Retail News CRM

Author: Mei Ling Tan

  • Citroen India To Unveil Its First Model Early April

    Citroen India To Unveil Its First Model Early April

    Retail News had exclusively confirmed that the C5 Aircross will be the French carmaker’s first model in the Indian market and will be locally assembled here using about 70 per cent of the local contents at Groupe PSA’s Hosur plant in Tamil Nadu. The Indian-spec Citroen C5 Aircross which made its first public appearance last year will be unveiled on April 3. It’s just been a few days that Citroen brand was affirmed by the PSA Groupe for India and the company has decided to showcase its first model.

    The Citroen C5 Aircross is also one of the design finalists for the prestigious World Car Of The Year (WCOTY) design award. It measures 4500 mm long and is underpinned by Groupe PSA’s EMP2 platform which will also spawn a plug-in Hybrid variant at a later date. Powering the Citroen C5 Aircross is a 2.0 litre diesel engine and a 1.2-litre petrol engine which are mated to an eight-speed auto transmission as standard. These drivetrains (engine + gearbox) are already being manufactured at the Hosur plant for exports. The cabin is equipped with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system along with a 12.3-inch TFT-digital instrument screen and gets 20 new age driver assistance features. The Citroen C5 Aircross, when launched, will compete with the Jeep Compass and Hyundai Tuscon in India.

    We also gave you a list of the models which Citroen may be considering for the Indian market. According to our sources in its European headquarters, Citroen is also evaluating the C3 Aircross as the second model for India which will likely be launched in FY2021 after its scheduled facelift. The facelifted Citroen C3 Aircross will also be assembled at the Hosur plant which Citroen has established along with the CK Birla Group under a 50:50 Joint venture. The French marque has invested ₹ 600 crore in the plant so far and has a manufacturing capacity to produce 200,000 powertrains and 300,000 transmissions.

    Further investments will be made to target manufacturing 50,000 units of passenger vehicles annually as the company is planning to launch its first model in India in 2021.

  • Elon Musk Says Tesla Likely To Come To India This Year

    Elon Musk Says Tesla Likely To Come To India This Year

    It was at the end of last year that Elon Musk told the world that India is on the company’s radar for introducing models from the Tesla brand. In fact, the company even slated India to be one of the countries where the Model 3 would be available for booking. Sadly though, Tesla has not yet come to India. It was in 2015 that PM Modi tweeted how he was impressed by the power wall technology of Tesla Motors which stores electricity in a battery for long term. Musk gave a presentation to PM Modi on the revolutionary technologies being developed by Tesla, which is likely to change the face of the motor industry and have wider implications on developing countries like India on renewable energy.

    We were quite certain that the electric carmaker would make it to India by 2017 and now those plans have been pushed forward. However, there’s no denying that the company wants to make an entry into the Indian market. A tweet from Elon Musk now suggests that he would love to bring Tesla to India this year. If not this then definitely in 2020. We had earlier reported that Musk is likely to come to India this year and it’s probably then that the plans will see fruition.

    While we can’t wait for Tesla to come to India, we certainly hope to hear a concrete plan from the company for India.

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  • Toyota To Increase Prices Of Its Cars From April

    Toyota To Increase Prices Of Its Cars From April

    Toyota Kirloskar Motors today announced that it will be hiking the prices of some of its models from April 1, 2019. The company said that till now it had been absorbing the additional costs through refinement in its production process, but the increase in the price of raw materials and the sky rocketing input costs has made it difficult for the company to contain the costs of its vehicles.

    N. Raja, Deputy Managing Director, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said “Toyota Kirloskar Motor will increase the prices of some of its products effective 1st April 2019. We have been absorbing additional costs through a bouquet of cost reduction measures including refinement in production process. However, considering the trend of continuous increase, we are constrained to pass on a small portion to the customers. The company will continue its efforts to contain costs and offer the best value to our loyal customers.”

    The company has, however, not indicated the quantum hike of the increase in the costs of its cars and neither has it indicated on the models which are covered under this price hike.

