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By Jim Pomager, Executive Editor
The U.S. healthcare sector is currently engaged in a bizarre game of musical chairs. Traditional participants are snatching up seats they haven’t historically occupied, while still clinging desperately to their own, and new players are constantly jumping into the fray.
In this strange and complicated contest, conventional roles are in a state of flux. We see drugstores offering primary care, health systems becoming payers, insurers investing in health technology, and consumer electronics companies (among others) developing medical devices. Patients hold an increasing amount of sway in the contest, as they assume ever-greater responsibility for the decision-making, costs, and even delivery of their care.
We all know how this game ends. When the music finally stops, there won’t be enough seats to go around. In the new healthcare ecosystem, will medical device incumbents still have “chairs” to sit on? Well, that all depends on whether they make the right strategic choices — and make them quickly — in the most-formative stages of this high-stakes, $2.8-trillion game.
To a large extent, success or failure will hinge on device makers’ approach to innovation, according to Brian Williams, director of global healthcare strategy at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). In this New Health Economy, as PwC has dubbed it, medical device OEMs need to reevaluate the way they define, execute, and measure innovation.
“In the medtech industry, innovation was traditionally what we would call ‘incremental innovation’ — a step-by-step progression of development,” Williams told me. “However, the new entrants to the healthcare sector — retail, software, hardware, telecommunications, and other entities — are forcing medtech companies to adapt new innovation processes to drive more breakthrough, or radical, innovation.”
To protect (or ideally, increase) their market share in this brave new world of healthcare, medical device companies would be wise to take a few pages out of the new entrant’s playbook when it comes to extreme innovation. Here are three ways they can do so.
Treat The Patient Like A Customer
Patients are playing a progressively larger role in the management of their healthcare. For example, a growing number of Americans are paying more out of pocket for their healthcare, whether through high-deductible health insurance plans (which are on the rise) or to gain access to higher-end care or technology. Either way, the trend compels them to be much more selective about the cost and quality of their care — making them much more like active consumers than passive patients.
“Consumers, and the influence of consumers, are becoming more pronounced in the healthcare process, since they are going to bear more of the economic responsibilities associated with healthcare,” Williams explained. “They are going to be more price sensitive, so medtech companies should be asking themselves: 'How do I start to bring that consumer perspective into my product development activities?’”
The importance of customer input in medtech development was highlighted by several panelists during an AdvaMed 2014 session that Williams moderated last October called Discussing Innovation in Today’s New Health Economy. Panelist James Mazzo, executive chairman and CEO of intraocular lens developer AcuFocus, recounted a conversation he had with Google to illustrate the advantages of taking a customer-oriented approach.
Google, which at the time was looking for a partner to help develop and commercialize its “smart” contact lens for measuring glucose levels in tears (Novartis’ eye care division, Alcon, was ultimately selected), asked how long it had taken to develop a particular AcuFocus technology. When Mazzo told them it had taken six years, they responded, remarkably, that they could do it in only two.
“The reason, I think, [Google could do] it in two was not that they were smarter,” Mazzo explained. Instead, it was because Google “actually involved the consumer and … understood the need of the consumer. They got rid of some of the stuff that we thought the practitioners would love — they averted that and went right to the consumer end of it. So I would tell you that I think people are starting to identify the consumer in the end-all process much earlier now.”
Medical device manufactures would be wise to start thinking like Google and its consumer-focused brethren, adopting more of a retail-like business-to-consumer (B2C) mindset rather than the conventional business-to-business (B2B) one. Listen to the voice of the consumer/patient, figure out what matters most to them, and design products around their specific needs and desires.
Collapse The Innovation Cycle
As evidenced by the Google smart lens example, the entrance of new players into the healthcare space is putting pressure on medical device companies to speed their innovation and product development cycles.
“I think time is our most precious commodity, very closely related to funding, which is critical for everyone, obviously. We want to fail fast as we move through the process,” Tanner Howe, president of startup AgNovos Healthcare, said during the AdvaMed panel. “The most important thing for us is that we move through this at a fast pace, that we quickly identify those things that might be strong contributors to the bottom line ultimately, and that we let everything else fall to the side as fast as we can.”
No longer will medical OEMs, regardless of size, have the luxury of supporting exceedingly lengthy and costly projects (recognizing that regulations and other factors make the medical device product development process uniquely long and expensive to begin with). Rather, they will have to learn how to fail quickly, frequently, and cheaply, as their counterparts in commercial arenas do. Speed to market is too critical in this new healthcare economy to struggle through too many grueling designs — if problems can’t be overcome expeditiously, the product may need to be killed.
PwC’s Williams is optimistic that medtech companies can pick up the pace, particularly by building on the foundation that the new entrants (and others) have already established. “The innovation cycle is potentially shorter [for new medical device technology] because the technology folks have had to go through these battles before,” he explained. “They have a strong consumer relationship already, and if healthcare is going to be more consumer-driven, consumer preference and consumer voice is going to need to be considered more highly, which should, in theory, accelerate that adoption.”
He pointed to the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE competition as an example of how technology development cycles condense with each new iteration. The contest seeks to facilitate the development of a noninvasive, wireless device that can diagnose up to 15 different diseases. An initial field of some 300 teams submitted designs for consideration, and the judges have narrowed that down to 10 finalists.
“Once you develop a single device that can diagnose 15 different diseases, adding on additional diseases is driven on a technology cycle,” Williams said. “We know from other technologies that the processing speed, the functionality, the capability, accelerates in each generation.”
Forge Unconventional Alliances
One great way for medical device companies to speed innovation is to gain insights not only from their customers, but also from other participants in the healthcare continuum. Through partnerships, device makers can leverage the nontraditional players’ unique customer perspectives, their prominent brands, their global reach, and even their digital know-how. Williams refers to such collaborative innovation as “co-creation” and believes it offers medtech companies tremendous opportunity in the New Health Economy.
“How do I collaborate in some fashion with these new entrants, like the retailers, that already have a very strong consumer focus, to infuse that into my thinking in developing a product, bringing it to market, and ensuring that I gain the insights necessary to demonstrate that my device or diagnostic is actually providing measurable, quantifiable outcomes?” This, he says, is precisely the question medical device OEMs should be trying to answer.
Such partnerships can also help fill technical gaps in the medical device OEM’s current capabilities, further hastening innovation. “We don’t have the technology,” Manny Villafaña, founder and CEO of vein graft startup Kips Bay Medical (and also founder of St. Jude Medical, CPI/Guidant, and other prominent medtech companies), told the AdvaMed panel. “I’m sure we could develop it, but it would take forever ... where [companies like Google] have a team who are anxious to develop it and work some sort of [partnership].”
“Collaborations are going to be the way to go,” AcuFocus’ Mazzo added during the panel. “We’re not going to be able to do it independently any more. We’re going to have to have collaborative efforts. I’m not sure if it’s Walmart and in aisle 15 you’ll see a pacemaker, but I do believe that you will see some of the nontraditional people willing to collaborate with us — early.”
An Uncertain Future
While it may be overused, the expression “the only constant is change” couldn’t be more applicable to this new era of healthcare. Ongoing healthcare reforms will likely lead to further consolidation in the provider space. Retailers and other new entrants will continue to be very aggressive in expanding their presence. The care environment will become more distributed. Patients will take further control of decisions related to their health.
Does this state of unrest represent an opportunity or a threat to medical device manufacturers? According to Williams, that depends on how they view and respond to it.
“It's an environment of tremendous opportunity, but it's a different environment of opportunity than what medtech companies have been accustomed to historically,” he said. “This perhaps is fear-inspiring for those who operate under a traditional medtech framework, who view the world through a traditional medtech lens. But it is potentially awe-inspiring for those who are approaching it in a more holistic fashion.”
Editor’s note: PwC has published numerous essays and reports sharing its insights on the New Health Economy, which you can read/download (for free) on the firm’s New Entrants page. A video of the AdvaMed panel session I referenced is embedded below.


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Inkling moves to the iPhone
ACROSS THE PLATFORM: TechCrunch reports that SF-based Inkling, which built its brand around interactive textbooks for the iPad, will start serving up e-books for the iPhone (at no additional charge). The move makes sense given that there are four iPhone users for every individual on the iPad, according to CEO Matt MacInnis. As one may expect, retaining quality interactive features on a smaller screen was the primary challenge, but the video promises a fairly seamless experience. (MacInnis also shares thoughts on the digital publishing landscape--particularly why the company is the only "accurate contrarian theorist" daring enough to re-inventing the publishing process.) The two-year-old startup boasts users at over 4,000 schools, including and half of all medical schools in the U.S.

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The global spread of the highly pathogenic avian flu (HPAI) has set the cat among the pigeons in the free-range egg industry.
UK business Kettle Foods is diversifying into new snacking avenues such as popcorn and potentially pretzels as it expands overseas with its parent firm.
PGP International (PGPI) has added a 60% protein crisp offering to its product portfolio.
Coffee Flour, a firm that started with an idea to take advantage of discarded coffee cherry fruit, is vying for health and nutrition-focused investment partners after recently being selected by the Launch Food Program as a 2017 innovator.
The Barton Group has expanded the applications for its patented dispensing pouch technology called SqueezyStraw.
Content Provided by Amcor
Transparent packaging that puts products on display can boost sales, so long as freshness and brand identity are protected.


