AI-powered voice assistants and their smart speaker abodes are hot items these days. But useful (or not) as they may be, they come with some inherent risks. Driven primarily by voice, there is no quick way for users to screen results and stop the assistants before they blurt out something private, sensitive, or inappropriate. Take, for example, Siri, who will … Continue reading
In the past whenever a new iPhone is released, it usually takes a few weeks or a few months before shipping dates have been normalized. However with the iPhone X, it did not take long before shipping dates became shorter and shorter, which at that point in time left many wondering if it was either Apple getting a handle on supply, or if sales weren’t that good.
Many reports have suggested the latter and while Apple has put on a brave front, a new report from Fast Company is painting a different picture. The report claims that according to their sources, Apple themselves have expressed internally that they are disappointed with the sales of the iPhone X.
So much so that the company is expected to reduce the number of iPhone X units that they will be ordering from their suppliers where the company will now only order 8 million units in Q2 2018. This is following estimates that Apple was expected to have sold 14 million iPhone X units in the first quarter, and because they didn’t, they are apparently sitting on a bunch of inventory and are reducing orders in order to prevent a surplus, like it was the case with the iPhone 5c.
In any case Apple is expected to launch at least three new iPhones this year, where one is expected to be an even larger version of the iPhone X. Perhaps a larger display could interest customers, but if rumors of a higher than $1,000 price point is to be believed, Apple could have a hard time trying to convince their customers.
Apple Is Reportedly ‘Disappointed’ By iPhone X Sales , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Microsoft and Apple’s feud against each other is well-documented, although we suppose it’s not really a feud but more of an intense rivalry where both companies have put out products that seem to be similar to each other, at least in functionality, such as computers, software, smartphones, and so on.
However could it all be in the past now? That’s what Microsoft’s Chief Marketing Officer Chris Capossella seems to imply. According to a report from Cheddar, the Microsoft executive claims that Microsoft has found that it is “far better” for the company to focus on their own fans, implying that it might be better to try and focus on the customers you already have than the ones that you do not.
Microsoft CMO @chriscapossela explains why the Microsoft vs Apple fight is over. #CheddarLIVE pic.twitter.com/yAEjAGJfyN
— Cheddar (@cheddar) April 25, 2018
He also mentions how by focusing on your own fans, they will do the marketing for you where they will talk up your products, recruit others to hop onto the Microsoft bandwagon, and so on. Capossella also states that the company’s fans are also the ones who will be more than happy to point out features that they like, dislike, or want in the future.
That being said while Microsoft might consider this “feud” over, we suppose it will probably be a long time, if not forever, that comparisons between Microsoft and Apple will be drawn, at least as long as Windows and macOS are still around.
Microsoft’s CMO Says Its ‘Feud’ With Apple Is Over , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
As if it wasn’t bad enough that adults spend so much time buried in their phones and computers, Facebook decided to launch Messenger for Kids where it provides a way for kids to keep in touch with each other, at least through Facebook’s platform. The good news for parents is that Facebook has recently introduced a new feature that should help manage your kid’s time on the platform.
This comes in the form of “Sleep Mode” where parents can basically lock the messaging app for specific times in the day or the week. As you can see in the screenshot above, it lets parents decide the usage of Messenger for Kids from 10am to 10pm from Sunday to Thursday, and Friday and Saturday kids will be able to use it all day.
According to Facebook, “With sleep mode, parents can set a designated off time and each day at the designated time, the app will ‘go to sleep’ and not be accessible to kids during those hours. Sleep mode is controlled from the Parent Control center in the parent’s Facebook account and the “off times” can be changed at any time.”
These changes should already be live so if you have a kid with Messenger for Kids, then perhaps these could be new tools worth checking out.
Facebook Messenger For Kids Gets A New ‘Sleep Mode’ , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
“This year was an embarrassment to everyone associated with it.”
BlackBerry, or at least TCL, still isn’t done with QWERTY phones apparently. BlackBerry is long overdue a 2018 smartphone and by the looks of it, it’s almost here. Separate sightings, an official one at TENAA and a leaked photo over at Weibo, gives a pretty good look at the next BlackBerry, which is not really entirely new. Codenamed “Athena”, this … Continue reading
It might be low on computer wizardry this time, but those reviewing MCU films in preparation for Avengers: Infinity War may have been reminded of the jaw-dropping but probably unrealistic user interfaces Tony Stark is so fond using. While we might still be years, maybe even decades, away from such holographic UIs, one company might already be laying the foundations … Continue reading
When the first everyday Tesla Model 3 buyers received their electric cars, the reports on build quality were… mixed, to put it mildly. A Munro & Associates analysis revealed panel gaps and other imperfections you would have expected from a budg…
If there is a reason for governments to be concerned about companies becoming monopolies is because as a monopoly, customers have no choice but to buy from you, which in turn means companies could charge an arm and a leg to take advantage of their position. Unfortunately that seems to be a position that Samsung has found themselves in.
According to a lawsuit filed against the company, it seems that Samsung is being accused of leveraging its position in the market and colluding with other DRAM suppliers to hike up the prices of the component. The lawsuit is seeking class-action status on behalf of all US consumers of smartphones and computing products from companies such as Samsung, Hynix, and Micron, where they claim that these three companies collectively control 96% of the worldwide supply of DRAM components.
Steve Berman, a managing partner of Hagens Berman said, “What we’ve uncovered in the DRAM market is a classic antitrust, price-fixing scheme in which a small number of kingpin corporations hold the lion’s share of the market. Instead of playing by the rules, Samsung, Micron and Hynix chose to put consumers in a chokehold, wringing the market for more profit.”
Samsung and the other companies involved in the lawsuit have yet to comment on it.
Samsung Accused Of Colluding With DRAM Suppliers To Jack Up Prices , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Instagram has been slowly adding new features to its platform where it makes it more fun and useful for people or companies to share photos on its platform. The good news for avid Instagrammers is that if you wanted even more features and tools to play around with, Instagram could be more than happy to oblige.
According to a tweet by Jane Manchun Wong (via The Verge), it seems that Instagram is testing out a bunch of new features. These features include quick reactions similar to Facebook where users can quickly react to Stories. There is also an alleged slow-mo video recording function for Stories which as the name implies, will let users record and upload slow-mo videos.
Instagram is testing Story “Reactions”. It works kinda like the existing Facebook Stories Reaction pic.twitter.com/z2tAg8BcP2
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) April 27, 2018
There is also a mute button for profiles which prevents users from seeing that particular user’s posts on their feed. This seems to be similar to what Twitter offers to users where you can mute that user without unfollowing them, which can sometimes create a bit of drama when people unfollow each other.
Last but not least there appears to be an calendar archive view for Instagram Stories. This basically lets users see the dates of their archived Stories in a calendar view, making it easier to see at a glance. Now based on some of the comments by other users, it seems that some of the features are already live or in testing in other parts of the world.
Instagram has yet to confirm these features but if they are in testing, then there is no way to guarantee that they will be launched for all, but we’ll be keeping our eyes peeled for if and when they do.
Instagram Could Have Some New Features In The Works , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
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