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Before U.S. markets opened on Thursday, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that U.S. gross domestic product rose by 4.9% in the third quarter. In its first advance estimate for the quarter, the BEA also reported underlying inflation slowed to 3.5%. Economists were looking for quarterly growth of 4.0% to 4.5%, with the chained deflator dropping by 2.7%.
Tomorrow brings the BEA’s personal consumption and spending report. The consensus forecasts call for income growth of 0.4%, spending growth of 0.5% and core PCE inflation of 0.3%.
Wednesday Afternoon Earnings Reports
After U.S. markets closed, Meta Platforms crushed the consensus estimate for earnings per share (EPS), nearly tripling the total from the third quarter of last year. Revenue rose 23.2% year over year. Comments about hiring more people but at a slower rate, and a forecast for capital spending of $27 billion to $29 billion this year, have spooked investors. Note that Meta’s capital spending tops Exxon’s 2023 capex guidance of $23 billion to $25 billion. Meta’s stock traded down 4.9% shortly after Thursday’s opening bell.
IBM beat analysts’ consensus estimates on both the top and bottom lines. Revenue was up 4.6% year over year. Big Blue also affirmed prior guidance, including an expectation for a pretax margin improvement of 0.5%. Shares traded up 4.1%.
Baker Hughes beat consensus EPS and revenue estimates and topped year-ago revenue by nearly 24%. The oilfield services company said it expects global liquefied natural gas supply to remain tight. That translates into more drilling, a plus for the company. The stock traded up 2.2%.
Thursday Morning Earnings Reports
Before markets opened, Comcast reported EPS and revenue higher than consensus estimates. The bad news was a drop of 18,000 broadband subscribers, compared with expectations for a gain of 3,600. Growth in the company’s wireless business was also below expectations. The stock traded down 6.3%.
Merck posted solid beats on both the top and bottom lines. Sales of its Keytruda cancer drug rose 17% year over year, and its COVID-19 treatment, Lagevrio, jumped 47%. The former generated revenue of $6.3 billion; the latter, $640 million. Margin matters. Shares traded up 2.2%.
UPS beat the consensus EPS estimate but missed on revenue, reporting a year-over-year decline of 12.8%. The delivery company also issued downside revenue guidance. Shares traded down 3.2% in the early going Thursday.
Valero Energy reported better-than-expected EPS and missed the revenue estimate by less than 1%. The stock traded down by about 2.7%.
On Thursday afternoon, Amazon, Ford, Intel and U.S. Steel are expected to release third-quarter earnings results after markets close. Then AbbVie, Chevron and Exxon Mobil share their results first thing Friday morning. No earnings reports are scheduled for Friday afternoon.
Here is a look at what analysts expect to hear when these three companies report results before markets open on Monday.
Shares of McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) have added less than 1% to their price over the past 12 months, including a drop of nearly 12% for the past three months. That decline matches the three-month decline for the hotel, restaurant and leisure sector as a whole. However, the sector is up nearly 15% for the past year, thanks in large part to consumers satisfying their pent-up demand for travel. A Big Mac is just not the same. (These are the 25 biggest restaurant chains in America.)
Of 37 brokerages covering the Dow giant, 29 have a Buy or Strong Buy rating, while the rest rate it at Hold. At a share price of around $258.00, the upside potential based on a median price target of $312.00 is 20.9%. At the high price target of $383.00, the upside potential is about 48.4%.
Third-quarter revenue is forecast at $6.55 billion, which would be up 0.8% sequentially and 11.6% higher year over year. Adjusted EPS are pegged at $2.99, down 5.7% sequentially but up 11.6% year over year. For the 2023 fiscal year, consensus estimates call for EPS of $11.57, up 14.6%, on revenue of $25.38 billion, up 9.5%.
McDonald’s stock trades at 22.3 times expected 2023 EPS, 20.9 times estimated 2023 earnings of $12.36 and 19.2 times estimated 2025 earnings of $13.41 per share. The 52-week trading range is $245.73 to $299.35. McDonald’s pays an annual dividend of $6.68 (yield of 2.59%). Total shareholder return over the past 12 months was 3.51%.
China-based solar panel maker JinkoSolar Holding Co. Ltd. (NYSE: JKS) has suffered a share price decline of more than 38% over the past 12 months. For the past six months, shares were down more than 42%. Gross profit is up 80% over the past four quarters and rose by nearly 85% year over year in the second quarter. But free cash flow is negative and surpasses operating cash flow, a sign that all is not well with a company’s finances. In this case, a change to Chinese government subsidy policies has made matters worse.
Of eight analysts covering the stock, six have a Buy or Strong Buy rating, and one more rates it at Hold. At a share price of around $26.00, the upside potential based on a median price target of $52.50 is nearly 100%. The upside potential based on the high price target of $77.00 is 196.2%.
Third-quarter revenue is forecast at $4.19 billion, down 1.1% sequentially but up 52.9% year over year. Adjusted EPS are forecast at $0.92, down 73.9% sequentially and 31.4% higher year over year. For the 2023 fiscal year, analysts are looking for EPS of $9.54, up 129.4%, on sales of $15.9 billion, up nearly 31.3%.
The stock trades at 2.8 times expected 2023 EPS, 2.8 times estimated 2024 earnings of $9.32 and 2.2 times estimated 2025 earnings of $11.63 per share. The 52-week trading range is $25.87 to $61.27. JinkoSolar does not pay a dividend. Total shareholder return for the past year was negative 38.42%.
Chipmaker ON Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: ON) (onsemi, as it wants to be called) posted an all-time high share price after reporting second-quarter results in late July. Since then, stock prices have dropped by 27%. The company’s sensor and power chips are sold into the electric vehicle (EV) sector, itself struggling right now, and the overall market for semiconductors has been weak since July. Price targets and EPS and revenue estimates have dropped slightly, so a miss on profits or revenues could seriously hurt the stock.
Of the 30 analysts covering the stock, 19 have a Buy or Strong Buy rating. The others rate it at Hold. At a price of around $81.00 a share, the implied upside based on a median price target of $120.00 is 48.1%. At the high price target of $135.00, the implied gain is 66.7%.
Third-quarter revenue is forecast at $2.15 billion, up 2.6% sequentially but down 1.8% year over year. Adjusted EPS are forecast at $1.34, up 1% sequentially and 7.6% lower year over year. For the 2023 fiscal year, analysts have estimated EPS of $5.24, down 1.7%, on sales of $8.38 billion, up 0.7%.
The stock trades at 15.5 times expected 2023 EPS, 14.3 times estimated 2024 earnings of $5.68 and 12.4 times estimated 2025 earnings of $6.53 per share. The 52-week trading range is $58.43 to $111.35. The chipmaker does not pay a dividend, and total shareholder return over the past year was 21.86%.
Decentralized financial services firm SoFi Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: SOFI) has posted a share price increase of 25% over the past 12 months, including a year-to-date jump of almost 54%. The resumption of student loan repayments should give SoFi a boost. More important, though, is how the company adapted to the repayments pause by making shrewd acquisitions that extended SoFi’s reach into a number of new markets.
Of 18 analysts covering the stock, only six have a Buy or Strong Buy rating, and nine more have Hold ratings. At a share price of around $7.00, the upside potential based on a median 12-month price target of $10.00 is 30%. At the high target of $16.00, the upside potential is about 129%.
Analysts expect the company to report first-quarter revenue of $515.56 million. That would be up 5.5% sequentially and by 23.0% year over year. SoFi is expected to post a loss per share of $0.09, worse than the prior quarter’s loss of $0.06 and a penny worse than the year-ago quarter’s loss. For the 2023 fiscal year, analysts expect an adjusted loss of $0.23 per share, compared with a loss per share of $0.33 last year. Revenue for the year is pegged at $2.03 billion, up 31.5%.
SoFi is not expected to post a profit in 2023 or 2024. Based on estimated 2025 EPS of $0.29, the stock trades at a multiple of 24.1 times the 2025 estimate. The 52-week trading range is $4.24 to $11.70, and SoFi does not pay a dividend. Total shareholder return for the past year is 25.09%.
Originally published at 24/7 Wall St.
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Shaky-cam footage is better than no footage at all, right?
Dragon Age: Inquisition isn’t a game you hear about every day. Small details have come into view every so often, but our vision of what’s to come has been fairly opaque. Fortunately, the picture is much clearer thanks to a leaked fan recording of a 30-minute gameplay demo Bioware has been showing at trade shows and events for the past few months.
The video was taken during a demo at Digiexpo 2013, Finland’s consumer electronics show in Helsinki, earlier this month. According to Kotaku, the demo is similar to the one shown at PAX Prime in September. While some of you may have already seen it, for the rest of us, it’s a sight to see. It’s an off-screen “shaky-cam” recording, but the game looks good even in less-than-ideal conditions.
The demo really pushes the notion that Inquisition has much more to offer than its poorly-received predecessors: The first section, for example, takes place in Crestwood; an area that’s “bigger than all of Dragon Age II.”
We checked out Dragon Age: Inquisition back at PAX Prime, so check out our preview if you want to hear the important stuff, but don’t have time to settle in for a 30 minute demo.

