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The Chief Executive Officer of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, Wednesday launched the new improved Meta virtual reality headset, the Quest 3, just as he outlined innovations by the technology company as it strives to remain ahead of its peers.
Speaking at the Meta Connect event at the company’s head office at Menlo Park, California, he pointed out that the Quest 3, offers improved performance, immersive new mixed-reality features and a sleeker, more comfortable design.
With its cost put at $499 and shipping expected to commence from October 10, Zuckerberg said: “We are incredibly proud to introduce Quest 3.
Quest 3 is the most powerful headset that we have ever shipped and it allows you to blend the digital and the physical world together. You can navigate it with your hands or with brand new precision control designed for work or games. It completely stands alone with a battery pack and nothing that can break your head. Quest 3 understands your space and so you can play with the world around you.”
Zuckerberg also introduced an AI personal assistant people could interact with using any of Meta’s messaging apps — along with a smattering of AI characters he called “a bit more fun,” such as “Max the sous chef,” who can help come up with ideas for dinner, or Lily, a “personal editor and writing partner.”
According to him, “These are just a few we have trained, there are a lot more coming.”
He also introduced the next version of Meta’s Ray Ban Stories smart glasses, which let people record video or photos, livestream, listen to music and interact with the Meta AI assistant.
“Smart glasses are the ideal form factor for you to let an AI assistant see what you are seeing and hear what you are hearing,” Zuckerberg said. The glasses will launch Oct. 17 and cost $299.
Speaking further, he told participants at the conference: “We have a whole lot of new experiences. We have been on it for a while and I am really very excited to show you what we have been building. At Meta, we are focused on building the future of human connections.
“What that means is that we build products to help people connect with friends, colleagues, families and people we care about, anywhere in the world we actually are. We do this because we believe that strengthens our relationship, helps us bond together, improves our learning, gives us more opportunity.
“One of life’s greatest joy is getting to go out, be active and enjoy. But at same time, over the last few decades our industry has been building this incredible digital world. It is funny when people say the digital world is not the real world. Increasingly, the real world is the combination of the physical world that we have and the digital world that we are building.
“I think one of the most interesting questions for our industry over the coming decades is going to be how do we unify these experiences – the physicality that we have with this vibrant digital world to have something better than what we have today? Not too far from now, you are going to walk into a room and there will be many holograms of digital things as well as physical objects. So, this is a quick glimpse of the future of how this idea of the physical and the digital coming together to create the idea that is called the metaverse.
“Mixed reality allows you to bring digital objects into the physical world; advances in artificial intelligence (AI) allows us to create different AIs that help us to accomplish different things and smart glasses eventually allow us to bring all of these together. Now, the big point of these innovations is about making sure that these technologies are accessible to everyone.
“Sometimes we innovate and release some of the things that have never been seen, but sometimes we innovate by taking something that is awesome and super-expensive and making it affordable for everyone. Innovations that bring the future to millions and billions of people is what we do.”


