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NASA combats the conspiracy theorists: How Curiosity took a self-portrait on Mars
Back when NASA released Curiosity's first self-portrait from the surface of Mars, there was a surprisingly large number of people who doubted the veracity of the image. NASA, which is rightfully rather proud of its ability to land a one-ton rover on another planet after a 352-million-mile journey, seemingly took these attacks to heart and has now published information about how the self-portrait was taken.
Father-daughter duo have the world's first brain-to-brain 'telepathic' conversation
With such basic issues of privacy on the line, it took the trusting relationship between UK scientist Christopher James and his adventurous daughter to give us our first stab at telepathy.
Apple, Intel, Samsung petition congress for more spectrum in search of faster wireless
As more wireless devices like smartphones and tablets are sold and used, the current infrastructure becomes substantially more taxed. Compression and caching technologies help a good bit, but as we use more data wirelessly, the only way forward is by allotting more wireless spectrum to telcos and device manufacturers. It will take a bit of finagling to get everything right and to calm the nerves of those losing the spectrum, but it will benefit us all in the long run.
Vector vengeance: British researchers claim they can kill the pixel within five years
The humble pixel -- the 2D picture element that has formed the foundation of just about every kind of digital media for the last 50 years -- may soon meet its maker. Believe it or not, if a team of British researchers have their way, the pixel, within five short years, will be replaced with... vectors.
Is it worth investing in a high-efficiency power supply?
Power supply manufacturers are happy to sell you high-efficiency supplies, and high-end 80 Plus units command a substantial premium. Are they worth the cost? We investigate.
By Joel Hruska
Nowhere to hide: Advertisers can now stalk you across multiple devices
A company by the name of Drawbridge has developed a system that will analyze known data from devices surfing from the same location, and supposedly pick out which devices belong to which user.
GE develops ultra-thin, almost-silent cooler for next-gen laptops and tablets
General Electric has unveiled what seems to be the thinnest, high-performance cooler for the next-generation of ultra-thin tablets and laptops (pictured above). While this cooler obviously allows for slimmer designs (or more space for other components), it also uses just half the power of a comparable fan, granting a significant boost to battery life. Oh, it's almost silent, too.
MIT creates tiny, 22nm transistor without silicon
Researchers at MIT's Microsystems Technology Lab (MTL) have created the smallest transistor fashioned from indium gallium arsenide, a material that is being positioned as an eventual successor to silicon. MIT's indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) transistor has a gate length of just 22nm -- roughly the same size as the smallest features on Intel's 22nm FinFET Ivy Bridge chips.


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Deadline: 24-Jan-2017 eVolo Magazine is calling for entries for its 2017 Skyscraper Competition. Open to architects, students, engineers, designers, and artists from around the globe, the annual Skyscraper Competition is one of the world's most ... Designophy, 3 weeks ago
eVolo 2017 Skyscraper Competition - Architect's Newspaper, 1 month ago
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According toa year-end report fromthe US-based Council onTall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) this is the ninth year ina row that China has dominated the world inbuilding skyscrapers. However, 2016 was an exceptional year forconstruction in ...Sputnik, 1 day ago China surpassed US with number of Skyscrapers Macedoniaonline.eu, 19 hours ago
NEW YORK -- President-elect Donald Trump sat down Friday with executives at Conde Nast, a magazine chain whose editors have frequently been his foes. The 90-minute, off-the-record meeting, which underscores Mr. Trump's unusual relationship with ...CBS News, 1 week ago Trump, amid media battles, meets with Conde Nast executives Austin American Statesman, 1 week ago The Feud Between Trump and Graydon Carter Continues WWD.com, 1 month ago
At the beginning of 2016, I left my job at a travel magazine to strike out on my own as a freelance travel writer. What I didn't know at the time is where this leap of faith would take me. This year alone, Ive gone to all seven continents, visiting ...Yahoo! Lifestyle UK and Ireland, 2 weeks ago
Provided by National magazine company ltd (Hearst UK) 8 online retailers you should never order from Even those of us who consider ourselves savvy when it comes to online shopping may be susceptible to the latest round of compelling e-commerce ...MSN South Africa, 1 month ago
Home » Weekend Magazine » November 26, 2016 From Beijing to Berlin, star gazers around the world admired the supermoon - the largest, brightest full moon in nearly seven decades - as it made its way across the skies on last Sunday and last ...Business Recorder, 1 month ago
New York (AFP) - The glass and steel skyscraper -- accented with gold, of course -- glistens on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue in the heart of Midtown. On the ground level, tourists and wealthy New Yorkers shop for expensive trinkets. On the upper ...Yahoo! News, 1 month ago Prankster Renames Trump Tower 'Dump Tower' On Google Maps Outlook India, 1 month ago The Edit: A look at the glittery Trump Tower Malay Mail, 1 month ago
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Courtesy Business Insider/Arconic As part of a larger conceptual project titled "The Jetsons," in which engineers and scientists imagine what 2062 will look like (an homage to the 1962 sci-fi cartoon of the same name that is set 100 years into the ...Architect Magazine, 3 days ago
Even before the election, food luminaries had started brawling over Obama's legacy. In a New York Times Magazine cover story , author Michael Pollan accused the administration of bowing to the demands of corporate agribusiness. They went wobbly in ...Grist Magazine, 3 days ago
Wikipedia Commons The Antilia in South Mumbai. Over the last few decades, skyscrapers heights — and thus their costs — have continued to climb. Business Insider rounded up the most expensive towersbuilt in the last 20 years, defining a ...BusinessInsider.co.id, 1 week ago
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In a country where malnutrition and poverty are still rife, multinationals remove $2bn a year from the economy through tax avoidance. It's legal – but is it moral? And should the government and UK companies take a stand?
ActionAid tax campaigner Chris Jordan describes how his team, over the last 12 months, uncovered a complex corporate structure that allowed Zambia Sugar, a subsidiary of Associated British Foods, to avoid paying tax in the south east African state. Between 2007 and 2012 it paid a rate of corporation tax of less than 0.5%. The standard rate in Zambia is 35%
ActionAid has conducted research into corporate tax avoidance in Zambia. Their findings show how a major sugar producing company in East Africa called Zambia Sugar is avoiding paying millions of pounds in corporate tax. They are owned by Associated British Foods, which owns brands such as Silver Spoon sugar, Twinings tea and Kingsmill Bread


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Giving designers the chance to air their predictions for 1998 (DW 16 January) is already proving its worth.
Designer Callum Lumsden’s prediction that pelmets would return to fashion was borne out on the very day of publication, when one of the home decoration TV shows currently in vogue echoed his views. It even instructed viewers how to make pelmets of their own.
Lumsden is apparently ecstatic. He has been predicting the return of pelmets since 1990.


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Jewish Buddies Who Founded Dollar Shave Club Cash In With $1B Unilever Deal
Dollar Shave Club, a 5-year-old company founded by two Jewish friends who were grousing over the high price of razors at a party, has been bought by Unilever for $1 billion, pending regulatory approval.
The Venice, California-based firm delivers razors and facial cleansing and styling products to consumers by mail.
It was started in 2011 by Mark Levine and Michael Dubin, who met at a party and shared a frustration with the high costs of retail razors. They are famous for their kitschy ads with straightforward messages, such as their 2012 viral Youtube video, “Our Blades Are F***ing Great,” which has been viewed over 22 million times on Youtube.
In the announcement of the deal last night, Unilever noted that Dollar Shave Club had grossed over $152 million in sales last year, and was valued at $615 million last June.
Niche startups built on a direct-to-consumer model, such as Dollar Shave Club threaten the market share of traditional consumer packaged goods (CPG) giants, such as Procter and Gamble (who owns Gillette) and Unilever (who until now owned no razor brands). Consumers are willing to spend more for these distinctive products, online distribution is only getting easier and cheaper, and barriers to market entry are crumbling, making it much easier for a small company to gain large traction in a short amount of time. In the words of one executive of a major CPG company, the big traditional players are “kind of f***ed.”


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Say hello to Ken Segall. "Who?" You know, Ken Segall, Apple's veteran creative director who came up with the name "iMac" and drew up the Think Different ad campaign.
OK -- most of you probably didn't recognize his name, and that's because most Apple stars stay low-profile thanks to the company's secretive nature. Fortunately, Wired.com's old friend Leander Kahney scored a rare interview with Segall at his blog Cult of Mac.
Segall shares his experience working with Steve Jobs to rescue Apple back when the company was near bankruptcy in 1997. The Think Different campaign ultimately played a crucial role in rebooting the Apple brand, as did the famous iMac.
"He didn’t like iMac when he saw it," said Segall, reflecting on his days with the picky CEO Jobs. "I personally liked it, so I went back again with three or four new names, but I said we still like 'iMac.'"
Check out the full interview at Cult of Mac.
- Photo: Cult of Mac*


