ReportWire

Tag: Consumer electronics

  • Elon Musk claims Apple has ‘threatened to withhold’ Twitter from its app store | CNN Business

    Elon Musk claims Apple has ‘threatened to withhold’ Twitter from its app store | CNN Business

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    New York
    CNN Business
     — 

    Elon Musk on Monday claimed that Apple has “threatened” to pull Twitter from its iOS app store, a move that could be devastating to the company Musk just acquired for $44 billion.

    “Apple

    (AAPL)     has also threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, but won’t tell us why,” Musk said in one of several tweets Monday taking aim at Apple

    (AAPL)     and its CEO for alleged moves that could undermine Twitter’s business.

    In another tweet, Musk claimed that Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter. “Do they hate free speech in America,” he said, in an apparent reference to his oft-stated desire to bolster his idea of free speech on the platform. “What’s going on here [Apple CEO Tim Cook]?” Musk added in a follow-up tweet. He also criticized Apple’s size, claimed it engages in “censorship,” and called out the 30% transaction fee Apple charges large app developers to be listed in its app store.

    The tweetstorm highlights the tenuous relationship between Musk and Apple, which along with Google serves as the major gatekeepers for mobile applications. Long before taking over Twitter, the Tesla CEO said that when the car company was struggling, he considered selling the company to Apple, but that Cook refused to take a meeting with him.

    Removal from Apple’s app store, or that of Google, would be detrimental to Twitter’s business, which is already struggling with a loss of advertisers following Musk’s takeover and a rocky initial attempt at expanding its subscription business.

    Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Musk’s tweets. The company has previously shown it’s willing to remove apps from its app store over concerns about their ability to moderate harmful content or if they attempt to circumvent the cut Apple takes from in-app purchases and subscriptions.

    In January 2021, Apple removed Parler, an app popular with conservatives, including some members of the far right, from its app store following the US Capitol attack over concerns about the platform’s ability to detect and moderate hate speech and incitement. Parler was returned to Apple’s app store three months later after updating its content moderation practices.

    In its official app store review guidelines, Apple lists various safety parameters that apps must adhere to in order to be included in the store, including an ability to prevent “content that is offensive, insensitive, upsetting, intended to disgust, in exceptionally poor taste, or just plain creepy” such as hate speech, pornography and terrorism. “If you’re looking to shock and offend people, the App Store isn’t the right place for your app,” the guidelines state.

    Various civil society groups, researchers and other industry watchers have raised concerns about Twitter’s ability to effectively moderate harmful content and maintain the platform’s safety following widespread layoffs and mass employee exits at the company. Musk has also claimed he wants to amplify “free speech” on the platform and has begun to restore some accounts that were previously banned or suspended for repeatedly violating Twitter’s rules. Musk himself has shared a conspiracy theory and several other controversial tweets since taking over as Twitter’s owner.

    Musk, long a prolific and antagonistic tweeter, has not let up at all since taking over the company. And what it may have lost in revenue, he has claimed it has made up for in engagement. Part of the strategy appears to be relentlessly taking aim at enemies, either of him personally or of “free speech.”

    In an interview with CBS earlier this month, Cook was asked whether there are any ways in which Twitter could change that would cause Apple to remove it from the app store. “They say that they’re going to continue to moderate and so … I count on them to do that,” Cook responded. “Because I don’t think that anybody really wants hate speech on their platform. So I’m counting on them to continue to do that.”

    In an op-ed published in the New York Times last week, Twitter’s former head of trust and safety, Yoel Roth, who left the company earlier this month, suggested that Twitter had already begun to receive calls from app store operators following Musk’s takeover. Roth said the company’s failure to adhere to Google and Apple’s app store rules could be “catastrophic.”

    And last weekend, the head of Apple’s app store, Phil Schiller, deleted his Twitter account.

    While the state of Apple and Twitter’s relationship is unclear, the iPhone maker was running Black Friday ads on the platform as recently as last Thursday, according to posts viewed by CNN.

    Many companies have pulled back on digital ad spending in recent months as the economy declined, and Twitter has likely always only been a small portion of Apple’s ad budget. Apple’s impact on Twitter, however, could be much more significant, including if Musk succeeds in shifting its core business to being more reliant on subscription revenue, and potentially has to pay a 30% cut to Apple.

    In one tweet Monday, Musk asked his nearly 120 million followers if they know “Apple puts a secret 30% tax on everything you buy through their App Store?” In another tweet, he posted a picture of a highway exit: one lane headed toward “pay 30%,” the other pointed toward “go to war.” An old car labeled “Elon” skidded toward the latter.

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  • Digitunity Releases Methodology for Sustainable Device Ecosystems

    Digitunity Releases Methodology for Sustainable Device Ecosystems

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    Utilizing this framework, communities can ensure access to free and low-cost computers for residents impacted by the digital divide.

    Press Release
    –

    Nov 28, 2022 09:23 EST


    CONWAY, N.H., November 28, 2022 (Newswire.com)
    –
    Digitunity, a national nonprofit organization with over 40 years of experience in advancing digital equity through device ownership, has released new guidance for communities to ensure a sustainable supply of free or low-cost computers is available for residents in need.

    To thrive in the modern economy, everyone needs a connected computer. Device ownership is the heart of digital equity. It unlocks the vast opportunities provided by the internet, including education, employment, healthcare, commerce, communication, and civic engagement.

    Digitunity’s guidance, entitled “Methodology for a Sustainable Device Ecosystem,” describes the conditions communities must have in place to ensure marginalized residents have the ability to obtain a computer. They will release and discuss this guidance in a webinar at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 7. You can register for the webinar here.

    The need is widespread. According to Digitunity’s analysis of recent U.S. Census data, 36 million people in America do not own a computer. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act commits $65 billion toward eliminating the deep, persistent digital divide continuing to plague the U.S.

    This investment gives states and communities the opportunity to expand broadband infrastructure, connect disconnected residents, provide digital literacy training, and get free or low-cost computers to people who need them. As plans come together for expending these funds, devices cannot be an afterthought.

    “By releasing this framework, we hope to demonstrate to states, municipalities, coalitions, and community groups that by working collaboratively, it is within our reach to develop a lasting solution that makes it possible for residents in need to obtain affordable computers,” said Scot Henley, Executive Director of Digitunity.

    The guidance maps out several conditions communities must establish so residents have access to a reliable, robust supply of computers, along with connectivity, training, and additional support. It also describes specific considerations related to the devices themselves including how they are prepared, what their intended use might be, and how they can reach those most in need.

    “Using this federal investment to simply purchase computers would be a short-sighted answer and not the best use of this opportunity,” said Henley. “Now is the time for the corporate sector, government, philanthropy, and nonprofit organizations to collaborate with communities on establishing new systems that can give residents access to devices, both today and in the future.”

    Through this guidance and additional publications to be released, Digitunity intends to leverage its unique body of work and independent, national lens to inform the field and provide communities with novel ideas about how to eliminate the digital divide. Digitunity is available to advise states, municipalities, and coalitions on program design and implementation. Learn more here.

    About Digitunity

    Digitunity connects corporate and individual donors of technology to thousands of partner organizations serving people in need across North America. With a proven body of work and a national network of member organizations, Digitunity works to ensure all barriers limiting equitable opportunity to participate in our digitally-connected society are removed. To learn more, visit digitunity.org.

    Source: Digitunity

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  • Apple has a huge problem with its supplier’s iPhone factory in China | CNN Business

    Apple has a huge problem with its supplier’s iPhone factory in China | CNN Business

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    Hong Kong
    CNN Business
     — 

    A violent workers’ revolt at the world’s largest iPhone factory this week in central China is further scrambling Apple’s strained supply and highlighting how the country’s stringent zero-Covid policy is hurting global technology firms.

