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The International Dairy Show is the premier trade show for processing & packaging professionals in the global dairy industry. Whatever your role you will find top-notch education, daily networking events and hundreds of innovative suppliers.
Canadean’s annual Innovation in Non-Alcoholic Beverages conference returns for its fourth year running this September. Join us in investigating some of the challenges faced by beverage brand owners, and find the answers to your key questions.
DrinkPreneur Live is Europe’s only business accelerator forum for new beverage brands. It returns to London on 23 September 2015 following last year’s inaugural event attended by over 100 start-up and early stage brand developers.
In October 2015, Chicago will host the first ever Food Vision USA event. Building on the success of the Food Vision global event, held annually in Cannes, France since 2013, Food Vision USA will focus exclusively on the dynamics of the world’s biggest food market and the energy and creativity of the manufacturers operating within it.
Held in London for the past two years, Wine Vision has come to be recognised as a ‘must attend’ event for business leaders across the global wine industry. Since 2014 more than 400 CEOs, senior level decision makers, and thought leaders attended from 30 countries. Their feedback was unanimous: Wine Vision extended their knowledge, enriched their networks and inspired action in their business.
The U.S. Beverage Industry Expo (USBevX) was established to provide Beer, Cider, Spirits and Wine producers a world-class Conference & Trade Show to address current business challenges and opportunities faced by today’s adult beverage producers.
Food Vision is an all inclusive, three day event with a format designed to facilitate knowledge transfer; develop commercial opportunities, and grow business relationships for leaders in the international nutrition and food & drink industries.
Foodex, the UK’s premier trade event for the food and drink processing, packaging, ingredients and logistics industries, is returning in 2016 to offer a one-stop shop for manufacturing professionals across the full industry spectrum.
In April 2016, Singapore will host the first ever Food Vision Asia event, a forum that brings together senior figures in food R&D, marketing and business strategy from Asian food and nutrition businesses and from non-Asian companies eager to leverage opportunities in this expanding market.


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Oscar de la Renta, the renowned fashion designer who died on Monday at the age of 82, will be buried at a private funeral in New York early next month. A mass for family and close friends will be held on Nov. 4 at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola at Park Avenue in Manhattan, according to Vogue magazine. During his lengthy career De la Renta was known for his sophisticated suits with fitted jackets, feminine dresses in pastel colors and flowered prints, and elaborate evening gowns. He was a favorite among actresses including Sarah Jessica Parker, Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence, who wore his creations on the red carpet.
Fri Oct 24 , 2014

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Apple has finally officially confirmed that it is going to launch its latest high-end smartphone Apple iPhone 5s and the low cost Apple iPhone 5c in India on November 1st. It will be a real treat for the Apple fan-boys in the country before the holiday season as well as festive season. The high-end Apple iPhone 5S is mainly targeted at the buyers looking for fastest Apple smartphone experience and company has also embedded a fingerprint sensor in this phone for extra security of user’s data.
In addition to the launch of the phones in India, company has also confirmed that it will launch the devices on the same date in more countries like Albania, Bahrain, Moldova, Guam, Armenia, Macedonia etc. etc.. Company has also confirmed that these devices will land in 25 additional countries from Friday, October 25 including Italy, Finland, Russia, Spain and South Korea etc. Both of the phones are currently available to buy in the markets like US, China, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Germany, Canada, Japan, UK, Puerto Rico and Singapore. And, now these will be finally rolled out in more waiting consumers in the other regions too.
Apple officially launched these phones in an event on September 10 and the phones were available to buy in mentioned above 9 countries from September 20th. The gold edition of the Apple iPhone 5S has been a huge success for the Cupertino tech giant in the Asian markets, where the phone sold out in just a week after the launch.


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Home Bell Publishing About Contact
Asia CanTech will return to the Thailand capital of Bangkok in 2018.
INX International Ink Co. has announced that it will be exhibiting and hosting INX Color Perfection demonstrations at Cannex & Fillex Asia Pacific, from 15-18 May in Guangzhou, China.
Posted 27 March 2018
Ardagh Group scooped the Supreme Cup at the Euro CanTech Awards, which took place at Euro CanTech trade show in Milan, Italy on 19-21 March 2018.
Posted 23 March 2018
The Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel and Towers has been chosen as this years Asia CanTech Venue.
Posted 14 March 2018
Craft Drinks India has been announced as the latest trade fair addition to the Beviale Family’s beverage production segment.
Posted 12 March 2018
Following multiple pleas from can making corporations to exclude steel cans and aluminium from tariffs, president Donald Trump has confirmed that the taxation of aluminium and steel is imminent.
Posted 9 March 2018
Coca-Cola is planning to produce its first ever alcoholic drink in Japan.
Posted 8 March 2018


text: Chinese officials are forcing people to get vaccinated, even though Beijing says it’s not required. Residents who don’t want to get the shot may face retaliation from officials. A video shows a group of authorities forcing a farmer away from his field to get the vaccine. Heavy rains strike in Henan Province. The downpour led to road collapse there. Beijing is keeping an eye on celebrities and their online fans, as the regime clamps down on a number of domestic business sectors—a move insiders say carries political goals. Counterfeit products from China surface in the United States. Customs and Border Protection seized nearly 40,000 fake designer products from China in just a month—goods that would be worth $50 million, if genuine.


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To help find non-surgical interventions for mitral regurgitation, Materialise and Henry Ford Health Systems are bringing their workflow to a wider audience.
Kodak has signed Smart International as their global 3D printing brand licensee and they're creating 3D printers for creative professionals.
The Massachusetts startup Markforged has raised $30 million in funding from Siemens’ next47 venture firm, Microsoft Ventures, and Porsche SE.
Hackaday user Colin Pate has built his own 3D VR camera. Detailed across an in-depth Hackaday project, you can too.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has developed a metal 3D printing process that yields stronger steel than current methods.
Researchers at Perdue University have outlined a new software solution to the limitations of underpowered smartphone-driven VR.
The University of Miami's College of Engineering cuts the ribbon on the new 5,850-square-foot Johnson & Johnson 3D Printing Center.
Sculptor Malcolm DeMille describes his use of 3D printing to develop the iconic rooster trophy for the Sanderson Farms Championship.
Project Magnify, created by high school seniors, hopes to use 3D printing to bring resources to under privileged schools in California.
Chisel&Mouse is a design studio run by two brothers who use 3D modelling software, 3D printing and plaster casts to create replica buildings.
Promising a VR future with peripheral vision and no motion sickness, proven Kickstarter campaigner Pimax is set to trounce its $200,000 goal.
At SEMA 2017, Airwolf 3D is unveiling a modified 2016 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat that is upgraded with 3D printed components.
3D Hubs intern Jack Davies improved his daily commute by creating a 3D printed electric skateboard with HP Jet Fusion technology.
Halloween is here, and that means the minions of darkness are not far behind. Protect yourself with this 3D printed candy corn launcher.
Aaron Sims Creative is the design studio behind the Demogorgon monster in Stranger Things. To create the design, they used 3D printing.
Researchers from Wyss Institute have created a mini-drone called RoboBee which can fly, dive into water, swim and explode out of the water.
With the holiday season right around the corner, what better way to kick things off than by winning the brand new Prusa I3 MK3 3D printer?


