Snapzu Business: July 2019

Wednesday 31 July 2019

Huawei smartphone sales up 24 percent despite US crackdown

Huawei made 221.6 billion yuan ($32.2 billion) in revenue in the April-June quarter, a 23 percent increase over the previous quarter despite the escalation of the US-China trade war cutting off its business with American companies. Net profit margin was 8.7 percent on 401.3 billion yuan ($58.3 billion) of revenue for the first six months of 2019.
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/30/20746693/huawei-earnings-h1-2019-smartphone-sales?source=Snapzu

Tuesday 30 July 2019

Did Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Intend To Deceive?

Regulators missed a chance to find out if deceptive practices at Facebook came from the top when they decided to enter into a settlement with Zuckerberg instead of questioning him, an FTC member says.
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2019/07/28/745949428/did-facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-intend-to-deceive?source=Snapzu

Uber Lays Off 400 as Profitability Doubts Linger After I.P.O.

Uber said it laid off a third of its marketing team on Monday, or about 400 people, as the ride-hailing company tries to cut costs and streamline its operations after its initial public offering in May.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/29/technology/uber-job-cuts.html?partner=IFTTT?source=Snapzu

Amazon Wants to Rule the Grocery Aisles, and Not Just at Whole Foods

In early 2017, a memo circulated inside Amazon that imagined an ambitious new grocery chain. The document was written like a news release, a common practice for ideas being weighed inside the company, with the title “Grocery Shopping for Everyone.”
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/28/technology/whole-foods-amazon-grocery.html?source=Snapzu

Monday 29 July 2019

This year’s iPhone should be the last with Lightning

As per usual, rumors surrounding the next iPhone are starting to coalesce into a consistent set of expectations. The latest information comes from the very reliable Guilherme Rambo of 9to5Mac, suggesting that this year’s iPhone 11 will come in two sizes (plus a successor to the iPhone XR), have OLED screens on the top tier devices, keep the same resolution across the entire lineup, add a wide angle camera, improve the selfie camera, have some sort of fancy haptics, and finally: charge via the Lightning connector.
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/24/20708177/apple-iphone-11-rumors-usb-c-lightning?source=Snapzu

An early look at how Microsoft is sprucing up its 500-acre campus to recruit and keep tech talent

As Microsoft refines its 500-acre campus outside Seattle, it's bearing in mind four values: accessible, connected, secure and sustainable.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/28/microsoft-freshens-up-campus-buildings-with-history-and-modernity.html?source=Snapzu

Sunday 28 July 2019

Did Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Intend To Deceive?

Adblocking: How About Nah?

For more than a decade, consumer rights groups (including EFF) worked with technologists and companies to try to standardize Do Not Track, a flag that browsers could send to online companies signaling that their users did not want their browsing activity tracked.
Read more: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/07/adblocking-how-about-nah?source=Snapzu

Saturday 27 July 2019

DoorDash Is Proof of How Easy It Is to Exploit Workers When Their Boss Is an Algorithm

We’re getting quite used to our algorithmic overlords. We’ve ceded, for the most part, that complex and invisible rulesets determine who will see our missives, travel pics, and RT dunks. More substantially, millions of workers now toil, essentially, for algorithms, whether via Uber, Lyft, Postmates, or the like. And the DoorDash tipping fiasco that unfolded this week highlights how increasingly dangerous this is—both in terms of the worker exploitation that nebulous algorithmic employment allowed for in the first place, and in the fractious and sometimes surprising nature of the fallout.
Read more: https://gizmodo.com/doordash-is-proof-of-how-easy-it-is-to-exploit-workers-1836729119?IR=T?source=Snapzu

The world's most loved phone is going to be re-launched

Nokia will re-launch the 3310, perhaps the best-loved and most resilient phone in history. The phone, originally released in 2000 and in many ways beginning the modern age of mobiles, will be sold as a way of getting lots of battery life in a nearly indestructible body.
Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/nokia-3310-mwc-2017-re-launch-buy-amazon-price-leaks-details-revealed-a7578941.html?source=Snapzu

It’s official: US government approves T-Mobile/Sprint merger

Network-asset sale props up Dish as part of a settlement that requires the merging companies to spin off several assets to Dish Network.
Read more: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/07/its-official-us-government-approves-t-mobilesprint-merger/?source=Snapzu

The Ultimate Guide To Creating Evergreen Content For Your Blog

Want your posts to keep bringing traffic to your blog for years to come? Then you should be creating evergreen content. And here's how to do it.
Read more: https://problogger.com/creating-evergreen-content/?source=Snapzu

