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Tag: asia

  • European carriers seek to block one key iPhone privacy feature

    European carriers seek to block one key iPhone privacy feature

    Last year Apple announced one new key privacy feature for iOS called Private Relay. This new feature is currently in beta in iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey, and it is available only for users enrolled in the Apple beta software program.

    Even though the feature is still in beta, some major European telecom operators have signed an open letter to protest its future rollout. Carriers including Vodafone, Telefonica, and T-Mobile have voiced concerns that “Private Relay cuts off networks and servers from accessing vital network data and metadata” thus having “significant consequences in terms of undermining European digital sovereignty”.

    The open letter has raised more than a couple of eyebrows since its publication, mainly because Private Relay is a feature not much different from a regular VPN, and those have been around for ages. But let’s see what Private Relay is in more detail.

    When you browse the internet some information can be seen and recorded by your network provider – this includes DNS records, IP addresses, and more. Normally this information is used to build a profile of your browsing activity to be potentially used at a later date (usually for advertising purposes).

    The Private Relay feature is designed to hide all this information from third parties when you browse the net on your Apple device (you must use Safari browser for the feature to work, though). According to Apple, no single party – not even Apple itself – can see both your IP address and the sites that you’re visiting.

    This is done by using two internet relays – the first encrypts your DNS records (the sites you’re visiting), and the second generates a temporary IP address to connect you to the site you want to see. The first relay doesn’t have your DNS records, and the second relay doesn’t have your IP address.

    By using such a method Apple is able to effectively protect users’ privacy from third parties while still managing to offer a fast browsing experience. At the moment, you need to be enrolled in the Apple Beta Program to be able to use this feature. Follow the instructions on the site in order to participate. If you’re already a beta member, you can turn on Privacy Relay by following the next steps.

    How to turn on Private relay on iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

    • Go to Settings
    • Tap on [your username]
    • Select iCloud
    • Then tap Private Relay.

    Private Relay is off by default in all beta releases so far but Apple has officially announced that when the feature reaches the final rollout phase it will be switched on by default. You can always turn off the Private Relay feature for specific networks by following the next steps: on you iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Wi-Fi, then tap the More Info button next to the Wi-Fi network, then tap on “Turn off Private Relay.”

    The Telegraph says that telecom operators in the UK also support the open letter, with O2 filing official complaints to regulators in the country. Private Relay is highly dependent on local laws and regulations, and Apple has already restricted the availability of the feature.

    Private Relay won’t be offered in China, Belarus, Colombia, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkmenistan, Uganda, and the Philippines. It remains unclear whether any European countries will be added to this list.

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  • Vietnam buys 80 pct of Cambodia’s agriculture exports

    Vietnam buys 80 pct of Cambodia’s agriculture exports

    Vietnam bought nearly 80 percent of Cambodia’s nearly $5 billion worth of agriculture exports last year. It bought 96-99 percent of Cambodia’s cashew, pepper and mung bean exports, according to a report by Cambodia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

    Exports of Cambodia cashew to Vietnam grew 4.6 times from 2020, and that of pepper and mung bean surged four times. Other produce that Vietnam bought in large amounts from its neighbor were rice, grapefruit, bananas, and mangoes. Cambodian Agriculture Minister Veng Sakhom told Vietnam’s President Nguyen Xuan Phuc during the latter’s recent visit that Vietnam was Cambodia’s biggest importer among 70 countries and territories last year.

    Vietnamese companies had also harvested $200 million worth of latex in the first 11 months last year, he added.

    “Rubber farming has created jobs for around 33,000 locals. Vietnamese companies also contributed to over 50 percent of Cambodia’s banana exports, creating jobs for around 14,000 workers.”

    Insiders say the surge in Cambodia’s exports of agricultural produce to Vietnam came as many Vietnamese companies have invested in Cambodian farming.

    Agriculture expert Vo Tong Xuan ascribed the trend to Vietnamese businesses and individuals taking advantage of Cambodia’s affordable land fund as well as lower labor costs.

    “The yield is then exported back to Vietnam.”

