The Chinese love affair with life’s little luxuries August 13, 2015 The seemingly rampant early success of brands such as Louis Vuitton a decade ago was largely due to the novelty of designer goods in China. Angelica Cheung, Vogue China’s editor in chief, likened the first glut of luxury goods in China to food being given to the starving. The well-heeled are now extremely [...]
Smartwatch stress test reveals security flaws in all devices from Apple Watch to Android and Pebble August 12, 2015 If you’re using a smartwatch, whether it’s an Apple Watch or a Pebble, the device is likely to be exposing your personal data to crooks, as a new stress test reveals smartwatches from all six big brands have significant security flaws. The biggest issue is that none of the watches have default password protection, or [...]
Dow yo-yos 300 points – New York Report August 12, 2015 US STOCKS rebounded in afternoon trading yesterday to end little changed as energy shares and Apple offset continued concerns about a slowdown in China. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 0.33 points to 17,402.51, the S&P 500 gained 1.98 points, or 0.1 per cent, to 2,086.05 and the Nasdaq Composite added 7.60 points, or 0.15 [...]
Finally, the world’s first reversible micro-USB cable is here, from startup MicFlip August 12, 2015 Android users, you know the struggle: Trying to connect your phone to a charger in the dark, but always getting it wrong side up. Well, now you can wave goodbye to that first-world problem, as a company called MicFlip has designed the world’s first reversible micro-USB charger, meaning there is no more “right” or “wrong” [...]
Top US stocks led down by drop at Apple – New York Report August 11, 2015 CHINA’S surprise currency devaluation hit companies with a big exposure to the country and added to worries about the global economic outlook, pushing stocks down yesterday. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 212.33 points, or 1.21 per cent, to 17,402.84, the S&P 500 lost 20.11 points, or 0.96 per cent, to 2,084.07 and the Nasdaq [...]
How Google is breaking the rules of corporate branding to get its Alphabet to pay off August 11, 2015 Google’s creation of its Alphabet parent is a future-looking, ambitious strategy that few others would have the boldness to do. But it’s bold for a reason: creating new challenges for Alphabet to make it a real success. What Google is doing breaks the normal rules of corporate branding. Read more: Three things you should know [...]
Google share price U (for up) after Alphabet restructure August 11, 2015 Wall Street's more than happy with Google's restructuring move. Google shares, or Alphabet shares as they should now be known, opened more than five per cent up continuing the trend in after-hours trading following Larry Page's blog post revealing the new company vision. Investors are likely pleased that the move brings more transparency to the [...]
Apple supplier Foxconn invests £5bn in India August 9, 2015 Electronics maker Foxconn is investing $5bn in a new factory in India, as the Apple supplier seeks to mitigate rising wage costs in China. Foxconn has announced the new manufacturing facility will be in the western state of Maharashtra, and the $5bn investment over the next five years marks one of India’s largest foreign-investment deals [...]
Steve Jobs – The Musical: An opera about the Apple founder’s life is coming in 2017 August 7, 2015 A Steve Jobs musical is coming in 2017, after the Santa Fe Opera commissioned a piece about the Apple founder’s life. The opera, due to launch in Los Angeles, will focus on the man behind the Mac, exploring the late entrepreneur’s personal relationships, with his wife, but also the daughter he initially rejected. Composer Mason [...]
Apple Music attracts 11m subscribers in first month, closing in on music-streaming rival Spotify August 6, 2015 Apple has attracted 11m users to Apple Music, its music-streaming service currently in free trial stage. The company revealed the first public figures in an interview with USA Today, as Eddy Cue, senior vice president of internet software and services, commented: We’re thrilled with the numbers so far. Apple Music launched on 30 June and [...]