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1,500 UK Kia Sportage Models Sold in First Weekend
The 2016 Kia Sportage has always been a hit in the United States—some might even say it’s one of the most popular crossovers out on the road. Now, it looks like the United Kingdom is getting a taste of the Sportage crossover’s flair—and it’s falling in love.
Within the first weekend of the 2016 Sportage model going on sale in the UK, 1,500 customers have put down deposits. If this number is a prediction of the crossover’s future UK sales, then it is likely set to repeat the previous Sportage model’s sales success.
“The all-new Sportage is a significant step forward for Kia, both in terms of interior quality and dynamic refinement and sophistication—and clearly both existing and new customers recognize that fact,” said Paul Philpott, President and Chief Executive of Kia UK. “Our dealers have only one worry—can we satisfy the demand? Well, both Kia in the UK and our factory in Slovakia are working flat-out to ensure we can.”
In the UK, the Kia Sportage is available in 18 trim levels. Its pricing ranges from £17,995 to £31,645, making the type of vehicle that can fit practically every individual’s need.
News Source: CarScoops


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Some users may be better off waiting a few weeks before upgrading to Windows 10. Here's why.
Android OS, app and device news
With its biggest hardware gamble a failure and Windows 10 about to arrive, the software maker is pressed to prove what it can achieve in the phone business.
Mark your calendars. Samsung's next product debut hits New York, not Berlin, and comes earlier than in past years. There likely will be a new Galaxy Note 5, as well as other possible devices.
Watch out, Android owners. A security firm says it only takes one malicious text message to spy on your phone and steal personal data. Google has a fix, but when will it be coming to your phone?
Apple posted quarterly results on Tuesday that virtually any other company would kill for. Yet CEO Tim Cook still found himself on the defensive.
Google has fixed a number of critical bugs in the new Chrome 44 update across multiple operating systems.
The struggling phone maker may turn to Google's mobile operating system for an upcoming "slider" phone, reports Reuters.
The next iteration of the software maker's operating system is slated to arrive in time for the summer.
The latest build addresses a number of bugs and updates over the air.
Apple has temporarily disabled Home Sharing access to your iTunes music library for mobile devices. But there are other ways to stream music from your iTunes library to your phone or tablet.

domain: news


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KBzine: the original kitchen and bathroom industry e-news - since 2002
28th January 2021
We strongly recommend viewing KBzine full size in your web browser. Click our masthead above to visit our website version.
New head of channel, kitchen appointed for Whirlpool UK Appliances
Whirlpool UK Appliances has appointed Stephen Rickersey, who joined the company last month, as head of channel, kitchen. Stephen will be reporting to sales director Nick Hughes, bringing a new perspective to the company to deliver a strategy that focuses on developing premium.
Stephen was previously at Mars Petcare UK, where he was head of grocery sales, managing all grocery and discount channel customers, having joined Mars on the Graduate Scheme in 2006. He has led customer teams to number one rankings with grocery retailers and has substantial experience managing a developed grocery business in addition to new channel growth, such as discounters.
"I'm excited to be joining the Whirlpool UK Appliances team, it's a fascinating business and I look forward to working with all our customers," he says. "It's a completely new challenge versus my previous role, but one that I look forward to learning about."
The company's sales director Nick Hughes says: "I am thrilled to welcome Steve to the team. I have no doubt that with his background, experience and attitude, he is going to make a great contribution to this Kitchen Channel which is so vital to our key priorities."
4th November 2016


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Mike Lindell guarantees customers on his company website “the most comfortable pillow you’ll ever own,” but it appears Fox News could not sleep easy over an upcoming commercial he wanted the network to run.
The MyPillow CEO is one of the biggest sponsors on the network, telling The Wall Street Journal that he had spent $19 million in advertising in 2021 alone and $50 million in 2020 on the channel that, until now, has aligned with his world view.
However, that has been put on pause with the WSJ reporting that he ordered his ad buyer not to place commercials on the network because it rejected an ad promoting a cyber symposium taking place in August in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Lindell said while the ad would not directly mention claims of election fraud, the symposium itself would tout the unfounded claims he has consistently promoted that the 2020 ballot was stolen from Donald Trump through the manipulation of election machines.
He told Salon.com that Fox News had “denied the [cyber symposium] ad, and they based it on ‘pending litigation.'” He added: “Shame on you Fox News.”
Fox News has not confirmed whether it blocked the ad, but it did confirm that there would be a halt to advertising from the company.
“It’s unfortunate Mr. Lindell has chosen to pause his commercial time on Fox News given the level of success he’s experienced in building his brand through advertising on the number one cable news network,” it said in a statement to the WSJ and other media outlets.
In February, Dominion Voting Systems sued MyPillow and Lindell for defamation over his false accusations that it had rigged the 2020 election in favor of President Joe Biden.
Fox News also faces legal action from DMV and Smartmatic, which alleged its products were the subject of defamatory comments on the network. Fox News has moved to dismiss the lawsuits, citing a free speech argument that it did not invent the claims, it was only reporting them.
While he buys advertising on other right-wing outlets such as Newsmax and has not appeared on Fox News as a guest for some time, Lindell’s pillows have been propping up the network.
In 2020, his company comprised a fifth of the ad time on Tucker Carlson Tonight, at a time when advertisers had deserted the program because they were unhappy with the anchor’s rhetoric.
However, Lindell is said to have been unhappy with Fox News for some time, after he told The Atlantic that if it weren’t for attacks by “the left” his message would never get out, “because Fox News ignores him.”
CNN Business reported that Lindell may need Fox more than Fox needs him because he relies on direct response ads to sell his products and he is a household name on the network largely due to his ads.
Newsweek has contacted Fox News and MyPillow for comment.


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One of the primary intended consequences of marijuana legalization is becoming a reality in Colorado, as pot-related arrests are down 65 percent in Larimer County Jail since recreational weed was legalized in the Rocky Mountain State in November 2012. Overall drug-related bookings are down 34 percent during that span, which includes pot busts.
As Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith explained: "It's more of a licensing issue than it is a criminal violation, from where we're seeing it … Trying to prosecute any of the violations that weren't massive has not been a good use of resources."
Sheriff Smith confirmed that the department's drug investigation unit has shifted priorities from cannabis to hard dope, and this is reflected in the raw statistics. The number of individuals facing pot-related charges declined from 268 in 2012 to merely 95 since cannabis was legalized last November. Those arrested for pot offenses tend to be under the age of 21, who remain prohibited from using marijuana recreationally – though not medicinally – under state law.
Other pot-related crimes that result in arrest involve perps stealing weed from those possessing it legally, as even those who are dealing recreational cannabis illicitly prior to retail stores opening in January 2014 are generally not being pursued by police.


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Uber Technologies is set to offer over $3 billion to Purchase Dubai-based rival Careem Networks FZ, two sources familiar with the deal told Reuters.
Uber’s provide could be unveiled throughout the early part of this week, a third source added.
Uber will pay $1.4 billion in cash and $1.7 billion in convertible notes, which will be convertible into Uber shares at a cost equal to $55 per share, Bloomberg had previously reported, citing a term-sheet.
Careem declined comment while Uber didn’t immediately respond to a request from Reuters to remark.
Uber has been preparing for an initial public offering, and its shareholders have indicated that it may be valued at as much as $120 billion.
The US-based international logistics and transportation company has been seeking new avenues of expansion even as it faces intense competition in its core business of ride-hailing from rivals such as Lyft.
The IPOs of Lyft and Uber represent a landmark for Silicon Valley’s tech unicorns, which for decades have snubbed the stock exchange in favor of increasing funds privately, with investors happy to back their frothy valuations.


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Shopping: Browse and sip at Gossamer First Friday event
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Gossamer boutique in Venice celebrates first Friday this week with a shopping event to benefit the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Cocktails will be served and 10% of all sales have been pledged to the foundation. L.A. Canvas is co-hosting the event, which is scheduled from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday at Gossamer, 1410 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Ste. 101, Venice. (310) 399-3988
The purveyor of luxury watches, writing implements and accessories has opened a new store in the Beverly Center in Los Angeles. The Montblanc boutique is on the luxury level of the mall, at 8500 Beverly Blvd. Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. (310) 854-0049
Celebrity hairstylist Alon Shalom has opened an eponymous Moroccan-themed salon in West Hollywood. Before moving to Los Angeles, Shalom, who is of Moroccan and Israeli descent, was based in Israel. The new salon is at 8014 Melrose Ave. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. (323) 782-0141
-- Susan Denley
Photos, from top: The Gossamer boutique. Credit: Gossamer.
Inside the Moroccan-themed Alon Shalom salon. Credit: Alon Shalom