President Trump Says Apple Mac Pros Will Face Tariffs if Production Moves to China

President Donald Trump has vowed to slap tariffs on Apple’s Mac Pros if the company shifts production of the computer from Texas to China. The pledge made in a Friday tweet rebuffs Apple’s attempt to shield its products from taxes being imposed on goods made in China as part of Trump administration’s trade war with the world’s most populous country.
Read more: https://time.com/5636641/trump-apple-china-tariff/?source=Snapzu

Tulsi Gabbard, Democratic Presidential Candidate, Sues Google

The candidate claims Google shut down her ad account after the first debate in June, preventing her from capitalizing on new interest.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/25/technology/tulsi-gabbard-sues-google.html?source=Snapzu

iPhone Loyalty Trends Are Bad News for Apple Stock

A recent survey by BankMyCell found that only 73% of iPhone users who are upgrading their devices in 2019 plan to get another iPhone. While that is still relatively high, it’s the lowest iPhone loyalty rate since 2011. In fact, loyalty to the device has apparently dropped 18 percentage points since 2018.
Read more: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/iphone-loyalty-trends-bad-news-180147473.html?source=Snapzu

Friday 26 July 2019

DoorDash Says It’s Very Sorry You Noticed Its Tip-Skimming Scheme

Food delivery app DoorDash has, for months, doubled down on its policy of systematically skimming customer tips meant for its fleet of contract delivery workers. That resolve cracked on Tuesday night when CEO Tony Xu took to Twitter to announce some unspecified changes to its compensation model.
Read more: https://gizmodo.com/doordash-says-it-s-very-sorry-you-noticed-its-tip-skimm-1836652047?source=Snapzu

Thursday 25 July 2019

YouTube Is a Big Business. Just How Big Is Anyone’s Guess.

As Alphabet prepares to report quarterly earnings, investors will largely remain in the dark about one of its most important businesses.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/24/technology/youtube-financial-disclosure-google.html?source=Snapzu

'World of Warcraft's' virtual gold is seven times more valuable than Venezuela's real money

How worthless is the bolivar, Venezuela's currency? You'd be better off investing in fictional currency from a video game. The virtual gold in "World of Warcraft," the online role-playing game, is now almost seven times more valuable than real cash from Venezuela, whose economy is in shambles. As the South American country suffers an economic crisis due to extreme inflation, the value of bolivar has cratered.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/08/world/world-of-warcraft-token-worth-more-than-venezuelas-currency-trnd/index.html?no-st=1563976319?source=Snapzu

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo ditch ties to Plastics Industry Association following pressure from Greenpeace "A victory for every person that spoke up"

Soft drink giants Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have announced they are cutting ties with a trade association representing the plastic industry over concerns their memberships contradict a commitment to reducing waste. The two companies said they are to leave the Plastics Industry Association as they seek to dramatically reduce single-use plastics in their products and packaging.
Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/coca-cola-pepsi-plastics-industry-association-1450866?source=Snapzu

Wednesday 24 July 2019

Apple in Advanced Talks to Buy Intel’s Smartphone-Modem Chip Business

Apple Inc. AAPL +0.43% is in advanced talks to buy Intel Corp. INTC +0.41% ’s smartphone-modem chip business, according to people familiar with the matter, a move that would jump-start the iPhone maker’s push to take control of developing the critical components powering its devices.
Read more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-in-advanced-talks-to-buy-intels-smartphone-modem-chip-business-11563830356?mod=rsswn?source=Snapzu

The computer gaming statistics technology innovators should know

If your business is contemplating any kind of digital transformation, it's instructive to look at past technology trends, how markets changed, and the competitive landscape. At it turns out, you can get that perspective from the computer game industry.
Read more: https://www.hpe.com/us/en/insights/articles/the-gaming-statistics-technology-innovators-should-know-1907.html?source=Snapzu

Apple is close to buying Intel's phone chip business, report says

The tech giants could reportedly announce a $1 billion deal next week.
Read more: https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-is-close-to-buying-intels-phone-chip-business-report-says/?source=Snapzu

Ford shows off electric F-150 truck by towing a million pounds of train

Even if you're not a truck fan, the prospect of a battery electric Ford F-150 is appealing. The F-150 is the nation's best-selling light vehicle with more than 1.1 million sold in 2018, so it would be a good thing if some of those future sales were variants that didn't need to pump out buckets of CO2 every day. To do that, Ford not only needs a competent electric powertrain, it also has to convince some of its customers that dropping the internal combustion engine isn't a downgrade.
Read more: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2019/07/ford-shows-off-electric-f-150-truck-by-towing-a-million-pounds-of-train/?source=Snapzu