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RIYADH: SAUDIA, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, has signed an agreement with global professional services firm Accenture paving the way for a digital transformation program that will make the airline’s guest experience seamless and highly personalized while improving operational efficiency.
Through this agreement, SAUDIA will use artificial intelligence technologies to significantly enhance its digital infrastructure and build more than 260 new digital and electronic services in two years. SAUDIA’s guests will be able to enjoy more personalized services and a smooth travel experience possible across the entire travel cycle, from ticket search and booking to check-in, and from in-flight services to post-sale support.
All the digital systems developed by Accenture will be designed specifically for SAUDIA, increasing operational efficiency and reducing operational costs, thanks to a new enterprise-wide cloud-based data foundation.
This agreement will include several tracks to enhance SAUDIA’s guest value and help deliver the company’s strategic objectives. Specific initiatives will include a digital experience studio, digital infrastructure decoupling that accelerates and de-risks digital transformation processes, modernization of technical systems, creation of a cloud data lake, and development of a smart guest care center.
“SAUDIA is looking to reimagine how our guests can choose, buy and enjoy leisure, business, and religious experiences,” said Dr. Khaled Alhazmi, Vice President of Operations and IT Support, SAUDIA. “With Accenture’s support, we will create seamless and curated journeys with hyper-relevant experiences across digital and human-driven interactions. Guests will be able to modify flights, purchase transit eVisas, and enjoy new self-service features across all digital channels.”
“Through this strategic collaboration, our primary aim is to enable SAUDIA to tap into the combined power of digital, cloud, and data, laying a strong foundation for continued innovation,” said Gerardo Canta, senior managing director at Accenture. “We are honored to be working with SAUDIA to achieve its vision of creating a seamless, exceptional travel experience for its customers.”


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An anonymous reader writes China is backing away from U.S. tech brands for state purchases after NSA revelations, according to Reuters. This confirms what many U.S. technology companies have been saying for the past year: the activities by the NSA are harming their businesses in crucial growth markets, including China. From the article: "A new report confirmed key brands, including Cisco, Apple, Intel, and McAfee -- among others -- have been dropped from the Chinese government's list of authorized brands, a Reuters report said Wednesday. The number of approved foreign technology brands fell by a third, based on an analysis of the procurement list. Less than half of those companies with security products remain on the list."
An anonymous reader writes: Smartflash LLC has won a patent lawsuit against Apple over DRM and technology relating to the storage of downloaded songs, games, and videos on iTunes. Apple must now pay $532.9 million in damages. An Apple spokesperson did not hesitate to imply Smartflash is a patent troll: "Smartflash makes no products, has no employees, creates no jobs, has no U.S. presence, and is exploiting our patent system to seek royalties for technology Apple invented. We refused to pay off this company for the ideas our employees spent years innovating and unfortunately we have been left with no choice but to take this fight up through the court system." The trial happened in the same court that decided Apple owed VirnetX $368 million over FaceTime-related patents back in 2012.
HughPickens.com writes AP reports that in an effort to undercut Apple's hit service Apple Pay, Google is teaming up with three wireless carriers by building its payment service into Android smartphones sold by AT&T Inc., Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA. Besides trying to make it more convenient to use Wallet, Google also is hoping to improve the nearly 4-year-old service. Toward that end, Google is buying some mobile payment technology and patents from Softcard, a 5-year-old venture owned by the wireless carriers. Financial terms weren't disclosed but Apple Pay's popularity probably helped forge the unlikely alliance between Google and the wireless carriers. Google traditionally has had a prickly relationship with the carriers, largely because it doesn't believe enough has been done to upgrade wireless networks and make them cheaper so more people can spend more time online.
The biggest challenge however is one that both Apple and Google face: Only a small fraction of the 10 million or so retail outlets in the U.S.–220,000 at last count–have checkout readers that can accept payments from either system. Both wallets use a radio technology called Near Field Communication to send payment, and it's expected to take years for most stores to be upgraded. What's at play? The big tech companies and carriers seem convinced that our phones will eventually replace our wallets. For carriers, that could make mobile wallet technology table stakes over the next few years as they compete for consumers.
stephendavion writes Amid deeper investigations into how Apple may be using its operations in Ireland as a means for tax avoidance on tens of billions of dollars in profit, the iPhone maker has announced that it will spend nearly $2 billion (€1.7 billion) to develop two new 100% renewable energy data centers in Europe. The centers — which will use wind power and other green fuel sources — will be located in Athenry, Ireland, and Viborg, Denmark. Apple said that they will power services such as apps in the App Store, Siri and iMessage. Both locations will run on 100 percent renewable energy and Apple said they will have the 'lowest environmental impact' of its data centers thus far. It will also be following in the footsteps of companies like Facebook, which has also built sustainable data center operations out in Europe.
9to5 Mac reports that In an effort to eliminate bugs from upcoming iOS versions ahead of their general releases, Apple plans to launch the
first-ever public beta program for the iOS operating system, according to multiple people briefed on the plans. Following the successful launch of the OS X Public Beta program with OS X Yosemite last year, Apple intends to release the upcoming iOS 8.3 as a public beta via the company’s existing AppleSeed program in mid-March, according to the sources. The article goes on to say Like the early iOS 8 developers builds, the public betas will include a dedicated app that allows users to report bugs to Apple.
The main goal of the iOS beta program will be a more reliable and widely tested operating system by the time of the wider consumer launch, as Apple has come under fire for lack of quality control in iOS 8. Launching public beta versions of iOS will also reduce the demand for unauthorized sales of beta downloads from developer accounts, which enabled some consumers to test-drive future iOS features.
An anonymous reader writes "Electric-car battery maker A123 Systems is suing Apple in federal court for allegedly poaching five employees to help it develop a competing battery business. The suit accuses the workers, including A123's former chief technology officer, of breaking noncompete and nonsolicit agreements. "It appears that Apple, with the assistance of defendant Ijaz, is systematically hiring away A123’s high-tech PhD and engineering employees, thereby effectively shutting down various projects/programs at A123," according to the lawsuit. The news adds some credibility to rumors that Apple is getting into the automotive market. "
An anonymous reader writes Filed in 2008, published in 2013, and legally granted to Apple this week, the company's patent for a 'Head-mounted display apparatus for retaining a portable electronic device with display' could have "broad ramifications" for mobile VR headsets like Samsung's Gear VR and Google Cardboard, says patent attorney Eric Greenbaum. "This Apple HMD patent is significant. I would say it introduces potential litigation risks for companies that have or are planning to release a mobile device HMD," he said. "There is no duty for Apple to make or sell an HMD. They can sit on this patent and use it strategically either by enforcing it against potential infringers, licensing it, or using it as leverage in forming strategic partnerships."
mpicpp sends word of a patent newly awarded to Apple, #8,957,835, which describes a head-mounted apparatus that uses an iPhone (or iPod) as a display. The device "temporarily integrates or merges both mechanically and electronically a head-mounted device with a portable electronic device." It sounds a bit like Samsung's Gear VR headset, and many outlets are reporting it as being a virtual reality device. However, the patent itself doesn't mention VR, and it was filed in 2008, long before the VR rush of the past few years. That said, Apple has recently been trying to hire engineers with experience developing VR-related software, so it's something they could be evaluating.
An anonymous reader writes: A report at the Financial Times (paywalled) says Apple is on an aggressive hiring push to pick up automotive experts. Recent rumors suggest Apple is putting together a transportation research lab, and nobody outside the company is quite sure why. It's unlikely they's want to build an entire car themselves, but quite possible they see a big space for Apple technology within motor vehicles, much as Google seems to. They already have CarPlay, and it will doubtless grow, but we still don't have anything approaching a dominant platform for car software. Whatever they're working on, it looks like the competition for more robust computer technology in cars is heating up.
chicksdaddy writes: President Obama travels to Stanford University on Friday to join Apple CEO Tim Cook in talking about the need for more private-public sector cooperation to fight cyber crime. But technology industry executives attending the White House Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection complain that a major obstacle to cooperation is a lack of legislative action that clarify the rules of the road for private firms when it comes to sharing information about customers with the government and each other.
The controversy over government surveillance has put the ball in the government's court, said Michael Brown, RSA's Global Public Sector Vice President. "They need to articulate what amount of access to private information is 'appropriate and legal' for law enforcement and the government," Brown said. "It's not just about 'when, where, and how.' They also need to clearly articulate 'why' – for example: this is a matter of public safety and this is the only way we can get this information."
Also on the to-do list, say executives: a re-writing of the 80s-era Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and a federal data breach notification law that creates a consistent, national standard. Currently, 48 states have passed such laws, creating a compliance mess for private firms that discover they have leaked customer data.
An anonymous reader writes: Apple is making a huge investment in solar energy, sending $848 million to First Solar's California Flats Solar Project. The deal will supply Apple with energy for 25 years. Construction of the new 2,900-acre solar farm will start this summer and finish by the end of 2016. Apple's share of the energy produced will be about 130 megawatts, while another 150 MW will be sold to Pacific Gas & Electric. "The iPhone maker already powers all of its data centers with renewable energy. Tim Cook, Apple's chief executive officer, has advocated taking more steps to combat climate change."
itwbennett writes The Manhattan District Attorney's office has indicted five people for using personal information stolen from around 200 people to fund the purchase of hundreds of thousands of dollars in Apple gift cards, which in turn were used to buy Apple products. "Using stolen information to purchase Apple products is one of the most common schemes employed by cybercrime and identity theft rings today," District Attorney Cyrus Vance said in a statement. "We see in case after case how all it takes is single insider at a company—in this instance, allegedly, a receptionist in a dentists' office—to set an identity theft ring in motion, which then tries to monetize the stolen information by purchasing Apple goods for resale or personal use," he said.
walterbyrd writes Apple is in talks with TV programmers to put together its own over-the-top pay TV service, Recode says. According to the site's industry sources, Apple's proposed service would be comprised of bundles of programming, secured through deals with content providers and sold direct to consumers, rather than a full TV lineup. Apple has reportedly already shown demonstrations of the proposed service to people in charge of TV programming, but Recode says the talks 'seem to be in early stages,' with the pricing and release date still yet to be set.
An anonymous reader writes: I run Firefox with NoScript and FlashBlock at home. Browsing is easy, and I only have to enable scripts on a few sites. If they have 20+ scripts, I just surf somewhere else. Fast forward to the mobile experience. I had an Android device, but now I have an iPhone. In addition to the popup problem, and the fake "X" on ads, the iPhone browsers (Safari, Chrome, Opera) will start to show a site, then they will lock up for 10-30 seconds before finally becoming responsive. If I switch back to another app and then return to the browser, Safari and Chrome have a little delay, but Opera delays 20+ seconds before becoming responsive again.
Firefox is not available on the iPhone, so I can't simply run NoScript. Chrome does not appear to have a NoScript equivalent for mobile. What solutions are you using to make mobile browsing work?
mrspoonsi writes Apple announced it will spend about $2 billion to build a new data center in Mesa, Arizona. It will be housed in buildings formerly used by GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT), which went bankrupt last year after failing to supply sapphire display covers for the iPhone 6. The data center will be powered entirely by renewable energy. It will be a "command center for our global networks." Apple has said it would help find work for people affected by GTAT's bankruptcy. It's possible some of those former GTAT employees might help construct the new command center. When Apple initially partnered with GTAT to make sapphire displays, the company invested millions in a sapphire production facility. It makes sense that Apple would want to do something with the building if it couldn't make sapphire there.
HughPickens.com writes James B. Stewart writes in the NYT that in 1998 Bill Gates said in an interview that he "couldn't imagine a situation in which Apple would ever be bigger and more profitable than Microsoft" but less than two decades later, Apple, with a market capitalization more than double Microsoft's, has won. The most successful companies need a vision, and both Apple and Microsoft have one. But according to Stewart, Apple's vision was more radical and, as it turns out, more farsighted. Where Microsoft foresaw a computer on every person's desk, Apple went a big step further: Its vision was a computer in every pocket. "Apple has been very visionary in creating and expanding significant new consumer electronics categories," says Toni Sacconaghi. "Unique, disruptive innovation is really hard to do. Doing it multiple times, as Apple has, is extremely difficult." According to Jobs' biographer Walter Isaacson, Microsoft seemed to have the better business for a long time. "But in the end, it didn't create products of ethereal beauty. Steve believed you had to control every brush stroke from beginning to end. Not because he was a control freak, but because he had a passion for perfection." Can Apple continue to live by Jobs's disruptive creed now that the company is as successful as Microsoft once was? According to Robert Cihra it was one thing for Apple to cannibalize its iPod or Mac businesses, but quite another to risk its iPhone juggernaut. "The question investors have is, what's the next iPhone? There's no obvious answer. It's almost impossible to think of anything that will create a $140 billion business out of nothing."
itwbennett writes: Although Apple has never officially acknowledged issues surrounding Yosemite and Wi-Fi connectivity, the company is clearly aware of the problem: Leading off the improvements offered in the update 10.10.2 update released Tuesday was 'resolves an issue that might cause Wi-Fi to disconnect,' according to the release notes. Despite this, Apple's support forum was filled with tales of frustrated users. And Mac owners aren't the only Apple users experiencing wireless connection failures after updating their OS. Wi-Fi connectivity issues have also dogged iOS 8 since Apple released the mobile OS on Sept. 17.