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Solve Media, a startup that turns CAPTCHA verification systems into ads, says that it’s growing quickly.
There were more than 1 billion engagements with Solve’s Type-In ads last year, the company says. It will exceed that number in the second quarter of 2013 alone, and it should hit 4 billion for all of 2013. Solve also says that it’s on-track to bring in $13 million to $16 million in revenue for 2013.
The technology takes advantage of all those CAPTCHAs we have to fill out to we’re verify that we’re not robots while using different online services. When a site is running a Type-In ad, instead of just forcing you to enter a random collection of letters and numbers, you’ll see an ad (it can be a display ad or a video) and be asked to type in a brand name or message instead. The publisher gets extra revenue and the advertiser gets the attention of consumers in way that’s supposed to deliver 6.7 times higher brand recall than standard ads. The company also runs a similar ad as a preroll before videos.
“Soon we will release a mobile product that performs as well, from an effectiveness standpoint, as our desktop products,” CEO Ari Jacoby told me via email. “Our main goal this year is to remain number 1 on every campaign that we serve for performance. So far, so good.”
Solve is also announcing that it’s opening an office in London, which it says is the first step in its plans for international expansion.
With today’s update to its iPhone app The Scoop, The New York Times may have accomplished something that advertisers and publishers often boast about but rarely achieve — it may have found a genuinely useful way to incorporate sponsored content.
And the update isn’t only relevant to New Yorkers (who can actually take advantage of The Scoop’s recommendations for the best restaurants, bars, coffee shops and more), but also to observers of the Times as a business, suggesting new ways that the company could monetize its content on mobile. The Times said this is the first time it has featured advertising content outside of an actual ad unit in one of its mobile apps.
The Times’ mobile product manager Dan Blumberg told me that when users open the updated app, the main menu will include an additional icon for Citi Bike, the new bikesharing service operated by NYC Bike Share. When users tap on the icon, they’ll see a map showing data from the Citi Bike app, specifically nearby Citi Bike locations and the current number of bikes and docks. The map will also show the location of Times editorial picks for the best restaurants and coffee shops.
So if you’re thinking about going out and you like to bike, or at least you aren’t set on a specific mode of transportation, this could be a way to figure out where you’re going and how you can get there — something that The Scoop could conceivably have included even if Citi Bike weren’t an advertiser. At the same time, Alexandra Hardiman, executive director of mobile products at the Times, noted that the Citi Bike icon will be clearly marked as sponsored: “There will be no confusion for users about whether or not they’re looking at a piece of advertiser content.”
Hardiman said that this update is “part of a larger strategic relationship” with Citibank, and that there’s no specific end date planned for the integration between The Scoop and Citi Bike. She added that the integration goes both ways, with the bike-sharing service’s own smartphone app adding listings from The Scoop later this summer.
As for how campaigns like this might apply to other Times apps, Hardiman argued that her team has “more latitude” to do something like this in The Scoop, which doesn’t run hard news. (Other standalone apps from The Times include The New York Times Real Estate app and a fashion app called The Collection.) This is very much an experiment, she said, but she could “see lessons coming out of it — things that we could extend to other properties.”
You can download the new version of The Scoop here.
Google and Facebook working together? They’re actually friends, in no small part thanks to Erick Tseng. The former Android leader, now Facebook’s mobile product manager, today launched the official Facebook For Google Glass app. Here he tells me about how a tiny team designed the app around simple photo sharing and Facebook’s strengthening relationship with Google.
Josh Constine, TechCrunch: What was it like getting Facebook involved in the Glass program?
Erick Tseng, mobile product manager for special projects at Facebook: It was great. I used to work at Google [as the lead product manager on Android until 2010]. We’re very close, but I have a personal relationship with a bunch of folks on the Glass team. It came out of a pretty informal chat with folks on that team. We both quickly came to the conclusion that it would be pretty awesome to get Facebook on Google Glass.
It all developed in just a few months. Two engineers built the whole app. There were no formal designers. Just me project-managing it. We got early access to some developer hardware and Google Glass prototypes. We had a very small team build a prototype [of our app]. We liked what we saw, showed it to Google, they liked what they saw, then we productized it. It was fun to work on a new platform like Google Glass.
“Our starting principle was the user experience”
TechCrunch: What was it like working on a fast-moving development platform like Google Glass? How do you think about what features to include in Facebook For Glass?
Tseng: From a developer perspective, our starting principle was the user experience. What functionality makes the most sense when you have a device like Glass sitting in front of you? What we came up with was the idea that we wanted to do things very simply and easily. You don’t want a lot of text. We started playing with it and saw photos as a very powerful user interaction with Glass. It’s natural that when you take photos on Glass, you want to share them with the people you care about. We wanted to make the photo uploading process as quick and easy as possible, so we focused on that use case.
As we were playing with Glass, we were really impressed with voice functionality, so we added in the ability to speak a photo description that gets added to your photo.
TechCrunch: There’s a lot of other functionality you could have added. Did you run into constraints on the Glass platform?
Tseng: To be fair, it wasn’t all that much of a constrained platform, considering we wanted to do photo sharing. Photo-taking on Glass is very fast. It’s just one click to share, and one more to decide who to share with. It’s going to be an evolving platform and we’re excited to see what Google has for developers. My expectation is that over time a lot of the user functionality will get easier.
“When you have an opportunity like this, you jump in with eyes wide open”
TechCrunch: What was it like working on a moving target, where you might not know what the device your app eventually launches on would be able to do?
Tseng: It was fun! When you have an opportunity to jump in on an emerging category like this you jump in with eyes wide open, knowing there will be some dynamics before things start settling in. We went in fully aware that this is very early and still in development, but the opportunity to build on Google Glass was quite thrilling.
We always like to think of massive scale and how we can increase happiness in our users live. With Glass, even though it’s very early, it does feel like the natural evolution of where computing is going. As it evolves from the desktop to phones to computers we wear all over our bodies, it behooves us to start only on any technology like this so we get an early glimpse of what users want.
TechCrunch: There’s no way to read the feed or get notifications on Facebook For Glass right now. Did you consider the balance between building an immersive experience and one that might interrupt and overwhelm people?
Tseng: I think it really comes down to how a device like Glass will continue to evolve in our daily lives and the role it will play. We wanted to keep it simple, but it was a no-brainer that photos are a very enjoyable use case. Starting with that was a very straight-forward decision. We’re excited to see Google’s feedback and get people to tell us what they think, what they wish the device could do in addition to photo uploading and we’ll take that into consideration.
TechCrunch: What’s it like being at Facebook and working with Google? Is there any of the animosity people think there is?
Tseng: We love working with the Google Glass team. From the very first conversation I had with the team when we said “Wouldn’t it be great if we did this?” to launch was just a couple months. That’s a testament to both teams working very closely together to get this shipped.
More broadly, it’s often forgotten that we have a great relationship. Facebook is one of most popular Android apps today. We already work very closely on that experience as well. And then Home is the latest manifestation of that relationship.
TechCrunch: What about your previous arguments about data portability and who can import whose email contacts or social graph?
Tseng: Data importation? With the Glass team that never came up at all, so I haven’t even thought about that in this context.
TechCrunch: Is wearable computing the future of social networking?
Tseng: No, I think social networking is a broader concept. It permeates everything we do in our lives. Wearable computing is a way of helping you connect more closely and see context about what’s around you, but I think it’s a misnomer to say it represents the future of social networking.
TechCrunch: Are there specific Google Glass features you’d like to see?
Tseng: Oh yeah! I’d like to keep some of those secret for now. We want to surprise folks when they come out. This app is really our first foray into anything like a Glass form factor. We expect to learn a lot.
After losing mobile product head and Facebook Home team member Charles Jolley to Battery Ventures, Facebook is facing another departure from a previous Home staffer. Draper Fisher Jurvetson announced today that Facebook’s head of product for Android, Bubba Murarka, has joined the firm as General Partner and Managing Director.
Murarka has been with Facebook since 2008, and has held positions as business development lead, and was most recently head of product for Facebook for Android where he started the Facebook Home project.
Murarka helped scale Facebook’s Android product team to more than 50 members and pivot the mobile development strategy toward native applications. During his tenure, Murarka oversaw business strategy for search, photos, places and helped negotiate a number of strategic deals with key Facebook partners including Microsoft, Netflix and Yahoo.
Prior to Facebook, Murarka spent seven years in technical and product roles at Microsoft. While there, he acted as group program manager for Bing’s Bay Area development team. He originally started his career at Microsoft in Seattle as part of the original threedegrees team, which developed an early messaging app.
At DFJ, Murarka will identify new investment opportunities in the early-stage consumer and mobile space. He will also advise current companies on strategic partnerships, growth, product vision, and strategy. For Murarka, the DFJ role makes sense as he has been an angel investor and advisor to more than 10 companies in the consumer mobile and online education sectors since 2008.
This has been a big week for Facebook engineering and product departures. AllThingsD reported yesterday that engineering director Josh Wiseman has departed the social network for an EIR role at Social+Capital.
TenFarms, a startup working on a couple of interesting mobile product ideas, just announced that it has raised $2.7 million in funding from undisclosed angel investors.
The company has already released its first product, Photopoll, which allows users to share photos (you can pull them from your camera roll, Amazon.com, or Instagram), tell stories around those photos, and ask their friends for opinions. There are lots of other polling apps, but when founder and CEO Nils Forsblom showed me Photopoll, he emphasized the ease with which users can share multiple photos. The app has attracted a largely female audience, he said, and it will be tailoring the experience to that audience with future releases.
More interesting to me is what TenFarms is working on next — Adtile, which delivers mobile ads that don’t interrupt the user experience until someone chooses to view them. If you’re browsing an app with a stream of content, some of that content might have an Adtile icon, and if you tap on, say, that photo, it will flip over and show a related ad.
Will anyone actually tap on the ads? Forsblom said that he’s been happy with the results from the early tests, though he declined to offer any specific numbers.
Forsblom said this approach has some big advantages over other types of mobile advertising. For one thing, he said the ads themselves offer a good user experience. For example, one ad he showed me not only highlights a relevant product, but also maps out the location of nearby stores and allows users to call those stores. He said the experience is designed natively for iOS, and he argued that it’s almost wrong to call it an ad — it’s more of “an app within an app.”
The other advantage is targeting. Adtile will allow advertisers to advertise in apps in a specific topic or vertical, and they can also target by geography. Even better, Forsblom said, “We understand what’s the product or thing that it’s showing — when you flip [the content] around, there should a very, very close relationship with with the ad itself.” At the same time, he cautioned, “None of these things are ever perfect.”
Forsblom said he won’t be selling Adtile units directly, but instead working with ad networks. He also said that he wants to experiment with different pricing models, so that it’s “more democratic” and the ad that gets served isn’t always the one that comes from the advertiser with the biggest budget.
Before TenFarms, Forsblom founded Fruugo, a shopping startup that seems to have flamed out despite raising $48 million in funding. In a recent interview, Forsblom said that after taking on investors at Fruugo, he was “basically powerless”: “That was my biggest mistake, giving those voting powers to the investors and basically just being an employee of the company.” That’s why he said he’s being careful and retaining control this time around.