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ELON MUSK NEWS AND UPDATES ON TESLA AND SPACEX COMPANIES
The Dragon that will blast America's astronauts back into orbit: SpaceX reveals its manned capsule has begun final testing at NASA ahead of first mission
Elon Musk's space firm has revealed its capsule has already been delivered to NASA for final testing ahead of its first, unmanned, test mission.
Called 'Speed Limit Mode', it's included in Version 3.4.1 and builds on a similar feature, dubbed Valet Mode. Maximum vehicle speed can be set to a range of 50 and 90 mph.
Former Tesla employee being sued for 'sabotage' claims he is a whistleblower drawing attention to 'really scary things' at the firm
Martin Tripp, a process engineer from Nevada, was hit with a $1 million suit alleging he hacked into Tesla's system, transferred data to third parties and gave false leaks to the media.
Tesla sues ex-employee alleging data theft and leaks to the media just days after Elon Musk warned of 'extensive and damaging sabotage'
Tesla is suing former process engineer Martin Tripp for $1 million, alleging he hacked into Tesla's system, transferred data to third parties and gave false leaks to the media.
What a Tesla in Autopilot mode ‘sees’ in real-time: Fascinating footage reveals exactly what the driverless vehicle spots on the road
YouTube user greentheonly created the clips by overlaying key data used by California-based firm Tesla's Autopilot feature onto dashcam footage.
'A long list of organizations want Tesla to die': Elon Musk says rogue employee altered code on his manufacturing system and passed data to outsiders in an 'extensive and damaging sabotage' as he launches espionage probe
In a company-wide email, Musk wrote the employee admitted his acts, and that he said he had carried out this sabotage as payback after being passed over for a position at the California company.
Tesla builds giant TENT in its parking lot to house a new Model 3 production line as it battles to manufacture the make or break car
Elon Musk took the wraps off of a massive tent, dubbed 'Factory 2.0', that's being used to roll out even more of the firm's Model 3 sedans. The tent is located on the same campus as Tesla's Fremont factory.
Are we edging towards a 'universal basic income'? Tesla boss Elon Musk says cash handouts from governments 'will be necessary' as AI takes over human jobs
Elon Musk, who is CEO of Palo Alto-based company Tesla, made the comment in response to a question from a Twitter user about whether he supported universal basic income.
Will Tesla miss its Model 3 targets yet again? Elon Musk tells employees that ‘radical improvements’ are needed in the next two weeks if the firm is to hit its production goals
Elon Musk has sent a company-wide email, praising employees for their work on the Model 3 production line at Fremont, California, but warning the company is still falling short of its targets.
The Boring Company has shared a new video showing one of its high-speed tunnels. In the brief clip, a Model X SUV can be seen zooming through one of the firm's tunnels on 'electric skates.'
Elon Musk's Boring Company wins its bid to build tunnels that will allow 150mph 'electric skates' to transport people between downtown Chicago and O'Hare Airport
The proposed tunnel system will whisk passengers from downtown Chicago to O'Hare International Airport in mere minutes using 'electric skates' (concept image).
Killer robots could make humans their SLAVES before eventually destroying everyone on the planet, claims scientist
The comments were made by MIT Professor Max Tegmark, during an almost 20 minute long presentation at the Ted 2018 conference, held in Vancouver, Canada.
From glazing crème brûlée donuts to lighting a cigarette: First owners of the $500 flamethrowers from Elon Musk's Boring Company reveal they really are firestarters
Elon Musk delivered the first $500 flamethrowers to customers in Los Angeles a few days ago, and already owners have shared stories about how they are using the controversial gun.
Elon Musk claims next-gen Tesla Roadster will have a 'SpaceX option package' with 10 rocket thrusters to improve acceleration and allow the cars to FLY, in latest bizarre tweets
The four-seater sports car will boast 10 small rocket thrusters around the body that will improve acceleration, cornering, breaking and top speed, the Palo Alto-based car company has confirmed.
Elon Musk says a major update to the Tesla Autopilot software will 'begin to enable full self-driving features' in August
The news comes days after federal investigators determined that a Tesla SUV using the firm's autonomous driving system accelerated before it crashed in California in March, killing its driver.
Elon Musk's $500 'zombie-killing' flamethrowers are already showing up on eBay for as much as $20,000 after buyers finally get their hands on the Boring Company merchandise
The Boring Company-branded flamethrowers, which were designed to raise funds to build a tunnel under Los Angeles, are listed on the auction site with prices as high as $20,000 (£14,900).
Charred aftermath of Tesla crash scene is released as investigators reveal the autopilot car SPED up seconds before crashing into a barrier killing an Apple engineer
Shocking crash photos reveal the aftermath of a devastating multi-car crash caused by a Tesla autopilot speeding up to 71mph, with charred wreckage strewn across a California freeway.
She's back! Iconic supermodel Helena Christensen, 49, flaunts her enviable figure in sexy thigh-high slit gown for stunning new fashion campaign
Helena, 49, stars in the new Resort 2019 Sachin and Babi campaign where she shows off her enviable frame in a slew of sequin ensembles from the new collection.
Elon Musk says Tesla will never build a motorcycle - because he was almost killed by a truck while riding one at 17
At Tesla's annual shareholder meeting yesterday Musk said the firm's future was firmly on four wheels.
Amber Heard PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: Star seen with Heidi Klum's ex Vito Schnabel after split from Elon Musk
Amber Heard and Vito Schnabel were spotted together in the backseat of an SUV in New York City on Wednesday. The stunning blonde actress and the art curator looked caught by surprise.
SpaceX lights up the morning sky over Florida as firm's Falcon 9 rocket blasts one of the largest communications satellites ever launched into orbit
The 5.4-ton (4,900kg/10,800lb) satellite, dubbed SES-12, will beam TV, data, and other communications services across the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East.
Is Elon Musk's space tourism plan in trouble? SpaceX founder DELAYS sending people to the moon due to 'technical challenges'
SpaceX, based in California, originally planned for two paying space tourists to fly to the moon later this year on a Dragon Crew spacecraft launched by the firm's 'Big F****ing Rocket'.
Consumer Reports finally recommends Tesla's Model 3 after Elon Musk's firm issues 'unheard of' brake fix within days
The influential magazine refused to recommend the vehicle - causing the firm to admit to a problem with its software and issue a firmware update within days.
Musk claims the performance has been improved in a firmware update being sent to cars
Tesla settles class action lawsuit over 'essentially unusable and demonstrably dangerous' Autopilot system
Class members who paid $5,000 to get the Autopilot upgrade between 2016 and 2017 will receive between $20 and $280 in compensation. Tesla has agreed to place more than $5m in a settlement fund.
Is Elon Musk REALLY building a 'Yelp for journalists' website? SpaceX and Tesla founder says he bought 'Pravduh' domain in nod to old Soviet-run paper (but it could just be satire)
Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk hasn't let up on his promise to create 'Pravda'. He tweeted on Friday that he registered the domain name 'Pravduh.com', a play on words of the state-run Russia news agency.
Two U.S. consumer advocacy groups urged the FTC to investigate what they called Tesla's 'deceptive and misleading' use of the name Autopilot for its assisted-driving technology.
Data from wrecked Tesla vehicle confirms car ACCELERATED moments before plowing into the back of firetruck leaving two injured
A police report of the incident says the Tesla Model S was on semi-autonomous Autopilot mode when it sped up from 55 mph (89 kph) to 60 mph (97 kph) before it hit a firetruck in Utah.
'I think I'll call it Pravda': Elon Musk goes on Twitter rant against media criticizing Tesla and says he will start a website to rate the 'truthfulness' of journalists (named after the old Soviet state-run news agency)
Musk took 'big media companies' to task in a series of tweets on Wednesday. He then pledged to create a new site called 'Pravda' where people can rate journalists' credibility.
Tesla's Model 3 sedan recorded more registrations in California than its class rivals BMW 3-Series and Mercedes C-Class in the first quarter.
Elon Musk admits Tesla's Model 3 DOES have a braking issue just hours after Consumers reports revealed it - but says it can be fixed with a firmware upgrade 'within days'
Tesla boss Elon Musk played down a report identifying 'big flaws' in its Model 3 sedan, admitting there is a braking issue with the vehicle but saying it will be fixed within days.
Tesla's affordable Model 3 FAILS to earn Consumer Reports' recommendation after tests reveal difficult controls and the worst braking distances 'of any contemporary car'
Long emergency stopping distances, difficult-to-use controls and a harsh ride stopped Tesla's Model 3 electric car from getting a recommended buy rating from Consumer Reports.
The capsule that could one day carry humans to Mars: Elon Musk shares stunning image of SpaceX's Crew Dragon ship in test chamber dubbed 'the quietest place on Earth'
Elon Musk recently shared a new photo of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft undergoing crucial electromagnetic interference tests before being shipped off to another testing site.
Man, 34, dies after his Tesla veers off California road and plunges into pond in yet ANOTHER crash involving the luxury car brand
Investigators say it's too early to tell if the vehicle was in Autopilot mode when the crash occurred or if the driver, Keith Leung, 34, had been speeding on the road near Danville, California.
Elon Musk says affordable Model 3 is still months away as shipping it now would cause Tesla 'to lose money and die' - but a souped up $78,000 version could become available soon
Billionaire tech mogul and Tesla chief Elon Musk released new details about the long-awaited Model 3 sedan in a series of tweets late Sunday, saying it's still months away from delivering the vehicle.
The 30-year-old Canadian rocker and the Space X entrepreneur, 46, have quickly become close after coming out as a couple at the Met Gala at the glitzy Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7.
Elon Musk's Boring Company to ship it's $500 flamethrower in two weeks - and says giant 'superbricks' allowing you to recreate the Pyramids and other world wonders in your backyard won't be far behind
Tech mogul Elon Musk disclosed that the $500 (£351) flamethrowers would start shipping within two weeks. The flamethrowers quickly sold out and generated $7.5 million for the firm.
Elon Musk says the public can travel on 150mph electric Loop shuttles in his LA Boring Company tunnels for just $1
Elon Musk shared more details about the project, which will carry passengers at high speeds aboard electric shuttles, at a Boring Company event in Los Angeles on Thursday evening.
Is Elon Musk REALLY making candy? SpaceX and Tesla founder posts pic of Boring Company branded sweets to Instagram
Elon Musk is doubling down on his bet to create a candy company. The tech mogul shared a photo of some Boring Company-branded candy to his Instagram on Thursday with just the caption 'lol'.
Gold 'Tesla' iPhone X inspired by Elon Musk has its own solar panel so you never run out of power (but it will set you back $4,800)
The gold plated handset (pictured), inspired by Musk, Steve Jobs and Nikola Tesla, was created by Caviar, based in Moscow, with the first now on its way to the billionaire entrepreneur.
Elon Musk rejected plan to add eye-tracking technology that ensured Tesla drivers were looking at the road because it was 'ineffective'
Tesla reportedly considered adding eye-tracking technology to its self-driving cars. But top execs, including Elon Musk, decided against it because it was too expensive and ineffective.
SpaceX's 'Block 5' Falcon 9 rocket blasts off from Cape Canaveral for its maiden voyage carrying Bangladesh's first communications satellite
SpaceX has launched its powerful Block 5 Falcon 9 rocket for the first time, after aborting the maiden voyage just 58 seconds before liftoff yesterday.
Elon Musk's Boring Company is 'almost done' with its 2 mile-long LA test tunnel and will offer free rides to the public within months
The billionaire's tunnel-digging firm The Boring Company is adding the finishing touches to its first ever track, ahead of its opening in Los Angeles, which could lead to a full scale transport system.
Scrubbed! SpaceX delays the launch of its first 'Block 5' Falcon 9 after rocket gives the abort signal just 58 SECONDS before lift-off
Elon Musk's SpaceX delayed the maiden voyage of its powerful Block 5 Falcon 9 rocket after it set off a launch abort sequence with just 58 seconds to spare before liftoff.
In what the billionaire mogul calls Tesla's 'all-hands quarterly video,' the firm shows off the Roadster, the Semi truck, as well as its Fremont factory and sprawling Gigafactory 1 in Nevada.
The innovative duo made their red carpet debut as an official couple at Monday's star-studded Met Gala in Manhattan
SpaceX prepares to launch its first 'Block 5' Falcon 9 rocket that could be reused 100 TIMES and eventually carry astronauts to space
Elon Musk's rocket company is moving closer to launching astronauts into space. SpaceX is set to debut the latest version yet of its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, called the Block 5, on Thursday.
Amber Heard shrugs off awkward Elon Musk run-in with a smile as she heads to the afterparties in second red dress after his Met Gala debut with Grimes
Amber Heard refused to be red faced on Monday night, as she slicked on a second claret dress and a strong scarlet lipstick and headed to the Met Gala afterparties following Elon's appearance.
Elon Musk was recently spotted at the Met Gala with new girlfriend Grimes. Here's all you need to know about who he is, his age, net worth, companies, relationship with Grimes and more.
Elon Musk slams Tesla's 'drunken sloth' contractors in leaked emails and vows a large scale purge of firm after foul-tempered conference call last week
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is purging his company of contractors by requiring his employees to vouch for the quality of their work, it has been reported.
Awkward! Elon Musk, 46, arrives at the Met Gala with new musician girlfriend Grimes, 30, moments after the Tesla billionaire's ex Amber Heard dazzled on the red carpet
Tesla billionaire Elon Musk brought his new girlfriend, musician Grimes, to the Met Gala and arrived just moments before his ex, actress Amber Heard.
Tesla billionaire Elon Musk arrived at the 2018 Met Gala with his new musician girlfriend Grimes moments after his ex, actress Amber Heard, walked the red carpet in an awkward turn of events.
Amber who? Elon Musk moves on from Hollywood actress with 'new love interest' and founder of athletic apparel startup Outdoor Voices
Elon Musk reportedly has a new flame after split with actress Amber Heard. The SpaceX founder is reportedly dating Tyler Haney, who is the CEO of athletic-apparel startup Outdoor Voices.
Tesla loses $2 BILLION in value after Elon Musk calls an analyst a 'boring bonehead' and says the 'questions are so dry they are killing' him during a bizarre earnings call
The awkward exchanges were among a number of unusual moments that took place during the teleconference call, held by the South African born entrepreneur in California yesterday.
Elon Musk warns people betting against Tesla will face a ‘next level short burn of the century’ as he defends his decision to ignore analysts' 'boring, boneheaded' questions
Global financial markets reacted sharply to the exchange with a nosedive in the business' shares, which fell by 7.9 per cent at their lowest point to $277.49 (£205) on Thursday.
Elon Musk says Tesla's autonomous ridesharing network could be ready by 2019, as he claims 'robo-Ubers' will revolutionize how we travel
Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk said an autonomous mobility service, called Tesla Network, could be ready as soon as 2019. It would be like a 'robo-Lyft or 'robo-Uber' for renting cars, he said.
Tech billionaires clash over the future of AI: Google founder Larry Page slams Elon Musk's 'speciesist' concerns that killer robots will wipe out humanity, claiming the idea could 'delay the digital utopia'
In a book by an MIT professor, details have emerged of a spat between the billionaire bosses of Tesla and Google at a 2015 party in Napa valley California.
Elon Musk's rocket is 'too small': Boeing slams Space X's Falcon Heavy for NOT being equipped for missions into deep space
According to Boeing, the Falcon Heavy 'can't compete' with its Space Launch System (SLS) - a huge rocket it is building with Nasa at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
Have these tech billionaires found the secret to eternal youth? The incredible transformation of Silicon Valley's biggest names as Thiel and Bezos invest in anti-aging technology
Jeff Bezos, 54, set Twitter alight when he arrived to a conference looking like Vin Diesel with bulging biceps. Meanwhile Peter Thiel, 50, is obsessed with beating aging and takes human growth hormone.
Billionaire tech mogul took to Twitter on Wednesday to reveal his next crazy idea -- a cyborg dragon. The SpaceX boss didn't elaborate on what he has planned, but it whipped Twitter into a frenzy.
Tesla driver using the car's Autopilot retraces the route of a fatal Model X accident in California - and almost crashes in the exact same spot
A Tesla on autopilot (pictured) has nearly crashed on Highway 101 near Mountain View where a Tesla driver died just a week ago after his car crashed into a barrier.
'I tried to make him a nicer person': Elon Musk's model mother breaks her silence over her ex-husband, 72, who fathered a child with his 30-year-old stepdaughter
The model, 70, alluded to her rocky nine-year marriage to Errol, 72, who has fathered a child with his own stepdaughter, saying she was 'messed around' while trying to change her ex-husband.
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasts off from Cape Canaveral carrying NASA's $337 MILLION planet-hunting TESS satellite that will map 85% of the sky in mission to discover thousands of new alien worlds
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) blasted toward space atop a Falcon 9 rocket at 6:51 p.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
How to succeed at work, according to Elon Musk: Billionaire reveals his 6 tips, including hanging up on boring calls and walking out of bad meetings
Elon Musk is currently staying overnight at Tesla's factory in Freemont, California. The hard-working boss sent an-email to his employees revealing six tips to boost their productivity.
Surely he can afford one himself? Go Fund Me is set up for Elon Musk to get a new couch, after the BILLIONAIRE admitted to sleeping on the office floor because his sofa is 'too narrow'
A man based in San Diego, California, has started a fundraiser after the Tesla CEO admitted he had recently attempted to pull an all-nighter at his Silicon Valley plant, only to end up on the floor.
Elon Musk reveals plan to recover a SpaceX rocket using a 'giant party balloon' and land it on a BOUNCY HOUSE (and it might not be as 'crazy' as it sounds)
In a series of tweets, the SpaceX boss described how the firm might use the novel technique to recover the upper stage -- a crucial component of the rocket that carries a payload into orbit.
Tesla halts work on the Model 3 AGAIN to fix assembly line bottlenecks amid ongoing 'production hell'
Tesla said late Monday that it's temporarily halting production for four or five days 'to improve automation'. It marks the second time this year that Tesla has hit pause on production of the Model 3.
Rage against the machine: Tesla CEO Elon Musk says humans are 'underrated' and that he regrets using robots to build the Model 3
Tesla has struggled to meet production targets for the £25,000 ($35,000) Model 3 and according to CEO Elon Musk robots at the firm's California factory are to blame.
The BFR is a go: LA mayor confirms SpaceX will build its Mars rocket in the city, and says it could bring us 'deeper into the cosmos than ever before' (but opts to use the more PG name)
SpaceX has been given the green light to build its BFR (or as Elon Musk calls it, the Big F***ing Rocket) in LA. Mayor Eric Garcetti revealed the plan today during his State of the City speech.
Boeing boss Dennis Muilenburg challenges Elon Musk in a race to Mars and claims he will even bring the billionaire's Tesla Roadster BACK from space
Dennis Muilenberg believes Chicago-based aerospace giant Boeing can get humans on the red planet in 10 years, a similar timeframe to that outlined by Elon Mus
Grieving widow of Tesla crash victim plans to sue and breaks silence to say he had previously complained about car's Autopilot at the same barrier he collided into and died
Walter Huang died on March 23, when his Tesla Model X crashed into a barrier in Mountain View, California.
Elon Musk slams Silicon Valley's lack of regulation on social media, citing 'willy nilly proliferation of fake news' among the ways it 'negatively affects the public good'
In a recent interview, Musk said social media has gone unchecked, despite its impact on 'the public good'. Musk said he believes that big tech should be subject to more government oversight.
We will all be forced to serve under an immortal robot DICTATOR whose power we can 'never escape', warns billionaire Elon Musk
Tesla founder Elon Musk made the comments in a new documentary titled Do You Trust This Computer? which premiered in Los Angeles yesterday.
SpaceX Dragon capsule reaches space station with 6,000-pound shipment two days after blasting off from Cape Canaveral
A SpaceX capsule carrying food, experiments and other goods for NASA has arrived at the International Space Station after a two-day journey.
Elon Musk begins sleeping at Tesla's Californian factory after failing to hit production target for March
The business says it is producing 2,000 Model 3 cars per week, hailing its ‘most productive quarter in history’. But it is short of the 2,500 per week Musk vowed to be making by the end of March.
Tesla 'goes completely and totally bankrupt': Elon Musk makes light of the car maker's troubles in April 1 Twitter prank
Musk told his 20million Twitter followers that attempts to raise money for the loss-making company, including a mass sale of Easter Eggs, had failed and it was so broke 'you can't believe it'.
Elon Musk may have tested his mind-reading brain implants that provide 'god-like' powers on ANIMALS, government documents reveal
The plans, contained in a letter from Neuralink employee Jared Birchall, to city officials in San Francisco, involve a small operating room for in vivo testing, and a small room to house rodents.
Forget flamethrowers: Elon Musk now wants to sell 'Lego-like' blocks made out of rocks from the Boring Company's tunnels to build houses
Elon Musk tweeted that the rocks - which will be removed from an underground network of tunnels in Washington, DC and Los Angeles - could create sculpture and buildings.
Billionaire Elon Musk's father, 72, claims baby he had with his own step-daughter, 30, was the result of a 'one off mistake' when she split up with her boyfriend and turned to him for comfort
The baby he fathered by his own step-daughter was as the result of a one-off ‘mistake’, Errol Musk – the South African father of the tech billionaire Elon Musk, has revealed.