    The troubles started last month when workers left the factory campus in Zhengzhou, the capital of the central province of Henan, due to Covid fears. Short on staff, bonuses were offered to workers to return.

    But protests broke out this week when the newly hired staff said management had reneged on their promises. The workers, who clashed with security officers wearing hazmat suits, were eventually offered cash to quit and leave.

    Analysts said the woes facing Taiwan contract manufacturing firm Foxconn, a top Apple supplier which owns the facility, will also speed up the pace of diversification away from China to countries like India.

    Daniel Ives, managing director of equity research at Wedbush Securities, told CNN Business that the ongoing production shutdown in Foxconn’s sprawling campus in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou was an “albatross” for Apple.

    “Every week of this shutdown and unrest we estimate is costing Apple roughly $1 billion a week in lost iPhone sales. Now roughly 5% of iPhone 14 sales are likely off the table due to these brutal shutdowns in China,” he said.

    Demand for iPhone 14 units during the Black Friday holiday weekend was much higher than supply and could cause major shortages leading into Christmas, Ives said, adding that the disruptions at Foxconn, which started in October, have been a major “gut punch” to Apple this quarter.

    In a note Friday, Ives said Black Friday store checks show major iPhone shortages across the board.

    “Based on our analysis, we believe iPhone 14 Pro shortages have gotten much worse over the last week with very low inventories,” he wrote. “We believe many Apple Stores now have iPhone 14 Pro shortages … of up to 25%-30% below normal heading into a typical December.”

    Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at TF International Securities, wrote on Twitter that more than 10% of global iPhone production capacity was affected by the situation at the Zhengzhou campus.

    Earlier this month, Apple said shipments of its latest lineup of iPhones would be “temporarily impacted” by Covid restrictions in China. It said its assembly facility in Zhengzhou, which normally houses some 200,000 workers, was “currently operating at significantly reduced capacity,” due to Covid curbs.

    The Zhengzhou campus has been grappling with a Covid outbreak since mid-October that caused panic among its workers. Videos of people leaving Zhengzhou on foot went viral on Chinese social media in early November, forcing Foxconn to step up measures to get its staff back.

    To entice workers, the company said it had quadrupled daily bonuses for workers at the plant this month. A week ago, state media reported that 100,000 people had been successfully recruited to fill the vacant positions.

    But on Tuesday night, hundreds of workers, mostly new hires, began to protest against the terms of the payment packages offered to them and also about their living conditions. Scenes turned increasingly violent into the next day as workers clashed with a large number of security forces.

    By Wednesday evening, the crowds had quieted, with protesters returning to their dormitories on the Foxconn campus after the company offered to pay the newly recruited workers 10,000 yuan ($1,400), or roughly two months of wages, to quit and leave the site altogether.

    In a statement sent to CNN Business on Thursday after the protests had wound down, Apple said it had a team on the ground at the Zhengzhou facility working closely with Foxconn to ensure employees’ concerns were addressed.

    Even before this week’s demonstrations, Apple had started making the iPhone 14 in India, as it sought to diversify its supply chain away from China.

    The announcement in late September marked a major change in its strategy and came at a time when US tech companies were looking for alternatives to China, the world’s factory for decades.

    The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this year that the company was looking to boost production in countries such as Vietnam and India, citing China’s strict Covid policy as one of the reasons.

    Kuo said on Twitter that he believed Foxconn would speed up the expansion of iPhone production capacity in India as a result of Zhengzhou lockdowns and resulting protests.

    The production of iPhones by Foxconn in India will grow by at least 150% in 2023 compared to 2022, he predicted, and the longer term goal would be to ship between 40% and 45% of such phones from India, compared to less than 4% now.

    — Chris Isidore contributed to this report.

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  • UK bans Chinese surveillance cameras from ‘sensitive’ sites | CNN Business

    UK bans Chinese surveillance cameras from ‘sensitive’ sites | CNN Business

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    Hong Kong
    CNN Business
     — 

    Hikvision, a leading Chinese surveillance company, has denied suggestions that it poses a threat to Britain’s national security after the UK government banned the use of its camera systems at “sensitive” sites.

    The restrictions, announced Thursday, will prevent authorities from installing technology that is produced by companies subject to China’s National Intelligence Law, which requires Chinese citizens and organizations to cooperate with the country’s intelligence and security services.

    In a statement to CNN Business on Friday, Hikvision said it was “categorically false to represent Hikvision as a threat to national security.”

    The company said it was hoping to engage with UK officials “urgently” to understand the decision, and had previously spoken with the UK government to clear up what it saw as misunderstandings about its business.

    “Hikvision is an equipment manufacturer that has no visibility into end users’ video data,” the Hangzhou-based company said. “Hikvision cannot access end users’ video data and cannot transmit data from end-users to third parties. We do not manage end-user databases, nor do we sell cloud storage in the UK.”

    In a statement to the UK parliament on Thursday, Cabinet Office Minister Oliver Dowden said that after a security review, government departments had been instructed to stop deploying equipment produced by companies that are subject to the National Intelligence Law.

    Dowden cited “the threat to the UK and the increasing capability and connectivity of these systems,” without specifying further.

    Government departments have also been advised to consider whether to “remove and replace such equipment where it is deployed on sensitive sites rather than awaiting any scheduled upgrades,” he said. The minister added that departments could review whether sites not deemed sensitive should also be taking similar measures.

    The move comes months after UK lawmakers called for a ban on technology by Hikvision and Dahua, another Chinese surveillance camera maker, citing allegations that the firms had been involved in enabling human rights abuses against Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

    The United States in 2019 placed Hikvision and other Chinese companies on a trade blacklist, prohibiting them from importing US technology over similar allegations.

    In a statement released in July by Big Brother Watch, a British nonprofit group that investigates the use of surveillance systems, 67 members of the UK parliament said the Chinese companies should be prohibited from selling their products in the country.

    Big Brother Watch said at the time that it had “found that the majority of public bodies use CCTV cameras made by Hikvision or Dahua, including 73% of councils across the UK, 57% of secondary schools in England, 6 out of 10 National Health Service Trusts, as well as UK universities and police forces.”

    Earlier this year, a UK health minister disclosed that there were 82 Hikvision products in use in his department.

    Hikvision, in its statement, said its cameras were compliant with UK laws and “subject to strict security requirements.”

    Dahua did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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  • Why Shark Tank’s Aman Gupta told investors they ‘missed the boAt’

    Why Shark Tank’s Aman Gupta told investors they ‘missed the boAt’

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    D2C entrepreneur and boAt Co-founder Aman Gupta, who gained huge popularity as a ‘shark’ in the Indian adaptation of start-up reality show ‘Shark Tank’ is a great believer in “hustle”. Even though the word is often interpreted negatively, Gupta says he can’t work with somebody who doesn’t “reciprocate” his level of energy and “drive”.  

    While talking about building a D2C juggernaut in boAt, one of India’s top consumer electronics brands, Gupta shared that he didn’t find too many backers early on in the journey.

    “It was a tough category. When we started [in 2016], not many online brands were funded in this space. We went to 40 angel investors, and once they started asking questions, we came back and delivered on those points,” Gupta shared at the ASCENT Conclave 2022. “Today I look at those investors and tell them – you missed the ‘boAt’,” Gupta added.

    boAt raised its first major round of funding in 2018, when D2C-focused early-stage investor Fireside Ventures pumped in Rs 6 crore ($900,000) into the start-up. “Kanwal [Kanwaljit Singh, Managing Partner at Fireside] bet on me and I gave him decent returns,” Gupta shared.

