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Filipinos will observe Christmas unassumingly this year and organize their essential necessities, especially food, because of budgetary and versatility imperatives, as per another study by Pinoy Tambayan.
Pinoys to cut Christmas expenses
Half a month prior to Christmas, a study directed by Kantar, the world’s driving information, bits of knowledge, and counseling gathering, uncovered that Filipino customers stay careful of their Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) spend that might be lower than the 20% yearly increment during the past Christmas seasons. The lower Christmas spend is in spite of the way that the Philippine economy starts to give indications of adjustment.
During a virtual roundtable preparation, Marie-Anne Lezoraine, General Manager of the Worldpanel Division at Kantar Philippines, said that while Filipinos need to spare, they are as yet seeing approaches to praise the Christmas season but contrastingly this year because of the pandemic.
“In view of the information we’ve accumulated throughout the long term, we’ve seen that FMCGs generally experience a 20 percent elevate each Christmas season,” Lezoraine said. “Likewise, on the normal from 2017-2019, we’ve noticed that the greater part (57%) of Filipino families get FMCG things as Christmas presents. This year, be that as it may, will be diverse because of the pandemic, as Filipinos become more specific and contemplate both social and monetary elements when buying products.”
Under typical conditions, Lezoraine said that universally handy cream, canned leafy foods, pasta, mayonnaise, and cheddar were the best 5 items that generally advantage from an elevate during the Christmas season. Strangely, the vast majority of these food items have picked up notoriety as more individuals cook at home since isolate measures were executed in March.
In the non-food class, the things which are generally well known inside gifting were fluid cleanser, colognes, salve, and makeup.
Since the lockdown to control COVID-19 contaminations, Filipino customers have changed their shopping crates to organize food over refreshments, home consideration, and individual consideration, a pattern saw overall financial class.
As per Kantar Philippines, family units having a place with the upper ABC class expanded their food buys by 11 percent this year versus a similar period in 2019. Conversely, the lower C to E areas, save for food, have been spending fundamentally less overall classifications.
Information from Kantar Philippines additionally demonstrated that from January to September 2019 (year-to-date (YTD) September 2019) versus January to September 2020 (year-to-date September 2020), Filipinos were shopping less regularly yet zeroing in their cash on more important things.
Also, they visited all in one resource channels like hypermarkets and general stores to make the most out of their shopping trips.
Markets, as per Lezoraine, enlisted a very nearly 28 percent esteem share in YTD September 2020, while supermarkets (6.7 percent) and hypermarkets (5.9 percent) additionally picked up footing because of the isolate measures and they’re all in one resource offering. It is imperative to note, in any case, that sari-sari stores stay a significant piece of the Philippine economy’s street to recuperation as everybody shops in this channel.
Lezoraine stated, “Notwithstanding the slight decrease in spend share from 39 percent in YTD September 2019 to 38.1 percent in YTD September 2020, Filipino customers frequented sari-sari stores four times each week demonstrating that these little stores actually pull in a wide scope of purchasers and keep on being the top retail channel to arrive at the D and E areas.”
Kantar Philippines noticed that the COVID-19 pandemic keeps on affecting the FMCG selections of Filipinos. “As we enter the Christmas season, organizations must guarantee that they adjust to the advancing movements in shopper conduct and the difficulties that we as a whole face,” Lezoraine clarified.
“Brands must have the option to help Filipino customers satisfy their necessities through missions that will oblige all the customers and their financial plans, which incorporates making liberal treats reasonable. It is moreover significant that they guarantee their supporters’ accommodation and wellbeing consistently.”


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The COVID-19 pandemic hit many sectors of commercial real estate hard, with some sectors such as hospitality and retail only recently beginning to exhibit signs of recovery. Industrial has been the undisputed leader in commercial real estate throughout the pandemic, largely thanks to an unprecedented boom in e-commerce that has driven skyrocketing demand for more warehouses and fulfillment centers.
Now — about a year and a half into the pandemic — real estate owners and investors have begun to look forward to a post-pandemic world while still trying to solve the challenges posed by the ongoing reality of COVID-19. Here are some issues related to COVID-19 that still impact the industrial real estate sector.
E-Commerce Shift is the New Normal
As shoppers moved online to make their purchases safely from the confines of their own homes during the global health crisis, the shift to e-commerce accelerated by about five years almost overnight. Though initially unclear about whether online sellers would retain this market share, continuing e-commerce growth in 2021 suggests that the increases in online shopping aren’t going anywhere.
This trend has major repercussions for industrial real estate as omnichannel and e-commerce retailers seek fulfillment space than can accommodate their higher online order volumes. Some projections have placed demand for additional industrial real estate at more than 1 billion square feet by 2025.
Port Congestion Driving Industrial Real Estate Demand
As e-commerce sellers try to keep goods in stock and recovering brick-and-mortar retailers strive to fill their shelves as more consumers come back to stores, massive restocking orders sit in limbo at virtually all major U.S. ports. The port sector has been hit with a perfect storm of issues beyond increased import volumes, including a massive shipping container shortage and problems with COVID-19 infections among longshoremen, dockworkers, and trucking/drayage drivers.
Industrial real estate demand near U.S. seaports has escalated steadily alongside these crises as retailers and logistics providers seek to quickly remove freight from docks and get it into the distribution pipeline. Vacancy near major seaports is below two percent in New Jersey and Southern California, for example, and rental prices for space near seaports continue to climb at record rates.
Retail-to-Industrial Conversion Opportunities Arise
The damage COVID-19 caused to the brick-and-mortar retail sector has created additional opportunities for property owners or investors that want to salvage something out of failing properties. This trend has been particularly noticeable with Amazon since the retail giant has purchased dozens of conveniently located shopping malls for conversion to distribution centers.
While retail-to-industrial conversions will never be a primary means of creating new inventory for industrial tenants, it’s likely that we’ll see more repurposing of this nature in the short-term due to higher demand for warehouses and higher incidences of failing retail properties. Given the challenges and costs associated with these conversions, however, this activity will likely remain limited to Amazon and other large organizations that can afford to sink money into the projects.
Reshoring Finally Becomes Reality
Reshoring initiatives have been gaining speed since around 2016 as costs for manufacturing in China began to rise. The Trump administration’s trade war, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic, accelerated reshoring plans for many American organizations. In July 2020, two-thirds of respondents to a Thomas Industrial survey reported that they were looking into bringing production back to North America, and 33% of businesses told Gartner they planned to move out of China by 2023.
Pulling up stakes and moving equipment and resources to a different country takes time, but reshoring efforts have begun to produce some tangible results. For instance, Walmart recently announced it would spend $350 billion by 2030 on “items made, grown, or assembled” in the U.S. and launched its “American Lighthouses” plan to identify and remove barriers to sustainable American production. As more retailers, manufacturers, and logistics operators make moves to regionalize manufacturing and logistics assets in the wake of COVID-19, reshoring efforts will have an increasing impact on industrial real estate.
About Phoenix Investors
Founded by Frank P. Crivello in 1994, Phoenix Investors and its affiliates (collectively “Phoenix”) are a leader in the acquisition, development, renovation, and repositioning of industrial facilities throughout the United States. Utilizing a disciplined investment approach and successful partnerships with institutional capital sources, corporations and public stakeholders, Phoenix has developed a proven track record of generating superior risk adjusted returns, while providing cost-efficient lease rates for its growing portfolio of national tenants. Its efforts inspire and drive the transformation and reinvigoration of the economic engines in the communities it serves. Phoenix continues to be defined by thoughtful relationships, sophisticated investment tools, cost efficient solutions, and a reputation for success.

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Immutable, a company that builds video games with player-owned assets, has raised a $15 million Series A round led by Naspers Ventures, part of Naspers, a global internet group and one of the largest technology investors in the world, and Galaxy Digital EOS VC Fund, a $325 million ecosystem development fund run by blockchain-focused merchant bank Galaxy Digital. Apex Capital Partners also participated in the round. The Immutable team will use the funds to accelerate the development of their flagship game, Gods Unchained, a trading card game led by Chris Clay, the former director of Magic The Gathering: Arena. Gods Unchained made waves last year as the world’s highest grossing blockchain-powered video game. Funds will also be used to build out the Immutable Platform, an open-source blockchain toolkit that lets developers create “immutable assets,” or truly ownable in-game items like cards, skins, weapons, and more, for their third-party games.
Immutable’s use of blockchain technology unlocks a whole new class of digital assets, one which holds real-world value and can be freely exchanged on peer-to-peer marketplaces. Players can buy, sell, and gift their in-game items such as cards, skins, swords, and more, and extract value from the time they spend gaming.
Sam Englebardt, Co-Founder and Co-Head of Principal Investments at Galaxy Digital said, “True ownership of digital objects reflects the next paradigm for interactive content by aligning the long-term incentives of publishers, developers, creators, and players. We’re investing broadly in the studios that are best executing on this vision across a variety of video game genres and Gods Unchained is in a class by itself amongst trading card games. We’re thrilled to be partnering with Immutable.”
“Naspers Ventures partners with innovative entrepreneurs in high-growth markets across the globe and we recognize the potential that blockchain technology has to radically transform most industries in the future, including gaming. We believe tremendous economic value can be unlocked in digital worlds using blockchain technology to bring true digital asset ownership to games, building upon a decades-old ecosystem,” said Banafsheh Fathieh, Principal and Early Stage Investment Lead at Naspers Ventures.
Immutable, formerly known as Fuel Games, raised a seed round last year led by Continue Capital and Nirvana Capital, and also included Sora Ventures and US digital currency exchange Coinbase. Their first game, Gods Unchained, is still in beta and has already sold more than 4 million cards, generating over $4.5 million in revenue through their limited “Genesis Sale,” which ends on October 10th. This includes a one-of-a-kind digital card that made headlines last year when it sold at auction for $62,000, becoming the 2nd most valuable TCG card in the world. Immutable is using some of this revenue to contribute to next year’s World Championship, which has a current prize pool of around $450,000.