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In just the last week two forms of vulnerabilities have been highlighted in iOS devices through Wirelurker and Masque Attack. The former is a malware capable of attacking iOS devices through a USB cable, while the latter, as the name suggests, can mask iOS Apps with malicious ones. These are quite serious vulnerabilities and yesterday the US government issued a warning to iOS users.
In response, Apple has urged users to only use trusted sources, like App Store. In a statement released to iMore, Apple has said,
“We designed OS X and iOS with built-in security safeguards to help protect customers and warn them before installing potentially malicious software,” an Apple spokesperson told iMore. “We’re not aware of any customers that have actually been affected by this attack. We encourage customers to only download from trusted sources like the App Store and to pay attention to any warnings as they download apps. Enterprise users installing custom apps should install apps from their company’s secure website.”
Users are more likely to be affected by Masque Attack which works by luring the user to a third-party link. These phishing links are sent via e-mail or text with the messages asking users to try out popular Apps. But instead of linking to the App Store the user is taken to a different website where they are prompted to download the App. If they do so it will install a malicious app over the legitimate one using iOS enterprise provision profiles, which makes it almost undetectable.
TheAppleGoogle will advise its readers to not download Apps from third-party websites but only from App Store. If you’re unsure of an App link in an e-mail or text, it’s best to search for the App on the App Store.


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$JCI said it is doubling its AGM expansion in North America by 2020 and aims to increase capacity up to 11MM units. The company is reiterating on the commitment of $1Bil of run rate savings from the combination of the ongoing productivity improvements at $TYC and $JCI along with synergy cost reductions $JCI expects to achieve.
$DB is going to cut off services for about 3,400 clients in equities trading.
$F stock slid more than 2% after the company issued two safety recalls involving more than 650,000 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ model cars.
The new CEO of $SBUX, Kevin Johnson, has some pretty large shoes to fill but there are many who have good faith in his ability to do so.
$TSLA opening a showroom in Michigan. A bold move !!


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Automatic robot cars, an idea that was pure science fiction only a few years ago, is becoming a reality.
A car with no one on board drives into a car park at walking pace, lets a pedestrian pass, and then backs into a narrow parking space without the merest bump or scrape.
The technology that makes this possible has been developed by the Swedish car company Volvo and the French parts maker Valeo. It is still at the prototype stage but could be widely available within six years.
"Lots of the technology is already out there," said Guillaume Devauchelle, director of Research and Development at Valeo. "But now we are at a turning point." Rapid progress in radar and detection camera technology now allows cars to "see" things going on around them. Onboard computers analyse road conditions and make the car react accordingly.
Which means that car makers believe that they will have models on the market capable of driving by themselves by 2020, and utterly autonomous robot cars by 2030.
This could radically cut mortality, said Franck Cazenave, marketing director at the parts maker Bosch, since "90 percent of accidents are caused by human error".
- Who to blame for an accident? -
There are other benefits too. As soon as cars begin to talk to one another, and with the computers running the road system, traffic will run more smoothly with huge savings on fuel.
According to Sebastien Amichi, an expert at consultants Roland Berger, after 2030 there could be "fleets of vehicles available 24/7 that will come to pick you up where ever you want, and do so with amazing efficiency".
These really smart cars will also make travel that much more comfortable, their supporters claim. "Drivers won't have to drive so they will have that time for themselves," says Cazenave. They will be able to read, surf the net, or even have a nap -- which is why not only car markers have been attracted by the possibilities this offers.
Google has been testing fully automatic Japanese cars for the last five years and is even making its own electric driverless cars that make us of its Internet and mapping expertise.
Even so, others in the industry such as Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault and Nissan, argue that car-marking is an art not everyone could pull off.
And, of course, there is the prohibitive cost of the technology. The radar system alone on a Google car is said to cost 60,000 euros ($82,000), without counting existing auto-pilot technology that costs thousands of euros.
"What is still holding us up is the quality of the sensors and of artificial intelligence," Ford has admitted. And though everyone thinks that the next decade will see automatic robot cars driving on their own on motorways and in car parks, having them in the middle of urban traffic with pedestrians and cyclists, is another question. The big issue is who is to blame if there is an accident.
Before tackling this thorny question, governments will have to change road safety laws which demand that every driver "must be in control of their vehicle".
As for the drivers themselves, some will undoubtedly be happy to hand over the wheel. Others though will be reluctant to put their lives in the hands of a computer -- not to mention foreswearing for ever the pleasure of putting their foot to the floor.