    In the first 11 months last year, trade value between Vietnam and Cambodia rose 84 percent year-on-year to $8.6 billion, according to Vietnam Customs. Cambodia’s exports to Vietnam rose 337 percent in the period.

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  • Ooredoo appoints new key executives

    Ooredoo appoints new key executives

    Ooredoo announced the appointment of Ahmad Al-Neama as group regional CEO, Bilal Kazmi as group chief commercial officer, and Eyas Assaf as executive director, performance management effective 1 January 2022.

    Ahmad Al-Neama has been with Ooredoo for almost two decades, taking up senior roles, most recently as the CEO of Indosat Ooredoo where he excelled and scored many major achievements for the company. Ahmad’s most notable accomplishments include spearheading Indosat Ooredoo’s business turnaround and signing strategic partnerships with global technology leaders and international organizations. Most importantly, he was behind the company’s sale and leaseback agreement for more than 4,200 telecommunications towers – one of the largest deals of its kind in Asia – and he has seen the launch and roll-out of 5G in Indonesia.

    Ahmad has also led the landmark deal with CK Hutchison that resulted in the merger of the two entities, creating Indonesia’s second-largest mobile telecoms company. He brings a wealth of experience gained over a variety of leadership roles within the company.In his new role as group regional CEO, Ahmad will be responsible for the P&L of six markets, including Indonesia, Algeria, Tunisia, Palestine, Myanmar, and Maldives, setting priorities to drive sustainable growth across key operations.

    Bilal Kazmi was acting group chief commercial officer since July 2021 and has over 25 years of international experience in leadership roles, including P&L accountability across the commercial value chain for a USD1 billion turnover company. He has a strong track record of leading a wide range of commercial functions in the telco arena, such as sales and distribution, customer care, new product development, international business, and the implementation of complex telecoms projects like digital transformation and large-scale structural changes.

    As group chief commercial officer, Bilal will drive Ooredoo’s commercial transformation to accelerate growth across key areas such as customer centricity, sales & distribution and digital leadership.

    Eyas Assaf has rejoined Ooredoo Group, being appointed as executive director, performance management at Ooredoo Group Finance. Prior to this, he was Indosat Ooredoo’s CFO, a key member of the management team responsible for delivering outstanding business performance as well as the merger with CK Hutchison.

    Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo, Managing Director, Ooredoo Group, said: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of three of our stellar colleagues to lead the next phase of our company’s success, along with the larger Ooredoo Group team. This is part of our strategy to invest in our greatest talents, as we move forward with our business transformation plan to create a faster, more agile, more inspiring company.”

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  • Air Asia accepts vax cards as primary travel requirement

    Air Asia accepts vax cards as primary travel requirement

    All AirAsia Philippines domestic destinations continue to accept vaccination cards as a primary travel requirement, except for Caticlan, Kalibo, Tacloban, Bacolod, Iloilo and Zamboanga, which now require negative RT-PCR test results taken 72 hours prior to departure, regardless of vaccination status, the airline stated in its latest travel advisory.

    Amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila plus (Metro Manila and CALABARZON), the low-cost carrier said in a statement Tuesday, Jan. 11, it has elevated its internal COVID-19 response to ensure the safety of employees and guests, optimizing operations to avoid canceling flights.

    AirAsia Philippines established a Safety Plus 24/7 Team composed of different department leaders and the People and Culture – Medical team to monitor the health of employees and distribute medication to those who have contracted the virus.

    The airline now requires all employees, including those who are working at home, to submit online daily health check forms to monitor their health.

    Its flight operations department is also clustering schedules and does regular onsite Antigen tests for flight deck and cabin crew.

    “Adequate planning and anticipation are key to mitigating the risks entailed on the unprecedented surge of COVID-19 cases,” said AirAsia Philippines Spokesperson Steve Dailisan.

    “Thankfully, we initiated the reintegration training of our hibernated staff as early as December, and this January, they will complement the requirements for manpower,” he noted.

    “Internally, we have added layers in monitoring and clustering among our Allstar frontliners to make sure our flight schedules remain unhampered during these times,” according to Dailisan.

