Retail News CRM

Category: Electronics

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Electronics news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • Google Appoints Cloud Business Leader for APAC

    Google Appoints Cloud Business Leader for APAC

    He succeeds Rick Harshman, who leaves the organization for a new opportunity after almost five years in the role.

    Google has appointed technology leader Karan Bajwa as vice president for Google Cloud in APAC, the company announced in a statement on Tuesday.

    Bajwa, who is currently based in India, where he leads Google Cloud’s operations in the country, will relocate to Singapore in 2021 for the expanded role in which he will lead all regional revenue and go-to-market operations for Google Cloud, including Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Google Workspace.

    Before joining Google in March 2020, Bajwa a managing director for India and South Asia at IBM for almost four years. Prior to IBM, he worked with Microsoft for nine years, his last role being the managing director for the company’s operations in India.

    Google Cloud is growing rapidly in a region that is fast adopting digital transformation tools, particularly in the financial services space. Among its clients are BRI Bank, Gojek, NTUC Fairprice Co-Operative, Goldman Sachs, Citi, ANZ Bank, and more.

    The company launched its GCP regions, from where its public cloud resources are located, in Jakarta and Seoul last year, with planned expansions in Dubai and Melbourne in 2021.

    «With the disruptions of 2020 behind us, a true test of 2021 will be how companies replatform and build on the cloud not only for resilience but agility and innovation, and I’m excited for the opportunity to lead Google Cloud’s business in APAC to maximize this next phase of growth,» Bajwa said about his new appointment.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Bolttech expands in Taiwan via device protection partnership with Samsung

    Bolttech expands in Taiwan via device protection partnership with Samsung

    bolttech today announced its latest partnership with Samsung in Taiwan, together arranging for mobile device protection to owners of new Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets through the Samsung Care+ programme. The expansion of the bolttech and Samsung partnership follows recent tie-ups in Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

    The Samsung Care+ programme in Taiwan will offer device repair and care services covering accidental and liquid damage as well as an extended warranty for up to one year after the expiry of the manufacturer’s warranty. It also covers device replacement for robbery and snatch theft and includes a convenient doorstep pickup and delivery. This programme is exclusively available in Samsung experience stores for selected Galaxy smartphone and tablet users.

    Launched in 2020, bolttech is an international insurtech business integrating three complimentary capabilities – device protection, insurtech exchange, and digital insurance, with a mission to build the world’s leading technology-enabled ecosystem for insurance and protection.

    Mark Simmons, Chief Executive Officer, Device Protection, bolttech, said, “We’re thrilled to build upon our collaboration with market leader Samsung to bring easy access to next-generation device protection to customers in Taiwan. Recognising the pain points for mobile phone users in Taiwan, we launched our door-to-door repair services to help customers stay connected when something goes wrong with their phones or tablets.”

    More information about Samsung Care+ in Taiwan can be found here: https://www.samsung.com/tw/offer/samsung-care-plus/

  • Apple leads in Vietnam smartphone awareness survey

    Apple leads in Vietnam smartphone awareness survey

    Apple is the most popular smartphone brand in Vietnam with 46 percent of respondents thinking about it first.

    Samsung is second with 36 percent, followed by Oppo (9 percent) and Nokia (2 percent), according to a survey of nearly 600 respondents conducted by Ho Chi Minh City-based market research firm Q&Me.

    Top reasons cited for favoring Apple were high quality (78 percent), good brand (71 percent), good security (65 percent), good design (59 percent) and good camera (57 percent).

    The survey found Apple was much loved by young people, while Samsung was popular among those aged 30 and above.

    The survey’s results also showed 79 percent of Vietnamese users buy smartphones at electronics chain stores, 14 percent from e-commerce sites and the remaining from friends or relatives.

    It says 44 percent of Vietnamese users give highest consideration for Apple products for their next purchase, followed by Samsung (26 percent) and Vingroup’s Vsmart (6 percent).

    Hundreds of Vietnamese people last month queued up in front of Apple stores to become the earliest owners of iPhone 12.