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At this point we know that the Xbox One Scorpio is a complete overhaul of the original Xbox one hardware, a beast that has seen a refresh from the ground up. This is in stark contrast with Sony’s more conservative upgrade for the PS4 with the PS4 Pro- Sony opted for a more iterative upgrade, which also means that unlike the Scorpio, the Pro has to resort to trickery and shortcuts like checkerboard rendering to achieve the illusion of 4K.
Was it, then, a mistake on Sony’s part to have released the Pro so early? Should they, perhaps, have waited, and released hardware that was ultimately as accomplished as the Scorpio apparently is? Should they have opted for a full overhaul like Microsoft did? This is the question that GamingBolt decided to ask Danny Garfield, the head of Puuba, currently working on The Metronomicon.
“Personally, I don’t think it’ll make an extreme concrete difference,” Garfield said. “Most users care, in practice, generally. “Does it work? Does it look good? Can I play it?” The nuance of framerates and resolution, while discussed a ton among enthusiasts, I don’t think fazes a casual gamer, even a core gamer, who isn’t also a tech guy.”
We also asked him about his take on the mid-gen refresh and whether this will continue in the future. “I think this might be the state of things, going forward. We’re just having so many sea change generational improvements in computer technology. Even more than historically. 4K, VR, GPU leaps forward, new display and storage technologies,” he stated,
“I think, if console wants to stay relevant (and, it definitely has its place, what with ease of use, compatibility streamlining, and the like), it can never afford to fall too far behind PCs. And that might mean shorter generational cycles,” he further added.
What is your take on this matter? Let us know in the comments below. Nonetheless, the fact of the matter is that Microsoft will now have the more powerful console on the market with the Scorpio- whether this turns the tides of the console war back in their favor is something that remains to be seen.


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The highlights of this year are the Display of Republic Day Parade Tableaux, a Multi-Cuisine Food Court, Crafts Mela, Performances by the Armed Forces Bands, and photo exhibition by the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity.
The celebration will also include ‘Jago Grahak Jago’ Consumer Awareness campaign, IRCTC’s promotions on special tourist trains, and Gandhi Gram, in which 10 painting artists will create paintings on the theme of 'Ideology of Mahatma Gandhi'.
In addition to these, the North Zone Cultural Centre will conduct daily cultural performances by various artists from different regions of the country.
The event will be open for public from 12 Noon to 10 PM every day absolutely free. Identity proof is a must for getting an entry.


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While economic data from the US continue to be encouraging and the recession in Europe seems to have ended, emerging markets are facing disappointing growth rates and concerns about structural weaknesses are mounting. Nevertheless, ABN AMRO remains convinced that the global economy is in the process of an acceleration of growth and that the next six quarters will produce much better data than the previous six. The eurozone economy is set for a gradual recovery, mainly due to the reduction of austerity measures and an increase in global demand growth. Meanwhile, Asian economies continue to show a mixed picture and downside risks have mounted for the region. But Fed tapering fears are dominating industrial metal markets and when the Fed starts tapering its rate of asset purchasing, interest rates are set to increase which will give investors cold feet. Therefore, sentiment is expected to weaken in metal markets. However, other positive fundamental developments will prevent markets from strongly deteriorating. The global manufacturing PMI edged up to 50.8 in July from 50.6 in June. Although the pace might be slow (and still below the long-term average), the index is heading in the right direction. The expansion of industrial activity is also noticeable in the three major metal consuming regions – China, Europe and the US – where the most recent manufacturing PMI readings have increased sharply.
The aluminium market has been in surplus since the financial crisis of 2008. The crisis caused a strong drop in demand in North America and Europe, while supply increased further and capacity also continued to rise (especially in China). The market is desperate for strict producer discipline – and severe cuts in excess capacity – which would normalise market conditions and provide some price support. While the Chinese government has announced a plan to restructure its aluminium sector, we feel it is somewhat ambitious. By 2015, the top ten smelters must account for 90% of the country’s total production capacity. We remain sceptical about the feasibility of these plans and expect the current oversupply to last for some time. In a Chinese market structure where more than 60% of the smelter capacity is in the hands of non-government entities, restructuring will prove to be difficult to realise. Nevertheless, thanks to solid manufacturing data from China, prices performed well in August, increasing by 5% while LME stocks declined by 1%.
Conditions are expected to remain uncertain and volatile, especially in Europe where buying activity remains weak just after the summer holiday season. In end-using sectors – such as construction, car manufacturing and consumer goods – conditions have not yet recovered and European consumers remain quiet, hoping for lower delivery premiums. Stocks at the LME warehouse in Vlissingen – the world’s largest aluminium inventory by volume – have already increased by 42% since the start of 2013. Demand outside Europe is stronger. Given the decent pace of US economic growth – with GDP gaining pace, firm job growth, manufacturing activity expected to stay solid and further strengthening of the housing market – prospects for aluminium demand are sound. In addition, aluminium will be increasingly used in the car manufacturing sector because this lightweight metal reduces the weight of cars while making them more fuel-efficient. The average aluminium content in cars is expected to rise from 10% in 2012 to approximately 20% in 2025.
Copper – Economic data improves copper outlook
Economic indicators from major copper consuming regions provide a solid base for our copper outlook. Economic data from the US point to further recovery. The labour market is gaining strength, conditions in the housing market have improved and industrial production is steadily increasing. The preliminary PMI for the US manufacturing sector rose modestly to 53.9 in August, which is well above the neutral 50 mark. And as US economic growth maintains a decent pace, the economy in Europe is finally picking up. The manufacturing PMI increased sharply in August, once again reaching the level of June 2011. In China, meanwhile, the preliminary PMI for the manufacturing sector increased by 5% [p-o-p], suggesting stronger activity over the coming period. A recovering Chinese economy is also reflected in copper demand. During the first seven months of 2013, volumes of imported refined copper decreased by 22%, while the import of copper concentrates and copper anodes rose 37% and 14%, respectively, in that period. This suggests that China is increasing its copper smelting and refining capacity.
From June, Chinese imports of refined copper increased again after eight consecutive months of strong declines. Copper prices rebounded sharply in August, gaining 5%. The increases were mainly supported by increased manufacturing activity and better economic data in major regions. On 26 June, copper stocks at LME warehouses reached a 2013 record high, then started to decrease. Since that peak, inventories at LME fell by 17%. Meanwhile, inventories at the Shanghai Foreign Exchange (SHFE) had been declining since April and lost 37% in four months’ time. The combination of decreasing stock volumes and improving economic indicators suggests that end-using demand is picking up again. Going forward, consumption levels will remain solid, with strong growth in China and a stabilisation trend in Europe and the US. Copper production is expected to increase further until 2014. We foresee a small surplus of 1.0% of consumption over 2013 and 2014. Fundamentally, we consider the copper market to be sound, and in our view this justifies price increases going forward.
Steel (HRC) – US outperforms EU and China
Weak demand and oversupply continue to dominate market conditions, especially in Europe and China. Although the number of transactions is currently also influenced by seasonal factors, demand volumes by end-using sectors are still below their pre-crisis levels. Overcapacity persists, particularly in China and Europe. China has announced ambitious plans to tackle the issue, including closing small inefficient mills and requiring the top-ten producers to have a market share of 60% by 2015. But so far we have only heard a few rumours about possible capacity cuts and steel production in China continues to grow (steel output increased 7% yoy in the first seven months of 2013). On top of this, the cuts that have been made only represent a small proportion of total capacity in China. We therefore still have our doubts about whether the goals set by policymakers will be met. In Europe, producer discipline seems to be more strict and steel output decreased by 5% in the first seven months of 2013. This is the case in the US as well – where steel output also declined by 5% – but in July production increased again after 10 months of yoy decreases.
And while uncertainty and concerns persist in the steel sector in Europe and China, the US steel sector is performing relatively well. An increase in end-user demand, especially by the US manufacturing sector, gave the steel sector an impulse and steel output increased during July. Although gains in US manufacturing output and sales are still fairly slow, the economic data shows that general activity in the US manufacturing sector is picking up. This bodes well for the remainder of the year. Nevertheless, steel demand is still rather soft and concerns will remain about the strength of growth. Activity in US non-residential construction is still slow and the Consensus Construction Forecast Panel (of the American Institute of Architects) has lowered its outlook on construction spending for 2013. New car registrations in the US and China continue to increase, while sales volumes in Europe fell 10% yoy in the first half of 2013. Global steel utilisation rates are still relatively low at 78.9% up to July and are expected to stay at this level for the rest of 2013.
In the full publication you can also find market developments for nickel, zinc, iron ore and coking coal.