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Toyota attained on rivals around the globe as it managed to stay clear of prolonged production shutdowns by thoroughly running microchip procurement and navigating source chain bottlenecks. Toyota credited stockpiling early in the crisis and close interaction with suppliers for its edge.
The technique did not just empower Toyota to widen the hole with Volkswagen on the international phase.
It also propelled Toyota in advance of American rival Standard Motors to clinch the U.S. profits crown in 2021. It was the 1st time in 9 decades that GM did not major the U.S. most effective-vendor listing.
In 2020, as global automakers struggled with COVID-19 disruption, Toyota experienced a narrower guide over VW. The Japanese company’s world wide deliveries have been 9.528 million VW’s ended up 9.305 million.
In regular Toyota manner, the firm performed down the most current world wide revenue ranking.
“Being quantity a single has in no way been Toyota’s aim, and we see our profits effectiveness as the collective end result of each individual individual customer’s conclusion to assistance our models,” spokeswoman Shiori Hashimoto stated. “Our company’s objective is to be the very best brand for safety and top quality.”
Tallies for Toyota and VW contain weighty industrial trucks, this sort of as quantity from Toyota’s Hino subsidiary and Volkswagen’s Guy, Scania and Business Vehicles models. Strip those out, and the hole concerning the Japanese and German automakers widens mainly because VW sells far more trucks.
Toyota’s sturdy final results for 2021, on the other hand, really do not automatically position to a rosy long run.Toyota began the existing fiscal 12 months targeting world-wide output of 9.3 million cars for the Toyota and Lexus brand names in the 12 months to March 31, as it recovered from the pandemic.
And the corporation largely confounded the market by boosting output and notching report income regardless of the pandemic and the microchip broadside. But since previous summer time, Toyota finally started to experience the pinch of the global slowdown and joined rivals in pulling back again output. This month, Toyota warned it would miss its revised fiscal-12 months creation focus on of 9 million units.
In calendar 12 months 2021, the Toyota-Lexus division created 8.584 million automobiles, an 8.5 percent raise around 2020, when factories and sellers had been hammered by pandemic lockdowns.
In income, on the other hand, the Toyota Group’s consequence for the calendar calendar year 2021 was its 3rd most significant at any time, trailing the report 10.742 million automobiles bought in 2019 and the 10.594 million moved in 2018. All those figures consist of truck-maker Hino and minicar subsidiary Daihatsu.
VW continue to tops Toyota in EVs
Toyota and Lexus alongside one another chalked their second-greatest quantity at any time.
World deliveries for all those brands climbed 10.6 % to 9.615 million autos. That sum was exceeded only by the report 9.714 million units the makes marketed in 2019. The Toyota model by itself observed 2021 global revenue maximize to 8.855 million cars, from 7.973 million in 2020.
For comparison, Volkswagen-model passenger autos notched 4.897 million in sales final yr, whilst Volkswagen Industrial Cars chipped in another 359,900 cars.
Hybrid pioneer Toyota also sold a report amount of electrified vehicles in 2021 – to the tune of 2.621 million units, like hybrids, battery electrics and hydrogen gas cell cars.
But when it arrived to pure electrical vehicles, there was no contest.
Volkswagen Group world wide deliveries of battery EVs practically doubled to 453,000 automobiles in 2021. Toyota saw a 4-fold enhance in EV gross sales – but only to a paltry 14,407 units.
Toyota is a late comer to the world-wide race for pure EVs as it continues to push gasoline-electric hybrids. But it would make its very first serious foray into the segment with this year’s start of the bZ4X all-electric powered crossover. And Toyota plans a immediate capture up with 30 entirely electric powered types by 2030.
In 2021, Toyota offered a file 2.482 million hybrid vehicles, a 30 p.c increase around 2020.
GM, the most important U.S.-centered vehicle maker, has not yet documented worldwide product sales for 2021. But as a result of September, it booked 4.812 million units. Considering that slicing back again on abroad operations, the slimmed-down, article-bankruptcy GM has frequently been out of contention for the global No. 1 location.


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TOKYO : The government is set to strengthen the capacity of consumer affairs centers across Japan to support game addicts and their families, sources familiar with the matter said Sunday.
The Consumer Affairs Agency plans to build a consultation system that will connect such people with medical experts and private aid organizations, starting this fiscal year through next March, the sources said.
The World Health Organization last year included gaming disorder in its International Classification of Diseases, defining it as a pattern of behavior characterized by impaired control over digital- or video-gaming, prioritizing them over daily activities and other interests leading to significant impairment in health, education, work and other areas.
As general interest in online and video games has grown, so has concern regarding minors who spend more time than usual playing games at home, especially amid recent school closures and stay-at-home requests by authorities amid the coronavirus pandemic.
According to a 2019 nationwide survey commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, 85 percent of around 5,100 respondents said they played games using smartphones, PCs and videogame consoles over the past 12 months.
About 33 percent of those aged between 10 and 29 spent two hours or longer in online or other games daily, the survey found.
Consumer affairs centers, which handle consumer-related issues and complaints, have been receiving numerous calls about high game fees and mentions by parents of children suspected of suffering from gaming disorder.
A panel set up by the agency will present policy proposals in July, while a consultation manual will be created based on one for gambling disorder and will be distributed to consumer centers, the sources said.


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By Wendy Davis
Potential privacy legislation being floated by Rep. Rick Boucher “would fundamentally change online information and online advertising practices to the detriment of consumers,” the Interactive Advertising Bureau said Friday in written comments to lawmakers.
“We believe that self-regulation, which is inherently more flexible and better suited to govern a dynamic environment than legislation, is the best approach to help ensure that consumers receive transparency and choice online,” the IAB wrote to Boucher, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. Cliff Stearns, ranking member of the committee.
The IAB sent the letter in response to draft privacy legislation, circulated last month by Boucher, that would require ad networks that track people to obtain users’ consent. The proposal specifically calls for opt-in consent unless companies notify consumers via an icon and also allow people to view and edit their profiles. (Some ad companies, including Google, Yahoo and BlueKai, already allow users to access and revise their profiles.)
The IAB objected to that idea, arguing that companies should be able to target users by default, without moving to a system that allows consumers to manage their profiles. “Requiring consumers to opt-in to transfers to third parties would drastically reduce the free flow of information that is the heart and soul of today’s Internet offerings,” the group writes.
The organization adds that even though a few companies now allow users to edit their targeting preferences, “it is too soon in the experimentation of these practices to codify managed preference profiles into federal legislation.”
The IAB also took issue with several other terms in the draft bill. Among the most significant, Boucher’s bill requires that consumers consent to the collection of information that has not traditionally been considered “personally identifiable,” such as IP addresses or pseudonyms.
The IAB argues that collecting such data shouldn’t require explicit consent. “The mere fact that information could identify a computer or device does not necessarily raise privacy issues,” the group argues. “If such information becomes identifying information — where it is actually tied to a person’s name — at that point it could be subject to the higher standard.”
The IAB’s letter, authored by vice-president for public policy Mike Zaneis, highlights the industry’s recent self-regulatory efforts, including the guidelines issued last year by a coalition including itself, the American Association of Advertising Agencies, the Association of National Advertisers, the Direct Marketing Association, and the Council of Better Business Bureaus. Those guidelines generally call for companies to notify consumers about behavioral targeting and allow them to opt out.
Some consumer advocates also are not happy with the draft bill. In a letter to Boucher and Stearns, Consumer Reports publisher Consumers Union criticizes the proposal for relying too heavily on a notice-and-choice system. “Consumers Union hopes that as the legislation progresses, it will include other methods of privacy protection, such as principles addressing data collection minimization, data quality, purpose specification, extensive security safeguards, individual participation, and accountability,” the group said in a letter to Boucher and Stearns.
A coalition of 10 advocacy organizations including the Center for Digital Democracy, Electronic Frontier Foundation and World Privacy Forum also weighed in. Those groups said they favored a system that would allow marketers to collect non-sensitive information by default, but would also require them to obtain explicit consent to keep the data for longer than 24 hours.
“We would also like to challenge the conventional wisdom that privacy legislation that is based on an opt-in approach is not feasible,” they wrote to Boucher and Stearns. “It is ironic that while many in the business community profess to want to offer consumers real and meaningful control over the collection and use of their data, these same companies and associations are unwilling to provide the most effective means of control for consumers — opt-in.”
The watchdog groups also opposed a provision in Boucher’s draft that would ban individual consumers from suing companies who violated the privacy standards. “The FTC does not have the resources to pursue all or even most privacy violations occurring on the Internet today,” Consumers Union wrote. “Giving individuals a private right of action against companies who violate the law will have a greater deterrent effect and give individuals some control over the way their personal information is used.”