    Around 75 million people, or almost 80 percent of the country’s population, use smartphones, according to We Are Social, a social media marketing and advertising agency.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Key Apple supplier is one step closer to building its new U.S. factory

    Key Apple supplier is one step closer to building its new U.S. factory

    Back in May, the world’s largest foundry, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), was going to announce that it was building a U.S. based chip manufacturing facility. The U.S. facility moved one step closer to reality. Taiwan’s ministry of economic affairs gave the go ahead for TSMC to proceed with the first phase of building the factory in Arizona with an investment of $3.5 billion. The total cost of the facility is expected to be close to $12 billion.

    The country’s ministry of economic affairs has the job of authorizing major investments made overseas by Taiwan companies. TSMC’s application has been approved by the ministry according to an announcement made earlier today. The plant is expected to be operating by 2024 and churn out chips made using the 5nm process. By that year, the most cutting-edge integrated circuits will be made using the 3nm process. TSMC’s Arizona factory will turn out 12-inch wafers with as many as 20,000 a month rolling out of the facilities.

    The factory was originally planned by President Donald Trump as a sign that the U.S. would become a leader in tech production. While many U.S. companies design their products in the states like Apple does, the actual manufacturing is usually done overseas in Taiwan or China. For example, the iPhone is designed in Cupertino but is assembled by three Taiwan firms. Trump had asked TSMC to announce its plans prior to the U.S. election as he figured that his chances for re-election would get a shot in the arm if he could announce that the world’s largest chip manufacturer was building a plant in the states. However, it looks as though Trump will be out of office by the time the factory in Arizona starts volume production.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Apple ties up much of TSMC’s 5nm chip production for next year

    Apple ties up much of TSMC’s 5nm chip production for next year

    These are the Golden days for Apple’s in-house chipsets. For example, benchmark tests reveal that the A14 Bionic used to power the iPhone 12 series outperforms the upcoming Snapdragon 888 chipset (which will be found in 2021 Android flagship phones). Even more interesting, last year’s A13 Bionic, which drives the iPhone 11 family, also produced a better score than the Snapdragon 888. Both A-series chips are designed by Apple and are produced by TSMC, the largest independent foundry in the world. The Snapdragon 888 is designed by Qualcomm and will be manufactured by Samsung using its new 5LPE process node.

    Apple happens to be TSMC’s largest customer; Huawei was second until the U.S. changed an export rule that now blocks foundries using American-made tech from shipping chips to the Chinese based manufacturer. TSMC’s advanced 5nm production capabilities for 2021 have been “booked out.” Apple has reserved much of this production (80% according to the report) for 5nm A14 Bionic and A15 Bionic Application Processors for the 2020 and 2021 iPhone models. Apple also has booked 5nm production for its ARM related M1 computer processor. Apple replaced some Intel processors for new MacBook models with the home-grown M1; the latter contains a whopping 16 billion transistors inside. The higher a chip’s transistor density (number of transistors packed inside a dense square mm space), the more powerful and energy-efficient the component is.

    TSMC’s revenue is expected to hit an all-time high this year with another record high due for 2021. The company also plans to begin Risk Production of 3nm chips next year. Part of the process of designing and manufacturing new chips includes Risk Production. These are cutting-edge chips that are sold to manufacturers willing to buy them without having to go through testing. That puts the risk squarely on the buyer. The foundry says to expect a performance boost of 10% to 15% with its 3nm chips along with a 20% to 25% increase in energy-efficiency.

    Last month, a report stated that the A16 Bionic chip for the 2022 iPhone 14 will reportedly be manufactured using the 4nm process node. However, this past summer another report said that the A16 Bionic would be manufactured using the 3nm process node. Next year’s iPhone 13 line will be powered by the A15 Bionic and produced once again by TSMC using the 5nm process node.

    To show you how far this technology has advanced over the last decade, consider the Apple A4 chip. Designed in-house for the very first time, the A4 was manufactured for 2010’s iPhone 4 by Samsung using the latter’s 45nm process node. Speaking of Samsung, the company and TSMC are the only foundries currently capable of producing 5nm chipsets.