    At the time of funding, Singh had said in a statement, “boAt has the makings of a truly iconic brand… We look for brands that have identified white spaces and come up with solutions and products that cater to these target audiences. boAt as a brand is doing exactly that.”

    Today, boAt is backed by giant investors, including Warburg Pincus, Qualcomm Ventures, InnoVen Capital, among others. The company claims to have clocked revenues of Rs 3,000 crore at the end of FY22, growing at 100 per cent year-on-year. It also intended to go public, before pulling out of the IPO last month.

    While stressing on the importance of “hungry” founders — a philosophy he follows when he chooses his investments on Shark Tank India — Gupta said, “Hustle is the first quality I look for in a founder, and it has worked for me.”

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  • Foxconn apologizes for pay dispute at China factory

    Foxconn apologizes for pay dispute at China factory

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    BEIJING — The company that assembles Apple Inc.’s iPhones apologized Thursday for what it said was a technical error that led to protests by employees over payment of wages offered to attract them to a factory that is under anti-virus restrictions.

    Protests erupted Tuesday in the central city of Zhengzhou after employees complained Foxconn Technology Group required they do extra work to receive the higher pay promised by recruiters. Foxconn is trying to rebuild its workforce after thousands of employees walked out last month over complaints about unsafe conditions.

    Videos on social media showed police in white protective suits kicking and clubbing protesting workers.

    Foxconn, the biggest contract assembler of smartphones and other electronics for Apple and other global brands, blamed the dispute on a “technical error” in the process of adding new employees. It promised they would receive the wages they were promised.

    “We apologize for an input error in the computer system and guarantee that the actual pay is the same as agreed and the official recruitment posters,” said a company statement. It promised to “try its best to actively solve the concerns and reasonable demands of employees.”

    The dispute comes as the ruling Communist Party tries to contain a surge in coronavirus cases without shutting down factories, as it did in 2020 at the start of the pandemic. Its tactics include “closed-loop management,” or having employees live at their workplaces without outside contact.

    Authorities promised last month to reduce economic disruptions by cutting quarantine times and making other changes to China’s “zero-COVID” strategy, which aims to isolate every case. Despite that, the infection surge has prompted authorities to suspend access to neighborhoods and factories and to close office buildings, shops and restaurants in parts of many cities.

    On Thursday, people in eight districts of Zhengzhou with a total of 6.6 million residents were told to stay home for five days. Daily mass testing was ordered in what the city government called a “war of annihilation” against the virus.

    Apple earlier warned iPhone 14 deliveries would be delayed after employees walked out of the Zhengzhou factory and access to the industrial zone around the facility was suspended following outbreaks.

    To attract new workers, Foxconn offered 25,000 yuan ($3,500) for two months of work, according to employees, or almost 50% more than news reports say its highest wages usually are.

    Employees complained that after they arrived, they were told they had to work an additional two months at lower pay to received the higher wage, according to an employee, Li Sanshan.

    Foxconn offered up to 10,000 yuan ($1,400) to new hires who choose to leave, the finance news outlet Cailianshe reported, citing unidentified recruiting agents.

    Foxconn’s statement Thursday said employees who leave will receive unspecified “care subsidies” but gave no details. It promised “comprehensive support” for those who stay.

    The protests in Zhengzhou come amid public frustration over restrictions that have confined millions of people to their homes. Videos on social media show residents in some areas tearing down barricades set up to enforce neighborhood closures.

    Foxconn, headquartered in New Taipei City, Taiwan, earlier denied what it said were comments online that employees with the virus lived in factory dormitories.

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  • Kindle’s 15-year anniversary is a reminder simplicity is king | CNN Business

    Kindle’s 15-year anniversary is a reminder simplicity is king | CNN Business

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    CNN Business
     — 

    Len Edgerly, a 72-year-old podcaster from Cambridge, Massachusetts, has spent the last 14 and a half years talking about his favorite tech product of all time: the Kindle.

    Edgerly, who records a weekly podcast called “The Kindle Chronicles,” has spoken to authors, readers, publishing industry experts and Amazon executives — even founder Jeff Bezos, twice — about his appreciation for the e-reader in more than 700 episodes.

    “I use the most basic Kindle, which is under $100,” said Edgerly, who said he’s owned about 30 Kindle devices over the years. “I love how small it is and fits in my pocket. It’s the one that most disappears when I read something. It’s like holding nothing but the words.”

    Amazon

    (AMZN)     launched the original Kindle on November 19 2007, pushing the publishing industry to further embrace digital books and also kickstarting the e-commerce giant’s hardware efforts. In the 15 years since then, the tech industry has seen smartphones and tablets rise and surpass the e-reader space, but the Kindle’s e-ink display, compared to an LCD display, still draws fans by offering the most natural reading experience with limited eye strain.

    “The Kindle Chronicles” sometimes gets 2,000 downloads per episode, according to Edgerly, a niche but loyal listener base. A Kindle group on Reddit has more than 202,000 active members, ranking in the top 1% in terms of size, with users posting what they’re reading and taking pictures of the places where they bring their e-readers. There are also Facebook appreciation groups, and Kindles have been been spotted over the years in the hands of celebrities on vacation or in the background of popular shows such as “The Big Bang Theory.”

    The Kindle dates back to an earlier era of single-use, digital devices, from the iPod to cameras, that launched in the 2000s before smartphones became ubiquitous. Its staying power may be a testament to this approach, at least for a certain subset of users.

    “Much of the longevity for this type of single-use case device is that they just do one thing very, very well,” said David McQueen, a research director at ABI Research.

    Although the e-reader category has shrunk over time — many market research firms have stopped tracking sales and Amazon does not publicly share Kindle sales numbers — the Kindle continues to see demand as a reading device for a handful of reasons. It’s intuitive, can hold thousands of books, features a long battery life, is lightweight and upgrades aren’t always necessary. Amazon can keep Kindle prices relatively low because the business model is all about selling books, not selling hardware, McQueen said.

    Kindle, which was codenamed Fiona in its early days, sought to provide the best type of hardware for e-reading at a time when nothing else was on the market. The day it launched, it sold out in the first five and a half hours.

    “Our supply chain and manufacturing teams have had to scramble to increase production capacity,” Bezos said in a letter sent to shareholders at the time, which was shared publicly in 2017, on the tenth anniversary of its launch. “We knew Kindle would have to get out of the way, just like a physical book, so readers could become engrossed in the words and forget they’re reading on a device. We also knew we shouldn’t try to copy every last feature of a book — we could never out-book the book.”

    Bezos made good on that promise. Over the years, the Kindle has offered larger screens and touchscreens, the ability to adjust font size and spacing, and better processors and battery life. It improved its illumination with the Kindle Paperwhite, added waterproofing with the Kindle Oasis, launched a Kids Edition, and, most recently, introduced an e-pen for writing with the Kindle Scribe.

    The Kindle’s specs have gotten smarter, too. The first Kindle’s battery had to be recharged every other day if the wireless connectivity was turned on and had an internal storage of 250MB — enough for 200 medium-length books. Now, the battery lasts for up to six weeks, has 16GB of storage for thousands of books, and weighs 5.5 ounces (nearly half the weight of the original). Likewise, the original Kindle had access to 90,000 books in the Kindle Store compared to 13 million books now in the Kindle Store. The original cost was $399; now it starts at $99.

    Still, the Kindle today is strikingly similar to the original. Corey Badcock, head of Kindle product at Amazon who joined the company eight years ago, told CNN Business that’s been a strategic decision.