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  • Mass-production of a key component for 5G Apple iPhone about to Start

    Mass-production of a key component for 5G Apple iPhone about to Start

    Since Apple is expected to use Intel’s modem chips for its first batch of 5G compatible phones, we know not to expect 5G iPhones to be unveiled until 2020. That’s because Intel won’t have its modem chip for the next generation of wireless connectivity ready until next year. The chip maker will start work next quarter on the engineering projects it needs to finish in order to begin volume production of its 5G modem.

    Once Intel starts producing its 5G modem chip in 2020, it will compete with Qualcomm’s recently introduced Snapdragon X55 5G modem, the sequel to the Snapdragon X50 5G modem. The latter will be used on most 5G Android phones this year. It also will go up against the 5G modem chip designed by MediaTek. All three firms could still be in play to become the source of Apple’s 5G modem chips, although previous reports state that Intel has already won this battle. Sources cited in yesterday’s report say that Intel will also continue to generate revenue from selling its 4G modem chips to Apple for older iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models.

    Apple currently has a contentious relationship with Qualcomm; over the last few months both sides have squared off in court on issues ranging from patent infringement to royalty payments. Just yesterday, one judge ruled that Qualcomm owed Apple close to a billion dollars in royalty payments it promised to rebate to the company (the actual figure is much. much higher says FOSS Patents). Meanwhile, a jury in San Diego yesterday ordered Apple to pay Qualcomm $31 million after it found Apple liable of infringing on a trio of patents. On March 26th, the International Trade Commission will rule on Qualcomm’s request for an exclusion order to be imposed on the iPhone in the U.S. Such an order would result in a sales and import ban of certain iPhone models in the states.

    Intel is now the exclusive source of modem chips for the iPhone

    During yet another trial held earlier this year (FTC v. Qualcomm), the plaintiffs called Apple supply chain executive Tony Blevins to the stand. Blevins testified that Apple had looked at sourcing 5G modems from Samsung and MediaTek. There is also speculation that Apple will design its own 5G modem chip, like it does for the A-series chipset that powers the iPhone and iPad. But Apple isn’t expected to deliver an in-house 5G modem design until 2021 at the earliest.

    From 2011 to 2015, Qualcomm was the exclusive provider of modem chips for the iPhone. That changed in 2016 when both Qualcomm and Intel were responsible for the modems used on the iPhone. That continued in 2017, and last year Apple sourced all of the modem chips used on the latest iPhone models from Intel.

    Apple is expected to be among the last major phone manufacturers to produce a 5G phone. Samsung has already unveiled its first 5G phone, which will debut on Verizon this summer. Huawei, LG and Oppo should also release 5G phones this year, and the 5G Moto Mod will allow the Motorola Z3 to support the faster data speeds as soon as Verizon flips the switch to turn on its new service. Once 5G service becomes more mainstream and less a curiosity, the faster data speeds will allow new services and businesses to be created. With 5G, a television series that takes 10 minutes to 15 minutes to download over 4G, will take only seconds to complete the task.

    When the industry transitioned from 3G to 4G LTE, Apple was one of the last major manufacturers to deliver a phone that supported the then-new technology. While a number of Android phones were launched with support for 4G LTE in 2011, Apple didn’t release a 4G LTE enabled handset until 2012’s iPhone 5.

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  • 22 5G devices announced to date

    22 5G devices announced to date

    A total of 22 5G user devices from 14 manufacturers have been announced to date, according to figures from mobile industry consultant Hadden Telecoms.

    The devices span a number of form factors, including smartphones, customer premises equipment, MiFi devices and USB models, and include the new category of foldable phones.

    These devices are expected to launch this year to support early 5G launches, with some announced devices being carrier or market specific.

    According to Hadden Telecoms’ research, as of this month 5G smartphones have been announced from Huawei, LG, Motorola, OnePlus, Oppo, Samsung, TCL, Xiaomi, and ZTE.

    Meanwhile Huawei has announced the largest number of CPE products at four. D-Link, HTC, Inseego, Netgear, Nokia, Samsung, and TCL have also unveiled 5G CPE.

