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Car manufacturing is a pretty complex business, utilising many thousands of skilled employees, along with hundreds of suppliers employing staff to make, sell and deliver the parts that go into your shiny new car.
Some car brands have a lengthy heritage in manufacturing motor vehicles of some kind helping us arrive where we are now. The modern motorcar is safer and more efficient than ever whilst offering services and functions to cocoon us from the outside world. Today’s cars have 100 years of innovation and skill woven into them.
However, that heritage and those well howned skills put larger car brands at a disadvantage to the new kids on the block. The most obvious new kid is Tesla. A California based technology firm that just happens to make cars and has been doing so on a small scale for just 10 years.
Tesla does not have an heritage, it is penning its own history right now. Tesla does not have hundreds of staff skilled in making petrol and diesel engines and therefore does not need to retrain or make redundant those it no longer requires, letting go of suppliers and closing factories.
Volkswagen has recently showed the world their I.D concept car at the Paris Motorshow. VW proudly stated it was entering a new era with electric vehicles forming a large part of brands offering. Yet, the car shown isn’t going to be available until 2020, leaving the German manufacturer open to criticism.
‘Why isn’t this car available now?!’ they ask.
The larger a business grows the less agile it becomes and slower to react. Imagine a supertanker out in ocean, how long does it take to stop and how much space does it need to turn around and plot a new course.
With long term success a business is less willing to take risks. Changing the formula leaves board rooms uneasy. Dieselgate is perfect example of where risk back-fires and reputations are destroyed.
Volkswagen desperately need to rebuild their reputation and has made positive steps with the I.D. Concept car. However, over sun filled California the smaller Tesla have a similar priced car arriving next year in the Model 3, with a bulging order book and a reputation built on taking risks and pushing technology.
Established car makers are struggling to keep up with the pace of the new comers. Those created with dotcom money, innovation and risk taking at their core. These businesses thrive on pushing the boundaries as do consumers. We are no longer excited about small incremental gains, consumers are now looking for the next game-changer. Could the established names just be analogue businesses in a digital world or can they turn and plot and new course?


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You’d think the clever Canadians who dreamed up World Pillow Fight Day would have picked a nice summer day so we could all revisit our favorite childhood combat game in our jammies or bedtime underwear.
But no, it’s held on the first Saturday of every April for some reason. And last weekend, thousands of brave souls in places like New York, Boston, Toronto and London bundled up in their parkas and wellies for an old-fashioned outdoor slugfest. At least all that cardio helped participants stay warm.
But the chilly weather in many of the 100+ cities around the world that held Pillow Fight Day events didn’t dampen the enthusiasm in the UK, where a group of lingerie brands came together to slug it out in style.
The fashion PR company Calico Ventures jumped on the made-for-PR occasion to stage a Pillow Fight Fashion Shoot in Trafalgar Square and at other notable London landmarks.
A total of 16 brands represented by Calico had their intimates on display as models posed for photographer Ana Gely. The mix of labels ranged from luxury brands like Louise Ferdinand and Kocolala to pinup favorite Kiss Me Deadly and newcomers such as Janay, Augustine and Karolina Laskowka. Sadly, none of these brands make onesies.
Here’s a look at how they all made the best of a perfectly silly occasion. Now, we can’t wait to see what they come up with for World Naked Bike Ride Day.

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An Apple employee could face disciplinary action for posting a TikTok video instructing viewers not to unlock stolen iPhones for thieves.
Paris Campbell, an Apple hardware engineer, became famous overnight after posting on TikTok in response to a video about a stolen iPhone.
The video explained the thieves make threats over the publication of personal information if she didn’t delete the Apple ID from the phone.
But it goes on to say the user’s data is secure and not available to the thief.
She went on to explain the thieves want the ID removed so they can sell the phone quickly, rather than smashing it if it was kept locked.
Apple is a notoriously secretive firm and has regulations and standards that its workers must follow in order for the iPhone maker to keep its public image in check.
Apple was not pleased with the apparent public service, according to Campbell, who claims she received a call from a manager on Friday instructing her to remove the video.
She claims she was threatened with disciplinary measures” up to and including termination” if she did not comply.
Apple’s social media policy for workers urges employees not to discuss Apple’s clients, other employees, or other private information on social media.
However, it does not fully prohibit the discussion of publicly known technology.
Employees are also apparently prohibited from disclosing that they work for Apple at all.
In the video, Campbell said: “For the previous six years, I’ve been a qualified hardware engineer for a specific corporation that loves to talk about fruit.
Campbell then posted a video called “Dear Apple,” which confirmed she was an Apple worker.
The engineer is hopeful, though, as “after reviewing the social media policies nowhere does it say I can’t identify myself as an Apple employee publicly, just that I shouldn’t do so in a way that makes the company look bad.”
Campbell discovered Apple’s response to be “directly in contrast to how we portray ourselves as a company in terms of telling people to think different, innovate, and come up with creative solutions.”
She said: “I don’t just have all this Apple knowledge because I work for Apple.
“I come to this knowledge because I have a long technical education and history. That’s why they hired me.”
Apple has yet to comment on the situation.


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The US Truckload (TL) market is a dynamic ecosystem that constantly evolves in response to economic, regulatory, technological, and weather disruptions. In this post, we’ll provide an update on the current state of the US TL market, highlighting key trends and insights that can help shippers, carriers, and other stakeholders navigate the road ahead.
The US economy is currently facing a number of significant challenges and opportunities. The residual impact of COVID-19 continues to have major impact on the economy, with supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, and inflationary pressures. The Federal Reserve’s monetary policy and interest rate decisions continue to play a crucial role in shaping our economic outlook. Additionally, geopolitical tensions and global trade dynamics are influencing market sentiment and investment decisions. As we closely monitor these developments, below we will provide updates on their implications for the US economy and the truckload market.
Demand & Consumer Behavior
- Economic Recovery:
- The US economy is on the path to recovery (“Soft Landing”), with consumer spending playing a crucial role. As consumers regain confidence and resume their spending habits, the demand for goods and services is increasing.
- Consumer spending increased 0.7% in December, stronger than the 0.5% estimate. Personal income growth edged lower to 0.3%, in line with the forecast.
- Shift in Spending Patterns:
- The pandemic has led to a shift in consumer spending patterns, with a greater emphasis on e-commerce and home delivery services. This has resulted in increased demand for truckload transportation, as companies strive to meet the growing demand for goods.
- Inflationary Pressures:
- Rising inflation has also impacted consumer spending, with higher prices leading to reduced purchasing power. This has the potential to dampen consumer demand and, consequently, truckload demand.
- The core personal consumption expenditures price index for December, an important gauge for the Federal Reserve, increased 0.2% on the month and was up 2.9% on a yearly basis.
Q4 2023 Y/Y % Change – Economic Demand Indicators
|Inventory to Sales
Supply of Capacity
According to Avery Vise, VP of Trucking at FTR Transportation Intelligence, “The number of for-hire trucking firms exiting the market in the fourth quarter of 2023 was barely higher than in the third quarter, but the number of new entrants continued to fall sharply. The result was the largest net decrease in the carrier population ever in a quarter. Changes in the carrier population tell only part of the capacity story, however. For starters, the number of active carriers remains far higher today than it was before the pandemic. Perhaps more important, payroll employment for truckload carriers has remained high as many larger carriers have hired drivers displaced by failing small operations.”
FTR – Total N.A. CL 8 Orders: December came in at 26,620 units, which was 26% below November and down 6% Y/Y.
Trends to Watch
- Capacity Crunch: The US truckload market is about to experience a capacity crunch, with demand outstripping supply. This is due to a combination of factors, including the ongoing driver shortage, rising fuel prices, and increasing demand for trucking services.
- Rising Freight Rates: As capacity begins to crunch, freight rates will rise. From 2020-2021 (COVID-19) shippers were facing higher costs, and carriers were enjoying increased profitability. Now that we’ve been in a deflationary market since the beginning of 2022, carriers are running low on capital putting pressure on capacity remaining relevant in the market.
- E-Commerce Boom The rapid growth of e-commerce continues to have a significant impact on the truckload market. With more consumers shopping online, there is a growing need for efficient and reliable transportation services to deliver goods to their doorsteps.
Q4 2023 Actual
- CASS -7.3% Y/Y
- DAT -11.3% Y/Y
Contract Rates Forecast
- Exiting deflationary period
- Continued pressure on excess capacity through Q1
- Fading towards equilibrium
- Inflationary in Q2 – Beginning of next market capacity cycle
- Q1 ’25/Q2 ’25 Peak Inflection Point
|Successful ‘soft landing’ for the US Economy
Reversal higher in the direction of diesel prices
Dramatic Increases in the rate of supply exiting market
One or more major weather event
|Delay in ‘soft landing’ for the US Economy
Government Intervention to regulate rates or
otherwise artificially prevent natural equilibrium
Another major leg down in diesel prices
As we embark on 2024, the capacity levels of large truckload carriers are continuing to contract, following an unprecedented period of expansion. These levels are now back to approximately the same level they were at the close of the second quarter in 2020, a time when the pandemic drastically altered the economy and demand plummeted. In January, the average linehaul rate in the top five spot market states (CA, GA, IL, NJ, and TX) stands at $1.72/mile, mirroring the figure from the same deflationary period in 2019.
The cold season typically runs from October to March, with some of the coldest temperatures occurring in the northeast, upper Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and Canada. Shippers are increasingly incorporating freeze protection or protect-from-freeze (PFF) clauses into their bills of lading to prevent traditional dry freight from freezing, increasing the demand for reefers. At $2.00/mile in February, linehaul rates have decreased by $0.08/mile in the last month and compared to last year, reefer rates were $0.31/mile lower Y/Y in Q4 2023.
Flatbed demand stayed subdued in December, influenced by a decreasing demand for oil and gas exploration and reduced construction of single-family housing. The most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau reveals that single-family starts experienced a significant decline in December, plummeting by 8.6% in comparison to November. Although the rate of single-family home construction remains 16% higher than the previous year, it has dropped by 20% compared to the record high achieved in December 2020. Since the start of this year, flatbed spot rates have increased by $0.05/mile, although remain deflationary in Q4 being down $0.11/mile Y/Y.