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Cannabis Industry News From Around The Globe.
Prices are up almost across the board in this weeks Cannabis Price Index
We take a look at some of California's top products this winter
The health department said the agency is complying with the ruling
The goal is to reduce the industry's growing carbon footprint
We discuss a range of topics with the former NBA veteran turned ganja-entrepreneur
A half-dozen pot shops reported $94,643.38 in first-day sales on Friday


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J.D. Power recently came out with the results from its 2008 Escaped Shopper Study, which gauges why consumers made the decision to walk away from certain new vehicles in their car shopping experience. It’s quite surprising that approximately 80% of car shoppers decided against purchasing a model after they went to a car dealer.
The top three reasons for not buying a car, that are dealer related, included inferior dealer service, a limited availability of various trim levels and colors, and unprofessional employees.
This is a very common anecdotal reason for consumers. If a dealer or salesman doesn’t treat a prospective customer well, that’s it. And, typically the customer not only stays away from that dealership, they also get a tainted view of the vehicle brand.
The study examined 30,000 new car shoppers and discovered that 40% of shoppers decided not to buy a vehicle because of the price, and 40% of those buyers said it isn’t that the car costs too much money, it’s that the car doesn’t seem like it is worth the high price.
Motorists would rather hang onto their current vehicles and buy used car warranties, than purchase a car that they feel isn’t worth the money. And with an auto warranty, drivers can rest assured that they won’t have to pay unnecessary repair expenses down the road.Relevant Tags: auto warranty, car warranties, used car warranties, warranties, warranty


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Huawei will be announcing the flagship Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro on October 16 at the global stage in London. Shortly after that, the two phablets will go official in China as well. While there is still considerable time to it, Huawei has got the Mate 20 cleared by TENAA. The model number detected for the device was HMA-AL00 and HMA-TL00. Even though the models have been certified, we have yet to get the photos and spec-sheet that usually come with the TENAA green lights. However, that should follow soon.
The Huawei Mate 20 leaked specifications of the base model mention a 6.3-inch AMOLED display with a 2244×1080 pixel resolution. From the design perspective, there’s little change at the front as XDA reported a waterdrop notch. This would make the notch much more bearable. Suffice to say, it’s a minimal change but the chassis and back is where all the action will happen.
The HiSilicon Kirin 980 CPU has been announced and it will be inside the Mate 20. Also, the triple camera setup will arrive in a square-shaped module with a flash completing the quartet inside the square. The upcoming Mate line is also expected to get wireless charging and fast 15W wireless charging at that. There’s supposed to be a 4,200mAh battery on the phablet and it will not sacrifice the 3.5mm headphone jack, suggest rumours.
We’re interested to see TENAA reveal the complete specifications of the phone and the images as that will clear a lot of confusion in the way. Stay tuned, that should happen in a few days.


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African airlines saw their air cargo volumes grow by 2.9% in July 2023 compared to the same month last year, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reports.
The AITA released data for July 2023 air cargo markets earlier this week, stating the global air cargo industry registered 20.7 billion cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs) in July, extending its steady improvement since February.
Also read: The state of Africa economic freedom in 2023
Year-on-year (YoY) industry CTKs narrowed the gap, now standing at 0.8% below July 2022 levels, while remaining 3.3% lower than their pre-pandemic level in 2019.
Although demand is basically flat compared to 2022, IATA officials see the figure as an improvement on recent months’ performance. This is “particularly significant” given declines in global trade volumes and rising concerns over China’s economy, per Iata’s market analysis.
The positive development in international air cargo demand was driven by the YoY growth achieved by airlines in Africa and the Middle East.
Asia Pacific Airlines also experienced their first year-on-year growth in cargo traffic since March 2022. This was driven by increased trade with other regions and significant market improvements within Asia, according to IATA analysis.
African and Middle Eastern airlines also benefited from this trend, seeing 1.5% and 2.8% annual growth in July, respectively.
Airlines in Latin America meanwhile faced an annual decline of 0.2% in their international CTKs in July, after growing 1.9% YoY in the previous month.
North American and European airlines also registered YoY contractions of 1.8% and 1.5% this month, respectively. Nonetheless, these figures represent an improvement from their performances in June.
“How this trend will evolve in the coming months will be something to watch carefully,” Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, said.
According to Walsh, many fundamental drivers of air cargo demand, such as trade volumes and export orders, “remain weak or are deteriorating.”
“At the same time, we are seeing shorter delivery times, which is normally a sign of increasing economic activity,” Walsh said. The global supplier delivery time in July’s Purchasing Managers Index was 51.9, signaling fewer supply chain delays.
“Amid these mixed signals, strengthening demand gives us good reason to be cautiously optimistic,” said the director general of the Association, which represents some 300 airlines comprising 83% of global air traffic.


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THE world’s biggest pasture grass and clover seed company – DLF Seeds — is set to increase its market reach after it received important Australian and New Zealand regulatory approvals for its NZ$421 million acquisition of PGW Seeds this week.
Yesterday the ACCC said it had decided it will not oppose DLF Seeds’ proposed acquisition of PGG Wrightson Seeds. This followed a clearance decision issued by the New Zealand Commerce Commission on 13 February 2019.
DLF Seeds is owned by a Danish co-operative and is regarded as the world’s largest seed company involved in the breeding, production and sale of temperate grass and clover species, and fodder beet.
PGG Wrightson Seeds Holdings Limited is a subsidiary of PGG Wrightson Limited, a New Zealand-based public seed company that develops, breeds, and supplies seeds in Australia and New Zealand, and exports to other international markets.
PGG Wrightson’s deputy chairman, Trevor Burt has said the commission clearance decision was another positive step as the transaction moves closer to settlement. The deal has already received strong support with an overwhelming 96 percent of PGW shareholders who voted casting their votes in favour of the proposed transaction, he said.
Acquisition to open up new markets – PGW
With the ACCC clearance, the DLF-PGW agreement now only remains conditional upon:
– approval under the New Zealand Overseas Investment Act;
– change of control consents from certain PGW Seeds’ joint venture partners; and
– the completion of required regulatory filings in Uruguay.
It is not known how the acquisition will affect staffing levels or research and development in the PGW Seeds network in Australia. An Australian Seed Federation spokesperson said the ASF did not comment on company commercial transactions. However, Mr Burt has said the agreement would deliver significant value to PGW and enable the PGW Seeds business “to benefit immensely from being part of an impressive global seeds operation.”
PGW chief executive Ian Glasson said the transaction follows the continuing trend of consolidation in the international seeds industry and there are clear benefits that arise for PGW and PGW Seeds. Ownership of PGW Seeds by DLF Seeds is expected to expand the opportunities for commercialisation of the intellectual property the business has developed and will continue to develop. DLF Seed’s global presence will open up new markets and geographies, increasing royalties coming into New Zealand, and also demonstrate the benefits of the research and development focus of PGW Seeds’ business, PGW said.
“Domestically in New Zealand, PGW and PGW Seeds will continue to work closely together under common branding as the market leader in relation to our respective Rural Services and Seed and Grain offerings.
“The PGW Seeds team, who are highly regarded in the industry, are key to the success of the seed and grain business,” Mr Glasson said.
“This team will continue to operate as they do currently, allowing the strong relationship that exists between them and their customers and the PGW team to continue adding value for our clients”.
DLF Seeds chief executive Truels Damsgaard has said DLF Seeds has long viewed PGW Seeds as a strategic and complementary business to DLF Seeds’ current operations.
“We see PGW Seeds as the leading temperate forage seed player in the Southern Hemisphere, with DLF Seeds occupying a similar position in the Northern Hemisphere.
“The transaction presents a real opportunity for value creation as a combined business with a strong global offering for our customers.”
Acquisition unlikely to result in substantial competition loss – ACCC
The ACCC said DLF Seeds and PGG Wrightson Seeds are active in Australia in the production and supply of forage seeds, which are used for grazing livestock, and turf seeds.
ACCC deputy chair Mick Keogh said the ACCC found that it is unlikely that the proposed acquisition will result in a substantial lessening of competition in any market.
The ACCC’s investigation focussed on competition in the market for a specialised product in which both companies are active: the market for perennial ryegrass seeds containing fungi, called endophytes.
“The ACCC believes that a combined DLF Seeds/PGG Wrightson Seeds will continue to face competition from remaining suppliers, including large global seed producers such as Heritage Seeds.”
“Most farms which undertake high intensity grazing sow their pastures with a variety of forage grasses, and do not rely solely on perennial ryegrass incorporating novel endophytes,” Mr Keogh said.
The ACCC also assessed whether a reduction in competition would have negative impacts on seed research and development (R&D).
“Seed R&D is a constantly evolving process, and producers continually seek out new ryegrass seed products with improved forage qualities.
“We did not consider that the proposed acquisition would be likely to lessen competition in R&D aimed at developing new seeds,” Mr Keogh said.
DLF Seeds aims to purchase 100pc of the shares of PGG Wrightson Seeds Holdings Limited and thereby acquire substantially all the assets and operations of the PGW Seed and Grain business in New Zealand, Australia, South America and internationally.
PGW and PGW Seeds will enter into a long-term distribution agreement for seed and grain. PGW will grant a brand licence to PGW Seeds for the continued use of the PGG Wrightson Seeds brand. PGW will also continue to provide a range of corporate functions and back office services to PGW Seeds for a transitional period of between 12 and 18 months.
HAVE YOUR SAY