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I attended the Salesforce event in New York City today, and I should have just watched the video stream and saved myself the trouble.
As had been hinted at in a recent interview (see SalesForce CEO Marc Benioff backing off social?), CEO Marc Benioff has reoriented the company’s positioning around ‘becoming a customer company’, and he’s dropping the former marketing messaging around social business. Strangely missing was any real recapitulation of the reasoning behind his efforts in the past around social business, including the company’s failed attempt to trademark that term. Also unmentioned is the widely known bad smell coming from the Buddy Media and Radian6 acquisitions. Maybe it soured his appreciation of social, or maybe he decided that too many other companies were using the term and — like marketers generally do — they were watering it down until it ceased to have meaning.
Marc’s story is that he spent some time last summer reading ‘everything’ he could find about where the modern business was heading. And specifically, he found some insight in an IBM report called Leading Through Connections, and this caught his eye:
For some time now, businesses have been refining and optimizing their networks of suppliers and partners. They’re streamlining supply chains, creating massive back-office efficiencies and perfecting everything from just-in-time inventory to predictive merchandising. But something just as meaningful has been happening in the marketplace — the sudden convergence of the digital, social and mobile spheres — connecting customers, employees and partners in new ways to organizations and to each other.
Benioff and company now think of social as a force — principally arising in the ‘consumer’ or personal sphere — so that various user experience motifs are changing how we think about communication. But in the new schematics he offered in his presentation, social is on a par with mobile, touch, and local, not as the end goal of company-wide transformation. The purpose of business is now to become a customer company, by which he means putting the customer at the center of everything, involved as that prime mover in all activities.
I think this is mostly sizzle and not much steak. Yes, companies are beset by a long list of challenges (mostly having to do with coping with a radically changed economy and wildly accelerating and changeable markets), and there are a short list of new disruptive technologies — including mobile, social, etc. — that offer opportunities to counter the challenges and exploit these technologies to move the company forward. But I don’t think customer obsession is the central theme of what we will see companies doing in the near term. I am still betting on innovation around business operations, based on the transition from business process to social networks for communication, collaboration, and coordination. We’ll have to see — as Salesforce rolls out more information over the course of the year, leading up to DreamForce — whether this vision is more process or network. At this point, it’s not clear.
One aside: I think at one point in a demo I saw a SalesForce-to-SalesForce communication. I am going to track someone down to find out if I was seeing things because that, no matter what metaphor is being waved about, would be very, very interesting.


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Ahead of its launch, a government document reveals the company to have trademarked the H’Ness name in India. It is expected to be reserved for the upcoming cruiser motorcycle as the teaser suggest ‘Your Highness Is Arriving Soon’.
The upcoming Honda cruiser motorcycle could be an all-new model specifically made for the Indian market. The latest teaser from the company has revealed the exhaust note of the upcoming motorcycle, which is like a cruiser.
The engine on the upcoming H’Ness cruiser motorcycle could be between 300cc and 500cc, which will make its debut in the country. The BS6 compliant engine could pave the way for more such motorcycles arriving in India in future.
No other details of the motorcycle have been revealed by Honda. It is speculated to rival the Royal Enfiled 350cc


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According to the Spanish Sweet Association (Produlce), the Spanish sweet sector has increased exports by 18.3% in 2021, reaching a new historic record with a turnover of 1,586 million euros. These figures are 13.7% higher than pre-pandemic levels (2019), and are a reflection of the strength and dynamism of the sector.
As for the volume, more than 600,000 tons exported and a new record in trade balance is also obtained, with 556 million euros, 30% more than in 2020, which represents a great economic contribution to the country through international trade.
In the words of Ruben Morenogeneral secretary of Produlce, “These very positive data are a reflection of the great effort made by the companies that make up this sector, and of the international recognition that, year after year, values the quality and competitiveness of this industry”.
Export mix by region
Taking into account the main regions as a destination for the export of Spanish sweets, with sales of close to 1,100 million euros, Europe again guides growth with 17.3%, despite the fact that its contribution to the geographic mix of markets falls slightly (from 69.8 to 69.2% of total exports), a consequence of the diversifying strategy that the sector has been reinforcing for years and where markets such as the US or Morocco are becoming more established each year.
America is consolidated in second place, with growth of 13.7% to 229 million euros, representing 14.4% of international sales. And Africa already surpasses Asia in third placewith a new extraordinary year-on-year growth of 36.8%, to sales of 115.5 million euros.
Growth in all six product categories
Growth of over 15% has been detected in the six product categories that make up the sweets sector, which shows that aspects such as innovation, reformulation or expansion of range are contributing are contributing positively in the industry.
Highlight the category of nougat and marzipanthe main victim of the fall in 2020 (-18%), and that with a growth of 25.5% already exceeds foreign sales in 2019, reaching 56.9 million euros.
It is followed, by year-on-year growth, by another of the categories that in 2020 registered a slight drop (-5.1%), candy and chewing gum, which with growth in 2021 of 20.7% marks a new historical figure, 489 million euros, and records sales 14.5% higher than in 2019.
cocoa and chocolate it also registered a year-on-year growth close to 20% (19.7%) and reached sales of 424.4 million euros. It occupies the third position of the sweet, with 26.8% of foreign sales.
At around 15%, growth is underpinned by the category of biscuits, with sales of 443.2 million euros, and with 27.9% of foreign sales in the sector. Pastry and pastries have obtained sales for 113.9 million euros and bakery for 59 million euros.
Main destinations of Spanish sweet exports
The first three destinations of Spanish sweet exports are consolidated -France, Portugal and USA- with year-on-year growth of around 10%.
For its part, the United Kingdom stagnates in fourth position, with a figure very similar to 2020, a figure probably motivated by the new scenario of the Brexitbut which reflects that exports in the British country remain unchanged, which given the complex circumstances that this market presents, is quite an achievement.
As to Italya significant growth is observed, 44%, gaining the fifth position to Germany, which, however, also shows a large increase compared to 2020 (22%).
Putting the focus on the Moroccan market, it is becoming increasingly stronger, with an increase in sales in 2021 of 37.7%. This data is matched by the strong recovery of the Netherlands, which grew by 28%, and that of Belgium, which increased by 27%.
Finally, the significant rise in Poland stands out, a country that, despite remaining in tenth place, increased its sales by 52.7% and already threatens Belgium’s ninth position.


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Riot Games launched the open beta for its new digital card game, Legends of Runeterra, yesterday and streamer Sean “swimstrim” Huguenard was happy to show off one of the set’s most powerful cards.
Swim has been preparing for the LoR release into open beta for weeks, creating top-tier decks and analyzing the best and worst cards within the first six released regions. And during the early launch of the open beta yesterday, Swim explained why Rhasa the Sunderer is one of the strongest cards in LoR.
The clip begins with Swim attacking his opponent with an Icevale Archer, who naturally gets blocks by the opponent’s Tryndamere. As the events of the attack unfold, Swim gently mocks his opponent by describing the playline they’re likely to take—and he’s spot on.
Tryndamere is an LoR champion who levels up when he dies, becoming even more powerful. Since the opponent had an abundance of mana available, there was a high probability that they’d drop another large creature onto the battlefield (Garen), hoping to close out the match.
But Swim was ready with Rhasa the Sunderer, a 7/5 who’s ability, Night Harvest, is triggered when played. “Kill the two weakest enemies if an ally died this round,” the card reads. Since the opponent only had two cards in play, they both perished.
Anyone can play the Legends of Runeterra open beta starting today at 1pm CT. Just make sure to save those Epic wildcards to unlock Rhasa the Sunderer.


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Imee: Optimize Local Supply And Distribution Before Importing; A Virtuous Cycle Must Replace The Old Vicious One
Senator Imee Marcos has urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to boost the transport and delivery of local agricultural produce before resorting to importation and price controls amid rising food costs.
Marcos, who chairs the Senate committee on economic affairs, said the “knee-jerk reaction” of the DA and DTI to control runaway market prices through the “vicious cycle” of importation would only leave local vegetable and livestock farmers at the mercy of ruthless traders and cartels.
Marcos has filed Senate Resolution 619 to investigate the status of the DA’s Php24-billion stimulus fund – the single biggest item for emergency funding under Bayanihan 2, and why the DTI has failed to control food costs despite issuing suggested retail prices.
The country’s food security in coming months will depend on a more targeted use of the Php24-billion DA fund and of the agency’s quick response and contingency funds, Marcos pointed out.
“The department’s more diffuse and medium-term programs, involving the development of agri-entrepreneurs and research and business “corridors,” will have no immediate impact on the urgent problem of spiraling food prices and dwindling supply,” Marcos explained.
“These should not have been included in the Bayanihan menu in the first place, as they address neither the pandemic nor the agricultural shortages we are now confronting,” Marcos added.
“By way of warning, let us exhaust all domestic supplies before embarking as usual on the knee-jerk DA response of importation. We can transform this vicious cycle into a virtuous one to benefit both our own farmers and our hapless consumers,” Marcos also said.
Farmers in Benguet have complained that harvested produce already delivered at trading stations may rot if more delivery trucks do not come to collect their vegetables.
Meanwhile, livestock raisers expressed fears that cases of African swine fever (ASF) may increase with the entry of meat imports.
“Start with deploying more trucks to collect and deliver agricultural produce from their sources. There are still local food supplies waiting to be sold,” Marcos said.
“Also step up the creation and presence of Kadiwa centers, which have endured since their creation in the 70’s to offer lower, farmer-to-consumer prices in depressed urban communities and hard-to-reach areas,” the senator added.
Marcos warned that food importation is diminishing interest in farming and may fulfill the prediction that by 2030 the Philippines will no longer have any local farmers, now at an average age of 57.