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Canadian inflation released
Figures just released show the Canadian consumer price index rose 0.3% in the last month, falling at an annual rate of -0.8%. Core consumer inflation figures from the Bank of Canada have put inflation at 0.1% on the month, or an annual rate of 1.6%. The core figure however, excludes the traditionally volatile elements of food and energy prices, and this is the reason for the discrepancy.
A rally in equity markets recently has led the MSCI world index to an 11-month high after healthy economic figures from the US led to optimism over global recovery. The Canadian dollar has rallied on the back of this optimism and is currently trading at the top of ranges against the US dollar.
Foreign exchange rates for the Canadian dollar are currently at USD0.9391, GBP0.5679 and EUR0.6380.
The rates quoted above are interbank rates. Client rates may vary according to the volume and timing of the trade.


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Hackers steal $63.7 million from Bitcoin exchange
Hong Kong-based Bitfinex has halted trading and is cooperating with law enforcement to investigate the breach.
Hong Kong Pokémon fans protest over Pikachu translation
A decision to cut the Cantonese version of 'Pokemon Sun and Moon' has caused a backlash among Hong Kong residents.
uHoo edges out other air quality monitors with extra sensors
It can detect carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ozone, volatile organic compounds, dust and more.
Move It puts a smart mini gym in your room
No more excuses for not working out.
Two major visual effects studios join forces for VR push
The animators behind 'Transformers' acquire their Chinese counterpart.
Tesla wants a factory in China, and fast
Model X will be headed to Hong Kong as well later this year.
Air Button adds handy shortcuts to NFC-enabled phones
The idea of customizable add-on buttons for smartphones isn't exactly new. First we had Pressy (whic...
Apple Pay comes to Australia and Canada this year
Apple Pay will reach Australia and Canada by the end of 2015, but only for American Express cards at first.
Beddi smartphone alarm dock hooks up to Uber, Spotify and Nest
We've seen plenty of smartphone -- well, mostly iPhone -- alarm docks in our lifetime, but there's...


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Motorola Edge 20 Seen in Renders with Punch Hole and Triple Camera
Motorola is currently working on its new Edge 20 series, which reportedly includes the Edge 20, Edge 20 Pro, and Edge 20 Lite.
The Edge 20 and Edge 20 Pro were spotted on TENAA’s website earlier this month along with their pictures and a few specifications.
Today, new renders of Motorola Edge 20’s global version have been revealed.
The Global Motorola Edge 20 will feature a 6.7” display surrounded by slim bezels, which could be bigger than the renders.
The display will have a FullHD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and a punch hole.
The phone is reportedly said to have a 32MP selfie shooter inside the punch hole. At the back, it hosts a triple camera setup; 108MP, 16MP, and 8MP units. Earlier leaks claimed that the 16Mp camera will use an ultrawide lens, while 8MP will use a telephoto lens with 3x zoom.
The Edge 20 will feature a volume panel to the right along with a power button, which is said to be a fingerprint scanner as well.
At the bottom of the mobile, there will be a USB Type-C port joined with the speaker, microphone, and a SIM card slot. It will have a secondary microphone at the top.
There will be no 3.5mm headphone jack. You will have to buy wireless earphones if you want to enjoy listening to music while charging.
The Motorola Edge 20 will have Qualcomm’s Snapdragon778G SoC with 6GB/8GB RAM and 120GB/256GB storage.
It is 8.9mm thick (11.6mm thick with camera bump) and will be powered by a 4,000 mAh battery.
Ayu Larassanti voiceovers Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Kena: Bridge of Spirits developer, Ember Labs asked Ayu Larassanti to voice-over...
Netflix launches its free plan for users
Netflix has launched a free subscription plan for users in Kenya with...
Nova 9 and 9 Pro featured in hands-on photos, detailing their specs
Huawei officially teased the long-awaited Nova 9 series. The next-gen lineup featuring...
iPhone 14 Pro models to replace notch with punch hole cutout
iPhone 13 series was launched on September 14 and not long after...
Netflix and Apple TV+ take maximum Emmys home
Netflix, the video streaming giant, made a complete sweep at Emmys 2021....


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Feb 22, 2005
The Shoprite Checkers supermarket group has added yet another value-added benefit to the extensive range of services available at its 375 Money Market counters across the country to help its customers get the most out of the time they spend at the supermarket.
A brand new ticketing service is now available where consumers can book tickets for local performances by international performers like Westlife, Belinda Carlisle, Katie Melua and major sports events like the South African Grand Prix and Super 12 rugby matches.
Tickets can be purchased with cash, debit or credit cards at the Money Market counters of Shoprite, Checkers and Checkers Hyper stores. Alternatively consumers can book telephonically on their credit card by calling the Customer Service Centre on 083 918 0001 and pick up their tickets from their nearest Money Market at their convenience. The Customer Service Centre is operational from 08h00 to 19h30 Monday to Friday, 08h00 to 17h00 on Saturdays and 09h00 to 14h00 on Sundays and public holidays (excluding Christmas Day and Good Friday).
The ticketing service will also be complemented by a dedicated web site where credit card bookings can also be made, the easy to use website will launch today.
Currently on sale are tickets for South African performances of popular Irish boy band Westlife, with opening act by heartthrob Heinz Winkler in Durban on Tuesday, 5 April 2005, Port Elizabeth on Thursday, 7 April 2005, Cape Town on Friday, 8 April 2005 and Johannesburg on Sunday, 10 April 2005.
In line with its commitment to bring South African consumers the widest range of quality products at the lowest prices, Shoprite’s ticket prices for the Westlife shows have been reduced to below competitor rates, and are available at R150 to R320 per ticket.
Tickets for the South African concert tour of popular adult contemporary diva and former front singer of the legendary 80's punk rockers The Go-Go's, Belinda Carlisle, in August 2005 are also on sale now. Ticket prices range between R185 and R285 for concerts taking place in Bloemfontein on Friday, 12 August 2005, Johannesburg on Saturday, 13 August 2005, Pretoria on Friday, 19 August 2005 and Port Elizabeth on Saturday, 20 August 2005.
Tickets for the prestigious international Altech South African Grand Prix taking place at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in Johannesburg from Friday to Sunday, 11-13 November 2005, are also available in-store and online now. This event will see the greatest Formula One heroes competing and as last year’s event attracted over 90 000 spectators and tickets on sale limited, it is suggested that fans purchase tickets well in advance to avoid disappointment.
Rugby enthusiasts can now enjoy the convenience of the many ticket outlets compared to previously when one could only buy tickets from the stadium. Tickets will be available at all the supermarket group’s outlets for all the Super 12 matches taking place at Investec Newlands in Cape Town this year , with ticket prices ranging between R40-R85.
Other services provided at the Money Markets counters include the payments of 180 different third party accounts, utility bills, property rates and taxes, telephone accounts and funeral policy payments. MTN, Vodacom, Cell C and Telkom, pre-paid airtime, postage stamps and game scratch cards, pre-paid electricity and lotto tickets are also on sale, along with Translux, City to City and Intercape bus tickets.