    AirAsia Philippines also prioritized securing booster shots for all of its employees who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

    On top of this, the airline offered enhanced flexibility among guests who wish to move their flights.

    They can avail of the unlimited rebooking option with no change fees by accessing the manage my flight option through the airasia Super App or airasia.com.

    However, AirAsia Philippines guests traveling over the next few days should check their flight status and visit the airasia flysafe page for the latest updates on travel requirements.

  • HungryPanda acquires Easi to strengthen Asian food delivery

    HungryPanda acquires Easi to strengthen Asian food delivery

    HungryPanda, the global leader in Asian food delivery, is today pleased to announce that it has acquired Australian food delivery platform EASI and New Zealand Asian food delivery platform BUY@HOME.

    These two transactions will help HungryPanda improve its local operations, empower restaurants to achieve greater business success, and improve consumer experience by widening their choice of authentic Asian restaurants. Coming on the back of HungryPanda’s successful US$130m fundraising in December 2021, these transactions now position the business strongly to capture the huge overseas Asian food delivery market globally.

    Founded in 2017, HungryPanda has become the largest overseas Asian food delivery platform in ten countries, including the US, UK, and Australia, operating across more than sixty cities. With these transactions HungryPanda is now the Asian food delivery leader in Australia and New Zealand, bringing the greatest choice of authentic Asian food to customers in all the major cities.

    Founder and CEO of HungryPanda, Kelu Liu said: “These acquisitions are an important milestone for HungryPanda in continuing to build the leading overseas Asian food delivery platform. By combining our world-class technology and delivery network with the wider coverage of restaurants we can now offer consumers, I am hugely excited about the future potential for our business in these important markets.”

    Kitty Lu, National Operations Manager at EASI, explained, “This is a strategic alliance that will increase our effectiveness and reach in a busy marketplace, both regionally and internationally. EASI has been growing nationally at a rapid pace since our launch in Australia and internationally and we are excited by the potential we can achieve working with Eric and the team at HungryPanda.”

    Mr. Liu continued “Improving the local Asian food delivery service is only the first step for us. We are dedicated to introducing a complete Asian fresh food and grocery delivery service, and adding local merchants’ activities and targeted discounts for our consumers with our aim to establish a comprehensive one-stop lifestyle service for overseas Chinese and local residents who have an interest in Asian food culture.”

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  • Papa John’s opening 1,350 stores in China

    Papa John’s opening 1,350 stores in China

    The pizza chain plans to open over 1,350 stores in South China by 2040 in partnership with the Asian private equity firm FountainVest Partners, it said on Friday. The deal will increase Papa Johns’s current global count by 25%, and marks the largest franchisee development agreement in the pizza company’s history.

    Pizza companies have lately been expanding their footsteps in the region, where they see an opportunity to boost sales.

    Pizza Hut, for example, opened 103 new stores in China in the third quarter. And Domino’s (DPZ) CEO Ritch Allison said in October that “with each passing quarter, we become even more confident about the long-term growth potential for the Domino’s brand in China.” He noted that in the third quarter of 2021, Chinese locations open at least a year grew sales by a percentage in the double-digits — way better than in the United States, where sales fell in the third quarter.

    Late last year, Papa Johns CEO Rob Lynch pointed to China as fertile ground for growth for his company, as well.

    Papa Johns has a “huge development opportunity in markets where we already compete but are much less penetrated,” compared to the competitors, Lynch said at the time. “I would offer China as an example,”

    Papa Johns has also been expanding into other regions. In November, the company announced plans to open 60 restaurants in Kenya in Uganda in the coming years along with franchise partner Kitchen Express. Over the summer, it expanded its partnership with its largest franchise, Drake Food Service International, with plans to open 220 restaurants globally, including in the UK and Latin America, by 2025.

    The “partnership with FountainVest marks another major milestone in achieving Papa Johns’s global growth potential,” Lynch said in a statement on Friday.

    The move follows a rebrand undertaken by Papa Johns last year when the company dropped the apostrophe in “Johns” and updated its log and store designs.