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LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- WellCare Health Plans Inc. WCG, +1.35% said Monday that first-quarter earnings were $16.8 million, or 42 cents a share, compared with $10.6 million, or 27 cents a share, for the same period a year ago. Sales for the Tampa, Fla.-based health insurer were $730.4 million vs. last year's $418.9 million. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call expected, on average, for WellCare to earn 35 cents a share on sales of $697.7 million. In a press release, WellCare said it expects full-year earnings of $2.37 to $2.42 a share on sales of $3.1 billion. The First Call estimate is for $2.40 a share on sales of $3.28 billion. Shares ended the day up 21 cents to $41.25. In after-hours trading, however, shares jumped to $44, a gain of $2.75, or 6.7%.
WellCare income jumps 58%; sales up 74%


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Ukrainian analyst, Institute for the future Daniel Monin said that the Ukrainian economy is only now beginning to fall, and we have not yet felt the impact of coronaries.
As the Wave passes, he said this in an interview with political scientist, chief editor of the portal “Hvilya” Yuri Romanenko in the air “Hvilya”.
“I am extremely unconcerned about the state and Finance and the state’s ability to Fund its obligations. At the same time, I’m extremely skeptical of the effects of coronaries and the fact that this crisis will be even. Only now the economy is beginning to fall, we have not felt the impact of this crisis on the entire economy. Though of course the sensation of falling violent will be 100%, so in this case there is a dual property that we have now. After in March, there was such panic and Sarasate shouted, let’s all get out of bonds, abruptly everyone started to buy foreign currency, the rate has fallen. Now we see that according to the NBU, in April, the national Bank bought the reserve to approximately $ 600 million, after two billion in principle in March, almost burned. But I believe that they were doing well, the panic was necessary to extinguish and, in principle, reserve abound and they fulfilled their task”, says Monin.
According to him, in April, the NBU has bought 600 million ago and the exchange rate began to strengthen. At this point in may the same trend – national Bank only last week bought $ 160 million. He noted that we see from the apparent macro stability, which allows you like the state to say, we overcame the panic.
“But on the other hand, this report came out prior, we see that the economy in the first quarter of coronavirus is not actually captured. That is, the economy fell previously 1.5% of GDP, and in fact the second quarter will be 100% strictly failure. The NBU, for example, changed his forecast to fall in the second quarter to 11% of GDP. I think that may be more in principle”, – said the expert.
According to him, we have a very severely affected trade, and the stability actually supported the restrictive actions of the state. Monin noted that according to statistics of the NBU in April of interbank transactions fell by about 30%. “What can you say? But since shopping malls are closed and it is in principle the place that sells imports, of course import just frozen. Statistics show that fees for import payments in the budget in April was only at 77% from last year, not to mention the fact that the economy seems to be growing, so there should be more. And moreover, the rate in April was higher than it is now. We can talk about the 25% drop in imports and a 25% fall in exports, seems only interbank market. Very much suffers from the field of all services it is actually fully government is limited.”


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Walt Disney's (DIS -3.20%) nascent streaming service, Disney+, only debuted in November, and is already taking the streaming world by storm. Expectations are ratcheting higher as the platform continues to attract bullish investor sentiment. Disney+ will accumulate 202 million subscribers by 2025, according to estimates by Digital TV Research analyst Simon Murray.
If his projections are accurate, that will place Disney+ behind just Netflix (NFLX -1.78%), which he estimates will attract 258 million subscribers, and ahead of Amazon (AMZN -1.57%) Prime Video, with 141 million.
Murray announced he has "completely revised" his expectations as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying, "A major impact of [the] lockdown has been a steep rise in [subscription video on demand] subscriptions." Digital TV Research had already boosted its outlook in February, forecasting that Disney+ would accumulate 126 million subscribers by 2025, up from its initial estimate of 101 million which coincided with the Disney+ launch in November.
Original programming including The Mandalorian -- which has received rave reviews from critics and fans alike -- along with its low subscription cost of $6.99 per month, has helped jump-start demand for Disney+.
The day after its highly anticipated launch, Disney announced the platform had already reached a major milestone, topping 10 million subscribers -- a precursor of the surge in interest to come. During the company's second-quarter earnings conference call, CFO Christine McCarthy said that as of May 4, that number had grown 54.5 million subscribers, coming less than six months after the service debuted.
With these totals, the House of Mouse has already blown past its own internal projections. During Disney's investor day in April 2019, the company forecast a total of between 60 million and 90 million subscribers by fiscal 2024.
At this rate, 200 million subscribers doesn't seem out of reach.


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A new iPhone worm has found its way out that have malicious traits as opposed to the Rickroll worm found two weeks ago. The worm identified as “Duh” or “Ikee.B” uses the same modus operandi as the rickroll worm, effectively putting only jailbroken users with default SSH password at risk.
The first sign came from a Dutch ISP who recorded unusual data transfers from affected iPhone devices. Apparently, the worm connects to a Lithuanian server to upload user’s compromised data and allow the hacker to control the device the remotely.
The only way to get away with this is to change the SSH root password from the default “alpine” to something else. The worm sets “ohshit” as the new password on attacked iPhones.


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Ab InBev has introduced six new label designs for its Beck’s brand as part of its ‘Be Kreativ’ campaign, which will be available till December.
The labels have been created by six artists, and 10 million limited-edition labels will be available to retailers.
Tatiana Stadukhina, marketing director at AB InBev, said: “Our collection of designs will help retailers tap into the trend for bespoke, limited edition packaging – as well as the demand for brands that not only cater to the needs of consumers, but also align with their personality and values.”
The brand’s ‘Be Kreativ’ campaign is designed to support the work of musicians, writers, coders through its online platform. The launch will also be supported by a partnership with Print Club London, a London-based studio specialising in the art of screen-printing.
Find out how to get your alcohol sales right


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In a consumer survey publication, BI had announced on Monday night in Jakarta that the index of current economic conditions (IKE) at the end of January 2017 improved as compared to December 2016 and November 2016.
“The IKE is currently up 1.4 points to reach 104.2 points as compared to December 2016,” Executive Director of BIs Department of Communication Tirta Segara stated.
As part of a monthly consumer survey in January 2017, the central bank conducted a study of 4,600 households in 18 cities in Indonesia.
The increased consumer perception was driven by a rise in the current income index, which rose by 0.6 points to reach 118.5 points; the availability of employment, which rose 0.6 points to reach 88.8 points; and the timely purchase of durable goods, which was up 3.3 points to reach 105.4 points, BI noted.
BI has recorded that the increase in consumer perception of current economic conditions is the highest in Makassar at 25.5 points. It is followed by 23.4 points in Ambon. Based on the level of consumption, an increase in perception was observed among consumers, with a spending level of Rp2 to Rp3 million.
Nonetheless, consumer expectation for the next six months dropped as compared to that recorded in the December 2016 survey.
The decline in consumer expectation sparked a decrease in the consumer confidence index (CCI) in January 2017 by 0.1 points to reach 115.3 points as compared to 115.4 points recorded in December 2016.
“Despite the decline, the CCI, which amounted to 115.3 points, still indicates consumer optimism,” BI stated.
In the meantime, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani noted that the government had strengthened the domestic economy to anticipate uncertain global conditions in 2017.
“Based on the situation abroad, the government improves the domestic economy,” Mulyani stated.
One of the governments efforts was aimed at improving the investment performance in a bid to provide optimal contributions to the national economic growth.
“Utilizing the sources of economic growth, we will balance investment and consumption growth,” the minister stated.
He acknowledged that the investment performance in 2016 was slow. However, the government has continued to make all-out efforts to boost investment performance in the country, including the involvement of state-owned and private enterprises.
The National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) had earlier forecast that Indonesias economy would grow at 5.1-5.3 percent in 2017.
“Yes, for the economic growth in 2017, I have predicted a range of between 5.1 and 5.3 percent,” Minister of National Development Planning and Head of Bappenas Bambang Brodjonegoro stated during a discussion on the 2016 Year-End Final Evaluation and Outlook 2017 at the Bappenas office here on Saturday.
According to Brodjonegoro, the estimate is based on the assumption that the countrys economy will still be dominated by consumption.
Meanwhile, it is difficult to as yet ascertain the impact of the global economic turmoil on the national economy.
“We cannot as yet predict the impact of the global economic turmoil. One needs to understand that the global economy is not bright,” Brodjonegoro pointed out.
Nevertheless, the national economy was still able to grow by 5.1 percent in 2016.
He believed this trend indicated that Indonesias economy was still able to survive global economic upheavals. Hence, measures to ensure that the national economy can adapt to global change are important to boost growth.
“Even in the face of uncertain global conditions, we can grow 5.1 percent. It is nice. Hence, if we can predict and control the global conditions, it means that Indonesia can adapt to global change. This will be good for the economy of Indonesia,” he added.(*)