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World News: 07:30 GMT Friday 6th November 2015. [Aurionpro Solutions via Marketwire via SPi World News]
MUMBAI INDIA--Marketwired - November 06 2015 -Solutions Ltd NSE AURIONPRO BSE a global provider of and technology solutions for accelerating digital innovation and efficiently today announced its finan cial re...
Marketwire: 07:30 GMT Friday 6th November 2015
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Musk promises semis by December, Toyota finally fixes loose wheels, NASCAR drivers not happy with new car
Elon Musk will deliver first electric Tesla semi trucks December 1
Intake: Five years after debuting his electric semi truck, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, said he will begin delivery of 15 trucks to Pepsi by the end of the year, starting December 1. Pepsi, says Automotive News, has a contract for 100 of the trucks. The trucks supposedly have 500 miles of range, and Musk has said in the past that he has deposits from Walmart and Anheuser-Busch for the trucks. AN speculates that Musk’s interest in the trucks was spurred by the Senate passing the Inflation Reduction Act, which made heavy-duty electric trucks eligible for as much as $40,000 federal tax credits.
Exhaust: On the website for the truck, Musk says it has “Badass Performance,” generated by three electric motors, and can “accelerate from 0-60 mph in 20 seconds, fully loaded, and maintain highway-level speeds even up steep grades.” Tesla’s “semi chargers” will recover up to 70 percent of the range in 30 minutes, and “operators can see estimated fuel savings of up to $200,000 within their first three years of ownership.” Pepsi seems like a good first rollout customer, since its runs are relatively short compared to most over-the-road truckers’. —Steven Cole Smith
Wheels no longer fall off Toyota’s EV, sales resume
Intake: Toyota’s BZ4X production electric vehicle will resume sales after the company resolved an issue in which its wheels could loosen and potentially fall off. The recall covers 258 units of Toyota’s EV sold in the U.S., but the 403 affected examples of its Subaru sistership have reportedly not been “sold to dealers or retail purchasers.” The older NHTSA report mentions that the “investigation is ongoing,” but according to Automotive News, Toyota chief technology officer Masahiko Maeda says it missed the issue “because we didn’t conduct the assessments based on a premise that the quality of wheels would be so off.”
Exhaust: Toyota’s CTO suggests a bad batch of wheels is to blame, but no further details were given. That said, if you’ve ever bought aftermarket (or refinished) wheels only to learn that the lug nut recesses have too much paint on them, I reckon you know exactly what Toyota is going through right now. Can we wager that Toyota dealers are grabbing a paint meter, then sanding a little off so the lug nuts can do their job? — Sajeev Mehta
NASCAR drivers frustrated by safety concerns with new Cup car
Intake: Kurt Busch and Alex Bowman will both be out of the NASCAR race at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend because of concussions, one reason NASCAR driver and team owners are speaking out about the safety of the new-for-2022 NASCAR Cup car. Both Busch and Bowman backed into the wall; the complaint centers around the belief that the new cars are too stiff, with the car transmitting the shock of a crash straight to the driver rather than absorbing it. While Bowman and Busch are the only two drivers to miss races with concussions, the Associated Press “learned of at least two other drivers who believe they suffered concussions earlier this season.” Drivers have long been reluctant to admit they may have a concussion for fear of missing an important race or losing their seats altogether. “We have done really well in the last 10, 15 years with safety in so many ways. But this car, from the rear impact, it’s just like you’re sitting on a piece of steel. We need to fix it as soon as we can,” team owner Rick Hendrick told AP.
Exhaust: This is not a new problem, but in the past few weeks, the number of very prominent drivers, such as Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, and Kevin Harvick, who have spoken out about it makes it a very real concern. NASCAR is working on the issue, but it won’t be an easy fix. —SCS
Charge Cars to debut limited-edition ’67 electric car in Los Angeles
Intake: Charge Cars, a British company, will host its electric Mustang-lookalike’s North American debut in Los Angeles later this month, but we can see the ’67 now. Just 499 examples of the ’67 will be built and each will feature a steel chassis with carbon-fiber bodywork. Its 535-hp, all-wheel-drive system is enough to propel the car from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and its floor-mounted batteries will deliver a range of up to 200 miles. The exterior is very familiar, but the interior is all new and the two-seat configuration has a large luggage area and a modern design.
Exhaust: We must admit that the lines of the classic fastback look good—the basis of the car is clearly a ’67 Mustang—yet Charge Cars never mention its pony car roots. Strange, huh? We’re all for electric conversions when the original car didn’t have a stellar powerplant, but that was not the case with early Mustangs. Is that gorgeous interior enough to make up for the absence of a high-strung small-block? —Brandan Gillogly
Two top sports car teams looking for a female driver
Intake: Kelly-Moss Racing has extended a dozen invitations to female racers to come to Putnum Park Raceway in Indiana to try out for a seat at Kelly-Moss. During the shootout, the women will be evaluated both on and off track. This intensive event will involve assessment of track times, technical communication with engineers, understanding of car dynamics, interview skills, sponsorship value, fit with the team and more. The funding for the 2023 race season position includes 16 races, 6 tests, race entry fees, and a Porsche GT3 Cup car for the races and tests. Meanwhile, Heart of Racing, an IMSA team, is doing essentially the same thing, with a funded ride in an Aston Martin in GT4 competition at stake. The shootout will be held at the Apex Club track outside Phoenix. They are still taking applications: Apply here by October 23 to be considered.
Exhaust: These are no publicity stunts: These are top-notch professional race teams offering a solid season to selected female racers. Should be interesting to watch. —SCS
Australian Supercars could visit the U.S. as soon as 2024
Intake: Australian Supercar fans on this side of the Pacific, get excited, as the V-8-powered touring car series could be making a rare visit to the United States as soon as 2024. In an interview with Autosport, Supercar chairman Barclay Nettlefold revealed that top brass are examining the possibility of joining select Formula 1 grand prix as an undercard. And, in case you missed it, F1 is rapidly expanding into North America. Next year, Supercars will also roll out its new Gen3 racer—which includes a new Chevy Camaro (rather than the stalwart Holden Commodore) and a Ford Mustang (below). “We’ve got global relevance now,” said Nettlefold. “We’re the only touring car really focusing on that. I would love to see us as category support in the Americas. How powerful would that be for Ford and General Motors.” This wouldn’t be the first time Supercars have traveled stateside, having held a standalone event at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas in 2013, putting on a great show.
Exhaust: If you’ve never watched Australian Supercar competition, you’re missing out. The V-8 powered Mustangs and Commodores (soon to be replaced by the Camaro) make for epic showdowns of close racing, daring maneuvers, and dramatic finishes. Should they seal the deal and partner with Formula 1, this could be the perfect pairing of rip-snorting rumblers and high-tech open-wheelers; a well-rounded weekend for those in the grandstands. Though, with Formula 1’s recent expansion into the United States, you have to wonder if NASCAR isn’t already making the same pitch to F1 behind closed doors? After all, NASCAR’s NextGen stocker processes some similar pieces to its Aussie counterparts (sequential shifter to wide, low-profile slicks), which has presented a natural transition to more road course racing. Wait, I have an even better idea: let’s put Supercars tourers and NASCAR stockers on the same track to vie for the title of supreme V-8 racer. —Cameron Neveu


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Jeff Binczyk owes his wife and daughter “big time” for the iPad they got him on Father's Day. Like other executives in Northeast Ohio, the vice president of marketing at Shearer's Foods Inc. says the iPad has altered the way he works. Mr. Binczyk starts his day with Apple's popular tablet computer: During his hour-long commute, he opens e-mails at stoplights, and when he speaks, the iPad transcribes his words. On the morning of Oct. 19, he wrote seven e-mails before getting to the office, where he double-checks the text and hits send. He uses the iPad to give presentations, view documents and manage his calendar. He even has bought a $10 stylus and downloaded a $2 app that lets him write on documents as if he were using a red pen. And here he was thinking he would just use the device for checking Facebook and watching movies. “It has literally changed my marketing life,” said Mr. Binczyk, one of several Shearer's executives using iPads. Individual executives and sales people are finding plenty of business uses for their iPads, said Ted Schadler, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research Inc. The tablet computers often don't replace laptops completely, but they're a great complement, he said, adding that they are easier to carry and less expensive than high-end laptops. “It's a great third device,” Mr. Schadler said. “You've got your smart phone, you've got your laptop, you've got your iPad.”
Business execs find new way to work with iPads
<i>Execs employ iPad to improve efficiency,
utilize technology in business operations </i>
Though most companies interested in broadly deploying iPads are just experimenting with them, a few local firms already have put them to use. Arhaus Furniture of Walton Hills announced in July that it would buy 50 iPads this year to replace the BlackBerrys in the furniture dealer's delivery trucks. And Bill Proctor, president of Epicenter Development Group LLC in Brecksville, said his engineering consulting firm is working with manufacturers in Twinsburg and Brunswick that are starting to use iPads to track shop floor data, though he declined to identify them. For the most part, though, individual executives and employees are the ones finding business uses for the tablet computer. Mr. Proctor said his iPad helps him show manufacturing clients the simulations he creates so they can see how certain process changes might impact their daily operations. The iPad's battery life is 10 hours, far better than your typical laptop, and its larger screen makes it more versatile than the iPhone, Mr. Proctor said. For instance, two weeks ago he used its wireless Internet capabilities to attend a virtual meeting, complete with a PowerPoint presentation. “If you want to write and take notes, the iPhone is so small,” he said.
The iPad also boots up faster than a laptop, said labor and employment lawyer Stephen Zashin, who described it as “the greatest device ever made.” One downside, though, is that it can't access some of the software that his firm, Zashin & Rich Co., runs on its BlackBerrys. “I wish the two would talk to each other better,” said Mr. Zashin, co-managing partner at the firm, which has offices in Cleveland and Columbus. Mr. Zashin still uses his laptop on occasion, as does Tim Mueller, Cleveland-based CEO of tele- communications technology firm Phylogy Inc. in Santa Clara, Calif. Though a keyboard is available for the iPad, Apple should make an iPad that “would actually be the screen of your laptop that detaches,” said Mr. Mueller, who joked that the iPad is connected to his left arm. It's particularly good for taking notes during meetings, Mr. Mueller said. “You don't have the obtrusive wall that a laptop creates when you're meeting with somebody,” he said.
When he travels to Silicon Valley for events, Mr. Mueller said, he sees lots of executives using iPads. They aren't quite as common here. That situation may change: Information technology research firm Gartner Inc. expects consumers worldwide to buy nearly 20 million tablet computers this year and almost 55 million next year. The iPad, in particular, is spreading quickly, according to Valdis Krebs, chief scientist at social network analysis software and services firm Orgnet.com in Rocky River. He described how, on a recent flight to Dallas, he saw all types using the machine — men and women, geeks and soccer moms. Mr. Krebs was one of them: The iPad has replaced both his laptop and his briefcase. His wife says he carries it more than she carries her purse. “I take it with me everywhere,” he said.