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We just knew what kind of show WSA was going to be when the first people we ran into in the aisle was an executive team from one of the countrys largest family footwear chains and they had their CFO with them — and he brought his calculator with him.
Our first impressions were further supported by the smiles — actually grins — on the faces of the buyers, DMMs and GMMs as they loaded up on off-price inventory that will certainly build margins — and profits — for the year.
The theme we expressed after the last show, When Does a Good Show Get Too Big (SEW 0307), was further impacted at this show as some shoe vendors pulled up stakes and left the show floor for the safe — and much cheaper — confines of the Venetian Suites.
After all, you dont need to spend big bucks on an elaborate booth if your main mission is to move distressed goods. It proved to be the right move for many of the companies that left the floor as show traffic slowed for the fourth show in a row, but may have actually given a boost to those that stayed and offered fresher looks and energy on an otherwise dull floor.
The hopeful speculations of “Fridays the big day” and “people are coming for the weekend” never panned out as traffic in the athletic sector appeared to be generated primarily by senior retail execs hunting down deals and sales reps with little to do but catch up with friends.
The afore-mentioned execs left on Friday night and the reps never got busy because their accounts either stayed home to take advantage of tax-free weekend sales or just stayed away due to cost reductions and the timing of a show on the front end of the all-important back-to-school selling season.
While the show started in earnest on Thursday, we talked with many retailers that arrived a day or two early to get first crack at the off-price lists, with some execs telling us they were picking up shoes that had been cancelled in the last few weeks, buying goods back at prices that were generally 50% off and more. Some retailers noted they were able to name their prices due to the magnitude of the pairs available.
Most of the vendors want to ship the goods right away to drive down their inventories and make room for new product on the water. We expect that this will have a major positive impact on BTS sales at retail, further exacerbating the price deflation issue we discussed recently (SEW 0325, 0329).
We see the bulk of this product selling through over the next few months as consumers cash and hopefully spend — their $400 per child tax-credit checks, but we also expect to see a domino effect feeding the glut at wholesale as retailers push first line POs back in the queue, affecting business into spring 2004.
The tax-free weekends instituted in a number of states — Texas, Georgia and the Carolinas all ran over the weekend — look to be a boon to business as well. Some speculated that customers were pre-spending their tax rebate checks. Georgia added an extra tax-free day (Thursday) to their calendar last week and retailers with a strong presence in the Peach State reported robust results. One retailer reported calling the home office to make sure the numbers were not a mistake.
From the floor, we found more questions than answers on a few key points:
The Retro Question
After being on life support for the majority of the spring, retailers are finally admitting that the Retro category is on its way out. The sea of plain vanilla, low-tech old school footwear seems to have played itself out. One senior retail exec told SEW that they saw it working through B-T-S, and then its done. It appears we are now talking days and weeks instead of months.
The realities of the expected shift we have all been discussing for the last six months will certainly impact a number of players on both the vendor and retail side. Those brands that built volume over the last two years on the backs of this trend will be the ones hurt most if they did not develop any additional product following outside of the category.
The Next New Thing
Euro active, once thought to be a contender to be the next new thing, has not shown the ability to sell more than 10 miles from each ocean, limiting its long-term potential. We cant even begin to name the number of brands that were jumping into the category that has brought Puma so much good fortune over the last few years, but we fear it may be a little too much too late to chase the looks that were driven by non-basketball retro athletic and motorsports looks.
Some urban specialists are thinking that running may be the next play, but that its too early in the game to make that call. Major retailers we spoke with were not making larger commitments to the category and seemed to be taking a “wait n see” position on the next breakout trend.
Retailers and vendors who were heavily dependent on this look are in for trouble until the next new thing reveals itself.
It appears the two protagonists have achieved some level of détente in their on-going and very public feud. Most surveyed at the show did not feel that this signaled a return to the former relationship with full access to allocated styles. Rather, observers saw an agreement to stop fighting in public and to find alternative ways to do business that would satisfy the mission of each party. Conventional wisdom is that it will be years, if ever, before the two parties restore the former level of doing business.
Rumors continued to fly that FL had decided to drop the Reebok I3 pressure shoe and replace it with increased allocations of AF1. Those surveyed were about evenly split between this occurring or not. Officials for the parties affected by the speculation seem to be touting the “business as usual” line. Outside observers felt that the final decisions had not yet been made and that negotiations were continuing. Stay tuned.
AF1 remains the hottest style in the market. According to SportscanINFO, nearly 1 million pair were sold in the last 8 weeks, as one AF1 style or another topped the top seller list nearly every week.
Royal Elastics. Spanking new looks coupled with improved execution from the KSWS management created a lot of traffic at the emerging brand.
Keen. Potential customers mobbed Angel Martinezs fresh take on the rugged sandal. Word is that early tests proved quite successful, but that distribution would be limited to authentic outdoor retailers. Executives said REI and Galyans are committing to all-door programs for the line.
Pony. Euro active, but a lot more accessible than some other brands. Merging that “near Force” look with euro color — plus TONS of attitude. Look for the GBMI/Firm partnership to pay big dividends.
Reebok. Clearly benefiting from the comeback story of the year and played well as the largest athletic footwear company in attendance. Sparkled from the attention the big guys gave them as key competition hid from potential traffic opportunities — and buzz.
Puma. What can we say, still the darling and while the booth was not swamped by the little guys clamoring for a piece of the line, the meetings — and product — were all high quality…


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June 25 (Reuters) - The following corporate finance-related stories were reported by media:
* Aetna Inc, the third largest U.S. health insurer, is exploring a sale of some of Coventry Health Care Inc’s assets worth as much as $1.5 billion, according to people familiar with the matter, a year after it acquired its rival for $5.6 billion.
* One of Britain’s largest hospital chains, Spire Healthcare, is about to list on the London Stock Exchange in a float estimated to be about 1 billion pounds ($1.70 billion), two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
* Belgian nappy maker Ontex has set the price for its Brussels listing at 18 euros a share, giving the firm an equity value of 1.23 billion euros ($1.7 billion), two sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
* Deutsche Telekom and its Slovak Telekom unit are likely to be fined by EU antitrust regulators for squeezing out competitors by charging unfair wholesale prices in Slovakia, two people with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday.
* Electronics retailer Best Buy Co is looking at a sale of or partnership for its Chinese business to better focus on its U.S. business, the Wall Street Journal reported citing people familiar with the matter.
For the deals of the day click on
For the Morning News Call-EMEA newsletter click on (Compiled by Esha Vaish in Bangalore)


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masato maegawa, president of treasure, hinted in an interview with games website spong that a sequel to radiant silvergun is not out of the question. ikaruga is the closest thing to a radiant silvergun sequel that treasure has done, and maegawa-san said, “… since the idea of the evolution of ikaruga to radiant silvergun 3 exists, there may be a possibility for it in the future.” it was also confirmed that the respected games developer is currently working on a title for xbox 360, but the company could not disclose any details about it. i think there is always going to be a market for shooters, whether they be 2d or pseudo-3d. the japanese still love these type of games, and there is a small, niche market for them in the west. a proper radiant silvergun game carrying that name will sell due to the popularity of the initial game and the ridiculous prices a copy garners on ebay. treasure does make very good games, and the news that it's working on a 360 title will surely help microsoft shift a few consoles in that difficult japanese market, as well as a few over here, too. thanks to spong for the info.
user comments 6 comment(s)
|great… (9:24am est thu oct 20 2005)
maybe throw the first one in there as a bonus… – by bob
|~ultima~ (11:00am est thu oct 20 2005)
forget this… runescape is the only way to go – by ~ultima~


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As the semiconductor industry continues to grapple with chip shortages , investment banks like Morgan Stanley and CLSA have downgraded their valuations for South Korean chipmakers. CLSA downgraded Samsung Electronics from a "buy" rating to "underperform," lowering its price target to 86,000 Korean won (about $73.82). That's still expected gains of 15.59% from Samsung's closing price on Friday. South Korea's markets were closed on Monday for a holiday. Generally, analysts lower price targets when they expect the stock price to drop. The investment bank rates stocks as "underperform" when it expects total return to be positive but below market return. SK Hynix has also been downgraded from a buy to underperform, with a revised price target of 123,000 won ($105.57) — or about 21.18% higher than SK Hynix's Friday close. "Given our view of an upcycle in 2023 we expect the valuation of these stocks to eventually normalise, but in the near term, with ASP (average selling price) declines and consensus downgrades looming, their shares are likely to underperform in our view," CLSA's Sanjeev Rana and Harry Kim said. CLSA outlook on DRAM, NAND chips Investment bank CLSA expects a downturn in the memory chips space from the fourth quarter this year through to the end of 2022, Rana and Kim said in a note dated Aug. 9. As part of the predicted downturn, the average selling price of DRAM and NAND chips — used in devices ranging from laptops and smartphones to data centers — could decline, they added. "Recently finalized DRAM contract ASPs for 3Q clearly indicate that the pace of ASP growth has moderated and customers are pushing back against hikes," the CLSA report said. "As seen in past downturns customers might refrain from restocking unless ASP outlook stabilizes which means pressure on suppliers to flush out inventory at a discounted price," they said. Similar dynamics are seen in the NAND chip business, the analysts said, adding that the average selling price is expected to decline throughout 2022. Semiconductor demand surged in 2020 during the Covid pandemic as demand for video games and computer-related devices rose when most people worked from home. Morgan Stanley: Underweight on SK Hynix Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley analysts warned that there's "more risk than reward" in the global memory chip sector as it enters the late cycle, with expectations of the DRAM business staying "fundamentally oversupplied" in 2022. "Cyclical conditions for DRAM have started to roll over," the analysts said. "While demand has stayed strong on a relative basis, it has worsened in recent weeks which has led to a downtick in pricing expectations." Morgan Stanley currently has a "underweight" rating on SK Hynix, which means it sees the company's total risk-adjusted returns coming in below the relevant country MSCI index or below the average total return of the industry over the next 12-18 months. The U.S. investment bank has a price target of 80,000 Korean won for SK Hynix, the world's second largest memory chipmaker. "While pricing is still moving higher, the rate of change is approaching peak as supply is catching up to demand," the analysts said. "Our cycle indicator has shifted out of 'mid-cycle' to 'late-cycle' for the first time since 2019 and this phase-change has historically meant a challenging backdrop for forward returns." Morgan Stanley: Lower price target on Samsung The firm also revised downward its price target for Samsung Electronics to 89,000 won per share despite remaining "overweight" on the stock. The bank's overweight rating means the stock's total return is expected to exceed the MSCI Korea index, in this case, or exceed the average total return of the industry over the next 12-18 months. "In previous corrections, Samsung has consistently outperformed the memory sector and often the MSCI Asia benchmark, and we believe the business attributes are fundamentally more appealing in the current environment given cost/product leadership as well as optionality on seizing new addressable markets," the analysts said. — CNBC's Chery Kang and Saheli Roy Choudhury contributed to this report.
As the semiconductor industry continues to grapple with chip shortages, investment banks like Morgan Stanley and CLSA have downgraded their valuations for South Korean chipmakers.
NEXT PRO TALK
Fri, Mar 31 2023 - 1:30pm