    “The vision of Kindle is that it’s always been about reading a book with the advantages of it being digital and portable,” Badcock said. “Year after year, people told us they don’t want notifications on the device or browser to watch YouTube. … People love the sanctuary part of it; that it is distraction free.”

    In 2017, Amazon told CNBC it had sold “tens of millions” of Kindles in its first 10 years. Badcock declined to share updated Kindle sales numbers but said the “business continues to grow and expand.”

    Linn Huang, an analyst at IDC Research, believes the most significant part of Kindle’s legacy is that it helped kickstart Amazon’s development of consumer tech devices. “It isn’t so much that the Kindle e-reader is still around, it’s that it launched Amazon as a consumer device manufacturer, and holy hell look at how far they’ve come in that regard,” she said.

    Amazon’s current lineup of hardware devices includes the Fire tablet, the Firestick media streaming gadget and the Echo smart speaker. Huang believes the Kindle will likely remain part of that lineup for another 15 years.

    “We’ll still have e-reader fanatics just like we still have those who prefer paper,” she said. “The more interesting question is will Kindle be broadly considered retro tech like vinyl record players or arcade cabinets of today?”

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  • Workers at the world’s largest iPhone factory in China clash with police, videos show | CNN Business

    Workers at the world’s largest iPhone factory in China clash with police, videos show | CNN Business

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    Beijing/Hong Kong
    CNN Business
     — 

    Workers at China’s largest iPhone assembly factory were seen confronting police, some in riot gear, on Wednesday, according to videos shared over social media.

    The videos show hundreds of workers facing off with law enforcement officers, many in white hazmat suits, on the Foxconn campus in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou. In the footage, now blocked, some of the protesters could be heard complaining about their pay and sanitary conditions.

    The scenes come days after Chinese state media reported that more than 100,000 people had signed up to fill positions advertised as part of a massive recruitment drive held for Foxconn’s Zhengzhou plant.

    Apple

    (AAPL)     has been facing significant supply chain constraints at the assembly facility and expects iPhone 14 shipments to be hit just as the key holiday shopping season begins. CNN has contacted the company for comment on the situation at the plant.

    A Covid outbreak last month had forced the site to lock down, leading some anxious factory workers to reportedly flee.

    Videos of many people leaving Zhengzhou on foot had gone viral on Chinese social media earlier in November, forcing Foxconn to step up measures to get its staff back. To try to limit the fallout, the company said it had quadrupled daily bonuses for workers at the plant this month.

    On Wednesday, workers were heard in the video saying that Foxconn failed to honor their promise of an attractive bonus and pay package after they arrived to work at the plant. Numerous complaints have also been posted anonymously on social media platforms — accusing Foxconn of having changed the salary packages previously advertised.

    In a statement in English, Foxconn said Wednesday that “the allowance has always been fulfilled based on contractual obligation” after some new hires at the Foxconn campus in Zhengzhou appealed to the company regarding the work allowance on Tuesday.

    Workers were also heard in the videos complaining about insufficient anti-Covid measures, saying workers who tested positive were not being separated from the rest of the workforce.

    Foxconn said in the English statement that speculation online about employees who are Covid positive living in the dormitories of the Foxconn campus in Zhengzhou is “patently untrue.”

    “Before new hires move in, the dormitory environment undergoes standard procedures for disinfection, and it is only after the premise passes government check, that the new employees are allowed to move in,” Foxconn said.

    Searches for the term “Foxconn” on Chinese social media now yield few results, an indication of heavy censorship.

    “Regarding violent behaviors, the company will continue to communicate with employees and the government to prevent similar incidents from happening again,” Foxconn said in a statement in Chinese.

    The Zhengzhou facility is the world’s largest iPhone assembly site. It typically accounts for approximately 50% to 60% of Foxconn’s global iPhone assembly capacity, according to Mirko Woitzik, global director of intelligence solutions at Everstream, a provider of supply chain risk analytics.

    Apple warned earlier this month of the disruption to its supply chain, saying that customers will feel an impact.

    “We now expect lower iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max shipments than we previously anticipated,” the tech giant said in a statement. “Customers will experience longer wait times to receive their new products.”

    As of last week, the wait time for those models had reached 34 days in the United States, according to a report from UBS.

    Public frustration has been mounting under China’s unrelenting zero-Covid policy, which continues to involve strict lockdowns and travel restrictions nearly three years into the pandemic.

    Last week, that sentiment was on display as social media footage showed residents under lockdown in Guangzhou tearing down barriers meant to confine them to their homes and taking to the streets in defiance of strictly enforced local orders.

    — Michelle Toh, Simone McCarthy, Wayne Chang, Juliana Liu, and Kathleen Magramo contributed to this report.

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  • UK Regulator Opens Cloud Gaming, Browsers Probe After Reports of Apple, Alphabet Duopoly

    UK Regulator Opens Cloud Gaming, Browsers Probe After Reports of Apple, Alphabet Duopoly

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    By Kyle Morris

    The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority has launched an investigation into cloud gaming and mobile browsers after an earlier report that Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc. have an effective duopoly on mobile ecosystems.
    

    The regulator said the duopoly allows them to exercise a stranglehold over operating systems, app stores and web browsers on mobile devices.
    

    

    Write to Kyle Morris at kyle.morris@dowjones.com
    

    

    

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    January 6 defendant who barged into Pelosi offices during attack found guilty of multiple counts | CNN Politics
    
			
    January 6 defendant who barged into Pelosi offices during attack found guilty of multiple counts | CNN Politics
    
			
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      CNN
    
         — 
    
        

    

    
      Riley Williams, a Pennsylvania woman who barged into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s offices on January 6, 2021, was found guilty on Monday of multiple counts she faced over the Capitol attack.
  
    

    
      Williams was found guilty of six of the eight counts she was charged with, including assaulting or resisting an officer and disorderly conduct in the Capitol.
  
    

    
      A mistrial was declared on two of the remaining counts, including the government’s charge that Riley had aided and abetted in the theft of a laptop from Pelosi’s office. The jury also could not come to a unanimous decision on the charge of obstructing the certification of the electoral college, which carried a maximum sentence of 20 years.
  
    

    
      This is the first time a jury has not convicted a January 6 Capitol defendant of each count charged.
  
    

    
      Williams was detained following her conviction Monday, taking off her plaid tie before a Deputy US Marshal took her away.
  
    

    
      In agreeing with the Justice Department’s request that Williams be immediately locked up, Judge Amy Berman Jackson heavily reprimanded Williams and her actions on January 6.
  
    

    
      “She was profane, she was obnoxious and she was threatening,” Jackson said of Williams.
  
    

    
      “This is a person who was packed and ready to flee once before,” the judge added, saying that Williams’ father had offered her places to hide in the wake of the Capitol attack.
  
    

    
      Prosecutors say they are still determining whether to retry the case against Williams on the charges of obstruction and aiding and abetting in the laptop theft.
  
    

    
      “I don’t want to go to jail,” Williams said to her attorney Lori Ulrich, who told Williams as she was being taken away “You won. Riley, remember that. You won,” referring to the two counts the jury could not reach a unanimous decision on.
  
    

    
      During the trial prosecutors argued that while Williams, a 23-year-old with long amber hair, didn’t appear dangerous she in fact stirred up the mob, recruited and coordinated rioters to attack police and directed others to steal the laptop from Pelosi’s office.
  
    

    
      “Looks can be deceiving but evidence is not,” prosecutor Michael Gordon told the jury.
  
    

    
      During the trial, multiple videos were played of Riley – some of which she shared with people she knew online who gave them to law enforcement agents – inside of Pelosi’s offices allegedly yelling “take the f**king laptop” as well as pushing against officers in the Capitol with her back.
  