Tuesday 23 July 2019

Crypto Banking Company FairX Shuts Down Due to Lack of Financing

FairX, a financial solutions provider associated with banking and digital assets, has shut down its tasks as it failed to set up a licensed national bank. As per a FairX Twitter thread on July 19, the firm has fallen short of establishing a certified national bank due to a lack of financing. FairX was looking to lift funds for the planned bank during the last 14 months, which is known as...
Read more: https://www.theeconomyclub.com/crypto-banking-company-fairx-shuts-down-due-to-lack-of-financing/?source=Snapzu

Wetherspoons becomes first business to ditch paper receipts as they say practice is outdated

Wetherspoons has become the first large business to stop using receipts after customers complained of mess and the waste of paper.
Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/07/22/wetherspoons-becomes-first-business-ditch-receipts-say-practice/?source=Snapzu

Wetherspoons becomes first business to ditch paper receipts as they say practice is outdated

Monday 22 July 2019

Equifax to pay up to $700M in data breach settlement

Equifax will pay up to $700 million to settle with the Federal Trade Commission and others over a 2017 data breach that exposed Social Security numbers and other private information of nearly 150 million people.
Read more: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/07/22/equifax-to-pay-up-to-700m-in-data-breach-settlement?source=Snapzu

How trashy TV made children dumber and enabled a wave of populist leaders

The longer people were exposed to particularly vapid television, the more likely they were to vote for populist candidate offering a simple message and easy answers.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/07/20/how-trashy-tv-made-children-dumber-enabled-wave-populist-leaders?source=Snapzu

Collectible card games (CCG's) have some competition from this blockchain-based Ethereum game

What's your opinion on this market? How do you see NFT's (non-fungible tokens) shaping up the gaming market?
Read more: https://snapzu.com/Godlike/collectible-card-games-ccgs-have-some-competition-from-this-blockchain-based-ethereum-game?source=Snapzu

As the controversy mounts, Facebook still seems to click

Facebook is expected to report its second most profitable quarter ever on Wednesday, even in the wake of a $5bn (£4bn) fine and an unprecedented level of scrutiny over its plans to launch a new global currency. While regulatory struggles and digital money plans have hogged the spotlight in recent weeks, investors and analysts remain convinced that the social media juggernaut can continue to expand.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/jul/21/facebook-controversy-mounts-still-clicks-profits-libra-fine?source=Snapzu

Sunday 21 July 2019

The pros and cons of a $15 minimum wage

The movement to increase the federal minimum wage is gaining steam. What are the benefits and costs?
Read more: https://theweek.com/articles/853622/pros-cons-15-minimum-wage?source=Snapzu

'It never stops': US farmers now face extreme heat wave after floods and trade war

After a year of flooding, Midwest farmers face a stifling heat wave that's spreading across the U.S.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/19/extreme-heat-wave-hits-us-farmers-already-suffering-from-flooding.html?source=Snapzu

This food kiosk at the Halifax airport relies on customer honesty to pay

The Mabata Honesty Shop has no staff — just a mailbox for cash and a card reader for payment.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/mabata-honesty-shop-halifax-airport-1.5214129?source=Snapzu

Is Apple About to Bring Back the Rainbow Logo?

According to MacRumors, they just might. A source of theirs at Apple has indicated that the company may be preparing to bring the old six-color rainbow logo, which was retired in 1999.
Read more: http://ipadinsight.com/apple-news/is-apple-about-to-bring-back-the-rainbow-logo/?source=Snapzu

Saturday 20 July 2019

Microsoft outperforms analysts' revenue predictions with a ‘blow out’ Q4

Microsoft outperforms the revenue predictions of industry analysts for its last quarter by about $1 billion. The analysts made a forecast of about $32.8 billion, but the company earned $33.7 billion in the fourth quarter.
Read more: https://www.theeconomyclub.com/microsoft-outperforms-analysts-revenue-predictions-with-a-blow-out-q4/?source=Snapzu

Friday 19 July 2019

GameStop Pivoting to New Experiences, Retro-Only Stores

GameStop Corp., the company behind the world’s largest retail gaming chain, has recently announced that it will commence refocusing efforts to create more unique in-store experiences amid ever-increasing digital sales. In an effort to reach its goals, GameStop is forming a strategic partnership with R/GA, a global innovation design firm.
Read more: https://joystickr.com/gamestop-doubling-down-experiences-retro-stores/?source=Snapzu