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Do Drones Have You Worried for Your Privacy?
Updated: Oct 15, 2019
As a commercial operator, many times when flying I get the question asked, "how far can you see?" If being asked this by consumers constantly you have to wonder if there is more than just curiosity from these questions, and more fear of what a UAV can do.
In Arizona it's a mute point, very few operators have a "closed set plan" and therefore cannot fly closer than 500 feet to a building, vehicle or person. Even illegal operators break the law, most homes in AZ have a sun screen on their windows to deflect heat and this makes it difficult to look into someones home unless your face is right up against the glass.
Can drones be used for mischievous acts yes - let's look at the old adage of guns - "guns don't kill people, humans do!" The same can be said for drones - they don't break the law, be invasive, or dangerous by automation, they have to be told, piloted, programmed to do so.
So I would tell any American reading this....The commercial operators such Extreme Aerial Productions, have gone to such lengths and such expense to meet the huge mountain of regulatory reform. That breaking these rules, or doing something pervasive, just isn't worth it, and isn't right in the mind of the operator. So read below as to what is being done by the government and private industry to help with privacy and the usage of drones
On this April 14, 2016 file photo, a drone operated captures videos and still images of an apartment building in Philadelphia. A panel of privacy experts and technology companies organized by the Obama administration has issued guidelines for using drones without being overly intrusive. The suggestions are voluntary, but some business interests involved in the debate hope the guidelines head off tougher regulations that they fear could smother the drone industry in its infancy. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
By DAVID KOENIG, AP Business Writer
DALLAS (AP) — A panel of privacy experts and technology companies organized by the Obama administration has issued guidelines for using drones without being overly intrusive.
The suggestions are voluntary, but some business interests involved in the debate hope the guidelines head off tougher regulations that they fear could smother the drone industry in its infancy.
News organizations are exempt from the guidelines on free-press grounds.
Supporters say drones could provide huge benefits, from inspecting power lines to delivering medicine to remote areas. Google Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. want to use them for deliveries. Falling prices have made drones popular among hobbyists, too.
However, their small size and ability to go just about anywhere — while carrying cameras and sensors — have raised privacy concerns.
The Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration on Thursday released the "best practices," which were supported by drone makers, Amazon and other technology companies and retailers, and privacy advocates. The suggestions are aimed at both commercial and private drone users.
Among the many recommendations:
—Operators shouldn't fly their drones over private property without the owner's consent.
—They should alert people in the area ahead of time when it is practical and explain the purpose of the drone flight.
—Unless there is "a compelling need," operators shouldn't fly a drone where someone has a reasonable expectation of privacy and a drone should not be used to follow someone continuously.
—Don't use information gathered by drones for decisions about employment, credit or eligibility for health care.
—Don't use personal information for marketing purposes without the individual's consent.
—Information from drones shouldn't be held longer than "reasonably necessary," although exceptions can be made for legal disputes, safety reasons or with permission of the person being watched.
There are about 5,600 drones registered for commercial purposes and about 450,000 hobbyists have registered at least one drone, according to figures from the Federal Aviation Administration. Their popularity has soared over the past year or so, putting pressure on the industry and privacy advocates to agree on guidelines governing their use.
The Consumer Technology Association, a corporate group whose members include Google, Apple and Microsoft, said this week's guidelines balance innovation and privacy. The group's director of regulatory affairs, Alex Reynolds, said that more "prescriptive rules" would threaten the benefits offered by drones, from delivering disaster relief to helping agriculture and infrastructure maintenance.
The Center for Democracy and Technology, a civil liberties group, said it hoped big companies and hobbyists alike would follow the guidelines.
"We're concerned about the widespread use of drones for surveillance without any rules," said Chris Calabrese, the group's vice president of policy. He said the group got all the important protections it wanted in the guidelines, including protection against persistent surveillance even in public places and use of drone-gathered data in employment and marketing.
News outlets including The Associated Press were represented in the discussions leading up to the guidelines and won an exemption. The standards say news organizations should be able to use drones the same way they use comparable technology — such as planes and helicopters — to record data in public spaces as long as they follow their own ethics policies and federal and state laws.
Joel Roberson, an attorney who represented the news groups, said the outcome "will ensure that news-reporting organizations have a First Amendment right to gather the news through drones in the national airspace."
There were some holdouts to the final report.
Four companies including GoPro, whose cameras are mounted on many drones, and drone maker DJI refused to sign the guidelines. Kara Calvert, a spokeswoman for the companies, said there are no such guidelines for security cameras or camera-toting people on ladders or rooftops. Drone users shouldn't face tougher rules, she said.
The American Civil Liberties Union objected to qualifiers that suggest drone operators can sometimes ignore the guidelines if they have a "compelling need" or "implied" consent of individuals.
"What does that mean?" said Jay Stanley, a privacy analyst with ACLU. "That kind of weasel language runs throughout the document."
The Federal Aviation Administration is close to issuing final rules regarding drones, but those regulations are expected to stick to safety issues, not privacy. Airline pilots have reported seeing drones flying dangerously close to their planes.
In February 2015, President Barack Obama ordered the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration to help develop best practices for privacy and other issues surrounding drone use.
The 8-page voluntary guidelines can be found here: http://1.usa.gov/23ZVwaG
Thanks for stopping by and reading theis blog on Do drones have you worried for your privacy?


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Apple has fired the manager who was responsible for its flawed iOS 6 Maps application, according to Bloomberg sources, as the company seeks outside help to fix the app.
The sources, who were not named, said senior vice president Eddy Cue had sacked Richard Williamson, who was a senior director of iOS platform services and oversaw the mapping team at Apple.
Apple is yet to comment on the rumours.
Cue, who took on his role just last month, wasted little time in outing Williamson after the mapping application received widespread criticism for diplaying misspelt place names, poor quality satellite images and whole towns simply in the wrong place.
Cook said: "We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make maps better."
The CEO added that the application's accuracy will improve as more users report problems and Apple increases its mapping database, and finished the apology by suggesting customers try other mapping services such as Microsoft Bing and Google.
Following the management shake-up, Apple is now seeking advice from mapping experts like TomTom to help fix the navigation data it shares with Apple.
The maps application was an entirely new addition to the iOS 6 update, after Apple chose to no longer use mapping data provided by Google, whose maps had been on the iPhone since it launched in 2007; the search giant is now believed to be creating its own iOS maps app to rival Apple's.
In removing Google's app, iOS Maps lost Streetview images and public transport information, but gained turn-by-turn directions with voice commands and 3D buildings.
Cue will be familiar with picking up the pieces of an under-performing product, as back in 2011 the troubled MobileMe cloud service was handed over to him before it was shut down and relaunched as iCloud.
Williamson's full-time replacement is not yet known, and we are yet to hear back from Apple after requesting a comment.


text: Blue Microphones have long been the choice of podcasters and recording pros for capturing audio both in-studio and on the go. Now, the audio outfit is looking to tackle hi-fi mobile listening with an effort it's calling Mo-Fi. The company says that "true mobile high fidelity" is what Mo-Fi brings to the table with a line of products coming in spring 2014. "The market is plenty crowded with lo-fi headphones for our mobile devices. But classic hi-fi headphones are too power-hungry for our mobile devices. We are ready for the next innovation in headphones and the market is ready now too," said John Maier, CEO of Blue. Unfortunately, that's about all the detail Blue is spilling at this point, so we'll have to wait to hear more on the gadgets and the hi-fi... er, Mo-Fi tech that'll power 'em. There's a teaser video after the break that flaunts what a appears to be a set of headphones, but that's the only tidbit we have to go on right now. You can, however, click over to the source link below for product previews as they arrive.


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As the trade war intensifies, the maritime industry in Hong Kong must adapt to stay afloat
- Lawrence Leung and Collin Wong say Hong Kong’s maritime logistics sector will be hard hit by the trade war as the majority of its cargo goes on to the mainland
- The Hong Kong port should consider implementing a mechanism that allows terminal operators to share berths, cranes and yards
As China and the United States – the world’s top two economies with a combined gross domestic product measuring nearly 40 per cent of the global total in 2017 – engage in a full-blown trade war, many industries stand to lose out. With today’s global integration of markets, where products and raw materials typically move across many countries, the trade war will have a major impact on the global supply chain.
Nowadays, consumer goods are manufactured in such a way that different components of a product are sourced from around the world. For instance, a “Made in China” TV may consist of a glass panel from Japan, a panel backlight from Singapore, a circuit board from Korea, chips from Germany, and so on. Any extra tariffs imposed by the US on television sets assembled in China would raise prices and lower American sales. If trade between the US and China falls, this will have a negative economic impact on countries in the supply chain, resulting in GDP losses for all.
Theoretically, if tariffs increase, China can find new customers to replace those in the US. Likewise, producers can relocate away from China to avoid new taxes, while component manufacturers could provide their goods and services to new buyers. In practice, however, the transition could take several years.
In 2007, US-Canada trade (US$565.9 billion) and US-China trade (US$384.3 billion) were the top two bilateral trade relationships globally. Ten years later, in 2017, US-China trade is the top bilateral trade relationship in the world, totalling US$635.3 billion. World trade and global manufacturing patterns have changed significantly over the years, shaping North American and Asia-Pacific economies into their present forms. If the US-China trade war continues, the growth from years past could easily be wiped out.
Watch: How the US-China trade war affects Hong Kong
Such a trade war affects global transshipment. This is especially true for Hong Kong’s maritime logistics sector, where over 70 per cent is transshipment business – cargo that is sent onwards to other ports in Asia. More importantly, China-related transshipment makes up 80 per cent of Hong Kong’s transshipment business. Furthermore, maritime cargo represents over 90 per cent of Hong Kong’s overall cargo volume. Clearly, Hong Kong, as a trading hub, will be hard hit by the US-China trade war.
Hong Kong’s trade and logistics sector contributed about 21.7 per cent to the city’s GDP and provided employment to 730,700 workers in 2016. A US-China trade war will present great challenges to the sector, with the ripple effect keenly felt across the region.
So what can be done to increase the competitiveness of the Hong Kong maritime industry? As both a short-term and long-term measure, the Hong Kong port needs to develop new strategies to secure more transshipment demand. In August, Hang Seng University of Hong Kong published a report recommending a facility sharing mechanism at the port to enhance efficiency and competitiveness.
Terminal operators could share berths, cranes and yards. This collaboration would enable vessels with high transshipment connections to berth within the same terminal to avoid unnecessary transfers. This joint solution will lower costs and reduce pollution, improving the port’s competitiveness.
In times of adversity, opportunities have emerged for Hong Kong to find strength in innovation, entrepreneurship and flexibility. As Hong Kong braces itself to weather the storm ahead, bold government support for measures to boost our competitiveness will help keep the city’s trade and logistics sectors afloat.
Professor Lawrence Leung Chi-kin and Dr Collin Wong Wai-hung are respectively the dean and associate dean of the School of Decision Sciences, The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong