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Olympus has confirmed that it will be releasing a follow-up to its OM-D E-M5 Mark II mirrorless camera.
In an interview with DPReview, executives from the company stated that the E-M5 was an “important product category for middle users” and that the company was planning to introduce a successor model.
The firm also highlighted that it plans to release several lenses every year for the foreseeable future, and confirmed that it will announce new lenses before the 150-400mm f/4.5 TC 1.25x IS PRO arrives next year.
The super-telephoto optic, which provides Micro Four Thirds users with an effective focal range of 300-800mm in 35mm terms, has already been shown in prototype form.
The new camera, which is likely to be called the OM-D E-M5 III, has been expected for some time, as the model it’s set to succeed is now more than four years old. Since then, the company has introduced a raft of bodies across its OM-D and PEN mirrorless lines, notably the OM-D E-M10 III and OM-D E-M1 II, as well as the PEN-F and the most recent OM-D E-M1X flagship model.
While the OM-D E-M5 II went on to be a very respectable …read more


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While Canada still waits on brand new regulations to reach in October before rolling down legalized vape services and products, organizations south regarding the border are taking advantage that is full of vaporizer revolution in states where cannabis happens to be legalized.
Expanding just just what items are offered to patients, U.S. marijuana that is medical Trulieve Cannabis Corp. (CSE: TRUL) today established the sale of O.penVAPE pencils and cartridges.
The very first cannabis-infused maker in Colorado, O.penVAPE happens to be striking the Florida market through this partnership with Trulieve .
Cartridges for the vape pen are filed with high-potency, CO2 distillate oil that may be released in constant dosages for patient use. Florida Trulieve locations are actually providing the Jack Herer , Master Kush, and SFV OG strains in O.penVAPE Reserve cartridges that are compatible.
Besides the cartridges that are new Trulieve dispensaries may also be stocking the O.penVAPE 2.0 Variable Voltage Battery for recharging vape pens.
Natural natural Oils and concentrates as a method of eating cannabis have actually skyrocketed in appeal both for medical and leisure purposes, while vape pencils have actually also seen a rise in interest since hemp-based CBD products were legalized into the U.S. Continue reading


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Rug Radio has recently appointed Loxley as its new co-CEO to join Farokh in leading business development and strategy. Get to know Loxley’s background and the reason behind becoming a leader in the web3 media company.
Who is Rug Radio’s new Co-CEO, Loxley?
Loxley has been a member of the Rug Radio community since its inception. He also served on the DAO Council and as a Strategic Advisor. He has 13 years of experience as a tech founder and operator. Before becoming Rug Radio’s CEO, he founded and ran an e-commerce outlet that grew to over $30 million. He also developed a micro-financing payment platform which he successfully exited in 2015.
After his successful ventures, Loxley established a family office that has invested, acquired, advised, and managed nearly two dozen businesses. Particularly from Fintech, D2C retail, 3PL / Fulfillment, SaaS, Real Estate, Cannabis, and more. He is also an experienced crypto and NFT investor and enthusiast, now entering a next phase as Rug Radio’s CEO.
What is Rug Radio?
Rug Radio is a platform where users own the company through a DAO structure. Rug Radio leads as a unique platform, making it a go-to for web3 experts, artists, and influencers, now with a new CEO. By owning the platform, users have the opportunity to earn tokens, participate in the DAO, and join a vibrant community. All of this is made possible through a shared ownership model and the use of NFTs. Additionally, the platform offers its own membership pass, a ‘Rug Genesis NFT’ collection, and a DAO (RugDAO). With this, users can earn rewards, participate in governance, and access exclusive content. As a result, Rug Radio has become a powerful voice in the world of NFTs and web3.
Rug Radio new Co-CEO, Loxley, possesses the qualifications, knowledge, experience, and leadership to help the organization achieve its goals and objectives in 2023 and beyond. As a decentralized media platform, Rug Radio provides a safe space for its users to consume content, express their opinions, and own their narrative. By having Loxley as their new co-CEO, the organization is one step closer to creating a platform where incentives are aligned with truth, ownership, and long-term care for the commons.
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All investment/financial opinions expressed by NFTevening.com are not recommendations.
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Could the 2020 Corvette Stingray Get a Track Package? You Bet
Exactly What the 2020 Vette Needs
We all know that higher trim levels of the new mid-engine Corvette are coming. There will likely be a Z06 model, a Grand Sport model, and maybe even a ZORA model. However, the base Stingray sounds like it will get some performance goodies as well. Currently, you can get the car with the Z51 Performance Package, but that’s not really a track package. It seems., however, that the Stingray will come with one.
In an interview posted to YouTube by the channel Brink of Speed, Brett Golliff who is the Performance Color and Trim Manager talks about the different seats in the new Corvette. As he’s discussing these new seats, he says the following:
So this version is for our track car, so there is a special track version of the vehicle that you can get that comes essentially as more of a black-out package that then comes in with this entire competition seat with the performance textile fabric. And it’s awesome. It lowers the weight, it grips you and holds you in.
While it’s not totally clear what all will be included on the “track version of the vehicle,” it is clear that there will be a track version. You can watch the full exchange below. Skip ahead to about the 7:30 mark to see where he talks about the track version.


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Ernie Bowling, OD, reports on retail outlet Pearle Vision’s plans for expansion this year, during the 90th annual SECO International meeting in Atlanta.
Chief Optometric Editor Ernie Bowling, OD, reports on retail outlet Pearle Vision’s plans for expansion this year, during the 90th annual SECO International meeting in Atlanta:
Pearle Vision, North America’s largest licensed optical brand, outlined its 2013 expansion plans. Tammy Reaves, vice president of licensing and development for Pearle Vision, said the company intends to convert 35 corporate locations to franchise opportunities in addition to building up to 10 new stores this year.
The company has identified Florida, Ohio, and Michigan as the first markets for its re-licensing efforts. Specifically in Florida, Pearle is looking to convert corporate locations in Miami, West Palm Beach, Naples, Jacksonville, and Orlando to licensed locations. In Ohio, the company intends to convert locations in Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati. Michigan centers in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Flint are available.
“We are looking for doctors who desire to work with a proven brand and provide superior eyecare and patient service,” Reaves said.
Pearle Vision is built around a doctor-centered business model and is owned by eyewear manufacturer and distributor Luxottica.


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Ōtautahi – Nearly 60 percent of children in the UK are vegan or vegetarian or want to be, a new survey has found.
BBC Good Food surveyed 1004 children between the ages of five and 16.
The global food media brand discovered that right percent of participants were eating a fully plant-based diet. A further 13 percent were vegetarian.
Additionally, 15 percent of children said they would like to become vegan, and roughly one in five (21 percent) said the same about vegetarianism.
Reports didn’t clarify what the children’s reasons were for eating plant-based food. But sustainability was on their minds for at least part of the research.
The survey found that 44 percent of kids said they hope that no food is packaged in plastic in 10 years’ time.
Children are fascinated by eating habits, behaviours and opinions around food and are exploring alternative diets and methods of food production that could be more sustainable for the planet.
The recent findings reaffirm the widely held belief that young people are leading the charge toward plant-based living.
A 2019 BritainThinks report concluded that Gen Z and Millenials are slightly more likely to be vegan than older age groups.
A majority of young people (aged 15 to 20) were taking action to help fight the climate crisis. Specifically, 26 percent of participants said they eat plant-based to help protect the planet.
Meanwhile, seven-time Grand Slam tennis winner Venus Williams is expanding her plant-based protein brand.
Under Happy Viking, Williams is launching a new line of Superfood Plant Nutrition Powders, complete with 20 grams of protein in each serving.
The flavours come in Vanilla Bean, Triple Chocolate, Strawberry Smoothie, and Greena Colada.
Each yellow pea and brown rice protein blend also boasts top nutritional content from more than 35 whole foods including kale, buckwheat, and chia seeds.


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Cynthia Littleton writes about Amazon Studios for Variety. The article points out Amazon is hoping for a long theatrical run for Whit Stillman’s Love & Friendship. Whit Stillman’s Love & Friendship opens on May 13th in the United States.
But Whit Stillman’s “Love and Friendship” will likely have a more traditional stay in theaters, based on the strong response to screenings at the Sundance Film Festival.
“It could play all summer,” Berney said.


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Since it released Innjoo 2 and the Max 2, much hasn’t been heard about the company and there hasn’t been any major release. After its rather long silence though, the company is set to launch some new products during Jumia Mobile Week which is happening towards the end of the month. There are speculations one of them will be called Innjoo A+.
Based on the “Plus” in the name and a teaser posted on Youtube, this looks like a 6-inch phablet though we’re not certain of this. There isn’t much details about the device and the specifications available are sketchy rumors which cannot be trusted. Apart from this teaser, there isn’t any other form of confirmation from the company but come the end of May, we’re certain to see what Innjoo is up to with the upcoming Innjoo A+.
The teaser shows two different devices and they both look like mid-range smartphones. None has a fingerprint sensor but then, we may be wrong.
If you’re wondering why the company has been “silent” for a while, there are speculations the last releases (Innjoo 2 and Innjoo Max 2) didn’t perform so well in terms of sales.
These upcoming devices are bound to face some tight competition on arrival as other brands like Tecno and Infinix have been pretty busy this year, releasing devices that appeal to consumers.