  • Apple Watch saves lives says Studies

    Apple Watch saves lives says Studies

    A large study sponsored by Apple has revealed that the Apple Watch can detect an irregular heartbeat. 400,000 Apple Watch users were invited to take part in the study and the results were presented today in New Orleans at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology. 2,000 participants, or .5% of those wearing the smartwatch, received a notification about an irregular pulse. The 2,000 were sent a patch for their Apple Watch that included an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor to help detect atrial fibrillation (AFib).

    AFib, which is an irregular heartbeat, can lead to strokes, blood clots, heart failure and other serious issues. AFib contributes to 130,000 deaths a year in the U.S. The Apple Watch series 4 already includes an ECG monitor right out of the box, but the study was completed before this new variant of the timepiece was released. Returning to the study, about 33% of the 2,000 study participants who were flagged with an irregular pulse were told that they had AFib, according to the ECG patch that they were sent.

    57% of the Apple Watch wearers in the study sought medical help when they received a warning about an irregular pulse. That number might surprise consumers since it means that 43% of Apple Watch wearers in the study ignored the warning. Dr. Mitesh Patel, an assistant professor of medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine, noted that while the Apple Watch is good at detecting warning signs of heart disease, the watch needs to be combined with something that will motivate users to act on these warnings. In other words, receiving a warning without following up on it could prove fatal to the user.

    When an Apple Watch wearer in the study received a notification of an irregular heart beat, the notification would ask the participant to schedule a telemedicine appointment with one of the doctors associated with the study. At that point, the ECG patch would be sent to those receiving the notification, and was used to record the rhythm of their heart for up to one week.

    Only 57% of study participants receiving a irregular pulse notification sought medical help

    The researchers behind the study said that Doctors need to be careful when using data from consumer devices when treating patients. On the other hand, a Boston cardiologist named Dr. Deepak Bhatt said that the study was very important because more people will be wearing wearable devices in the future.

    “Atrial fibrillation is just the beginning, as this study opens the door to further research into wearable technologies and how they might be used to prevent disease before it strikes.”-Lloyd Minor, dean, Stanford School of Medicine.

    “The performance and accuracy we observed in this study provides important information as we seek to understand the potential impact of wearable technology on the health system.”- Dr. Marco Perez, co-principal investigator and associate professor of cardiovascular medicine, Stanford Medicine

    Apple plans on making a big push into healthcare, and the Apple Watch is at the vanguard of this decision. While the series 4 model includes an ECG monitor along with the heart rate monitor that all Apple Watch models have, the company is working on a way for the Apple Watch to show a user’s blood glucose reading without a needle stick. This reading is used by diabetics to determine how much insulin they need to inject to bring their blood sugars down to a normal level. Currently, diabetics need to draw blood and place a drop of it on a test strip inserted into a glucometer to get a reading. This test is done several times a day.

    If Apple succeeds in producing a non-invasive blood glucose test for the Apple Watch, this alone could help Apple stay on top of the smartwatch market.

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  • Motorola is taking pre-orders on the phone it says will last up to three days

    Motorola is taking pre-orders on the phone it says will last up to three days

    If a huge battery is the most important feature you want on a new smartphone, you are in luck. Motorola has started accepting pre-orders for the Moto G7 Power. The phone’s claim to fame is the 5000mAh battery that Motorola says will keep the phone running as long as three days on a single charge. Hence, the use of the word “Power” in the phone’s name. With Turbo Charge, you’ll get up to 9 hours of battery life in just 15 minutes. The device is priced at $249.99.

    The Moto G7 Power comes equipped with a 6.2-inch LCD panel carrying a resolution of 720 x 1570 (HD+) and an aspect ratio of 19.63:9. The Snapdragon 632 Mobile Platform is under the hood along with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of native storage. A 512GB capacity microSD slot is available for those seeking additional storage. A 12MP camera adorns the back of the device (f/2.0 aperture) and there is a front-facing 8MP selfie camera. The phone is protected from spills, light rain and sweat thanks to P2i’s nano coating process.

    The Moto G7 Power is available in Marine Blue, and is priced at $249.99. If you finance the purchase, you’ll make 24 monthly payments of less than $11 each. And if you live in the states, the handset is compatible with each of the four major U.S. carriers including Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint. Pre-order the Moto G7 Power directly from Motorola, and you will get a $20 coupon to use on a future Motorola.com purchase.