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Jun 28, 2013 03:31 PM EDT
(Reuters) - Google Inc is developing a videogame console and a wristwatch based on its Android operating system, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
The devices could be available as soon as this Fall, the report, which cited anonymous sources, said.
Google, the world's No.1 Web search engine, is also working on a revamped version of the Nexus Q music-streaming device, the report said. Google unveiled the Nexus Q in June 2012, but never released the product, which received critical reviews.
Google is increasingly involved in the hardware business as it seeks to better compete against iPhone-maker Apple Inc. It acquired mobile phone company Motorola Mobility last year and Google is currently testing a wearable computing device known as Google Glass.
Google's Android operating system is the world's most popular mobile software, featured on three out of every four smartphones sold. A video game console could provide a significant opportunity for Google to expand Android's reach beyond its stronghold in smartphones and tablets.
Google was not immediately available for comment.
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Late last week Google released data (captured and collected by Compete) about the role of digital media, mobile devices and video in US consumers' apparel shopping habits. Overall the data reflect the now many influences operating on consumer decision-making. It also shows how traditional media still play a meaningful role in purchase behavior: they create awareness and stimulate further research on digital devices.
But rather than identifying "which 50%" of the media spend is truly effective, it seems that it is getting progressively more complicated for marketers and correspondingly difficult to correctly attribute sales or "conversions" to specific campaigns.
Q: How soon after the last time you saw or heard each of the following types of apparel ads did you look up the advertiser online to get more information?
The Google-sponsored research, as mentioned, offers a range of findings. Below I examine some of the mobile-specific data.
Q: Which of the following online sources did you access on your mobile phone?
The largest single category in the slide above is search. Google uses this data in part to impliedly make the case for mobile search advertising. But the more interesting interpretation of this slide is that search penetration on mobile devices (in this study and apparel category) is far less than on the PC where as much as 95% of the online population uses search engines. (There are other data showing greater mobile search usage.)
In the slide below, echoing lots of other data, most mobile consumers are comparing prices, looking for deals and reading product reviews on their phones (and tablets).
Q: Which of the following did you do on your mobile device while researching or shopping for apparel?
One thing that's interesting about the findings of this Google-Compete study is the fact that most of the mobile usage happened at home vs. any other location. At least among apparel shoppers, fewer of them are using their devices in stores than other survey data have shown. In other surveys numbers have been as high as 80% - 90% of smartphone owners using devices while in retail stores for various purposes.
Q: From which of the following locations did you use your mobile device(s) (e.g., mobile phone and/or tablet) to shop for apparel?
The fact that tablets owners and tablet usage are included in these findings may account for the smaller in-store usage figures. In addition, the sample size was relatively small (n=161). Regardless, it's accurate to point out that a considerable amount of smartphone usage happens at home. Accordingly, marketers cannot and should not assume that smartphone users are always "out and about" when consulting their devices.
Though not explored in this study, it's also generally true that mobile research is followed up by online or in-store (rather than mobile) purchases.
Mobile industry and carrier watcher Chetan Sharma has pulled together mostly carrier-published data for a mid-year update across a range of topics relevant to the wireless industry. I pulled four of his slides below; however you can see the full presentation here.
The first slide below shows increasing smartphone penetration in the US and abroad. No surprise here; this has been in the survey data for months. In Q2 smartphone sales exceeded 70% of new handset sales in the US.
Outside the US smartphone penetration isn't rising quite as fast. However it will accelerate and US smartphone growth will start to slow over the next 12 to 24 months. Feature phone sales in the US are now clearly in the minority.
The next slide shows handset market share by manufacturer, with feature phone sales representing only about 30% of total handset sales this year.
Particularly striking in the chart above are the following:
The graphic above shows the relative shares of voice and data on US carrier networks. Data, in red, now entirely eclipses voice. In 2009 the two were had nearly equal shares of traffic on carrier networks.
Finally, the following chart shows the ratio of WiFi-only tablets tablet sales with carrier network connections.
I'm drawing a few inferences but it appears the data show consumers are avoiding additional carrier fees and service plans, preferring to run tablets on WiFi networks. Notwithstanding some of the new shared data plans it appears that carriers will not derive significant new revenues from the growth of tablets.
With nearly 50 million tablets in the US market, carrier-networked devices constitute roughly 8% of the total. The lure of discounted devices in exchange for two-year contract commitments isn't succeeding in getting customers to pay additional carrier fees. Beyond basic consumer resistance to new fees, the $199 Kindle Fire, Nexus 7 and potentially forthcoming 7-inch iPad, undermine the appeal of carrier discounts.
Yesterday Starbucks and Square made a big announcement. The deal is huge for Square and will make it the payments processor for US Starbucks locations. The coffee-lifestyle company also invested $25 million in Square at a $3.25 billion valuation. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz joined the Square board as part of the deal.
Here are the basic terms:
Why is this important and what's important about it? Clearly it's a massive win for Square, which becomes the undisputed "mobile payments" leader in the US with this deal. It brings, scale, prestige, brand recognition and revenue to Square.
However there's nothing actually new here for Starbucks from a consumer experience standpoint. Starbucks has offered mobile payments through its smartphone apps for some time. That will continue.
Square's "Pay with Square" consumer app and local business directory will also become an accepted form of payment at Starbucks. This will give a significant boost to the app, which hasn't been widely adopted.
I've described Starbucks before as "The American Idol of mobile payments." That's because it's in a nearly unique position to educate consumers and introduce them to mobile payments in a specific context, where they can experience the efficiency and convenience of paying without using cash or physically swiping their credit cards.
I've also recently written that it's this type of "point solution" experience that's going to be the driver of mobile payments rather than abstract, "horizontal" apps such as Google Wallet. Ultimately, however, Google Wallet and others may be the beneficiaries of the Starbucks-Square partnership and the "education" it brings to the market.
The high profile nature of this deal may motivate similar deals or the acceleration of mobile payments at other fast-food and "fast causal" eating establishments. I wouldn't be surprised, for example, if McDonald's initiated a mobile payments pilot of some sort in the very near future.
Being a payments startup is hard, even for one funded by megabank JP Morgan Chase. The Chase-backed GoPago, which launched a mobile app in late February this year, has struggled for awareness and consumer adoption in a crowded market where most people don't even recognize the need for mobile payments.
In addition to mobile payments the consumer-facing GoPago app also provides a range of additional services, including online ordering and a number of small-business marketing capabilities. Before launching the company developed a cloud-based POS system that interfaces with established POS systems. GoPago sought to create a kind of self-contained marketplace for local businesses and consumers not unlike PayPal's mobile marketing and payments strategy.
But that didn't work -- at least not yet. Now the company is using its cloud-based infrastructure to go after SMB merchants, who are also aggressively being courted by Square, PayPal, Intuit, Groupon and others.
GoPago this morning introduced a POS terminal called "GoPago Live," which goes much further than its competitors. Rather than being simply an iPad and software (it uses an Android tablet), GoPago Live offers a complete POS system, a cash box, receipt printer, card reader and 4G Internet access -- all for free. There's also 24 hour customer support.
In return GoPago takes 2.85% per transaction, which is competitive with PayPal and Square. Payment processing is provided by Chase Paymentech. Interestingly GoPago even shields merchants from Amex's higher transaction fees. It will allow merchants to accept Amex for the same 2.85% fee.
Assuming it all works as advertised, I haven't seen a demo, this is a pretty compelling package for local merchants. GoPago told me that the company is targeting neighborhood businesses with revenues in the "low six-digit range."
The challenge once again is rising above all the "noise" in the market. But the substantial cost savings available to merchants using GoPago Live (perhaps between roughly $5K and $15K per year) should help drive word of mouth and general SMB awareness. And while the Chase connection didn't help very much in getting consumers to adopt the mobile app, GoPago may have more success using Chase to drive awareness and adoption on the merchant side.
Nielsen has identified the top mobile shopping apps for June in the US market. The list is as follows:
While eBay and Amazon have been on top of this list since its inception, ShopKick and Walgreens are a bit of surprise to me. However it's not clear precisely how Nielsen defines the "shopping" category.
While eBay had a little over 1 million more users than Amazon (13.16 vs. 12.12 million) the time spent with the eBay app was much more than Amazon users (1:04 vs. 18 minutes). The discrepancy can likely be explained in the fact that Amazon users are probably much more directed, looking up prices, reviews and product availability while eBay users probably browse and look at many more pages.
Beating both by a mile was ShopKick, with three hours, 19 minutes (3:19) on average June. That kind of engagement is truly impressive.
Last night Nuance Communications took the wraps off Nina, a virtual assistant for enterprise mobile customer service apps. The comparisons to Siri are immediate and obvious. However Nina doesn't directly compete with Siri; it's not a consumer app. Rather Nina extends Siri-like "conversational" interactions to enterprise mobile apps -- in the hope and expectation of delivering better customer care experiences.
Dan Miller has written up the announcement and what it means for mobile customer service on the Opus Research blog. The first announced enterprise to take advantage of Nina is bank USAA (launching next year). Nuance is offering a developer SDK and APIs and is enabling customization, extending to the persona/voices. Consequently one enterprise's version of Nina can look and sound very different than other's.
For purposes of this post, however, I want to focus more narrowly on one piece of the Nina experience: password voice authentication. This is unlikely to draw much coverage and will be overshadowed by the Siri comparisons and discussion.
Password voice authentication for mobile devices is a technology that has existed for some time. But there's no mainstream implementation of this capability really until now. There's also beta product called Kivox, available for Android handsets but not through the Google Play or Amazon markets. It has to be downloaded directly in a convoluted process that will elude mainstream users.
It's very painful to enter passwords manually (password and username) on a smartphone. And it has to be done again and again. While Safari and Chrome offer to remember passwords that doesn't always work. By contrast voice biometrics for password entry is an elegant solution to the small screen problem. It could also eliminate the need to create conventional passwords entirely. There would be nothing or very little to remember or write down. You'd just speak your "passphrase."
The voice authentication capability is actually part of a separate module that Nuance offers. It can be integrated into apps without the full Nina integration. I'm not an expert on voice biometrics -- Opus' Dan Miller is the leading expert on voice biometrics and chairs the VoiceBioCon event -- but this is the part of the Nina announcement that I was most excited about.
Assuming it works well, it relieves a major headache for me in dealing with passwords on mobile sites and smartphone apps. While Nina will undoubtedly be widely adopted and successful, voice authentication has the potential to be equally transformative of the user experience. So would voice-initiated payments and transactions, but that's entirely different post.
Below is a video showing a demo of Nina.
Yesterday I spoke with yet another company in the mobile payments space. It faces challenges of awareness and adoption, like most competitors in this segment. Also yesterday Google Wallet upgraded to enable any credit or debit card to be used in conjunction with the app. The problem is there are only six phones in the US, operating on the Sprint network, that are compatible with Google Wallet. Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile either don't have Google Wallet-enabled phones or aren't permitting its use right now (i.e., Verizon).
Today TechCrunch reports on new funding and a new CEO for QuickPay, a mobile parking app. In addition to QuickPay, I have two other parking apps on my iPhone: Parkmobile and PayByPhone. I love these apps because they enable me to pay for parking very efficiently, without relying on coins or even a credit card (which was a great innovation at parking meters until mobile apps came along). With these apps I can also extend time remotely, which means I don't physically have to go back to the meter.
The superiority of the experience afforded by these apps vs. the old way of paying for parking is dramatic. This is the kind of scenario (point solutions with specific use cases) that will drive consumer adoption of "mobile payments," which won't be seen by consumers as "mobile payments" (with all the corresponding security fears) but simply as a great convenience instead.
Once consumers have become accustomed to using mobile payments point solutions such as parking apps, they'll be much more comfortable with mobile payments generally and embrace mobile wallets such as Google Wallet -- provided there's merchant adoption and general availability.
ABI Research is projecting that mobile devices will account for just under one quarter (24.4%) of all e-commerce by 2017. If "mobile" is defined to include tablets, then maybe. But if we're talking about smartphones largely or exclusively there's a long way to go before that happens.
Despite the fact that the data now show a majority of smartphone users have made purchases on their devices, most people don't routinely engage in e-commerce via smartphones. Security fears and the problem of entering credit card numbers are major barriers to so-called "m-commerce." Tablets by contrast are driving lots of purchase behavior.
A majority of smartphone owners (80% to 90%) use their devices in stores to check prices and get reviews and product information. However most don't go on to buy -- unless it's through eBay or Amazon.
As a general matter, if people are going to buy "online," they later go to their PCs and make purchases. Nielsen data, compiled by eMarketer, show that a minority of users (5% of smartphone owners) are buying things directly through mobile devices -- in this case in response to a mobile ad. But these data are also reflective of the general fact that most people don't buy on smartphones.
According to Nielsen the top mobile "shopping" apps are the following
Amazon and eBay in particular have invested hugely in mobile and it has paid off -- literally. Amazon in particular has your credit card on file and can enable a mobile transaction with a single click.
By contrast, most e-commerce sellers lag far behind these leaders. And to drive the kind of shopping volume that ABI is projecting the "credit card problem" needs to be solved. Large retailers with whom shoppers have direct relationships (e.g., Target, Macys, Wal-Mart) can store credit cards on file and remove friction accordingly.
However "no-name" e-commerce sellers are not going to be able to participate in smartphone-based commerce unless they address the payments problem, which could be via PayPal or using a solution such as the one offered by Card.io. Indeed, it's far from clear that the ABI prediction will come to pass.
We're probably looking at a situation for the medium term foreseeable future where smartphones are aggressively used by consumers for research and price comparisons but generally not used for conventional e-commerce transactions except in select situations such as I've described.
Microsoft did a nice job in reinventing its mobile OS with the advent of Windows Phones. There are ways in which the "Metro UI" is beautiful and strikingly different than iOS and Android. However the UI also represents the greatest barrier to adoption of Windows Phones.
Until people have a chance to use and familiarize themselves with Windows Phones they won't buy them because of the perceived unfamiliarity. Agressive discounting in the US may convince some to do so however. But as long as there are relatively few Windows Phones "out in the world" the impulse to buy them will also be limited.
It's Microsoft and Nokia's version of the "chicken and egg problem." Targeting new smartphone owners is probably the best strategy to gain share for the companies in the near term. Once they have some users they can upsell them to more expensive and high-powered phones.
Among developers however, Appcelerator has discovered that there's an increasing appreciation for the Metro UI. In a survey of more than 2,000 mobile developers, 44% of them characterized the metro UI as "different and beautiful" compared with iOS and Android.
That 44% hasn't yet translated into a belief that Windows Phones will succeed -- even in the enterprise, where Microsoft has had historical advantages over competitors. Developers in this survey do think that BlackBerry is essentially dead in the enterprise (which would mean death for the company overall) and thus by default that Windows will be the "third ecosystem."
Speaking purely for myself, the Windows Phone homescreen is a barrier to adoption. While the "live tiles" are supposed to facilitate quick access to content and enable us to "get back to our lives" I find them awkward and off-putting. I think the modifications of Windows Phone 8 make it worse.
The "inside" of Windows Phone is much better and more pleasing. Regardless, I think the outlook for Windows Phones (and by extension Nokia) remains very mixed at best. Unless or until Microsoft and Nokia can get these phones in people's hands they'll have trouble winning share.
Just like Amazon, Facebook is building a phone. This rumor has been around perhaps for two years but Bloomberg seems to confirm it. The hardware maker is said to be the struggling HTC. Previously HTC released the ChaCha (pictured at right), with a dedicated Facebook button.
The ChaCha was a failure. Will a dedicated "Facebook phone" equally bomb? The chances are very good that it would see limited demand.
From Facebook's perspective the logic of its own device is understandable:
The problem is that iPhone and Android devices have dedicated Facebook apps. This will be sufficient for all but the most dedicated Facebook users.
The additional integrations and "cool things" that Facebook could do with its own version of Android won't be enough incentive for most people to buy the device. Younger users and first-time buyers making the switch from feature phones to smartphones might be enticed to buy such a device if the price were right.
The other major issue is privacy and data-mining. I'm making a bunch of assumptions when I say that a Facebook phone would likely collect even more data about individuals and their behavior (calls with contacts, sites visited, apps used, physical movements) than the existing mobile apps or online experience do. Thus concern that "your phone is watching/tracking you" would cause many to stay away and could even lead to regulatory investigations -- depending on how aggressive Facebook wanted to be with tracking/monitoring.
However I know that Facebook is more cautious about privacy these days and so it might be more restrained.
Although the rumors have been around for a long time, Facebook probably saw Amazon's success with Kindle and Kindle Fire and decided there was little or nothing to lose in making its own device. I just don't think many people will be very interested.
Update: On the Facebook Q2 earnings call this afternoon CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that it didn't make a lot of sense for Facebook to create its own phone. But we'll see early next year.
One of the chief innovations Google is bringing to its "Jelly Bean" Android update involves local search and related functionality through Google Now. I've written fairly extensively already about these new features on my Screenwerk blog and Search Engine Land. In short, the new Android OS offers information "cards" (structured data) in response to a range of query types, especially local.
This is at once an evolution of the Google search experience for mobile devices and an effort to better compete with Apple's Siri. The information (search result) is more attractively presented and substitutes for the traditional page of search results, which still can be found by scrolling to the bottom. In addition to the image above right, below are a few example screenshots:
This new presentation is more consistent with what mobile users want ("answers") and offers a better experience overall than a conventional page of "blue links." The potential problem for Google is that this approach goes much further in the direction of substituting "Google's own content" for third party information, which is at the center of Europe's antitrust dispute with Google.
The issue of of Google showing its "own content" at the top of search results or in a preferential position is one of four "concerns" raised by the EU in May along with an invitation to settle. Because it goes to the heart of Google's control over the search results page and the company's ability to experiment and innovate with new content presentations, it's one of the most potentially challenging issues for Google to negotiate with the EU.
Google has been trying to avoid a formal antitrust action by European regulators. But just as it was negotiating to settle the case, EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia, last week, asked Google to make "broad changes" to its mobile services. While it's not clear specifically what he is asking for, the path adopted by Jelly Bean -- which completely marginalizes third party content in a range of cases -- exacerbates one of the EU's fundamental "concerns" about Google.
Google is not going to want to be locked into any specific search results page in mobile. It will demand the ability to change the look and feel of the page and to innovate around the way it presents content. But to the extent any such innovations don't involve equal exposure of third party information the Europeans will probably have strong objections.
The next couple of weeks should determine whether Google will be able to negotiate a settlement or whether the company will face a formal antitrust action (and potentially billions in fines) from the EU.
The rumor that Amazon was going to build a smartphone has been around for some time. However it has returned and gained new momentum of late, with the recent acquisition of 3-D mapping service UpNext. And an article last night from Bloomberg seems to confirm that Amazon will introduce a handset or handsets -- made by Foxconn, the company that makes the iPhone and iPad:
Foxconn International Holdings Ltd., the Chinese mobile- phone maker, is working with Amazon on the device, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans are private. Amazon is seeking to complement the smartphone strategy by acquiring patents that cover wireless technology and would help it defend against allegations of infringement, other people with knowledge of the matter said
Let's now assume that Amazon is making a smartphone -- a Kindle smartphone -- what is the outlook for such a device? One would assume, like Kindle Fire, that it will be built on a highly customized version of Android, with the same type of Amazon content integration as seen on the Amazon tablet.
The Kindle Fire was a sales success because of the strength of the Amazon brand and channel and the inexpensive price tag ($199). Amazon's brand won't be as much of a factor in the smartphone arena. An Amazon smartphone will have to compete on the strength of its features and on price. It's hard to imagine that Amazon will be able to compete on price because many Android phones are already very cheap or free (carrier subsidized).
Content (as in Amazon books, movies and music) also doesn't factor as significantly as a differentiator on smartphones it as potentially does on a 7-inch tablet. What matters on smartphones is the availability of apps. There's already a Kindle app for iPhone and Android; so users already have access to much of Amazon's content (though not cloud-based music or movies). And the Amazon app store is an incomplete version of Google Play (the Android market). In other words, the competitive advantages that helped drive Kindle Fire sales don't exist at all or won't exist to the same degree in a smartphone context.
The only way I could see an Amazon smartphone succeeding vs. other Android phones or the iPhone is if the phone were absolutely top-of-the-line and Amazon were practically giving it away (sub-$100). Otherwise I think we'll see a tepid response by consumers.
Beyond this, depending on what kind of finally shows up, I'm sure Amazon will be pulled into the maelstrom of mobile patent litigation.
Despite all the promises of digital marketing, data and analytics most marketers remain confused about how to manage the increasing complexity of digital channels, devices and tactics -- let along integrate them coherently. In particular, two recent surveys from email marketing services provider StrongMail and IBM show that marketers and CMOs conceptually embrace mobile marketing but are generally stumped by tactics.
The IBM survey was conducted in 2012 and had a sample size of roughly 350 "marketing practitioners." The StrongMail survey was conducted in Q1 and had 802 respondents, described as "business leaders." Just under half (46%) of the StrongMail respondents technically qualify as small businesses, with fewer than 100 employees. The IBM survey was more representative of enterprises and had respondents from multiple countries.
Among StrongMail survey respondents, only 55% had an existing mobile presence or were engaged in any form of mobile marketing. And 57% said they'd been doing it for only a year or less. Although 43% of those without a mobile presence or strategy planned to implement one within the next year.
What did they plan to do? In roughly equal numbers the StrongMail respondents planned to build mobile sites (30%) and mobile apps (26%), followed by SMS/MMS marketing (15%). Impressively, 70% of StrongMail survey respondents planned to increase their mobile budgets in the next 12 months. But there's a difference between "talk" and action.
For those still not doing anything, the top three answers to the question "Why aren't you leveraging mobile marketing?" were the following:
Confusion over strategy and tactics similarly plagues the marketers at the larger organizations surveyed by IBM. In answer to the question, "Which three of the following market factors will be the biggest challenge for your organization over the next 3 to 5 years?" they responded that the proliferation of channels and devices was the biggest challenge:
Like the marketers in the StrongMail survey, the emphasis in the IBM survey was on mobile sites and apps. In response to the question, "Which of the following mobile marketing tactics is your company using or planning to use?" they said:
In this case, however, mobile email, SMS and local ad targeting were also being (at least conceptually) embraced. In the StrongMail survey the top current marketing methods reported were the following:
Interestingly only 13% of the mostly small business respondents in the StrongMail survey said they were using "location-based mobile marketing." And among those not currently doing any mobile marketing, only 3% indicated they were planning to implement it.
By contrast the larger companies represented in the IBM survey were more interested and bullish about location. This is almost the opposite of what you might expect. SMBs could be expected to be more interested in location-based mobile marketing while one would anticipate that enterprises would be more skeptical. But the opposite appears to be true, drawing inferences from the data in these two surveys.
E-commerce optimization firm Monetate has published its latest "E-commerce Quarterly" report. The report addresses a number of issues including social commerce. For purposes of this post, I'll focus on the mobile and tablet findings.
The data in the report are drawn from "analyzing a random sample from over 100 million online shopping sessions on 100-plus major e-commerce websites." Here are some of the major findings:
Website Traffic Sources
Q1 2012 Conversion Rates by Device Category
Compare similar data from Marin Software. Directionally they're almost identical to the Monetate findings.
What both the Marin and Monetate conversion findings lack, however, is data about offline conversions. If those were tracked and factored in I suspect we'd see mobile conversion figures outstrip the PC and potentially tablets.
Monetate's focus is strictly on e-commerce conversions. But most people don't buy conventional products on their smartphone, though they may do things like banking transactions or buy apps or rent movies.
The use cases for smartphone are different than PCs and tablets, which are mostly used at home and often as a substitute for the PC. According to Monetate's report:
It seems clear that smartphone users are either doing more comparison shopping or are dissatisfied with the user experience. In fact, a recent study from comScore Inc., Shop.org, and The Partnering Group revealed that 43% of smartphone owners have used their mobile device while in a store for a shopping purpose.
Monetate also argues, despite that at-home usage of tablets, that there's a different user expectation vs. the PC experience:
With increases in website traffic from devices such as the iPad and Kindle Fire, e-commerce businesses must treat customers using tablets as a unique audience segment. Tablet users expect a different experience that takes advantage of their devices’ features, such as touch/swipe functionality and screen rotation.
This argues in favor of tablet apps as well as a tablet-optimized HTML5 site. Finally, the firm predicts that at current growth rates, "website traffic from PC users will dip below 75% in less than one year" -- meaning that smartphones and tablets will represent 25% of site traffic.
Almost nobody in the mobile handset business is making money right now except Samsung and Apple. Nokia and RIM, the former smartphone leaders, have almost seen the bottom drop out of their businesses over the past year or so. RIM hired bankers recently to consider its options. The company is almost in free fall.
Nokia had hoped that Microsoft would save it but that's not happened. The most optimistic discussions of Lumia sales indicate they're "mixed." Furthermore, existing Nokia Lumia phones won't be getting Windows Phone 8 upgrades. They'll have to settle with Windows Phone 7.8.
This fact, once made known to the general public, will essentially kill sales of current Lumia smartphones (unless carriers give them away). People will want the new and improved version of Windows Phones -- which won't be coming out until much later this year. That leaves two more quarters of weak sales for Nokia. Moreover, Nokia will be just one of several OEMs to be releasing Windows Phone 8 smartphones.
It doesn't look good.
The Sunday Times in the UK reported that RIM was contemplating either selling its handset business or seeking an outside investor such as Microsoft. Nokia also looks like a takeover target as its fortunes continue to decline. And with both of these companies struggling the likelihood that Microsoft will own at least a part of a hardware OEM grows more and more likely. Amazon is also a potential investor or acquirer mentioned in the article.
One now has to wonder whether, if Nokia had gone with Android, things would be any different at this point.
There were discussions between Google and Nokia before the latter went with Windows. According to a source I spoke with, Google was unwilling to agree to a co-mingling of Google Maps and Nokia Maps or substitution of Nokia Maps on the back end. It's unclear whether that was the dealbreaker or one of several issues that prevented a Nokia-Android deal. Microsoft did agree to use Nokia Maps and in fact Nokia does replace Bing Maps in the new Windows Phone 8 OS.
It is likely that Nokia would have sold more Lumia phones to date if they were powered by Android. That probably wouldn't have fundamentally altered the company's predicament but it would have made it marginally better. Yet HTC is building some very nice Android devices but being overwhelmed by the Samsung Android juggernaut all the same. The Taiwan-based company is struggling to remain profitable and recently abandoned the Brazilian market.
If that continues HTC could be another takeover candidate by early 2013. And if that's so it will dilute the value of Nokia and RIM as they seek "strategic options" to survive.
The long-anticipated Google (Nexus) tablet is set to debut this week at Google's developer conference, Google I/O. Gizmodo Australia has specs and apparent pictures of the device. CNET has additional information.
Gizmodo reports an 8GB model will cost $199, matching Kindle Fire, and a 16GB model will carry a $249 price tag.
Google's tablet announcement comes on the heels of the Microsoft Surface announcement last week. However Surface pricing wasn't disclosed. Rumors argue that the lower-end RT model will not come in below $599, with the higher end Pro costing at least $700.
Unless Microsoft can get the RT price down to $499, as I and others have argued, Surface is unlikely to compete with or impact the iPad very much. Rather it will likely affect competing Windows laptop sales.
The new Google Nexus tablet will probably have an immediate -- and potentially dramatic -- impact on Kindle Fire sales. The Kindle Fire is a nice upgrade from regular Kindle reading devices but a lousy tablet overall for other than accessing Amazon's content universe. The Nexus tablet is likely to be a much better device for Internet browsing with a larger app library. Android non-tablet apps will look better on a 7-inch device than they did on the 10.1-inch Android Galaxy Tab.
Those not loyal to Amazon will be inclined to choose Google's tablet over the Kindle Fire -- all things being equal. However we may see Amazon respond with a price cut, which would be very interesting since the company already looses money on every Kindle Fire sold (but makes it back on content and other sales).
Ever since Siri was released with the iPhone 4S last Fall -- although it seems much longer than that now -- it has been reshaping expectations both among consumers and to some degree in the enterprise. Few people are aware of all the work going on around virtual assistants and customer care in the enterprise. It's a very dynamic segment and Siri has become a reference point.
In addition to Siri there are dozens of voice-based intelligent assistants for Android. There are also Siri competitors in the iTunes store, including Assitant (Speaktoit), Evi (TrueKnowledge) and Kngine. But there are probably about 12 - 15 more apps that present themselves as voice tools or intelligent assistants.
Having a voice UI and/or intelligent assistant is now becoming a strategic capability for smartphones -- even "table stakes." Witness Samsung's new "S-Voice." However, while the Samsung GS III has received rave reviews, S-Voice has emerged as its weak link. LG is also introducing a voice capability for its handsets. It's not clear why they're doing this because Google's speech recognition and voice actions are baked into the Android OS.
Some of the smaller consumer-facing "assistant" companies and startups (e.g., Speaktoit) become near-term takeover targets as carriers and OEMs recognize the new importance of voice as a UI and, beyond voice, the need to offer an intelligent assistant capability to match Siri and fulfill the new expectations it's creating.
Google and Microsoft have yet to move beyond pure voice input and embrace the "personal assistant" metaphor, though Google has been working on something for some time -- often referred to as "Majel," after Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's wife. Nuance, which powers Siri, has Vlingo and Dragon Go!, which sit between what Google and Microsoft offer and Siri in terms of capabilities.
Notwithstanding intelligent keyboards such as Swype (another Nuance product now) and Swiftkey, voice will emerge over the next year or two as the primary interface for most tasks on smartphones. Most iPhone users use only limited functionality on Siri and Apple has been trying to educate them about its full capabilities. By contrast, keyboards are likely to become secondary tools or used in very specific situations: entering numbers or correcting typos.
As one colleague put it late last year, if speech is the "new mouse" then voice is the new touch.
No doubt you've already read a great deal about Microsoft's new hybrid tablet-PC, Surface. It's being described as Microsoft's challenge to the iPad. Some have already called it a "game-changer." But that remains to be seen. It's also probably more of a challenge to Microsoft's own hardware partners than to the iPad.
Surface is a "new family of PCs." There will be at least three versions of the computing device, sporting slightly different specs and features. The screens apparently will all be 10.6 inches. All will come with a version of Windows 8. Perhaps the most compelling feature of the device is a "smart cover" that also operates as a keyboard.
Unfortunately at yesterday's press conference, which I was not present for, the company provided no release date or pricing information. The latter is critical. However Microsoft said that Surface devices would be competitively priced. In the case of Surface for Windows 8 Pro, the company said it would be priced “on par with Ultrabook-class PCs." Right now Ultrabooks run from about $700 to $1,000.
If Microsoft hopes to compete with the iPad, the lesser Windows RT version will have to start at $499.
There are some who believe that Microsoft took the bull by the horns in creating Surface, frustrated that its partners were not building compelling hardware while the iPad increasingly stole PC sales. It may well be that this will be the "kick in the pants" that Dell, HP, Acer and the rest need to start developing sexier machines.
However it's more likely that this device -- provided it works well and delivers against its promise -- will compete with those same hardware partners. It could well capture sales that might have gone to Ultrabooks. I would also imagine that enterprises will adopt these machines, it's not as clear that consumers will. That's where price comes in.
Another factor is Windows 8 and the public response to the new OS and UI. Microsoft is no longer in the position it has enjoyed for the last 15 years: when it released an OS update people bought it (until Vista). Now Android tablets and iPads do provide a viable alternative for those not doing heavy duty Office-oriented PC content creation.
Windows 8 has so far received mixed to negative reviews. While its Windows Phone OS has been critically praised, the devices aren't selling. This is partly because the UI and OS are unfamiliar to smartphone owners who've already become accustomed to the look/operation of iOS and Android. There are also too many competing options. Android has taken Microsoft's place in the smartphone world; it has become the alternative-to-Apple software supplier.
If consumers find Windows 8 jarring they may delay buying or avoid it. That's why price is so important. Surface is a sexy little device that must be priced very aggressively to get consumer attention. Otherwise, Surface could go the way of the Zune or the even shorter-lived Kin.
The Online Publishers Association followed up its 2011 tablet users survey with the release of an encore study (n=2,540 online adults). It contains a rich trove of data about US tablet usage among adults. According to the survey Android and the iPad have roughly equal shares of the US tablet market. This finding is contradicted by other data sources that show more than 90% of all US tablet traffic comes from the iPad.
The survey found that 31% of the Internet audience (vs. all US adults) owned a tablet today -- or 74.1 million users. Here are a selection of other findings:
Tablet owners have bought plenty of apps but they prefer ad-supported free apps if given the choice. Below is the list of paid-content categories, according to the survey:
The following were the top product-research categories on tablets:
Generally speaking attitudes and response to advertising are positive among tablet owners, with large numbers using the devices for research and buying. According to the survey, tablet owners spent an average of $359 buying products on tablets in the past year.
There are also plenty of indications in the survey that people prefer their tablets to other devices for the various activities they're engaged in.
We can now say that the Microsoft-Nokia partnership isn't working for either company. Nokia's woes are well documented: more job cuts, more losses, more deterioration in the core business. Lumia sales are weak on a global basis, especially in North America where Nokia was plotting its comeback. The company is in an accelerating state of decline, much like RIM now.
For Microsoft, which gave Nokia preferential treatment and established a special relationship, Nokia's fall has to be particularly disconcerting. Redmond is already providing billions to Nokia in support and marketing help. Just like the struggling economies of Europe, Nokia needs a bailout. The company is now a takeover target.
That raises the question: Will Microsoft be forced to buy Nokia, defensively? Most of the Asian handset makers have favored Android over Windows Phones. Indeed, Nokia should consider adding Android phones to its lineup -- unless precluded by its agreement with Microsoft. And that's probably the case.
Right now Nokia has about $12 billion in cash in the bank. Absent a takeover, that cash will prevent the company from disappearing any time soon. But it can't continue to operate in the current manner. Its exclusive relationship with Windows/Microsoft simply hasn't worked. Enough time has passed to make that statement.
There's almost no chance, given the current state of things, that Windows Phones will become the number two smartphone OS, as predicted by Gartner and IDC. Those forecasts were largely based on the reach and perceived brand strength of Nokia. That brand strength doesn't exist in North American and it's declining in other markets.
The chances are growing that someone will bid for Nokia. Rumors are circulating that it could be Samsung (denied by the company) or China's ZTE. However Microsoft will probably be forced to buy Nokia if it comes to that. By default the company would then be following the advice of several tech bloggers who suggested the same to compete with Apple with a more holistically integrated device.
Microsoft's Bing Maps also rely increasingly on Nokia's data and backend, another reason Microsoft may want to acquire the company. Nokia also holds valuable patents that enhance the takeover value of the Finnish company (and Android licensing value for Microsoft).
There will likely be some radical change to Nokia (sale or replacement of CEO Elop) by Q4 of this year if sales don't dramatically improve -- and they're not likely to with the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S III coming.