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Here's how much Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is generating for Denver's economy
Are you ready for it?
What's happening: Taylor Swift's two-night Eras Tour — poised to be one of the highest-grossing of all time — touches down in Denver this weekend, and the dollars are already rolling in.
Driving the news: The superstar's shows Friday and Saturday at Empower Field at Mile High are estimated to bring in $140 million to Colorado's gross domestic product, according to a new report from the Common Sense Institute, a business industry think tank.
By the numbers: Swifties are expected to splurge more than $200 million inside and out of downtown's stadium in direct consumer spending, the analysis shows.
- The city is expecting roughly 75,000 attendees at both sold-out performances, and polling indicates each concertgoer will spend an average of $1,327 on tickets, travel, lodging, food and merch.
- Total ticket sales for Swift's concerts this weekend are estimated near $38 million. That's equivalent to 63% of tickets sold at Red Rocks in all of 2022.
State of play: The influx of Swifties is temporarily reshaping the city, from the way public transit operates to what businesses are selling and politicians are saying.
Zoom in: The Regional Transportation District is ramping up service with extra train cars Friday and Saturday to accommodate the flood of fans.
- Restaurants and bars are offering Swift-themed menu items, while businesses ranging from local theaters to makeup artists are capitalizing on the fan frenzy.
- Swift even inspired Gov. Jared Polis to pen this lyric-filled (and cringeworthy) welcome letter, which he dubbed "Jared's Version," in excitement of her arrival.
Plus: Some hotels have been benefiting from the economic windfall for weeks, the Denver Gazette reports.
- "This is probably the biggest concert response we've ever seen. Our rates are higher than [they've] ever been," said Tiffany Owen, who manages the Maven and Rally hotels downtown.
The other side: Bad actors are also prowling and ready to pounce on the lucrative opportunity. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser issued a warning this week about ticket scammers, advising fans to make sure they're buying authentic passes.
The big picture: It's "Swiftonomics."
- The 52-night, 20-city U.S. tour could generate $4.6 billion for local economies across the country, Fortune reports.
Go deeper: Inside the booming Taylor Swift economy
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Posted by Dale Buss on June 18, 2013 03:41 PM
Starbucks customers will still be able to order all of their favorite high-fat, sugary concoctions at their favorite coffee house. It's just that they won't be able to plead ignorance anymore to just how many calories are in that Venti Caramel Macchiato or luscious chocolate brownie.
The company said it will become the latest restaurant chain to put up calorie boards at its locations across the United States, jumping ahead of a US-government mandate under Obamacare that's expected to require bigger chains to make similar disclosures nationwide by the end of the year. New York and California already require nutrition boards.
Starbucks also will post calorie counts on the goodies in the pastry case. "Menu labeling is yet another step to extend our commitment to wellness, ensuring our current customers and partners (employees) have the information they need to make informed decisions and understand all the ways that they can customize their Starbucks beverages to be within their desired calorie range," said Mary Wagner, senior vice president of global research and development for Starbucks, in a press release.Continue reading...
Posted by Mark J. Miller on June 18, 2013 02:56 PM
Brazilian soccer fans are some of the most dedicated in the world, but an ad campaign from Ogilvy Mather let them know there was one more thing they could do if they wanted to be sure that their heart beat for their team forever: be an organ donor.
The “Immortal Fans” campaign, which just took top honors in the Promo & Activations category at Cannes Lions, focused on the Sport Club Recife team. In the spot, actual patients that were waiting for organs spoke to fans directly, saying things like, "I promise that your eyes will keep on watching Sport Club Recife" or "I promise that your lungs will keep on breathing for Sport Club Recife."Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on June 18, 2013 01:41 PM
7-Eleven has said it will implement "aggressive actions" to take over stores owned by some of its East Coast franchisees that allegedly used a slave-like system to exploit immigrants from Pakistan and the Philippines.
But will it be enough to adequately address the outrage and legal issues created by how nine owners and managers of 7-Eleven stores across Long Island and in Virginia allegedly made tens of millions of dollars by stealing most of the wages of workers at 14 stores? Could 7-Eleven have done more, sooner, to thwart or prevent such a situation? And how might the brand overall suffer even if there was credible corporate deniability in all of this?
The many giant western retailers dealing with the burnt and crumbling garment factories in Bangladesh can attest to the tar baby that horrific practices and conditions can become for a brand even if there is no direct culpability for such problems.
US authorities charged that the franchise owners paid the workers using stolen Social Security numbers of a child and three dead people while stealing most of their wages. When 7-Eleven headquarters sent the wages for distribution, the government said, the employers stole up to 75 percent of the workers' pay. They also allegedly forced the immigrants to live in houses they owned and pay the owners rent in cash.Continue reading...
Posted by Mark J. Miller on June 18, 2013 12:46 PM
Marriott is going all-in on Millennials. The Bethesda, M.D.-based company is launching a new logo and tagline, "Travel Brilliantly" in its latest attempt to attract the growing market of young travellers looking for luxury at a value.
The international hotel chain recently announced it will bring its European hotel brand, AC Hotels by Marriott, to the States to attract younger business travelers, while it is also planning to introduce a Millennial-friendly hotel brand, Moxy, across Europe in a partnerhsip with IKEA.
What's in it for Marriott? According to the Washington Business Journal, “younger business travelers who make three or more business trips per year are a $35 billion market.” The chain hopes to attract the sought-after demo with a new, simplified "M" logo, a mobile app, offering different dining options, and allotting more open spaces in its hotels that can be used as public workspaces as well as streamlined rooms.Continue reading...
brands under fire
Posted by Alicia Ciccone on June 18, 2013 11:36 AM
Late last week, Vice magazine promoted a new pictorial spread from its Fiction issue. The problem? The photos depicted a handful of famous suicides by legendary female writers with appalling attention to detail, right down to the hosiery that hung Taiwanese author Sanmao.
The youth culture publication is well-known for its edgy content and no-holds-barred attitude—a reputation that has repeatedly made headlines and garnered unfavorable reactions from readers and critics, even as it partners with the likes of CNN and HBO.
While the brand has successfully turned itself into a more respectable news source over the years, partnering with brands and producing documentaries like its much talked about Basketball Diplomacy stunt that brought Dennis Rodman and the Harlem Globetrotters to North Korea to wrap its first season on HBO, Vice still gets its kicks from content like the "Last Words" spread, which, after much protest, was pulled from its website on Tuesday and replaced with a statement from the editorial staff:Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on June 18, 2013 09:27 AM
7-Eleven franchisees are accused by feds in immigrant exploitation scheme.
Starbucks to start displaying calorie counts on menus later this month.
Susan G. Komen Foundation names new CEO.
3M adds new products to its healthcare line.
AOL nears profitability in Patch bet on local news.
AT&T introduces solar-powered charging stations.
Boeing signs customers for stretch 787, Airbus also gets order for A380 and Embraer gets big launch order for jets from SkyWest.
Cheesecake Factory returns to growth mode.
Chrysler sees key deadline near in Jeep-recall dispute with US government.Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on June 17, 2013 06:46 PM
Just when things seemed hunky-dory in the US auto industry, Nissan wants to threaten the situation by sharpening its price edge.
At least that's how other car brands look at Nissan's aggressive move to grab US market share by cutting prices on seven models and boosting incentives, taking maximum financial advantage of the weakening yen that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made a central plank of his "Abenomics" strategy to boost the island nation's economy.
Nissan's marketing moves "strike me as a scorched-earth policy of going for market share and sales volume at seemingly all costs," Michelle Krebs, an analyst for Edmunds.com, told Bloomberg.Continue reading...
Posted by Dale Buss on June 17, 2013 06:02 PM
If there's one thing that American CPG brands and retailers have learned over the last three years, it's that there definitely is a new normal when it comes to the attitudes of US consumers about their pocketbooks. The economy may be slowly coming back, but there doesn't appear to be much change in the recession-borne dedication of grocery shoppers to getting the absolute most out of their supermarket dollars.
That's the bottom line being addressed by food-industry brands in various ways these days. Kroger's latest move has been to open a stream of stores, mostly around the Midwest, under a new discount brand called Ruler Foods.
Part of JayC Food Stores, which Kroger purchased in 1999, Ruler Foods now has 18 locations under a test concept for the Cincinnati-based grocery giant, according to the Commercial News in Danville, Ill. Rulers sells Kroger brand food and a limited assortment of other national-brand items.Continue reading...