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A landmark agreement aimed at healing a nearly 70-year rift between Beijing and the Vatican is in limbo as the Chinese government tightens control over religion.
The Vatican had hoped to clear the biggest hurdle to the deal—intended to bring together China’s state-backed and unauthorized Catholic communities—at a meeting this month, people familiar with the talks said, but it has yet to be scheduled.
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The sports car manufacturer Lotus has introduced his strategy for the coming years. And also proclaim some exciting news. According to this, the legendary British sports car forge, which has been a majority of the Chinese Geely Group since 2017, bundles its development in the new Lotus Technology business unit. Part of the development is to take place on the new global headquarters in Chinese Wuhan, for which recently the groundbreaking ceremony took place.
Together with the experienced Lotus team in the United Kingdom, Lotus Technology has developed a plan for the next five years to bring the company back to the profit track, as the manufacturer announces. Among other things, the introduction of several new electric cars is planned: Accordingly, Lotus wants to launch an electric SUV in the coming year with the internal code name Type 132. The vehicle should be positioned in the e-segment, the upper partial class. 2023 a four-door electric coupe should follow the type designation 133 and 2025 with the type 134 another SUV. A completely newly developed electric sports car (type 135) should be presented in 2026. A taste published by Lotus shows in which direction the design of the upcoming E cars will tend to.
According to the new models, according to a recent communication, the fully electric Hypercar Evija and the Emira, the last gasoline-powered sports car from Lotus, which are both built in Hethel, Great Britain,. Its electric cars built on a new platform wants to equip Lotus with battery capacities between 92 and 120 kWh. The performance values of the upcoming Lotus Stromers should allow sprints from zero to 100 in less than three seconds. In addition, they should be based on 800 volts technology that enables extra fast charging stops. Among other Audi, Porsche and Hyundai-Kia already have some 800 volt streams on offer.
The British sports car manufacturer Lotus was founded in 1948 by Colin Chapman and has achieved by minimalism, an outstanding driving behavior, lightweight construction technologies and aerodynamic technology under the slogan “for the drivers” world-friendly. In Hethel and Norwich, both in the United Kingdom, are the sports car production and performance facilities.
The new plant in China should significantly increase production capacities. The factory in Wuhan has a total area of more than one million square meters and costs well eight billion yuan, converted a billion euros, leaves Lotus. In the future, there are good 150.000 vehicles rolled from the tape per year.
In the course of the restructuring of his business, Lotus in the United Kingdom will in future be responsible for the development and production of exclusive sports cars and electro-hypercar evija and coordinate the worldwide distribution of the Lotus brand. The Lotus Technology business unit is responsible for the “mass” droms designed for higher sales figures and coordination between the individual development units, which, in addition to the units in the UK and China, the F-based f&E-Center (Lotus Technology Innovation Center) belongs to Raunheim.
Lotus Cars has simultaneously completed a round of financing and get into the house known in the e-auto scene: Nio Capital, the investment arm of the E-Car manufacturer NIO, is part of the round, the Lotus Technology with 15 billion yuan or. Good 1.9 billion euros rated. Lotus and NIO should already talk about opportunities for both sides advantageous industrial cooperation.
For Lotus, Electric is the ultimate technology for sports cars
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NIDEC has ambitious plans: largest manufacturer for electric car engines
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Ferrari is not afraid of the electrical future – looks great chance
Ferrari , an Italian car manufacturer of sports cars and Formula 1 vehicles, gave for the first time in 2019 to see the brand’s first fully electric…
Gives the Dacia Bigster Concept a view of Dacias Electrical Future?
Dacia -Lada in the future acts as a stand-alone business unit in the Renault Group. This revealed the announcement of the Renaulution strategy today….
VW sets his hopes for the future in China
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Opel future plans were announced: profitable, electrical and global
Michael Lohscheller, CEO of OPEL AUTOMOBILE GmbH, has today Strategic Plan Pace! presented for Opel / Vauxhall, which should help to promote sustainable…
New holding structure sets course for Rimac’s future
The Croatian luxury manufacturer Rimac has given itself a new company structure in order to be able to target its markets even more in the future. The…
Piëch Mark Zero sports car sets on a special cell type to the ultrafast shop
From the house, the Piëch Mark Zero brings as Electric GT to 500 kilometers reach according to WLTP. A special cell type is hardly developed when loading…
From the past into the electrical future: a 1953 Buick Roadmaster as electric vehicle
On some ideas you have to come first. When I had the news in the electronic mailbox, whether I would like to have a very special e-car feature I did not…
Lotus sees potential for purely electric hypercar
Only in November we reported that Lotus wants to become electrically. In mid-December it is already a little more concrete. At this time, the statement…


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Analysts’ Recommendations for Target Stock
Most of the analysts covering Target (TGT) recommend a “hold.” Sluggish sales and a challenging outlook will likely weigh on the company’s performance.
Target stock will likely remain under pressure due to increased competition, which will hurt its store traffic and result in lower sales.
Target (TGT) is witnessing sluggish sales, and Amazon’s (AMZN) latest bid to acquire Whole Foods (WFM) will likely create further challenges for this mass merchandiser.
Despite a couple of analysts downgrading Costco (COST) stock after Amazon (AMZN) announced its bid to acquire Whole Foods (WFM), the company remains analysts’ top pick among its peer group.
Walmart (WMT) continues to buy small and in-vogue brands to strengthen its position in the digital space.
There’s no denying that Amazon’s (AMZN) acquisition of Whole Foods (WFM) could have a significant impact on grocers’ margins and result in store closures.
Stock prices of grocers and mass merchandisers saw sharp falls after Amazon’s announcement that it has entered a definitive agreement to acquire Whole Foods (WFM).
Analysts covering Target (TGT) are maintaining a neutral outlook on the stock as the risk reward has balanced for the moment.
Last quarter, Target’s comps fell 1.3%, with an 0.80% decline in traffic. Walmart (WMT) and Costco (COST), however, are uniquely positioned, bucking the trend.
Target’s management is calling for a $200.0 million fall in EBIT (earnings before interest and tax) for fiscal 2Q17 due to lower sales and increased SG&A.
Target (TGT) recently announced a 3.3% hike in the quarterly dividend to $0.62 from $0.60. In fiscal 2016, it returned $1.3 billion to shareholders in the form of dividends.
On June 1, 2017, Walmart stock closed at $79.81—almost at par with analysts’ 12-month target price of $79.94.
Walmart started testing its new online delivery service in three of its stores. It’s getting an overwhelming response from customers and associates.
Most analysts had a positive outlook on Costco stock. Among the 31 analysts covering Costco, ~71% recommended a “buy” and 29% recommended a “hold.”
As of May 31, Costco stock was trading at $180.43, which is close to its 52-week high of $183.18. It also trades at a premium to its peer group average.
Costco continued to report strong sales. The company’s comparable-store sales, or comps, rose 4.1% for the four-week period ending on May 28.
The majority of analysts rating Costco (COST) remain upbeat on the stock, given the company’s exceptional performance amid a tough operating environment.
Costco Wholesale (COST) reported a healthy top-line growth that significantly boosted its margins in fiscal 3Q17.
Costco’s (COST) fiscal 3Q17 sales of $28.9 billion came in ahead of Wall Street’s estimate, thanks to the rise in the average transaction and shopping frequency.
Analysts remain upbeat about Costco stock since the company managed to remain immune from most of the headwinds plaguing retailers.


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Sports media analysts view Walt Disney Co.’s decision to put a broad-based, ESPN-branded streaming service into play early in 2018 as both a defensive and offensive gambit.
The launch of the direct-to-consumer service, which had been expected later this year, comes as ESPN (US), once the crown jewel of Disney’s vast portfolio, continues to shed subscribers, partly due to consumers migrating from the traditional programming bundle to over-the-top offerings and skinny bundles. The company is about to enter a renewal cycle with its traditional distributors. Kagan, a media research group within S&P Global Market Intelligence, estimates that ESPN alone will receive an average monthly subscriber fee of $7.54 from affiliates in 2017, the highest for a basic-cable network.
Apps for the ESPN and Disney OTT services will be available for distributors to deliver in package deals. Disney is about to enter a renewal cycle with its traditional affiliates, but Iger said the company has not yet had conversations with its current pay TV distributors concerning the streaming ESPN service.
Kagan analyst Seth Shafer said it will be interesting to see how ESPN "looks to protect its legacy affiliate dollars and navigate new revenue opportunities and where things net out as subscribers from traditional bundles continue to decrease."
Chris Bevilacqua, co-founder of sports and media advisory firm Bevilacqua Helfant Ventures, said the traditional content bundle is not going away anytime soon, "but it is melting." He noted that the industry will be keeping its eye on Disney’s "renewal resets" with the top five or six distributors over the next few years, beginning with Altice USA Inc.
"Would Altice take a hard stance against a pricing increase for the linear service? Or is it going to work with ESPN on the linear service and share in revenues from the new DTC offering? Will it be able to offer the DTC service to broadband-only customers who don’t want the big bundle? ESPN and Altice should be able to figure out a path to give customers what they want," he said.
Neal Pilson, president of consultancy Pilson Communications and the former head of CBS Sports, said the streaming service from ESPN and the one that CBS Corp. plans to launch later this year, afford them added ammunition with distributors. "Any time there is an alternate platform it gives you leverage in negotiations and will drive discussions to keep the linear offering intact."
Pilson added that he always expected ESPN to "protect itself with a streaming service, so it would not be outflanked" by Google Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Netflix Inc.in terms of major, future rights negotiations.
Marc Edelman, a law professor at Baruch College's Zicklin School of Business, and consultant to sports, gaming and online businesses, agreed, saying the upcoming launches of the ESPN and CBS streaming sports services "mitigate against the threat to some degree from the internet companies." He brought up the example of Blockbuster, which opted not to enter the streaming business and was ultimately driven out of business by Netflix.
He expects that NBC (US), FOX (US) and other sports media players will soon follow suit with their own multisport streaming services helping to keep them viable in a changing media world and as "a safeguard against obsolescence."
TV and media consultant Brad Adgate said ESPN and CBS are "following the eyeballs. This is how young people like to consume content. Many millennials are bypassing MVPDs and ESPN has lost 12 million subscribers over the past five or six years."
Adgate wonders whether those defectors will have interest in the new offering. He also expects ESPN to take a page from Hulu LLC, in which Disney holds an ownership stake, and offers a higher-priced, ad-free version of its branded streaming service.
As the media and distribution landscapes evolve, Bevilacqua believes at least one constant remains. "The leagues and conferences holding the IP are sitting in the catbird seat," he said. "The traditional networks are looking to further monetize digital rights, while Amazon, Google and Verizon Communications Inc. want more sports. More importantly, there still seems to be willingness to pay for the different rights."