  • Ginza shoppers clean hands, phones with high-tech wash stations

    Ginza shoppers clean hands, phones with high-tech wash stations

    Shoppers washed their hands and sterilized their smartphones in the streets of Tokyo’s posh Ginza district on Saturday using handwashing stations that a Japanese start-up hopes will revolutionize access to clean water and better hygiene.

    WOTA Corp set up 20 of its WOSH machines near popular Ginza stores in an initiative with a district association aimed at encouraging shoppers to wash their hands to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

    The machines don’t require connection to running water and don’t use fresh and wastewater tanks. Instead, they recycle the water through a three-stage process of membrane filtration, chlorine, and deep ultraviolet irradiation.

    They also have a device that cleans smartphones through 20-30 seconds of ultraviolet light exposure while users are washing their hands since touching a dirty smartphone would otherwise negate their handwashing efforts.

    The firm had already been developing the machine in part to alleviate long lines at restrooms when the COVID-19 crisis hit early this year, Chief Executive Yosuke Maeda said.

    “Amid the impact of COVID-19 we thought we had to implement this as soon as possible,” Maeda said. “So we sped up development and got things moving to have it in December in time for the third wave of the coronavirus.”

    On average 20 liters of water provides around 500 washes, while the filters should be changed after about 2,000, he said.

    The machine, however, needs a connection to a power supply.

    WOTA has now begun shipments within Japan of roughly 4,000 units. It aims to expand internationally next year, with many inquiries coming from the United States.

    Maeda hopes the smartphone feature in particular will transform hygiene habits.

    “We thought if it had the smartphone sterilization function, maybe people who never wash their hands will start doing so,” he said.

    Lees ook:

  • Razer Fintech Partners Singapore-Based Rely

    Razer Fintech Partners Singapore-Based Rely

    The two sides will collaborate to enable a Buy-Now-Pay-Later solution for merchants in Southeast Asia.

    Razer Fintech, the financial technology arm of Singapore gaming and technology brand Razer, is expanding its fintech offerings and its payments ecosystem for customers with access to a buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) solution provided by Rely, it announced in a statement.

    The service will be offered in Southeast Asia to merchants registered under Razer Merchant Services (RMS), its B2B (business-to-business) solution. RMS includes online payments and a card processing gateway, and the region’s largest offline payment network of over 1 million physical acceptance points.

    This collaboration is also aligned to our longstanding commitment to continue using our know-how in fintech to build new and innovative ways to meet the needs of a burgeoning and digital-savvy youth and millennial segment in Southeast Asia,» Lee Li Meng, CEO, Razer Fintech, said in the announcement.

    The announcement noted the growing popularity of BNPL, citing a Finder survey from October 2020 that said almost 1.1 million Singaporeans have used a BNPL service.

    Founded in 2017, Singapore-based Rely works with brands and enterprise clients such as Qoo10 Singapore, to offer deferred and installment payments for online and offline purchases.

    Rely’s strategic partnership with Razer follows the company’s recent announcement to expand its services in Singapore, Malaysia and South Korea after securing capital from Goldbell Financial Services to process up to S$100 million in buy-now-pay-later transactions.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Chinese smartphone shipments continue to fall although iPhone deliveries rose last month

    Chinese smartphone shipments continue to fall although iPhone deliveries rose last month

    Brokerage firm Goldman Sachs analyzed smartphone data compiled by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT). The numbers revealed that November smartphone shipments in China amounted to 29.6 million units last month, down 15% from last year. On a sequential basis, shipments rose 13% from October. Shipments of international brands, of which Apple is believed to be the leader, were up a whopping 99% to 6.9 million units last month from the same month in 2019. From October 2020 to November 2020, international shipments rose 18%.

    The aforementioned 15% decline in November smartphone shipments in China compares to year-over-year declines of 13%, 36%, and 27% for August, September, and October respectively. Goldman’s Rod Hall said that despite strong demand for 5G enabled phones, the overall smartphone market was weak in the country. Hall told clients, “We see these ongoing weak trends as interesting given Chinese 5G units have been better than we expected but not enough to offset the very weak overall demand environment.”