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Portal 2 Materialising In October. With co-op.
We've been covering the developing Portal ARG situation and our sequel suspicions have finally been confirmed. GameInformer has revealed that their April magazine will spill the beans on Valve's latest project, and Valve's own Doug Lombardi has told Eurogamer that Portal 2 will grace our hard drives this Halloween. The Pumpkin is a lie!
We've been hearing rumours about the addition of cooperative play in Portal 2, and Gamestop's leaked product description has finally confirmed it. We'll be seeing a dedicated cooperative campaign with two playable characters; which is very interesting considering that Valve managed to run co-op in the original Portal, but couldn't make it fun. We can't see how this will work unless one player controls portals and the other manipulates objects... an interesting prospect that may well pan out if our sources are solid. Watch this space. Or this space.
Natal won't make Microsoft... soft
Whilst I'm quietly optimistic about the potential of Microsoft's impending motion capture peripheral, most gamers are still apprehensive about the shift in Microsoft's focus from software to hardware. The potential for shovelware and increased focus on Natal-enabled games is a genuine worry for Xbox 360 fans, but Microsoft's European head honcho is keen to allay our fears.
“Project Natal is meant to complement, not replace, the experiences on Xbox 360. We’ve reached new heights in creating a more natural and responsive gaming and entertainment experience for people of all interests and skill levels, whilst maintaining our commitment to deliver quality core games that consistently exceed expectations.”- Chris Lewis, European MS Boss
Personally, I'm not too worried about Natal distracting Microsoft's focus. Since they've delegated specific developers to creating the device, it's only distracted Peter Molyneux's focus. And if Natal keeps the increasingly deranged auteur off the streets for another year then it can only be a good thing. [MCV]
3G Ipad Lauches Next Month
We've had our doubts about the iPad. We know what it is, though we don't yet know what it's for. However, we do know when it'll be arriving: next month.
Apple have announced that the standard and 3G versions of their new inexplicable gizmo will reach storm our beaches in late April (meaning that we'll be receiving the superior 3G version at the same time as the Americans). That means that it will be a lot faster to do... whatever it is the iPad does. [Gamesindustry.biz]
Xbox Live Now Allows Freedom of Expression
In an open letter to the Xbox Live community, Marc Whitten has announced that an update to the Xbox Live code of conduct now permits expression of race, religion, sexual orientation and nationality without being censored. Apparently, this update...
"will allow our members to more freely express their race, nationality, religion and sexual orientation in Gamertags and profiles. Under our previous policy, some of these expressions of self-identification were not allowed..."
Welcome to the 21st century, Xbox Live. Having said that, I've heard some nasty slurs online and it may be difficult to tell the genuine article apart from trolls and racists. Never mind, though: this is a step in the right direction. A step towards a genuinely tolerant online community that places sportsmanship and skill above anything else. It can't come soon enough.


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GUESTS might assume that a hotel room is clean when they check in for a night’s stay.
But a hotel worker has revealed that hotels often don’t change the bedsheets between guests.
A hotel worker revealed there is only one way to guarantee that the sheets are clean on your bed
A Tiktok user with the handle @hotel_hacks_ explained that housekeepers don’t have much time to clean each room – while often working on minimum wage – and they can take a shortcut by avoiding changing the sheets.
She also pointed out some hotels outsource their laundry service and it is too expensive to pay for the sheets to be washed everyday.
She said: “Housekeepers only get 30 minutes to clean a room and 45 minutes to clean a suite.
“Do you really think they have time to clean every single sheet and every single towel after every single guest? No.
“Most hotels outsource their laundry and it’s just way too costly to do that after every guest.”
She then revealed there is only one way to guarantee that the sheets are clean on your bed – but it won’t make you popular with hotel staff.
She said: “So here’s a tip: you can ask the front desk for fresh and clean linens at check in, or bring your own.”
The video has been watched 27,000 times and viewers are disgusted that they might have slept on used sheets.
One person wrote: “It’s nasty to think you’re sleeping [on] other people’s dead skin cells. Put hotels out of business.”
Someone else put: “OMG! That’s disgusting”, and a third wrote: “I’m paying hundreds for used sheets? Hell no.”
But another hotel worker revealed how overworked cleaning staff are, and that they had even less time to clean rooms at their job.
They wrote: “Our Marriott gave us 10 mins per room and suite. Sheets and towels refolded if dry and sheets if no stains tucked tight. Lots of air freshener, no mopping.”
Other hotel staff have revealed that it’s not just bed sheets that don’t get cleaned between guests.
A hotel cleaner revealed the five shocking items that housekeepers don’t clean.
Here’s the grim reason you should never drink water from your hotel bathroom.
A man shared the disgusting reason you should never use the ice machine in hotels.
You should ask the front desk for fresh sheets when you arrive so you can be sure they’re clean


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Calcutta, July 9: Frito-Lay India, PepsiCo India’s profit-making snack foods arm, is set to enter West Bengal.
Managing-director Manu Anand came to Calcutta on Tuesday to identify a place where his company can set up a manufacturing unit which will cost Rs 80 crore.
Sources said officials of the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) had shown him a site at Dankuni, about 18 km from the heart of Calcutta, near Coca-Cola’s bottling plant. Anand had stressed that the place should have a good supply of water, which is needed in huge quantities in manufacturing of potato chips.
Later he held discussions about the project with WBIDC managing-director Gopal Krishna and other officials of the corporation.
The state government had been negotiating with PepsiCo India for quite some time now for this project, which is expected to receive clearances in a month and a half.
The sources said easy availability of potato in Bengal has attracted Frito-Lay to invest in the state. The state produces about 65 lakh tonnes of quality potato.
At present, the major chunk of Frito-Lay’s snacks is manufactured in its factories at Channo in Punjab and Ranjangaon in Pune with a combined annual capacity of 17,000 tonnes. About 10 per cent of its products are outsourced from the Rs 50-crore Bikanervala Foods.
The company has also talked about contract farming for potato. PepsiCo India had pioneered contract farming in Punjab, under which it provides nurseries of appropriate varieties and farming technology to the farmers with a commitment to buy back specified quantities at specified prices.
The state government has been able to woo Frito-Lay because of McKinsey’s presentation. The state government had given a mandate to the global consultant to bring in potential investors to the state — mainly in the agro-processing and information technology sectors.
Frito-Lay India, which has been consistently making profits in the snack foods business for PepsiCo India, manufactures leading snack brands like Lays Potato chips, Lehar Namkeen, Nutyumz, Kurkure and Cheetos fun snacks in India. Though Frito-Lay India does not give out turnover figures, industry sources peg it at Rs 250 crore.
Its parent company, the $14-billion Frito-Lay International, is the world’s largest snack food company and is part of the $27-billion PepsiCo Group.
Frito-Lay India is the largest player in the Indian salty snack market with a share (value) of above 40 per cent.
Lays potato chips are the flagship brand of Frito-Lay India. Introduced 10 years ago as Ruffles Lays, the brand has had consistent growth thereafter. Last year it has grown by 48 per cent.


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Now before you get your dander up, don’t panic. Many of us candy-lovers greatly enjoy Skittles. And they aren’t going anywhere. But they may be manufactured without some of the more harmful chemicals. Which is what Assembly Bill 418 is banning. There was a lot of panic and fuss over the bill when it was first introduced. But there are a number of candies manufactured with brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben and red dye 3. All of these chemicals have been proven to cause health problems over time. These additives are largely used for preservation, enhancement, or color. Not so much taste.
The bill passed the California legislature on September 12th, and is heading to the desk of Gov. Gavin Newsom to be signed into state law. Again, for any of you ready to be outraged, take a breath.
Europe has had many of these bans in place for years, including banning US-made cupcake sprinkles due to the harmful chemicals used to give them their color. Most likely titanium dioxide. Which has had a big fuss made over it. Unfortunately, it’s been removed from Assembly Bill 418. And, should the candy companies take the bill seriously, they have until 2027 to remove the chemicals from their products. Plenty of time to change the recipes.
These Chemicals Are Already Banned In Other Countries
Once the bill passed, The National Confectioners Association, kicked up a fuss over the exclusion of these chemicals. Stating that there was no proof the chemicals in question were harmful. However, the response was largely lukewarm. Either due to the fact that there was little chance of swaying opinion, or because they began to think harder about why those chemicals are necessary. Whatever the reason, they’re not fighting very hard to stop it. Forbes recently released a list of the confections that will have to change their recipes. Surprisingly, Skittles was not listed among them. Some that were such as Strawberry Yoo-Hoo, and Brach’s Candy Corn will probably suffer very little from the change.
So before going on a tirade about California taking away our Skittles, maybe take a second to actually read the bill. A lot of the chemicals used in US food are used to increase shelf life and make it look good. So perhaps the expiry date on your Yoo-Hoo might have a smaller window. Maybe Candy Corn won’t be as bright as before, or might age a little faster than we’d like. But isn’t that better than thinking you’re consuming chemicals that have been reported to cause memory issues and skin irritation?