    The Moto G7 Power is expected to be released on March 22nd.

  • Twitter confirms it is testing a new feature improving user experience

    Twitter confirms it is testing a new feature improving user experience

    A few days ago, Twitter pushed out an update allowing users to swipe to the left for access to the camera to take photos or stream live video. The update also adds a feature that results in hashtag recommendations based on the user’s current location. According to Twitter user Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane), who likes to dig through apps looking for future features, Twitter is testing a way for its members to follow a conversation on the app without having to like or respond to a tweet.

    Jane says that the feature is called “Subscribe to conversation,” and if a Twitter member signs up for it, he/she will receive a notification whenever there is a new reply to a particular conversation. After Jane disseminated her tweet stating that Twitter is testing “Subscribe to conversation,” the official Twitter Comms account tweeted back “This is part of our work to make Twitter more conversational.”

    It might be some time before this feature shows up on your Twitter app, but when it does, you won’t have to like tweets that you really don’t like, follow someone that you don’t want to follow, or post a response that you don’t want to post just to keep abreast of a particular conversation on Twitter.

  • Spotify says Apple Music has unfair advantages

    Spotify says Apple Music has unfair advantages

    The founder and CEO of Spotify, Daniel Ek, announced today in a blog post that Spotify has filed a complaint against Apple with the European Commission (EC). The executive says that when it comes to Apple Music and the App Store, the company gives itself an unfair advantage, violating EC antitrust regulations. Ek says that Apple does this through the “Apple Tax.” That is the 30% of monthly subscription fees that Apple takes on subscriptions made through its payment system.

    Ek says that because Spotify is forced to pay the “Apple Tax,” it has to raise its price in the App Store above that of Apple Music. Right now, both music streaming platforms have the same prices. That would be $9.99 a month for individuals, $14.99 a month for families with up to six members, and $4.99 a month for verified students. However, if you choose to pay your subscription fee through Apple (an in-app payment), Spotify charges $12.99 a month for individuals, $16.99 a month for families and $7.99 a month for verified students.

    Apple has released a statement criticizing Spotify for using the App Store to help it grow over the years without making any contributions to that marketplace.” The company refutes some of Spotify’s claims. For example, Apple says that it has allowed Spotify to update the app over 200 times. Apple says it rejected updates when Spotify didn’t follow the App Store rules. Apple also points out that 84% of the apps in the marketplace don’t pay it a dime, and accuses Spotify of wanting all the benefits of a free app without being free.”

    Additionally, the executive says that if it bypasses Apple’s payment system, Apple will limit Spotify’s communications with its subscribers. For example, Ek says that in some cases Apple won’t let it send emails to Spotify users who use the service on an Apple device. He states that “Apple also routinely blocks our experience-enhancing upgrades. Over time, this has included locking Spotify and other competitors out of Apple services such as Siri, HomePod, and Apple Watch.”

    “It’s why, after careful consideration, Spotify has filed a complaint against Apple with the European Commission (EC), the regulatory body responsible for keeping competition fair and nondiscriminatory. In recent years, Apple has introduced rules to the App Store that purposely limit choice and stifle innovation at the expense of the user experience—essentially acting as both a player and referee to deliberately disadvantage other app developers. After trying unsuccessfully to resolve the issues directly with Apple, we’re now requesting that the EC take action to ensure fair competition.”-Daniel Ek, founder, CEO, Spotify

    All Spotify wants, says its founder, is to be treated the same as apps that don’t pay the 30% tax such as Uber or Deliveroo. The executive says that all apps should be able to compete fairly, and Apple Music shouldn’t get an advantage because Apple owns the App Store. He adds that all App Store users should have a choice of payment systems, and not be locked into using Apple’s platform. And Ek says that all app stores should not be allowed to control communications, including marketing and promotions, between services like Spotify and its customers.

    If Apple is eventually found to have violated anti-trust regulations in the EU, it can be slapped with a fine and be forced to make some changes to the App Store.