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News & Reviews: Samsung Galaxy A54 5G Malaysia release date
Apr 25, 2023
The Galaxy A series devices from Samsung look good, deliver great features, and have extra value in other areas. For the new Galaxy A series devices launched this month, that extra value is a 5+4+2 combo. Today, we'll tell you why this combo makes the Samsung Galaxy A34 5G and Galaxy A54 5G the reliable smartphone companions you need.
Apr 11, 2023
If you are still thinking of getting the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G or Samsung Galaxy A34 5G, perhaps now is the best time to get it. Starting from the 7th until the 30th of April 2023, Samsung Malaysia is launching more promos for these two phones with some nice deals.
Mar 29, 2023
It's been less than a week since the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G and Galaxy A34 5G pre-orders went live last week. If you are still considering getting either one (or two), we got good news for you as we are offering promo Referral Codes.
Mar 15, 2023
Today, Samsung Malaysia has uploaded the Galaxy A54 5G and Galaxy A34 5G live on its website. Signalling the arrival of these two new phones, the prices and availability have yet to be revealed but here's what we know so far.


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India Imposes Antidumping Duty on Imports of Soda Ash
12:46 PM | July 8, 2012 | Natasha Alperowicz
India’s Ministry of Finance has imposed a definitive five-year antidumping duty on imports of soda ash from China, the European Union (EU), Iran, Kenya, Pakistan, Ukraine, and the U.S. The Department...
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New Delhi: For focusing on Adventure Tourism, the Ministry of Tourism conducted a Webinar series titled ”12 Months of Adventure Travel” on Saturday. The ministry thus promotes India as an adventure tourism destination. India ranked 34th on the world travel and tourism index. Also ranked 5th on the Natural Heritage Index in the world by the World Economic Forum.
This virtually conducted webinar will takes one through the immense strength, potential and the hidden secrets of India, covering Mountains, Forests, Rivers, Deserts, Mangroves, Islands, Canals, Wildlife and over 31 adventure activities that will delight an Indian and also an overseas traveller. Tejbir Singh Anand, Managing Director, Holiday Moods Adventures Pvt Ltd. said; “the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) was founded with an aim to create awareness about the immense potential for adventure tourism in India and to harness this potential in a safe, sensitive and environment-friendly manner. The association also works towards creating awareness overseas about the potential of adventure tourism in India.”


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Huawei MateBook X Pro review: Hands-on
LONDON (Reuters) - Tesco apologised on Tuesday to drivers who bought contaminated petrol from its forecourts and promised to pay for any car repairs.
The supermarket chain ran full-page advertisements in national newspapers saying its fuel supplies were back to normal.
Motorists across the country complained that their cars broke down or suffered serious problems after buying petrol from Tesco and several other retailers.
"We'd like to say how sorry we are," Tesco said. "More to the point, we'd like to promise to pay for the repairs.
"We have traced the problem to a batch of unleaded fuel from a storage facility used by one of our suppliers in Essex.
"All the affected stores in the southeast of England have been refuelled with a fresh, clean supply."
It was not clear how many Tesco customers would be eligible to claim compensation or how the process would work.
Typical repair bills will be about 200 pounds, according to reports. The contaminated petrol was traced to storage tanks at a terminal in West Thurrock, Essex, fuel supplier Harvest Energy said on Saturday.
Trading standards officials discovered silicon traces during tests on petrol after they began an inquiry following complaints from motorists.
Silicon cause serious problems in petrol engines, particularly in cars with computerised fuel systems. It can build up as a deposit on sensors, causing them to malfunction.
Consumer Direct, a government-funded advice service, said it had been contacted by more than 2,500 people concerned about possible fuel contamination.
If Tesco's do it then i can't see the others not doing it.
As you say it's all about the image shown to the customer!
Morrisons has made the same promise.
The supermarkets and others involved will no doubt get the money back by claiming it from their fuel suppliers.
Not all makes of cars were affected with Ford and VW models in particular seemingly unaffected.
The motorists involved with likely claims all live in the southern area of the country even though, I'm sure, that some unscrupulous individuals will attempt to make claims no matter where they live...:-)
Stuartli now theres an idea. I live in Scotland, perhaps I could try a claim. Of course the fact I cannot drive and don't own a car might be a slight problem.
I would love to see a breakdown of the makes most affected. I would think it likely that they were mainly Citroen Renault & Peugeot.
In an article on the Daily Telegraph web site on Saturday, Tesco were quoted as saying that if a motorist could prove that their petrol caused the problem, Tesco would pay.
You might well be able to prove you bought Tesco petrol, but Tesco could say you bought contaminated fuel from another retail outlet.
Not quite the "carte blanche" implied in todays Reuters report. We will have to wait and see what happens.
>>I would think it likely that they were mainly Citroen Renault & Peugeot.>>
As has been widely reported, French makes were affected.
In fact Citroen and Peugeot are part of PSA and use the same engines and share common components.
It may not be so easy to get all your money back from Tesco.
The Daily Mail toady reported a case dating back to 2003, when even after a court ruling, they still would not pay up. It was only settled in full when the individual sent in the bailiffs.
Another reported case in 2006, which clearly demonstrates Tesco`s reluctance to pay is quoted in "Which". Again bailiffs had to be called in.
Daily Mail toady: should read:
Daily Mail today
As from a week last Monday, Tesco changed its refund's policy. This as nothing to do with the fuel issue, but thought that this information may be of some use.
Being overcharged for items, you now get less rewards for bringing the matter to the attention of Tesco's.
This thread is now locked and can not be replied to.


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Applied Materials (AMAT) is opening its new Xi'an China Global Development and Technology Support Center to expand its reach into China's electronics sector.
"The Xi'an center is a major expansion of our capabilities and positions us strategically to benefit as growth continues throughout China, particularly in the west," said Mike Splinter, president and CEO of Applied Materials. "We are attracting quality employees from local technical universities, and this development and support center will be a cornerstone of our growth strategy throughout China and, indeed, all of Asia."
The 106,000 square foot facility on 25 acres offers state-of-the-art laboratory, tool demonstration and assembly space in its cleanrooms.
"We are proud to have a company with Applied Materials' reputation for business and technology leadership open such a versatile facility here in Xi'an," said Chen Baogen, Mayor of Xi'an. "We are confident that Xi'an will provide the infrastructure and base of employees needed to accomplish their growth plans and we offer our continued support as we move forward toward mutual prosperity."
In the 22 years since establishing itself as the first semiconductor equipment company in China, Applied Materials has opened seven offices located in Beijing, Kunshan, Shanghai, Suzhou, Tianjin, Wuxi and Xi'an and employs more than 500 people. The company provides sales and services for both domestic and international chip manufacturers at these locations. In Xi'an the company will perform product development, system localization, engineering and software support and sourcing throughout Asia-Pacific. The Center will also serve as a customer demonstration facility for 200mm wafer processing and Applied Materials' most advanced metrology and inspection products.
Applied Materials continues to concentrate its volume system manufacturing in Austin, Texas, and the majority of its product development in California's Silicon Valley.


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How does the internet affect traditional media?
Traditional Edition, REST IN PEACE
This is the title that welcomes you when you come to a website that has been raised as a memorial to commemorate the decline of traditional media. The photograph of a man who appears to be in trouble and who may have lost his job has followed this title. If this is not a shadowy picture, read the headline 548, each singing the same melody as the following:
- Bad Times: According to NYT, revenue declined by 13.9% last month
- Men's monthly magazine Arena is suppressing printing after 22 years
- Cosmopolitan UK publisher to cut 100 jobs
There is another webpage titled "A death view of the newspaper that stops all publishers and newsstands. Simply morbid would not you say it?
The Deadly Spell
Let's take a look at traditional media and how the internet has thrown away the deadly spell.
In ancient times, we are talking about 500 years ago; Gutenberg revolutionized the printing press by inventing the printing press. This meant that the Bible could be produced within a period of time. This meant more copies in a shorter time, and God's Word could have reached the rest in a shorter time. (and thank the captain for being obvious)
Shortly after the release of electricity, the world was once again experienced by some media breakthroughs, so the radio would be a few years later the television. Each of the marketers and advertising agencies was invented when integrated marketing campaigns were developed with astronomical budgets. Oh, good old days. Well, to the astonishment of many such agencies, this media landscape has changed.
Here! Enter the WWW
Initially, a web site was considered to be a cute way to place a corporate brochure on the Internet, and on top of the catastrophic dot-bomba era, it created skepticism that infects the Internet with bad media and business channel tags
. Fortunately, the Internet has matured since then. Now, in countries where broadband has reached a high standard of households, the internet has become a consumer.
Why? People can search, buy online, watch videos, and join friends in their own home. People can choose the media they want to consume, where and when to choose, especially the mobile connection. Marketers no longer dictate what advertising messages people are getting.
Social Media, the new black
Then there is the social media phenomenon. He has always changed the media landscape. Social Media websites have allowed consumers to associate with their friends, family members, colleagues, and others in ways that they could never imagine a few decades ago.
Technology has allowed the consumer to become Prosumer. Prosperants are consumers who produce materials such as videos, photos, and blogs that are distributed and shared over millions of people over social media platforms. This is so-called user-generated content or UCG
Here's an interesting little thing about accessing traditional Media vs. Internet and Social Media
It lasted for years to reach 50 million:
The internet has reduced the need for traditional media, as it has allowed consumers to join their neighboring societies, their countries and internationally. He authorized them to talk to their friends at 24 o'clock about their entertainment.
Given all that has been said, the termination of traditional media is largely attributed to the following factors:
Simply put. The Internet has revolutionized the way things are acquired. It revolutionized our business, communicating and dismantling the traditional media wall.
A recent example is the Unilever UK decision Lowe Fire advertising agency for 15 years, crowdsourcing – which means that agencies are open to the brand's creative career , and basically every person who can think of an idea around the world. Of course, this is done on the internet.
Traditional media is still around, but the internet is increasingly integrated into our everyday lives.
Think about it. Mail & Guardian or MensHealth Mag can be long enough, maybe you can live happily enough without it? But you dare to use this ADSL connection …