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Dumb? What could be so dumb about a cheaper, faster way for college students to get the textbooks they need?
That’s the theoretical question posed In a new out-of-home, radio and online ad campaign from Two by Four/Chicago just breaking for Skyo.com, an online site for renting or buying college textbooks. The online company is a unit of Oak Brook, IL.-based Follett Higher Education Group.
It’s that time of year again when students heading to college are confronted with the prospect of shelling out hundreds of bucks for expensive textbooks that might be used for one course and never looked at again.
While this consideration is uppermost in the minds of hundreds of thousands of college students nationwide, Skyo.com is making the case for going online to get textbooks at a considerable discount.
The new Skyo ad campaign includes a vast array of outdoor ads that show students doing a lot of silly things that are part and parcel of any typical college experience. The ads will appear on and around select college campuses nationwide. One ad shows a young woman smiling ever so brightly as some of her fellow students complete the task of duct-taping her entire body to a wall.
Another shows a quartet of young male students luxuriating in a makeshift pool as they play with their various toys and footballs and such. One of them is seen spraying water from a hose off into the distance.
All the outdoor executions include the line of copy “You may do some dumb things in college.” Below that statement in each ad is the comment “Skyo.com isn’t one of them.” The campaign tag line is “Textbooks — fast, easy and cheap.”
Two by Four has also produced a 30-second video that will appear online on YouTube.com and other sites. It shows two male students racing down a college dorm hallway at 2:30 a.m. and knocking loudly on every door they pass. Of course, those doors soon open and sleepy students rush out in the hall, only to discover it is all just a dumb prank.
One outspoken young woman vents her anger by looking into the camera and mouthing a nasty epithet. Yes, this is one of those no-holds-barred short videos that college students are sure to appreciate. At the end of the video, the voiceover announcer mouths the same lines of copy seen in the outdoor ads.
Two by Four group account director Jason Reno said of the campaign: “Skyo.com has a great offering, and with their main target being college students, we felt we had permission to create a campaign that was fun and irreverent, while still authentic in connecting them to the Skyo.com brand.”
Skyo.com currently competes with just a couple of other online textbook sites, including Chegg.com But Skyo.com execs expect the new campaign to help make their product top of mind. “We believe this campaign will launch Skyo.com into a powerful brand that will really resonate among students,” added Noel Burkman of Follett Higher Education Group.
Two by Four won the Skyo.com account earlier this year.


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MILAN/NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Investors cautiously greeted the Wall Street debut on Monday of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), a move that shifts the carmaker's center of gravity away from Italy and caps a decade of canny dealmaking and tough restructuring by CEO Sergio Marchionne.
"We're finally taking Chrysler back" to the U.S. stock market, Marchionne said on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. "One of the Detroit Three is coming home."
Investors in the United States and Europe approached the new listing gingerly, as analysts expressed reservations about the company's prospects.
FCA shares opened at $9.00 in New York and rose as high as $9.55 before closing at $8.92, up 2.5 percent from a Friday close of $8.70 for the predecessor company Fiat SpA. In Milan, where FCA will keep a secondary listing, shares rose more than 4 percent during the session and closed up 1.2 percent.
Trading was muted, with about 5.8 million shares changing hands on the NYSE.
Marchionne rang the closing bell at the NYSE on Monday to mark the milestone for the 62-year-old CEO who revived one of Italy's top companies and helped rescue Chrysler along the way.
The world's seventh-largest auto group sought the U.S. listing to help establish itself as a leading global player through access to the world's biggest equity market and the cheaper, more reliable source of funding it ultimately offers.
Marchionne on Monday said FCA might raise debt funding to help finance its $60-billion five-year investment plan.
Fiat took management control of bankrupt Chrysler in 2009 and completed its buyout this year. It is now combining all of its businesses under Dutch-registered FCA, which will have a UK financial domicile and small London headquarters, with operations centers in Turin and Detroit.
But Marchionne has picked a difficult moment to woo U.S. investors. Analysts think U.S. car sales are nearing a peak, while Europe is struggling to recover from years of decline and growth in China and Latin America has slowed.
"Only those willing to accept the risks of a highly leveraged turnaround situation in a competitive, capital-intensive, highly cyclical industry should consider investing," Richard Hilgert, an analyst at Morningstar, said in a note.
IHS Automotive, a leading industry research firm, said on Monday that it expects FCA will miss Marchionne's aggressive sales targets for the company as a whole and several of its brands, including Jeep and Alfa Romeo.
IHS "does not currently expect this plan to succeed," said analyst Ian Fletcher in a midday note.
The company has projected a 60 percent boost in sales to 7 million vehicles and a fivefold increase in net profit to as much as $6.9 billion by 2018, the year Marchionne has said he would step down as CEO.
IHS is forecasting more modest growth, to 5.1 million sales in 2018.


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Casino , the French supermarket group, has agreed to sell its Florida-based foodservice unit and stores to the US group Gordon Food Service for an undisclosed sum.
The unit, which is part of Casino's Smart & Final division in the US, will become part of the largest privately held foodservice distributor in North America, assuming a definitive agreement can be negotiated with GFS.
"By selling our Florida operations, Smart & Final will be able to focus its management and capital resources on its core West Coast operations," said Ross Roeder, Smart & Final's chairman and chief executive officer.
"Although our Florida business has great potential, in today's tough competitive environment it is critical to focus all of our company's resources where they will provide the highest possible return."
Roeder added that GFS was one of the few US companies which both operated a foodservice direct delivery business and owned its own stores, making it a perfect fit for the Florida unit.
Dan Gordon, GFS president and CEO, said: "Smart & Final's Florida businesses are a great fit with our existing operations and provide us a strategic entry into the Florida market, which historically has been one of the strongest foodservice markets in the United States."
Smart & Final will continue to operate its 242 stores for food and foodservice supplies and foodservice distribution companies located primarily in the western United States.
Like many European retailers, Casino has struggled to make money from its overseas businesses over the last year because of poor exchanges rates. But Smart & Final has continued to show solid growth throughout the year, and the decision to concentrate on the western US only should help the unit improve its position further this year.


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WASHINGTON — The US Department of Agriculture in its March 9 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report boosted from February its 2021-22 forecast of sugar deliveries for food but lowered supply slightly as it adjusted the ending stocks-to-use ratio down to 13.6%.
The USDA forecast 2021-22 sugar deliveries for food at 12,300,000 tons, raw value, up 100,000 tons, or 0.8%, from the February forecast and up 1.4% from 2020-21. Total sugar deliveries were forecast at 12,440,000 tons, up 100,000 tons from February with exports and “other” deliveries unchanged.
“US sugar deliveries for human consumption are increased ... based on strong to-date deliveries by beet processors and on higher-than-expected direct consumption imports through the end of January,” the USDA said. Many in the trade expected the USDA to raise deliveries based on the Department’s Sugar Market Data report and anecdotal reports from the trade.
The USDA forecast 2021-22 total domestic sugar production at a record high 9,384,000 tons, down 58,000 tons, or 0.6%, from its February forecast, with beet sugar at 5,389,000 tons, down 12,183 tons, or 0.2%, and cane sugar at 3,995,680 tons, down 45,059 tons, or 1.1%.
“Beet sugar production is decreased ... on processors’ forecast of lower sucrose extraction and an increase in beet pile shrink,” the USDA said. “Florida (cane) sugar production is decreased ... based on lower sugar cane yield and sucrose recovery from processors’ analysis of the effect of late January freezes on the crop.”
Total sugar imports in 2021-22 were forecast at 3,043,041 tons, up 31,091 tons from February. Raw sugar tariff-rate quota imports were raised 20,591 tons “based on updated Foreign Agricultural Service analysis of expected TRQ shortfall,” the USDA said. High-tier tariff imports were raised by 25,000 tons based on strong imports to date. Imports from Mexico were forecast at 1,050,212 tons, down 14,500 tons from February, a decline much smaller than some expected as the increase in deliveries reduced the reduction needed for Mexico to achieve a stocks-to-use ratio near 13.5%.
“Calculated US needs implied by the March 2022 US sugar WASDE as set out in the AD/CVD suspension agreements is 887,843 tonnes (1,037,400 short tons),” the USDA said. “There is an additional export amount of 10,965 tonnes (12,812 short tons) from the 2020-21 export allocation to Mexico that was permitted by the US Department of Commerce to enter the United States after Sept. 30 (2021).”
Total sugar supply in 2021-22 was forecast at 14,132,000 tons, down 26,152 tons from February but up about 86,000 tons from 2020-21.
“USDA projects an increase in 2021-22 US sugar use combined with a reduction in supply to decrease ending stocks to 1,692,320 tons for an ending stocks-to-use ratio of 13.6%,” the USDA said.
Had the USDA taken the ending stocks-to-use ratio down to 13.5%, the minimum permitted under the AD/CVD suspension agreements, supplies would have had to be reduced by about 13,000 more tons.
Only minor changes from February were made in Mexico’s 2021-22 sugar supply and use forecasts with a 4,000-tonne reduction in imports offset by a like reduction in exports, leaving ending stocks unchanged at 919,000 tonnes, actual weight.


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Debt solutions including arrears to ’buy now, pay later’ providers have jumped by more than 300 percent in the past six months, according to findings from the Financial Wellness Group.
The average debt to buy now pay later providers, such as Klarna, is around £250 and customers will typically have more than one BNPL account, and in some cases up to 10.
Last year, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) introduced rules restricting the backdated interest charged on cash already paid by the customer.
Sebrina McCullough, head of external relations at Gregory Pennington, part of the Financial Wellness Group said: “We have seen a marked rise in customers with buy now pay later accounts amongst their debts over the past six months. This is a worrying trend: while these point-of-sale loans may seem convenient, whether they are taken online or in store, it is vital that appropriate affordability checks are in place, and that customers are fully aware of the terms and conditions of the loan that they are taking.
“Very often these products are targeted at younger consumers at the point of purchase, with little time to really consider the pros and cons of paying later.”