    

    
      The laptop was primarily used for conference videos and did not contain sensitive information, prosecutors said.
  
    

    
      Videos of Pelosi’s office during the Capitol attack showed an overturned table and broken window, rioters rummaging around, taking selfies and videos – bragging that they had reached the speaker’s office. “Where’s Nancy?” members of the mob could be heard asking, over and over again.
  
    

    
      Ulrich told the jury that what her client did on January 6 “was wrong,” but said she was young and simply “a girl wanting to be a somebody.”
  
    

    
      According to prosecutors, Williams was “consumed” by far-right white nationalist Nick Fuentes – whose internet show “she watched obsessively” – and the Stop the Steal movement, attending rallies in the lead up to January 6.
  
    

    
      After the riot, Williams bragged to people on the social media platform Discord that she had stolen the laptop and a gavel from the speaker’s office, none of which was true, her attorneys said.
  
    

    
      “Riley Williams lived in a fantasy world of sorts,” Ulrich said of her client’s online presence, where she messaged people she had never met about her alleged exploits that day, much of which was made up, according to her attorney.
  
    

    
      Williams will be sentenced on February 22 and, according to prosecutors, could face two to three years in prison, according to sentencing guidelines.
  
    

    
      This story has been updated with additional details.
  
    

    

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  • 
		
		
    
			
    The PC boom has gone bust, and we are about to see the results ahead of Black Friday
    
			
    The PC boom has gone bust, and we are about to see the results ahead of Black Friday
    
			
     [ad_1]
    

    The pandemic-fueled personal-computer boom has ended, so how will that affect demand and pricing for PCs and the retailers that sell them this holiday season?
    

    A sense of the fallout will be provided in the week ahead with results due from PC makers Dell Technologies Inc.
    
        DELL,
    
        +0.67%
    
      and HP Inc.
    
        HPQ,
    
        +0.17%    ,
    
       along with videoconferencing platform Zoom Video Communications Inc.
    
        ZM,
    
        -1.15%
    
      and electronics chain Best Buy Co Inc.
    
        BBY,
    
        +2.88%    
      
    

    

    All of those companies will report amid signs of deep holiday discounting for products such as clothing and electronics, after many customers — stuck at home in 2020 and 2021 — loaded up on laptops and other goods and turned Zoom into a digital conference room. But this year, decades-high inflation, and a return to prepandemic spending on travel and hanging out in person, have forced retailers and electronics makers to adjust to a world where more people are spending on essentials.
    

    PC shipments have fallen at rates not seen since at least the 1990s. Adobe
    
        ADBE,
    
        -2.06%
    
      has said online holiday discounts for electronics have been as steep as 17%. For computers, they’ve run for as much as 10% less. TVs are also being sold for cheaper. Holiday-season forecasts have generally called for sales increases, helped by price increases and enduring demand despite those price increases. 
    

    In-depth: The pandemic PC boom is over, but its legacy will live on
    

    However, results from Target
    
        TGT,
    
        +0.54%
    
       on Wednesday missed big on third-quarter earnings, and the big-box retailer said it was bracing for a possible decline in fourth-quarter same-store sales, citing “softening sales and profit trends that emerged late in the third quarter and persisted into November.” Results from Walmart
    
        WMT,
    
        +1.51%
    
       were almost the opposite, however, detailing earnings that beat by a wide margin and a raised full-year outlook. 
    

    Among smaller retailers, discounter Ross Stores Inc.
    
        ROST,
    
        +9.86%
    
       hiked its full-year profit forecast, citing sales momentum but easier year-over-year comparisons up ahead. But Williams-Sonoma Inc.
    
        WSM,
    
        -6.15%
    
       noted “macro uncertainty” and “increasingly inconsistent” demand. 
    

    This week in earnings
    

    The companies report during a shortened, quieter week — thanks to Thanksgiving — and after concerns about a recession have hung over much of the year. With 94% of S&P 500
    
        SPX,
    
        +0.48%
    
      companies having already reported third-quarter results, only a dozen are set to release earnings in the week ahead. 
    

    But among those 94%, there are signs that preoccupations with a downturn might be easing, after the economy grew during the third quarter and reversed after two quarters of declines. 
    

    FactSet senior analyst John Butters, in a report on Thursday, said 179 companies have mentioned the term “recession,” during earnings calls in the third quarter. That’s still above the average over 10 years, but it’s below the 242 companies that mentioned a recession in the second quarter. 
    

    Previously: Executives seem pretty convinced a recession is coming
    

    Elsewhere on Monday, J.M. Smucker Co.
    
        SJM,
    
        +1.11%
    
       — best known for Folgers and Jif — reports results, following concerns about higher food prices and how much higher they might go. Life-sciences electronics maker Agilent Tecnologies Inc.
    
        A,
    
        +1.21%
    
       report results on Monday as well. Fast-food chain Jack in the Box Inc.
    
        JACK,
    
        
    
       reports Tuesday. Tractor and construction-vehicle Deere & Co.
    
        DE,
    
        +0.31%
    
       reports Wednesday, following production and supply-chain snarls but steady demand. 
    

    The calls to put on your calendar
    

    Clothing demand, discount demand: Urban Outfitters Inc.
    
        URBN,
    
        +2.44%
    
       reports Monday, while Burlington Stores Inc.
    
        BURL,
    
        +4.63%    ,
    
       Nordstrom Inc.
    
        JWN,
    
        +1.71%
    
       and dollar-store chain Dollar Tree Inc.
    
        DLTR,
    
        -0.21%
    
       report on Tuesday. 
    

    The discounting wave across clothing retailers, an effort to clear inventories, might attract more consumers, but it’s worried Wall Street analysts focused on margins and the bottom line. Still, some analysts have said that more younger shoppers feel like their wardrobes are getting stale, and they say Nordstrom, whose customers tend to have more money, is best geared for “an upcoming wardrobe refresh.”
    

    Off-price clothing and home-goods retailer Burlington, meanwhile, will report after rival discounters Ross and TJX received a lift from investors this week. 
    

    See also: The holiday-shopping season has a different problem this year than last — and it could lead to some deals
    

    Ross’ chief executive, Barbara Rentler, noted that rising prices had hurt its lower-income consumers. But Jefferies analysts said that Burlington and other discounters, which often buy up goods that other retailers don’t want, stood to benefit from the inventory purge. 
    

    Dollar Tree, meanwhile, reports as more shoppers seek cheaper grocery options, but as food prices rise nonetheless. But Bank of America analysts, in a note last month, said traffic data implied a “slowdown” heading into the results. 
    

    The numbers to watch
    

    Demand trends for PCs, electronics: Dell and HP report in the wake of deeper job cuts across the tech industry, while Zoom tries to tack on more features — such as calendar and email functions — to appeal to small business and adapt to a hybrid-work world. 
    

    The PC boom’s demise hit home at Dell during its prior quarter, reported in August, after personal-computer sales at the company came in below estimates. Executives, at that time, said PC demand had fallen and that “customers are taking a more cautious view of their needs given the uncertainty.” 
    

    Opinion: Tech earnings are about to dive, and there’s no life preserver in sight
    

    Some analysts, however, signaled that some degree of investor pessimism was already baked into the stock prices.   
    

    “We recognize the deteriorating industry fundamentals in relation to PCs as well as incremental slowdown in IT Infrastructure. That said, we believe the magnitude of the cuts last quarter set up Dell to be less exposed to another round of material earnings revisions,” JPMorgan analysts said in a note. And even as HP feels similar pain, analysts there said share buybacks could be “a bright spot.”
    