    According to Goldman Sachs, Apple iPhone deliveries in China were up during November. In the investor note, Hall stated, “In our opinion, the overall market weakness that we continue to see in China may be beginning to translate into higher-end demand stagnation at Apple. We also note that lower-end market strength in China is important for the absorption of refurbished/2nd hand iPhones which could have a negative effect on device resale pricing and the trade-in value that new iPhone buyers experience.”

    Hall is bearish on Apple and expects the price of the stock to drop from the current $122.10 to $75 over the next 12 months. That would be a 39% decline; the analyst maintains his “sell” rating on the stock. While the consensus expects Apple’s first 5G iPhone models to generate growth in China, Hall says that year-over-year growth “may not be as pronounced as many investors believe it will be in the iPhone 12 cycle.”

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Apple Services to outperform the iPhone by 2024

    Apple Services to outperform the iPhone by 2024

    In the first quarter of 2017, Apple iPhone sales peaked at 78 million units worldwide. Worried that sales of the device were dropping off, Apple decided to start focusing on selling services to the 728 million iPhone users worldwide as the second quarter of 2017 started. Apple set a goal to double its services related revenue to $50 billion from $25 billion by 2020. This was best accomplished by having iPhone users sign up to make recurring monthly payments for subscription services such as Apple Music, Apple News+, and more. And for fiscal 2020, which ended in September, Apple generated $53.77 billion in services revenue topping its goal right on time.

    Within the next four years Apple will be generating the majority of its revenues from Services instead of the iPhone. This will take place even though the growth in Services revenue will decline to 11% a year from the 22% growth rate that the division has enjoyed over the last four years. By Fiscal 2024, the services unit will bring in $81.5 billion says Forbes as Apple relies on the growth of both subscription titles and the apps purchased from the App Store. While Apple’s Services businesses continue to grow, iPhone gross should grow at an annual rate of only 5% per annum over the next five years to approximately $167 billion. Between 2016 and 2020, iPhone revenue was flat.

    Also interesting is a word that Apple’s Services units are now experiencing stronger profit margins than what Apple’s hardware has been generating. During the fiscal year 2020, profit margins for Apple’s hardware products came to 31.5% compared to a much stronger 66% for services. If margins remain at current levels, gross profits for Services would be $54 billion in the fiscal year 2024 topping the iPhone’s $53 billion gross profit for the same year.

    Some of these forecasts are dependent on what happens with the Justice Department’s suit against Google. The latter pays Apple to be the default search engine on iPhone models and if the DOJ blocks Google from making these payments, the result could negatively impact Apple’s Services growth.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Samsung’s official 5G Galaxy S21 teasers have leaked

    Samsung’s official 5G Galaxy S21 teasers have leaked

    It may be Tuesday, but this week is already proving to be a massive one for Samsung Galaxy S21 leaks. Concept renders based on photos of Samsung’s next-gen flagship lineup were published yesterday morning and were followed hours later by the first live image of the Galaxy S21+ and S21 Ultra.

    The teaser videos that show off the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ depict both smartphones in the new Phantom Violet finish, which is perhaps Samsung’s most adventurous colorway since the Galaxy Note 10’s Aura Glow.

    Rather than settling for a single color across the phone, Phantom Violet pairs a violet rear panel with a copper-colored frame. The latter is presumably made out of aluminum, whereas the rear panel is made out of plastic on the Galaxy S21 and glass on the Plus-branded smartphone.

    When it comes to the finalized design, Samsung’s decision to use a new camera design on its next flagship lineup has essentially been confirmed by the videos. The new camera module blends into the frame on both the left side and top edge.

    In the case of the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+, it houses three cameras, although there is an LED flash positioned next to it too. On the hardware front, these cameras won’t introduce anything groundbreaking because they have been borrowed from the Galaxy S20. A range of software improvements is very likely, though.

    Coupled with everything mentioned above is a punch-hole display. The panel measures in at 6.2-inches on the Galaxy S21 and 6.7-inches on the S21+ and, as confirmed by the teaser videos, settles for flat edges.