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WTO leaves only Riyadh in doubt about football piracy issue
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) on 16 June circulated a 125-page report entitled ‘Saudi Arabia – Measures concerning the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights’, giving its opinion on the case brought by Qatar over the piracy of exclusive sports content by a sophisticated Saudi-based operation. Qatar claimed a major victory for its case that Riyadh had “infringed” international trade agreements due to the kingdom’s involvement with the pirate operation beoutQ.
Credit value: 8


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Christmas shopping is already underway at Brown Thomas... 132 days before Christmas Day.
The store opened its Christmas shop this morning at its Dublin, Limerick and Cork branches.
Festive gifts and decorations are now available in the department store.
While the early opening has received a mixed reaction, enthusiastic shoppers arrived at the Dublin store on Grafton Street this morning to pick up some decorations.
One customer told Newstalk: "If I could put my Christmas tree up now I would - but my boyfriend would kill me!
"Once this is open, that's it - it's Christmas now."
Another said: "We're going shopping for our Christmas decorations, because we don't want strangers to get the good decorations... so we want to come in and get the good decorations before they do."
Meanwhile, David Fitzsimons of Retail Excellence Ireland suggested Brown Thomas is right to seize the day.
He argued: "If Brown Thomas weren't selling Christmas stock and decorations today, customers would be going online and probably buying things from Europe or the UK.
"Christmas is huge... it's worth around €12 billion a year. Obviously Brown Thomas are stealing a march on everybody else and getting in there and making some money. So fair play to them."


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ELK to Hold Ribbon Cutting for New Vegas Showroom
July 26, 2012,
LAS VEGAS--ELK will debut its new 10,000-square-foot showroom at next week's Las Vegas Market, holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday, July 30, at 1 p.m. Located in Building A, A416, the company will showcase products from its Dimond Lighting, Sterling and Bailey Street divisions, along with a limited selection of ELK Lighting.
Other Articles By Author
HFN Launches Interactive Idea Book
HFN's DIGITAL EDITION
COVER STORY: HFN Turns 90
We commemorate HFN's 90th anniversary by paying tribute to the iconic retailer and supplier brands--and the people--that have helped the industry flourish, then and now.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- Up & Coming Leaders - The home industry is in capable and visionary hands as this year’s 40 Under 40 list attests. Today’s young leaders span all disciplines and varied levels of operation.
- Omnichannel Retailing - In the Mobile App World, Time is Money


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Staff and students at the school will be growing organic greens – including basil, cilantro, kale and more – from seed in the new appliance, which looks like a gigantic cooler with glass doors. The herbs and microgreens are harvested just steps from where they are used by NAIT students in many of the dishes served at Ernest’s – NAIT’s fine-dining restaurant. According to a news release from NAIT, the greens are more flavourful than the store-bought variety. Transportation costs are also eliminated, resulting in a reduced carbon footprint.
Recent Posts From This Author
- Back from holidays with big news from the Canadian Food ChampionshipsPosted on Jul 27, 2015
- The deadline approaches for early bird rate at Okanagan Food and Wine Writers WorkshopPosted on Jul 9, 2015
- Michelle Peters Jones nominated for Taste Canada award for her blog, The Tiffin BoxPosted on Jul 8, 2015
- Duchess Bake Shop cookbook nominated for Taste Canada cookbook awardPosted on Jul 7, 2015


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Sales of General Motors cars and trucks rose 11 percent last month, a sign that the auto industry's slow recovery is gaining traction.
Industry analysts expect U.S. sales to rise significantly over last November as consumers gained confidence and showroom traffic increased. They say the U.S. auto market has finally stabilized after more than two years of turmoil.
All automakers report sales figures on Wednesday.
GM says it sold almost 169,000 vehicles in November compared with 151,000 in the same month last year. Sales of its four brands -- Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac -- rose 21 percent compared with the same brands last November. GM got rid of Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer and Saab as part of its bankruptcy restructuring.
Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or email@example.com.


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How to Protect Your Brand When Digital Advertising
Like companies in all industries, financial services firms are getting more judicious in how they spend digital advertising dollars, and with whom. In particular, there has been increased scrutiny towards the two major digital advertising platforms — Google and Facebook — over concerns such as data privacy and monitoring of hate speech, among other issues.
Some advertisers are tackling brand safety issues by going a step further and launching frameworks for responsible media buying, according to an article in SmartBrief, such as by holding media companies with whom they do business accountable. Indeed, it’s clearly becoming more important for businesses to carefully choose the platforms they advertise on.
They are also taking more control over their messaging as well.
“Another way marketers can achieve brand-safety piece of mind is with advertising enabled, human-curated email newsletters — traditionally some of the safest platforms on which brands can run their ad campaigns,” SmartBrief further states. “Knowing your message likely won’t run next to controversial stories or inappropriate content, but rather content hand-picked for a particular audience and publication is a tremendous anxiety-reducing thing for marketers to enjoy.”
It’s clear that advertisers are taking a more proactive stance on how and where their digital ads appear. This is a trend we would expect to continue.


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Quest flavour technology targets salt reduction
sugar, levels in their product ranges could benefit from a new
flavour system designed by ICI-owned firm Quest, reports Lindsey
Condemned for contributing to the worsening health problems in the population, food makers are under orders to cut salt levels in their processed food formulations.
But replacing this cheap flavour enhancer is a challenge for food developers.
At €0.21 a kilo, any alternatives to salt will add unwanted costs to new product formulations. But salt, a seasoning and preservative composed of 40 per cent sodium and 60 per cent chlorine, plays a pivotal role in multiple foods on the market.
Quest claims that food makers using its new ImpaQ taste technology range could cut salt levels by "as much as 50 per cent, without compromising on the taste."
"We aimed to unravel the 'deliciousness' of a flavour," says Harry Renes, Quest's executive flavourist. Research on volatile flavours over the past decade has been the launch pad for the ImpaQ technology.
"Our breakthrough occurred when we identified the mechanism for cheese maturing, plus fundamental research on the holy grail of taste, bouillons," Renes tells FoodNavigator.com.
According to the flavourist, Quest's research has led to the firm submitting patents for completely new molecules. Without clarifying the precise situation on patents (cleared or in waiting) the company said is has submitted over 35 flavour-related patents.
Shy on disclosing the price of this technology for the customer, Quest's flavours group vice president, Cees de Jong said "prices will vary according to the flavour, there is no average price."
Application trials in low environments and in broader applications - such as increasing deliciousness and bitter masking - are underway with customers in Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific, with further expansion expected soon, adds Quest.


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After its very successful first year – the London Motor Show returned to Battersea Evolution last weekend and Lookers were there for all the action.
The Confused.com London Motor Show opened its gates on Thursday 4th May to thousands of motoring enthusiasts for what was going to be a motor-fuelled festival over four days.
On the opening day, the British public were exposed to some spectacular debuts including British coachbuilder David Brown Automotive’s newest creation – the Mini Remastered. The uplifting unveiling took the crowd back in time as the classic Mini was brought back to life with some modifications to take it into the 21st century.
Speaking of modifications, over at the Sutton stand, a new bespoke Mustang CS800 and a new Range Rover Sport with a unique styling kit were unveiled to the crowd.
Displaying the Range Rover in all its original glory, was the Lookers Land Rover stand which also had the Evoque Convertible and Discovery on show. Taking its spot by the main entrance to the Battersea Evolution, Lookers Land Rover also offered visitors the unique opportunity to view more of the range at Land Rover Battersea in our very own Range Rover LWB.
Inside the Battersea Evolution, another Lookers franchise put on a spectacular display with the Skoda Superb and the all-new super SUV – the Skoda Kodiaq.
Lookers Skoda Franchise Director, Duncan McPhee commented at the event: “What better stage than the biggest UK new car event of the year to showcase our Lookers businesses. In particular the recently acquired Skoda dealership in Brentford West London and the relaunch of our newly renovated Skoda Guildford site. We are so excited about our presence at the event and the fantastic opportunity to extend the Lookers brand name to everyone”.


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Billions of Android users urged to check for ‘malicious’ app stealing from you – delete it right now
Billions of Android and iPhone users issued warning over AI attacks lurking in your device – check apps nowSMARTPHONE owners have been warned about artificial intelligence-powered technology that can scam you out of your money. Such scams include artificial intelligence (AI) voice cloning, phishing ads,
Billions of Android users warned of phone-raiding attack that could drain your bank accountBIOMETRIC passwords, where you use your finger print or face to unlock your devices, were designed to make phones more secure. But cyber experts have reportedly uncovered two Android bugs that lets
DoorDash sued for $1 billion over claims it charges iPhone users more than Android customersFood delivery app DoorDash is being sued for $1 billion amid accusations it charges customers using an iPhone more than those on an Android.


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Joseph Perkins led the contentious battle to acquire airbag maker Takata out of bankruptcy, a quest that lasted nearly two years and created a combined $7 billion automotive safety systems supplier.
The embattled Japanese supplier reached a deal on consumer protection claims, but states won't collect so victims of the faulty airbag inflators can get a bigger piece of the company's remaining money.
The move paves the way for Sterling Heights-based Key Safety Systems to acquire the embattled airbag maker.
The Sterling Heights-based company has reached a deal to buy the Japanese supplier, whose airbag system parts have been linked to at least 17 deaths. Bankruptcy court still must sign off.
After more than a year of negotiations, Sterlng Heights-based KSS has reached a deal to buy most of the assets of the maker of faulty airbags whose U.S. subsidiary is in Auburn Hills.
Get a roundup of important news that happens each day.