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Coca-Cola wants to fight prejudices during Ramadan with an exciting video ad campaign
Coca-Cola shows it is standing by Muslim consumers during the Holy Month of Ramadan with an uplifting spot.
A simple and universal message of friendship and solidarity the one communicated by the Coca-Cola Netherland Facebook channel: a moving advertisement dedicated to Muslims from all over the world who are observing Ramadan from Wednesday 16 May to Thursday 14 June 2018 , the millennial Islamic practice that consists of a month dedicated to fasting and self-denial.
The festival, unlike others, has never been seen as an interesting moment for advertisers to spread their campaigns. We could therefore define this spot as an exception in the world of western marketing. A commercial that in addition opens the dialogue to the many stereotypes around this religion and shed light on a reality that often, those who are not Muslims, tend to ignore.
Ramadan and Coca Cola Netherland. Spot 2018
Coca-Cola and Ramadan: the video
Made in collaboration with the FP7 advertising agency McCann UAE, the video represents a young Muslim woman who, in addition to resisting the last hours of fasting before sunset, must fight the obstacles of everyday life. The girl is, in fact, the subject of looks and prejudices, as well as a victim of bullying by passers-by.
While the sun is about to break the daily fast with Iftar, the evening meal of Ramadan, a woman in running suit sees her and decides to offer her a bottle of Coca-Cola. Initially, the young Muslim, since the sunset has not yet arrived, does not accept it. The runner, after a few moments, understands the reason and decides to wait with her for the sun to fall so she can share and drink together from the iconic bottle.
The video ends with the slogan:
“What unites us is greater than what divides us”.
The absence of dialogue, peaceful and engaging music, the act of tender sharing and daily solidarity are surely the elements that contributed to the high reach of this message and its virality on social networks.
Initially published on Facebook, since today the video has reached about 231 thousand views, 4,800 shares and almost 5,000 thousand Like. Republished in a second moment on Youtube, during these days is continuing to collect a huge success.
Coca-Cola and Ramadan, the precedent
It is not the first time that Coca-Cola tries to face prejudices with a spot dedicated to Ramadan.
In 2015 Coca-Cola Middle East had, initially, made a series of limited edition cans, without the famous logo. On the back a sentence: “Labels are for cans, not for people”. Concurrently, the company has created a video showing an experiment to highlight the stereotypes of our society: without being able to see each other, strangers that were invited to an Iftar are talking quietly. The result was that, unlike what happens in normal conditions of visibility (prejudices are formed within the first 7 seconds in which someone meets, based on physical appearances, nationality and culture), none of them had any kind of prejudice on the appearance of the other guests.


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Everyone loves a good comeback, especially when it's accompanied by a hefty dose of nostalgia. This has proved especially true for retro gadgets - evidenced by the social media frenzy surrounding Nokia's rebooted 3310 phone and Nintendo's Christmas 2016 hit, the NES Classic Mini.
With the hunger for retooled classic games consoles, phones and other old school devices seemingly at an all-time high, there are no small number of dust-coated childhood favourites ripe for a revival. But which of the fondly-remembered gizmos and gadgets are we craving will receive a 21st Century makeover the most?
According to a survey of just over 2,000 tech-savvy UK residents performed by Ebuyer, there are five clear winners in the reboot race. Here they are, from fifth to first, alongside a couple of glorious concepts imagining what Britain's most beloved vintage products would look like in an age ruled by iPhones and PS4s.
Wait, isn't Blackberry still going?
For those not in the loop, the Blackberry brand is going through something of a resurgence thanks to a licensing agreement with Chinese manufacturer TCL Communication. In fact, the recently released Blackberry KEYOne Android smartphone has all of the tiny QWERTY keys and Blackberry Messenger threads any nostalgic Blackberry Curve, Bold or Pearl fan could ever want.
4. Sega Mega Drive
This ranked number four as most wanted for a revival among those asked. Again, people, this is already a thing. There's even a portable version too.
3. Nintendo Game Boy
Now we're talking.
Nintendo's legendary handheld left a legacy that the Japanese gaming giant struggled to surpass for years. The Nintendo DS would eventually complete the task, but the Game Boy is an undisputed classic games machine.
The Game Boy's memory lives on with the wonderful Nintendo Switch - a home-handheld hybrid device - as well as the 3DS, but for those in need of a green and black jolt of pixelated bliss or the Game Boy's chunky design, there's always this goofy smartphone peripheral or Nintendo's soon-to-be-revamped digital store where your favourite 8-bit games sell for a few pounds.
2. Motorola Razr
This took us a little by surprise as we expected Motorola's beloved flip-phone to snatch the top spot.
Amid hushed rumours that a Lenovo-made Razr reboot could be on the horizon, the above concept of a dual-screened, edge-to-edge, OLED-tastic beauty with all the trappings of a modern smartphone and all the style of its noughties form should send Motorola fans into a smitten state.
1. Sony Discman
Spotify be damned! The UK's audio gadget of choice is apparently Sony's Compact Disc-playing Discman.
Before streaming services, Apple's iPod (which came a close second in a gadget-only poll) and even the now-defunct MP3 format, Sony ruled the roost when it came to music on the go, and it's all thanks to its numerous Discman devices and Walkman before that.
The dream reboot here would see collectors with stacks of LPs and singles treated to a Bluetooth and Wi-Fi-enabled portable CD player with advanced skip protection, a touchscreen display and even the option to stream music, podcasts and potentially video on the top of the circular gadget.
You can find out more about the revival designs in Ebuyer's blog post here.
Which classic tech gadgets do you think deserve a retro reboot? Let us know at @IBTimesUKTech.


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Intuit (INTU) : Sand Hill Global Advisors reduced its stake in Intuit by 20.96% during the most recent quarter end. The investment management company now holds a total of 4,284 shares of Intuit which is valued at $480,194 after selling 1,136 shares in Intuit , the firm said in a disclosure report filed with the SEC on Aug 11, 2016.Intuit makes up approximately 0.07% of Sand Hill Global Advisors’s portfolio.
Other Hedge Funds, Including , Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd added INTU to its portfolio by purchasing 5,814 company shares during the most recent quarter which is valued at $651,691. Intuit makes up approx 0.17% of Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd’s portfolio.Finemark National Bank Trust reduced its stake in INTU by selling 800 shares or 22.82% in the most recent quarter. The Hedge Fund company now holds 2,705 shares of INTU which is valued at $306,071. Intuit makes up approx 0.03% of Finemark National Bank Trust’s portfolio.Ngam Advisors reduced its stake in INTU by selling 21,581 shares or 35.65% in the most recent quarter. The Hedge Fund company now holds 38,957 shares of INTU which is valued at $4,278,647. Intuit makes up approx 0.06% of Ngam Advisors’s portfolio.
Intuit opened for trading at $113.25 and hit $114 on the upside on Tuesday, eventually ending the session at $113.84, with a gain of 1.16% or 1.3 points. The heightened volatility saw the trading volume jump to 15,33,836 shares. Company has a market cap of $29,128 M.
On the company’s financial health, Intuit reported $0.08 EPS for the quarter, beating the analyst consensus estimate by $ 0.10 according to the earnings call on Aug 23, 2016. Analyst had a consensus of $-0.02. The company had revenue of $754.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $735.35 million. The company’s revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $-0.05 EPS.
Many Wall Street Analysts have commented on Intuit. Shares were Reiterated by RBC Capital Mkts on Aug 24, 2016 to “Sector Perform” and Lowered the Price Target to $ 108 from a previous price target of $113 .Company shares were Reiterated by Deutsche Bank on Aug 24, 2016 to “Buy”, Firm has raised the Price Target to $ 130 from a previous price target of $125 .Company shares were Reiterated by RBC Capital Mkts on Aug 15, 2016 to “Sector Perform”, Firm has raised the Price Target to $ 113 from a previous price target of $93 .
Intuit Inc. is a provider of business and financial management solutions for small businesses consumers and accounting professionals. The Company operates through three segments: Small Business Consumer Tax and Professional Tax. The Company operates in the United States Canada India the United Kingdom Singapore and Australia among others. The Company’s Small Business segment solutions include QuickBooks Online Online Payroll solutions Online Payments solutions and Intuit Developer Group. The Company’s Small Business Desktop Ecosystem solutions include QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Solutions Desktop Payments solutions QuickBooks Technical Support and financial supplies. The Consumer Tax segment offers tax return preparation offerings electronic filing and other services and Intuit Tax Freedom Project. The Company’s professional tax offerings include Lacerte and ProSeries.


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SAN FRANCISCO -- Apple Inc. on Monday introduced a range of new products, including a thinner MacBook Pro notebook with high-definition retina display as well as a map application to challenge Google's popular Maps app.
The tech giant also used the annual Worldwide Developers Conference to unveil new versions of Apple's Mac and mobile operating systems that will bring Apple's Siri voice-recognition system to the popular iPad tablet.
Apple CEO Tim Cook took the stage for his first keynote speech at the event since the death last October of Apple co-founder and perennial emcee Steve Jobs.
After Siri told a few jokes to get the crowd warmed up -- "It's hard for me to get emotional, because my emotions haven't been coded yet" -- Cook kicked off his speech with some of the current numbers representing Apple's strong developer base.
Cook noted that there are now 650,000 apps available in the Cupertino, Calif., company's App Store, as well as 400,000 App Store accounts, which have helped developers earn more than $5 billion from sales of Apple products.
Among changes to the Apple MacBook line of laptops: The MacBook Air will include third-generation Intel processors and the MacBook Pro will also receive chips from Intel's Ivy Bridge series, with prices ranging from $1,200 to $2,200.
The biggest announcement, however, was the addition of a new MacBook, a super-thin laptop that is only 0.71 inches thick.
The new line of MacBook Pro models will include the "retina display," a high-definition screen technology originally used on the most recent generation of iPads and hailed by critics.
Prices for the MacBook Pro with retina display start at $2,200.
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FRANCE: Danone to cut 900 jobs in Europe
In Europe, sales were down 3%
Danone today (19 February) revealed it plans to cut 900 jobs from its operations in Europe in a bid to revitalise its business in a region where sales fell in 2012.
The Activia firm said in December it wanted to reduce its costs in Europe by EUR200m over two years and this morning outlined the impact on jobs.
Under the proposals, which will be discussed with staff officials today, some 900 posts across 26 countries will go. Danone plans to cut its "management units" by around half and combine teams from several countries into "multi-country units".
Its plans also include a move for executives to focus on "missions and projects that have a direct impact on business growth".
Danone, which said it would continue to do business in the same number of countries in Europe, wants to "win back its competitive edge" in the region.
The company's 2012 financial results, also reported today, revealed Danone's like-for-like sales volumes fell 2.4% in Europe last year. Its trading operating margin in the region dropped by 160 basis points.
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Bad news came in from the US on Friday as its Commerce Department announced a fall in its second estimate of the first quarter gross domestic product (GDP). The data was driven by harsh winter weather and a strong dollar causing a large trade deficit and slower pace of restocking by firms compared to earlier predictions.
The country’s GDP shrank by 0.7 percent during the January-March period instead of the 0.2 percent growth pace anticipated last month, however it was close to the economists estimate of a 1 percent contraction.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that “the decrease in real GDP in the first quarter primarily reflected negative contributions from exports, nonresidential fixed investment, and state and local government spending.”
Although the economy is expected to recover soon, the fall in the country’s GDP was noted as the third quarterly fall since the economy recovered from recession in 2009.
The final GDP estimate will be announced in June.
However economists believe that the first quarter figures were weighed down by temporary factors and problems with the technique used by the government to smooth the data for seasonal fluctuations.
The country’s consumer spending increased by 1.8 percent in the first quarter, revised down from an initial estimate of 1.9 percent.
Moreover, business investment (spending on construction, machinery, and research and development) fell by 2.8 percent, its biggest fall since 2009.
The trade deficit slumped to 1.9 percentage points, the highest since 1985, against a previous estimation of 1.25 points due to the strong dollar and port disputes.
Similarly, exports shot down to 7.6 percent, greater than the forecast of 7.2 percent. Exports of US goods showed their biggest fall in six years as they dipped by 14 percent.
The reluctance of companies to spend money on restocking goods surprised observers. This in turn played a major role in the fall of overall GDP.