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Last October marked 20 years of the iPod. It’s a remarkable run in the cutthroat, always-iterating world of consumer electronics. And while it’s undoubtedly true that life hasn’t been particularly fruitful for the music player in a product lineup that includes various iPhones and iPads, the beloved music player has somehow managed to hang on.
That is, until today.
Apple this morning announced that the iPod is dead. That is, as much as a particular gadget can ever be dead. Rather, it will shuffle off this mortal coil slowly, remaining for sale while supplies last. So if you were considering purchasing one for any reason, buy now or forever hold your peace.
The iPod’s death has been a protracted one. I can hear those “the iPod was still around?” posts clogging up the comments section as I type this. The iconic clickwheel model, which later gave rise to the Classic, was discontinued back in 2014. The Shuffle and Nano, meanwhile, were killed off three years later. Until today, the seventh-generation iPod Touch stubbornly clung to life, three years after its debut.
The first iPod debuted onstage in the hand of Steve Jobs on October 23, 2001. “With iPod, Apple has invented a whole new category of digital music player that lets you put your entire music collection in your pocket and listen to it wherever you go,” he noted at the time. “With iPod, listening to music will never be the same again.”
In the age of ubiquitous smartphones and Spotify, it’s hard to impress upon people how revolutionary the promise of 1,000 songs in your pocket ultimately was. All of that was packed onto a tiny 5GB Toshiba hard drive and plugged into a Mac via FireWire cable. Whom amongst us didn’t want to be a silhouetted figure dancing with white headphones in front of a brightly colored backdrop?
Without the iPod, there’s no iPhone, no iPad. Last week, iPod and iPhone co-creator Tony Fadell walked us through that direct connection.
“We did iPod Plus Phone,” Fadell said. “You took the headset, which had a microphone on it and the one ear thing. You could use the Click Wheel to select numbers and names, or you could dial with it, like a rotary phone, which was the ultimate death of it. You couldn’t enter anything, because there’s no textual input. But it was an iPod Classic with a phone in it. Walk it back from the third-party prototype, and we were there, too.”
Of Jobs and the iPod/iPhone connection, he explained, “He had very clear views on things — until they weren’t clear,” he told TechCrunch. “Or it became very clear that they wouldn’t work. He pushed us very hard on making the iPod Plus Phone work. We worked weeks and weeks to figure out how to do input with the click wheel. We couldn’t get it, and after the whole team was convinced we couldn’t do it, he was like, ‘keep trying!’ At some point we all said, ‘no, it isn’t going to work.’”
When the iPhone arrived six years later, it ditched the clickwheel for a touchscreen, though the company was still attached enough to keep that iconic input device alive through the iPod Classic. 2007 also saw the debut of the iPod Touch, which drew upon the iPhone’s touchscreen design. That same year, the company announced that it had sold its one-hundred-millionth device.
Apple used the bittersweet occasion to mourn the device’s end-of-life, while plugging products that will keep that flame burning.
“Music has always been part of our core at Apple, and bringing it to hundreds of millions of users in the way iPod did impacted more than just the music industry — it also redefined how music is discovered, listened to, and shared,” Greg Joswiak said in a release. “Today, the spirit of iPod lives on. We’ve integrated an incredible music experience across all of our products, from the iPhone to the Apple Watch to HomePod mini, and across Mac, iPad, and Apple TV. And Apple Music delivers industry-leading sound quality with support for spatial audio — there’s no better way to enjoy, discover, and experience music.”
Perhaps it’s time to dig through the old gadget drawer, dust off the iPod and see if it’s possible to resurrect it for one final spin. Here’s to you, old friend.


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The CEO of the world’s second-largest wine company by volume along with several other well-known wine leaders will be featured at the North Bay Business Journal’s 11th annual Wine Industry Conference the morning of April 26 at Sonoma State University.
The conference is underwritten by Farella Braun + Martel, Moss Adams, Wells Fargo and Zepponi & Company.
“This is a rare opportunity to hear from Brian Vos, CEO The Wine Group,” said Business Journal Publisher Brad Bollinger. “And our two topical panels are packed with wine leaders as well.”
In addition to keynote speaker Brian Vos, CEO of The Wine Group, a slate of prominent panel members will address two subjects: “The Drive to Premiumization” and “The Wine Growth Cycle: Are We at a Peak?”
The “Premiumization” panel will include Jeff O’Neill, founder of O’Neill Vintners and Distillers, Larkspur; Judd Wallenbrock, president and CEO of C. Mondavi & Family Winery, Napa; Kevin Phillips, vice president of operations for Michael David Winery, Lodi; and Bob Torkelson, president and CEO of Trinchero Family Estates, St. Helena.
Panelists for the growth panel include Dan Leese, president, CEO and co-founder of V2 Wine Group in Sonoma; Tony Correia of The Correia Group, which appraises agriculture and rural properties; Carl N. Stillman, Stillman & Associates, Inc.; Jon Moramarco, managing partner of BW 166 LLC.; and JoAnn C. Wall, CEO and accredited rural appraiser, Above and Beyond Real Estate Services, Inc.
In addition, Wells Fargo Senior Economist Gary Schlossberg will update attendees on the economy.
Vos has spent 27 years in the wine industry. He started at the privately held company in 2002 as vice president of supply chain, then was promoted to executive vice president in 2004, chief operating officer in 2006, president in 2009 and CEO in 2012.
The company he leads operates 13 wineries in California, New York and Australia that produces brands such as Franzia (the world’s largest wine brand), Cupcake Vineyards, Chloe, Benziger Family, Concanon Vineyards, Imagery, Love Noir, Glen Ellen, Corbett Canyon, Big House, flipflop, Almaden, Oakleaf, and Mogen David. With annual sales in excess of 50 million cases, the company markets wine primarily in North America, Northern Europe and Asia.
The conference will take place April 26 from 7:30–11:30 a.m. at the SSU Student Conference Center, 1801 E. Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park. Tickets are $95 a person now or $125 at the door. Purchase them at nbbj.news/wine18 or by calling Annette Wirick at 707-521-5264.
In addition to the conference underwriters, major sponsors are American Ag Credit, Bank of Marin, BPM, Carle Mackie Power & Ross, Dickenson Peatman & Fogarty, Exchange Bank, Holland & Knight, Interwest Insurance Services, Mechanics Bank, Rabobank, Sonoma State University’s School of Business and Economics, TricorBraun, Western Health Advantage and Wright Contracting. Corporate sponsor: Sonoma County Airport.
Wine Industry Conference
April 26, 7:30–11:30 a.m.
SSU Student Conference Center, 1801 E. Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park, California
Tickets: $95 a person now or $125 at the door
Preregister through April 24: nbbj.news/wine18, 707-521-5264 (Annette Wirick)


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TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada’s main stock index rose on Friday as positive U.S. economic data and hopes of a Chinese government stimulus helped drive up shares of natural resource companies.
But one sore spot was a 6.5 percent drop in shares of BlackBerry (BB.TO) after the company reported a quarterly loss and a sharp drop in revenue as its smartphone sales continued to slide.
The market was encouraged by data showing a rise in U.S. consumer spending in February, following a wave of upbeat numbers that suggested the economy in the first quarter was shaping up stronger than some people had expected.
China’s Premier Li Keqiang said that Beijing was ready to support the world’s second-biggest economy, a major market for Canada’s natural resources, and signaled a willingness to drive infrastructure investment.
“I call it ‘QE brunch coming to China’,” said Adrian Mastracci, portfolio manager at KCM Wealth Management. “Now all of a sudden China is on the stimulus bandwagon.”
“It means that the economy is not doing well on its own,” he added. “However, investors interpret it as bailing them out.”
But appetite for Canadian equities remains fairly strong, said Mastracci.
The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index .GSPTSE closed up 81.88 points, or 0.58 percent, at 14,260.72, after declining in the previous two sessions. It is up about 4.7 percent this year.
Five of the 10 main sectors on the index were higher on Friday.
In corporate news, BRP Inc (DOO.TO) forecast a lower-than-expected full-year profit. Shares of the snowmobile maker shed 10.9 percent to C$28.40.
BlackBerry was trading at C$9.31, helping drag the information technology sector down 1.1 percent.
Editing by Peter Galloway


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NORTH FORT MYERS
A mall in North Fort Myers doesn’t look like much right now, but there might be a new plan for it.
It might be a tough road to change that into something new. There are already new businesses in the area and people are using it as a cross road between US 41 and Pondella Road. That’s if they don’t get their car stuck in one of the potholes.
Sue Stansky is a hairstylist at Deb’s Cut ‘N Loose. “Well, when you’re sitting there, you have clients in the living room, and a rat comes running out…that’s a good sign that you need to get out of there,” Stansky said.
They moved out of the ramshackle mall, Hancock Bridge Square Shopping Center, where Stanksy and her boss Deb have done their hair for years.
The bigger stores saw what was happening and cut their losses, then they ran while the salons stayed.
“There was a new owner who bought the mall in Miami, they didn’t maintain it, told Debby a big story ‘oh we’re gonna keep going, we’re gonna have stores here, you’re gonna see a difference. ‘ But no, it got worse,” Stansky said.
So, the living room finally got up and walked out too. The commissioner of this district, Brian Hamman, says that the owner of this property, Luis Dominguez, met him and showed him some plans. However, no action yet.
“The owner who doesn’t even live here doesn’t seem to care about our community at all. He doesn’t care about his property. And that really holds the rest of North Fort Myers back,” Hamman said.
“I think it’s a shame,” Commissioner Hamman said.
Hamman added that the owner of this place racked up more than $40,000 in fines, but that wasn’t enough to make up the difference.
He also said eminent domain was not working the county to simply take over the property for economic development reasons.
Copyright 2022 Fort Myers Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without prior written permission.


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- TM has been offering SD-WAN since November 2018, but Maxis’ launch of its service last month marked the beginning of the real competition.
- More carriers, integrators and resellers are expected to join the bandwagon, driven by customer demand.
SD-WAN in Malaysia
SD-WAN is not new; it has been around in the market globally for several years, offered by various providers such as carriers, system integrators and value-added resellers. The ecosystem is maturing, with a growing number of vendors and new capabilities having been developed (e.g., multi-vendor interworking, overlay-underlay integration, more virtual network services, network-cloud convergence). However, the market is only beginning to gain momentum in Malaysia. Telekom Malaysia (TM), the fixed-line incumbent provider in the country, launched the service in November last year, offering its customers two vendor options. The provider has not been aggressive in the market with its SD-WAN services due to the risk of losing its business from the legacy data services (e.g., IP VPN, Ethernet, Dedicated Internet) as well as the lack of competition. While there are smaller telcos, value-added reseller and system integrators such as RedTone, ViewQwest, Netpoleon, LNS and BreitKom in the market, its major competitor – Maxis – only launched SD-WAN last month, while Time has yet to offer the service.
The Real Competition Begins
Maxis’ SD-WAN launch marked the beginning of the real competition in Malaysia. The leading mobile provider has been strengthening its enterprise service business and gaining market share from TM. Maxis offers Meraki-based SD-WAN services to provide a lower entry barrier for enterprises and to address a large number of companies with Cisco environments. However, unlike TM, Maxis does not have a large subscriber base for its legacy data services. The provider is expected to be more aggressive in the market to win new enterprises and by upselling the services to its existing customers. It could also use its mobile network as an underlay to differentiate against TM.
SD-WAN is still in its early phase in Malaysia. Enterprises could expect to see other mobile providers such as Celcom and Digi offering their own services soon, as both carriers are expanding their fixed-line and enterprise portfolio. Global carriers that are several steps ahead in terms of product capabilities and service delivery could also disrupt the domestic market. For example, in Indonesia, NTT recently edged out the local providers to win a deal with a leading bank to provide SD-WAN across more than 120 branches. The national system integrators and other resellers are expected to join the bandwagon too, seeing the demand and opportunity to drive their business. Based on recent research by GlobalData, around 50% of enterprises acquired their SD-WAN from a vendor directly or through a reseller, 40% from managed service providers or carriers, and 10% from system integrators. Currently, SD-WAN services are offered as a standalone product with limited capabilities. As competition increases, enterprises could expect more features (e.g., integration with other carriers’ underlay networks, uCPE, VNS) and more vendor options from which to choose. There are at least ten major global SD-WAN vendors; each has its own strengths and may fit specific enterprise requirements better than the others.