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OpenAI is reportedly exploring making its own AI chips, reducing its alliance on the AI hardware manufacturer Nvidia.
As a B2B business manufacturing AI hardware, Nvidia (pronounced en-vid-eeyah) operates mainly behind the scenes. That’s probably why most consumers aren’t familiar with it or how its revolutionary chips, called graphics processing units (GPUs), are shaping the AI landscape.
Let’s explore why they are dominating the AI chip market.
So, what the heck are GPUs?
The easiest way to understand GPUs is to imagine you’re working in a field that requires specialized equipment. Take dentistry, for example.
Just as a dentist relies on specific instruments to care for your smile, GPUs operate as specialized tools that enhance AI’s capabilities.
In the same way that drills, probes and X-rays empower dentists to provide precise oral care, GPUs enable cutting-edge AI models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini to perform mathematical calculations and analyze massive quantities of data swiftly and efficiently.
One of the earliest pioneers of GPU development was — you guessed it — Nvidia. In 1999, the company created one of the first GPUs, GeForce 256, and has since released various others.
Before GPUs, central processing units (CPUs) served as the primary powerhouses of computing devices and were referred to as the ‘brains’ of computational systems.
But unlike CPUs, GPUs can:
- Perform specialized tasks simultaneously, a capability known as parallel processing.
- Significantly increase a computer's performance to levels associated with a supercomputer.
- Work with many other software components, establishing an extensive and intricate ecosystem.
In other words, if CPUs represent the everyday items in a dentist’s toolkit, like tartar scrapers and mouth mirrors, GPUs are the digital X-rays and dental lasers.
These attributes make the chips ideal for highly advanced applications like artificial intelligence, specifically generative AI.
As a result, the silicon-based microprocessors have quickly become one of tech’s most coveted commodities.
How did Nvidia become the top AI hardware provider?
The Silicon Valley chip maker, co-founded by its current CEO, Jensen Huang, generated just over $22 billion in revenue for its fiscal fourth quarter that ended Jan. 28, profiting roughly $12 billion.
But it didn’t achieve this success overnight.
Nvidia rose to the top of the AI food chain – and remains there – for three core reasons:
1. They invested big-time into the AI industry before most competitors even realized what was happening; Huang told GTC conference attendees in 2020 that “the age of AI is in full throttle.”
2. They consistently create chips with superior, cutting-edge technology.
3. Numerous components of AI infrastructure have already been constructed around its products.
For a closer look, here’s a brief history of the Santa Clara-based company:
- 1993: Jensen Huang establishes Nvidia with Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem to advance video game graphics.
- 1999: Nvidia invents the first widely available GPU, positioning itself to redefine the computing landscape.
- 2006: Huang unveils CUDA, a new software technology that broadens the capabilities of GPUs, enabling them to complete tasks in fields like science and research.
- 2012: Researchers spark the age of modern AI by using GPUs to recognize specific items in images with humanlike accuracy. Nvidia quickly dedicates every facet of its company to advancing this novel field, ultimately forming a team that creates and trains language models.
- 2018: Nvidia takes computer graphics to a new level with the first GPU capable of mimicking how light behaves in the real world in real-time through ray tracing.
- 2022: Nvidia announces the production of new chips, H100s, explicitly designed for AI applications.
- 2024: The company releases its most powerful chip to date, the GH200 Grace Hopper Superchip, which is capable of superior large language model (LLM) training and inference.
“The thing that we understood is that this is a reinvention of how computing is done,” Huang said in a New York Times interview. “And we built everything from the ground up, from the processor all the way up to the end.”
And as Gil Luria, a senior financial analyst at D.A. Davidson Companies, told Vox, “Their competitors were asleep at the wheel.”
Can I purchase AI hardware chips?
Technically, yes, but it’s a bit complicated.
The highly sought-after chips, often compared to “rare earth minerals,” are tough to acquire. This is partly because:
- Nvidia has built a “competitive moat” around the AI chip market.
- OpenAI’s introduction of ChatGPT in late 2022 triggered a tech-industry arms race.
- The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the biggest semiconductor maker globally, has long struggled to meet demand. (A GPU is a type of semiconductor.)
- Demand surged during the pandemic, then fell, slowing production — and then surged again.
Put simply, all of this has created a shortage.
“Accelerated computing and generative AI have hit the tipping point,” Huang said in a February statement to The Associated Press. “Demand is surging worldwide across companies, industries and nations.”
Some of Nvidia’s clients in 2023 reported waiting nearly a year to get their hands on the chips, some of which, by the way, can cost upwards of $40,000.
“Well, I don’t think we’re going to catch up on supply this year. Not this year, and probably not next year,” the CEO told WIRED in February.
Yet, Huang maintains that his chips’ superior capabilities warrant their hefty price tags and ultimately save customers money.
“If you can reduce the time of training to half on a $5 billion data center, the savings is more than the cost of all of the chips,” he said to The New York Times. “We are the lowest-cost solution in the world.”
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this arms race, though, is that Nvidia is both a competitor and a judge.
The chip giant openly competes with its customers, and given its hold on the market, Nvidia must decide who gets its chips and how many. Thus, the trillion-dollar company can essentially determine which tech firms come out on top and which do not.
This is likely why companies like OpenAI are considering building their own tech. While the cost is high, they’re also huge upside.
What does all this mean for the future of AI?
Not to sound dramatic, but the future of AI depends on GPUs from Nvidia and other similar companies.
While competition remains strong, various experts foresee Nvidia maintaining its position as an industry leader.
However, Nvidia relies heavily on TSMC to manufacture its chips, meaning any future supply chain disruptions could ripple throughout the AI industry.
As a result, demand for more domestically produced semiconductors has grown.
In 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden signed into law an act incentivizing tech companies to produce semiconductors in the United States. However, some say that soaring demand for chips will outpace the rate at which US-based efforts can expand. Only time will tell.
For now, Huang remains highly optimistic about AI’s future.
In the WIRED interview, he said Nvidia was actively working on various projects, including a new data center, or “AI factory,” and a super-high-performing GPU called Blackwell.
“The goal is to reduce the cost of training models tremendously,” he said of the new GPU. “Then people can scale up the models they want to train.”
Huang also mentioned humanoid robots. Yes, you read that correctly.
“If you could generate text, if you could generate images, can you also generate motion? The answer is probably yes,” Huang told WIRED. “And then if you can generate motion, you can understand intent and generate a generalized version of articulation. Therefore, humanoid robotics should be right around the corner.”
With a history of innovation and a sharp focus on groundbreaking technology, Nvidia consistently sets a high bar in the AI world.
It seems everyone will know its name soon enough.


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Apple, BlackBerry dominate mobile video viewing
Michelle Clancy | 21-09-2012
The iPhone remains the top device in global mobile video views, followed surprisingly by BlackBerry devices, according to a new ranking from Vuclip. Nokia's Lumia line remains conspicuously absent months after launch.
Vuclip, an independent mobile video service, has released rankings for the most popular videos and the top devices used to watch those videos based on its more than 40 million monthly global unique users. It found that despite the U.S. fascination with Apple, BlackBerry models continue to dominate the top 10 list with its hold on ranks two through seven. The iPad continued its rise on the basis of tremendous demand for Apple's tablet. It is now within striking distance of Samsung's Galaxy SII smartphone in e rankings and represents a tablet entering the top ten for the first time.
Symbian may be a "burning platform," but that hasn't extinguished interest in the Nokia E5, which leapt ten slots over the last quarter. Older Nokia S40 handsets such as the 2700 Classic and 6120 Classic stayed on a course toward obscurity, while Nokia's Lumia line of devices does not even register in the top 30 devices, boding poorly for adoption of Windows as Symbian's successor.
"While the iPhone is extremely popular, it may be surprising to those in the U.S. to see the tremendous range and depth of adoption with regard to BlackBerry and Nokia handsets," said Nickhil Jakatdar, CEO of Vuclip, in a statement. "Our view is that it is the proliferation of mass-market, low-cost smartphones in emerging markets that are impacting the overall adoption of mobile video and driving expectations around the consumers' experience with it."


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Earlier this year, HTC announced that this year's flagship smartphone, the HTC 10 will be the company's first smartphone among others to receive the Android 7.0 Nougat update. It has also stated that the update will be rolled out in the fourth quarter of 2016.
Keeping its promise, the company has today rolled out the Android 7.0 Nougat update to the unlocked HTC 10 units. The company's VP of product management, Mo Versi took it to Twitter to announce the same, his tweet read "Happy Thanksgiving! HTC 10 unlocked owners will receive Nougat OS update tomorrow morning! Enjoy!"
SEE ALSO: Hurry up! 6 Airtel Subscribers Can Now Enjoy Free 3G/4G Data With One Plan
His tweet specifically didn't mention a particular location which may mean that the update is being rolled out globally. That being said, the update is being rolled out only to unlocked smartphones and the carrier locked ones will get the update sometime in 2017.
HTC is the third company to roll out the Nougat update to its smartphones following Lenovo and LG (for Moto Z and LG G5 respectively). Currently, the Google Pixel and Pixel XL are the only smartphones to come with Android 7.0 Nougat out-of-the-box in India.