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Quiksilver Inc.'s stock plunged 15% in premarket trade Tuesday, putting it on track to open at the lowest price since March 20, 2009, after the outdoor-sports apparel retailer reported disappointing fiscal second-quarter results and withdrew its outlook. The company reported a loss of $37.6 million, or 22 cents a share, compared with a loss of $53.1 million, or 22 cents a share, in the same period a year ago, and wider than the FactSet consensus for a per-share loss of 14 cents. Revenue dropped to $333.1 million from $396.9 million, below the FactSet consensus of $341.2 million. The company said it was rescinding its previously-stated financial outlook for the year. Chief Executive Pierre Agnes said he expects unfavorable currency movements to be a "major headwind" during the year, and said North America sales and margins would be hurt by poor deliveries and an evolving distribution channel strategy. "The company had expected significant profit improvement in North America in the back half of the year when it provided guidance for fiscal 2015," Agnes said. "We are still confident this improvement can be achieved, but not in that time period." The stock has tumbled 44% year to date through Monday, while the S&P 500 has gained 1%.
Copyright © 2015 MarketWatch, Inc.
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Next Apple Event 2021 June. Then we may see an october 2021 event, at which apple may launch a new macbook pro and. Connect with family and friends while watching and listening together in shareplay.
See full list on macrumors.com It will include an faster version of the m1 chip with the same number of computing cores as the m1 (eight). Digitimes has saidthat apple plans to hold two september events, but it's n.
See full list on macworld.com Then came wwdc in june, where we caught a first glimpse of ios 15. See full list on macworld.com Mass production is set to begin in august, which means we could see a september launch alongside new iphones.
Know of an upcoming product that we've missed on this list or see an error that needs to be fixed? There were multiple rumors suggesting the airpods 3 would launch in the first half of 2021, but that information was inaccurate and it now appears airpods are launching in the third quarter. Be more present in the moment with focus. Aug 04, 2021 · the next apple event will likely be the launch of the new iphone, apple watch and airpods in september 2021.
See full list on macworld.com
See full list on macworld.com See full list on macworld.com In 2020, thanks to the pandemic, this event was broken in two. Rather than update two ipad models, apple is expected to release only an updated ipad mini this fall.
See full list on macrumors.com
Rather than update two ipad models, apple is expected to release only an updated ipad mini this fall. When is the next apple announcement? Instead, it may decide to include the ipad miniat its apple silicon or iphone event or none and release it via a press release. When is apple march event?
Apple’s also apparently working on new airpods with a fresh new design, and this would be an excellent time to announce them.
Connect with family and friends while watching and listening together in shareplay. Apple is working on a new version of the airpods, which will look similar to the airpods pro, but without active noise cancellation, allowing apple to sell them at a lower price point. All credible reports suggest a launch before the end of the year. 120hz promotion displays are expected, as are camera improvements, an a15 chip, and faster 5g.
See full list on macworld.com Apple has given out app awards for years, but 2019 was the first time there was an actual ceremony for such. We're expecting four iphone 13 models in the same sizes as the iphone 12 models, and apple is planning to use the same general design. Details on everything new in these software updates can be found in our dedicated roundups.