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  • Cebu Pacific leads in Philippines-Australia flights

    Cebu Pacific leads in Philippines-Australia flights

    Budget carrier Cebu Pacific has kept its market share lead in the Philippines to Australia route, a statement on Thursday showed. Citing data from Australia’s Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics from November last year, Cebu Pacific said it cornered a market share of 39.5 percent versus close competitor Philippine Airlines, which had a 38.1-percent share.

    Cebu Pacific flies between Manila, Melbourne and Sydney. It also competes with Qantas, however the Australian carrier’s operations are limited to Manila and Sydney.

    “As more brand-new aircraft enters the CEB (Cebu Pacific) fleet, we are now in a position to seriously study the possibility of expanding to more destinations in Australia. We are encouraged by our performance in the Australia market,” Candice Iyog, vice president for marketing at Cebu Pacific, said in the statement.

    The airline said demand has been going up. For Nov. 2018, some 48,000 passengers flew between Manila, Melbourne and Sydney. The figure represented a growth of 31.3 percent. Cebu Pacific alone carried 18,971 passengers, or a year-on-year growth of 56 percent.

    Cebu Pacific flies five times weekly between Manila and Sydney and thrice a week between Manila and Melbourne. Cebu Pacific is the only low-cost carrier with direct service from Manila to Sydney and Melbourne.

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  • Snapchat will integrate a cool new feature early next month

    Snapchat will integrate a cool new feature early next month

    As a result of Instagram’s dominance, Snapchat is no longer growing – the platform has actually started losing daily active users. Parent company Snap is aware of this and, in order to boost interest in the platform, will soon introduce a big new feature.

    According to a report by Cheddar, Snap will announce a new mobile gaming platform – codenamed “Project Cognac” – on April 4 at a Los Angeles summit for content and developer partners. The new platform will be integrated seamlessly into Snapchat and should feature a number of third-party games designed to work specifically within the app.

    In terms of what games can be expected, no titles have been confirmed yet. However, the company does appear to be developing some in-house offerings. Snap is said to be working with gaming giant Tencent on some exclusive titles and it also acquired gaming studio Prettygreat last year – an employee at this studio is behind both “Fruit Ninja” and “Jetpack Joyride.”

    The new games will provide an extra revenue stream for Snap, something that should please investors. At the moment, though, it’s unclear how the company will choose to monetize the games. Snap could either implement a variety of in-app purchases or rely solely on advertising. Alternatively, the social media giant could choose a combination of both.

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  • Amazon’s first-gen Echo well priced for Launch

    Amazon’s first-gen Echo well priced for Launch

    Smart speakers have become a global phenomenon less than five years after the limited release of Amazon’s original Echo, with an estimated installed base of 66 million units in the US alone as of December 2018, and around 100 million devices in use worldwide, according to a slightly older market report. Naturally, there are now more options than ever for smart speaker buyers, ranging from the ultra-affordable Echo Dot and Google Home Mini to premium Echo Show models with screens.

    But if you can find it, the first-generation Amazon Echo is still a pretty great choice, fetching a significantly lower price than back in the day. We’ve seen this tall and handsome cylinder cost as little as $30 in refurbished condition with a 90-day warranty included last month, and although the newest deal may not look quite as irresistible at first glance, it’s actually better in a way.

    That’s because AT&T appears to sell brand-new Echo units at $50 apiece right now, no doubt throwing in a standard one-year manufacturer warranty. That’s a whopping $129 off the smart speaker’s original list price, as well as $50 less than what the second-gen Echo usually fetches. It’s also pretty much on par with the typical price of a third-gen Echo Dot, which obviously packs significantly less power in a diminutive body.

    Despite its advanced age, the OG “regular” Amazon Echo is largely capable of the same things as all the new Alexa-controlled smart speakers, including hands-free music streaming, smart home management (with compatible accessories), setting alarms, timers, and reminders, reading the news, answering the most diverse and complex questions, and even making voice calls, as well as sending and receiving messages. There are also loads of new Alexa skills added every day, all of which are supported on the full range of Echo devices.