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Popular media firm TechCrunch is seeking blockchain startups for its San Francisco 'Disrupt' conference.
What is the blockchain? Where did bitcoin come from? And what is a bitcoin miner? TechCrunch's new web series explores.
Why did one of TechCrunch’s longest-serving editors leave a media giant for a bitcoin startup?
Blockchain technology was discussed during a panel at TechCrunch Disrupt London, held earlier this week.
British singer and songwriter Imogen Heap has discussed how blockchain technology could help empower musicians.
Ripple’s Susan Athey and Blockchain’s Peter Smith shared their thoughts on cryptocurrencies at TechCrunch's Disrupt NY 2014 event.
Bitcoin has won a Linux award at CeBIT 2014, Europe's premier tech trade show.
The currency won the Best Technology Achievement award at the 2013 Crunchies, but Satoshi Nakamoto was a no-show.
CoinDesk founder Shakil Khan talks bitcoin with Nejc Kodrič and Michael Jackson at TechCrunch's Disrupt Europe 2013.


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Forward-looking: "Apple does it better," at least when it comes to wireless charging for the latest iPhone models. So much that the Wireless Power Consortium is working with Cupertino to bring the new Qi2 wireless standard to a much wider market of smartphones and accessories.
The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) is working on a new standard for wireless charging. Qi2 (pronounced "chee two") is designed to be efficient and interoperable, bringing unity to the industry and promoting market growth. This time, Apple seems to be willing to play a more collaborative role rather than going the proprietary way with MagSafe.
Set to arrive in 2023, Qi2 is indeed a new wireless charging standard built upon the aforementioned MagSafe technology. Apple provided the basis for the new standard, WPC says, working with other members of the consortium to developed a new Magnetic Power Profile that lies at the core of Qi2.
The Magnetic Power Profile will ensure that smartphones or other rechargeable battery-powered devices are perfectly aligned with the charging station, WPC explained, thus "providing improved energy efficiency and faster charging."
According to Paul Struhsaker, executive director of the Wireless Power Consortium, consumers and retailers were confused about what devices were Qi Certified and those that claimed to work with Qi but are not Qi Certified. "This confusion can lead to a poor user experience and even safety issues," Struhsaker says, so Qi2 will have to provide consumers and retailers the assurance that their devices are "safe, efficient, and interoperable with other brands."
The Qi2 standard is set to replace its predecessor, Qi, in a market that's rapidly expanding with one billion devices (both transmitters and receivers) expected to be sold worldwide by the end of 2023. The new Qi2 accessories will bring wireless charging to mobile devices that wouldn't work with the current flat surface-to-flat surface setup.
There are no official specs yet but according to a WPC spokesperson, Qi2 will offer an initial charging capability of 15W - the same as MagSafe chargers and double the Qi-compatible chargers' power (7.5W). Higher power profiles and recharging capabilities should come to the standard at a later date.
Struhsaker further remarks how Qi2 is perfectly aligned with modern needs for energy efficiency and sustainability, as the new standard reduces the energy loss that can happen when the phone and the charger are not aligned. Furthermore, Qi2 will "greatly reduce the landfill waste associated with wired charger replacement due to plugs breaking and the stress placed on cords from daily connecting and disconnecting."
The first Qi2-certified smartphones and chargers are expected to go on sale by the 2023 holiday season.


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Eataly Dallas is kicking off September with a summer sips and bites storewide tasting event Sept. 1.
The festivities at the NorthPark Center store will feature more than 20 Italian wines, from bold reds to roses and light whites, which are selected to pair with chef-curated tasting stations. The event marks the start of month-long celebrations of weekend experiences at Eataly Dallas.
“Each tasting station will feature the most beloved flavors of the season from the Made in Eataly dishes, like Wagyu Arrosticini, Handmade Pasta, Meatballs, Artisanal Salumi & Formaggi, and more!” according to Eataly.
Attendees are invited to explore the food and wine stations throughout the marketplace and join the Eataly Scuola chef in the cooking school for complimentary classes focusing on Eataly favorites.
Tickets are $65 and available for purchase here.


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Domestic intermodal had its best performance since the second quarter of 2004, according to the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA).
Domestic containers led the way with a 10.5% gain, the strongest quarter since 1999. Moderate domestic trailer volumes pushed overall domestic volume ahead 6.7% in the third quarter of 2008.
Year-to-date volumes rose 4.7% overall, according to Intermodal Market Trends and Statistics, a report published by IANA.
A 16.1% surge in 53-foot containers pushed domestic container volumes. Domestic container gains were particularly strong in the Midwest-Northeast corridor, noted the report. Eastbound shipments in the corridor were up 15% and Westbound shipments increased 6%.
Weak consumer spending depressed container imports and overall international results, said the report. International volumes declined 6.1% in the third quarter, compared with the same period a year earlier. Year-to-date, international volume is down 5.7%.


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LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Shares of Adobe Systems Inc. and Macromedia Inc. both climbed to new yearly highs Friday after the companies said they cleared the final regulatory hurdles and will close their pending merger, worth more than $3 billion, over the weekend.
San Jose, Calif.-based Adobe
Adobe will additionally outline its strategy at a meeting with analysts and investors scheduled for Jan. 31 in New York.
Shares of both firms gained in the wake of the news, with Adobe rising $1.09, or 3.2%, to close at $34.97 and Macromedia climbing $1.76, or 3.8%, to finish at $48.26.
The proposed combination, which had been already overwhelmingly approved by shareholders and cleared by U.S. antitrust regulators, just received regulatory clearance in a few European jurisdictions.
With the way now clear for Adobe to acquire San Francisco-based Macromedia, shareholders will receive 1.38 shares of Adobe stock for each of their Macromedia common shares when the deal closes. Based on Friday's closing price, the deal was valued at around $3.7 billion.
Jay Vleeschhouwer, a Merrill Lynch analyst who has been supportive of the combination since it was announced, said he expects Adobe to move quickly to assimilate the Macromedia community. He rates Adobe shares buy with a 12-month target price of $39.
"We should expect reductions of duplicate costs and functions, though cost leverage is hardly the main motivation for the merger," he told clients in a note. "Strategically, Macromedia positions Adobe deeper into the Web-development and mobile-device development markets, which were areas of increasing focus for the company anyway."
The analyst expects to see several examples of packing and promotions of the companies' products next year, with further technical integration further down the road.
Elsewhere, analyst Benjamin Reitzes at UBS estimates Adobe needs to come up with $40 million in yearly cost savings in order for the acquisition to add to its earnings, which he said is "quite achievable."
Reitzes said the company may offer bundled products in mid-2006 -- first for creative professionals -- earlier than some investors may be expecting. He rates the stock buy with a $39 target price.
Adobe in April announced the plans to acquire Macromedia, which makes the Flash animation software used to display graphics on Web sites. The move represents a challenge to Microsoft Corp.
Macromedia's Dreamweaver program is the leading application for Web site design, rivaling Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft's FrontPage, and its Flash animation software is a favorite of designers and other creative professionals.
Adobe hopes to sell those products to the same customers that buy its graphics and publishing programs.
Microsoft is expected to unveil software for document sharing that would compete with Adobe's Acrobat program.
In early July, U.S. Justice Department officials had sought further details from the companies, specifically about their Web authoring and design and vector-graphics illustration products, ahead of giving the merger the go-ahead without requiring the companies to divest any of their businesses.


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According to Zacks, “Taro Pharmaceutical Industries is engaged in the production, research and development, and marketing of prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceutical products, with a focus on generic products. In addition to the production of finished dosage form drugs, they also synthesize the pharmaceutical chemicals used in their production. Products are sold through wholesalers, generic drug distributors, drug store chains, mass merchandisers, HMOs, food stores, pharmacies and hospitals. “
TARO has been the subject of a number of other research reports. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 target price (up previously from $105.00) on shares of Taro Pharmaceutical Industries in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. ValuEngine raised shares of Taro Pharmaceutical Industries from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd.
NYSE TARO traded up $0.56 on Friday, hitting $76.85. The company had a trading volume of 42,316 shares, compared to its average volume of 61,502. The company has a market capitalization of $2.98 billion, a PE ratio of 10.63 and a beta of 0.43. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $77.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $85.84. Taro Pharmaceutical Industries has a 12-month low of $72.97 and a 12-month high of $109.42.
Taro Pharmaceutical Industries (NYSE:TARO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.72 by ($0.26). Taro Pharmaceutical Industries had a return on equity of 14.13% and a net margin of 40.43%. The company had revenue of $160.85 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $168.60 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Taro Pharmaceutical Industries will post 6.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TARO. Commonwealth Bank of Australia boosted its position in shares of Taro Pharmaceutical Industries by 62.5% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Bank of Australia now owns 1,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $111,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Taro Pharmaceutical Industries during the 2nd quarter valued at about $290,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in shares of Taro Pharmaceutical Industries by 500.9% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,810 shares of the company’s stock valued at $325,000 after acquiring an additional 3,176 shares during the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new position in shares of Taro Pharmaceutical Industries during the 2nd quarter valued at about $337,000. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC boosted its position in shares of Taro Pharmaceutical Industries by 61.6% during the 2nd quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 4,083 shares of the company’s stock valued at $349,000 after acquiring an additional 1,556 shares during the last quarter. 10.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Taro Pharmaceutical Industries Company Profile
Taro Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., a science-based pharmaceutical company, engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of pharmaceutical products in the United States, Canada, Israel, and internationally. It offers prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceutical products focusing on primary areas, including topical creams and ointments, liquids, capsules, and tablets in the dermatological and topical, cardiovascular, neuropsychiatric, and anti-inflammatory therapeutic categories.
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Mumbai: Social live streaming platform Bolo Live has appointed Prashant Gupta as chief technology officer.
Gupta brings with him over 13 years of diverse engineering experience. Previously, he was associated with Pratilipi as co-founder and CTO, and has also had a stint with Amazon. Besides Pratilipi, he co-founded Hubblestellar Technologies and a fintech product called Zero65 technologies.
“I look forward to working closely with the exceptional leadership team and a group of the most talented people at Bolo Live. I am also excited about starting my new role and playing my part in helping take Bolo Live onto the next phase of its transformation journey by building a world-class technology team and innovative culture," Gupta said. "Building scale for technology-driven products keeps me going. I am confident that, together, we will capture the next wave of growth for Bolo Live and create a positive impact in the lives of millions."
In his role at Bolo Live, Gupta will lead the technology team to bolster the scale of the platform to achieve the company’s Indian and global expansion goals, while driving tech innovation to enhance user experience, said the statement.
“We are elated to onboard Prashant as he comes with a strong track record of building and scaling technology-driven products. His experience across technology companies like Amazon and Pratilipi will help us create a significant improvement in value for our users,"stated Bolo Live co-founder and CEO Varun Saxena. "Bolo Live has an incredible opportunity with its USP of democratising monetisation for content creators, by leveraging the active engagement of live streaming. Prashant will be integral to our leadership team as we get set to enter the next phase of our growth journey at Bolo Live."
“We are currently ramping up the team aggressively and in the next few weeks will see announcements of prominent hiring across technology, product, and marketing roles,” Saxena further said.