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The numbers: Retail sales fell sharply in May, suggesting the U.S. is no longer getting a big boost from massive federal fiscal stimulus, but consumers are still spending a lot more now than they did a year ago in a good omen for the economy.
Sales at U.S. retailers sank 1.3% last month, the government said Tuesday.
Economists polled by Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal had forecast an 0.7% decline.
Sales were held down by fewer purchases of new cars and trucks. Automakers have struggled for months to produce enough vehicles to meet rising demand in the face of major global shortage of computer chips.
If autos are excluded, retail sales fell a smaller 0.7% in May.
Americans are spending more on services — travel, vacations, family visits, entertainment and so forth — and less on the sort of goods sold by retailers.
Big picture: Retail sales have jumped up and down in 2021 because of the influence of financial relief checks sent to many taxpayers by the federal government, but putting them aside, consumer spending is still quite healthy.
Sales in May were 18% higher compare to the last month before the onset of the pandemic in 2020.
Economists predict sales will keep on going up. Americans have lots of savings, more people are going back to work and the economy is getting stronger.
Yet Americans are shifting their spending toward services that were largely off limits during the pandemic: Sit-in dining at full-service restaurants, hotel stays, vacation rentals, plane flights and so on.
Take eating out. Sales at bars and restaurants jumped 1.8% in May to mark the third straight increase and they now exceed precrisis levels. Restaurant receipts sank by a whopping 55% in the early stages of the pandemic and caused thousands of business failures.
Another not-so-rosy reason sales are rising: inflation. Higher prices are partly — but only partly — inflating the increase in sales.
Key details: Auto sales sank 3.7% in April, but it’s mostly a supply problem: Automakers can’t get enough vehicles on dealer lots. Auto sales account for about one-fifth of overall retail sales.
Sales also declined at furniture stores, big-box electronics retailers, internet stores and home centers such as Lowe’s /zigman2/quotes/205563664/composite LOW +0.26% and Home Depot /zigman2/quotes/208081807/composite HD -0.21% .
Sales rose at grocers, clothing stores and bars and restaurants, though some of the increase reflects higher prices.
Still, it’s always a sign of consumer confidence when people feel comfortable going out to eat or drink. Americans spent a record sum on eating out in May.
Gasoline sales also rose 0.7% in May as more people got on the road. Gas prices are expected to rise in the months ahead as the summer driving season gets under way, so Americans can expect to pay more.
Retail sales represent about one-third of all consumer spending, by far the biggest source of the U.S. economy’s growth.
What they are saying? “Don’t read too much into the larger than expected drop in U.S. retail sales in May, as it comes on the heels of an upward revision to April and a dramatic fiscal stimulus-fueled spike in March,” said economist Katherine Judge of CIBC World Markets.
“Household spending will support the overall economic recovery, but growth will shift from goods to services as consumers resume dining out, taking vacations, and going to movies and concerts,” said senior economist Sal Guatieri of BMO Capital Markets.
Market reaction: The Dow Jones Industrial Average /zigman2/quotes/210598065/realtime DJIA -0.48% and S&P 500 /zigman2/quotes/210599714/realtime SPX -0.91% were fell in Tuesday trades after a report on wholesale prices showed another big increase in inflation.