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The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is poised to continue to encourage the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises MSMEs in order to harness the potentials of trade and investment for the nation’s economic growth and sustainability.
The assertion was made on Thursday in Lagos by the DirectorGeneral of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye at the National Trade and Investment Summit, 2020 where she reiterated the importance of the MSMEs in the development and growth of the nation’s economy.
She disclosed that NAFDAC alongside other national stakeholders on the National Action Committee (NAC) for the implementation of African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), is fully and totally committed to its successful implementation, once it comes into effect (probably, 2021).
According to her, this is because of its advantages to Nigeria’seconomy and healthy competition it will engender in theoperations of MSMEs in the non-oil sector of the national economy.
Towards this end, Prof Adeyeye pointed out that NAFDAC is on the train of the NAC Secretariat that is sensitizing and building the capacity of stakeholders, particularly on AfCFTA Agreements on Non Tariff Barriers (NTBs), Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS).
‘’This is in addition to her advocacy on the need to improve all the national and regulatory infrastructures that will reduce the cost of production and make the MSME products competitive in the AfCFTA Area. All our operations are set and ready to accommodate AfCFTA’’.
The NAFDAC DG noted that the economy of Nigeria is undergoing diversification from oil to Non-Oil products, stressing that the MSME sector would play a critical role to achieve this transformation.
Upon formalisation of processes, she said MSMEs would getinvolved in export of regulated products including Food – Shea Butter, honey to mention a few.
To enable a platform for trade to be seamlessly she further explained that NAFDAC is involved in collaboration with sister Agencies. Towards this objective, Prof Adeyeye disclosed that NAFDAC on the 9th August 2019 held an interactive Stakeholder’s meeting on Effective inter-agencies collaboration to diversify Nigerian Economy through Export. The staff of the Nigerian Customs Service, Standard Organisation of Nigeria, Nigerian Postal Service, Nigeran Shippers Council, and the Media attended the programme.
Globally, MSMEs contribute up to 45% of total employment and up to 33% of National Income in emerging economies. In a recent review of 2017 survey according to National Policy on MSMEs, it was revealed that in Nigeria there were 41.4 million MSMEs. In the words of His Excellency the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo’’ MSMEs are the bedrock of Nigeria’s industrialization and inclusive economic development; and the most important component of industrialization as set out in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan’’.
Prof Adeyeye however, emphasised that the significance of MSMEs in the nation’s economy cannot, therefore, be over-emphasized, stressing that if enabling environment is provided, MSMEs could get the country out of the present predicament of unacceptable rate of unemployment, illicit financial engagements, insecurity, political and social violence.
‘’There is a need to recognize their role in employment provision and to encourage, grow and support the sub-sector’’.
She said that NAFDAC being an active member of the Presidential Enabling Environment Council (PEBEC) has continued to support the job creation agenda of the present administration in line with the provisions of Executive Order No. 001.
One of the provisions, she said, is to create an enabling environment for businesses, entrench measures and strategies aimed at promoting transparency and efficiency. The Agency carried out a lot of reforms of its activities to create an enabling environment for MSMEs businesses to thrive, focusing on micro and small companies.
She however, said that the Agency ensures that only quality products that are safe, efficacious and wholesome reach the market and ultimately, the consuming public.
‘’This is achieved through vigorous regulatory activities including inspection of production facilities, sampling, review of labelling information, laboratory evaluation, post marketing surveillance, enforcement etc.’’
She said that she has enhanced the processing of all NAFDAC licenses (Approvals, Certificates and Permits) to ensure efficiency and elimination of person to person contact, leading to the availability of end-to-end online automated processing platforms with outputs being digitized electronic licenses.
To further encourage the sector, she recalled that on the 15th May 2020, NAFDAC launched the assisted registration through NAFDAC Automated Product Administration and MonitoringSystem (NAPAMS) for MSMEs as a means in easing their registration processes. The launch ran concurrently in the six geo-political zones plus FCT and Lagos state.
As a proactive response to the challenges of CoVID-19 pandemic, Prof Adeyeye said the Agency instituted palliatives for the micro and small businesses which included offering zero tariffs for the first 200 micro and small companies to register their products on the launch day and eighty per cent (80%)reduction in tariffs for the registration of micro and small enterprises products for a period of Six (6) months.
She added that waivers were granted on administrative charges for late renewal of expired licenses for products of micro and small businesses, adding that Micro and small enterprises within the MSME classes of business were encouraged at the forum to take advantage of these laudable incentives to massively embark on e-registration of their products and the feedback was overwhelming.
‘’I would however like the Industry to support NAFDAC byadhering to the Agency’s laws, regulations, and guidelines while doing business to ensure quality standards and safety’, she said.


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One in three women prefer spending time with girlfriends than their husbands... and get more glammed up for them too
- Third of women say they have more fun with their female friends
- One in ten says they can 'be themselves' around pals
- Survey reveals women dress up better and spend more with girls
They can get glammed up, enjoy a good meal and gossip till the cows come home.
No wonder one in three married women have more fun with friends than their husbands.
Researchers who interviewed 3,000 women found that many would rather spend the day with a friend than be with their other half.
Ladies' night: Women prefer to spend time with their friends than their husbands, a survey revealed today
Six out of ten said they prefer to go shopping with their girlfriends rather than their partner because they offer better, more trustworthy advice.
The survey found that when meeting female friends the women made more of an effort with their outfit and spent longer doing their hair and make-up.
And a day out with friends was also likely to cost more money than with their husbands, with women admitting that their friends encourage them to treat themselves more.
The survey was carried out at the Lakeside Shopping Centre in Essex.
Lakeside spokesman Sophie Scott said: ‘These results will strike a chord with millions of married women all over the UK.
Friends have benefits: Kate Moss leaves husband Jamie Hince at home to spend the afternoon in a Cotswolds pub with friends
'After a busy week at work, we all crave escapism and some “me time”, and it is clear women prefer to spend theirs with girlfriends than partners.
'Spending time with girlfriends and hitting the shops, or stopping for a coffee and a chat, can lift a woman's mood.'
The study revealed a third of women agreed that they prefer to spend a day off with a friend because they were more fun and more likely to enjoy talking about relationships or gossiping.
Shopping, going to a spa or having a meal and a glass of wine topped the list of activities women enjoyed doing in their spare time.
The survey revealed two thirds of women felt guilty as they did not catch up with their friends often enough.
Worryingly, one in ten said they were more able 'to be themselves' around their friends, while almost half said they enjoyed the fact could talk to their pals about 'anything'.
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The UK’s Robert Wiseman Dairies has reported lower first-half pre-tax profit, and said second-half results would be affected by oil, energy and plastic costs.
The company said pre-tax profit was down by 21.7% to £12.1m (US$21.0m), compared to £15.5m in the year-ago period. Results were in line with expectations.
Turnover increased by 14.7% to £281.3m, while liquid milk volumes were up 13.2% to 687 million litres. Robert Wiseman said all dairies ran at record levels during the first six months, with new supply contracts with Sainsbury’s and Tesco more than offsetting the loss of the Asda contract.
“As mentioned previously, we now envisage that there are unlikely to be significant changes in major supermarket contracts in the short term,” said chairman Alan Wiseman.
“The outlook for the year as a whole will be influenced by oil, energy and plastic costs during the second half and the extent to which we can make recovery of these increased costs. Our target is to re-build margins in the period ahead, but higher costs clearly make this more difficult.
“The business is in good shape and we remain confident about our long-term prospects,” he added.


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According to this press release the POS-terminal suppliers in the Netherlands have set up an industry association. Its name is Nederlandse Leveranciers Betaalsystemen (NLB: translated: Dutch Suppliers Payment Systems) and its members are:
-Alphyra Benelux BV
-CCV Holland BV
-EFT Systems Nederland BV
-Quality Equipment Benelux BV
The organisation has been set up to ensure proper communication and discussion about changes that can be expected at the POS-side of payments (EMV, EMV, EMV).


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By Thomas Spier
Officials at U.K.-based Tesco Bank may wish to convey that the dust has settled regarding a stunning cyber attack in which thousands of patrons directly lost cold, hard cash.
But that certainly is not the case. In fact, the longer-term ramifications Tesco and its customers must now deal with are instructive to smaller, second-tier financial services firms globally. That’s because no one expects cyber attacks against banks to relent anytime soon.
Since the initial announcement of the Nov. 7 breach, Tesco has confirmed that money was compromised from around 9,000 of its 136,000 current accounts and the cost of reimbursing these lost funds would run to £2.5 million ($3.10 million).
Sidestepping huge fine
Tesco ought to consider itself lucky that the new EU General Data Protection Regulation does not kick in until May 2018, as those new rules would increase the maximum level of a government fine in this type of breach cases from £500,000 ($620,700) to over £2 billion ($2.5 billion).
Tesco has called in the U.K. National Cyber Security Centre to steer the investigation. And company officials assert that no customer personal data was compromised. There is, however, some skepticism over this comment due to Tesco’s practice of displaying bank patrons’ email addresses as default user names for accessing online accounts.
Vulnerabilities brushed off
Keep in mind that well prior to Tesco’s breach disclosure, several private cybersecurity companies highlighted a number of obvious vulnerabilities in the online security systems of second-tier U.K. retail banks. In some cases, security vendors approached banks with information about these vulnerabilities and were rebuffed—as if the security vendors were highlighting weaknesses in a pure effort to extract business from the banks.
At the moment, there is general concern in banking and security circles that Tesco appears to be treating this particular attack as completed, which is unwise.
If it later transpires that personal data was, indeed, compromised, the bank will have lost the opportunity to take quick, effective measures to help victims react to identity fraud scams that typically occur weeks or months after the actual breach.
Quick, thorough action needed
Customers need prompt notification and fraud remediation services put in place as soon as possible to protect themselves from these secondary crimes.
Tesco bank can be relatively pleased with the speed at which they were able to identify and resolve the primary crime in this case. However, Tesco and many banks in this sector of the U.K. market unfortunately continue to demonstrate a level of complacency with regard to secondary risks.
This attitude could potentially leave customers with exposed email, pin and memorable information data that can—and will—be used in other crimes.
Article written by Thomas Spier.