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Nintendo announces Mario Kart Wii Bundle for Europe
Shall arrive in Europe on 26th November.
Nintendo have announced a Mario Kart Wii bundle heading for Europe this fall. The bundle will come with:
- Black edition Wii
- Mario Kart Wii
- Black Wii Wheel
- Wii Sports
- Motion plus built in the Wii remote
- Donkey Kong NES pre-loaded into the Wii
There have been 6 Mario Kart games and have sold a staggering 24 million copies worldwide since launch.
Credit to Darren for pointing this news to me. Check out Shinesparkers for the latest interviews and info on Metroid.


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A little over a month ago the Porsche Museum in Germany sent its legendary Type 64 Berlin Rome Car to Atlanta where it was displayed at the High Museum of Art to celebrate the brand”s 60th anniversary in America.
The Type 64″s streamlined aluminum body has influenced Porsche”s current sports cars including the Porsche 911 all the way to the Panamera.
Here is a video showing the Type 64’s appearance in Atlanta.
Click through for the video.
– By: Kap Shah


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Ragnar Locker Brags About TAP Air Portugal BreachRagnar Locker Brags About TAP Air Portugal Breach
TAP assures its customers that it stopped data theft in a recent cyberattack, but the Ragnar Locker ransomware group says it made off with user info.
September 2, 2022
Despite TAP Air Portugal's claims that a recent cyberattack was stopped and no airline customer data was compromised, the Ragnar Locker ransomware gang posted on its leak site that it's got the goods.
On Aug. 26, TAP announced it was targeted in an unsuccessful cyberattack.
"No facts have been found to conclude that there has been improper access to customer data," TAP tweeted. "The website and app still have some instability."
Yet, according to reports, Ragnar Locker responded on Aug. 31 claiming that it had indeed breached TAP's systems and stolen customer data, and included a screenshot of what it said was a sample of the exfiltrated records, loaded with personal identifiable information (PII).
TAP Air Portugal is sticking to the company's original position, releasing a new statement on Sept. 1 reiterating the company blocked the cyberattack, adding, however, that the airline's app, website, and miles program are still "registering some instability."
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Chairman of Council Receives New Chain of Office
In another first for Newry, Mourne and Down District Council the Chairman, Councillor Mark Murnin took possession of a new Chain of Office to be worn by those appointed as First Citizen of the district.
The Chairman explained the new chain’s design and origins, saying, “In order to be cost effective the new Chain of Office uses the chain of the legacy Down District Council and the Council has commissioned a new pendant, which depicts our new Council identity - a stone shape, inspired by the region’s-dry stone walls, along with a staff and spear which are intended to suggest St Patrick and Cú Chulainn, two of our area’s most iconic figures.
“It is a great honour to perform the role of Chairman of Council and act as First Citizen of the District, and I am delighted that this new Chain of Office will be available to be worn with honour and dignity by all those who undertake this role, in the incoming years.
“Always mindful of the importance of the former Councils and those who have represented their districts as First Citizens, the decommissioned centre piece of the legacy Down District Council chain will be passed to Down County Museum, and the legacy Newry and Mourne District Council chain will be passed to Newry and Mourne Museum for safe-keeping and historical purposes.”


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'Gross' flavors from around the world
Beloit College has released its annual Mindset List to give a snapshot of how incoming freshmen view the world. Here are some highlights from the Class of 2016:
Students entering college this fall can't imagine a world without Internet. And Kurt Cobain has always been dead.
Last week the company posted new legal terms to its website that some read as eliminating customers' right to sue the company.


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Not all of these initiatives have worked but Intel and its partners have certainly succeeded in making laptops notably thinner, lighter and more attractive (some of these were on display during today's opening keynote). This hasn't been enough, however, to reverse the long slide in the overall PC market.
One rare bright spot has been the high-end systems for gaming, virtual reality and content creation. Intel says sales of its unlocked desktop processors have been growing 20 percent year-on-year. So perhaps it's no surprise that this year it has turned its attention to that market with the announcement of several new products including the world's first 18-core desktop chip. "It's the best of the best," said Intel's Gregory Bryant, the head of the Client Computing Group, in his keynote.
The announcement of the new X-Series, which will be sold under the Core i5, Core i7 and new Core i9 brands, had been widely rumored. But the surprise was that it would scale all the way from a $242 Core i5-7640X with four cores (eight threads) to a $2,000 Core i9-7980XE Extreme Edition with a whopping 18 cores and 36 threads. Intel described it as the first CPU capable of 1 teraflop, or one trillion floating-point operations per second. Altogether the launch includes nine chips with six-, eight-, 10-, 12-, 14- and 16-core variants in the middle.
These Skylake-X processors are a replacement for the Broadwell-E line that currently tops out with Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition, which has 10 cores and carries a list price of a little more than $1,700. The new Core i9-7900X, also with 10 cores, will be priced at $1,000. In a core-for-core comparison of these two chips, Intel said the new i9-7900X will deliver 10 percent better multi-threaded performance and a 15 percent boost on single-threaded applications. One reason for this is an enhanced version of Turbo Boost that improves performance when primarily using one or two cores.
That's in part because the real-world applications of this many cores are very limited. During the presentation, Intel demonstrated VR gaming while simultaneously streaming in 4K on Twitch and Unity's Ralph Hauwert talked about creating games in VR and changing the lighting in a scene more quickly. These are niche use cases, but Skylake-X is also a response to AMD's new Ryzen 7, with up to 8 cores (16 threads) and especially the colorfully-named Threadripper, with up to 16 cores (32 threads) that AMD is expected to discuss in more detail at a press conference tomorrow.
On stage, Intel was showing several motherboards based on the new X299 chipset for Skylake-X as well as HP Omen and Lenovo Legion gaming rigs. Intel was also showing several products based on its new Kaby Lake Core i7 H-Series quad-core processors including Acer Trident 700, Asus ROG Zephyrus and Lenovo Yoga 720 laptops, and an MSI Vortex VR-ready backpack PC. The more interesting demonstrations included a wireless HTV Vive VR headset using 60GHz WiGig and an Intel Compute Card with onboard CPU, storage and connectivity that plugs in to a small desktop or all-in-one.
The other big surprise is that Intel is expecting to get a big performance boost out of Coffee Lake, the next generation of Core processors based on an enhanced process called 14nm++. The company now says that the 8th-Generation Core processors will deliver 30 percent better performance than Kaby Lake, but as usual the devil's in the details, and this comparison of a current Core i7-7500U dual-core to a Coffee Lake quad-core with a much higher Turbo Boost ceiling is raising more questions than it answers. For now, Intel is simply stating that Coffee Lake desktops and laptops will be available in time for the holidays.
Intel by no means neglected laptops and 2-in-1s, highlighting some especially thin designs including the Huawei MateBook X and the ZenBook Flip S, which Asus announced at a packed press conference yesterday. The company also talked about the concept of the Always Connected PC and said some 30 partners are working on models including the Asus Kukuna 2-in-1 with a Core processor and built-in LTE. But overall this year's show belonged to powerful desktops where the competition is ramping up.