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AMD to Launch its DLSS Competitor this Spring?
Mike Sanders / 3 years ago
With both the AMD Radeon 6000 and Nvidia 30XX graphics cards currently going head-to-head (in a battle that from a Team Red fan perspective is certainly a lot closer than many would’ve anticipated) one of the biggest advantages for Nvidia at the moment is undoubtedly their DLSS technology. – Yes, AMD has said that they do plan to introduce their own version of it, but around 3 months later, it’s still nowhere to be seen… yet.
Following a report via Videocardz, however, fresh rumours have emerged that Team Red may finally be getting very close to launching it with a release date apparently scheduled for this Spring!
AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution Technology
Although initially getting off to a bit of a rough start, Nvidia’s DLSS technology is certainly one of the biggest key benefits of owning one of their 20XX or 30XX graphics cards. For those unfamiliar with it and what it does, in exceptionally laymen’s terms, the graphics card renders at a lower resolution which is then, via the use of AI, upscaled into your true display output. Think of it as working on 1080p while producing 4K. – The bottom line is that it can make your games look exceptionally prettier without overly taxing the hardware and, more so, actually making ray tracing viable with a solid frame rate.
While AMD has always cited that similar technology would be brought to their own Radeon 6000 GPUs though, to date, it hasn’t appeared. In fact, nobody is quite certain yet what road they’re even going to go down to make it happen. – Following a new leak, however, AMD is reportedly planning a major driver update this Spring, and with it, it’s speculated that FFSS may form a significant part of that!
What Do We Think?
Although it’s hard to say at this point, if FidelityFX Super Resolution is launched within the next 3-6 months, this could well prove to be a huge (and literal) gamechanger when it comes to comparative benchmarks between the two GPU brands. – It will, of course, on a more technical level, be interesting to see how AMD achieves this as it’s yet unknown whether this will be hardware or software-based, but rest assured that when it does finally come out, we’ll be ready to bring you all the latest benchmarking results!
What do you think? – Let us know in the comments!