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Boyne Smelters could be sold in $5.2b sale prediction: 'I'm a realist'
BOYNE Smelters Limited could be put on the market again by Rio Tinto along with two other Australian smelters, according to analysis by UBS.
The concept behind the sales would be to sell off "non-core assets" such as aluminium smelters to focus on the tier-one businesses of iron ore.
Rio Tinto chief executive officer Jean-Sebastien Jacques took the top job on July 3 and was known for streamlining the business when he was head of the copper and coal division.
RIO TINTO'S ROAD TO RECOVERY |
"Jean-Sebastien Jacques has delievered about 70% of Rio's divestments since 2013 as head of copper and coal, while other divisions have struggled," UBS analyst Myles Allsop told The Australian.
"We expect (him) to reinvigorate the clean-up of Rio's portfolio, to shy away from acquisitions and to keep the focus on balancing capital, cost discipline with organic growth."
The analyst tipped sales of $5.2billion in the next three years and highlighted aluminium smelters as ready to be sold.
Rio Tinto has been trying to offload the Australasian smelters BSL, Bell Bay Aluminium, Tomago Aluminium and New Zealand Aluminium Smelters Limited since October 2011.
Back then they were carved out of Rio Tinto to create Pacific Aluminium.
Then chief executive officer Tom Albanese said "(the businesses) are no longer aligned with our strategy and we believe they have a bright future under new ownership".
But the sale never happened, with Rio announcing in August 2013 that it would not sell Pacific Aluminium because the going rate for the business was not good enough.
At the time former chief executive officer Sam Walsh said the market was aware Pacific Aluminium was not going to be sold.
"I'm a realist. I'm a pragmatist. Let's get on with life. Running two aluminium businesses within one organisation, that's not all productive," he said.
RIO TINTO'S WOES |
The sale of Pacific Aluminium could fetch as much as $2.6billion to add to the $6.2billion made from sales of businesses in recent years.
But it's unknown if Rio would be able to get enough demand for the sale of the four smelters following its failed attempt in 2011.
A spokesperson for Rio Tinto declined to comment on market speculation.


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PARIS, Nov. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — To meet the demand from consumers in France seeking better eating habits, Carrefour and Danone built an unprecedented partnership with several other major national brands: Barilla, Bel, Mars Food, Savencia and Unilever, with the support of The Consumer Goods Forum.
Tasty, balanced recipes, rated Nutriscore A or B were published online in March 2020 and May 2021 on the “Carrefour.fr” website. All the recipes on offer were developed using products from national brands (Barilla, Danone du Monde Skyr, Knorr, La Vache qui rit, Le Rustique, Ben’s Original™…) and Carrefour products. Most of the products on offer were made available on promotion, to allow everyone to cook balanced meals at affordable prices.
A targeted digital campaign in May 2021 drove traffic to the Carrefour.fr website, with three live cooking sessions featuring “750g” recipes made by their team of chefs. This fully collaborative project has had a real impact, gathering 1.5 million views on the live cooking sessions, +21% sales of organic products from the e-shoppers, an increase in fruit and vegetables purchases (+8%), index 110 on Nutriscore A and B products in the shopping carts of the e-shoppers that visited the page, and +18% references for the featured brands.
Florence Du Buit, Group CSR Manager, Carrefour: “Carrefour is convinced that with our partners, by working hand in hand, and with new technologies, we can support our customers towards a healthier and easier diet.”
Thomas Kyriaco, CSR Client Director, Danone: “We are committed to giving consumers the means to make better choices and supporting them in shifting their consumption habits, thanks to new digital technologies.”
Alban Chenal, Global Retail Senior Key Account Manager, Barilla: “For Barilla, it is essential to make healthier and more accessible recipes available.”
Caroline Chesneau, Group Nutrition Director, Bel: “At Bel, we believe in promoting healthier behaviours, collectively.”
Florence Charbonneau, Digital Manager, Mars Food: “Providing healthy, tasty, convenient, accessible to all and quality products is in the DNA of Mars Food’s mission of ‘better food today, a better world tomorrow.'”
Charlotte Schlosser, Innovation & Brand Experience Manager, Unilever: “Knorr helps promote home cooking, with convenient and delicious recipes for the whole family.”
Nikta Vaghefi, Nutrition Director, Savencia: “For Savencia, it is about putting pleasure at the centre of the healthy and sustainable plate and facilitating more positive behaviours.”
Sharon Bligh, Healthier Lives Director, The Consumer Goods Forum: “It’s great to see CGF members collaborating on this important subject and it’s great to see such collective action driving positive change and empowering consumers to live healthier lives.”


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By M&C Report team2006-06-25T14:14:00+01:00
More than half (57%) of 18-25-year-olds support the introduction of vaccine passports as a condition of entry for nightclubs, according to a new poll from YouGov.
Britain’s managed pub, restaurant and bar groups saw sales drop just 1% in June from the same month in 2019, according to the Coffer CGA Business Tracker boosted by good weather.
The hospitality industry is about to enter “a very big grey area” and until the government gives greater clarity on what it wants the industry to do with regards to issues like the wearing of face masks, “we are all going to be flying a little bit differently”, according to Tortilla MD Richard Morris.
Charity World Animal Protection has released its annual fast food league table focused on the welfare of chickens in the supply chain and has awarded KFC UK with ‘leading’ status.
KFC UK & Ireland has upped its environmental credentials with a new net-zero greenhouse gas emission commitment.
The master franchise holder of Yolé, the no added sugar ice cream and frozen yoghurt brand, has confirmed five prime London sites, with a plan for 100 over the next seven years.
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Water Rate Change Discussion on October 27, 2015
The Rainbow MWD Board of Directors will release the proposed changes to the water rates at the October 27, 2015 Board meeting. There will be a 45 day review period for customers to review the proposed changes and a hearing on December 15, 2015 to receive comments and take action on the rate changes. Formal notice of rate changes will go out by mail to all property owners/ratepayers on October 30, 2015. A full cost of service study was performed to equitably allocate the costs of water to the various customer classes.


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Home > News > Fullerenes flourish, and Nano-C can make them by the ton
October 27th, 2003
Fullerenes flourish, and Nano-C can make them by the ton
Brace yourself. The fullerenes are coming. Nano-C Corp. is the latest company to push its way into the market for mass-production of fullerenes, amid signs that major chemical and manufacturing businesses have warmed up to the tiny carbon molecule’s potential. Thanks to technology pioneered at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Nano-C can now affordably make fullerenes by the ton — opening vast new commercial possibilities.
QuantuMDx announce prototype handheld lab for 15 minute malaria diagnosis and drug resistance testing April 23rd, 2014
Nanovations Sets new Benchmark in Automotive Windscreen Coating Durability: Nanovations new automotive glass coating Vision Protect, sets new benchmark in glass coating durability March 23rd, 2014
Tawada CleanTech to show fabric duct and eco cool coating in MegaBuild March 21st, 2014
NEI Introduces Self-healing Anti-corrosion Coating for Zinc-Plated and Galvanized Steel March 14th, 2014