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At J.C. Penney Inc., home is where the heart is, at least in the coming weeks.
The company remains in turbulence but is banking on the home market as a key area to help it pull through. Forty shops-in-shop across home and apparel will have been set on the selling floors in hundreds of stores by holiday 2013, with the home floor emerging as the top priority for the first half of 2013 and moving forward despite the legal battle with Macy’s over selling Martha Stewart products seen lasting through much of March.
Initial rollout for new 15,000-square-foot furniture departments will be in more than 200 stores in May. Efforts in home seem to have delayed some women’s fashion shops, though Joe Fresh is on schedule for the mid-March rollout in 683 locations, and Pearl by Georgina Chapman of Marchesa and L’amour Nanette Lepore already opened their shops on schedule.
“Home is going to be there first. Everyone else falls into the line,” said one supplier to Penney’s who requested anonymity.
“Our tongues are hanging out to get our boutiques. We are behind schedule,” acknowledged Bud Konheim, president and ceo of Nicole Miller, which designs the Nicole by Nicole Miller line sold exclusively for Penney’s and waiting to be presented in a shop concept. “But we are in line. We endorse what Ron Johnson is doing.”
Konheim said Nicole by Nicole Miller shops are slated for at least 600 Penney’s stores. “We thought we would start building them in 2013. It may be the end of this year or 2014. Every plan is subject to change, we are just hoping to get the project going faster. Home is more on schedule. He [Johnson] could be lucky because the home market is coming back. Housing is rebounding.”
At the Dallas prototype in the Valley View mall, said one visitor, “Home has been built out. Jonathan Adler designed the furniture to a large extent. It’s great looking. It’s clean and it doesn’t look like a chain store. There’s a room of mattresses. The lights go out when you jump on a mattress to simulate sleeping in the dark. It’s a gimmick but it’s clever.”
Terence Conran, Bodum and Michael Graves are also providing home products, and there will be cooking and kitchen appliance demos, reflecting the philosophy of Ron Johnson, Penney’s chairman and chief executive officer, of making the store experiential, not unlike what he did at Apple, where he was previously employed orchestrating Apple retail. At Penney’s, certain categories will be added, like floor care and home organization, and a large portion of the marketing dollars this year will be spent on “the world’s largest housewarming party” campaign.
Penney’s progress on merchandise and personnel fronts, as it continues its unprecedented reinvention, could be obscured by its year-end results, to be reported Wednesday and expected to be dire. Analysts forecast a 27 to 30 percent sales decline for the quarter, and total sales for the year to come under $13 billion, roughly a $4 billion decline from 2011. The descent could continue through the first half of 2013, though some analysts and Penney’s officials see the second half as slightly up.
Questions loom over Penney’s cash position at year-end which at one time was projected at $1 billion and could be significantly less. But Penney’s just increased its borrowing capacity, providing greater liquidity to fund its transformation and build in-store shops, reflecting confidence banks still have in the business. There’s also been speculation around selling off assets such as stores, a sale-leaseback of the Plano, Tex. headquarters, and ongoing layoffs. Penney’s declined to comment on the speculation.
The court case with Macy’s is yet another big distraction, putting Penney’s Martha Stewart presentation in limbo, but not entirely. Party products bearing the Martha Celebrations label will appear this spring. Celebrations is described by sources as “an elevated Party City collection.” The core Martha-designed products, including sheets and towels, for this spring will have the Everyday label instead of the Martha Stewart label, due to the lawsuit.
The main tenets of the year-old reinvention of the 110-year-old Penney’s — upgrading the merchandise and shopping experience to draw younger, higher-spending audiences with such lines as Adler, Nanette Lepore, Pearl, as well as Cosabella Amore lingerie, simplifying the pricing to be “fair and square,” and converting selling floors to 100 shops-in-shop — remain intact. Johnson continues to pinch, pull and adjust tactics, though. Originally he required vendors to use Penney’s-specified “base shop kit of parts” including wall systems, utilities, fixturing and staffing to create shops for the home and apparel floors. That plan has been scrapped in favor of a more designed and customized approach so the selling floors won’t look so generic and brands can project their own personalities. “He’s really giving brands their own shops. It wasn’t branded enough. Coming up with a more of a hard shop concept will be more impactful,” said one supplier.
Store exteriors and advertisements have the “jcp” logo, for an updated image. It’s carried through inside where signs are more prominent to play up the key shops that Penney’s has installed in the last few seasons, such as Izod, Levi’s, MNG by Mango and Liz Claiborne, where the merchandise looks the freshest. The company is building in-store shops at a colossal pace and continues to woo designers and brands to the matrix but with mixed success.
Sources also said that outsourcing is on the rise to cut costs, reduce staff and take some new approaches in such areas as IT and planning. Oracle and SAP have been brought in, among other outside firms and consultants.
It’s not all about cutbacks. Johnson has been aggressively recruiting from retailers considered cool or hip, like Apple and Abercrombie & Fitch, as well as Restoration Hardware and American Eagle. From Abercrombie, Johnson tapped Eric Cerny, vice president of investor relations; Brandon Tonniges, director of visual merchandising, and Bryan Wright, divisional vice president of finance.
Heidi Robinson, formerly with Restoration Hardware, became divisional merchandise manager in furniture, and Brian Robinson, formerly Target’s director of designer partnerships, joined about a year ago as vice president of collaborations.
Many of the recent recruits at one time or another worked with either Johnson or Michael Kramer, the chief operating officer, observed Jaimee Marshall, senior vice president of Kirk Palmer Associates executive search. “They come from interesting specialty store backgrounds,” Marshall said.
After bombing with its original pricing scheme, which was convoluted and eliminated coupons, Penney’s last month introduced a new value message by tagging much of the merchandise with the actual price and a manufacturer’s suggested retail price, for comparison. For example, Van Heusen short-sleeve polo and sport shirts are priced at $25 and list a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $50. Currently, there’s little clearance or sale merchandise, though sales exist, like a Gold Toe national sale at 25 percent off, or $5 off Arizona products.
“The promotional activity recently instituted has helped generate more traffic,” retail analyst Walter Loeb said. “But the board has to act more incisively. You don’t see any action from the board. They should look at whether the plan to have 100 boutiques is feasible or profitable for the company. They should look at [if] the loss of $4.2 billion in revenues [expected to be reported] is something the company can recover from. The company is being hurt by the lack of sales momentum and customer loss to competitors. Macy’s keeps pounding away with sales.”
Still, Loeb and other analysts agree that Penney’s stores this season are looking cleaner, less suffocated by merchandise and with fewer racks, though traffic seems relatively anemic and Macy’s and other retailers keep staging sales. “Penney’s products are slowing improving,” observed Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners. “The product on the women’s side is clearly improved, whether it’s Liz Claiborne, Worthington or Nanette Lepore. There’s some color and pep that connote newness. It’s not as dowdy. Men’s is still weak but getting better.”
@pantone announced their Color of the Year 2018: Ultra Violet. Nearly 20 months after the musician Prince’s death, fashion is having a purple moment. Varying shades of purple appeared on spring or fall runways, from @christopherkane to @calvinklein. @gucci’s Alessandro Michele bathed his fall runway in ultra violet-colored light at one point. Pantone 18-3838 is meant to “push the boundaries of what inspires us to look upward and outward to the future.” #wwdnews #wwdfashion (📷: @kukukuba)
@badgalriri’s @fentybeauty launch in September was a massive success on social media, powering $72.9 million of earned media value, according to Tribe Dynamics. The brand’s foundation offering sparked conversations about diversity in beauty, launching the growth of emerging influencers and propelling the brand’s support on social media. Today, #fentybeauty won Launch of the Year at the WWD #BeautyIncAwards. (📷: Chema Moya/EPE-EFE)
@marianna_hewitt has become one of the most influential content creators in the beauty space, with almost 800,000 Instagram followers and a newly launched skin care line called @SummerFridays. Today, she was awarded Influencer of the Year at the WWD #BeautyIncAwards. (📸: @sophiachabbott )
As shopping behaviors evolve, the retail experience must follow. Head over to retail experts @colliersinternational’s Knowledge Leader series to read more about the shift in our shopping era. #colliersretail #lovecolliers
@prada opened a pop-up club, called Prada Double Club, in collaboration with German artist Cartsen Höller at @artbasel Miami. Last night, guests – including @youngparis, @ritaora and even Miuccia Prada herself – gathered in a former ice factory where the pop-up is housed for a performance from @wyclefjean. Go to WWD.com for full coverage on all the exhibits, parties and more at #ArtBaselMiami. #wwdeye (📷: @lexieblacklock)
@louboutinworld and @disney are making magic once again, creating a set of shoe designs for the release of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” Louboutin designed a pair of shoes for each of the film’s four female leads: Rey (@daisyridrey), Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo (@lauradern), Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie) and Rose Tico (@kellymarietran). The shoes will debut on Saturday at the L.A. premiere of the latest episode. #wwdfashion
Today at the #BeautyIncAwards 2017, WWD will be joined by beauty leaders from around the world as we honor this year's most innovative people, products, brands and places. Follow along here and on Twitter for live coverage from the exclusive event. #wwdsummits (📷: @elizaflorendo)
Exclusive: Beauty superinfluencer @marianna_hewitt is launching her first-ever skin care brand with her business partner @laurengores. Their new line Summer Fridays, which will be sold exclusively at summerfridays.com starting in January, is launching with just one product – a hydrating cream Jet Lag Mask. “We wanted to focus on one product that was amazing,” said Hewitt. Read the full interview on WWD.com. Link in bio. #wwdbeauty #wwdnews
Michelin star-rated chef PJ Calapa marks his first solo endeavor with today’s opening of @scampinyc –– the new Southern Italian restaurant located in Manhattans’ Flatiron District. The upscale yet welcoming environment matches the menu, which includes two types of scampi: traditional Italian langoustines in butter and the Americanized version with shrimp over pasta 🍤 - pictured here. #wwdeye (📷: George Chinsee)