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In a July 4th announcement, Visteon Corp. said it plans to offer $805 million to acquire the remaining stake in Korean joint venture Halla Climate Control Corp and disclosed the termination of a previously announced sale of its interiors business.
The Van Buren Township supplier currently holds a 70 percent stake in the climate controls supplier Halla. Visteon is offering approximately $25.12 per share for the remaining 30 percent stake of 32 million shares — a 14 percent premium to Halla's closing price yesterday.
The offer is conditional on shareholders allowing Visteon to acquire at least 26.7 million of the shares, or a 95 percent ownership stake in the supplier.
However, South Korea's national pension service, which owns 9.8 percent of Halla, may battle against the deal, Reuters reported.
Visteon's offer is supported by an $815 million line of credit from South Korea's largest bank, Kookmin Bank.
Halla's largest customer is Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Group, which makes up more than 60 percent of Halla's revenue of $2 billion in 2011, according to Reuters.
Goldman Sachs and Rothschild Group are advising on the deal, the company said in a release.
Visteon is the second-largest provider of climate-control systems behind Japan-based Denso Corp. The supplier intends to increase its 12 percent market share of the $32 billion market to 14 percent by 2014.
The deal sparked trading on shares of Visteon (NYSE: VC) — which was up more than 7.5 percent to $39.97 in morning trading on July 5. However, its shares remain down more than 20 percent on the year.
Visteon also announced it terminated its memorandum of understanding to sell the remainder of its interiors business to its China joint venture Yanfeng Visteon Automotive Trim Systems Co. The company originally announced the deal last November.
Yanfeng is a joint venture between Visteon and Huayu Automotive Systems Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of China's largest automobile maker, government-owned Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp.
Sources told Crain's, on the condition of anonymity last year, that SAIC and Visteon couldn't agree on a price for Visteon's shares.
Visteon's interiors business generated $2.16 billion in revenue in 2010.
The supplier has made several deals in recent months to pare off low-margin businesses and refocus its operations in Asia.
It also announced Wednesday a $50 million investment to build a wind tunnel site in South Korea.
More than 56 percent of Visteon's business was done in Asia last year.
After splitting its lighting unit out of its interiors business last year, Visteonsold the lighting unit in March to India-based Varroc Group for $92 million.
In April, Visteon sold its 880,000-square-foot Van Buren Township headquarters to New York real estate firm Sovereign Partners LLC for $81.1 million.
Visteon then signed a 15-year lease for the 527,000 square feet in the Grace Lake Corporate Center that it currently occupies.
It generated net income of $80 million on revenue of $8 billion last year.


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The Apple trade secret lawsuit that began in 2018 has ended. Former Apple employee Zhang Xiaolan said: plead guilty On Monday, I ended up stealing confidential information from Apple.
Federal Grand Jury in San Jose, July 2018 indicted Zhang obtained a 25-page document containing detailed drawings of a circuit board designed for use in Apple’s self-driving cars.
In April of that year, Zhang told Apple that he was resigning to be closer to his sick mother in China. Apple later learned that the former employee worked for Chinese electric vehicle startup Xpeng. On the day Chan was due to return to China, federal agents intercepted and arrested the engineer at San Jose International Airport.
Xpeng has distanced itself from the case.among them Official Weibo post On Tuesday, the publicly traded EV maker said it had nothing to do with the Zhang case, knew nothing about the details of the case, was not involved in investigations by U.S. law enforcement agencies, and had a related dispute with Apple. said no.
“Xpeng is a major player in advanced driver assistance systems in China and will continue to develop full-stack solutions,” said the automaker.
Another former Xpeng staffer has also been embroiled in a legal dispute with the American tech giant. , Elon Musk himself publicly hinted at About his Chinese challenger. The lawsuit was dropped in 2021.
There’s a reason Xpeng’s western rivals are nervous about Xpeng’s whereabouts. Like its foreign competitors, Xpeng has cultivated ambitions for autonomous driving. The Guangzhou-based company has been busy testing his Xpilot ADAS system for Tesla’s FSD and wants to mass-produce the solution at an affordable price.
Unlike Tesla, Xpeng chose Lidar. Brought to you by DJI’s Livox, to steer that vehicle. Latest version of Xpilot Claim To help navigate complex city roads and self-park in what the company calls Level 2.5 driving.
Some of that technology may soon be available to consumers abroad. Last year, Xpeng Quietly started shipping in Norway, is also the first stop in the overseas expansion of Chinese rival Nio. In February, the company announced plans to enter Sweden and the Netherlands through both official retailers and third-party distribution networks.


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A leading Birmingham business recovery specialist has urged council chiefs to get behind an innovative scheme designed to put life back into the city’s ailing high streets.
Sixteen per cent of shops in the West Midlands are empty – a figure that could easily be slashed, according to John Kelly, regional managing partner of business recovery experts Begbies Traynor in Birmingham city centre.
Mr Kelly has now penned a letter to Birmingham City Council leader Sir Albert Bore, urging him to back an idea that he believes could turn around the fortunes of the city’s high streets.
It would see short-term six-month leases available as standard on empty retail units, with interiors designed to accommodate a range of businesses – saving entrepreneurs the cost of expensive store re-fits.
Meanwhile, an off-the-shelf IT system would connect to a centralised stock and till system that could be used by all city retailers.
“We need the city to work with property landlord to completely re-think the way that shop units are marketed,” he said. “I am not saying that initiatives taken so far are not part of a solution, but more radical action is needed if we are to get new businesses to help us trade out of the recession.
“The council could do things like waive business rates or defer payments to a later time – once the business is profitable.
“We have to make it easier for the would-be retailer.
“Most people will not and cannot commit to long leases. They can’t afford expensive fit-out costs.
“We have some exceptional designers, architects and IT specialists that are capable of putting together a package designed to support these fledgling businesses.
“We need to re-think how the country meets the ambitions of its future entrepreneurs.
“All too many town and shopping centres are stuck in a time warp – which means that more radical thinking is needed to get life and vitality back into our high streets and shopping arcades.”
He acknowledged that the council and the city’s Business Improvement Districts had taken steps in a bid to tackle empty shops – including last December’s Unique in Birmingham campaign.
Run by BID Retail Birmingham, it called on colleges, universities, artists and organisations to design window displays to transform vacant shops in the city centre.
And from Monday, the same BID is holding a week-long series of events called Celebration of Independents in a bid to promote independent shops in the city centre.
But Mr Kelly said more needed to be done.
“Even some of the recent initiatives, designed to significantly improve the appearance and look of empty shops, is to be commended but they might be regarded as wallpapering over the problem,” he added.
“The council and businesses need to come together to make sure that we offer the conditions that the next generation of shop keepers really need.”


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Recycling Centers across the country are being inundated with wrapping paper, cardboard, boxes, bottles and cans now that Christmas has come and gone.
One recycling center in Springfield, Mo., had cars lined up before the center’s gates opened after Christmas. According to an Ozarks FIRST report, cardboard from shipping boxes and presents filled up most bins the quickest, and the roll-off trucks had to make returns about every 45 minutes to clear them out.
Ozarks FIRST has more details:
Now that Christmas is over, it was a busy day at local recycling centers following all the gifts and gatherings during the holiday.
At Lonepine Recycling in Springfield cars were lined up before the gates opened.
Much of all of the discarded materials from the holiday celebrations like wrapping paper, boxes, bottles, and cans were loaded up and brought to recycling bins today.


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GM To Boost Digital Spending
This is good news for online advertising companies, because it indicates that more large companies are beginning to see the Internet as a viable advertising resource. Currently, GM is spending about 10-15% of their ad dollars online, but according Merrill Lynch analyst Lauren Rich Fine, even more of the companyâ€™s ad dollars could be headed to the digital marketplace soon.
Fine told AdWeek, â€œOnline as a percent of total spend will rise as will the total dollars spent online despite the company’s continued auto sales challenges.â€
As part of the change, General Motors is reportedly also telling local dealers to begin upping their online advertising dollars. Many of the local dealers are spending less than 10% of their budgets online. As a whole, GM is seeing a loss of revenue and widespread spending cuts because of the automotive market.
The change contradicts a recent Yahoo report that online advertising for auto dealers was softening.
The online spending change will be good for Digitas; GM is a client of theirs. In July, Digitas lowered their revenue predictions because of GM budget cuts.


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F.T. Island's Hongki went blond for the latest issue of fashion magazine 'L'Officiel Hommes', revealed on the 20th.
Hongki commented on the lighter look, "I've never had an 'all-back' hairstyle, so this is new to me."
The members of F.T Island went with a retro concept in this issue. Leader Jonghun showed off his flawless body, which he works hard to maintain, and Jaejin went for a '60s look, while Seunghyun opted for an edgy hairstyle and coat.
What do you think of the group's look?
CCTV of Siwon's family dog's biting incident released shows situation was different from explanation
20 hours ago 193,525 8,176 791


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What Makes A Business Bicycle Friendly?
Ypsilanti's Non-Motorized Advisory Committee wants to know how residents would define a "bicycle-friendly" business.
It's part of the process of developing a bike friendly business program, where businesses that cater to bike riders and employees who ride bikes to work would get a sticker to put on their store window and be listed on several related websites.
Committee chair Bob Krzewinski says it's all about making Ypsilanti a more bike and pedestrian-friendly community.
"We have an application in right now with the League of American Bicyclists for making Ypsilanti a bike-friendly community," Krzewinski says. "We'll have one in shortly for making this a walk-friendly community, also. And we're extending that out a little bit to try and get businesses into the program, to come up with a bike-friendly businesses situation."
Krzewinski says being recognized as bicycle-friendly would help businesses attract more customers.
He says the Non-Motorized Advisory Committee will be seeking support for the bike-friendly program from organizations involved in development of Ypsilanti's downtown.
Offer your thoughts on what makes a business bike-friendly on the committee's Facebook page.