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Soaring Lime Prices Squeeze Margarita Fans
Lime growers in the Mexican state of Michoacan have banded together to set prices of the fruit they sell to packing companies and control supply, spurring inflation that's been above the central bank's target range for the last two months.
Members of the Citrus Growers Association of Apatzingan Valley are limiting supply to guarantee a minimum price for producers, said Leonardo Santibanez, an association member and coordinator of its trade events. The policy emptied Michoacan's main citrus market of limes on March 12 after association members told farmers not to harvest their crop that day as the group pushed for a price minimum of 23 pesos per kilo (80 cents per pound), he said.
The tactic has helped dry up margarita consumption in Mexico City as the fruit had become the biggest contributor to inflation nationwide, accounting for one third of last month's increase in consumer prices. The unexpected increase in lime costs may combine with new taxes on sodas and junk food that took effect Jan. 1 to pressure inflation expectations further above policy makers' target range, according to Nomura Holdings.
"The shock of limes at a time when inflation is already high due to the tax reform is something we need to pay attention to," Benito Berber, a strategist at Nomura, said in an e-mail. Economists expect inflation to end the year at 4.01 percent, above the 4 percent upper limit of Banco de Mexico's target range, according to a March 6 central bank survey.
Poor Quality, Higher Prices -- and Bar Customers Notice
Manuel Ambrosio, a bartender at Bloo Bar in Mexico City, says he is reducing portions in the drinks he serves customers to trim his losses after limes rose. Sales of margaritas -- a popular mixed drink of fresh lime juice, tequila and salt -- have plunged 30 percent as customers complain about the poor quality of the fruit that he uses to reduce costs, he says. "These limes have no juice," the 28-year-old said, squeezing a wedge from a pile on his bar. "This is the worst I've seen prices in four years."
Since December, the price of limes in Mexico City's main wholesale market has tripled to 32 pesos per kilo through mid-March. Limes, squeezed into a variety of Mexican dishes, hold the largest weighting among fruits in Mexico's inflation basket after apples. In February, lime prices nationwide surged 68 percent from the previous month, contributing 0.08 percentage point to Mexico's consumer price index, which rose 0.25 percent, according to the national statistics institute. The cost of the fruit soared 45 percent in January, pushing consumer prices up another 0.04 percentage point.
The Citrus Growers Association of Apatzingan Valley "was formed so that producers can establish the price," Santibanez said in a March 12 interview in the association's offices. "For example, the association says to the distributors, 'we'll put a price of 20 pesos.' They can't go lower than that. The producers will receive 20 pesos at a minimum." Leandro Alcantar, the president of the association, wasn't available for comment.
Association members have been able to push up prices after lime infestations from the state of Colima and atypical rainfall in Michoacan crimped production, making Apatzingan the producer of almost all of the fruit consumed in Mexico this year, according to Santibanez. Mexico is considering increasing lime imports to combat their high price, Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said March 14.
Policy May Be Illegal, Former Antitrust Commission Believes
The policy may be illegal, according to Miguel Flores Bernes, a former antitrust agency commissioner and now a lawyer. "Everything points to an accord among competitors," Flores Bernes said by phone March 13. "If they are competitors, they can't agree on prices, neither a ceiling nor a floor."
Santibanez denied the growers were engaging in illegal activity. He said price setting is only occurring in one step along the supply chain -- the producers' sale of limes to packing companies. The final cost to consumers remains fluid, he said.
An investigation into price-fixing would only happen if a complaint is filed, Alfredo Castillo, who was appointed by President Enrique Pena Nieto to improve security and economic and social development in Michoacan, %VIRTUAL-article-sponsoredlinks%said in a March 12 interview. The Federal Economic Competition Commission, the nation's antitrust agency, declined comment. Recent violence in the state as armed vigilantes push drug cartels out of the area is also generating price speculation among producers, according to Castillo.
Producers founded the Apatzingan association in 2009 for its 4,500 members in order to stop the practice of packing companies paying below-production costs, Santibanez said. The group's growers cultivate 135,000 across the Tierra Caliente valley and currently pick about 2,000 tons of the fruit per harvest day, which the association's members have limited to three days a week, he said.
Lime prices will start to drop by the end of March as Colima's production increases, Santibanez said. "We'll get to around 12 or 15 pesos per kilo." Last year the government removed duties on lime imports after prices surged 20 percent in April, helping drive inflation to 4.65 percent. In 2012, egg prices jumped 16 percent in early July due to a bird-flu outbreak, pushing inflation up to 4.45 percent.


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0712iphoneJordan Wayne, Sheila Loggins and Bob Wilson talk about their reasons for buying a new iPhone in Gainesville on Friday.
Apple Inc.’s new iPhone went on sale Friday to eager buyers worldwide, including dozens who lined up before dawn at the AT&T store on Jesse Jewell Parkway.
But the much-anticipated launch hit a snag later in the day due to software problems.
Jordan Wayne, 20, of Gainesville, was beaming as she emerged from the local store after standing in line for three hours.
"I got here at 6:45 and I just got out," said Wayne, a North Georgia college student, who was proudly holding the new electronic device in her hand.
"I didn’t have the first iPhone, I had this old dingy phone," she said. "I came in for an upgrade and they said, ‘Why don’t you wait and get the new iPhone in three weeks.’"
Sheila Loggins, a nurse from Gainesville, had been waiting in the line since 6:15 a.m. to get her second iPhone. The three-and-a-half hour wait made her late for work, but she said it was worth it.
"I actually have an iPhone and I love it," she said. "I wanted to get one with a bigger hard drive and some of the new specs that this one had."
Nick Epperson, a 24-year-old grad student, spent the night outside an AT&T store in Atlanta, keeping his cheer up with bags of Doritos, three games of Scrabble and two packs of cigarettes. Asked why he was waiting in line, he responded simply, "Chicks dig the iPhone."
Tom Wilson of Gainesville joined the line at the Jesse Jewell Parkway store at about 7:40 a.m. and was waiting in line for his iPhone. Wilson, who works for the University of Georgia, said he was most excited about the Web browser on the phone. "I see it as an ultra-portable laptop, instead of just a phone."
Wilson had passed on the first iPhones introduced last year.
"I’ve been waiting for the iPhone for over a year," he said. "When the first one came out, I decided to wait for the second generation which I thought would be faster and have some of the bugs worked out. I couldn’t wait any longer."
But it appears that not all of the bugs have been worked out. Software problems later in the day meant customers were unable to get their phones working.
A spokesman for AT&T, the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in the U.S., said there was a global problem with Apple’s iTunes servers that prevented the phones from being fully activated in-store, as had been planned. Buyers were told to go home and perform the last step by connecting their phones to their own computers, spokesman Michael Coe said. However, the iTunes servers were equally hard to reach from home, leaving the phones unusable except for emergency calls.
The problem extended to owners of the previous iPhone model. A software update released for that phone on Friday morning required the phone to be reactivated through iTunes.
Apple shares fell $4.05, or 2.3 percent, to close Friday at $172.58 amid a general decline in U.S. stocks.
The new phone went on sale Friday in 22 countries. In most of them, it was the first time any iPhone was officially sold there, though several countries have seen a brisk grey-market trade in phones imported from the U.S.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.


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Smartphones have replaced wristwatches as timekeepers for many teenagers and tech-savvy adults. But a new smartwatch aims to win over customers with such features as an extremely low-power processor and the convenience of wireless charging.
Dreams of wearing a smartwatch as a handy computer on the wrist, also known as a watch-phone, have captured the public's imagination going back to the Dick Tracy newspaper comic strip. Such watches hold the promise of making smartphone features conveniently available on the wrist without having to pull mobile devices out of a pocket or bag.
The new "Agent" smartwatch has already raised more than US $300 000 on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter—easily surpassing its $100 000 goal since the project launched on 21 May. Despite its quick success, it by no means has the field to itself. It doesn't even have Kickstarter to itself—the popular Pebble watch raised $10 million there. Apple and Microsoft are both rumored to be jumping into the smartwatch market as well.
Two features help set Agent apart. First, there's its novel dual-processor design. The main processor is a new ARM Cortex-M4 that consumes just 33 microamperes (uA) in sleep mode compared to 300 uA for most of last year's processors. And it will get more sleep than most, because a smaller second processor handles background "housekeeping duties and events." The smaller processor itself has a sleep mode, which uses just 0.1 uA.
Second, Agent has built-in wireless charging capability based on the industry-standard Qi system. Wearers would simply have to place their watch on an included Qi charging pad—or any other Qi charging pad—to recharge the device.
Agent also has a Sharp Memory Display that combines the best of both LCD and E-paper technologies for fast animations and readability out of doors. It too will have an extremely low power consumption of about 20 uA. Techcrunch was duly impressed:
The Agent is a refreshing change from other Kickstarter smartwatches in that it actually offers something new in terms of technical aspirations. The watch should get up to 7 days of battery life with its smart functions activated, or up to 30 days of standby in ‘watchface-only” mode. Even if that misses the mark by a bit, it should still beat the stated and actual battery life of existing devices like the Pebble.
But getting the technology right is just the first step. In fact, smartwatch success has proven more of the exception rather than the rule. Past flops have included Microsoft's 2004 attempt to introduce the SPOT watch—an expensive failure of a device that didn't offer consumers any new information they couldn't already get for free on existing mobile devices (IEEE Spectrum wisely called it out as a tech "loser" early on).
To win a place in consumer hearts and on their wrists, smartwatches need to offer a compelling new argument to people already carrying phones and tablets. They also have to form a habit that most young people have never had—a 2008 survey by investment bank Piper Jaffray showed that almost two-thirds of teens never wear a watch. Others have abandoned ordinary watches in droves.
A strong sense of style will be essential for the growing number of people who see watches as fashion accessories or luxury items instead of necessary timekeepers. That means the technical prowess of Agent's engineering team at Secret Labs will have to be matched by the aesthetic design provided by House of Horology, a custom timepiece manufacturer that recently earned a "Best Men's Watches of 2013" accolade from New York Magazine.
Photo: Secret Labs | House of Horology
Jeremy Hsu has been working as a science and technology journalist in New York City since 2008. He has written on subjects as diverse as supercomputing and wearable electronics for IEEE Spectrum. When he’s not trying to wrap his head around the latest quantum computing news for Spectrum, he also contributes to a variety of publications such as Scientific American, Discover, Popular Science, and others. He is a graduate of New York University’s Science, Health & Environmental Reporting Program.


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In response to the recent adoption of the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety Opinion on Fragrance Allergens, The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) is proposing a multi-stakeholder process—which includes the input of scientists, regulators and civic groups—in order to address issues surrounding fragrance allergens in cosmetic products.
Following the adoption of the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety Opinion on Fragrance Allergens published July 31, IFRA is proposing a cooperative approach which includes a series of multi-stakeholder workshops and conferences. The first conference slated for December 2012 in Brussels will focus on bringing various areas of expertise together to reach an agreed upon definition of what constitutes a fragrance skin allergen.
IFRA is also proposing a formal process to review and revise protocols, methodologies and the definition of criteria. The group said it would ideally be held in partnership with the Directorate-General for Health and Consumers (DG SANCO) and involve the scientific community at large, the fragrance industry and its value chain partners.
The proposed process also includes the right of scrutiny for interested civil society groups. Building upon the initiative, the IFRA also suggests using technologies such as smart labeling, telephone hotlines and websites to help consumers obtain detailed, accurate and beneficial information on fragrance materials, which would allow consumers to evaluate a product in relation to potential skin allergens and their own requirements.
Following the pre-consultation phase for the Opinion, IFRA said it has been engaged with experts from the SCCS, the EU Commission, the scientific community and industry working toward resolving potential differences in views.
IFRA said it "firmly believes" that the recent public hearing on the draft Opinion demonstrated the need for a multi-stakeholder approach.