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Motorola has just won an injunction against Microsoft in German in a case which relates to Microsoft using the H.264 video codec without the proper permissions.
Motorola are either asking for a complete ban of Microsoft products, or that Microsoft pay them $4 billion a year as a licence fee. Should Motorola win on the first request, it means that the sale of Windows 7, Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player and the Xbox 360 would be banned.
Despite the victory for Motorola in Germany, Microsoft is defiant. They have stated that should Motorola win, despite them being in the right, the entire internet would suffer. Over 80 percent of digital videos use the codec and Microsoft fear it could be significantly damaging.
The ruling by the German Mannheim Regional Court was just the first step in what looks to be a rather long-term battle.
Source: Gaming Union


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In what is now the second hoax carried out against Adidas this year, activist collective Yes Man has once again focused its efforts on the German sportswear giant in a bid to draw attention to the rights of garment workers in its supply chain.
All the action took place during the tech conference Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal, where activists impersonating Adidas representatives announced that the company was planning to pay workers in virtual currency to purchase goods in a virtual ‘AdiVerse’ that were inaccessible to them in the real world.
Yes Man had previously targeted Adidas during Berlin Fashion Week earlier this year, when a false statement was released to the media suggesting that its CEO, Bjørn Gulden, would be hiring a former garment worker as co-CEO.
The organisation had further claimed that Adidas would sign the Pay Your Workers – Respect Labour Rights agreement, legally binding the brand to compensate and safeguard workers.
Adidas has continued to be criticised for its alleged malpractices against the rights of garment workers, with the Pay Your Workers campaign zoning in on the brand after it failed to ensure workers were paid in full during the pandemic.
The organisation referenced a 2021 report by Switzerland’s Public Eye, where it was concluded that Adidas was the “worst offender in the field of pandemic era wage theft”, with a reported 11 million dollars in back wages understood to be owed to garment workers.
Since 2022, action against the brand has only increased, as unions and labour rights organisations continue to campaign for Adidas to sign the Pay Your Workers agreement, while protests in countries where the company houses its supply chain also continue to take place.
In a release, US director of the Pay Your Workers campaign, Billy Yates, commented: “Adidas spending considerable amounts of money to make up an alternative currency and virtual universe to avoid paying its garment workers what they are owed is not that far from the truth.
“The reality might be even darker: adidas has spent hundreds of millions sponsoring FIFA’s Qatar debacle, while ignoring the rightful claims of workers in Cambodia, Indonesia, and elsewhere to the money they are owed.”
This article has been updated November 17, 14:30, with a response from Adidas.
In a statement to FashionUnited, director of media relations, Stefan Pursche, said: “Even during the pandemic, Adidas has ensured fair working conditions and wages as well as a safe working environment at its suppliers. We have continued to source products from our partners and have fully honoured our payment obligations for produced and ongoing orders. We have also ensured compliance with legal requirements regarding income and social benefits and documented the working conditions in each individual factory.
“The collaboration between the manufacturer Hulu Garment and one of our licensees was limited in time from the outset and expired as contractually agreed in August 2020. All orders were processed and paid in full. An independent arbitration tribunal and the Fair Labour Association were also unable to find any misconduct.
“Adidas has been ensuring fair and safe working conditions for employees in its supply chain for more than 25 years through a variety of measures. The Adidas Workplace Standards require our suppliers to progressively improve workers' compensation and living standards through continuous development of compensation systems, benefits, social programmes and other services. The disposable income of workers in our supplier factories is generally significantly higher than the respective legal minimum wage.”


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Cannabis news roundup: June 19, 2012
(Medical Marijuana Business Daily) // Patients will need greenbacks to purchase their green bud at cannabis dispensaries throughout the US starting next month – unless they have a Discover card. Electronic Merchant Systems (EMS), the main national credit card clearinghouse working with dispensaries, notified them by email that the company will stop processing Visa and Mastercard transactions as of July 1…
(SFGate) // In a related “follow the money” story, the IRS arrested six partners of a southern California dispensary group because prosecutors charge that the supposed nonprofit deposited over $3 million in eight months...
(The Raw Story) // David Bronner, head of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps and a leading hemp advocate, was cheered last week upon his return to California after being arrested in front of the White House. Bronner locked himself in a cage with several hemp plants to protest the US ban on industrial hemp cultivation…
(SFGate) // Hemp may be illegal to grow in this country, but helped by endorsements from celebrities Martha Stewart and Dr. Oz, food products containing imported hemp seeds made up a $40 million industry in 2010. Profits would be higher if the seeds were grown domestically…
(420 Times) // Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles has notified a second medical marijuana patient that she is off the waiting list for a liver transplant because of “substance abuse.”


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An Aberdeen bar which shut its doors on Saturday night is to undergo a £250,000 transformation and reopen under a new name next month.
Shareholders who bought BrewDog shares in 2011 look set to see a £2,700 return for every £100 they invested.
Craft beer firm BrewDog is now worth more than £1 billion after selling 22% of the business to a US private equity firm.
The North-east will be playing host to one of the biggest beer festivals in Scotland this summer.
Barclaycard has created a contactless self-serving beer pump to help cut bar queues on nights out.
A duty freeze on beer, cider and spirits to support pubs and Scotland's "vital" whisky industry has been welcomed, but there is "deep regret" that England's emerging wine success has not been similarly nurtured.
A downturn in oil has seen designs and ideas diversify in the North-east, an expert said today.
Craft beer company BrewDog has raised more than £10 million in five months in its latest crowdfunding drive.


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Kodansha's 3rd Morning International Manga Competition is now accepting submissions. The deadline for the third competition is September 30th, 2008:
Moon Phase is reporting that according to the current issue of MediaWorks' Dengeki Daioh, the magazine Dengeki Comic Gao will be suspended after this month's issue. Series currently serialized in Dengeki Comic Gao, such as Venus Versus Virus, ef - a fairy tale of the two and Gurren Lagann, will be moved to Dengeki Daioh.
Source: Heisei Democracy
The Mandana Tsushin (Manga Bookshelf Transmissions) Blog ponders who is the busiest mangaka, and has written a series of articles listing the achievements of some of the busiest mangaka in history.
In the previous entry's comment column, it was pointed out to me that I'd neglected to mention the 1970s mangaka Shinji Mizushima. Oops... I did, didn't I. So I did some investigating on him.
ICv2 has released the January 2008 top 100 graphic novel sales estimates and the top 300 comics sales estimates based on Diamond Indexes and Publisher Title Data. Also from ICv2 is an analysis of the trends in December based on the graphic novel sales chart.
Also, MangaBlog provides its own look at the data, as well as a list of manga from the Top 100 Graphic Novels chart.
Highly Anticipated New Manga Story Arc Launches Featuring A Teenage Naruto And Offers New Volumes Every Two Months
San Francisco, CA, February 20, 2008 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the launch of the long-awaited new NARUTO manga story arc beginning with Volume 28, which is the first to feature Naruto as a teenager. The volume is expected to hit stores nationwide on March 4 with an estimated retail price of $7.95 and will include an exclusive full-color poster insert in the first print run. New editions of the hit series will now debut every two months.
Brazilian Panini announced on it's website the cancellation of two titles: Eden and Peach Girl. According to Panini, the cancellation was mainly a result of slow sales. In both cases, the cancellation was a "re-break," because both titles have already been canceled once.
Many fans were angered by Panini's cancellation, since the publisher promised to release the entire Peach Girl series to its end. So far, the only Brazilian publisher to finish releasing an entire series is JBC.
Source: Papo de Budega
Panelosophy - Retro Hits
by Chloe Ferguson
In the upcoming year of licensing, old is new. Barely two months into 2008, and the list of pre-1980 manga titles set to street is both sizeable and various. From Tezuka to Takemiya, the trend of mining manga's history is here to stay.
When it comes to older titles, U.S. manga companies have been less than forthcoming, largely thanks to the awkward transitional period of figuring out just who older titles should be aimed at. Viz tentatively broached the topic early in 2002, first releasing volume two of Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix as a standalone single book, while later (and rather haltingly) releasing the other volumes in the series. The effort proved less than successful, but Viz's handling of Phoenix was an unfortunate victim of hazy target marketing and minimal support; the book has always been a rara avis in bookstores and failed to strike a chord with any particular readers.
ALC Publishing, the world's only all-Yuri publisher, is recruiting writers and artists for their award-nominated Yuri anthology, "Yuri Monogatari."
Writers and artists who wish to be considered for the new anthology should read the submission rules at http://www.anilesbocon.org/alc.html carefully before sending any materials. Questions can be emailed to email@example.com. Recruitment will be held through March 15, 2008. Due to the time constraints of the project, no applications can be accepted after this time however, completed comics can be accepted at any time. See the above page for details.
According to its latest newsletter, eigoMANGA will be attending this year's WonderCon, taking place from February 22nd to 24th. Find eigoMANGA in the exhibit hall at booth #1001, where it will talk about its spring 2008 releases, as well as be available for portfolio reviews and meetings.
Also, eigoMANGA will appear at this year's Anime Pavillion, taking place on May 7th in downtown San Fransisco.
A recent issue of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Japan Economic Times) ran an article on the 2008 Manga Taisho. According to the article, winners of the 1st "Manga Grand Prize" will be announced at the end of March.
The planning committee constitutes of staff from the manga sections of the "big 4" book retailers. The award was created through volunteering of professional manga fans. 76 commissioners in the Selection Commission were selected as "reliable manga readers" from various fields by the planners. The qualification requirement of a manga for the award states that the manga needs to have "at least 8 volumes of tankoubon were published, with at least 1 volume was published in 2007."
SPLAT! A Graphic Novel Symposium will take place on Saturday, March 15 at the New York Center of Independent Publishing (NYCIP) in Manhattan, with keynote speaker Scott McCloud . The NYCIP is a non-profit educational program (part of the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen) dedicated to promoting and supporting independent publishers across the United States.
VANCOUVER February 16th, 2008 – Last night the Video Game, Animation Industry and Digital Art Students turned out in full force to celebrate Canadian supremacy in the fastest growing entertainment industry in the world. Canadian video game developers and publishers, animators and studio heads and the brightest students and top academia gathered at 2nd Annual Elan Awards held at The Centre in Vancouver for the Performing Arts in eager anticipation to learn the winning names behind some of the biggest games and shows in North America.
According to the announcement, although EDEN will be released at a slower pace, Dark Horse has decided to release the manga up to volume 12 (for now):