  • Huawei ready to replace Android if it loses legal battle

    Huawei ready to replace Android if it loses legal battle

    Huawei is being attacked from all sides, and even though the Chinese company seems to have been cornered, it still has the will to fight. Huawei recently sued the United States, as a means to fight a ban that prevents its telecom equipment from being purchased and used by government institutions.

    The same ban prohibits major US government contractors from using Huawei equipment, a major blow for the Chinese company’s local telecom business. Although the legal battle between Huawei and the US is just beginning, the former has everything prepared in case of a negative outcome.

    Huawei’s executive Richard Yu said in a recent interview with Die Welt that his company already has its own operating system ready to replace Android and Windows.

    We have prepared our own operating system, if it turns out we can no longer use these systems, we will be ready and have our plan B. Huawei started working on its proprietary ecosystem seven years ago, following a US investigation that also targeted ZTE. According to Yu, Huawei will continue to use Google and Microsoft operating systems, but if the legal battle intensifies, it won’t hesitate to switch to its own ecosystem.

    The bad news for fans of the Chinese brand is that not even Huawei believes in the success of its own ecosystem. A Huawei spokesperson was cited saying that the company doesn’t expect to use its “backup systems” and that it doesn’t actually want to use them.

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  • UOB Prices First Panda Bond

    UOB Prices First Panda Bond

    United Overseas Bank announced it has priced Singapore’s first Panda Bond at 3.49 percent, one of the lowest rates among all Panda bonds. The Singapore based lender UOB said that its three-year, 2 billion renminbi (S$404 million) offering garnered strong demand with a subscription rate of 2.7 times from asset managers and commercial bank investors across Asia. Thirty-eight percent was placed to China’s onshore investors and 62 percent to international offshore investors.

    «Our participation in China’s onshore debt market, one of the largest globally, enables us to grow our presence in China as the country continues to liberalize the renminbi and its financial markets. Further, through this offering, we can diversify our funding sources and continue to tap the increased connectivity between China and ASEAN arising from the Belt and Road Initiative to serve our customers’ needs,» said Wee Ee Cheong, CEO of UOB, said in a media statement.

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  • XYXX Innerwear received seed funding of 20 million from Sauce.vc, appoints Govind Shrikhande as Senior Advisor

    XYXX Innerwear received seed funding of 20 million from Sauce.vc, appoints Govind Shrikhande as Senior Advisor

    XYXX Apparels Pvt Ltd, the parent company of XYXX Innerwear brand, announced the first round of seed funding of 20 million from Sauce.vc. Sauce.vc is founded by private equity veteran and consumer angel investor Manu Chandra. Govind Shrikhande, ex-MD of Shoppers Stop has joined XYXX as a senior advisor.

    XYXX Innerwear is a premium men’s innerwear and loungewear brand which is rapidly gaining traction with the Indian consumer. It offers a wide range of comfortable and fashionable products using superior fabric such as MicroModal and Supima cotton at affordable prices. XYXX products are widely available online and have recently started retailing in multi-brand outlets in some regions. XYXX observed a monthly sale of one crore and is expected to double sales before July 2019.

    Manu Chandra, Managing Partner, Sauce.vc said, “We are proud to back XYXX and Yogesh. We believe there is tremendous potential for a premium innerwear brand that can offer better quality at affordable prices in the growing mass premium segment. Omnichannel distribution presence and supply chain management will be the key strengths this team will build on.”

    Yogesh Kabra, Founder & CEO, XYXX Apparels Pvt Ltd said, “XYXX offers a wide portfolio of inner and loungewear products made from luxury fabrics in a variety of appealing designs and prints. I am thrilled to have partnered with industry stalwarts Mr. Govind Shrikhande and Manu Chandra whose deep understanding and experience will help us make XYXX as a successful premium brand in the inner wear and loungewear category, with a sharp focus on premium quality and affordability.”

    Govind Shrikhande, ex-MD, Shoppers Stop and Advisor, Sauce.vc said, “I am very happy to partner with a young challenger brand like XYXX. The innerwear category is ripe for disruption by new home-grown brands. Yogesh and team are building a sound and scalable business with a deep understanding of textile and apparel manufacturing and supply chain. I look forward to contributing in this journey.”

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