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Americans will travel at record levels this year. Over 115 million people will go somewhere via planes, trains, buses and automobiles between December 21 and January 1. Congestion on many roads will be horrible. In some cases, drive times will be double those on normal traffic days.
AAA forecasts that 115.6 million people plan to travel over the period: “That is the most in nearly 20 years since AAA began tracking in 2000, and represents an increase of 3.9% over last year, or 4.3 million more people packing up their sleighs for a holiday getaway.” Paula Twidale, vice president, AAA Travel, commented, “Holiday cheer is at an all-time high this year, with unemployment at historically low levels, and noted improvements in both disposable income and household net worth.
Travelers should be getting used to crowded highways and airports, as this marks the eighth straight year of new record-high travel volumes for the year-end holidays.”
Of those who will travel, almost 105 million people will travel by car. On Thursday and Friday in the period, nationally travel times could double. In New York and Washington, that number could run as high as three times the regular travel time. Overall, many of the worst metropolitan areas to drive can be found in just a few states — these are America’s worst cities to drive in.
AAA has forecast these times by major city.
|City||Worst Day to Travel||Peak congestion period||Delay Multiplier|
|Atlanta||Thursday, Dec. 26||4:30 – 6:30 PM||1.3x|
|Boston||Friday, Dec. 27||4:00 – 6:00 PM||1.5x|
|Chicago||Thursday, Dec. 26||4:45 – 6:45 PM||1.3x|
|Detroit||Thursday, Dec. 26||4:30 – 6:30 PM||1.4x|
|Houston||Friday, Dec. 27||4:30 – 6:30 PM||1.8x|
|Los Angeles||Thursday, Dec. 26||4:25 – 6:25 PM||1.6x|
|New York||Thursday, Dec. 26||4:15 – 6:15 PM||2.7x|
|San Francisco||Thursday, Dec. 26||4:00 – 6:00 PM||2.0x|
|Seattle||Friday, Dec. 27||4:15 – 6:15 PM||1.2x|
|Washington, D.C.||Thursday, Dec. 26||4:00 – 6:00 PM||3.0x|
One reason travel will hit a multiyear peak is low gas prices. Another is a rise in consumer confidence. Between them, the economy around travel should get a boost, even if drivers need to sit in their cars for vexingly long periods. Residents of some big cities in the country spend the equivalent of about a week a year just sitting in slow-moving traffic. Here are the cities with the worst (and best) commutes.


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During 2Q16, $PAYX said that it expanded its Human Capital Management (HCM) product suite again with the launch of integrated Paychex Flex Time and Paychex Flex Benefits administration modules. These two newest modules are designed to support its cloud-based HCM platform.
The latest earnings report by $VZ shows how it is losing customers despite offering the unlimited data plans, a record for the company.
$BEBE is closing down all its stores by the end of May.
$WFC agreed to hike its payout in a class-action settlement over unauthorized accounts by $32 million to $142 million for its retail sales practices. The settlement will now include customers who were impacted as early as May 2002.


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Leading convenience food manufacturer Greencore is looking to hire up to 30 new colleagues at its state-of-the-art distribution centre on the Manton Wood Business Park in Worksop.
Adjacent to the Greencore manufacturing site, the depot already employs 220 warehouse workers and delivery drivers, and is looking for additional warehouse operatives, multi-drop van delivery drivers and HGV drivers to help meet demand as lockdown eases and demand increases.
It is holding a recruitment day and job interviews for potential candidates on Saturday 19 June.
Commenting on this expansion, Andy Rowe, Warehouse Manager at Greencore Manton 110 says; “We distribute chilled and frozen food products for convenience stores, travel retailers and the foodservice sector, so as the country moves out of lockdown we are seeing an increase in demand for our products, which is of course a good thing. This gives us a great opportunity to create up to 30 new driver and warehouse roles at the site and we are looking forward to welcoming potential candidates to our recruitment day from 10am on 19 June.”
Anyone interested in attending the recruitment day should pre-book a slot on: 01909 512 926 or send an email to email@example.com for a tour of the site, to participate in an interview and hopefully, depending on the outcome of the interview, come home with a job offer.
The Greencore depot is located on the Manton Wood Business Park in Retford Road, Worksop.
Anyone interested in more information can visit: https://www.greencore.com/careers/


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Ahead of International Women’s Day, BrewDog announced the release of the satirically dubbed ?beer for girls,” Pink IPA, via Twitter. It was meant to be a clarion call to close the gender pay gap and to expose sexist marketing.
On International Women’s Day 2018, serial entrepreneur Jan Cavelle reflects on how to change the in-balance that stops women from accessing venture capital and angel investment.
As Richard Blanford increases his use of social media for business he’s learnt the benefits of a controversial post and perils of social engineering.
It’s that time of the year when Forbes lifts the lid on the world’s richest and reveals which billionaires have entered the club, but where are all the Brits?
Julian Saunders, CEO and founder of data management and GDPR compliance solution PORT.im, offers tips on how to get your data GDPR-ready.
On 28 January 1986, the NASA space shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, causing the death of all its crew members. An official report, published the same year, highlighted the decision making errors made by key individuals as a result of sleep loss and early shift-work.
The John Lewis bonus has now reached its lowest position since 1954, at five per cent, as challenging” trading conditions eroded the once envy-inducing benefit.
Sick of only hearing words of business motivation from men” Well, it’s your lucky (International Women’s) Day, (see what I did there!?) As eight awesome and awe-inspiring female business leaders share their best quotes about each stage of the entrepreneurial journey.
It’s International Women’s Day and many will be taking the opportunity to #PressforProgress. Already it has become a launchpad for numerous reports, some of which have found significant disparities. Take, for example, the funding gap.
UK retailers have seen a “concerning spike” in severe violence against employees and a continued rise in retail crime such as shoplifting, new industry data has revealed.


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Starcount has received a flurry of positive media coverage in recent weeks, as the company continues to win new business, recognised for its expertise in the science of purchase and intent.
On the 6th February, it was revealed that Starcount will be partnering with Marks and Spencer to ‘help enhance customer understanding and insight through personalisation of M&S’ loyalty and CRM programmes including M&S’s Sparks Card.’
After both Starcount and M&S made the announcement, a number of news outlets across retail and fashion reported on the story. These included Retail Gazette, Drapers, Essential Retail, The Grocer, EPR Retail News, Retail Tech Innovation Hub, Just-Styleand European Supermarket Magazine. The coverage even reached as far as Spain where online news site, Modaes.es, reported M&S’ ‘alignment with a data science company’.
Can you change the prices to suit the demographic, or hold more stock of a certain sandwich? Using the data to support the store estate is immensely powerful.
In other news, the annual Enterprise Applications of the R Language (EARL) Conference, hosted by data analysis enterprise, Mango Solutions, announced that that Starcount CEO, Edwina Dunn, would be delivering the keynote speech. The conference focuses on the commercial use of the R programming language and will be held in London from the 11th to the 13th September.
Finally, Retail Week published an article that delved into retail loyalty schemes, titled ‘Is your loyalty scheme still relevant?’ The story, which analysed the various retail loyalty schemes in operation and examined what a good loyalty programme should look like, made mention of the Starcount-M&S partnership and featured substantial insight from Starcount Chief Data Scientist, Clive Humby.
Among the various themes that Humby explored was the idea that reward preferences vary from sector to sector, and when it comes to infrequently shopped outlets, it is more challenging for retailers to understand their customers: “They don’t buy the same items again, so it’s a very different game. Shoppers in this market value early access to sales, invitations to events, exclusivity and privileges.”
Humby also discussed how retailers could make better use of stores, to help better range specific stores or identify new products that should be listed: “The rent on a building is fixed, if you can make better use of it and make it more relevant to customers, you will get more out of them. Can you change the prices to suit the demographic, or hold more stock of a certain sandwich? Using the data to support the store estate is immensely powerful.”
There are a host of exciting forthcoming announcements from Starcount in the next few months as we build our business at pace and scale, helping our clients navigate and map their customers, predicting future buying behaviour.
We are currently working on this page's content, please check back soon.