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Nokia strengthen its imaging knowledge by acquiring developers and technolog from Scalado
14 June 2012 by Olav Hellesø-Knutsen
Nokia today announced that it will acquire developers, technologies and intellectual property from the image specialists Scalado
Scalado has developed many of the added photo features found in recently sold smartphones. Facedetection, smile detection, panorama, zero shutter lag, remove and image stitch are some of these. Most of Scalado's imaging products are licensed to mobile manufacturers but the company has also recently release an app for Android and iOS. Scalado has developed technology used in real-time when capturing photos, but it has also created some apps for viewing and editing images stored on the device.
One of Scalado's strengths is that most of its technology can be run smoothly on devices without fast quad-core processors.
Scalado AB will continue to exist and all existing customer agreements and obligations will remain with Scalado AB. Scalado's site in Lund, Sweden is planned to become a key site for Nokia's imaging software for smartphones.
Below is a demonstration of the Scalado Panorama we was shown during the Mobile World Congress earlier this year. It is on of many applications which will find its way to the next generation of mobile phones.
Alternatively post this in the Esato forum
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Not only in Korea, but also in the United States and Europe, as the number of corona confirmed cases is rapidly increasing, countries are taking out lockdown orders and emergency measures again. A growing number of European countries are implementing lockdown measures, such as London declaring a ‘majority’. In the United States, indoor restaurants have also been closed, and New York is considering canceling New Year’s events. In the US, there are also warnings that the next few months of this winter will be difficult.
Correspondent Kim Jong-won from New York.
A pizzeria in Washington DC, USA, is busy with customers, but only allows outdoor dining with chairs on the table.
The indoor business, which was resumed this spring, has been suspended again for the first time in a few months due to the rapid increase in the number of corona patients.
[식당 웨이터 : 지난해 목요일 날 확진자가 급증하면서 이 옆에 바들도 문을 닫았고요, 이렇게 실내 영업도 중단했습니다.]
New York, where year-end events such as musicals and Christmas performances are being canceled one after another, is finally considering canceling the famous Times Square New Year’s event.
[빌 드블라시오/뉴욕 시장 : 새해 행사는 지금 타임스퀘어 담당자들과 논의를 하고 있습니다. 크리스마스 전까진 행사를 취소할지 말지 결정할 겁니다. 다음 몇 주간 코로나 확진자 수가 매우 매우 매우 많이 치솟을 것으로 예상됩니다.]
Dr. Anthony Fauci, an infectious disease authority in the United States, said that the number of confirmed cases of Omicron is doubling every two or three days, and that in some parts of the United States, 50% of self-quarantined people are infected with Omicron.
[앤서니 파우치/백악관 선임 의료 보좌관 : 오미크론으로 인해 이번 겨울은 몇 주에서 몇 달간 힘든 시기를 보내게 될 겁니다.]
Meanwhile, in the UK yesterday (19th) alone, more than 12,000 confirmed cases, while in Italy, close to 30,000 new cases, the highest in more than a year.


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A large number of economic releases came out this morning with 11 of the 12 beating estimates and some well above expectations. Also, durable goods, new home sales, consumer confidence, and manufacturing all trended higher this month, with consumer confidence and new home sales near 5-year highs.
The Citigroup Economic Surprise Index also bottomed earlier this month and has started to creep higher, with today's data pushing it back into positive territory.
As of this morning, the S&P 500 is up slightly by 0.76%. The market experienced a modest correction last week when Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke commented on possibly tapering stimulus due to a strengthening US economy. With weakness still being felt around the globe, the market is unsure whether any withdrawal of stimulus by the Fed may be premature and lead to further economic contraction.
If economic data continues to beat expectations and appears sustainable, this will help remove the uncertainty of any change in Fed policy.
Technically speaking, the market has broken through its 50-day moving average and is now expected to trend back towards its 200-day moving average, which at slightly above 1500, would mean the market may still correct at least another 4-5% from current levels before finding support.


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Published: Oct 06, 2012 07:00 PM
Modified: Oct 09, 2012 03:20 PM
CARRBORO - The managers at Johnnys on West Main Street will keep an application to rezone the property for now, unless town staff can find a way for the store to pursue its business plan without rezoning.
Planning Director Trish McGuire said department staff are still reviewing zoning districts in connection with Johnnys business plan.
I understood they would withdraw the application so long as they were able to do what they wanted on the property, McGuire said.
Johnnys, which sits in a residential zone, applied earlier this year to have its property rezoned as a B-1(g) (General Business) zoning district.
Co-manager Meghan Truesdell said the store needs the rezoning to have events, like karaoke nights, movie screenings and outdoor craft markets.
She said they will keep the application because starting over with a new application would make the process more time consuming and expensive. But they are looking into other zoning districts that would have less impact on their neighbors, such as a B-3 neighborhood business zoning district.
Grocery stores, branch banks, gas sales, and small commercial and office properties are examples of some uses under the B-3 zoning district, according to the towns Land Use Ordinance.
After Johnnys had wine tastings Aug. 16 and Sept. 5, the N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission suspended the stores wine tasting license due to complaints from the neighbors.
Were not trying to be a bar or nightclub, Truesdell said. There is a lot of misinformation about what we are trying to be.
Johnnys was grandfathered in as a retail store, referred to by the town as legally nonconforming retail use. For many years, Johnnys served as a bait and tackle shop and local grocery store that also sold beer and wine for off-site consumption.
When Brian Plaster bought the store in 2007, it had outdoor live music and allowed onsite drinking, which bothered some neighbors.
After Plaster sold Johnnys in 2011, several residents in the Westview Drive neighborhood composed a petition against potentially rezoning the property that now has more than 100 signatures.
Complaints have gotten the Carrboro Board of Aldermen involved.
At Tuesdays meeting, the board discussed using mediation to help the managers and nearby residents come to an agreement about the issues.
The board asked Town Manager David Andrews to meet with the Dispute Settlement Center in Carrboro to determine the cost of setting up a formal mediation by the town.
Duncan Morgan, Johnnys co-manager, and Truesdell said they would participate in mediation but arent sure its needed.
We dont necessarily need to spend taxpayer money to have mediation, Truesdell said, adding that neighbors should approach her and Morgan directly if they have concerns.
The neighbors in opposition have also said they would engage in mediation sponsored by the town.
Mayor Mark Chilton said the mediation should try to involve a larger cross-section of the town, not just the neighborhood residents and stores managers.
There are many aspects of this situation that are not merely a neighborhood concern, he said. Many residents in the town have interest in outcome of issue.


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Posted Mon Oct 12, 2009 at 08:00 AM PDT by Tom Landy
Target's Blu-ray exclusive for 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' has transforming packaging based on Bumblebee.
According to Target's website, the retail store will also be selling an exclusive Blu-ray version of Michael Bay's blockbuster sequel in which the case will transform into a 14' replica of Bumblebee in five easy steps.
The packaging art is shown below:
The price for the Blu-ray exclusive has been set at $34.99.
You can find the latest specs for 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under October 20.
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
The latest news on all things 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and Gear.
James Cameron's Blockbuster Duo Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water Bound For 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray June 20th


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The Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) office in Italy in December will take part in digital events to promote Greek tourism to the Italian market.
“These activities are part of the organization’s strategy to strengthen the image of Greece in international markets ahead of the 2021 tourism season,” the GNTO said in an announcement.
The following actions are scheduled to take place during the next three weeks:
On December 15, the GNTO will participate in an online roundtable discussion on alternative forms of tourism organized by Italian newspaper Guida Viaggi on its “e-Martediturismo” digital platform. The event will be attended by thematic tourism professionals, travel consultants, tour package designers, journalists, travel bloggers etc.
Kyriaki Boulasidou, the head of the GNTO service in Italy, will present Athens and Thessaloniki as city break destinations, focus on the excursions available to nearby areas and intrpduce the tourism options offered in Greece throughout the year.
Participants will also discuss ways to form themed tourist packages (gastronomy, culture) for different categories of travelers (families, couples, LGBT etc).
The GNTO will also participate in the “Virtual Travel Open Day”, an online tourism exhibition to be held during December 14-16.
Through the organization’s online kiosk, visitors will be able to see and download videos and advertisements of the GNTO, as well as learn more on the services of tour operators, airlines, shipping and cruise companies etc.
The platform will also feature a networking lounge for B2B meetings with Italian tourism professionals. The GNTO will present Greece’s alternative forms of tourism and the measures undertaken by Greek authorities to keep visitors safe from Covid-19.
In addition, starting on December 21, Italian travel newspaper “Turismo & Attualità” will hold a three-month online training program for Italian travel agents and tourism professionals under the theme “Become a Greek specialist”. The program will offer participants the opportunity to learn more on lesser-known Greek destinations and activities, and create specialized tourism products for their customers.
Furthermore, the program will give airlines and shipping companies that transport passengers between Italy and Greece, the chance to present their products.