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New Customer Offer
GVC nudges up profit guidance despite softer quarter
9th October, 07:29Online net gaming revenue grew 12%, slowing from 17% in the first half of the year
GVC Holdings PLC (LON:GVC) nudged its full-year profit target higher as the Ladbrokes owner reported an "encouraging start" in the US to help offset a slower quarter for gaming revenue growth.
Group net gaming revenue (NGR) fell 1% in the third quarter ending 30 September due to a tough comparison with last year when part of the period was boosted by the final stages of the football World Cup.
Online NGR grew 12%, slowing from the 17% in the first half of the year, while NGR declines worsened at the UK retail arm to 18% from 10% in the first half, as the impact of the cut to fixed-odds betting machine stakes in April and closure of 41 more betting shops.
Digital trading was good "across all major territories", said chief executive Kenneth Alexander, hailing September's launch of a sports betting app in New Jersey as part of the joint venture with MGM Resorts.
Full-year guidance for underlying profits (EBITDA pre-IFRS16) was lifted to £670mln-£680mln, from £650mln-£670mln, as online sports margins improved, trends in UK bookmaker's shops remained ahead of initial guidance and a debt refinancing trimmed costs.
With German regulation under scrutiny, GVC said there had been "no material developments" since the update in August, which the company suggested offers the "realistic possibility that the regulatory position will not be resolved until 2021", though there was some news from Brazil, where an open licensing system with a 1% turnover tax is expected in late 2020 or early 2021.


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MTN Takes On Startups, Others With MoMo Reboot In South Africa
Mobile money—considered a game-changer in several sub-Saharan African countries as far as financial inclusion and digital payments are concerned—has proved a tough sell in South Africa for well over a decade, undermining the efforts of notable telecom giants, MTN and Vodacom.
But, having defied the sort of capital outlay and strategies that leading industry leaders—mostly prominent telcos—have deployed to great success elsewhere, South Africa remains an attractive opportunity for mobile money services, suggests Bradwin Roper, newly appointed CEO of MTN’s financial services unit in South Africa, which would be hoping the third time’s the charm as it makes its latest push.
Two of South Africa’s biggest telecommunications companies, MTN and its long-time rival, Vodacom, both had to shut down and scrap their mobile money offerings in 2016 after failing to cut it despite years of effort. MTN had launched its mobile money service two years after Vodacom did, in 2012, but ended the service four years later due to a lack of viability. Industry sentiments attributed the failure to a poor fit between the product and a market that had taken to legacy banks.
Across the continent, mobile money services have become a hit, after its first rollout in the East African sub-region where M-Pesa changed things. There are now 1.6 billion registered mobile money accounts globally, growing 13% year-over-year (YoY) in 2022, and 781 million of those are in Africa, with accounts on the continent spiking 17% YoY, according to the GSMA’s most recent report.
Much of those are in sub-Saharan Africa where mobile money has become a mainstay in many countries, albeit South Africa remains immune to the product. Attempts to push mobile money in South Africa flopped in the 2010s and a subsequent comeback attempted by MTN in 2020 also seemed to stall, but the top telco appears to be unfazed as it takes another shot.
MTN’s recently hired financial services boss has huge hopes for the company’s fintech service, Mobile Money (MoMo), and is looking to pull off some big plans, TechCentral reports following an interview with Roper. As part of this, an application programming interface, or API, is being rolled out so that outside developers can build on the platform. According to Roper, specifics on the API’s functionality will be revealed in the upcoming weeks.
This, the third version of MoMo South Africa, delivers additional capability to users while giving increased value through lower expenses, according to Roper, who previously served as CEO of FNB’s telecom division, FNB Connect.
“MoMo South Africa is in a rebirth. This is our third go at it. Previously, anyone who has tried to show up in the mobile money space has found it difficult because the banks here are sophisticated. But we are now embarking on a sophisticated play with MoMo,” Roper said.
A new play
MTN South Africa is putting more emphasis on MoMo, even introducing its own point-of-sale system for retailers that runs on Android. MTN won’t say how many of these customers are active, but across all of its African markets, the number of active users, calculated on a 30-day basis, is 69 million. This comes as the service hits its eight-millionth registered user.
According to Roper, the service is targeted primarily, though not completely, at the estimated 4.7 million South Africans working in the informal sector, who make up 5-6% of the country’s GDP. Informal traders make up almost a fifth of this market.
“If we can solve for trade workers, we can capture a big part of the informal market and solve for private household workers and nuances around agriculture as well,” said Roper.
MTN wants to lessen South Africans’ reliance on cash as part of its mission. According to data by BRM Statistics, card transactions have increased from 38% in 2017 to 56% in 2018, while cash transactions have decreased from 57% to 35% by value in South Africa. According to Roper, this is largely a result of the effort done by South Africa’s major banks, including the creation of e-wallets.
Delivering value to users who would otherwise pay for services like loading money, purchasing airtime, and electricity—all of which are free on MoMo—is a crucial component of MoMo’s business model. Although subscribers to other networks can still use MoMo, they must pay for the data they consume. Use of the service is also zero-rated, but only on the MTN network.
“Is MoMo a charity? No, we are a modernised fintech, developed with open APIs and partnering with a range of partners without legacy incumbent systems. MoMo has been built on fresh architecture in an ‘agile’ development manner. We vend prepaid electricity and Lotto and we get a commission on those,” said Roper on one of the ways MoMo makes money.
While using a MoMo wallet to withdraw money is charged, using MoMo credits to make purchases at Shoprite Group supermarkets (including Checkers), Pick n Pay, KFC, Nando’s, and Spur is free. Additional collaborations are in the works as well. MoMo also supports Zapper QR codes, enabling customers to scan a code to make a purchase at the point of sale.
Many petty traders run their companies out of remote locations or move frequently. Roper believes that increasing the number of retailers who accept MoMo will help to lower the hazards associated with carrying cash. However, taking electronic payments requires a strong internet connection.
By providing a dual-Sim, Wi-Fi-enabled point-of-sale terminal for ZAR 200.00 per month on lease, MoMo aims to address this issue. While the additional Sim slot enables connectivity even if MTN is down, the service depends on MTN’s network to provide zero-rated connectivity. To keep track of their transactions, traders can also use real-time reporting features on the interface.
“If you want to be a fintech in South Africa, you cannot ignore the POS device. It’s a ticket to the game,” Roper said. “One of the things I am hoping to solve for is the residual 35% still using cash. It’s been quite sticky.”
Despite the allure of MoMo South Africa’s value offer, Roper and his team will have to stay on their toes due to fierce competition from the banking industry. Startups like Yoco and iKhokha, as well as competing telecommunications providers, are all making inroads into the sector.
Featured Image Credits: Regtech Africa


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Where to begin? No walk of life has been exempt from the impact of the coronavirus, and while it may seem, as you flick through the following pages, that the world of luxury watches remains as well-stocked with finely polished playthings as ever, it has not been a smooth ride.
In fact, as I discuss in my predictions for the future opposite (normally a somewhat irreverent affair), the worst may be yet to come as the pandemic continues into 2021. The makers of expensive watches have proven resilient – in line with their clientele – but times remain tough for those tasked with selling them, especially in the UK. As Business Traveller readers will appreciate, airport retail is well down, as are the volumes of visitors to London’s premium shopping districts who keep watch boutiques and department stores busy.
The pandemic has hastened the watch world’s engagement with e-commerce – a welcome development for anyone not located within close reach of Bond Street. It seems likely that the way we buy watches could be quite different in the future, with try-before-you-buy schemes and same-day delivery already on offer from some online stores.
Some may look at a celebration of expensive watches as inappropriate in such times, but I’d argue that continuing to take an interest in life’s luxuries doesn’t preclude us from caring about the bigger picture. Everyone needs their passions and, if watches are yours, hopefully they can provide a welcome distraction.
On the product front, it has been a mixed year; several of the biggest players quickly decided to keep their powder dry or postpone their major launches, so we have seen little from Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, Omega or Tudor. It has also been a very quiet year from Switzerland’s many high-end niche brands; one hopes they will all live to fight another day.
The bulk of what we have seen has been as expected – watches are designed and brought to market over a period of three to five years, so the extent of any knee-jerk reactions will simply have been to put certain models on ice until things return to normal. Certainly, I was not short of candidates for our round-up of the year’s best watches – the following pages are, as ever, a medley of mechanical ingenuity and aesthetic panache.
PREDICTIONS FOR 2021
ROUGH SEAS AHEAD
The disruptive effect of a global pandemic on watchmaking will manifest itself fully, as delays in supply chains that span Asia, Europe and the Americas have an impact on manufacturing. Mainstream watch companies rely on a relatively small network of suppliers for components – anything from sapphire crystals to dials or strap buckles – and exist in an ecosystem where lead times and production capacities leave little margin for error. If any of these companies should go under, it will make life tricky for dozens of brands, and the retailers that rely on them.
ENVIRONMENTALISM TO THE FORE
Watchmaking’s association with sustainability used to begin and end with photogenic charitable initiatives aimed at saving marine life; laudable in their own right but irrelevant to the core issues of production and manufacturing. There are signs of a shift in mentality, with brands such as IWC leading the way on sustainable business practices, and projects from Breitling and Panerai to increase their use of reclaimed material (Panerai is working on a project to create the world’s first 100 per cent recycled watch, but it is likely to launch only as a limited proof-of-concept). I think 2021 will be the year that Switzerland really wakes up to sustainability, but, as ever, the pace of change will not be fast enough.
ENTREPRENEURS WILL RISE
Crisis usually breeds creativity and I expect the coronavirus to be no different. Whether it concerns the way we buy and sell watches – new, pre-owned or vintage – the materials they are made from, or the way we congregate to share our affection for this anachronistic obsession, 2021 will probably see some bright sparks bringing new ideas to the world of watches. Not before time.
A BUMPER YEAR
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Continue reading your story in the magazine
THE YEAR IN REVIEW
We round up the finest watches released in 2020 – and look ahead to 2021, which may prove to be as unpredictable a year as the one that has just passed…
PEAK OF PERFECTION
Blessed with sunshine, good looks and superb skiing and hiking, Arosa is now taking the lead on sustainability, too
What are airlines doing to reassure passengers about flying amidst the pandemic?
QUITE A JOURNEY
It has been an unprecedented time for the rail industry, both in the UK and across Europe. Here we look over the year’s developments.
As the pandemic moves into 2021, countries are offering options so you can set up your remote office somewhere more appealing
Go with the flow
If you have varicose veins and travel frequently, you’d be well advised to get them checked – it could help to prevent you getting DVT.
BACK TO BUSINESS
While our ways of working may have changed forever, our research shows that most of you remain convinced of the need to meet face-to-face
Ask the pilot
Our undercover captain reveals what it’s like to fly for a living
A novel time
We’ve all got one in us – and if lockdown doesn’t drive you to write that book, nothing will
4 HOURS IN... Munich
Hot-foot it around the German city’s new and historic sights


