead of Father’s Day, and after one Twitter user calling them “an insult to black fathers and a slap in the face to the African-American community as a whole.”
“We want all guests to feel welcomed and respected when they shop at Target,” Joshua Thomas, a spokesperson for Target, shared in a statement to Fox News. “We were made aware of some concerns about this card last week and are working with our vendor to have it removed from Target stores.
Target’s “Baby Daddy” cards first gained attention as early as May 31, when a shopper named Takeisha Saunders shared an image of the card to Facebook, claiming it was the only card the superstore offered featuring a black couple.
“You CANNOT be serious Target!!!! Really!!!?!!!!? This was the only Father’s Day card that featured a black couple!!!!!!” wrote Saunders, who confirmed to Fox News she found the card at a Target location in Rockwall, Texas.
A commenter on Saunders’ post later pointed out that the inside of the card did in fact use the words “husband” and “father,” as well as a greeting reading “Happy Father’s Day,” but Saunders said it doesn’t excuse the “Baby Daddy” text on the front.
“Ran it past the hubs and he would have been upset simply because of what the term generally means in our culture,” Saunders wrote. “It’s not sweet or nice. It’s a term used to describe a deadbeat or absent parent.
“Yeah it’s sweet on the inside but whomever created this card doesn’t know what it means,” she added of the card, which she said was produced by the American Greetings Corporation, and therefore not an exclusive item to Target.


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ExpoIndustria 2011 kicks off
Promoting trade and commerce opportunities for small and big businesses is the main objective of Costa Rica’s biggest industrial trade fair, ExpoIndustria 2011, which is going on through April 9 at Hotel Herradura Convention Center, northwest of San José.
The three-day fair brings together some of the most important manufacturing and industrial sectors in the region. It also helps link businesses with export opportunities via multiple trade agreements that Costa Rica and Central America have with other countries.
Businesses from 10 different countries are participating in this year’s fair. For more, see www.expoindustria.co.cr (Spanish only).
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The pandemic has brought on a new bike boom in Australia, with cycling stores struggling to keep up with demand and replacement parts in short supply as more riders join the peloton.
Cycling as a leisure pursuit or as an alternative to cars or public transport has always been popular in Australia, but the pandemic has spurred a new wave of enthusiasm for the sport.
At one of Australia’s largest bike sellers 99Bikes, sales across the country for the 2021 financial year were up 43 per cent on 2020 and up 75 per cent in Victoria alone due to the state’s more frequent lockdowns. Manager at the company’s South Melbourne store, Ben McCarthy, said sales had been “wild” all throughout the pandemic.
“It’s been very wild. The demand for bikes is far exceeding supply at the moment,” he told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. “It is going through stages of getting a bit better and then a bit worse, so that’s one of the challenges we’re encountering at the moment.”
Demand has been driven by housebound Australians looking for an exercise alternative throughout COVID lockdowns, Mr McCarthy says, along with seeking an alternative to public transport.
Recent lockdowns haven’t deterred shoppers either. Andrew Garnsworthy, 99Bike’s general manager, said sales had been spiking even when shops close their doors, with customers shifting their purchases online.
“People have still wanted to be able to exercise and cycling or riding a bike provides a great form of socially distanced exercise. And for those who have wanted to avoid public transport, riding a bike provides a good alternative,” he said.
Amongst the influx of new bike owners, most are buying for leisure or to get to work, he says, with very few Cadel Evans wannabes in the pack. In fact, the Tour de France doesn’t typically drive many sales at all for the national bike retailer.
The COVID-19 pandemic has seen sales explode for numerous products since Australia’s first lockdowns in March, including a run on jigsaw puzzles, a shortage of dumbbells and a boom in homewares as shoppers redirect spending that would have otherwise gone to overseas holidays.
Data from online marketplace eBay shows bike sales doubled in both April and May last year and continued to periodically spike later in the year as the weather warmed and Melbourne exited its 12-week-long lockdown.