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After public backlash against council’s recent decision to limit mobile street vendors access to First Ave. between Fifth and Sixth St., council has proposed a new location for food trucks—the east side of Second Ave. between Seventh and Ninth St.
The policy has yet to be adopted but the city agreed that they needed to amend their initial decision and give the public a chance to weight in on the new proposed location.
“I really don’t like the solution we came up with at our last meeting,” Coun. Phil Iddon said.
“We want as many people to accumulate downtown as possible.”
The initial decision to move the food trucks to First Ave. between Fifth and Sixth St. was made after downtown restaurant owners raised concern over the proximity of the trucks to competing business.
“Downtown restaurant owners and residents believe food trucks have a place in Fernie, but not in our downtown and particularly not with the existing lack of guidelines,” restaurant owner Marsha Churchill said during the June 9 council meeting.
Churchill also expressed concerns over waste managements, public intoxication and the lack of public facilities for patrons in the downtown core.
But during the July 14 council meeting, several Fernie residents spoke out against Churchill’s remarks.
“I don’t think that the vendors can be blamed for all the drunkenness, the vandalism, the public urination, the garbage left all over town,” Helen Hutchinson said.
“The problems with the vandalism and the garbage are people problems.”
Several locals also spoke out against council’s decision to restrict the mobile street vendors hours of operation to a 2 a.m. close.
“I think it’s a sad state when the city of Fernie is trying to, in any way, stop a young vendor, any vendor, any business from revenue. They pay taxes, they put food in their children’s mouths and in no way should we try to take steps backward just to appease businesses that don’t want them downtown,” Val d’Isere said.
“Anybody whose ever proposed a business plan, if you are truly worried about your business being impacted by a food vendor truck, I think you’ve got a poor business plan to start with.”
Debra Wilson added, “Under the free enterprise capitalist system no other entrepreneur or business has the right to interfere, opposes, harass or complain about someone in business who is competing fairly.”
But with the new proposed location, Iddon said the city could establish the separation of food trucks from Second Ave. restaurants without forcing the trucks off the main street.
The city also revisited their decision to limit the food truck’s hours of operation to a 2 a.m. closing time and decided to extend their hours to a 3 a.m. close, giving the vendors till 3:30 a.m. to clean-up.
Before the policy is put in place, council said they would like some feedback from businesses in that area.
“I think it’s really important that Overwaitea hear about this,” Coun. Dan McSkimming said.
“I don’t want to just make a decision right now that will hamper somebody’s ability to make an income,” Mayor Mary Guiliano added.


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Four US consumer groups have sent a letter to state and federal prosecutors calling for extensive business restrictions against Microsoft.
The groups also said XP will cause "significant harm" to consumers.
In a joint statement, the Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, Media Access Project and US Public Interest Research Group, warned that Microsoft's new bundle of software and internet services will extend and deepen the company's illegal monopoly and cause significant harm to the nation's consumers.
"Without severe penalties for failing to comply with the consent decree, Microsoft, as evidenced by past behavior, has no incentive to obey the law," the groups wrote.
The organisations also asked for a special overseer to enforce the court's eventual decision.
"Financial penalties for non-compliance should be sufficiently large as to be meaningful to a company with billions of dollars of cash on hand, garnered through abuse of monopoly power," the letter stated.
The groups also wrote a report, Windows XP.Net, Microsoft's Expanding Monopoly, authored by CFA's director of research, Mark Cooper, and Christopher Murray of the Consumers Union. It details concerns over the upcoming Windows XP operating system.
In the report, the groups pointed out specific areas of harm that the courts found to have resulted from Microsoft's illegal practices and which, they said, will continue, if not worsen, under Windows XP/.Net.
The new products also raise privacy and commercial exploitation concerns through Passport. According to CFA's Cooper, "Microsoft is creating an entirely new basis of market power that would reside in the control of personal information."
According to the groups, Windows XP will drive up consumer costs and hamper innovation. The groups claimed XP/.Net bundle contains, among other things, proprietary programming languages and restrictive licensing terms.
Furthermore, the analysis said: "Microsoft has failed in its attempt to frame the case against it as 'anti-innovation'. Innovation is the crux of the case, but the real issue is whether innovation is driven by a vigorous competitive process or managed by a single, dominant firm that can choose to protect and promote its interest at the expense of consumers."
14nm Cavium ThunderX2 CPUs deployed in HPE Apollo 70 supercomputer for US National Nuclear Security Administration
MWR's Countercept platform and phishd technologies key to F-Secure acquisition
Brexit labour shortages will lead to higher adoption of robotics
Newbies will be thrown in with the big boys on Sanhok as Kar98 fodder


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LONDON — First-quarter sales at Unilever, parent of Vaseline, Tresemmé and Dove, climbed 11.9 percent to 12.1 billion euros, or $16 billion, in the first quarter of the year, fueled by sales in emerging markets.
Dollar figures have been converted at average exchange rates for the three-month period.
The company said in a trading statement today that the Alberto Culver hair care brands were performing well, and the integration of Concern Kalina, the Russian beauty company acquired last year, was on track.
“We have grown ahead of our markets with all categories delivering positive volume growth. Emerging markets, now 56 percent of the business, have again delivered strong growth,” stated company chief executive Paul Polman. Growth in emerging markets was 11.9 percent, while developed markets gained 4.2 percent. He added that the good performance in developed markets came partly from weak comparative figures.
“Our performance is pleasing given struggling economies, continued fragile consumer confidence and competitor activity,” said Polman.
Going forward, he said the external macroeconomic environment remains difficult, and higher raw material and manufacturing costs are not going away. Despite that, Polman added, “Our long-term priorities remain unchanged — profitable volume growth ahead of our markets, steady and sustainable core operating margin improvement and strong cash flow. For 2012, we remain on track to deliver a modest improvement in full-year core operating margin, weighted towards the second half of the year.”
The statement said the hair care category had benefited from the rollout of brands into new markets and innovation. Tresemmé growth is being driven by its successful launch in Brazil, it said, and the new split ends range. Dove Damage Therapy continues to perform well, and the premium Style and Care styling range has just been introduced in the United States.


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The Goccia fitness tracker is on Kickstarter right now trying to raise $50,000 to come to market. The project has raised over $48,000 so far with a few days to go before the project ends. The Goccia device is a wearable fitness tracker that is billed as the smallest and simplest out there.
It is certainly small at about the diameter of a dime and a bit heavier than a penny. The small size means you don't have to wear it on your wrist like most fitness trackers. It can be worn on a sleeve or other location thanks to its small size.
It looks like Nike is done with its FuelBand wearable, with reports surfacing that the company has let go of most of its hardware division, and that the company will be stopping production of the hardware completely.
There was a 'slim' version of the FuelBand expected toward the end of the year, but most of the 70 or so hardware employees have been let go. The anonymous network Secret.ly saw someone post a rumor last week, which read: "The douchebag execs at Nike are going to lay off a bunch of the eng team who developed The FuelBand, and other Nike+ stuff. Mostly because the execs committed gross negligence, wasted tons of money, and didn't know what they were doing".
But, Nike has just launched the Fuel Lab, which is think tank for connected devices based in San Francisco. We could see the company release an API for its software services, partnering up with a company to build the hardware while Nike provides the software.
You might recall that we had mentioned Google Glass was going on sale to the general public on April 15. You didn't need an invite to buy the Glass headset on that day, but you needed your $1500 to get hands-on the expensive wearable.
The caveat to the public sale of Glass on the 15th was that it was only good while a certain number of Explorer spots were filled. Google never said how many spots it had available. In fact, we still don't know how many were available. What we do know is that Google sold all the spots it had in one day.
Google is now rolling out its XE16 software update for Google Glass, with the KitKat-powered update requiring Glass users to update to XE 12.1 first, after which the bigger, more important update bakes itself into Glass.
In order to update your Glass unit, you'll need to be plugged into charge, over 50% of charge on Glass itself, an have Wi-Fi enabled. I'm currently updating my Glass unit, but it will reportedly take around 20 minutes or so for the update process to complete.
Atlantis Productions will be making its upcoming documentary, Conquest of the Skies, compatible with Oculus VR's Rift headset. The legendary David Attenborough is attached to the project, too.
Atlantis Productions' Commercial Director, John Morris, during an interview with Real Screen said: "We're now filming for the Oculus Rift, so when we filmed our recent flight in Borneo, we filmed with an eight-camera rig, so you got the full [360 degree] experience". Conquest of the Skies is filming in Borneo right now, and will be made available to the public later in the year.
Oculus VR's founder, Palmer Luckey, sat down with Maximum PC recently, where he had some interesting things to say about the future of traditional viewing displays, and big-screen TVs.
Luckey talked about the resources required to build, ship and sell TVs, adding that the model "just won't be feasible". He continued: "Why in the world would you buy a 60-inch TV that, even if it were dirt cheap for that, it's still going to cost a lot to ship it and make it from raw materials. A VR headset is going to be much better and much cheaper and you can take it anywhere".
Some of the benefits of a large TV is that you can get a bunch of friends, or family members, to sit around and watch the same content. Luckey says that VR will soon be capable of doing that, where he adds: "It's all a matter of how good VR has to be. Eventually, VR is going to be good enough - someday, as good or as close to real life. If you want to simulate sitting in a room watching a TV, you'll be able to do that".
Google is pushing out an update to Glass, which will see some improvements, and the removal of the function to video call people. Google removed the video call function from Glass as the feature didn't meet Google's "high standards".
The search giant says that around 10% of Glass users were using the video call function, so in light of this, the Glass team made "the hard decision to remove video calls from Glass until the experience is better". Onto the updates, where Glass will not bundle photos together - this is really important, as your timeline can be completely cluttered with photos.
The latest update to Glass will bundle all of your photos, videos and vignettes into a single bundle for each day. For someone like me who takes lots of photos and videos per day, my timeline is constantly cluttered - news to my wearable ears!
James Cameron is pretty much a household name thanks to directing movies like The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day, oh and Avatar. Cameron was asked some interesting questions during his Reddit AMA session.
Cameron was asked on whether he would be making any movies using VR devices, such as the Oculus Rift, where he said: "I personally would be very interested to find a way to incorporate VR and a narrative-filmmaking experience. So a narrative directed experience that has individuated pathways where you have choices that you make in real-time, I think that would be a lot of fun. I think it would be very technically daunting and expensive, to do it as the same quality level as a typical feature, but it would be fun to experiment with".
He continued, saying: "It sounds like a lot of fun. I don't think it would take over the feature film market though. I'm very familiar with VR, but I haven't seen the specific Oculus Rift device". Cameron will be getting his hands-on Oculus VR's headset soon enough, where the director of Avatar said: "I'm interested in it. I'm meant to see it some time in the next month or so, but I've been familiar with VR since its inception. In fact, virtual reality is a way of describing the way we work on Avatar, we work in a virtual workspace all day long. We use a 'virtual camera' which is how I create all the shots that are CG in the film, a window into a virtual reality that completely surrounds me".
The wearable computing market is expected to boom over the next four years, with an estimated 19.2 million units shipped in 2014 up to 112 million in 2018, according to research firm IDC. Manufacturers are using a mix of complex accessories, smart accessories, and smart wearables to help garner interest from consumers, including the use of products such as Nike+, Fitbit, and Google Glass to gain attention.
Looking ahead, casual consumers will find a variety of affordable, functional wearables that can be used for everything from fitness bands to communication devices for mobile phones and smartphones. The new generation of wearables often are designed to operate independently of other devices, though can be easily paired to smartphones, tablets, PCs, and other electronics - a trend that will continue in the future.
"Complex accessories have succeeded in drawing much-needed interest and attention to a wearables market that has had some difficulty gaining traction," said Ramon Llamas, IDC Mobile Phones Research Manager, in a statement. "The increased buzz has prompted more vendors to announce their intentions to enter this market. Most importantly, end-users have warmed to their simplicity in terms of design and functionality, making their value easy to understand and use."
The wearable game just got very hot, with Google announcing it will sell its Glass headset starting April 15, but what about Apple's place in the wearable market? New rumors of its iWatch suggest that we could see two versions of Apple's smartwatch released, including a high-end version that would cost thousands of dollars.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is usually on the ball with most Apple rumors, said in a research note to clients on Thursday morning that Apple was preparing two iWatch models for this year. The first of which would be a smaller 1.3-inch device for people with smaller wrists, and another model that would feature a 1.5-inch screen.
Both models would feature a flexible AMOLED display with sapphire crystal display covers. Kuo said that Apple's iWatch would have a host of sensors that would monitor multiple things like motion, heart rate and more. The analyst noted the iWatch would have deep integration with iPhone and iPad, and would include an NFC chip, wireless charging capabilities, and a "fashionable appearance".
Kuo wrote to his clients: "Fashion is the name of the game; most expensive model likely priced at several thousand US dollars. Referring to the rules of the fashion market, we predict the iWatch casing and band will come in various materials. The most expensive model of the iWatch line will carry a price tag of several thousand US dollars". Kuo forecasts that Apple will sell some 5.5 million units of its iWatch this year, ramping up to somewhere between 30 million to 50 million in 2015.