Another NASA moonshot? Nope. You can't BS your way to space

Opinion: For decades, NASA's been under-funded. Apollo 11 getting to the moon was a miracle of science and engineering. Can we do it again?
Read more: https://www.zdnet.com/article/another-nasa-moonshot-nope-you-cant-bs-your-way-to-space/?source=Snapzu

Why You Can’t Compete with Google: The Deplatforming of LiveVideo.com

Learn how Google kills competition through anti-competitive behavior. This is the true story of how I tried to compete with YouTube and Google with two of the former founders of Myspace between 2006-2008 on a startup called LiveVideo.com.
Read more: https://techpost.io/why-you-cant-compete-with-google-the-deplatforming-of-livevideo-com/?source=Snapzu

Apple Store selling exclusive Satechi USB-C Multiport Pro Adapter, new Native Union wireless chargers and more

Apple is now selling an exclusive USB-C hub from Satechi, the Multiport Pro Adapter. The new device features a USB-C port for power, USB-A, SD and microSD card readers, and an HDMI port in a slim package. Native Union also has a range of new Apple accessories now available at Apple Stores and Apple.com.
Read more: https://9to5mac.com/2019/07/18/apple-exclusive-usb-c-adapter/?source=Snapzu

Beyond Meat is just the beginning — dairy alternative firms are set to boom to a $38 billion market

Beyond Meat has soared since its trading debut in May. The boom doesn't seem to be an anomaly — dairy-free foods are also set to surge. Dairy-free yogurts, cheeses and milks have grown much faster than plant-based meat, as more consumers are looking for dairy alternatives.
Read more: https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/beyond-meat-first-success-rapidly-expanding-meat-free-food-industry-2019-7-1028363863?source=Snapzu

Thursday 18 July 2019

Tim Hortons is now selling Beyond Meat burgers

The glow-up continues for Canada's most iconic coffee chain this week with yet another new meatless menu option: The Tim Hortons Beyond Burger. Tim Hortons, which just over a month ago officially rolled out three new sandwiches made with "100% plant-based sausage" patties, announced Wednesday morning that veggie burgers would now be available at more than 4,000 of its locations across the country.
Read more: https://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2019/07/tim-hortons-beyond-meat-burgers/?source=Snapzu

Wednesday 17 July 2019

The $139 Nokia 2.2 brings back the removable battery

It has a notched camera design, a plastic body, and a removable battery.
Read more: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/07/one-of-the-cheapest-nokia-phones-comes-to-the-us-the-139-nokia-2-2/?source=Snapzu

Tuesday 16 July 2019

A new way to grow crops in marginal soils could help feed the world

Stanford Engineering Digital Magazine Article
Read more: https://engineering.stanford.edu/magazine/article/new-way-grow-crops-marginal-soils-could-help-feed-world?source=Snapzu

New face of the £50 note is revealed

Computer pioneer and codebreaker Alan Turing will feature on the new design of the Bank of England's £50 note. He is celebrated for his code-cracking work that proved vital to the Allies in World War Two. The £50 note will be the last of the Bank of England collection to switch from paper to polymer when it enters circulation by the end of 2021.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-48962557?source=Snapzu

Monday 15 July 2019

Machine learning helps robot harvest lettuce for the first time

Engineers have developed a vegetable-picking robot that can autonomously harvest iceberg lettuce, a manually demanding crop for human pickers. Vegebot was trained using a machine-learning algorithm that helped it distinguish healthy lettuces ready for harvest, in a variety of weather conditions.
Read more: https://newatlas.com/robot-harvest-lettuce-vegetable-machine-learning-agriculture/60465/?source=Snapzu

Federal authorities have launched a criminal probe into whether pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson lied to the public about the possible cancer risks of its talcum powder, Bloomberg reported Friday, escalating a scandal plaguing the company for years as it faces several civil lawsuits from customers who claim that its Baby Powder was responsible for their ovarian cancer.
Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2019/07/12/johnson--johnson-under-criminal-investigation-for-concealing-cancer-risks-of-baby-powder/#9a7a98166e73?source=Snapzu

Sunday 14 July 2019

Dow jumps 240 points to all-time high as Wall Street ends record-breaking week on a high note

Stocks rose as investors ended a record-setting week on a high note after dovish testimony from the top Federal Reserve official.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/12/stock-market-dow-futures-rise-after-fed-hints-at-rate-cut-ahead.html?source=Snapzu