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Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group is investing $200m in SnapChat, valuing the photo-messaging app at a whopping $15bn.
The companies did not publicly comment on the deal. But a person familiar with the matter confirmed the investment on Thursday, Bloomberg reports.
Alibaba is China’s largest e-commerce company, and it’s second worldwide only to Amazon.
Snapchat was purportedly working on a $500 million funding round last month. According to Bloomberg, Alibaba’s investment is separate from that round.
The e-commerce firm has been funding both U.S. and Chinese tech companies, as a way to grow the company’s global ecosystem, the source said.
Previous deals made in the U.S. include investing in messaging app Tango, online retail site ShopRunner, and ride-sharing service Lyft.
Snapchat will figure amongst the Chinese firm’s largest investments in the US so far.
But it is unclear how Los Angeles-based Snapchat will add value to Alibaba’s operations, Reuters reported.
Silicon Valley insiders, who have held discussions with Alibaba, say its US deals are key to its strategy of becoming the world’s dominant e-retailer.
Snapchat has recently been adding numerous features as it looks to expand beyond simple temporary picture messages.
Most notably, a new Discover features allows users to explore a variety of editorial content produced specifically for the platform.


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COSTA MESA, Calif., Dec. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire/ --
- NADAguides, the most comprehensive vehicle information provider on the Internet today, announces its annual Consumer Market Interest Report – revealing that the biggest shifts in consumer interest came from the models within the Truck, Minivan and Hybrid segments.
- Analysis of consumer market interest patterns on NADAguides.com from January through November, 2010 revealed Ford and Chevrolet led the pack with the 2010 Ford F-150 taking the overall most researched model, followed closely by the 2011 Ford Mustang and the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro.
- Data shows that Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota models led consumer market interest on NADAguides.com overall throughout the year.
- The NADAguides Analysts pointed out the truck segment saw interesting shifts as Toyota's Tundra and Tacoma gained consumer interest while the Dodge Ram 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 slid slightly. Additionally, heavy duty trucks saw an overall increase in interest with Ford's F-250 and F-350 up 13 percent and 22 percent, respectively.
- Swagger Wagon interest shot up an astounding 84 percent as the Toyota Sienna led the minivan market research with moms and dads across the nation deeming it the cool kid hauler and an acceptable parental means of transportation.
- In terms of hybrid market interest, Toyota's Prius led the way with a 45 percent increase in consumer interest over 2009. The NADAguides Analysts partially attribute this to a heightened awareness of "environmentally friendly" vehicles this year as well as a facelift to the Prius' shell.
- Consumer market interest on NADAguides.com parallels 2010 national sales trends as reported by Automotive News' top 10 vehicles sold from January through November. The Ford F Series, Chevrolet Silverado, Ford Fusion and the Toyota Camry, all of which made the NADAguides' top 10 list, were also among the top 10 selling vehicles during the first 11 months of the year.
- As expected, the new 2011 Buick Regal, 2011 Ford Fiesta and 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee shot up the list as consumers took interest in these new models.
- Don Christy, Jr., NADAguides president and CEO: "For the domestics, we have seen the interest climb as they take advantage of their improved brand perceptions, product quality and their ability to deliver a product that the consumer marketplace is demanding and in need of. Brand loyalty amongst the top brands has seen slight increases as well which has contributed to their research levels on the site."
- Jim Farley, group vice president, global marketing, sales and service, Ford Motor Company: "This is another significant milestone for our customers and for the Ford brand. For us to be researched to such a high level alongside some of the best companies in the world is very rewarding. We believe it is recognition of the momentum of high quality, fuel efficient and smart new products coming from Ford Motor Company that will continue to differentiate the company as a leader."
- Chris Perry, vice president Chevrolet marketing: "2010 has been a great year for Chevrolet, with vehicles like the Camaro, Equinox, Cruze, Volt and Silverado HD contributing to our best sales performance in years. This data validates what we're seeing in Chevrolet showrooms across the continent, and adds to our momentum as we roll into 2011 and beyond."
About the NADAguides Consumer Market Interest Report
The NADAguides Consumer Market Interest Report is a collection of data points from hundreds of thousands of research behaviors on NADAguides.com from January 1 through November 30, 2010. NADAguides' Consumer Market Interest Report is an ongoing study tracking and trending consumer research patterns, purchase intents and market and data interests within new cars.
NADAguides (http://www.nadaguides.com) is the largest publisher of vehicle pricing and information for new and used cars, classic cars, motorcycles, boats, RVs, and manufactured homes. NADAguides offers in-depth shopping and research tools in addition to the most market-reflective pricing available. The company also produces software, raw data, web services, web-syndicated products and print guidebooks.


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Jaden Smith continues to prove that he is much more than his father’s musical prodigy. The rapper and style icon adds another humanitarian notch to his resume, creating a food truck to feed the homeless.
Smith has created a food truck named, “I Love You Restaurant” to provide free vegan based food for the homeless. The truck is a “movement that is all about giving people what they deserve” Smith captioned in an Instagram post.
The food truck debuted on Skid Row, where the 21 year old referenced that Downtown Los Angeles is just one of many stops.
Jaden Smith is no stranger to using his celebrity privilege to help those in need. Last year his boxed water company JUST water provided responsibly sourced and eco-friendly water bottles. Co-created with his father, the water company also brought clean and filtered water systems to Flint citizens.


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Marvell’s new IoT SDK for Apple HomeKit
Marvell has announced a new SDK for Apple’s home Automation framework, HomeKit.
Marvell’s SDK for HomeKit is available on its EZ-Connect™ IoT Platform, including Marvell’s 88MC200 microcontroller and advanced Avastar® 88W801 Wi-Fi system-on-chip (SoC). The SDK is already being used by several hardware producers and paves the way for the first HomeKit accessories to be brought to market.
Marvell’s EZ-Connect Wi-Fi Microcontroller IoT platform features a powerful Cortex-M3 microcontroller (88MC200) and a best-in-class 802.11n wireless radio (88W8801) that together supply the essential pieces for enabling a HomeKit solution.
So far devices supporting the Apple framework have been slow to appear. At the spring forward event earlier this week Apple said a lot more products that support HomeKit will be rolling out during the year.
Want More? – Follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, or subscribe to our RSS feed. You can even get these news stories delivered by means of email, straight to your inbox every day.


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Big Lots cuts outlook; to acquire Canada’s Liquidation World
Columbus, Ohio — Big Lots on Thursday trimmed its expectations for the year amid a fall in first-quarter earnings. In a separate statement, Big Lots said it signed an agreement to buy the Canadian closeout retail chain Liquidation World.
Based in Brantford, Ontario, Liquidation World operates 92 stores in Canada. It is Big Lots’ first expansion outside of the United States
Big Lots posted earnings of $52.5 million for the period ended April 30, compared with $55.9 million a year earlier.
Net sales slipped 0.6% to about $1.23 billion from nearly $1.24 billion. Same-store sales fell 3.6%.
Big Lots shifted its product mix toward lower margin items early this year, which cut its gross margin rate during the quarter by 30 points. The company also cited rising costs for diesel fuel and freight costs.
Panasonic names head marketer
SECAUCUS, N.J. — Panasonic Corporation of North America has appointed Betty Noonan to lead its marketing and branding functions. Noonan, who was most recently VP and director of Kodak’s worldwide consumer marketing operations, will be responsible for integrating the company’s marketing and enhancing the Panasonic brand.
"Panasonic expects Betty Noonan will energize and integrate our marketing efforts across divisions in the U.S. and Canada based on her leadership and her proven record of success in advancing brands," said Joseph Taylor, chairman and CEO of Panasonic Corp. of North America. "Betty is uniquely qualified to help Panasonic transform current marketing efforts in alignment with our long-term corporate goal of becoming the leader in green business innovation. Also, in an international organization like Panasonic, Betty’s global management expertise and perspective from 25 years of global brand marketing experience will play a very important role."
Noonan will serve concurrently as VP marketing and brand management for Panasonic Corporation of North America, and SVP marketing for Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company, the company’s consumer electronics sales division.
Guess Q1 profit down 15%, narrows view
Los Angeles — Guess Inc. beat first-quarter revenue expectations, even though it also reported a 15% decline in net income. The company said net income fell to $42.7 million in the quarter ended April 30, compared with $50.3 million in the year-ago period.
Total revenue increased 9.8% to $592.2 million, beating analysts’ predictions of $567.7 million. Strength in Asia, where revenue rose 24%, drove the increase. Revenue in Europe also helped, rising 12%. Revenue in North America was the weakest, up 5%.
Same-store sales fell 3.1% in U.S. dollars.
In a Barrons report, Guess CEO Paul Marciano said the company focused on controlling inventory and costs, and that the year "is not without its challenges." He cited rising costs of cotton, fuel and other commodities that Guess needs to make and transport its goods, as well as "uncertainty in many economies around the world."