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A Dodge Dakota pickup used by Wayland-based Sevigny Automotive. Photo via repocast.com
After 52 years, a family owned auto shop is finally closing its doors.
“It was just hard for them to compete with chain auto parts stores,” said Duane Mingerink, president of Repocast.com. “It was pretty difficult for them. Everybody in the community knew them.”
The auction itself will feature 177 items, which include auto tools, shelving, hoists, air compressors and more. All items will be sold to the highest bidder with no minimums and no reserves.
Mingerink said it rarely happens that an online auction doesn’t sell every item.
“If there were, say, 10 items that didn’t get a bid, we’d lot them all together for the next auction,” Mingerink said. “We start the bidding low enough that somebody will bid. Basically, it’s so rare, you never have to do it.”
The online auction will run tomorrow from 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
A preview of the auction items will be today, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., at Miedema Asset Management Group’s Byron Center headquarters, at 601 Gordon Industrial Ct. SW.


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MILAN — Generating a truly new phenomenon in the tailored clothing business is about as challenging as a young Hollywood starlet’s staying out of rehab.
Giorgio Armani’s slouch and the shrunken proportions of Hedi Slimane and Thom Browne aside, the basic parts of the jacket haven’t changed much in the last two centuries.
That’s until Corneliani managed to alter the sport coat. It tinkered with it just enough to create a singular moment when it introduced its ID jacket to U.S. consumers last fall.
The industry immediately took notice—as did Corneliani’s competitors—of the systems jacket, which features a built-in center panel.
The ID jacket became the anchor of Corneliani’s burgeoning luxury sportswear collection, helped attract new clients even in its core tailored category, and, like its name, gave a distinguishable identity to the Mantua-based company.
“It just clicked,” said Roger Cohen, president and COO of Corneliani USA, and a driving factor in Corneliani’s stateside ascension. “We saw this need in the market. We looked at our competition and the chinks in their armor.”
Corneliani’s journey from high-end Italian suit manufacturer to luxury brand was not happenstance. Market research, spot-on timing, and creative intuition from head designer Sergio Corneliani helped the company generate a category that filled a need and solidified a brand.
When Cohen joined Corneliani almost nine years ago, the executive found the company in a state common to Italy. It was a family-run manufacturer with a solid yet homogenous product, with little marketing to help differentiate it from the other suits. Moreover, the way men dressed began to change. Casual Fridays signified something else, and as casual dress turned more formal, Corneliani saw an opportunity and pounced.
“Five years ago we were more connected to a single product,” said Maurizio Corneliani, global sales and marketing director. “We knew the values of the brand but we weren’t yet able to express them.” Expression came in the form of greater product range—the ID concept at its centerpiece. The new subdivision helped boost Corneliani’s recognition, which also bodes well for its mainstay product
“We didn’t grow and conceptualize the ID at the cost of our core competency,” Cohen said.
Maurizio added: “We decided to approach casual luxury clothing not from an outerwear standpoint but from what we do—jackets. We wanted to render the jacket more versatile.” That versatility, also at the company level, has only helped build business in the U.S. and in Corneliani’s other key markets, like Italy, the U.K., Japan and China.
The company has marked doubled-digit growth over the past few years. Consolidated global sales are expected to reach 150 million euros, or $200 million at the current exchange rate, this year, up 16.3 percent from 2006.
Maurizio said the company’s goal is to reach 200 million euros ($250 million) in the next three to four years as it penetrates more markets and continues to open stores. He added that the company plans to have a retail network of 100 stores (directly operated and in franchising) within five to six years. Corneliani’s first London store, a directly operated unit, is set to open on Bond Street this fall. And while a U.S. store, possibly in New York or L.A., is still a couple of years away, business stateside continues to grow. Following the success of its hard shop in Saks Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, Cohen is eager to increase volume with key accounts. He said U.S. sales should reach $38 million this year.
Tailored clothing represents 65 percent of sales, ID 20 percent and furnishings the remainder—a mix Cohen would like to maintain as volume increases.
“We sell with a belief and we sell with this coordinated marketing effort,” Cohen said. “We know what we’re going to advertise; we know we’re going to get the PR and then we stock it. We’re driving the brand.”
The three-pronged offensive has proven effective. Cohen has increased ad pages in major U.S. men’s and lifestyle magazines from seven pages a year to 12. He also advertises in specialty books, like the one put out by the Forum Group.
The stock list program in particular allows Corneliani to offer customers a test run with limited risk. “The stock program gives customers a comfort level of buying x amount for their stores and then knowing they can fill it in,” Cohen added.
Cohen’s investment in the stock program and keen intention to promote a specific look have had a remarkable impact on the U.S. business. Corneliani’s tailored clothing range is in 130 doors and ID in 98.
“After you have good product and on-time deliveries you need to have someone who understands the specificity of the American market, and Roger is someone who does,” said Michael Macko, senior vice-president and fashion director of Saks Fifth Avenue men’s. The luxury department store has carried Corneliani since 1979. “We’ve always treated Corneliani like a brand. Its recent success has only validated it. They’ve proven they are a leader and people are watching.”
This week at Pitti Uomo in Florence, people will be watching the evolution of the ID jacket. Sergio, Maurizio’s brother, said he played with contrasts for the spring collection, which melds natural fabrics with technical ones and pulls inspiration from works by Robert Doisneau, Henri Cartier-Bresson and Man Ray.
For Cohen and the Corneliani family, in its second generation and poised to celebrate 50 years in business next year, the plan is to continue to push all product categories, generate greater volume in key accounts and even pick up a few new ones.
Where there are ID customers, Cohen believes there are potential tailored ones as well. “We’re creating brand recognition for the company,” Cohen said. “The consumer, at our price level, wants the confidence of a brand. They recognize us and know we are the credibility of the brand.”
Taking the final spot on the mens’ portion of New York Fashion Week calendar next month will be none other than @tomford. Though he’s shown his men’s wear in New York in the past, this will mark the first time the designer has shown his men’s collection alone during New York Fashion Week: Men’s. His runway show will debut on February 6 at the Park Avenue Armory. #wwdfashion
London-based couture house @ralphandrusso has certainly been in the spotlight, having its dresses worn by @beyonce, Angelina Jolie, Meghan Markle in her engagement photos and more. For couture, Tamara Ralph focused on ornamentation — think: feathers with chain mail, jet embroidery and clusters of pearls and crystals. See the rest of the collection on WWD.com #wwdfashion #couture (📷: @giovanni_giannoni_photo)
Minnie Mouse celebrated her 90th birthday by getting her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. For her celebratory luncheon, @coach’s creative director @stuartvevers dressed her in a custom made prairie dress, complete with Vever’s take on the polka dot – black sequined versions – under a cropped motorcycle jacket. The designer also put his own mark on Minnie’s classic red shoes, infusing the color with sparkles and adding some Coach crystals. “We chose colors that were very Minnie and also represented quintessential Coach elements,” said Vevers. #wwdfashion #nationalpolkadotday (📷: George Chinsee)
@nickjonas is unveiling his first-ever apparel collection through a partnership with John Varvatos. The limited-edition capsule, which makes its debut in spring, also marks the first time the designer has collaborated with anyone on a line. “The process in working with Nick is amazing. It’s inspiring to be around someone who is not only connected with the trade that they do, but also with what’s happening in the environment around him, and how that connects to what we do with style,” said Varvatos. (RG: @johnvarvatos) #wwdfashion
@margotrobbie steps out onto the red carpet wearing @miumiu. The actress is nominated for “Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role” in “I, Tonya” at the #SagAwards. (📷: Stewart Cook) #wwdfashion
For @massimogiorgetti of @msgm, the Nineties are his favorite decade. “They had a huge impact on my personal growth. What I like of the Nineties is that they are not so precise in terms of style as other decades…there was actually a bit of everything,” he said. As seen on MSGM’s Spring 2018 show: tie-dye and a bit of grunge, two styles that are synonymous with the decade #wwdfashion #wwddecades (📷: @kukukuba)