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The Android phone market has been on fire for years, with more than 30% of all new devices launched in 2017, according to Gartner.
So why are we still getting new devices on the market, with the same software?
The good news is that Google has a new phone operating system, Android 6.0 Marshmallow, that’s coming out this fall.
That’s a big step in the right direction.
The bad news is it’s coming in the form of a new version of Android, and that’s going to make a big difference for a lot of people.
The Android 6 OS was designed to support a variety of devices, and it’s got a lot going for it.
The new version is designed to be more tightly integrated into the Android ecosystem, with Google now owning the Android operating system and all the Android devices that make up it.
Google also has a lot to thank for making the upgrade to Android 6, since the upgrade was a long time coming.
Google announced the upgrade back in 2015, and in the last year Google has worked on making the software better for phones, tablets, and wearables.
For the most part, though, the biggest difference with Marshmallow is that it has more features.
Google says the new Android 6 includes improvements for:* Mobile Hotspot* Wi-Fi Calling* Contacts* Maps* Voice Actions* Google Now* Calendar* and more.
That means you’ll get more stuff for your money.
You can find a full list of new features in the new Google Android 6 app, which is available for download right now.
The app includes a bunch of new apps for the Google Nexus 5, the Google Pixel 2, and the Google Watch.
There’s also a Google Search app for Android phones that includes the search functionality of the Google Now Launcher and other features.
Other features include improved video playback, support for Google Glass, and new support for Wi-FI, Bluetooth, and Android Wear.
Google’s Google Now launcher is now integrated into Android Wear, and Google is also making the Wear app smarter, making it easier to find and launch apps and other useful features.
The Google Play Store has also gotten a lot more useful, and now you can buy Android apps from the Google Play store, which has been updated to include more apps and games from Google.
Android 6 is now available for both the Nexus 5 and Pixel 2.
And, in the coming months, Android 7.0 will be released for Nexus devices, but the Nexus 7 will remain the most widely supported Android phone.
If you have an older phone that’s running Marshmallow and you want to upgrade to the new version, you’ll need to buy the Nexus 8.
Android has always had a lot in common with the operating system we use on our mobile phones, so the fact that Google is putting this new software together makes it a much better option for us.


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Brands usage of Instagram rose in Q3 22
Reels performs the best on Instagram.
The usage of social media platform Instagram increased for the brands industry, a report from marketing agency, Emplifi, showed.
Emplifi said it is in line with the global trend that the number of followers on the photo and video sharing app rose by 1% in the third quarter (Q3) of 2022.
When it comes to audience size, the median number of followers for Instagram accounts in brands is lower than the number of fans for Facebook.
However, the activity volume as well as user engagement on Instagram is higher than on Facebook.
Reel performs the best on Instagram with 41 median post interactions, 17 more than the second highest post type.
In Asia and the Pacific, Instagram and TikTok dominated the brands industry. In fact, Instagram Reels outperformed all other post types since the start of 2022, with 80% of brands on the platform published at least one real in Q3 22.
The Emplifi study has a minimum threshold is 50 profiles on Instagram and 50 pages on Facebook.


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Financial services giant IOOF has entered into an agreement to purchase all of the shares of Shadforth Financial Group parent company SFG Australia for a price tag of $670 million.
Under the terms of the proposed transaction, SFGA shareholders will be offered 0.104 of an IOOF share for each SFGA share they hold.
IOOF is also making available a cash alternative, subject to a maximum cash component of $100 million in aggregate.The cash equivalent will be calculated based on the volume weighted average price (VWAP) of IOOF shares over the 10 trading days immediately before the scheme meeting. The offer represents an implied valuation multiple of 18.5x3 SFGA's underlying net profit after tax for the 12 months ended December 2013, according to an IOOF statement.
The deal would make IOOF the third-largest advice business in the country.
Advisers need to ensure they don’t get too caught up in regulatory changes and forget about their current obligations, ...
Andrew Bragg has called for close scrutiny of the regulatory architecture, partly inspired by the rocketing ASIC levy ...
The company, which was haemorrhaging close to $100 million before tax just three years ago, has successfully navigated ...
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Globetouch and UROS launch global eSIM ecosystem
Globetouch, has announced a partnership with UROS Uni-fi Roaming Solutions, supplier of global data roaming services, to deliver innovative new roaming services to mobile operators.
Combining Globetouch’s CloudSIM/eSIM with UROS’ Goodspeed Mobile Hotspot devices and monitoring machine-to-machine (M2M) platform, the partnership reportedly offers a secure, end-to-end, cost-efficient global roaming package. This enables operators to create new revenue streams, reduce bill shock and enhance the customer experience.
While there are currently approximately 700 million roaming mobile subscribers, 75% opt not to use data services due to fear of bill shock, says Globetouch and UROS. Through this partnership, Globetouch and UROS have created a new roaming proposition for mobile users providing low-cost coverage, and implementing caps or stops for data bundles at device level via a unique global M2M platform.
For mobile operators, this approach enables them to quickly launch new, enhanced roaming propositions and unlock valuable new revenue streams from a relatively untapped market, while simultaneously reducing bill shock and enhancing the customer experience, helping to decrease churn.
UROS’ patented multi-SIM platform enables a number of different SIM technologies to be used simultaneously in one single device. With UROS and Globetouch’s new approach, the two companies say that UROS Goodspeed “mobile hotspot users will now also be able to switch seamlessly from one operator profile to another via eSIMim technology”. In addition, the joint solution manages consumer usage volumes and subscriptions by leveraging both Globetouch’s CloudSIM platform and the UROS device controlling the M2M platform.
“We’re delighted to be working with UROS to help bring secure low-cost, high capacity connectivity to UROS’ customers worldwide,” commented Rich Grohol, COO, Globetouch. “The partnership not only presents a huge opportunity for mobile operators to dramatically increase revenues, but also enables them to enhance the customer experience, making this an exciting step forwards for global connectivity.”
Gerrit Jan Konijnenberg, CEO of UROS, added: “Data roaming presents a huge opportunity for mobile operators to drive exciting new revenue streams, however due to the vast number of silent roamers, coupled with the prevalence of bill shock, it remains a relatively untapped market. Through our partnership with Globetouch we increase our joint eSim coverage and enhance our own global roaming Goodspeed GSim App. Through this eSIM partnership we are increasing satisfaction among our operator customers, as well as helping them to launch new retail roaming propositions and combat the churn to Wi-Fi roaming.”
Comment on this article below or via Twitter: @ VanillaPlus OR @jcvplus


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WARREN, Mich. (WCMH) — Art Van Furniture announced Thursday that it will close all stores, including one locally.
The company announced the decision to close Thursday. It said it would start liquidation sales Friday at all its Art Van Furniture, Art Van PureSleep and Scott Shuptrine Interiors stores in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Ohio.
The company has 3,100 employees.
The Polaris Art Van location opened less than a year ago, with a high-profile grand opening attended by Cindy Crawford and famed photographer Nigel Barker.
The Company operates under the brands Art Van Furniture, Art Van PureSleep and Scott Shuptrine Interiors.
Art Van-owned Eight Wolf Furniture Stores in Maryland and Virginia will also close. Levin & Wolf Furniture in Ohio and Pennsylvania will be sold.
“Despite our best efforts to remain open, the Company’s brands and operating performance have been hit hard by a challenging retail environment,” said Diane Charles, Art Van Furniture spokesperson. “We recognize the extraordinary retail, community and philanthropic legacies that Art Van Furniture has built for decades in the community.”
The company was started by Art Van Elslander in metro Detroit in 1959. It was sold to Thomas H. Lee Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm, in 2017. Crain’s Detroit Business news reported in mid-February that it was considering Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization or liquidation.


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- Senior One-Eyed Rescue Dog Transformed By New Family’s Love After Adoption
- FROM BROKEN TO BOUNDLESS: LALA’S TALE OF RESILIENCE IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY
- The Last of Us multiplayer project officially cancelled by Naughty Dog
- New York animal rescue shares surrendered Bloodhound dog looking for a new home: Meet Duke
- Miracle dog” who survived 72 days in the Colorado mountains after her owner’s death is recovering, had “ravenous appetite
Hyundai Motor Group acquired Boston Dynamics, a U.S.-based robot company that developed Spot, for 1.1 billion dollars in June 2021. It was the biggest M&A since Chairman Chung took office in October 2020. While Spot garnered attention every time it appeared in front of the public, there hasn’t been much news on significant progress in the robotics industry. Some even joked that Spot is a trillion-won guide dog and that the biggest source of profit for the robot industry is YouTube since Boston Dynamics’s YouTube channel has 3.19 million subscribers.
Spot reappeared in Singapore last month. Spot will be hired as a full-time employee at the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Centre Singapore (HMGICS). Each of the two Spots followed around an operator in a cell. Once the human operator finishes his tasks, 15 pictures are taken and the assembly of 38 parts is inspected. The pictures taken by Spot are transferred to a computer and reviewed for any defect by artificial intelligence in real time. Chung’s vision of utilizing robotics as a means for humans became realized.
Spot is not the only example of production innovation at the HMGICS. Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) transfer car bodies assembled in each cell. Any issues in the production process are identified and corrected in real time by utilizing digital twin, which refers to a digital copy of the entire plant. What’s most notable is that the center abandoned the conveyor belt method, which enabled the current automobile industry and is designed with the cell system to accept various demands for future mobility.
Due to their production efficiency, Hyundai Motor Company and other South Korean companies, such as Samsung and LG, have succeeded with the fast-follower strategy. The cheap yet diligent workforce was behind their growth in the 1970s and 1980s, just like right now for Southeast Asian companies. Rigorous supply chain management drove their competitiveness in the 1990s and 2000s. Since the 2010s, however, labor has become expensive, and labor regulations have held them back in South Korea. For supply chain management, the power of nations became more important than the competitiveness of individual companies. The attractiveness of products ‘made in Korea’ and ‘made by Korea’ lessened in the global manufacturing market.
This is why the news of the HMGICS utilizing Spot is welcoming. The HMGICS will be used as a test bed for production innovation, which means what’s successful at the center will be proactively deployed to new plants both in South Korea and abroad.
The South Korean Company can rewrite the success story of Ford Motor Company, which dominated the world’s automobile industry with the conveyor belt. I look forward to the day when Spot becomes the symbol of such a revolution.