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Analysts: Telecoms revenue to suffer decline in 2020
May 12, 2020842 views0 comments
By Omobayo Azeez
Despite its acclaimed resilience to the current global economic downturn, the global telecoms industry is set to suffer fall in revenue in 2020.
The International Data Corporation (IDC), has told the telecoms industry to expect a decline of about 0.8 per cent in spending in 2020 worldwide, compared to 0.5 per cent growth last year.
IDC said carriers will continue to invest in 5G network deployments in many countries, while the lockdown has increased demand for fixed broadband services in the short term.
According to the body, the economic slowdown is expected to put ‘macro pressure’ on consumer spending, including upgrades to 5G mobile contracts, in the second half of 2020, yet the overall impact on telecom spending will be moderate compared to other ICT markets.
IDC said the IT infrastructure spending is projected to grow by an estimated four per cent to $437billion in the wake of spending by service providers for resiliency, in addition to increasing enterprise demand for cloud services.
Whereas, the ICT spending, which includes telecom and business services will decline by 3.4 per cent this year to just over $4trillion with telecom spending down 0.8 per cent.
Stephen Minton, programme vice president in IDC’s customer insights & analysis group, said inevitably a major economic recession, in Q2 especially, will translate into some big short-term reductions in IT spending by those companies and industries that are directly impacted.
IDC said cloud spending will continue to post moderate growth as businesses continue to fund existing cloud deployments, and some businesses may utilise the remainder of the year to accelerate cloud projects as a means to control costs and defer data centre and application upgrades.
“Overall software spending is now expected to decline as businesses delay new projects and application roll-outs, while there is a fundamental link between employment and spending on things like software licenses and campus networks,” Minton said.
Meanwhile, this prediction is in line with that made recently by Analysys Mason that the telecoms sector is set to lose $40 billion in revenue, equivalent to 3.4 per cent.
The research company expects that telecoms revenue across the board will dip this year, but noted this would be relatively short-lived, with a marginal recovery of 0.8 per cent tipped to begin from 2021.
Before the pandemic started taking its toll on the global telecoms sector, Analysys Mason had forecast revenue growth of 0.7 per cent in 2020 as against 0.5 per cent in 2019.
The revenue decline in 2020 is expected to be caused by large increases in unemployment, business closures, along with the effect of wider economic declines causing sharp drops in business services revenue.
Any impact will, however, be offset by consumer services, which account for the majority of operator’s revenue and will show “the greatest level of resilience during the downturn”, analysts stated in a report.
Going forward, Analysys Mason added operators should be able to limit impact on profitability, and while capex for 2020 was likely to fall due to constraints in building and supply chains, EBITDA margins will not be affected too much.
Rupert Wood, research director and co-author of the report, expects the industry to stay healthy despite the crisis, and “should show some of the strongest post-crisis investment”, with cashflow remaining resilient and governments expected to put emphasis on “5G and fibre in stimulus packages”.


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Bloomin’ Brands stock wobbled upward Wednesday morning after the company had worn a “kick me” sign in recent days.
The stock closed at $15.06 Tuesday amid a bad second-quarter report. By 11:08 a.m. Wednesday, it was at $15.45, after an opening surge took it to $15.75.
The Tampa-based parent company to Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, Fleming’s Steakhouse and Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion fell short of expectations — its own as well as analysts — based on an earnings report released Tuesday.
Domestic sales rose just 0.6 percent, well short of predictions.
For the quarter that ended June 29, Bloomin’ Brands (NASDAQ: BLMN) reported a net income of $27.7 million, down substantially from $76.5 million during the same period last year. That’s represents a drop from 58 cents to 21 cents per share.
The company’s revenue was up, however: $1.11 billion, compared to $1.02 billion in 2Q 2013.
Bloomin’ predicted a strong second quarter after a brutal winter caused its the prior quarter’s profit to slip 15 percent year-over-year.
Nation’s Restaurant News, a top industry trade publication, reported that the disappointing second-quarter resulted largely from declining dinner traffic. The company also experienced a rough patch in one of its bulwark markets, South Korea, which saw a rise in new competitors amid an economic downturn; casual dining sales there plunged 20 percent in the second quarter.
The news is not all bad. Bloomin’ reported strong growth in Brazil, where it has added three Outback Steakhouses this year and plans to open its first Carrabba’s. The company is growing its presence in China, where it has opened three restaurants in the last 18 months, with two more scheduled to open in the fall.
Here’s a closer look at the second quarter in each of the company’s brands:
- Corporate-owned Outback Steakhouses in the U.S. saw same-store sales up 0.9 percent, traffic up 0.3 percent.
- Bonefish Grill had a same-store sales increase of 0.3 percent, with a 0.4 percent drop in traffic.
- Carrabba’s domestic, company-owned locations saw same-store sales drop 1.2 percent, reflecting a 1.2 percent drop in traffic.
- Fleming’s Prime Steakhosue & Wine Bar recorded a 3.6 percent increase in same-store sales, and traffic was up 0.8 percent.


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The Korea FTA is Lose-Lose for the U.S. and Korea: The Facts
March 28, 2011
The Korean Embassy recently released claims purporting to rebut the statements in Lori Wallach’s February 15, 2011 Huffington Post piece about the lose-lose nature of the NAFTA-style deal with South Korea. These statements do not reveal the full truth of the matter and could leave a mistaken impression of the so-called “free trade agreement” (FTA) with Korea and its consequences. We’ll be posting the facts in response to the Korean Embassy’s misleading claims throughout the week.
THE FTA, FINANCIAL DEREGULATION AND WEAK LABOR RIGHTS
Korean Embassy does not even dispute that the Korea FTA could worsen financial stability and undermine labor rights. Wallach wrote that, “Another issue intensifying opposition to the FTA in Korea is the pact’s pre-crisis era financial deregulation requirements. After the 1997 Asian financial crisis wiped out decades of improvements to Korean living standards, Korea's policy response to the recent global crisis was forceful. Yet, aspects of both Korean and U.S. financial regulation would newly be exposed to direct challenge by the very firms that wrecked the global economy. Finally, the Korean union members on the delegation clearly shocked many of their audiences with their stories of how South Korean labor laws allow for strikers to be arrested for, well, striking and also allow individual strikers to be sued for compensation by their employers for lost profits.” The Korean Embassy does not rebut any of these points in their response to Wallach.
THE KOREA FTA’S DAMAGE TO THE U.S. AUTO SECTOR
Lori Wallach’s Huffington Post piece: “…the ITC [International Trade Commission] study showed that the (overall) U.S. deficit in autos and auto parts would increase by at least $531 million under the pact.”
Korean Embassy’s claim: “The ITC study predicted that the KORUS FTA would increase U.S. auto exports to Korea by 45.5 percent to 58.9 percent and auto imports from Korea by 9.1 percent to 12.0 percent. At the request of the House Ways and Means Committee, the ITC is investigating potential effects on the U.S. auto industry of FTA modifications agreed upon in December 2010. The ITC expects to submit its findings to the Committee by March 15, 2011.”
Facts: Playing with percentages obscures the projected worsening of the auto trade deficit. The embassy’s use of percentage gains versus the net balance or quantities of vehicles obscures the reality of the data. The USITC's prediction that exports of U.S. autos to Korea would increase by 46-59 percent seems impressive at first glance, but upon closer inspection it becomes clear that the very low starting point of U.S. exports to Korea (about 6,000 vehicles in 2009) means that this percentage increase is small potatoes that will be overwhelmed by the huge increase in Korean auto exports (at about 500,000 in 2009) to the United States projected to occur under the FTA. In the USITC study, U.S. auto exports to Korea start at only $0.7 billion, but Korean auto exports to the United States start at $14.5 billion. Thus, an increase in U.S. auto exports of 46-59 percent results in $294-381 million in greater auto exports, but the increase of 9-12 percent for imports of Korean autos leads to a $1,324-1,737 million import increase, dwarfing the U.S. exports and resulting in a net increase in the auto trade deficit with Korea of $1,030-1,356 million. (Note that due to trade diversion effects, the USITC found that the total increase in the U.S. auto trade deficit with the world is less than the increased deficit with Korea itself.)
It has long been know that Korea, Japan, China are protecting their industries through high import tariffs but allow exports on the cheap.
It was a founding father, Alexander Hamilton, who knew how to make the country independent and competitive by creating new industries and protect them from foreign imports until they became competitive. We have abandoned this idea and the Asian countries have capitalized on this and the result is that we have lost that advantage thanks to NAFTA and GATT. dVille
Posted by: Don Neuville (dVille) | March 31, 2011 at 12:40 PM


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New Delhi– Elon Musk-owned satellite company Starlink, will focus on 10 rural Lok Sabha constituencies to provide internet services, according to a top company executive.
According to newly-appointed India head of Starlink satellite communications (Satcom) service Sanjay Bhargava, it is also looking to hold virtual conversations with Members of Parliament, ministers and top government officials.
“In October, I am also keen to have 30-minute virtual conversations with MPs, Ministers, Secretaries to GOI, or Principal Secretaries to states to see if they think 100 per cent broadband would help improve lives,” Bhargava said in a LinkedIn post on Sunday.
“We will probably focus on ten rural Lok Sabha constituencies for 80 per cent of the Starlink terminals shipped to India. The number of preorders from rural constituencies will be one factor that helps us select focus constituencies,” he added.
The company’s satellite broadband services are being targeted in India in 2022, although its availability is subject to regulatory approvals.
The firm will shortly apply to the Indian government for a licence to launch its Starlink satellite broadband services in the country and is aiming to touch 200,000 active terminals by December 2022.
Starlink shipped 100,000 terminals to customers recently. The project aims to provide global broadband connectivity via a constellation of satellites.
SpaceX began satellite launches in November 2019 and opened its $99 per month beta programme for select customers around a year later.
Since that period, SpaceX has launched more than 1,700 satellites to date and — in addition to the 100,000 shipped terminals — has received over half a million additional orders for the service. (IANS)