    One-upping the vanilla models is the Galaxy S21 Ultra, which features a quad-camera setup on the back. It consists of a 108-megapixel main sensor, a 10-megapixel 3x telephoto zoom shooter, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide, and a 10-megapixel 10x periscope zoom.

    These components sit alongside an LED flash and a laser autofocus system. The latter was present on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra as well and ultimately helps avoid the autofocus issues that plagued the Galaxy S20 Ultra earlier this year.

    Of course, due to the extra cameras and laser autofocus system, the overall camera bump is much larger, although it still blends into the frame. Speaking of which, the frame should be carved out of stainless steel and paired with a glass back panel.

    As for the color, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is shown off in Phantom Black, which is paired with a matte finish. On a separate note, the punch-hole display can be seen in the longer video with curved edges. It boasts a diagonal of 6.8-inches, per recent reports.

    Samsung is understood to have scheduled its next Unpacked event for Thursday, January 14. It will unveil the whole Galaxy S21 series at the event and its next pair of earbuds, the Galaxy Buds Pro.

    Pre-orders are rumored to kick off the same day ahead of shipments on Friday, January 29. The flagship lineup could start at $849, with the Plus-branded device landing at $1,049 and the Ultra coming in at $1,249.

    Lees ook:

  • Dell backtracks on Singapore retail exit, leaving Malaysia

    Dell backtracks on Singapore retail exit, leaving Malaysia

    According to the company, they will transition out of the retail market in Singapore and Malaysia; however, customers can still purchase items via the company’s online store. An internal memo revealed the company’s intention, stating that they will cease their bricks-and-mortar retail locations in these two countries, following a review of a number of the markets they currently operate in. As a result of this withdrawal, new orders will no longer be accepted by Dell from retail stores; however, any existing contracts and agreements will still be honored by the company.

    Although customers will not be able to purchase new Dell products in physical outlets, they will still be able to purchase these via their online store and will be able to get their hands on older products and product lines in a number of retail locations.

    The company commented: “Dell Technologies has announced plans to transition out of the retail market in Singapore and Malaysia. Customers will still have access to the full complement of our products and services through Dell direct.”

    Lees ook:

  • Apple to open second South Korean store

    Apple to open second South Korean store

    Apple is preparing to open its second retail store in South Korea. Located in Seoul’s main finance district, Apple Yeouido will make direct sales and support accessible to a whole new community.

    Apple first welcomed customers in South Korea in 2018, when Apple Garosugil opened in Seoul’s Gangnam area. The same experience is coming to Yeouido, an island bordered by the Han River and southwest of the Myeong-dong shopping district.

    Apple Yeouido is located on L1 of IFC Mall Seoul, an indoor shopping center directly below the angular office towers of IFC Seoul and near the iconic 63 Building. Shoppers enter the mall through a glass pavilion just steps from Yeouido Park. Three floors of fashion, cinema, and food are tucked below ground.

    In the future, visitors can expect Apple to host educational and creative Today at Apple sessions that engage the store’s surroundings.

    Like all recent Apple Store openings, Apple Yeouido will follow strict safety guidelines including reduced capacity and a mask requirement. Apple Garosugil was the first Apple Store outside of Greater China to reopen during the pandemic and served as an important signal tower for Apple’s global reopening strategy.

  • Samsung’s Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra 5G can be yours at $500 off

    Samsung’s Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra 5G can be yours at $500 off

    You’d probably expect a Google-owned mobile virtual network operator to go the extra mile to try to sell as many phones as possible manufactured by, well, Google, but while everyone from Amazon to Best Buy and B&H has discounted the unlocked Pixel 5 ahead of Black Friday, the MVNO seems to be making a better effort to promote Samsung’s 5G-enabled handsets.

    Believe it or not, one of the best Black Friday 2020 deals on a Samsung smartphone is available at Google Fi right now, where you can shave a whopping $500 off the list prices of the recently released Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra 5G without jumping through too many hoops.