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Subaru, the company that brought us the little girl playing behind the driver’s wheel while her dad watched over as she suddenly grew to 16 years old and was driving away for the first time, is once again tugging at our hearts with their newest ad campaign. This time, Subaru is making a claim that soon to be parents who choose to transport their families in a Subaru vehicle can rest easy knowing they are placing their children in one of the safest vehicles on the market.
The commercial, titled “Sweet Love,” shows an expecting father preparing for the baby by visiting baby stores for the essential items like strollers and diapers, as well as taking care of and protecting his pregnant wife. As the two prepare for their coming baby, an occasion I believe has been termed “nesting,” the camera subtly includes a Subaru Legacy, a vehicle sold at a local creative writing description of evil dealer, O’Brien Subaru, in several frames of the commercial.
Subaru’s claim is a fair one, for several reasons. To start, often times part of preparing for a first baby includes getting a new, “kid friendly” vehicle. In the past, the go to vehicle for nearly every new family was the minivan, but as gas prices continue to soar and other models continue to be more aesthetically pleasing (and the minivan continues to be less so), parents have started purchasing all kinds of models.
And when picking this new vehicle, every parent in the world is worried about two things: space and safety. Subaru’s claim that putting your newborn in the back of a Subaru is one of the safest choicest you can make is true. The 2011 Subaru Legacy was picked as a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. This award is certainly not foreign to the automaker and certainly not exclusive to only Subaru’s Legacy model.
Therefore, if you are expecting parents, consider considering a Subaru from your local Ft. Myers Subaru Legacy dealer, O’Brien Subaru. The Ft. Myers Legacy dealer has several colors and options available on the lot in Ft. Myers. Legacy vehicles, additionally, are incredibly affordable, which of course is the third most important factor for new parents picking out the family vehicle. Stop by today.


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IBM Finalizes SoftLayer Purchase and 2 Other Dow Movers To Watch
International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM): Current price $194.88
IBM announced the completion of its purchase of the privately-held computing infrastructure firm SoftLayer Technologies on Monday. On June 4, IBM reported it would acquire SoftLayer, with financials not disclosed. SoftLayer now joins IBM’s new cloud services arm, which combines it with IBM SmartCloud into a world platform. The new unit will be led by General Manager James Comfort and will provide a wide array of choices to both IBM and SoftLayer clients, ISVs, and channel and tech partners.
Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ): Current price $25.20
HP reported Monday that EastWest Bank has selected its Converged Infrastructure through which to supply a modern, flexible foundation to keep up with business demands and transition to a private cloud. After exlporing solutions from IBM and EMC, EastWest Bank chose HP Converged Infrastructure to streamline its information tech operations, lower costs, and scale its IT infrastructure in response to growing customer transactions.
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH): Current price $67.46
In its July 8 edition, the business weekly Barron’s said that UnitedHealth shares might rise by 40 percent during the next two years while Obamacare is being fully implemented, explaining that the insurer appears better positioned for the revamping of the U.S. health care system than its rivals Aetna and Cigna due to its combination of high-growth businesses and increasing profit margins. Analyst Chris Rigg at Susquehanna Financial Group said that by 2015, UnitedHealth’s Optum line of health-plan businesses will make up 29 percent of its operating earnings, up from 16 percent in 2012. Barron’s wrote, “Its Optum business will help drive down costs for its health plans, giving it a competitive edge.”
Don’t Miss: Can AOL Survive Without Dial-Up?


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If Amazon has its way, you’re future wait-time after purchasing merchandise from the online retailer may be faster than the pizza restaurant down the road.
Think minutes, not days.
Courtesy of Prime Air, Amazon is developing plans to utilize drones for delivery. And contrary to what you may be thinking, the concept isn’t that far away from reality.
In April, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted Amazon approval to continue testing their drone delivery system. And in June, Amazon received a patent for the delivery method.
While gaining government approval, the drones are being heavily restricted. The FAA has required the drones to fly no higher than 400 feet above ground and at rate no faster than 100 miles per hour. Additionally, the unmanned drones are required to be within the line of sight of the operator. Further, these tests are to be conducted with drones carrying packages weighing 5 pounds or less.
Initially, the drones will only be used in high-density population centers where Amazon already has an established presence. In select cities across the U.S., residents can place orders and have them delivered within an hour by a person. The drone system would eventually take these workers’ place.
A recent study by a New York-based firm suggested that delivery by drones could be accomplished for approximately $1, a significant savings based on the current delivery method. The study also noted that thousands of workers would be needed to operate the drone delivery system.
A timeline for the test or when drones may be used by Amazon for delivery has not yet been announced.
Amazon is not the only business currently researching or investigating the use of the drone delivery system. The United States Postal Service is also currently exploring options for drone delivery technology, too. This technology would be used in conjunction with delivery vehicles for postal employees and contractors.


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Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy has approved creative concepts for a ‘high quality’ marketing brochure, designed by Fleet-based consultancy Aricot Vert. The brochure will be used to raise the additional £1.5m the Academy requires for its £9.3m new-build premises on the South Coast.
The tabloid has replaced the Berliner format, a new masthead has rolled out across all platforms and there’s a new pared back design offset with a colourful navigation system.
Originally designed as an affordable means of ensuring that water supplies last longer in refugee camps, Bottleshower has now been adopted by the police in response to the increasing number
As part of our series on the future of design in 2018, Kellenberger-White co-founder Eva Kellenberger looks at what will happen in editorial design over the next 12 months.
Research has found that half of 16-25-year-olds surveyed want to pursue creative careers, but nearly two thirds do not feel they receive adequate guidance to do so by teachers or


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Friday, June 9, 2017
The Mascot Miracles Foundation and Legends Vintage Motorcycles in Springville, Utah is bringing Sturgis to Utah for 2 days!
Beginning on Friday, June 9, from 4 pm to 10 pm you can enjoy outdoor bands, a Sturgis main street bike line up, food trucks and vendor tents.
Starting at 6 pm there will be the hall of fame biker ball and benefit with dinner and live music from The Krew.
On Saturday, June 10th, the day starts at 10 am with a Motorcycle Ride at $30 per bike. Also on Saturday, a car show and block party, including vendor booths, live music, games and MASCOTS for the kids!
All this is happening at Legends Motorcycle Shop, 1715 W. 500 S. in Springville, Utah.
Don't miss the fun!


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DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — The COVID-19 crisis has had a lasting impact in so many areas and on so many businesses. The bike industry has seen both the good and bad in the demand for bikes. So many people are wanting to get outside and be active that the shortage could be felt for months.
At the Bicycle Lab bike shop in Delray Beach, bike maintenance is a top priority. The problem is getting parts to service the bikes has become a difficult task. Owner Jeff Ruth said before COVID-19 it would take under a week to get parts.
"Right now I just can't get bikes and I just can't get parts to fix bikes. So there's people I can't help now," he said.
Ruth said he can get a road bike or racing bikes. But when it comes to cruisers, hybrids, and sports hybrids they're wiped out.
"We won't get them again two, three months and the only reason we're getting them in that phase is these very big manufacturers have ordered and made their bikes 8 to 10 months in the future," he said.
Ruth said more people were forced to workout outside because COVID-19 has shut down gyms. So people started buying bikes or pulling them out to be fixed and rode.
"Getting really hard, tubes, tires, 7-speed freewheels, that stuff is the hardest to get," Mike Ogonowski with Relentless Bicycles said.
Just up the road in Lake Worth Beach, Ogonowski said the industry has struggled across the country.
"About a month ago it was really getting very notable where things were gone, not here, no product availability," he said.
Mike and Jeff said they're not sure when the market will correct itself.
"I'm happy that so many more people are touched by biking now but it's tough on the bike stores definitely," Ruth said.


