Business Articles

A sign of the times, Volvo's Polestar performance division has announced that it has cut production targets by 20,000 units for the 2023 model year, while production for the Volvo EX90 and Polestar 3 electric vehicles are both delayed to the first half of 2024. Volvo has also announced a 10% reduction in jobs in an effort to cut costs, despite 25% growth in the global EV market in Q1 of 2023.

Owners of old Model S and Model X electric vehicles have filed a lawsuit in San Francisco over claims that forced software updates have had negative effects on the performance of the batteries in their vehicles. The updates in question allegedly cut the range on several older Tesla units by up to 20%, causing some to seek out expensive battery replacements. Other owners turned to third parties to restore the original battery range, presumably by flashing an older firmware onto the vehicle's computer.

DJI has announced another drone-related launch event. Billed as a 'flagship upgrade', the new drone is likely a successor to the Matrice 300 RTK that DJI revealed in 2020.

The Vietnamese auto company VinFast has announced that all stock of its new VF8 all-electric SUV for sale in the US has now landed in its new market. They come in 2 Eco and Plus SKUs, rated for up to 293 miles of (WLTP) range per charge and 402 horsepower respectively. They will start at just under and over US$50,000 respectively, with additional leasing options.

After the massive March and February price drops across the entire Tesla lineup, some of the company's US models have received a price increase, albeit a small one compared to the recent US$10,000 price cuts. The only Tesla to escape the moderate price increases is the Model 3. The Model S and X will cost US$1,000 more, while the Model Y sees a much smaller US$250 increase.

Subaru recently released its 2022-2023 financial results in which it revealed that by 2026 its electric lineup will grow to four crossover models. Subaru and Toyota have thusfar been very late to the electric vehicle party, and the pair may lose revenue as a result. Subaru intends to sell 200,000 electric vehicles per year by 2026, with an additional 200,000 units per year of production starting in 2028.

Vast, a startup aerospace company based in California, is currently building the world's first private space station. The company hopes to launch the station into orbit within the next two to three years with the help of SpaceX.

LG has unveiled the ProBeam BU60PSM, now available in the US. The business projector has an ultrawide 21:9 aspect ratio and up to 6,000 ANSI lumens brightness. Other features of the device include HDBaseT compatibility, Bluetooth connectivity and built-in 5W stereo speakers.

The beauty of socketed RAM: Upgrades are possible long after the respective laptop came out. Sometimes the memory capacity can even go beyond the capacity that is "officially" supported - when bigger SO-DIMM modules come out. When DDR4 dominated the market a few years ago, 32 GB modules were released. Now with DDR5, we will see the release of 48 GB sticks.

Huawei has announced that its 3:2 aspect-ratio flagship laptop has a new 2023 version, as does the 2.5K display MateBook 16s. Both Windows 11 PCs owe their new suffix to new Raptor Lake processors, if not much else. Then again, there is a screen brightness upgrade for the new 16-inch model.

The increasingly well-known mobile device brand OPPO is preparing to wrap its operations in France up in order to leave the market as of mid-2023. The company might, furthermore, bring its "co-brand" OnePlus with it in the course of this exit. It reportedly represents losses to contractors and re-sellers that might run into the millions of euros.

P16v instead of P15v: One of the last ThinkPad models that still used 16:9 models makes the transition to 16:10. Part of this transition is a completely new design. The new ThinkPad P16v looks very similar to the ThinkPad P16, with top base hinges and a dual fan cooling system. The ThinkPad P16v is also upgraded to Ada GPUs.

Lenovo is releasing an updated 2023 workstation portfolio. While the T series based P14s and P16s receive a upgrade to the Ampere based RTX A500, ThinkPad P1 Gen 6 and P16 Gen 2 will feature Ada Lovelace chips. Apart from the new GPUs, there are new screen options, an increased amount of RAM and PCIe 5 SSDs for the P16.

The subscriber count of Elon Musk's SpaceX Starlink satellite Internet service has now hit 1.5 million globally and its users report higher service satisfaction than those with fixed broadband. The Starlink speeds in North America have been increasing in the past two quarters, too.

Qualcomm has announced that it intends to augment its vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology by acquiring the company Autotalks, a company with "expertise" in the same area. The chip-maker intends to enhance its Snapdragon Digital Chassis chips with new safety solutions, which might find buyers such as Volkswagen.

Goertek predicts that extended, mixed and/or augmented reality (XR/MR/AR) is ready to take over, through the medium of the glasses it helps other companies to make. To this end, the OEM also now asserts that smartwatch-like devices will be best to pair with and control this eyewear of the future. It has presented a reference "smart bracelet" demonstrating the high-speed, high-precision connectivity that this combination might need to work.