Yaniv Shahar, who works at Sydney-based cycling shop Happy Wheels, has seen a similar situation. He estimates sales at the store have nearly tripled since the onset of COVID-19, with shoppers keen to buy whatever bikes they can get their hands on.
“We’ve just been bombarded with tons of people coming into the shop and just getting whatever they can,” he said.
While this is reflective of the heightened demand, Mr Shahar notes sales are also starting to be affected by a growing shortage for bikes and bike parts due to global supply chain issues and international factories not being able to keep up with demand.
“We’ve been having to strip and rebuild bikes because we’re out of stock in so many parts, and some of them we’re not going to be able to get until next year,” he said.
“It’s gone from zero to 100, and the bike industry just wasn’t ready for that.”
Mr Garnsworthy said 99Bikes was well stocked for entry-level bikes for everyday families and commuters, however, the company was struggling with supply for higher-end products.
“For higher-end bikes, we are definitely seeing stock shortages as the demand globally for bikes has grown, which has put pressure on suppliers to make enough bike parts, and factories are also struggling to keep up with the global bike boom,” he said.
Over the long term, Mr Shahar believes not all COVID cyclists will stick with their newfound hobby. The salesman expects around 20 per cent of new buyers will eventually ditch their bikes for other forms of exercise, such as gym workouts.
The Market Recap newsletter is a wrap of the day’s trading. Get it each weekday afternoon


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Based on new CBRE Research released this week entitled, The Tech Evolution is Ushering in Shared Logistics, the increasing use of automation is real and impacting Japan's logistics sector in a significant way.
CBRE reports the following highlights for Japan's logistics market in 2018:
Companies that operate logistics centers in Japan are facing hiring difficulties and rising wages. The further expansion of e-commerce, which has driven demand for logistics facilities, could further exacerbate employment issues.
As a means of addressing the labor shortage, there is increasing use of technology in logistics centers, especially those that are centered around automation. Artificial intelligence-equipped logistics robots are capable of performing tasks currently handled by humans and can accumulate experiences as data.
The introduction of logistics robots is likely to spur the growth of shared logistics facilities, a logistics version of shared offices. Shared logistics facilities involve shipping companies sharing facilities and paying fees according to the volume of goods processed and the period of use. This minimizes initial costs for goods owners while also enabling systems and distribution networking firms that are not necessarily specialists in logistics, in addition to existing 3PL (third-party logistics) firms.
In 2018-2019, a new supply of large multi-tenant (LMT) properties equivalent to 40% of existing stock is scheduled to be built in the Greater Tokyo area. With this, there are concerns about a supply-demand balance. CBRE Research believes that offering shared logistics services would enable landlords to enhance the competitiveness of their facilities and therefore attract tenants.
Global commercial property consultant CBRE is reporting this week that grade A vacancy rates haven fallen below one percent in Tokyo, while the cities of Osaka's grade A office rents are now at record high and Nagoya's office market vacancy rates are at a record low.
According to global property consult JLL, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo are the preferred locations for data centre investment in Asia Pacific, thanks to the robust infrastructure, connectivity and relative ease of doing business.
Japan can expect to see robust investment by Asia Pacific-focused closed-end real estate funds over the next three years. CBRE also predicts the following capital deployment trends across Asia Pacific by private equity real estate funds through 2020.
According to a new report by JLL titled "Bridging the Housing Gap", millennials in Asia are now sharing more than work spaces and transport. They have turned to living together in a new form of shared housing where residents have common interests and lifestyles.
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Apple is trading up 1.79% this morning on strength of its iPhone 11announcements September 11. I’ve gathered together most available analyst and industry comment in reaction to Apple’s news.
How are iPhone users reacting?
Analysts don’t know everything and it’s worth noting that interest in the new devices drove a 189% increase in trade-in valuations from iPhone users seeking to upgrade, according to data from BankMyCell.
They warn that Apple’s decision to reduce the cost of iPhone XR and iPhone 8 is also having an impact, predicting a 24.7% fall in resale value of the XR and 26.6% decline in iPhone 8 resale value across the next 12-weeks as resale activity climbs.