    Results from HP and Dell could also have implications for Best Buy, which sells laptops, TVs, phones and other electronic devices. 
    

    “Recall that initial expectations for the year were that BBY would face pressure as it lapped stimulus-fueled spending and broad-based demand for technology products and services,” Wedbush analysts said in a note on Friday. 
    

    “However, the macro has been more volatile than expected with consumers facing significant inflationary pressures and lower-income households are making decisions to trade down in some categories such as televisions.”
    

    

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  • 
		
		
    
			
    Activision Still Trades at a Big Discount to Microsoft’s Deal. Investors Are Making a Mistake.
    
			
    Activision Still Trades at a Big Discount to Microsoft’s Deal. Investors Are Making a Mistake.
    
			
     [ad_1]
    

    

    Back in July, Barron’s  made the case for buying
    
        
    
          
    
            Activision Blizzard
    
          
    
        
    
       stock in anticipation of
    
        
    
          
    
            Microsoft
    
          
    
        
    
      closing its $69 billion acquisition of the company. With
    
        
    
          
    
            Activision
    
          
    
        
    
       shares trading at a significant discount to the deal price, the stock looked closest to a sure thing in an increasingly uncertain market.
    

    Four months later, the risks of the deal falling apart over antitrust concerns haven’t changed. What has changed is the outlook for Activision’s business. The firm behind Call of Duty and Candy Crush is suddenly doing quite well on its own.
    

    

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  • 
		
		
    
			
    Good luck finding an iPhone 14 Pro before Christmas | CNN Business
    
			
    Good luck finding an iPhone 14 Pro before Christmas | CNN Business
    
			
     [ad_1]
    

    

    

    
    
    
      
    
      CNN Business
    
         — 
    
        

    

    
      If you haven’t ordered one of the higher-end iPhone 14 models by now, it may be harder than usual to get one before the holidays.
  
    

    
      The wait time for the 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max in the United States is now 34 days, up from seven days last week and 19 days as of three weeks ago, according to a new report from UBS, which tracked iPhone availability in 30 countries.
  
    

    
      In a series of checks conducted on Apple.com by CNN for several cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Chicago and Miami, most iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models in varying storage and color options had delivery dates of December 28 or later. The iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max were also unavailable for pickup in most locations.
  
    

    
      The wait times, which a UBS analyst called “extreme,” come as Apple
    
            
    
                (AAPL)     confronts supply chain constraints and increased Covid-19 restrictions at its main assembly facility in Zhengzhou, China, which the company previously said is operating at a significantly reduced capacity.
  
    

    
      Earlier this month, Apple released a statement that noted it is experiencing “strong demand” for iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models but it expects lower shipments than anticipated. “Customers will experience longer wait times to receive their new products,” the company said.
  
    

    
      Apple told CNN on Thursday that Apple Stores get regular shipments and customers can continue to check for in-store pickup options at their local retail location. The company also sometimes ships products ahead of the stated delivery date, and it’s possible some retailers and wireless carriers have more in stock than Apple.
  
    

    
      While it’s unclear whether the higher-end iPhone 14 models will be available in time, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max showed availability in many locations for same-day pickup in CNN’s test on Thursday. UBS said it initially expected consumers to purchase a lower-priced iPhone 14 instead of an iPhone 14 Pro model, but the wait times did not increase for the less expensive devices last week.
  
    

    
      Apart from being a potential headache for consumers, the uncertainty around iPhone availability could add to Apple’s challenges for the all-important holiday quarter. Apple CFO Luca Maestri previously said the company expects year-over-year revenue growth to decelerate in the December quarter compared to the prior quarter, citing the strength of the US dollar and ongoing macroeconomic weakness.
  
    

    
      Apple released its new smartphone lineup in September, including the larger 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus model and an updated iPhone 14 Pro that rethinks the much-maligned notch. In typical Apple fashion, the devices also offer better battery life and camera features than the year prior.
  
    

    
      The iPhone 14 and 14 Plus start at $799 and $899, respectively, while the iPhone 14 Pro starts at $999 and the Pro Max starts at $1099.
  
    

    

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  • 
		
		
    
			
    Apple invested $450 million in a satellite-powered SOS system. We tested it out | CNN Business
    
			
    Apple invested $450 million in a satellite-powered SOS system. We tested it out | CNN Business
    
			
     [ad_1]
    

    

    
    
    
      
    
      CNN Business
    
         — 
    
        

    

    
      When Apple announced at its closely-watched September product launch event that it would soon introduce an Emergency SOS feature powered by a network of satellites orbiting above Earth, Brooklyn probably wasn’t the secluded location most had in mind for using it.
  
    

    
      But on a rainy afternoon last week, I found myself trying to stay connected to one of the satellites from Prospect Park as part of a demo of the upcoming feature. I stepped out from under a giant oak tree and the rain started to come down harder. Then I moved my device slightly to the right and quickly regained access to the signal and continued messaging with an emergency dispatcher.
  
    

    
      The rain wasn’t the issue; it was the foliage limiting my phone’s view of the sky.
  
    

    
      On Tuesday, Apple
    
            
    
                (AAPL)     will launch the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature for those with an iPhone 14 in the United States and Canada, with plans to roll it out in the UK, France, Germany and Ireland next month. The free feature promises to let iPhone users contact dedicated dispatchers in emergency situations via satellites when a cell phone network is unavailable.
  
    

    
      Hikers, emergency responders and intrepid travelers may be well versed in the existing world of satellite phones, which provide voice, SMS, and data services anywhere on Earth. Now Apple is attempting to do the same with its iPhones, as part of a broader pitch this year to consumers that its devices don’t just help them live better, but also live safer. In the process, it could make its pricey products seem a bit more indispensable in an uncertain economic environment that has some rethinking expenses.
  
    

    
      Apple recently invested $450 million in Globalstar, a global satellite service, and other providers to support the development of 24 low-orbit satellites flying 16,000 mph at a higher altitude than the International Space Station. The investment is part of Apple’s Advanced Manufacturing Fund, which has previously been used for glass production with Corning and laser technology for facial recognition.
  
    

    
      During my test with an iPhone 14 provided by Apple, I attempted to call 911 but was automatically redirected to Emergency SOS via Satellite dispatchers for the purposes of the demo. When the device was unable to connect to cellular service, a small green icon appeared at the bottom right of the call screen to initiate a text conversation with emergency services.
  
    

    

    
       

    

    

    
      I was prompted to fill out a questionnaire and tapped through a handful of short multiple choice questions; I noted I was lost but not injured. Nearly 20 seconds later, I received confirmation that my geo-location coordinates were sent to a dispatcher, along with my medical ID, emergency contact information and the answers to my questions. I was told to keep responses short, likely to cut down on the amount of data needed to transfer to the satellite and back down to a dispatcher. I was also asked to identify nearby landmarks and where I entered the park. My total exchange lasted about four minutes.
  
    

    
      Apple said the size of messages was greatly condensed so the satellite can more efficiently route them to ground stations located all over the world. Once received, texts are sent to local emergency services or a relay center with Apple-trained emergency specialists who can send help.
  
    

    
      But even in a city, I lost access to the satellite several times when I wasn’t in clear view of the sky. A grayscale circle with a green signal image showed up when connected but turned yellow when conditions were poor and red when connectivity was lost. I walked about 200 feet away from my original location to find a satellite. Once there, I held the device naturally in my hand; Apple said there’s no need to raise or wave it around.
  
    

    
      When it works, the lifesaving potential for such a feature is obvious. But there are some caveats. To start, it’s text only; users will need to physically have the device in their hands to start an exchange, which may not always be possible if injured. The tool does, however, work with the iPhone 14 and Apple Watch’s crash detection feature, so it could automatically dial emergency services or send coordinates to a dispatcher when a user is unconscious or unable to reach their iPhone.
  