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Outdoor Retailer is moving up the date of its 2009 Summer Market to
July 21-24. The decision to change the show dates, according to show
management, was made in response to evolving market needs for many of
the exhibitors at Summer Market. In particular, the new 2009 date
aligns more closely with earlier buying cycles and an accelerated
selling window for many outdoor companies.
Outdoor Retailer has worked closely with the Outdoor Industry
Association, the Salt Palace Convention Center, the Salt Lake
Convention and Visitors Bureau and members of the outdoor industry to
secure the new date and to ensure that it will not interfere with other
events on the outdoor industry and international trade show calendars.
The reaction from the industry remains mixed, with many retailers
saying that the earlier dates will not give them time to plan their
business for the following year. “I would much rather have the show
later, not earlier,” said Robert Wolfe, president of Moosejaw. “That
way we would have better visibility and be able to plan our year
In addition, some vendors have raised concerns about the earlier dates
impacting ASAP orders. Peter Sachs, president of Lowa USA told BOSS,
“It will kill our re-order business and it wont generate one extra
pair of new shoes for next season The time that works best for us is
mid- to late-August (because) dealers are not ready to write until
Nonetheless, the majority of the vendor community appreciates the new
dates, since reps were on the road showing product for up to two months
before the previous show dates.


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What's your number? http://yuvututube.fun/ yuvutu videos Wireless carriers would be the second stop, but that avenue is closing up fast too. While it's likely that the larger stores received more quantity, we've noticed in the past that smaller shops with a smaller load of phones may not have as many shoppers, so don't discount the little ones, as long as they're official carrier stores. (Those other "authorized" wireless shops would be low on the list for getting iPhones, especially on launch day.) Be tenacious, but at the same time, don't hold your breath.


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Robb Holland plans to enter 2014 BTCC with a pair of Audi A3s
Rotek Racing and Robb Holland have put on hold their plans to enter the World Touring Car Championship, and have switched their focus to the British championship. The Sonoma & Nürburgring based operation plans to enter a pair of Audi A3 saloons, built to the BTCC’s Next Generation Touring Car specifications in 2014.
Holland, who raced twice in the BTCC last season at Snetterton and Knockhill, and then at Snetterton again this year with Tony Gilham Racing, says the BTCC is the right place to be at the moment.
“The plan is enter the BTCC next year with a pair of Audi A3 sedans. Unfortunately, due to the changes in the regulations in the World Touring Car Championship coming in a year early, it didn’t make any kind of sense to invest all the money in the development of the car with the upgrade package for just four races,” he told TouringCarTimes.
The Ford Focuses and their 2013 upgrade package, which were built and raced last season by Arena Motorsport, were purchased at the start of this year, with a partial programme planned in 2013, followed by a full programme in 2014. But with the timetable for the introduction of new S2000 regulations brought forward due to Citroën’s entry into the championship, the older specification cars wouldn’t be competitive against the new cars from Honda, Lada, Citroën and the Chevrolets of RML.
Holland plans to work with Tony Gilham’s operation with the programme. Gilham’s team took two second places as their best results this season, the first at Thruxton with Tom Onslow-Cole, and last weekend at Brands Hatch with Jack Goff.
Holland to race one of the A3s, with the driver of second car to be confirmed later on, but Holland says a number of American drivers are also looking at making the move across to race the car.
The Audi A3 saloon has just been launched in the UK as a rival to Mercedes CLA-class. Unlike the A4s of Rob Austin Racing, which due to the configuration of the NGTC cars could only be configured as a rear-wheel drive car, Rotek’s A3s will be able to be developed as front-wheel drive cars.


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As you will have seen in the news, Sage recently experienced a data breach that has affected a small number of Sage UK customers. This matter is now with the police and an investigation has been launched into, what appears to be, an internal breach.
Naturally, this is of great concern to everyone involved with Sage. We have spoken to Sage this morning and can confirm that Sage has already contacted any company that is likely to have been involved in this breach of security.
If you have any questions, you can contact Sage directly on 0845 145 3345 or email firstname.lastname@example.org.
CPiO’s ability to offer a one stop shop for software and hardware support was very appealing. The consultants demonstrated a good understanding of the solution and explained the purchase and […]


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Area high school students can get a great deal on their prom dresses this weekend and help out a great cause in the process.
Planned Pethood is holding its annual 'Prom for Paws' dress sale in Rossford.
All the dresses at the sale are just ten dollars each.
Money raised goes to Planned Pethood, a no-kill organization that promotes animal adoption, spaying and neutering.
Most of the dresses are gently used but some are brand new.
It's a chance for girls to go to their prom who might not have enough money to buy a new dress
"You just come on in, you find a dress, try it on. You can buy multiple dresses for ten dollars,” said Chrissa Riskai with Planned Pethood.
The sale continues on Sunday at the Rossford Rec Center in Downtown Rossford.
The sale is happening from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.


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SPI International / Filmbox is launching three live TV channels with Youfone, an MVNO in the Netherlands.
Starting this week Youfone’s television customers get access to three channels from the SPI’s worldwide TV portfolio. The line-up includes DocuBox and FightBox.
YoufoneTV also presents Gametoon, a brand new interactive gaming channel for millennials. Gametoon features highlights of popular video games, entertainment content from gaming youtubers, video game tournaments (eSports) with million dollar prize pools and much more.
“SPI’s channels on the YoufoneTV platform are broadcast without any commercial breaks. All three channels offer premium content from the world’s top producers,” said Berk Uziyel, SPI’s executive director.
“We are happy to reach new audiences and grow our presence in this part of Europe.”
Commenting on the launch of SPI’s channels, Valentijn Rensing, CEO of Youfone, said: “With YoufoneTV we are eager to start with fresh content and new channels and thereby offering a different and unique television package in comparison to most operators in the Netherlands.”