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Skype has hit the iPad. The new Skype for iPad app is optimized for the Apple tablet’s larger screen and includes features such as instant messaging, a display for contacts and SMS texting. It alo allows iPad 2 users to talk face-to-face with the iPad’s front camera or switch to the rear camera to show what they can see. The app works across 3G and Wi-Fi networks and lets people make voice and video calls from the iPad to other Skype users on iPhones, Macs, Windows computers, and HDTVs, among other platforms.
As Skype begins to create new ad opportunities in its own platform, the iPad version represents a potentially more attractive option for brands than Skype on smarphones. A Skype spokesperson said users of the iPad app may see ads in the future. But the majority who get ads will be non-paying Skype users. In any case, the Microsoft-owned company states, “Advertising will be integrated into our mobile software in a manner that is respectful of the user experience.” Skype iPad app appeared in the App Store yesterday before being pulled by the company. Demo of the new Ipad Skype program


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The Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI) is warning businesses will be forced to flee the country due to the unbearable tax environment.
This warning follows the passage of three controversial taxes into law by parliament last Friday.
The taxes namely; the Income Tax Amendment Bill, the Excise Duty Amendment Bill, and the Growth and Sustainability Amendment Bill are expected to generate about GH¢4 billion annually.
Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show on Monday, Chief Executive of GNCCI, Mark Badu-Aboagye said businesses will leave the country due to the continuously growing tax burden.
According to him, the businesses will settle in countries that have a conducive environment for their businesses to thrive.
He stated that the passage of the taxes will result in the collapse of businesses and downsizing in some cases.
“Businesses that will not be able to survive here [Ghana] will relocate to other countries and we have seen some of them relocating. Some of them are closing down and going to the neighbouring countries because the business environment is conducive. You are losing taxes on those people that you want to get revenue from,” he pointed out.
Mr Badu-Aboagye also doubted the government’s capability to realise the earmarked four billion cedis from these taxes, arguing that there will also be a high incidence of tax avoidance.
“The incidence of these taxes is on businesses and the incidence of these taxes is on consumers of products of the businesses. Now, while the taxes that they have passed, businesses are supposed to pay and as I have said earlier, you can only tax me when I make profit … if I don’t make profit how do you tax me?” he questioned.
In a related development, the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has also reacted furiously to the passage of the taxes, insisting Parliament has failed Ghanaians.
This the PRO of GUTA, Joseph Padi explained, is because the timing for the passage of the three taxes is bad.
“In fact, Parliament has failed us, we thought they were working for us rather they were working for themselves,” he said.
According to him, the money sought by the country from the International Monetary Fund was obtained during the Covid period, and if the requested fund is the only way and must be generated internally, there are other options.
He proposed that “the leakages in the system should be closed” rather than introducing new taxes.
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While a lot of technologies first find their biggest market among enterprise customers, video has been one of the cases where it’s more of a consumer phenomenon, especially recently with people buying HD TVs and viewing and uploading videos on YouTube.
But Cisco Systems, in its relentless pursuit of all things video, is trying to make video easy for companies to use. The company today announced an update to its Digital Media System — which pushes out video content to desktop computers and digital signs — to give companies more flexibility in capturing, managing and accessing video.
Companies will now be able to use video as a sort of language to communicate in house. Users can easily upload video into the system a la YouTube. Team leaders can send out mass video messages to workers. Administrators can now share company videos through a new service called Enterprise TV from Cisco, which allows them to create live and on-demand channels for digital signs and PCs. End users can scroll through an online programming guide on screen, as they would with their home TV.
“The winners of the next decade will be companies that fundamentally embrace how they leverage video and collaboration technology to do business,” said Marthin De Beer, senior vice president of Cisco’s emerging technologies group.
Cisco also is looking to make video surveillance easier for companies to deploy. The company announced it was enabling simple integration of surveillance cameras into its existing Integrated Service Routers. That means remote sites, like banks or retail stores, can easily plug their cameras into their company’s IP network and use it to manage and monitor their security video in a central location.
Right now, a lot of surveillance video is recorded on tapes on site but it’s not easily shared remotely. But by enabling companies to plug in both IP and analog cameras into the routers using a new module, they can view and store video at the home office or another remote site.
De Beer said it’s an easy way to get companies to upgrade their surveillance systems, by tying it into their existing Cisco network infrastructure. And for new customers, it’s a way to cheaply deploy an IP surveillance system.
It’s not just for security, though. Marketing teams could access the same video in real time to check store traffic or the efficacy of new marketing campaigns, De Beer said.
The announcements Tuesday underscore Cisco’s ongoing drive to enable video, which it sees as its biggest opportunity going forward. “Companies are changing the way they do business and that’s through video technology,” said De Beer.


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Shannon is a freelance editor and writer. As a professional content creator over the last ten years, Shannon has worked across many industries including tech, business and travel, in a variety of mediums including media, publishing, communications and social media. She has a knack for finding the right voice for her audience and relishes the opportunity to tell stories.
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On July 3, Boeing Co. (BA), the world's largest aerospace company and the leading manufacturer of commercial airplanes, announced that the forecasted demand for the next two decades, i.e. till 2030, is 34,000 commercial airplanes, 500 more than its forecast made six months ago. The firm attributes this rise to the increase in demand of aircrafts in emerging markets like China and India. However, sales in the Middle East have dropped by 6% owing to political turmoil in the region. The sale of single-aisle jets is expected to be 23,240 units. However, this is less than the last forecast of 23,370 jets. The expected revenue from these jets is expected to be $2.03 trillion.
Also, the twin-aisle jets forecast has increased by 620 units to a total of 7,950 jets. This means that the "surprise" revenue from the twin-aisle jets will be around $310 billion, totaling up to $2.08 trillion from twin-aisle jets. The forecasted demand for cargo planes has been reduced from 3,200 to 3,500 by 2030. This is nearly double the current freight fleet of 1,740. The negative "surprise" has come because the global economy is going through a recession, fuel prices are high and lower cost alternatives like shipping exist. The following table depicts the current potential in the market:
The following are the four reasons that are listed in the Current Market Outlook of Boeing, which have spurred this demand:
There is one last figure that should be mentioned before we can estimate the effect of this announcement on Boeing's price. There is strong demand to replace the lesser fuel-efficient aircrafts. The replacement accounts for 41% of the demand of 34,000.
Boeing claims that it owns 50% of the current world's fleet of aircrafts. Boeing has maintained this share since 1977, which suggests that it will continue to maintain it in the near future.
Given the fact that 34,000 jets are in demand for the next 20 years, Boeing will be supplying 17,000 of the total amount. However, we are more concerned with the surprise increase of $500 billion in the sales revenue that is going to be generated by this industry in the next 20 years. Due to an efficient market, the expected revenue of $4 trillion, to be generated in the next 20 years, has already been priced in the companies' stocks operating in this industry. However, it is this $500 billion that will boost these stocks' prices upwards.
Analyst estimates tell us the following story:
PEG ratio (5 yrs)
Price Target Summary
Price can go up by almost 16% (average target), after this news. However, in a bullish scenario we expect the stock to trade up to $93 (15x 2013 bullish EPS). The valuations can improve even further as earnings visibility is on the higher side now. The stock also offers a dividend yield of 2.4%.
It is very important to take into account whether Boeing can meet the increased demand by increasing its production. The firm is confident that its suppliers will adjust to the increasing demand:
"We are working very closely with our suppliers to make sure they are ready for a 30% production increase by 2014," said Mr. Tinseth (VP marketing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Seattle).
The firm has decided to deliver 100 777 aircrafts and 120 Dreamliners in 2013, which is more than their average pace of production. Therefore, it is expected that the firm's stock price will improve as it shows that it has the capability to meet the increased demand.


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Written by Andrew Seale
Sarah Juma and Jessica Yamoah aren’t interested in rehashing the conversation surrounding the role inclusion plays in innovation; they’re looking for action.
That’s why the entrepreneurial duo recently launched Innovate Inclusion, an initiative that aims to bring ethnic communities and other underrepresented groups into the conversation and introduce them to the resources available for entrepreneurs.
“As Jessica and I have moved along through this life called entrepreneurship, we noticed that support for the underrepresented is lacking,” says Juma the co-founder of StyleID, a style identification platform that cross references movies, music videos, television and award shows to help consumers identify the designer of items worn, used or featured. “Jessica and I are both black women working in tech entrepreneurship.”
Yamoah, StyleID’s head of marketing, noticed a trend as the startup worked its way through the startup ecosystem going to events and conferences.
“As we move through the programs and all the resource available… the conferences and all these great events (you) realize if you look around nobody looks like you and nobody sounds like you,” she says.
“From a perspective of (being) black, and as you go down the checklist being a women there’s not as many – that’s how Innovate Inclusion was born.”
But StyleID and Innovate Inclusion’s stories are intrinsically linked.
When Juma and her co-founder Rachel Nicole first came up with the idea for the app in 2012, she says she didn’t know the first thing about tech or the resources available to her. A Waterloo native, she had obviously heard of Communitech, so she went out for a visit, which happened to coincide with the accelerators first Techtoberfest, a startup conference aligned with the region’s world-renowned Oktoberfest.
She liked what she saw and signed on, attending seminars and classes, learning the basics of how to launch a company and developing the product in tandem. They also participated in Google for Entrepreneurs at the Google Hub Waterloo.
And by 2014, the idea was a reality. They released the first iteration of the style identifier for Android, following up with an iOS version in 2015. That same year they joined the newly launched Joe Fresh Centre for Fashion innovation at Ryerson University’s Digital Media Zone in Toronto.
The expanded their team and built out features like a profiling section which tells the stories of the different stylists and costume designers working behind the scenes to develop the looks. But as the company has grown, they’ve realized that while Toronto’s startup ecosystem is expansive, it isn’t always easy as an entrepreneur to find your way into it.
Yamoah says they regularly bring people from more ethnic communities into the DMZ for meetings and the visitors are always wowed by the fact the incubator exists right there in the centre of Toronto.
“Half the people we've brought here are of colour and didn’t know it existed, didn’t know it was out there,” she says. “All these people are of an entrepreneurial mindset and could bring (a lot) to different incubators.”
Yamoah points to Juma as an example of someone who went out to find the resources to pursue her entrepreneurial endeavor but not everyone will take that initiative.
“If you’re not a tech person – what’s going to motivate you to get up and do it, especially if you don’t have a clue of where to start?” she asks. “There need to be more solutions fostering entrepreneurship (aimed at) underrepresented communities and including them in the conversation going forward… it’s hard to do something when you don’t see yourself in that space.”