    

    
      For now, Emergency SOS via satellite only works in English, Spanish, and French, although the dispatchers have professional interpretation services available for many more languages. Apple said it also may not work in all areas, such as in places above 62° latitude, including northern parts of Canada and Alaska.
  
    

    
      For iPhone 14 users who want to see how the tool works, and test out the process for searching for a satellite, a demo is now available in Settings under “Emergency SOS via satellite.” Apple said the feature is available for free for two years and then it will reevaluate the offering based on what it’s learned about usage during that time.
  
    

    

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  • 
		
		
    
			
    Alibaba, Tencent, lead Hong Kong tech stocks higher after upbeat China online retail sales data
    
			
    Alibaba, Tencent, lead Hong Kong tech stocks higher after upbeat China online retail sales data
    
			
     [ad_1]
    

    

    Shares of Chinese internet giants jumped in Hong Kong, after official data showed better-than-expected October retail sales in the world’s second-largest economy.
    

    Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
    
        BABA,
    
        +0.79%
    

            9988,
    
        +10.63%
    
       jumped 9.8%, Kuaishou Technology
    
        1024,
    
        +10.71%
    
       surged 8.7%, Tencent Holdings Ltd.
    
        700,
    
        +10.28%
    
       rose 8.0% and Meituan
    
        3690,
    
        +5.88%
    
       was up 5.8%. The Hang Seng Tech Index
    
        HSXTCHINDXXX,
    
        +7.08%
    
       has gained as much as 7.7% and was last up 6.1%
    

    

    The sector’s sharp upturn came after China’s National Bureau of Statistics said online retail sales of physical goods rose 7.2% in the first 10 months of the year. The number, closely watched by investors as an indicator of the country’s consumption trends, outpaced a 6.1% rise in the January-to-September period.
    

    Jefferies analysts estimate that online retail sales grew more than 15% in October, accelerating from the three consecutive months of below-10% growth seen since July.
    

    Write to Yifan Wang at yifan.wang@wsj.com
    

    

    

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  • 
		
		
    
			
    EU opens deeper probe of Microsoft’s Activision deal | CNN Business
    
			
    EU opens deeper probe of Microsoft’s Activision deal | CNN Business
    
			
     [ad_1]
    

    

    

    
    
    
      Washington
    
      CNN Business
    
         — 
    
        

    

    
      The European Union is taking a closer look at Microsoft’s proposed $68.7 billion purchase of video game giant Activision Blizzard, citing concerns the deal could hurt competition in the video game industry.
  
    

    
      A preliminary review of the deal found that Microsoft
    
            
    
                (MSFT)     could try to withhold the games it’s acquiring from other distributors, according to an EU press release. The proposed acquisition would see Microsoft
    
            
    
                (MSFT)     become the world’s third-largest video game publisher, controlling popular franchises such as “Call of Duty” and “World of Warcraft.”
  
    

    
      “Such foreclosure strategies could reduce competition in the markets for the distribution of console and PC video games, leading to higher prices, lower quality and less innovation for console game distributors, which may in turn be passed on to consumers,” the EU said.
  
    

    
      The deeper-level probe, which could run through March of next year, is also driven by fears the acquisition could consolidate power in Microsoft’s Windows operating system at the expense of competition, if Microsoft attempts to make its PC games exclusive to Windows.
  
    

    
      And, according to an EU press release, authorities are concerned the deal may allow Microsoft to concentrate power in its own cloud gaming service and prevent rival cloud services from gaining access to Activision
    
            
    
                (ATVI)     games.
  
    

    
      In September, the United Kingdom announced it had opened a second-stage investigation into the proposed deal.
  
    

    
      “We’re continuing to work with the European Commission on next steps and to address any valid marketplace concerns,” a Microsoft spokesperson told CNN in a statement. “Sony, as the industry leader, says it is worried about Call of Duty, but we’ve said we are committed to making the same game available on the same day on both Xbox and PlayStation. We want people to have more access to games, not less.”
  
    

    

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  • 
		
		
    
			
    Twitter pauses paid verifications after users abuse service to impersonate brands and people
    
			
    Twitter pauses paid verifications after users abuse service to impersonate brands and people
    
			
     [ad_1]
    

    

    

    

    

    In this photo illustration, the image of Elon Musk is displayed on a computer screen and the logo of twitter on a mobile phone in Ankara, Turkiye on October 06, 2022.
    

    Muhammed Selim Korkutata | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
    

    

    

    

    

    Twitter appears to have paused its $7.99/month Blue subscription service, which allowed people to pay for a verification check mark, after users were abusing it to impersonate brands and famous people.
    

    Twitter launched the service earlier this week in its iPhone app, allowing users to buy a checkmark that had previously been used to show that an account was verified or official. As of Friday, the iPhone app no longer shows an option to sign up for Twitter Blue.
    

    The quick suspension of the service suggests that, at least currently, CEO Elon Musk’s big plan to generate new revenue from users isn’t working as expected.
    

    The paid subscription service led to a plethora of pranksters creating imposter accounts on Twitter. It left the platform even more ripe for misinformation, and many cheaply acquired checkmarks were used to impersonate brands, politicians and celebrities with unflattering messages.
    

    One current sales employee at Twitter said the company decided to pull back on Twitter Blue verification in response to the spate of impersonators. 
    

    The employee, who asked to remain unnamed since they were not authorized to speak on behalf of Twitter, said one account resembling pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly caused a serious problem when it tweeted out, “we are excited to announce insulin is free now.” 
    

    The tweet remained on the social media platform for hours before it was taken down. The real Eli Lilly account later tweeted: “We apologize to those who have been served a misleading message from a fake Lilly account.”
    

    Eli Lilly’s stock price dropped sharply after the false message was posted, and so did other pharmaceutical companies including AbbVie, which was also impersonated on Twitter. At that time, major stock indices were positive, amidst a market rally.
    

    An impersonator also pilloried Tesla, Elon Musk’s electric car maker using the paid subscriber blue checkmark. An account with the handle that appeared as “@TeslaReal” wrote a flurry of disparaging tweets, one of which said, “honestly the 53% drop in stock price doesn’t phase[sic] us. if there’s anyone who knows about Crashing it’s us.”
    

    The effect of so many changes on the Twitter platform presents a big problem for advertisers, some of which have already paused spending there.
    

    Additionally, some users who already paid for the service said their recently acquired blue checkmarks have disappeared from their accounts.
    

    A Twitter spokesperson was not immediately available for comment. Musk was not immediately available for comment.
    

    The rollback of Twitter Blue verified comes at a time when Musk and Alex Spiro, who is acting as Twitters top lawyer now, are working to reassure employees, advertisers and regulators that they will comply with all laws and terms of a prior FTC consent decree.
    

    Elon Musk wrote in a companywide email obtained by CNBC on Thursday night, “I cannot emphasize enough that Twitter will do whatever it takes to adhere to both the letter and spirit of the FTC consent decree. Anything you read to the contrary is absolutely false. The same goes for any other government regulatory matters where Twitter operates.”
    

    Spiro said in another e-mail that followed that his team had spoken with FTC regulators on Thursday and that Twitter has its “first upcoming compliance check” with the agency soon. He emphasized that Twitter itself, not “individuals who work at Twitter” would be held liable for any violations.
    