Apple has just reported "fiscal 2023 second quarter" (or 2FQ2023) takings reduced by 3% year-on-year (YoY). On the other hand, the Cupertino giant asserts that its iPhones made the most for any quarter in its history, while services such as Music or TV posted an "all-time record". Nevertheless, it follows that Macs and iPads did not do so well during the 3 months in question.

A report from Germany indicates that Giga Berlin will soon start producing Model Y units furnished with batteries from BYD. There have been a number of rumours and leaks indicating that Tesla and BYD were working together to bolster Tesla's supply chain, despite the competitive nature of the automotive industry. Tesla has had notoriously long wait times

Fisker just announced a partnership with battery provider Ample that aims to produce Fisker vehicles powered by Ample swappable batteries, starting with business and fleet customers. The partnership aims to deliver its first Ample-powered Fisker Ocean vehicles by the first quarter of 2024. Tesla, on the other hand, seems to have forgotten about battery swapping altogether.

After threatening to introduce high Starlink satellite Internet high-speed caps for violations of its Fair Use data policy, SpaceX appears to have reneged and scrubbed the anticipatory language. The speed caps have been bandied about in warning messages since December, then they were supposed to go into real effect 'no later than April' on last FAQ section count.

Reportedly, Huawei plans to host a big launch event later this month. According to the same leaker, Huawei will use the event to showcase the long-awaited Watch 4 series, as well as various laptops like a 2023 refresh of the MateBook X Pro. Huawei could also introduce the MatePad Air, among other tablets.

Elon Musk reportedly went straight to the world's largest battery maker after the signing ceremony for Tesla's new Megafactory project in Shanghai. The 40 GWh Megafactory is expected to produce 10,000 packs a year and Elon Musk wants Tesla to have a firm foothold in China's supply chain with strong cluster of local partners.

J.D. Power recently released the April Automotive Sales Outlook report for the US, revealing a decline in electric vehicle market share between February and March 2023. EV adoption is still up slightly year-over-year, despite an increase in EV hesitancy thanks to a lack of charging infrastructure.

Chinese EV maker NIO has released its April delivery report, which reveals a staggering 31% year-over-year increase in EV deliveries. The company has delivered 37,699 vehicles in 2023, of which 6,658 were in April. During Q1, 2023, Tesla delivered 106,915 vehicles in China alone.

SpaceX's Starlink satellite Internet offshoot is expanding its retail footprint with Home Depot availability. The big home improvement store chain is now carrying Starlink starter kits at the same price as SpaceX, with the ability to pay the equipment off on installments and save on shipping costs.

Known for his work on artificial neural networks, Geoffrey Hinton has been with Google since March 2013, when the tech giant acquired DNNresearch Inc., his company at the time. Earlier today, he announced his departure from Google so he could talk freely about the dangers of AI, but also highlighted that he is not criticizing the tech giant.

Daimler Truck North America, BlackRock and NextEra Energy Resources have partnered to create Greenlane, which will develop a charging network to power electric freight vehicles. The joint venture will invest over US$650 million in charging infrastructure along key freight routes. The network will also feature hydrogen refuelling stations.

Thanks to a massive 51% discount, the WD Red Pro NAS HDD (model WD161KFGX) is now down to a tempting US$279.99 (US$569.99 list price). This piece of storage hardware has a general rating of 4.6/5 stars after more than 3,500 validated user reviews, of which over 90% are 4-star and 5-star assessments.

MG has continued its foray into the EV space with the Comet, a car that aims to "keep it real" with a build and specs to match its relatively tiny price-tag. The 2-door vehicle supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, but lacks amenities such as fast charging, heated seats or even particularly extensive range.

Hohem is currently holding a sale on the motorized gimbals it makes specifically for action cameras such as those of the GoPro HERO Black series or Insta360 ONE R. They include the iSteady Pro4 for the newest of such gadgets, or the older Pro3 on which those with older models like the HERO8 Black can make some savings. Some deals also come as bundles with tripods or other accessories.

The 2022 ThinkBook 13x Gen 2 configuration on sale is powered by Intel's Alder Lake i5-1235U CPU coupled with 16 GB LPDDR5-4800 RAM and 512 GB NVMe SSD storage. The included 13.3-inch screen comes with a bright 2560 x 1600 IPS panel and the port selection includes 2x Thunderbolt 4 connectors.

There are not many places in Europe where laptops are still made. One of these few places is the Welsh Cardiff, where the Panasonic Connect factory is located. We were able to take a peek inside the plant.