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Global Protectionist Trends
From fundamentally protectionist campaigns of world leaders such as President Trump’s ‘Buy American’ and Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Make in India’ to isolationist decisions of developed nations such as ‘Brexit’ – the global economy is becoming increasingly protectionist. Tax breaks to companies which “import jobs” back, deliberate currency fluctuations to make a country more favorable as an export market are commonly becoming employed ploys by national governments.
Protectionism is aimed at protecting local producers, jobs and businesses through tools such as tariffs on imports, subsidies, tax cuts etc. Protectionism proponents argue that governments should frame economic policy which caters to domestic audiences, while critics consider such policies to be short-sighted and incapable of addressing issues of growth or unemployment.
The Indian Context
India has historically been protectionist, especially when it comes to its retail sector, which is 98% unorganized and a major employer of local labor. The government has feared that a surge in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in retail might hamper local employment. However, over the last decade, steps have been taken to gradually increase FDI across various sectors, including retail. Current FDI allowances for most sectors range from 49% up to 100% .
The allowances for the retail sector still stand at a staggering 49%. For proposals involving FDI beyond 51%, the laws mandate at least 30% sourcing to be done domestically .
Apple in India – a victim of protectionism
Apple entered India a decade ago primarily focused on selling its flagship product – the iPhone. As per Indian FDI laws, Apple was not allowed to set-up any retail store unless it sourced over 30% parts domestically . The iPhone was almost wholly manufactured in China, due to lower costs. This forced Apple to go-to-market in India mostly through “authorized resellers”.
Over the last 9 years, Apple has been unable to establish a strong footing in the Indian smartphone market, which is the world’s second largest smartphone market and is currently 97% Android . Compared to 20%+ growth of the Indian smartphone market, Apple has witnessed single-digit growth and holds a meagre share of 2% . Primary issues explaining this subpar performance are:
- High price: The average iPhone is priced at ~$600, while competitor smartphones vary from $80 to $700 and provide equivalent usage features. Stripping apart the costs, we see that a huge chunk comes due to the “go-to-market” model that Apple has been forced to adopt due to Indian legal restrictions. Firstly, the import taxes on fully-made phones vary from 12.5% to 28% . Secondly, as Apple does not have own retail stores, their cost-to-serve increases by 15% to 20%. Due to the additional channel. Lastly, the high price also aids the creation of an active secondary market for refurbished iPhones, further hampering sales
- Competitive intensity: With 100+ smartphone players in the market, the competition to provide the most value-added smartphones at cheapest prices is fierce. 4 out of top 5 players are manufacturing in India enabling them to have lower cost structures and consequently, charge lower prices.
In the last decade, Apple made several petitions to the Indian government to relax regulations for FDI and/or permit them to open retail stores . However, the protectionist Indian government has time and again, disallowed it. Apple also petitioned to sell refurbished iPhones in the Indian market themselves. That was also denied on grounds that it could make India a “dumping ground” for old technologies.
Finally, in May 2016, Apple CEO Tim Cook had a series of meetings with the Indian government on how Apple’s relationship with India can be best taken forward. The outcome of those negotiations has resulted in Apple initiating the assembly of iPhones locally in Bangalore, India in May 2017 , with further expectation of setting-up full-fledged manufacturing soon. In lieu of this commitment to “Make in India”, Apple anticipates a potential exemption from FDI regulations and/or reduction in prohibitive import duties.
- In the short term, Apple should focus on reducing its cost-to-serve and gaining share in the fast-growing Indian market, while committing to set-up manufacturing in India in the medium term
- Apple should also consider investing in customizing its phones and applications for India (for e.g. the App store, iTunes, Siri) . Most of its competitors have already done the same.
Like Apple, many multinationals have given into protectionist government policies to stay competitive in India – for e.g. Walmart, Starbucks etc. However, there are certain aspects of this “corporate-government interplay” which remain important questions:
- Should Apple commit the capital to manufacturing in India, which may not have equivalently skilled labor and technological know-how as China?
- On the other hand, should emerging countries like India, which grow through foreign capital influx to grow, mandate restrictive and protectionary regulations? Do such measures boost or harm the local economy in the long run?
Word Count: 799
 Indian Government Website for “Make In India” http://www.makeinindia.com/policy/foreign-direct-investment, accessed November 2017
 Asit Ranjan Mishra. “Modi government mulls allowing 100% FDI in retail, with caveats”, published by Livemint, May 23, 2017 [http://www.livemint.com/Industry/6EAO7iO19zi8yoW4FlPF1M/Modi-govt-mulls-allowing-100-FDI-in-retail-with-caveats.html]
 Aaron Pressman. “Why Apple is having so much trouble in India”, published by Fortune, August 5, 2016 [http://fortune.com/2016/08/05/why-apple-needs-india]
 Indian Government Export/Import website https://www.export.gov/article?id=India-Import-Tariffs, accessed November 2017
 Joseph Waring. “LeEco joins Apple in pushing India to ease local sourcing rule”, published by MobileWorldLive, April 20, 2016 edition [https://www.mobileworldlive.com/asia/asia-news/leeco-joins-apple-in-pushing-india-to-ease-local-content-rule/]
 Joseph Waring. “Indian won’t ease 30% local sourcing rule for Apple”, published by MobileWorldLive, May 26, 2016 edition [https://www.mobileworldlive.com/asia/asia-news/india-wont-ease-30-local-content-rule-for-apple/]
 Todd Haselton. “Apple begins manufacturing iPhone SE in India”, published by CNBC, May 17, 2017 edition [https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/17/apple-begins-manufacturing-iphone-se-in-india.html]


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The study is a comprehensive look at drunk driving and ride-hailing companies and was just published online in JAMA Surgery.
Miami will add three miles of protected bike and scooter lanes on downtown corridors as part of a new program partially funded by fees on e-scooters.
The article mentions peer-to-peer car rental platform Turo as an alternative to scarce rental cars in Alaska.
The Arizona attorney general’s office is settling with the companies after its civil rights division filed charges that waiving these fees was discriminatory against non-Black owned restaurants.
The city is expanding a pilot that began in September 2020 with shared e-scooters operated by Spin.
This updated model features a number of accessibility and durability improvements, including a much longer battery life.
One concern is that the devices could pose a danger in bike lanes.
Fort Worth Bike Sharing has shown consistent growth during the past two years.
Ride-hailing prices have increased in recent weeks. Meanwhile, the supply of drivers remains limited. Some experts predict that swelling prices could push hesitant users back to public transit.
A new report details the work of the NYC Better Bike Share Partnership, a coalition that began in 2015 to expand the use of Citi Bike and shared micromobility among the minority residents of Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy neighborhood.


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The rules, called Regulation A+, authorize an existing
provision of the 2012 Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, or JOBS Act, which
set out to ease securities laws on equity crowdfunding and other fundraising
tools for new ventures. Until now, that law has limited to accredited
investors—those who earn over $200,000 a year or have a net worth of at least
$1 million—the ability to buy shares through crowdfunding campaigns.
Taking stakes in early stage companies allows investors to
pursue outsize gains in the event they find startups that enjoy rapid growth or
later go public. These equity-based crowdfunding platforms are different from
other “social” crowdfunding websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, which
offer backers other forms of rewards.
Beginning in September 2013, more than 1,700 companies have
raised over $700 million through equity crowdfunding, according to Crowdnetic,
a firm that tracks about 18 of the industry’s most popular crowdfunding sites.
In the three months ended March 31, accredited investors committed $161 million
to startups through those sites, more than three times the amount from the same
quarter a year ago. There are roughly 80 crowdfunding sites but many are
largely inactive, according to Crowdnetic.
Though popular, crowdfunding sites have also attracted
complaints for failing to protect backers from project creators who renege on
promises or disappear entirely. In part to protect investors, the SEC’s new
rules require companies to disclose financial results, produce audit reports
and meet additional state or federal requirements, depending on how much they
want to raise. Some argue the cost of compliance, which could reach $100,000 to
initially register, will discourage young companies from raising money this
Crowdfunding lawyers and advisers said registering under
Regulation A+ rules would only make sense for more established companies
seeking at least several million dollars in capital. They say smaller ventures
are better served fundraising through other offerings. AngelList is one of many
platforms and issuers waiting for the SEC to finalize another JOBS Act
provision, targeted at startups who want to raise less than $1 million. They
expect the pending regulations to carry fewer restrictions on equity
crowdfunding. The SEC declined to comment.
On Friday, crowdfunding site SeedInvest will unveil a
handful of companies it hopes will appeal to a mass audience of nonaccredited
investors. Roughly two-thirds of SeedInvest’s 28,000 investors are
nonaccredited, including nearly 3,000 who have signed up since the SEC
announced its new rules in March, according to Mr. Lingam. In a recent
SeedInvest survey, over half of them said they are likely to invest over
$10,000 a year after the rule change.
here to access the full article on The Wall Street Journal.


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Mercedes raised some worried eyebrows with its recent announcement to offer additional power for its EVs via subscription. For electric EQE and EQS models, Mercedes will bump their horsepower if customers pay an additional $1,200 per year. However, that’s going to remain a U.S. market service only for the time being, as Europe currently won’t allow Mercedes to offer it, according to this report from Top Gear NL.
A spokesperson for Mercedes Netherlands told Top Gear NL that legal matters currently prevent Mercedes from offering a subscription-based power upgrade. However, the spokesperson declined to comment further, so it’s currently unknown what sort of laws block such subscription-based services. Especially when there are other subscription services that are available in Europe, such as BMW’s heated seat subscription. Automakers can also update a car’s horsepower, via free over-the-air service updates, as both Polestar and Tesla do so in Europe. But that comes at no extra cost and is a one-time, permanent upgrade. So there seems to be some sort of legal issue with charging a yearly subscription for horsepower.
In the U.S. market, Mercedes’ $1,200 yearly subscription gets EQE and EQS owners nearly a 100 horsepower gain. However, because it’s only software that unlocks the power, it’s obvious that the powertrain is capable of that much power regardless of subscription. So customers might feel cheated that they’re paying for a car with a powertrain that’s intentionally hamstrung from the factory, with its full potential hidden behind a paywall.
Let’s hope that this gets regulated properly at EU level – it’s bizarre that you can’t use something you paid for because it’s disabled and can be re-enabled remotely.
Intel and AMD did something like this in 2010 in a process called binning where they artificially disabled features in the hardware:
As Engadget rather calmly points out, Intel has been testing the waters with a new “Upgrade Card” system, which essentially involves buying a $50 scratch card with a code that unlocks features in your PC’s processor.
The guys at Hardware.info broke this story last month, although nobody seemed to notice right away—perhaps because their site’s in Dutch. The article shows how the upgrade key unlocks “an extra megabyte L3 cache and Hyper Threading” on the Pentium G6951. In its locked state, that 2.8GHz processor has two physical cores, two threads, and 3MB of L3 cache, just like the retail-boxed Pentium G6950.
Detractors of the scheme might point out that Intel is making customers pay for features already present in the CPU they purchased. That’s quite true. However, as the Engadget post notes, both Intel and AMD have been selling CPUs with bits and pieces artificially disabled for years. That practice is known as binning—sometimes, chipmakers use it to unload parts with malfunctioning components; other times, it’s more about product segmentation and demand. There have often been unofficial workarounds, too. These days, for example, quite a few AMD motherboards let you unlock cores in Athlon II X3 and Phenom II X2 processors. Intel simply seems to be offering an official workaround for its CPUs… and cashing in on it.
Organisational Structures | Technology and Science | Military, IT and Lifestyle consultancy | Social, Broadcast & Cross Media | Flying aircraft