    As NBC News previously reported, an exodus of Twitter executives since Musk took over has included the departure of the company’s head of trust and safety, Yoel Roth, and chief of information security, Lea Kessner among many others involved in infrastructure, trust and safety.
    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

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  • 
		
		
    
			
    Digitunity is Connecting Military Families With Technology
    
			
    Digitunity is Connecting Military Families With Technology
    
			
     [ad_1]
    

    
                            Partnering with mission-driven organizations helps Digitunity bridge the technology gap for military families.                        
    

    

    
        Press Release
    
    –
    
        
    
                                                Nov 11, 2022 08:00 EST                            

    

    

    

        
    
        CONWAY, N.H., November 11, 2022 (Newswire.com)
    
        –
    
        Frequent relocation takes a significant toll on military personnel and their families. A lack of technology can make this even more difficult. That’s why Digitunity partners with organizations including Tech for Troops, Heroes Deserve Help, The Outlook Foundation, and The Armed Services YMCA, to connect military families, regardless of location, with devices like computers for remote learning and work.
    

    The technology gap between those who don’t have access to the internet and digital devices versus those who do is referred to as the digital divide. This disparity prevents underserved groups from gaining access to the educational and economic resources that they need.
    

    Digitunity is a national nonprofit that bridges the digital divide by connecting technology donors with non-profit organizations serving people in need, including military families and veterans. 
    

    “On average, military-connected kids attend 6-9 schools from kindergarten through 12th grade. This illustrates how relocation can have a negative impact on military families,” said Scot Henley, executive director of Digitunity. “Our partnerships with outstanding veterans’ organizations in our Digital Opportunity Network put these life-changing devices in the hands of those who need them most.”
    

    Military families rely on technology to manage deployment and frequent relocation. Communication with friends and family relies on email, voice, and video calls. Military spouses often work remote jobs to accommodate their frequent moves. Children often need to attend classes and complete homework online.
    

    When only the military service member is relocated, a laptop is often the only means of communication between them and their family. One Digitunity partner, The Outlook Foundation, provides computers to deployed service personnel and their stateside families, ensuring family members can communicate with one another and access the services they need.
    

    The Armed Services YMCA, another Digitunity partner, specializes in aiding junior enlisted military personnel and their families through social, educational, and recreational programs focused on youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. Many of these programs occur remotely through technology. 
    

    “In this age of digital connectedness, we believe no military family member should go without the technology they need. That’s why we’re thrilled to be fostering collaboration, engaging boots-on-the-ground organizations, and putting in the work to keep these families connected,” Henley said.
    

    Digitunity works to ensure everyone who needs a computer has one. If you are interested in more information about how Digitunity helps military members and families, you can check out their veterans’ resource guide here. 
    

    About Digitunity
    Since the 1980s, Digitunity has advanced digital inclusion by connecting donors of technology with organizations serving people in need. Our mission is to ensure everyone who needs a computer has one, along with robust internet connectivity and digital literacy skills. To learn more about our mission, visit www.digitunity.org.
    

    Source: Digitunity
    

    

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  • 
		
		
    
			
    iPhone factory workers in China offered bonuses to return to work | CNN Business
    
			
    iPhone factory workers in China offered bonuses to return to work | CNN Business
    
			
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      New Delhi
    
      CNN Business
    
         — 
    
        

    

    
      One of Apple’s largest suppliers is trying to strike a delicate balance in China.
  
    

    
      Foxconn
    
            
    
                (HNHPF)     has to comply with some of the harshest Covid rules in the world while ensuring that Apple’s
    
            
    
                (AAPL)     shipments are not severely disrupted just before the key holiday season begins.
  
    

    
      The Taiwanese company, which has been racing to control a Covid outbreak at its vast campus in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou, has started recruiting for the facility once again and is offering bonuses for staff who had recently left, according to a statement posted on one of the company’s WeChat accounts.
  
    

    
      Foxconn’s statement came just a day after Apple said it expects iPhone 14 shipments to be hit by China’s Covid curbs, which have “significantly reduced capacity” at the Zhengzhou facility, the world’s biggest iPhone factory.
  
    

    
      “The epidemic has disrupted our work and life, but… the company has achieved milestone results in the current epidemic prevention measures,” Foxconn said on its Zhengzhou recruitment WeChat account on Monday.
  
    

    
      “The production and living order of the park has been restored to normal gradually,” the statement added.
  
    

    
      Anxious workers had reportedly fled the locked-down facility. Videos of many people leaving Zhengzhou on foot have gone viral on Chinese social media in recent days. Foxconn is now stepping up measures to get its staff back.
  
    

    
      If they return, staff who left between October 10 and November 5 will receive a one-off bonus of 500 yuan ($69), according to the company. New workers will be offered a salary of 30 yuan ($4) per hour, according to the post.
  
    

    
      Last Wednesday, Chinese authorities imposed a seven-day lockdown on the manufacturing zone that houses the Foxconn plant.
  
    

    
      Workers will be able to start their work as soon as the “district-level lockdown is lifted,” Foxconn said in the WeChat post, at which point employees will be collected and driven to the factory for a closed-loop system — where staff will work and live on site.
  
    

    

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    Why Apple may be working on a ‘hey Siri’ change | CNN Business
    
			
    Why Apple may be working on a ‘hey Siri’ change | CNN Business
    
			
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      CNN Business
    
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      Apple reportedly wants to put an end to “Hey.”
  
    

    
      The company is said to be training its voice assistant Siri to pick up on commands without needing the first half of the prompt phrase “Hey Siri.” The trigger phrase is used to launch Siri on various products, including the iPhone, iPad, HomePod and Apple Watch.
  
    

    
      Bloomberg, which first reported the news, said the change could come next year or in 2024. Apple did not respond to a request for comment from CNN Business.
  
    

    
      Although the update would be seemingly minor, experts say it may signal broader changes are coming and could require extensive artificial intelligence training. Lian Jye Su, a research director at ABI Research, said having two trigger words allows the system to more accurately recognize requests, so the move to one word would lean on a more advanced AI system.
  
    

    
      “During the recognition phase, the system compares the voice command to the user-trained model,” Su said. “‘Siri’ is much shorter than ‘Hey Siri,’ giving the system potentially less comparison points and higher error rate in an echo-y, large room and noisy environments,” such as in the car or when wind is present.
  
    

    
      The move would allow Apple to catch up to Amazon’s “Alexa” prompt that doesn’t require a first wake word for its voice assistant. Microsoft shifted away from “Hey Cortana” in 2018, now allowing users to only say “Cortana” on smart speakers. However, “OK Google” is still required for most Google product requests.
  
    

    
      The move away from “Hey Siri” would also come at a time when Apple, Amazon and Google are collaborating on the Matter automation standard, which will allow automation and Internet of Things devices from different vendors to interoperate.
  
    

    
      With this in mind, James Sanders, a principal analyst at market research firm CCS Insight, said “redoubling efforts on improving Siri functionality is likely a priority at Apple.”
  
    

    
      Siri launched in February 2010 as a standalone iOS app in the Apple App Store before it was acquired by the tech giant two months later. The company then integrated Siri into the iPhone 4S, which was released the following year, and introduced the ability to say “Hey Siri” without physically touching a button in 2014.
  
    

    
      Siri has gotten smarter over the years, thanks to integration with third-party developers, such as ride hailing and payment apps, and supporting follow-up questions, more languages and different accents. However, it still has issues with not understanding users and responding incorrectly.
  
    

    
      “While the ‘Hey Siri’ change requires a considerable amount of work, it would be surprising if Apple announced only this change to Siri,” Sanders said. “Considering the rumored timing, I would anticipate this change to be bundled with other new or improved functionality for Siri, perhaps alongside a new model of HomePod and integrations with other smart home products via Matter, as a reintroduction to Apple’s voice assistant.”
  
    

    

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