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Even if you aren’t part of its network of professionals, there’s a good chance you’ve visited Houzz’s website. Since launching in 2009, the site has attracted a base of 40 million monthly users who can find inspiration, shop for furniture, or search through the profiles of roughly 1.5 million experts offering everything from interior design to pest control services. The Palo Alto startup raised $400 million in venture capital funding last year, more than enough to cover the $30 million purchase of IvyMark, a business management platform for the interior design community, which it acquired in February.
But for some interior designers, the merger was the latest in a sequence of events that have undermined their trust in Houzz. “I would not have joined IvyMark if I had known there was a tie-in with Houzz, so when that news broke, it was purely a business decision to leave the platform,” says Jennifer Hyman, owner of Chicago-based Hyman Interiors.
Last month, Hyman signed an anonymously created petition that rails against what it calls Houzz's “deceitful practices” in creating a billion-dollar business “that was built on our backs using our creative work.” It exceeded its initial goal of 1,600 signatures by March 21, and had garnered 2,176 as of publish date.
At the root of the petition is the belief that Houzz is eliminating the need for interior designers with its “visual match” algorithm, which scans designer portfolio photos and tags them with links to similar-looking products that consumers can then purchase. Petition signees assert that the platform actually competes with designers’ businesses, that the company leverages the images designers upload to advertise their own services to further Houzz retail initiatives. Some designers feel that their professional project photos function as little more than advertisements for Houzz’s retail operations—and incentives for users to take a DIY approach to designing, rather than hiring a professional.
“When Houzz first started, I saw the website as a platform where you could find inspiration for projects and clients could browse through rooms and find the style they like,” says New York-based designer Natalie Kraiem. “Houzz was used as a tool for researching and not for shopping.”


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For the last month UKTI have been busy running a series of events called GREAT Weeks. Here is a snapshot of two recent GREAT Week events, along with wins for British companies who attended these vital trade missions in the world’s fastest growing markets.
GREAT Week Hong Kong & Macao: 7-13 March
UKTI welcomed 34 UK companies to GREAT Week Hong Kong & Macao, with the aim of the trip being to introduce these companies to key decision makers in the region and to celebrate British creativity and innovation. Delegates enjoyed briefings, workshops, meet the buyer events, networking receptions, retail site tours and regional business speed networking.
As a result of attending, each company reported promising leads, follow-up meetings and significant education on the region. Here are a few examples of successes gained for UK companies on the mission:
Fox’s Biscuits reported an order of 14 new lines of product from one supermarket chain, and first time interest from another.
- Holden’s Breweries are now selling their bottled beers to importers, distributors, bars and restaurants in the region.
- C.W. Dixey (pictured), makers of luxury eyewear, were so successful that they ran out of stock. They now look forward to selling eyewear in exclusive optical stores in Hong Kong.
The event was also supported by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston CBE, British fashion designer Matthew Williamson and Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton. Matthew Williamson greeted guests with an exclusive catwalk show, while Jason Atherton provided an all-British menu for food writers and industry buyers, as well as supporting an EBLEX promotional event for English beef. The endorsement of such high profile British guests added significantly to the festivities, as well as generated strong media coverage for the trade mission companies.
GREAT Week UAE: 16-20 March
Immediately after Hong Kong & Macao, UKTI took over 40 companies in the Design, Luxury and Retail sectors to showcase their products to the region at GREAT Week UAE. Led by Lord Livingston, the delegation was warmly received at the Dubai Chamber, who were very keen to have UK brands represented in one of the world’s most popular retail destinations. During the same week, well known British brands Fortnum & Mason and Lulu Guinness launched in the region.
Support from government
Lord Livingston also visited the UAE British Business Centre (pictured below) - a brand new, furnished incubator space for UK SMEs coming to the UAE for the first time. Lord Livingston helped to resolve the final legalities before the centre finally opens in April, creating a vital base for UK companies looking to expand into the region.
Networking opportunities during GREAT Week UAE included a mix of business workshops, panel discussions and one-to-one meetings on opportunities across the MENA region. UKTI also invited local partners to join in on the action, resulting in delegates such as British bridal wear designer Shell Belle Couture discussing logistics around opening a store in the region. House of Fraser was also in attendance, and spoke with delegates such as UK-based luxury leather brand Mark/Guisti on the possibility of opening a concession in their Abu Dhabi store.
Commenting on the success of GREAT Week UAE, Pauline Chisholm, Senior Manager (Franchise and International Operations) at ASDA said: “I would recommend these events to businesses looking to expand into international territories as an opportunity to gain great market insights, meet prospective customers and business partners.”
The opportunity to learn something new is usually the biggest draw for most business events – but coupled with networking, inspirational celebrity guests and deals being done – GREAT Weeks are fast becoming a key event for British companies with global ambitions.
To hear feedback and live updates directly from the delegates, search #GREATWeeks on Twitter. If you would like to register your interest to attend the next GREAT Week event, please visit www.greatweeks.co.uk


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United Front’s 2012 sleeper-hit has surprisingly been re-awoken for a new generation début with Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition. We determine if this re-release is worthy of its ‘Definitive Edition moniker’, with its new graphical bells, whistles and all the previously released DLC in one package. Perhaps more importantly, is there
Sports have long been entwined with gaming consoles and many gamers strictly stick to this genre alone. They lead their favorite team to championships and create superstars out of their best players all while controlling them from the comfort of their most beloved piece of furniture. With the NBA season
Defense Grid 2 comes in as the sequel to Hidden Path Entertainment’s 2008 and hugely popular release Defense Grid: The Awakening and provides a sit back and watch tower defence style strategic tactical game which have become increasingly popular over the last few years thanks to tablet and mobile platforms.


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There is a 60 percent chance that consumers who don't use an app again within a week will never use it again, according to a recent study from Localytics. The company, which offers analytics and marketing products to the mobile app space, examined new iOS app users in November 2013 and their usage through the end of February 2014.
- The median user returns within just under six hours of his first app usage.
- If a user doesn't launch an app for a second time within one day from first use, there is a 40 percent chance that their first session will also be their last.
- The "churn risk window" increases over time--when the interval between the first and second session approaches seven days, there is a 60 percent chance that a user will never return.
- In social and entertainment apps, the data shows that if a user doesn't try the app again within 12 hours of their first launch, there is greater than a 50 percent chance they will never open it again.
- The median health app user returns to the app for the second time after almost 1.5 hours, yet they have a long tail of late returning users.
"Getting a user to return quickly after the first taste of your app is critical, especially in the categories of Social, Entertainment and Lifestyle," the company said. "While the 'churn risk window' may seem daunting, app owners will be in a much better position to act if they arm themselves with both the data on their retention patterns across dimensions such as sessions and the tools to combat churn such as push (and in-app) messaging."
The Localytics data is a good reminder that developers can't simply focus on the initial launch of an app if they want to develop a real community of users. It's also a wake-up call that planning a long-term customer engagement strategy doesn't mean you have months to work with, but a matter of hours.
Ultimately, the research reflects behavior patterns that could be compared to people who read the first page of a book to decide if they want to purchase and read it, or listen to the two-minute or less sample of a song on iTunes before downloading. The difference is that developers in this case have gotten a consumer to install, but they need to think carefully about their follow-up to ensure accessing their app becomes a habit.
- for the complete Localytics research, click here
Flurry: More developers with 1M monthly active users than ever before
InMobi: App interstitial ads converting for developers, publishers
How do you measure the success of an app? Customer engagement is key


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Facebook’s Asian Growth: Not Everywhere is North
I’ve seen some posts recently suggesting that Facebook is not doing well in Asia-Pacific. This, for example, from Forrester’s Reineke Reitsma:
For example, Facebook is struggling to gain ground in Asia Pacific:
With 58% of online adults accessing it, Orkut is the leading social platform in metropolitan India, while 27% of Japanese online adults use mixi; and in South Korea, Cyworld is most popular, attracting 63% of South Korean Internet users.
I won’t quarrel with her stats, but I’d suggest she’s missing a bigger picture: Facebook is growing at quite a clip in many Asian countries. My figures, based on Facebook data—which doesn’t include Japan and South Korea, admittedly–indicate that in 10 Asia-Pacific countries, Facebook membership has been growing at an average of nearly 9% per month for the past five months. That includes Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong, China and India.
By far the biggest growth is in Southeast Asia, with Indonesia growing at 14% per month, Thailand 15%, Malaysia 12% and Philippines 13%.
India is growing at a similar rate, but with a far smaller proportion of population: still less than 1%. Thailand is less than 5%, but 10% of Indonesians now have a Facebook account, as do 23% of Malaysians, 14% of Filipinos and 42% of Singaporeans. Only Hong Kong beats that, with 44% of the population having a Facebook account.
Hong Kong and Singapore join other developed economies at reaching a critical mass—Australia 38%, New Zealand 36%—where growth has understandably tapered off to 5% per month or less.
So while it may well be true that Facebook ain’t big in North Asia, it’d be a mistake to assume that’s true of the rest of the Asia-Pacific region. Facebook is still the one to watch, and showing consistent growth this year in all 10 countries I’m monitoring.
(This updates my post back in January on Facebook stats.)
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25. May 2010 by jeremy
Categories: Internet life, Networks | Tags: Asia Pacific, Australia, Blog software, China, Facebook, Facebook Inc, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Malaysians, MOL AccessPortal, New Zealand, online adults, Philippines, Singapore, Social information processing, Social media, South Korea, South Korean Internet, Southeast Asia, Thailand | 1 comment