The latest BOOX Tab Ultra-series ePaper tablet is the first of its line to debut supporting the "limitless possibility" of drawing or writing in color as well as monochrome as usual, thanks to a new 10.3-inch Kaleido3 screen. Nevertheless, it is still e-ink, and, thus, rated for excellent eye-comfort while reading or scrolling using the brand's "uncompromized", Qualcomm SoC-powered technology.

Compal has announced the Mobile Office, its latest concept laptop. Presented with an unusual design, the Compal Mobile Office brings a new form factor to the laptop market with a foldable palm rest and hidden ports, among other features.

Yadea asserts that its ElitePrime is the best alternative to sitting in traffic with a motor estimated to be 140% stronger, and a battery capacity 23% greater, than the "average" electric scooter. Accordingly, it is hyped to go further and possibly faster, even 30-degree hills, compared to its rivals on the market. It has been released to Indiegogo at early-bird prices that might be a significant discount on its eventual retail price.

The Optoma ZW350ST and ZH350ST projectors have just arrived in the US. The gadgets, designed for use in meeting rooms, deliver up to 3,600 lumens brightness thanks to a DuraCore laser light source. The short throw projectors can produce images up to 300-in (762 cm) wide and have a built-in 15W speaker.

Acer's latest Vero-series laptop has launched with an "environmentally-conscious" design; nevertheless, it can also be business-like as well as trendy, with a QHD web-cam, dual Thunderbolt 4 ports and HDMI 2.1. The Vero 15 will ship with 13th-gen Intel processors in mid-2023.

The latest TravelMate P2-series laptops have launched with a lot of the advantages of its higher-end P4 and P6 siblings, Thunderbolt 4, 4G/LTE connectivity and RTX 2050 graphics included. Then again, they make slight compromises to offer the cheapest starting recommended prices of their new productivity-focused line as a whole.

Acer has revealed its new enterprise-centric laptop, the Acer TravelMate P6 14. It features up to a 2.8K OLED screen, 32 GB LPDDR5 memory, 2 TB storage and a 65 Wh battery.

Dell touts the Latitude 9440 as the smallest 14-inch laptop you can buy right now - then again, you may be most inclined to order it for work, as it is also hyped as the OEM's most "collaborative" PC yet. That entails Zoom controls baked right into the large haptics-enabled trackpad, found in an XPS-inspired chassis rated for durability through premium materials.

Lenovo sell the ThinkPad P14s Gen 3 AMD as a mobile workstation - yet it is missing many workstation features. This makes it barely any different to the ThinkPad T14 Gen 3. Lenovo should really have a think about which features make the P14s Gen 3 unique.

Sega, one of the largest gaming companies in the world, is buying Rovio, the studio that created Angry Birds, for EUR€706 million (roughly US$771 million as of press time). The purchase is part of Sega's strategy to invest more heavily in mobile gaming.

The latest variant of the popular Minisforum UM590 is now up for pre-order starting at US$219 (barebone). The UM560XT has an AMD Ryzen 5 5600H processor inside and up to 32 GB RAM & 1 TB SSD, in which case the price will be US$379. If everything goes as planned, shipments will start in mid-May.

Tim Cook is headed to India to open two new retail stores in the country. The new locations are found in 2 different cities, and will start to welcome customers from April 18, 2023. Apple touts them as sources of "excellent" customer service and experience in advance, and indicates that they underpin the country's increasing importance to it as a source of both sales and production.

Smartphones such as the OnePlus 11 currently occupy the top end of the Android market thanks in part to the ability to charge their large 5,000mAh batteries at up to 100W. However, according to a prolific leaker, those specs might trickle down in the next wave of devices, although they will be from the brand Realme instead. It is also now tipped to put the currently ultra-premium combination of 16GB RAM and 1TB of internal storage within the reach of more consumers soon.

DiDi Global is one of the best-known sources of ride-hailing on Chinese streets. Now, it has announced its intention to give its service a next-gen overhaul by putting its own self-driving taxi on those roads in the near future. The vehicle's current concept integrates a lot of LiDAR, radar and cameras to deliver its autonomous functions.

Volkswagen has unveiled the latest drive compatible with its MEB electric vehicle platform. It is rated to enable some next-gen ID family members to launch as rear-wheel drive e-cars with the potential for increased range and efficiency. The APP550 is also touted to deliver "significantly more" power and torque to boot.

LG has announced that it has re-vamped its signature logo with a "a new visual identity" that "smiles back" at an increasingly digital audience. It involves an upgrade for the basic 'face' made of the electronics giant's name to a solid "Active Red" background and the ability to become a GIF at any opportunity. This, according to the OEM, will turn it into an engaging and lively mascot for its "human-centered" business.

Intel has announced it will team up with Arm to develop a plethora of chips for mobile SoCs, IoT, data centres, and government/aerospace applications.