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India a hugely exciting market and major focus for Apple, says Tim Cook2 min read . Updated: 05 Feb 2023, 07:44 AM IST
- The Apple CEO's remarks come at a time when a number of tech firms globally are laying off staff to cut expenses amid challenging macroeconomic conditions
Besides speaking about concerns related to layoffs, Apple CEO Tim Cook has called India a "hugely exciting market" for the technology company. The Apple CEO said that India will be a "major focus" for the firm, which is looking to choose the country as an alternative production base to China and as a source of growth.
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The decision to privatize six state-owned companies was made following the ratification of the 2017 state budget on November 10. Privatization is nothing new to Mongolia.
Since the democratic revolution in 1990, most major state-owned enterprises have been privatized. The remaining state-owned companies failed to make a profit or to even function properly. According to Finance Minister B.Choijilsuren, the govern- ment will be forced to privatize the remaining state-owned companies if operations do not improved, as a reported 70 percent of state-run companies have revenue deficits. Is mass privatization is the answer to the woes of state-owned enterprises?
It has been widely recognized around the world that a government owning too many companies can do more harm than good. International experience has generally shown that a government cannot handle many companies and still operate profitably. Privatization can bring improved efficiency to a business, as political interference can result in poor economic decisions. Governments tend to make decisions based on political pressure rather than sound business or economic sense. Since private businesses have an obligation to their shareholders, it is likely that privatization will provide incentive to cut costs and ambitions to work profitably. In certain cases, privatization can also increase competition, which is beneficial to the consumer. In the 1980s, major privatization efforts were initiated in the UK by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and it bore positive results. For example, in 1986, one share of British Gas was valued at 135 pence, but in 2013, one share was valued at 11.09 GBP. Judging from the current situation of Mongolia’s economy, and given the government’s bad management of companies, it seems pretty cut and dry that privatization is the correct move.
Some readers might then wonder why there are any state-owned companies left at all. It is important to also take into account the vast number of disadvantages that come with privatization. The concept of privatization can seem good on paper, especially in Mongolia’s case. The government releases poorly managed companies to shareholders, who will in turn operate the company much more efficiently. However, it is wrong to apply this blanket statement to all state-owned companies.
It is hard to deny that most private businesses are run more effectively than public companies. But what we need to take into account is that there are certain sectors and companies that the government needs to be involved in. Recently, the decision to privatize six state-owned companies included Telecom Mongolia and Mongol Post. The telecommunications sector and the postal service are part of the integral infrastructure of any country. There is no denying that privatization of these two companies would probably increase efficiency and profits, yet selling these types of key companies could be detrimental to everyone involved, except for shareholders. The ones who have the most to lose are the consumers. It is very likely that the price of essential services will increase. The reality is that businesses look out for their shareholders, while the government prioritizes the interests of the general public.
The benefit of efficiency that comes with privatization can be a double-edged sword. Increasing efficiency usually involves the letting go of hundreds of workers. A business is not obligated to employ people it deems unnecessary for operations. This can result in an increase in the unemployment rate. While this won’t have a dramatic effect on companies based in UB, it will have a large impact on the employees of the soon-to-be-private Erdenet Bulgan Electricity Distribution Network.
In addition, it is very hard to hold private companies accountable, meaning that Erdenet Bulgan Electricity Distribution Network could, for example, jack up electricity prices and the government would have a hard time countering it. The threat of monopolies also persists, as a sole supplier of electricity (such as the Erdenet network) can make decisions about prices and services that ultimately only benefit the company and its shareholders.
As this trend of privatization looks like it will continue, there have been murmurs of the government selling many other integral companies, such as MIAT Mongolian Airlines. The notion of selling large infrastructural sectors to anyone willing to buy them can be dangerous. Privatizing companies that are not integral to the country, such as Orgil Hot Springs, can be beneficial. The main point is that there are certain sectors that are vital to a nation.Rapidly privatizing companies such as Mongol Post, without assessing the situation, can be negative, as privatization can be risky and very hard to reverse.
There have also been concerns that the companies that the government is planning to sell have been undervalued. This would negatively affect everyone involved except the buyers. The government would be letting go of future dividends, while selling valuable companies below market prices.
These observations are not intended to discourage and demonize the notion of privatization. We have seen the positive effects that privatization can have when done correctly. The question is whether Mongolia is at a point where it can be done correctly and openly.


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Pricing for the all-new Insight has been announced, making it the most affordable hybrid on the market, and one of the lowest-priced ‘green’ cars.
The entry level SE model is available from £15,490, appealing directly to C-sector customers looking for a practical, economical family hatch with low-emissions.
The Insight SE, with CO2 emissions of 101g/km and combined economy of 64.2mpg, offers an excellent value-for-money specification with 15-inch alloy wheels, climate control air conditioning, electric folding door mirrors, front and rear electric windows, steering wheel audio controls and VSA as standard.
The better-equipped ES grade is expected to be the best seller. Priced from £16,790 it includes the following, over and above the SE grade: 16-inch alloy wheels, auto lights and wipers, cruise control, front fog lights, heated front seats, leather steering wheel and gear knob, paddle shift, privacy glass and USB port for MP3 players.
Hands Free Telephone and DVD Satellite Navigation come as standard on the £18,390 (OTR) ES-T model; a high specification car that’s likely to prove popular in the fleet market.
Honda’s own research has found that most drivers think hybrids are more expensive and in the past this has stopped them adopting the cleaner engine technology.
In Honda’s most recent public survey, of those who wouldn’t consider a hybrid vehicle, 40 per cent said price is the main reason they’re put off.
For most drivers, hybrid cars have been viewed as an expensive alternative to petrol and diesel models, and seen as a status symbol. Honda claims that the Insight – and its lower price position – will make hybrid technology available to more people, including car buyers who would never have considered a hybrid before.
In addition to its lower on-the-road price, the Insight offers many running cost savings, too, including reduced road tax (just £15 per year), low company car tax, congestion charge exemption and of course, fewer trips to the filling station.
For company car fleets, the Insight’s low emissions mean it qualifies for the lowest BIK tax bracket of 10 per cent and 100 per cent write down allowance.