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From handmade leather belts and wallets, to snow cones and nachos, there’s a little something from everyone at Reco’s variety store on Chicago Avenue.
LeAntoine Williams, 42, opened the store, 5311 W. Chicago Ave., about a year ago. He makes those custom belts and wallets himself.
The variety store is Williams’ second attempt at running a business in Austin.
He opened the clothing store T and R Collection, once located on Chicago Avenue just down the street from where he’s at now, until it shuttered in 2008.
“The economy went bad in 2008,” he said. “Where I had my business, the building went into foreclosure.”
Abandoned storefronts and buildings began to clutter the street.
“In that point in time, the community was going down,” he said. “I always thought … I would like to try another business again. Three years later, I’m back in business.”
Williams, who’s lived in Austin for 30 years, said people in the neighborhood encouraged him to open another store.
Now, with the help from Bethel New Life’s entrepreneurship training program, he’s learning how to market his business and develop a more thorough business plan.
Bethel New Life’s training program is a 15-week course where West Side entrepreneurs can develop and work on a business plan, meet with mentors and attend business-focused classes.
In fall 2012, Bethel New Life opened an Illinois Small Business Development Center, 1140 N. Lamon Ave., which is funded by the state and federal government to stimulate business.
Bethel New Life’s facility is geared toward the support of new and existing businesses on the West Side, said Bethel New Life Vice President Edward Coleman.
Coleman said the organization wanted to do something “above and beyond the norm” and provide additional stimulus to West Side businesses.
“We knew coming into this we wanted to encourage a number of people to go through an education process to understand the steps it would take to get a business started,” he said.
The 15-week program includes training for brand new entrepreneurs or business owners in the early start-up stages, Coleman said.
Students who save $1,500 toward their business will receive $6,000 matching funds from Bethel New Life for business costs. Bethel New Life received funding for the program from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.
About 167 people applied for the program, which kicked off last fall. The applicants were narrowed down to 30 students after an intense application process and an oral presentation of their business plans, Coleman said.
In addition to Williams’ variety store, other entrepreneurs have plans to start a bakery, construction business, an online clothing store and food-related services, among others, Coleman said.
One of the 30 entrepreneurs, Vanita Thompson, plans to open a painting and cleaning service this year.
“I may be a convicted felon, low income, and a single mother, but I’m not useless or worthless,” Thompson said in a Bethel New Life newsletter. “I’ve paid my debt to society and now my passion is to support my family, train and employ others from my community and show society that this country was built on strong, small businesses.”
Williams said business on Chicago Avenue is picking up, and there’s a “better outlook now” than in 2008.
“People are starting to take more and more interest in this community,” he said. “There are a lot of opportunities, we just need to get out here and bring it back to the community.”
He said his goal is to educate and empower others in the community to also start businesses.
“I ride up and down these streets all day long,” he said. “All I see is empty store fronts and abandoned buildings. I think we all just need to educated the youth and educate people. Entrepreneurship is the way to go. That’s what this country was based on — starting businesses, hiring people, empowering people, educating people.”


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Having the royal seal of approval is a major advantage in many consumer markets, and that’s certainly true for Serbian supplier Ritopek Cherries, which was recently granted a warrant to sell its products as ‘by appointment’ to the country’s very own HRH Crown Prince Alexander II.
Second cousin to the heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, Alexander has been a major supporter of the company and even introduced its chief executive, Jonathan Robinson, to his illustrious relative during a recent visit to Serbia.
Despite its name, Ritopek Cherries markets a broad range of products from its headquarters near Belgrade, including cherries, apples, pears, plums and apricots. The prince’s support is said to be a major boost.
“We pride ourselves on quality and this strengthens our brand further,” says Robinson. “This opens up the top end market of those wanting the best-quality fruit that money can buy for their customers. However, with our ever-growing buying power we are passing these savings back to our customers, making us their first choice for price as well as quality.”
Ritopek Cherries’ main market has traditionally been Russia but is increasingly finding new opportunities in other parts of Europe.
Managing director Dragon Petkovic believes the company has the experience necessary to do well there.
“Quality comes first,” he points out. “That’s our policy, and the reason we can supply supermarkets in the region like Delhaize, Mercator and Metro.”
With GlobalGAP-certified apples and apricots already available, and cherries set to follow next season, the group’s main challenge will be to achieve growth while maintaining its existing business.
The fact that its products are deemed fit for a prince can only help.


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The Walt Disney Company uses social media contests to attract fans and increase enthusiasm. By promoting online connections through social media, the company is really establishing stronger bonds of brand loyalty and connectedness with their customers. As David Meerman Scott relates in his book, it is critically important in such a digital age, for companies to get connected through social media. There are no charges to get connected in this way, and with increased brand recognition, higher brand authority, and the opportunity for customer insights, there are really no downsides to social media application.
Through social media, the Walt Disney Company has also become very invested in contests and sweepstakes programs to further involve customers. For example, this year, Disney launched a “Show Your Disney Side” contest. Using the hashtag #disneyside on all social media outlets including Facebook, Twitter, Vine, and Instagram, individuals were chosen to be featured on the Disney Side Website.
Disney Examiner articulates that Disney Side is, “a place where guests get to show off their crazy, fun, cheesy, and happy times while living in their Disney dreams. They’ll be able to do that by sharing those moments on social media because that’s where most people (especially Disney fans) are nowadays as seen in the massive amount of moments that are already shared there. The fact that Disney is already making their following and guest engagement stronger through social media plans like these are really appreciated by people like us because we believe no one will know their Disney side until they see yours!”
Through this social media contest, top candidates had the opportunity to win Disney Parks Vacations and even cash prizes. Using incentives such as these, The Walt Disney Company is really drawing customers in through social media and ultimately benefiting from the promotional effort. An additional nationwide competition Disney participated in was the Cheer on Your Disney Side campaign promoting ESPN. Again, using these online social media sites to promote such contests are benefiting the company at large tremendously.
Some of the benefits of social media contests discussed in Professor Sweet’s class include the following:
– Contests connect with consumers
– Consumers get something for nothing
– Companies earn Quid Pro Quo (something for something)
– Represent real engagement
– Pro-sumer opportunities (producer and consumer)
– Surprising creativity
– Contextualized to various SM platforms
– Contests reveal:
○ Social media as communication platform
○ Social media as testing platform
○ Social media as recognition platform
By employing social media contests such as that which is presented above, The Walt Disney Company is using its’ digital footprint wisely. Through contests, Disney is building up brand loyalty in a way that is current and in line with the modern times.
What are some suggested contest or sweepstakes ideas that huge companies such as The Walt Disney Company might consider pursuing? In what ways do you feel contests help consumers to feel more connected with an institution?


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Companies Anticipate NFC Scale-Up With Apple's iOS 13 Release
Apple's latest operating system will provide greater Near Field Communication functionality for developers; the firm is also promoting multiple products of its own using the technology, prompting NFC companies to prepare for market growth.
For developers and the NFC market as a whole, the significance of this announcement is twofold, says Craig Tadlock, GoToTags' CEO. It not only expands the capacity for NFC-based apps (since most phones will now work with it), but it also signals Apple's plans to build more NFC functionality into its own apps and products. The new Apple Card, for instance, will include an NFC tag to provision it. The company also demonstrated NFC stickers for downloading music at WWDC. Additionally, Apple's HomeKit home-intelligence system and GymKit fitness-tracking solution both support NFC, as will audio app HomePod. "Expect to see much more going forward," Tadlock says.
Until recently, the awareness and adoption of NFC—which transmits at 13.56 MHz and complies with the ISO 14443 and 15693 standards—have been somewhat limited. That, in part, is due to the fact that access to NFC solutions were not available to iOS device users. That was a sticking point, Tadlock says, adding, "People didn't know about it." Now, he predicts, with Apple promoting its phone as a way to interact with physical things, awareness will grow quickly. "Once someone experiences this one or two times, they get it, and it eventually becomes intuitive."
In the meantime, products like Apple Pay remain strong. Two billion NFC-enabled devices are already in use globally—one for every four people worldwide—and a good percentage of those are Apple products, Tagawa says. "Expanding NFC capabilities means consumers will be the big winners," he states. "We'll see more and more new, useful applications that will increase consumers' interest and comfort with contactless experiences." He adds, "iOS 13 will only help."
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Tag Archives : hyundai india
Hyundai India has recently been on a roll when it comes to launches. Right from the new i10, the fluidic Verna to the mighty EON.
Very few foreign automotive companies have left as strong of mark on the Indian market as Hyundai. In fact, they are the second largest auto.
We all know that Gujarat is the emerging new ‘Motown’ of India. All manufacturers are making a beeline to set up shop in Gujarat. Amidst.
After many recent launches like the i20, Sonata Transform and Verna Automatic, Hyundai Motors is getting ready for its next launch. Hyundai plans to bring.
In an attempt to foster Hyundai’s brand image and to take the i20 sales success to the next level in Europe, the company will launch.
Hyundai Motor India Ltd, the second largest car manufacturer and the largest passenger car exporter in yet another strategic move has signed an MOU with.
It has not been even a month since Hyundai launched its i20 hatch in India and now the company plans to launch its i30 and.