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In the bustling heart of Paris, the Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris event saw a convergence of nearly 8,000 international visitors eager to engage with 1,300 exhibitors from around the globe. Held at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles from 5 to 7 February 2024, this year's event boasted a boldly designed showcase that enhanced the overall experience.
Stable visitor numbers amidst industry demands
Despite the escalating demands within the fashion industry, visitor numbers remained stable, underlining the enduring appeal and significance of Texworld and Apparel Sourcing Paris. Over the course of three days, attendees had the opportunity to engage with weaving and clothing companies representing 25 countries across two levels of Hall 7.
The event witnessed an unprecedented gathering of international companies, surpassing the figures recorded in February 2019. Notably, the Euro-Mediterranean zone emerged as a key player, with the top five countries represented by France, the UK, Italy, Turkey, and Spain. This demographic composition reaffirms the pivotal role of European markets in the global fashion landscape.
Complementarity between Texworld and Apparel Sourcing Paris
For industry professionals like Agathe Coudert, a stylist for the George Rech brand, the event serves as a crucial platform for sourcing fabrics and finished products. Texworld facilitates the selection of fabrics, while Apparel Sourcing caters to the demand for intricate finished goods like knitwear and silk blouses. Exhibitors seized the opportunity to showcase their latest offerings, from innovative performance fabrics to new cotton ranges, fostering connections with a diverse array of international buyers.
Frédéric Bougeard, President of Messe Frankfurt France, emphasized the enduring significance of the European market amidst global economic fluctuations. As markets like Russia and America face uncertainties, Europe remains a strategic hub for manufacturers seeking stability and growth opportunities. The event also highlighted the trend of near sourcing, with Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Italian, and Dutch companies leveraging the platform to integrate their expertise into the sourcing plans of European buyers.
Texpertise econogy: Bridging sustainability and business
In response to growing environmental concerns, Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris embraced sustainability through the Texpertise Econogy initiative. This emphasis on sustainable products underscores a broader industry shift towards eco-conscious practices. The initiative is set to play a pivotal role in future editions of the event, promoting sustainability across the textile supply chain.
Reflecting evolving market dynamics, Texworld Evolution Paris has rebranded to Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris. This shift reflects changing sourcing preferences and the expanding scope of brand offerings. The new name and dual baseline, "Weaving the future; sourcing I business I solutions," underscore the event's evolving focus on providing comprehensive solutions to industry challenges.
Upcoming edition: July 1-3, 2024
The next edition of Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris, alongside Avantex and Leatherworld, is scheduled to take place from July 1 to 3, 2024, at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. With a renewed emphasis on textiles and finished products, the event promises to offer a curated selection of products while coinciding strategically with the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, ensuring minimal overlap and maximum engagement.


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Cruise secrets: What these code words onboard a ship really mean
Cruise holidays are the perfect option for those wanting to travel the world whilst on a luxury ship, offered drinks, food and entertainment.
With larger ships comes much more responsibility to keep guests both happy and healthy.
Cabin crew members, therefore, have code words they use to make sure the ship runs smoothly without alerting passengers to what they mean.
Travel expert Brandon Presser revealed to Bloomberg what some of the secret code words really mean after becoming cruise director for a week on a Harmony of the Seas ship.
He explained: “A ’30-30’ means the crew is asking maintenance to clean up a mess; three times during my stint I called in a “PVI” (public vomiting incident)."
More important words that have been revealed are about the safety of the ship.
“An ‘Alpha’ is a medical emergency,” he said. “A ‘Bravo’ is a fire, and ‘Kilo’ is a request for all personnel to report to their emergency posts, which happens in the event of, say, a necessary evacuation."
The word “Echo” is one to fear, as it means the ship is “starting to drift”.
Cruise secrets: Crew members use hidden words to avoid alarming passengers
Hearing someone say “Oscar” means someone has gone overboard
Hearing someone say “Oscar” means someone has gone overboard, something which Presser explains is pretty rare.
He revealed: “A crew member told me he’s had only four or five ‘Oscars’ in 10 years of cruising.”
Other code words have been revealed by cruise staff that are bad to hear on a ship.
One of them, when referencing a passenger, is being called a “banana”.
Cruise secrets: Code word 'Oscar' means someone is overboard, although is rare
Revealed on Cruise.co.uk, this means the passenger is a bad tipper.
For most cruise workers, tips make up the most of their wages so stingy passengers are often the most disliked by cabin crew.
Using the secret codes, it means they can get away with insulting people without them knowing.
Frequent cruisers should listen out to any bizarre lingo, as well as remember to tip well.


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SAN FRANCISCO and HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Oct. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- A new way of being connected is here. On October 15, entrepreneur and founder of i.am+™ will.i.am will debut a product living at the intersection of fashion, science, technology and pop culture. will.i.am will take the stage at salesforce.com's Dreamforce 2014 to introduce Fashionology into the wearables conversation. Complimentary registration and seating to attend is now open online at www.dreamforce.com. Admission is open to guests 18 years and older.
will.i.am will welcome surprise guests who have traveled far and wide to join in on the reveal of a future-leaning wearable designed to elevate personal technology to a whole new level. The i.am+™ team has been busy creating this bold new device that allows for a sixth sense mentality and represents a new way of being connected.
This showcase performance will take place on October 15 from 5–6 p.m. PT in the Dreamforce Keynote Room at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Doors open at 4 p.m., seating is first-come, first-served and capacity is limited.
Dreamforce 2014: The World's Largest Software Event Ever
The 12th annual Dreamforce event is set to be the largest software event ever, with more than 135,000 people expected to register to attend and an additional three million expected to join online. Dreamforce is a truly global event, with attendees from more than 80 countries around the world flocking to San Francisco to experience four high-energy days of innovation, education, fun and giving back. From this global stage, salesforce.com will unveil the future of enterprise technology–exploring how the rapid acceleration in cloud, social, mobile and connected technologies are transforming the way companies connect with their customers, partners, employees and products. All attendees are encouraged to bring a can of food with them to support the Dreamforce Million Meals Food Drive.
- Become a fan of Dreamforce on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dreamforce
- Follow @Dreamforce on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Dreamforce
- Become a fan of will.i.am: http://will.i.am/
- Follow will.i.am on Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamwill
Salesforce, Salesforce1, Dreamforce and others are among the trademarks of salesforce.com, inc.
Rogers & Cowan


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However, at least half of this production will be from the likes of SK Hynix, Samsung and TSMC; inward investors in Chinese wafer fabs. This will leave Chinese indigenous production far behind the 70 percent target set by Made-in-China 2025 project.
IC Insights sees little change since a year before (see Chinese chip progress is limited and slow, says analyst ). This is partly because the market researcher has reined in its estimates for market growth both in China and globally due to the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent recession.
IC Insights now thinks Chinese companies will manufacture $43 billion out of $208 billion domestically produced chips in 2024. A year ago it was forecasting China would make $45 billion out of $229 billion a year earlier in 2023.
China IC market versus China IC production over time. Source: IC Insights.
In 2019 Chinese IC production of $19.5 billion in China represented 15.7 percent of its $125 billion IC market and up only slightly from a 15.1 percent share five years earlier in 2014.
And importantly Chinese headquartered companies only made $7.6 billion – about 39 percent – of that $19.5 billion. The majority of "Chinese" silicon is made by SK Hynix, Samsung, Intel, and TSMC who have fabs there. That means Chinese companies only accounted for 6.1 percent of the market. Of the $7.6 billion about $1.8 billion was from IDMs and $5.8 billion was from foundries such as SMIC.
SMIC is being joined by indigenous memory specialists such as YMTC and CXMT. Nonetheless IC Insights reckons that at least 50 percent of IC production in China in 2024 will be performed by inward investors in Chinese wafer fabs.
IC production in China is forecast to exhibit a compound annual growth rate of 17 percent over the period 2019 to 2024 but even so the possibility of China getting even close to being self-sufficient in ICs within the next decade