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(The Center Square) – Alabama is investing in rail service to central and southern state to create key port access designed to tackle the current supply chain crisis and benefit the southeastern country.
Governor Kay Ivey announced in a Press release the creation of the A-USA corridor, which represents an investment of $ 231.6 million in projects that will improve the state’s economic development infrastructure. The first phase of the project will benefit ports in Mobile, Etowah, Jefferson, Shelby, Washington and Mobile counties.
“Working with the Port of Mobile to develop our infrastructure to move commerce for Alabama and the greater Southeast region of the country must be one of our top priorities,” Ivey said in the statement. “Creating good port access to central Alabama is a key part of this initiative, and it may provide options for freight containers to reach new inland destinations, which our country has struggled with. during the supply chain crisis. I am proud that our state is looking ahead and investing in the Alabama-USA corridor and the future jobs and economic opportunities it will bring. “
The first phase, according to the statement, includes a $ 71.6 million project to connect the Port of Mobile to the McCalla intermodal facility near Birmingham. The 280-mile-long rail line will also connect to Etowah’s economic development sites in Little Canoe Creek, Shelby in Calera, and Washington / Mobile. These sites span over 1,000 acres. A 104-acre site in Jefferson County with one million square feet of warehouse space will be developed.
Work on the sites has been sped up with the Growing Alabama tax credit, which helps create the manufacturing, warehousing and distribution sites in the network, the statement said.
Norfolk Southern has partnered with state and local economic development groups and invested $ 5.7 million in the Etowah County commission to improve the Little Canoe Creek site, the statement said.
The sites are located near major interstate highways. However, rail service will create a modern and efficient freight and intermodal rail infrastructure designed to accommodate the growth of the port and the region’s economic expansion.
According to the statement, the first phase will include 12 specific track, signal and yard improvements for the Norfolk Southern lines between Mobile, Selma and Birmingham.
“The Alabama Ports Authority welcomes this vital project as we approach the rapid growth of the port’s intermodal container and freight business,” said John C. Driscoll, director and CEO, in the communicated. “Norfolk Southern rail improvements will enhance capacity, reliability and market access through the Port of Mobile for regional supply chains.
The University of Alabama conducted an Economic Impact Survey, conducted by the Culverhouse College of Business from 2000 to 2020, and showed that the corridor will provide new and expanded opportunities for economic development investments reaching 14, $ 3 billion and nearly 21,000 jobs.
According to the statement, the construction phases will provide $ 497.2 million in gross commercial revenue. Alabama workers are expected to reach $ 184.8 million in earnings with 4,247 direct and indirect workers in the state. The state will collect $ 13.1 million in state and local taxes during construction.
Norfolk Southern, the statement said, is providing more than half of the funding for the project, while the state is investing $ 5 million in the project. Current and future federal grants from the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement Program are expected to cover the remainder of the costs.


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October 1, 2017
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APIkit from MuleSoft offers API developers access to a suite including an API consumer-facing design and extends to a backend connection with an enterprise's business logic layer.
A slideshare on the business value of APIs been gaining kudos from enterprises around the world. Created by the international business consultancy faberNovel, the slide deck has been presented to APIdays audiences earlier this year, as well as being delievered at industry events like Hewlett Packard’s Innovision meetup.
While industry analysts expected this year to be the year Mobile Backend-as-a-Service (MBaaS) took off, end-of-year assessments are suggesting that there is still room for further growth in 2014. Forecasters predict a 104% annual growth in the market to reach $7.7 billion in 2017, while this week's acquisition of MBaaS vendor StackMob by PayPal has piqued more than a few businesses' curiosity. Meanwhile, analysts from Forrester and major players like Rich Mendis from AnyPresence believe the MBaaS revolution is still yet to happen for the enterprise.


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Fusion-io has unveiled a new generation of PCI-Express flash cards that can plug into servers to boost the performance of data-intensive applications in datacentres.
Fusion-io has launched its ioDrive2 and ioDrive2 Duo (above) flash cards.Photo credit: Fusion-io
The ioDrive2 and ioDrive2 Duo flash cards, announced on Monday, are being made on a different production process to provide a performance boost over the original ioDrive and ioDrive Duo. Fusion-io has stepped down to a 2x nanometre flash process (made on process between 20nm and 29nm) from a 3x nm one (between 30nm and 39nm). It has also used new flash storage controllers.
We basically doubled the performance of that product through a combination of enhanced logic and software in the storage layer.– David Flynn, Fusion-io
"The original ioMemory [from which ioDrive stems] was released by us four years ago. In those four years, we basically doubled the
performance of that product through a combination of enhanced logic and
software in the storage layer," David Flynn, chief executive of
Fusion-io, told ZDNet UK.
The ioDrive2 and ioDrive2 Duo will be released in single-level cell (SLC) and multi-level cell (MLC) flash variants. The 400GB SLC model can carry out 351,000 read input/output operations per second at read, and 511,000 at write, according to Fusion-io. The 365GB MLC version is capable of 84,000 IOPS read and 502,000 write.
In addition, the server add-in boards have received a resiliency boost via the storage company's new Adaptive
Flashback technology, which allows the cards to heal themselves
when die faults cause any of the 192 flash chips on the cards to fail,
"It's our third generation of fault tolerance," he noted.
generation, released four years ago, would mask a flash chip failure, while
the second let the cards mask a chip failure and function at full
performance, albeit at reduced capacity. Adaptive Flashback means that
a chip can compensate in the case of subsequent failures as well.
Flynn explained that because Fusion-io tries to use the cheapest
possible flash in its chips and is stepping down to smaller and smaller
process nodes, the quality of its flash is "getting worse at the chip
level". Adaptive Flashback is needed to compensate for the
degradation in quality, he said.
"The [flash] reliability is getting worse," he said. "At 2x nanometre,
the size of the features on the silicon makes them extremely delicate."
Flynn would not disclose which vendor provides flash to Fusion-io, but he did say "our mission
is to incorporate strictly consumer-grade stuff sold in the highest
volumes [to get away from] the scarcity issue".
The ioDrive2 and ioDrive2 Duo MLC cards will come in 365GB, 785GB, 1.2TB and 2.4TB formats, and will arrive starting in late November, the company said. The SLC models with 400GB, 600GB and 1.2TB of storage capacity will become available after that. No UK pricing was disclosed, but the US pricing for the new ioMemory products begins at $5,950 (£3,847).
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delivered directly to your inbox with ZDNet UK's


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Huawei brought Tencent video games back to its app shop
The company had actually eliminated those titles over a conflict with earnings sharing.
This 2021 started with a conflict between Huawei and Tencent and is that, due to differences regarding the distribution of income, the smartphone manufacturer company decided to remove Tencent video games from its application shop last Friday, January 1.
According to Bloomberg, Huawei made that determination on the guidance of its legal department. All while Tencent assured that the situation was due to the truth that the agreement between both companies had actually ended prior to a brand-new deal was consolidated.
Because sense, this motion was clearly not indifferent to Tencent considering that Huawei has a 41.4% share in the Chinese phone market and 14.9% worldwide. So eventually both business reached an agreement and, as Reuters points out, Tencent’s games have actually already been brought back into Huawei’s app shop.
“Both parties will continue to interact to provide better experiences and services to consumers,” Tencent stated after the brand-new settlements.
Tencent is the company behind distinguished games such as League of Legends, Arena of Valor and Clash of Clans, and this conflict with Huawei would have arisen due to the fact that the mobile phone business desired “a 50% cut in Tencent’s game sales in its app shop, “according to Reuters.
Although the dispute in between Tencent and Huawei has actually obviously currently been resolved, it must be kept in mind that this is not the first time that a video game business has gotten in into a disagreement over the policies of the Huawei application store and previously miHoYo, those accountable for Genshin Impact, they decided not to include the game because shop since they did not concur with their commission guidelines.


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By BRIDGET CARTER
New Zealand's music industry is cracking down on teenagers selling pirate CDs.
Copying or "burning" compact disks through home computers is a growing trend among enterprising teenagers, to the alarm of legitimate record suppliers.
The managing director of Sony Music New Zealand, Michael Glading, said the problem of burning chart-topping CDs was "rampant".
"Everyone is burning CDs for their mates ... there is a growing market for them," he said.
One could find students doing it in most Auckland schools, he said.
"Kids just don't understand there is a thing called copyright."
Offenders faced fines of $50,000 for selling pirated CDs, but so far had received only a warning.
"There will come a day when we will do a prosecution."
The chief executive of the Record Association of New Zealand, Terence O'Neill-Joyce, compared the practice to shoplifting, and said schools needed to educate students about copyright issues.
Some principals said they would not expel a student for selling pirated CDs. They might not even hear about incidents.
Takapuna Grammar School principal Paul Daley said he had been alerted by Mr O'Neill-Joyce that students were selling pirated CDs in several secondary schools, particularly on the North Shore.
Mr Daley planned to tell his students it was illegal.
"We will do anything to make sure it doesn't happen in school grounds," he said.
The rise of piracy has largely been driven by the now widespread use of CD writers, which are a standard feature of most new desktop PCs.
These allow computer owners to burn their own music CDs and software programmes.
The price of blank disks has also fallen dramatically, and they can now be bought for about $2.60 each, making home-made copies a cheap yet high-quality alternative.
In an effort to thwart pirates, the record industry is now selling trial CDs that pop, click and hiss if individual tracks are copied to another CD or digitally downloaded to a computer's hard drive.
Some music companies have secretly slipped thousands of the copy-proof CDs into record stores around the world in the past three months, in a bid to crack down on the pirate CD industry - estimated to cost music companies billions of dollars a year across the world.
Mr O'Neill-Joyce said Malaysia was a dominant territory for CD pirating.
Many of the CDs made their way to New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands.
In the Northern Hemisphere, it occurred mainly in the eastern bloc countries, and the products were sold in western Europe.
There were two different problems, he said.
One was people copying music on computers, which happened globally.
The other was people replicating hundreds of CDs - often top-20 pop albums - through a mechanical process an industry that grossed $US5 billion ($11.4 billion) annually, he said.
A spokeswoman for the Commerce Commission, Jackie Maitland, said selling pirate CDs was not illegal under the Fair Trading Act.
But it would be unlawful if the dealers passed them off as the real thing.
North Shore police Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Bush said pirate CDs were not a large concern for police.
"It is a bit like chasing fake Rolex watches."
By BRIDGET CARTER