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Subverting everyone’s expectations, purported leaks out of a GameStop may prove that Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is coming to the Nintendo Switch after all.
A photo posted to the Twitter account of Gaming Intel writer AUGMC reveals a number of Black Ops 4 cases sitting on a GameStop’s Switch shelf. The cases aren’t labeled with the console, but they are the same size as a standard Switch game case, suggesting that Black Ops 4 will drop for the Switch, along with the other platforms.
Breaking: GameStop is putting up Nintendo Switch Versions Of Black Ops 4 on Display. The reveal is 3 days away. Let’s hope we find out info there pic.twitter.com/9WZNKY9iBO
— AUGMC (@___AUG___) May 14, 2018
One industry insider made a claim prior to Black Ops 4‘s official reveal alleging that the game would launch on the Switch, but the Switch wasn’t part of the game’s list of platform confirmations. This caused hope for a Switch release to die off, until now. As AUGMC mentions, if a Switch release of Black Ops 4 is indeed coming, this week’s gameplay reveal event is almost certainly where publisher Activision will confirm it.
Assuming this isn’t just a GameStop screw-up, Switch users now have a major reason to get excited for the reveal. There are reasons to be skeptical of the leak, like the misplacement of the PEGI rating on the boxes and the simple fact that Activision didn’t announce it along with the other platforms, but these don’t mean that it isn’t coming.
PlayStation players have their own reason to look forward to the event, outside of the obvious gameplay reveal. An ad recently found on Call of Duty’s Twitter has stirred speculation that Black Ops 4 may feature timed-exclusive content for PS4 players, similar to the deal currently active for Call of Duty: WWII.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is slated to launch October 12th on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.


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Discover Government News
Lawmaker: Legalize home CD burning
Intended to discourage piracy, the clause has come under increasing fire over the past year by people who say it imposes severe limits on the rights of consumers to make personal backup copies or otherwise control music they have purchased. The clause has inspired high-profile court battles and made a minor celebrity out of Dmitry Sklyarov, the Russian programmer jailed for writing a program that defeated a copy-protection measure in Adobe Systems' eBook software.
The link for this article located at ZDNet is no longer available.


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Melbourne-based Sigma Pharmaceuticals is selling its drugs unit to Africa’s largest drug maker for £513 million.
Aspen Pharmacare Holdings is making the biggest purchase by an African firm in three years to gain assets from Sigma, including its generic and over-the-counter drugs.
News of the deal led to a 10% jump in Sigma’s stocks.
Sigma, which has lost about half its value in the past year, is selling the unit at about 12 times forecast earnings before interest and taxes for the year to January.
The sale proceeds will be greater than Sigma’s net debt and will leave the company with retail and wholesale operations, it revealed.
Aspen is buying a business that Sigma blamed for a record loss in March and reduced earnings forecast in July.
Copyright Press Association 2010


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By Hilary Mare
WITH carbon emission tax widely expected to affect volumes of vehicle sales going forward, the cost of this new tax will be passed on to consumers as they will pay more than they have done in the past, Simonis and Storm Securities has enlightened.
This tax which came into effect on July 11 2016, is only applicable to certain vehicles most notably passenger vehicles, Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and double cab vehicles with Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) not exceeding five tonnes.
Whilst motor cycles, trucks and buses will not be subject to the duties, the tax is N$40 per gram carbon dioxide/km emission exceeding 140g. Of interest to note is that the Toyota and the Volkswagen brand accounts for over 50.0 percent of total vehicle sales of which 22.1 percent is the Toyota Hilux.
“Vehicle sales have remained robust in the recent past, but going forward we expect that this new tax coupled with lower spending by consumers will result in the tax collection not being as high as may have been initially expected. This is because volumes will be lower and this tax will be passed on to consumers,” Indileni Nanghonga, a trainee economist at Simonis Storm highlighted.
This is subsequent to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) releasing Namibia’s new vehicle sales statistics for the month of June 2016 in which they said new vehicle sales grew by 3.5 percent m-o-m to 1,589 units compared to a 3.7 percent recorded in the prior month.
On an annual basis, total vehicle sales contracted by 13.8 percent y-o-y compared to a -4.2 percent registered in the prior year. The monthly upsurge in vehicle sales can be ascribed to an increase in number of units sold of Light Commercial Vehicles (6.7 percent m-o-m), Medium Commercial Vehicles (36.8 percent m-o-m), Heavy Commercial Vehicles (14.3 percent m-o-m) and Extra Heavy Vehicles (66.7 percent). In contrast, Passenger Vehicles continue to decline by – 3.9 percent m-o-m. Light Commercial Vehicles, which accounts for 54.8 percent of total new vehicle sales, are believed that they will continue to be the main driver in the number of new vehicles sales.
The suggested aggregate value of new vehicle sales stood at N$6.3 billion during June 2016 compared to N$5.7 billion recorded in the prior month. This is the highest value recorded since a N$6.3 billion was recorded in September 2015. The 10.5 percent m-o-m growth in the value of new vehicle sales can be attributed to an increase in the Medium Commercial and Extra heavy Commercial Vehicles which accounts for 85.7 percent or N$5.4 billion of the total value in June 2016.
“We believe that the 2.0 percent increase in the cost of vehicles sold during June 2016 has partially contributed to the increase in the value of new vehicle sales,” Nanghonga said.
Confidente. Lifting the Lid. Copyright © 2015


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According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), domestic car sales in December last year was 1,41,083 units, 12.5 per cent lower that 1,61,247 units sold in the same month in 2011.
The is the biggest drop since August, 2012 when sales had declined by 18.5 per cent.
"Sentiments have not been improved. Interest rates are still high. Even fuel prices remain on higher side and the economy is down," SIAM President S Nadiya said.
To boost the industry sentiment and growth, SIAM demanded a reduction in excise duty and continuation of all benefits of Auto Mission Plan (AMP) for another 10 years till 2026.
"Going by the current trends, we do not think industry will be able to recover in the fourth quarter unless the government provides support," he said.
He said the excise duty on automobiles, which was increased in the last year Budget, needs to be reduced, particularly on commercial vehicles.
Sandal's asked for early implementation of GSA as the move would help in boost the sector's growth.
"Early introduction of CST will help in boosting the industry's growth. SIAM also requests to look into the possibility of extending AMP till 2026 to further nurture the sector," he told reporters.
The total vehicles sales across categories, however, registered an increase of 2.77 per cent at 14,51,517 units last month as against 14,12,372 units in December, 2011.
The industry body has revised its sales forecast for passenger cars this fiscal to zero to one percent as against an earlier forecast of 1-3 per cent.
According to the data released by the SIAM today, motorcycle sales last month went up by 4.83 per cent to 8,44,113 units from 8,05,198 units in December 2011.
Total two-wheeler sales in December 2012 rose by 4.45 per cent to 11,37,148 units from 10,88,746 in December, 2011.
Sales of commercial vehicles were down by 13 per cent to 62,786 units from 72,166 units in the same period in 2011.
The overall growth in domestic sales during April-December 2012 was 4.57 per cent over the same period last year.
In December 2012, market leader Maruti Suzuki's sales stood at 68,729 units marginally down from 69,329 in the same period of 2011. Rival Hyundai Motor India's sales too decreased to 26,651 units during the reported period as against 29,449 units in the year-ago period.
Homegrown auto major Tata Motors' car sales were down by about 52 per cent at 11, 257 units.
In the motorcycle segment, market leader Hero MotoCorp sales increased to 4,71,873 units in December 2012. Rival Bajaj Auto's sales too went up to 1,98, 394 units during the period.
However, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) posted 36 per cent increase in sales to 94,700 units, while TVS Motor dispatched 45,106 units, 15 per cent more than December 2011.
The scooter segment's overall sales grew by 6.40 per cent to 2,32,343 units from 2,18,369 units.
HMSI's scooter sales fell to 1,04,537 units compared to 1,10,282 units in December 2011, while Hero MotoCorp sold 55,502 units, up 54 per cent. TVS Motor's sales saw decline of 32 per cent to 28,763 units.
Medium and Heavy Commercial Vehicle sales declined 38.34 per cent to 19,105 units during the month as against 30,984 units in December 2011.
According to SIAM, light commercial vehicle sales grew 6.07 per cent to 43,681 units in December 2012 from 41,182 units in the same month in 2011.
In the three-wheeler category, sales went up 5.91 per cent to 44,718 units.
SIAM expects that overall sales will go up in the last quarter of this fiscal.
Further Sandilya said issues like high finance rates for vehicles and differential excise rates are affecting the growth of the industry.
He asked the government to take steps in the forthcoming Budget to further fuel the growth of the sector.
Suggesting steps, he asked the Finance Minister to reduce excise duty besides taking steps to improve basic infrastructure and further liberalising mining sector.
He also asked the government to restore drawback rates for auto sector in order to boost its exports.
During April-December 2012, overall automobile exports declined by 2.92 per cent to 21,86,834 units compared to the same period last year. However, in December 2012 exports grew by 11.17 per cent at 2,61,732 units.
SIAM also suggested the government to reduce excise duty on cars other than small cars to 20 per cent and said that the duty on 10- 13 seater vehicles should be at par with buses that is 10 per cent.
SIAM president Sandilya asked for concessions on identified parts of hybrid/ electric vehicles.
To revive commercial vehicles segment, he demanded Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) -II scheme for city buses. He said that the government should strictly enforce the legal provisions against overloading.
Further he added that high taxes on small cars and other vehicles are impacting the growth of the sector.
The taxes are as high as 57-62 per cent in some states, he said adding taxes on cars (other than small cars) are as high as 76-82 per cent in some states.
He said that if the industry will grow by 10 per cent than also the target of Auto Mission Plan will not be achieved.