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Many retail traders who buy OTC securities are panicking right now — but is it really that big of a deal?
Yesterday, E*TRADE sent out an email to users about new rules set to be adopted by the SEC later this year.
That email started off with this message, “New rules will affect your ability to buy and sell “Pink No Information” securities, including at E*TRADE.”
Those rules are set to take effect September 28, 2021, and are amendments adopted by the SEC to its Exchange Act Rule 15c2-11.
Retail trading chatrooms cranked up the doom. Will this demolish OTCs? Is it time to hang up your day-trading hat?
Not even close, says prominent penny stock trader, educator, and philanthropist Timothy Sykes. In fact, he says these new rules are in your favor.
“It’s good to clean up the gutter,” says Sykes. “There’s always gonna be small companies pumping themselves up. There’s always gonna be promoters who are the ones doing it. There’s always gonna be suckers who don’t study enough and they fall for it. All of this creates this whole niche, this whole ugly gutter of a market.”
Table of Contents
What Are Pink No Information Securities?
To understand how these new rules will impact traders, we first must cover what these securities are.
Investopedia defines Pink No Information Securities as “the lowest and most speculative tier of the three marketplaces for the trading of over-the-counter (OTC) stocks.”
All three of those tiers are operated by the OTC Markets Group which allows investors and traders to buy stock in companies not listed on national exchanges like the New York Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ.
But OTC Pink is easily the riskiest tier for traders to buy into in the OTC market.
Companies listed on that tier are not held to the same disclosure requirements or financial standards as companies traded on major exchanges.
There are three classifications of OTC Pink companies, defined by Investopedia as follows:
- Current Information companies are those that follow the International Reporting Standard or Alternative Reporting Standard. These companies make filings publicly available through the OTC Disclosure & News Service.
- Limited Information companies include troubled firms in financial distress, bankruptcy, or those with accounting issues. This category also includes companies that are unwilling to meet the OTC Pink Basic Disclosure Guidelines.
- No Information companies are those businesses that do not provide any disclosure at all.
What Are The New SEC Rules?
Now that we’ve covered what OTC Pink stocks are, let’s discuss how these new regulations from the SEC will impact that market.
On September 16, 2020, the SEC amended its Exchange Act Rule 15c2-11 with the new changes now taking effect this September.
The SEC says this amendment “enhances disclosure and investor protection in the OTC market by ensuring that broker-dealers, in their role as professional gatekeepers to this market, do not publish quotations for an issuer’s security when current issuer information is not publicly available, subject to certain exceptions.”
Ultimately that means everyday retail traders would no longer be able to buy these non-reporting OTC Pink stocks.
“This is a good thing. This is how you clean up markets.” Sykes says. “It will force a lot of non-reporting companies that have gotten away with it in the past, they’re gonna start reporting because they don’t want to get their stock de-listed so it makes them better. It’s like ‘a rising tide lifts all boats.’”
The new regulations would push securities that currently trade on the Pink Market and do not disclose financial information onto the Gray Market instead.
Investopedia defines the Gray Market as “unofficial, over-the-counter (OTC) transactions in a security”.
Securities traded on this market “have been suspended from official trading” or “have not yet begun official trading on an exchange.”
But the SEC is also considering a proposal to establish an “Expert Market” for the unregulated OTC Pink stocks that will be impacted by its new rule.
That “Expert Market” would “grant exemptive relief, subject to certain conditions, to permit broker-dealers to publish or submit proprietary quotations for securities, on a continuous basis, in a market where the distribution of such quotations is restricted to sophisticated or professional investors, without complying with the information review and recordkeeping requirements of Amended Rule 15c2-11(a)(1)(i) and (d)(1)(i)(A), respectively.”
Basically, the establishment of an expert market would allow sophisticated high-risk investors to still buy risky OTC Pink stocks while protecting retail traders from exposure to those extremely high-risk buys.
Wouldn’t This Create Less Trading Opportunity?
The biggest concern among traders following E*TRADE’s announcement was that this new rule will create fewer trading opportunities.
But Sykes says that’s nothing to be worried about and there will still be plenty of opportunities in the OTC market.
“There have been so many rules that have come and gone. You just adapt. Don’t worry about what you can’t control,” he states.
The key to help overcome this change, he says, is studying.
“I just take it one trade at a time,” he says. “I don’t worry about bull markets, I don’t worry about bear markets, I don’t worry about crashes. I just am so prepared because I’ve been around for over 20 years. Anybody worrying about rules like this — it’s because you haven’t studied enough.”
Sykes compared the panic about this rule change to the misunderstanding of the pattern day trader rule and how that impacts traders.
“If you’re ever worried about the future, guess what, the answer is hidden in the past,” he says. “The more you study the past, the less concerned about the future you’ll be and you’ll simply react instead of trying to predict.”
Sykes says all the government is trying to do is protect traders from exposing themselves to unnecessary risk.
“Over 90% of traders lose. The government is trying to save the dumb, ignorant, irresponsible newbies from themselves. This is another new rule trying to keep people from investing in the worst of the worst companies. More plays, less plays, I just take it one day at a time. Again, stop worrying and go study.”
Featured Cover image: iQoncept/Shutterstock.com
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Art Institute of Pittsburgh instructor Megan Carleton gave students in her fashion retail merchandising course a chance for extra credit -- but it wasn't the typical writing assignment or complete-at-home project.
Students were invited to produce a fashion show (photo above by Bill Wade/Post-Gazette) and a window display (pictured below) to help Macy's, Downtown, promote its new menswear line Bar III, which targets millennials with trendy, West Coast-style apparel.
"We have a history with them," says Billie Williams, a retail development manager in the men's department at Macy's. "Fifteen years ago [the Art Institute of Pittsburgh] did some fabulous windows for us for Light Up Night."
Last fall at Macy's, Art Institute students created for Pittsburgh Fashion Week window displays featuring student designs and participated in an event with NBC "Fashion Star" season one winner Kara Laricks.
Students and faculty celebrated the latest collaboration tonight with a window unveiling and a fashion show featuring Bar III, INC and American Rag clothes for men. Students were in charge of casting models, selecting apparel, accessorizing and coordinating a run-through of the show.
"We kind of just sat back and let them take free rein," Ms. Williams says.
For students, it was a chance to get a taste of the real world of fashion merchandising.
"It was enjoyable -- a little hectic -- but enjoyable," says junior fashion retail management student Gary Fenchak, who commentated the show. "It's always fun putting on a production like this. We get great experience in learning how to do this, being as this is a big part of the fashion retail management degree."
Macy's finds partnering with up-and-coming fashion professionals important to its growth, as well.
"We also are looking for our future managers, so it's a little bit of exposure for them," Ms. Williams says. "We're going to remember those students who did a spectacular job for us."
Below are more photos from the event (Sara Bauknecht/Post-Gazette) ...


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Manufacturing conditions in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) deteriorated in June 2019 as employment fell at its quickest pace in 20 months and output recorded only marginal growth, according to the IHS Markit Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI).
The PMI fell below the crucial 50.0 mark separating improvement from deterioration, posting 49.7 in June, down from 50.6 in May. It was the first slowdown at ASEAN manufacturing firms in four months, but was only fractional. In fact, five of the seven monitored countries continued to report stronger business conditions, although three of these saw growth weaken compared to the previous month.
David Owen, economist at IHS Markit, said: “The run of weak growth at ASEAN firms ended in June, as latest data signalled a slight deterioration in operating conditions spurred on by weak demand and falling job numbers. It was the third decline seen so far this year, reflective of a struggling global manufacturing industry.”
Myanmar recorded a solid improvement in the health of its manufacturing sector (53.0) with sharp expansions in output and new orders. Vietnam also saw a strong improvement in operating conditions, with the joint-highest reading (52.5) seen in the year to-date.
The Philippines reported a subdued rate of growth (51.3), amid slower demand and an extended period of falling employment. Thailand also saw growth hampered by a drop in workforce numbers, posting a slightly lower reading (50.6) from May despite a faster expansion in output. Indonesia saw a similarly weak rate of improvement (50.6) after rising to a nine-month high in the previous month.
Malaysia recorded a ninth successive month of deterioration in manufacturing conditions (47.8), with the pace of contraction accelerating from May. Singapore’s manufacturing sector posted the sharpest downturn in operating conditions (42.9) since the series began.
ASEAN’s overall manufacturing sector struggled in June, as employment dropped for the first time in 15 months. The rate of job losses was marginal and yet the most marked since October 2017. Thailand and the Philippines saw the sharpest contractions in staff numbers, attributed to not replacing voluntary leavers.
Output growth was marginal during June, said IHS Markit, a global industry and market data, analytics, and insight service provider. Firms were restrained by demand weakness amid a renewed drop in new orders from abroad. Domestic sales helped to ease the impact on producers, leaving the total amount of new work relatively unchanged.
After two months of broadly unchanged international sales volumes, companies reported a slight drop in export orders in June, said Owen.
“This may be in reaction to higher tariffs in the US-China trade war, as businesses reorganise their buying activity. However, it remains to be seen what long-run effect the new tariffs have on the region, with some commentators suggesting a more positive impact should Chinese firms shift their trade to ASEAN countries,” he said.
Finally, business sentiment for future output remained upbeat in June. Despite slipping from May’s 30-month high, the level of optimism was still stronger than throughout much of the past two years. Indonesian firms were the most positive, while Singaporean businesses held a negative outlook for the first time in over two years.


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MediaTek has introduced the Dimensity 700 5G smartphone chipset in India. The 7nm SoC is designed to bring advanced 5G capabilities to its advanced camera capabilities and power-efficient design. MediaTek also announced Realme as the first smartphone brand in India to feature the MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC.
“The MediaTek Dimensity 700 brings the power of 5G to the India market. The SoC is designed in line with our vision to spread the benefits of 5G to consumers everywhere in an accelerated manner. The SoC delivers advanced connectivity with a seamless all-around smartphone experience, whether you’re working, playing a video or connecting with your friends. The MediaTek Dimensity 700 chip will create a new wave in the 5G smartphone segment in India and also expect more OEMs to join the league in the coming months.” said Anku Jain, Managing Director, MediaTek India.
Madhav Sheth, Vice President – Realme and CEO, Realme India and Europe said, “realme and MediaTek have enjoyed a highly productive partnership since we began our journey in 2018. Over the years, we have brought a leap-forward smartphone experience to millions of users worldwide, aided by MediaTek’s cutting-edge technology. In 2021, we were one of the first brands to bring smartphones with the powerful MediaTek Dimensity 800U 5G chipset and now we are again the first to launch the MediaTek Dimensity 700 in our smartphones in India. As a 5G leader and popularizer, realme envisions bringing 5G-enabled smartphones with enhanced capabilities to users, so they can access their desired tech lifestyle. We are happy to have MediaTek as a partner in this journey. Together, we will continue to massify, develop and nurture an ecosystem of 5G smartphones in India and globally”.
With advanced connectivity features like 5G Carrier Aggregation (2CC 5G-CA) and Dual 5G SIM along with the 5G-exclusive Voice over New Radio (VoNR) services from either connection, the MediaTek Dimensity 700 chip promises the best 5G experience to users.
MediaTek’s 5G portfolio in India comprises MediaTek Dimensity 1000, the first 5G chip from MediaTek featuring the world’s most advanced 5G SoC architecture. MediaTek technology powers smartphones laptops, tablets, smart TVs, Blu-ray, voice assistant devices, smart speakers, Wi-Fi routers, smart homes, IoT devices among others.


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The latest rumours surrounding the upcoming Apple TV platform claims that Apple plans to offer a customised channel line-up to its subscribers.
Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu claims that Apple is very keen to provide customised TV content to its users in the form of curated channel line-ups, Apple Insider reports.
Apple wants customers to decide which channels they want and which shows they want to view by paying a monthly subscription fee.
Wu said that Apple has the hardware and technology to pull this off but it would to get special content deals in order to make its offering different from what the others are offering.
"This is obviously much more complicated (than current offerings) from a licensing standpoint. And in our view, would change the game for television and give AAPL a big leg-up against the competition." Wu said in a note to investors.
"Today, iTunes has a rich library of movies and TV shows but it is mostly for downloads and only movies are available for rentals (TV shows once were, but were terminated in August 2011). What's missing is live broadcast television," he added.