    Don’t get us wrong, you will need to meet a few essential requirements, but if you don’t have anything to trade in, that’s perfectly fine. Big G will still let you save the full $500… as long as you’re a new Fi customer willing to port in your existing number from a different carrier. New members of existing Google Fi group plans are also eligible for the same monumental discount, as are existing customers looking to activate the Note 20 or Note 20 Ultra on a “full service” plan within 30 days of receiving their shipment confirmation email.

    The $500 will be automatically taken off the two phones’ regular prices during the checkout process, mind you, so instead of $999.99 and $1,299.99, you’ll be spending just $499.99 or $799.99 for the 5G-capable Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra respectively. Obviously, you can split that into 24 monthly payments if you so choose, and even better, you’re free to combine the massive $500 discount with an additional trade-in deal to maximize your savings.

    We’re talking up to an extra $450 for a mint-condition Galaxy Note 9 or a maximum $400 trade-in discount as far as Apple’s iPhone 8 Plus is concerned. Of course, that’s merely to give you a taste of how great the Google Fi trade-in program is right now, as you can naturally ditch many other pre-owned devices in exchange for hefty savings.

    Needless to say a $499.99 Galaxy Note 20 5G is basically the textbook definition of a bang for buck champion, but if you prefer a member of the slightly older Galaxy S20 5G family, all three of those are also on sale at the time of this writing for $400 less than usual with qualified Google Fi activation. Last but not necessarily least, the already inexpensive Samsung Galaxy A71 5G is marked down from $599.99 to an absolutely irresistible $249.99 under the same conditions detailed above.

  • Samsung refreshes Black Friday offers with TV discounts

    Samsung refreshes Black Friday offers with TV discounts

    The 20th might be behind us, but that doesn’t mean that the Black Friday offers are over! Samsung has refreshed its store with a new slew of offers, bringing the prices of many TV models down.

    You can save up to $3,000 on a nice new QLED or browse through the many offers on smartphones, smartwatches, washers, and other electronics — many of these are still live!Samsung is slashing the prices of its wide portfolio of TVs. From small UHD sets to gargantuan QLED beasts that can transform your living room into a cinema. Head over to the link below to view all Samsung Black Friday TV deals:

    Samsung’s S20 line starts with the budget-friendly Galaxy S20 FE 5G and tops off with the behemoth Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G. All of them have exquisite displays with 120 Hz refresh rates, the perfect camera to help you capture the moment, and the processing power to play all your favorite games.

    The Note line has always been the productive person’s phone — “For those who do”. Huge, beautiful screens, powerful hardware, and the best stylus you can find bundled up with a smartphone — the S Pen.

    Lees ook:

  • Samsung could be the first to launch a rollable phone

    Samsung could be the first to launch a rollable phone

    Although foldable devices are yet to go mainstream, smartphone vendors are already experimenting with a new form factor: rollable phones. During the recent Inno Day 2020 event, Oppo demoed its X 2021 concept device that could transform from a 6.7-inch phone into a 7.4-inch tablet, and LG has already teased its expandable handset, which would be its second Explorer Project device after the LG Wing.

    LG was earlier expected to release its rollable phone in March 2021, but the launch has seemingly been delayed to May now. A report from the South Korean blog Naver suggests that the “driving part” of the device is not working as intended, and the company also seems to be dealing with supply-side constraints. As a result, it has seemingly decided to push back the release.

    Samsung’s Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong was apparently seen with a rollable prototype recently. Virtually nothing is known about the device, except that it will probably horizontally expand from 6-inches to 8-inches.

    Tipster Ice Universe suggests that Samsung could beat competitors to the punch, which makes us wonder if the Galaxy Scroll, or whatever the company ends up calling its rollable handset, will arrive in H1 2021.

    Regardless of who releases a rollable phone first, it could be a long time before the tech gains traction. Ice doesn’t see expandable devices entering mass production anytime soon and they believe 2021 will be very much about foldable phones.

    Samsung and Huawei are the only major vendors that sell foldable phones at the moment, but they will likely be joined by Xiaomi, Oppo, and possibly Google next year. Later in 2022, Apple will reportedly jump the bandwagon too.