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online retailerAmazonIndia is using technology tools to weed out poor quality sellers on its site and is conducting so-called mystery shopping tests in which it orders products from its sellers to verify whether these merchants are following the standards set by the company.
The Indian unit of the world’s largest online retailer has also set up teams in more than 17 cities to recruit sellers and help these untrained merchants sell online, saidAmit Deshpande, director, Amazon Seller Services.
Because India bans foreign direct investment (FDI) in online retail, Amazon works as a marketplace, connecting customers with third-party sellers on its platform.
Since its launch in June 2013, Amazon India has more than 23,000 sellers and has established itself as the biggest threat to local rivalsFlipkartandSnapdeal.
“Based on the activities sellers do, you are able to predict how they would do in the future and, of course, if there is a bad customer experience, you are able to predict that. So one thing we’ve done is, we’ve taken all of that and we’ve deployed it in India. If we see that there is a risk (that a seller may not match its standards or may be fraudulent) but we are not convinced there is a risk, we’ll mystery shop ourselves,” Deshpande said.
It’s important for Amazon and other online marketplaces to monitor seller performance, especially as even a few cases of fakes or second-hand products can damage their brand image. In November, a Flipkart customer kicked up a minor social media storm after receiving a stone instead of the smartphone she had ordered.
Amazon knows about this risk all too well. The US-based firm, as well as rivaleBay Inc.and China’s Alibaba Group, have struggled to root out sales of fakes and second-hand products in international markets.
In India, Amazon is particularly watchful of seller performance because the marketplace model is nascent and a majority of new third-party sellers have no experience in selling online.
Apart from coaching sellers, Amazon has launched a programme through which it reaches out to independent entrepreneurs near clusters of sellers and trains them in e-commerce.
These freelancers then help sellers with managing orders, listing products and other activities. Amazon has some 500 such freelancers and is adding more. And to get products faster to customers, Amazon has built a large logistics operation, which delivers some 90% of products sold on its site.
“It’s not that for the most part sellers who are not doing well in terms of performance are sellers who have the wrong intention. In most cases, we have found it is a question of enablement. The small percentage of cases where sellers, even after giving them multiple opportunities, if they have the wrong intentions, we have to tell them, ‘I’m sorry, you can’t sell right now, come back when ready’,” Deshpande said.
Analysts say that while online marketplaces claim to have tens of thousands of sellers, only a minority are active and do any meaningful business.
Apart from third-party sellers, Amazon set up a seller entity called Cloudtail in a joint venture withN.R. Narayana Murthy’s Catamaran Ventures last year. Cloudtail sells all kinds of items including phones, clothes, shoes, pet supplies and exclusive Amazon merchandise.
Deshpande said a large number of Amazon sellers contributed to sales, with as many as 80% of the company’s sellers receiving at least one order in a given month.
“It’s not just about just registering sellers or launching them, it’s about making them successful, making it sustainable because sellers are doing this because they want sales and profits. We have seen upwards of 8,000 sellers coming through self service registration (SSR— where sellers register on Amazon). Our largest sellers who have come through SSR have done more thanRs.1 crore of business,” Deshpande said.
“Amazon can use data analytics and other technology to help improve seller performance, but there’s only a limited amount of effect that it can have,” saidHarminder Sahni, managing director at Wazir Advisors. “India is at a very early stage in e-commerce, and sellers are simply not professional or knowledgeable enough to understand how to maximize performance. This is a problem all online marketplaces face and, in India, more so, because the market is in an early stage.”


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New spy shots from the upcoming Kia K3 show it is almost ready for the China car market, the K3 is expected to debut at the Guangzhou Auto Show in early December and it will be at the dealers around the same time. The Kia K3 will be made by the Dongfeng-Yueda-Kia joint venture and replaces the aging Kia Forte.
Engines for the K3: 1.6 and 1.8, mated to a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic. Price will range from 110.000 yuan to 150.000 yuan. The K3 slots between the K2 and K5 which are also made in China. Kia is doing very well on the Chinese market, the K2 and K5 are seen by many as very modern high-tech vehicles, the Kia-brand has been growing continually over the last 5 years. The new K3 will likely accelerate this growth even further.
Current Kia Forte.
Shame about the name though…i drive a Spectra/Cerato…Spectra is a better name than Forte or K whatever


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Apple denied permanent sales ban on Samsung
Corey Feldman and his Ho, Ho, Hos! (Seriously OMG)
‘American Guns’ Canceled by Discovery (TVbytheNumbers)
In Gun Ownership Statistics, Partisan Divide Is Sharp (FiveThirtyEight)
Clearwire accepts Sprint’s $2.2B bid (PandoDaily)
Instagram says it now has the right to sell your photos (CNet) – Woah.
GIF of the Day:
Daily Links FullLinksMorning Update


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By Daniel Hunter
The confidence of Britain’s small and medium sized importers and exporters has fallen to near record lows, according to the latest data from the Western Union Business Solutions International Trade Monitor (ITM), produced by TNS research.
In the period July to September 2012, only 46 per cent of British SMEs were confident in the current UK economic climate, down from 51 per cent in the previous quarter.
The fall in SME confidence is principally attributed to Eurozone instability over the summer months, which is still a major concern for 61 per cent of the surveyed importers and exporters. The largest concern of SMEs impacted by the debt crisis is the ability to convert cash reserves back from euros (50%); a further indication of declining confidence in Europe.
Government cutbacks continue to impact SMEs with 48 per cent of those surveyed believing that austerity measures should be scaled back in response to the UK entering a double-dip recession. A significant proportion (25%), however, believes they should remain the same, demonstrating that the impact of the recession on SMEs is not a one-size-fits-all story.
Europe remains British SMEs’ largest overseas trade partner, with 68 per cent of those surveyed indicating they bought goods from suppliers on the continent, down from 78 per cent in the previous quarter. On the export side, 76 per cent indicated their overseas customers were in Europe, which was flat on last quarter.
Concerns about the European economy, however, remain. 47 per cent said their business has been directly impacted by the situation in Europe whilst a further 18 per cent believe it will have an adverse impact on their business in the future.
“Eurozone instability is still posing a real and present challenge to struggling SMEs," Gareth Heald, UK Finance Director, at Western Union Business Solutions, said.
“Confidence has fallen to near-record lows and this is unlikely to change while the UK remains in recession. The constant stream of negative headlines from Europe and the recent IMF downgrade of the UK economy seem to have eaten into what little positivity was out there.”
Access to credit continued to add to SME worries; the ITM revealed that credit availability is a top concern for almost a third (30%) of SMEs.
Perhaps most concerning is the fact that more than one fifth (21%) are turning away from banks and considering alternative sources of finance. Of these, the top three sources of funding being considered are asset-based finance (44%), factoring account receivables (31%) and personal savings (26%).
Moreover, 20 per cent of all SMEs in Britain who are looking outside banks for financing have considered using credit cards — giving it the number four slot — while one in ten have actually done so.
Significantly, 60 per cent of UK SMEs said that they were aware of the Government’s National Loan Guarantee Scheme when asked in September 2012. Although an improvement from the 40 per cent who were aware of Project Merlin at the beginning of the year, only 13 per cent believe the new Scheme will actually help their ability to obtain credit.
“We have now seen confidence in credit availability hit an all-time low two quarters in a row, indicating that something is not working," Heald continued.
"This lack of confidence hurts SMEs as global market worries damage their appetite to leverage growth through borrowing, crippling supply chains as a result.
“The fact that businesses are increasingly turning away from banks and dipping into their personal savings — and credit cards — is a real worry.”
Export led recovery
SMEs continue to be cautious towards hopes of an export-led recovery, with 30 per cent believing the UK’s way out of recession will be through exports. Of those, however, 77 per cent believe it will be fuelled by trade with emerging markets.
Of SMEs who currently trade with emerging markets 37 per cent expect to increase their trade volumes. Encouragingly, a quarter of those who do not currently trade with emerging markets plan to expand their business to include them in the next 6-12 months.
“While SME’s views on an export-led recovery are mixed, there are green-shoots of positivity with SMEs planning to increase trade with emerging markets," Heald concluded.
"For many, it has become a necessity as the Eurozone continues to contract; but it also suggests SMEs are not sitting on their hands waiting for things to improve, they are creating their own markets.”
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Apple Allegedly has plans to Launch a Brand New Color Version of its flagship iPhone X to Be Able to “Revive sales” of Their smartphone That’s priced starting in Nearly a thousand Bucks in America, and more in countries like India.Online reports imply a new color variant is going to be launched shortly to help enhance the handset’s earnings in the forthcoming quarters.
According to a short report by Macotakara, Apple may be researching a new color choice for the iPhone X that’s touted to function as an agent towards strengthening earnings. Interestingly, a report in February says the iPhone X earnings surpassed expectations in Q4 2017, helping it become the Cupertino giant’s largest quarter ever. The report comes in the aftermath of a flow by reputed tipster Benjamin Geskin about a brand new “Blush Gold” iPhone X that’s believed to have become manufacturing. This may take the entire colour variations to 3, joining the present Silver and Black.
It’s expected to be more economical than previous versions and include support for Apple Pencil, sooner booked exclusively for its iPad Guru. This corroborates a report by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo that promised a 9.7-inch iPad using assistance for Apple Pencil is going to be launched shortly.
To recap, Apple has scheduled 2 “education-focused” occasions for March 27 of that not much is understood. Although it’s reportedly a hush-hush collection of occasions, we could expect the new, more economical iPad and particular education-focused apparatus to produce an appearance.