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I figured today or tomorrow would be the day that the coveted Lenovo Chromebook Duet would start to actually ship to customers. We’ve been alerted by a reader that their Best Buy order that was placed on April 29th has officially been marked as shipped even though there is no apparent tracking info to go along with that yet.
Best Buy’s listing for the upcoming Chrome OS tablet has been pretty spot-on with dates, showing the availability of May 6th and an initial shipping date estimated to be on or before May 11th. My order has made a bit of progress, but I’ve still not been charged the $299 for the device and my order still holds to the May 11th ship date. It is unclear at this point whether or not everyone’s tablet will ship out before the weekend hits, but my gut says a few will get shipped tomorrow while the rest will go out on Monday.
As far as Chromebook launches go, this one has so far been one of the best handled releases we’ve seen. Early indications pointed to a May release and even in the face of a worldwide pandemic, Lenovo has stuck to the date given at CES 2020 back in January and is delivering on early orders and that’s a very positive sign. We still don’t have a tight grasp on when other retailers will begin fulfilling orders, but I’d bet in the next few weeks we’ll see more purchase opportunities open up. We also don’t have firm dates on non-US market releases, but it’s become quite clear the Lenovo Chromebook Duet will be very widely available in due time.
We hope to hear some official news on further roll outs and other markets in the next few days from Lenovo, but it looks like you’ll need to hit up Best Buy for the time being if you’d like to get your hands on one of the early rounds of these popular tablets as the current expected ship date is now May 20th. With the continued adjustments being made by many to work remotely for the foreseeable future, this $279 table/detachable Chromebook could be just the right price and feature set to sell out on a regular basis. We’ll have ours here for review soon, so stay tuned.


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By Matthew Garrahan in Los Angeles, Kenneth Li in New York and Joseph Menn in San Francisco
Apple is working with the four largest record labels to stimulate digital sales of albums by bundling a new interactive booklet, sleeve notes and other interactive features with music downloads, in a move it hopes will change buying trends on its online iTunes store.
The talks come as Apple is separately racing to offer a portable, full-featured, tablet-sized computer in time for the Christmas shopping season, in what the entertainment industry hopes will be a new revolution.
Physical album sales have fallen sharply as music retailing has evolved from CD album purchases in retail outlets to digital downloads of songs from online stores.
Although consumers continue to purchase large amounts of digital music, they are buying individual tracks rather than higher-margin albums.
“It’s all about re-creating the heyday of the album when you would sit around with your friends looking at the artwork, while you listened to the music,” said one executive familiar with the plans.
Apple wants to make bigger purchases more compelling by creating a new type of interactive album material, including photos, lyric sheets and liner notes that allow users to click through to items that they find most interesting.
“It’s not just a bunch of PDFs,” said one executive.
The music companies declined to comment.
Album sales in the US fell 14 per cent in 2008 to 428.4m units, according to Nielsen SoundScan, which tracks retail sales data.
The new touch-sensitive device Apple is working on will have a screen that may be up to 10 inches diagonally.
It will connect to the internet like the iPod Touch – probably without phone capability but with access to Apple’s online stores .
Apple is gambling that it can succeed where everyone else has flopped, including Microsoft, which tirelessly pushed a tablet-ready version of its Windows operating system as a personal favourite of founder Bill Gates.
The entertainment industry is hoping that Apple, which revolutionised the markets for music players and phones, can do it again with the new device.
“It’s going to be fabulous for watching movies,” said one entertainment executive.
Book publishers have been in talks with Apple and are optimistic about their services being offered with the new computer, which could provide an alternative to Amazon’s Kindle.


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Amazon is offering a combination offering in India including the Fire TV Stick along with a Bluetooth enabled Micromini X Ninja game controller with a refund of Rs. 750. The main purpose of the promotion is apparently to encourage comfortable players to buy the Fire TV Stick to play games on their TVs. Amazon claims to offer free access to more than 30,000 games through Fire TV Stick. The pursuit of the game’s content is aimed at making the Fire TV Stick a distinct offering among other media streaming devices.
Customers need to add the Fire TV Stick along with the Micromini X Ninja game controller to their cart to get the Rs. 750 cashback, Amazon explains on its website.
The given refund will be credited to your Amazon Pay account after the combination order has been shipped. You will be able to use it to purchase new content on your Fire TV Stick, including games.
The combination offer, available until June 30, can be effectively purchased at a low price of Rs. 4 148. This applies to the Fire TV Stick Lite, Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Stick 4K Max models.
The game controller with a transparent design is available separately at Rs. 1,899 on the e-commerce website. It comes with features including vibration feedback and motion detection. The controller also includes joysticks as well as a D-pad for control.
Once purchased, you can connect the Micromini X Ninja controller with your Fire TV Stick to Institutions > Remote and Bluetooth devices.
It looks like Amazon is aiming to expand the use cases of the Fire TV Stick and make it a gaming device for casual gamers by introducing the new promotion. Some existing Fire TV Stick users also see the offer on their home screen to persuade them to upgrade their experience and use the combination offer.
A recent report suggested that Microsoft was planning to launch its Fire TV Stick-like TV streaming device that would allow users to access movies, TV services and a library of games through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate gain.
The existing catalog of games available for the Fire TV platform does not contain any convincing titles for hardcore gamers. However, it has games that can please regular users to use the Fire TV Stick as a gaming device – along with movies and TV content.
Earlier this month, Amazon launched the Fire TV Stick Lite with the brand new Alexa Voice Remote in India at Rs. 2,999. It brought the new remote with dedicated controls for streaming platforms, namely Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and Disney + Hotstar.


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Image: iPhone 12. Source: Apple
(Reuters) -Apple Inc plans to raise iPhone manufacturing by nearly 30% to up to 96 million units in the first half of 2021, Japanese financial daily Nikkei reported on Tuesday, prompting another jump in the shares of the California-based tech giant.
Citing unnamed sources, Nikkei said the company had asked suppliers to produce around 95 million to 96 million iPhones. That target would include the latest iPhone 12 as well as older iPhone 11 and SE models, but could be undermined by an industry shortage of key components, it said.
Apple, which stopped disclosing iPhone unit sales data two years ago, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment, but the report comes at a time when analysts are debating the likely extent of a boost from its launch of 5G handsets.
The company, which in October recorded the steepest decline in handset sales in at least three years, has said it expected iPhone revenue growth to be in single digits in the current quarter, the first of its 2021 fiscal year.
The company’s shares rose 3% to $125.44 in morning trading.
Nikkei also said Apple plans to build up to 230 million iPhones in total next year, a 20% rise from 2019, though the target will be regularly reviewed and revised in response to consumer demand.
Apple shares have soared in the past two years as it successfully diversified its revenue streams toward accessories, services and a broader range of hardware, lessening its dependence on the iPhone.
The phones, however, which have powered a new era of success for the company since their launch by former Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs in 2007, make up just over 40% of revenue.
The company is currently working on a new Apple TV model and preparing an aggressive 2021 production schedule for its MacBook Pro and iMac Pro, Nikkei added.
Reporting by Sabahatjahan Contractor and Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur and Ramakrishnan M.


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sclark [at] vedp.org
February 20, 2019
HalioDx to expand North American operations, establish facility in VA Bio+Tech Park
January 28, 2019
Cloverleaf Cold Storage to invest $21 million to expand refrigerated warehouse facility
January 24, 2019
CareerBuilder investing $2.5 million to establish 20,000-square-foot call center and research facility
January 22, 2019
Smyth County Machine, LLC to invest $2.1 million to expand manufacturing operation
January 17, 2019
Two-year export program provides resources to support international business expansion
Upon landing additional customer business in 2014, Monogram needed to select one of its existing facilities to add capacity rapidly.
Facebook needed to invest in a new data center to increase capacity while also keeping its energy footprint low and set out to find the location of its eighth U.S. data center.
Since its founding in 1972 in Italy, Eldor Corporation has grown to be a leading global supplier to the world’s premier automotive manufacturers and was interested in expanding its manufacturing division into the United States market.
Seeking to consolidate its client engagement activities located throughout the U.S. into one state-of-the-art facility, Owens & Minor wanted a sizeable urban location that would attract an educated millennial workforce.


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There's never been a better time to get involved in cybercrime.
Sony reported Thursday a loss for its fiscal year ended March 31, hit by the slowdown of the global economy, the appreciation of the yen, and a decline in the Japanese stock market.
Although Microsoft's next operating system is months away from release, the recession is already having an impact on Windows 7, a survey of 320 corporate administrators said today.
Taiwan's five largest DRAM makers reported massive losses in a slew of earnings reports filed late Thursday evening, raising questions about how much longer some of them can remain afloat without direct government aid.
The recession continues to weigh on the worldwide semiconductor industry, which recorded a giant revenue drop in the first quarter of 2009, Gartner said on Wednesday.
Despite monthly costs of $70 or more for voice and data service on new smartphones such as the Palm Pre, consumers and business users have been lining up to buy the devices when they first go on sale as if the recession had never hit.
In the past decade, Microsoft's steady, uninterrupted sales growth has been matched by only one thing: its steady hiring.
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Commercial Bargains Inc., 2005 S. 54th St., West Allis, was just named to Inc business magazine's list of the 5,000 fastest-growing companies in the United States, coming in at number 1,628.
Commercial Bargains Inc. sells all kinds of consumer products, including exercise machines, hammocks, Himalayan salt lamps and hunters tree stands online. The company also offers products to businesses.
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