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  • The Philippines to loosen restrictions on foreign retailers

    The Philippines to loosen restrictions on foreign retailers

    President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law a measure that would further open up the Philippine retail sector to more foreign retail businesses by lowering their required paid-up capital.

    Republic Act (RA) 11595, which amends RA 8762, also known as the Retail Liberalization Act of 2000, was signed by Duterte on Dec. 10, 2021, and was released to reporters on Thursday.

    Duterte earlier certified the bill as urgent as part of efforts to encourage the entry of more investors and further boost economic recovery amid the prevailing coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

    Under the law, “a foreign retailer shall have a minimum paid-up capital of PHP25 million.”

    The current law sets the required capital at USD2.5 million or PHP119.67 million.

    The law also mandates the entry of foreign retailers coming from countries that do not prohibit the entry of Filipino retailers.

    In the case of foreign retailers engaged in retail trade through more than one physical store, the minimum investment per store must be at least PHP10 million “provided that this requirement shall not apply to foreign investors and foreign retailers who are legitimately engaged in retail trade and were not required to comply with the minimum investment per store at the time of the effectivity of this Act.”

    The Department of Trade and Industry, Securities and Exchange Commission, and the National Economic and Development Authority shall review the required minimum paid-up capital every three years and their recommendations should be submitted to Congress.

    Foreign retailers are encouraged to have a stock inventory of products that are made in the Philippines.

    As for penalties, violators may face imprisonment of not less than four to six years and a fine of not less than PHP1 million but not more than PHP5 million.

    In the case of partnerships, associations, or corporations, the penalty shall be imposed upon its partners, president, directors, general manager, and other officers responsible for the violation.

    If the offender is not a citizen of the Philippines, he or she shall be deported immediately after the service of sentence.

    If the Filipino offender is a public officer or employee, he or she shall, in addition to the penalty prescribed, suffer dismissal and permanent disqualification from public office.

    RA 11595 is a consolidation of House of Representatives Bill 59 and Senate Bill 1840 passed by the House and the Senate on September 21 and 20 last year, respectively.

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  • Vietnam car maker VinFast to build US battery factory as it goes all-electric

    Vietnam car maker VinFast to build US battery factory as it goes all-electric

    Vietnam’s VinFast plans to build electric vehicle battery cells and packs in a new U.S. manufacturing complex, its global chief executive told Reuters, as the company pledged to transform itself into an all-electric automaker by the end of this year.

    VinFast, part of Vingroup JSC, the largest conglomerate in the country, became the country’s first full-fledged domestic car maker when gasoline-powered models built under its own badge hit the streets in 2019.

    The company, which began selling electric vehicles (EVs) in Vietnam at the end of 2021, said in a statement on Thursday it planned to become what it said would be the first car company to cease making gasoline-powered cars and transition to all-electric vehicle production from late 2022.

    VinFast is betting big on the U.S. market, where it hopes its electric SUVs and a battery leasing model will be enough to tempt consumers away from the likes of Tesla and General Motors.

    “We will build our gigafactory in the U.S. as well,” Le Thi Thu Thuy, Vingroup vice chair and VinFast Global CEO said, referring to the new battery facility in an interview during her U.S. visit to attend the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

    The company will continue to source batteries from its suppliers, she added. Thuy said VinFast will initially assemble battery packs with cells sourced from its supplier at its U.S. complex before starting its own production there.

    “We have narrowed down from I think, over 50 sites to about three sites,” she said.

    She will visit some sites during her trip before making a decision this year, adding that the “mega site” would also include an electric bus factory.

    In December, Vingroup said it had started building a battery cell plant in Vietnam. The company is looking to initially produce 100,000 battery packs per year, with $174 million in investment, and then upgrade capacity to one million.

    VinFast previously said it had plans to start producing electric cars in the U.S. in the late 2024. The company said that on Thursday it was seeking to establish an EV plant in Germany.

    “The era of shipping cars around the world is over, especially since Covid-19. You must have the factory close to the market in order to win over your customers,” VinFast said in a statement.

    VinFast said prices for its VF8 sport utility vehicle (SUV) started from $41,000 in the United States, and that it would apply blockchain technology to record orders and confirm ownership. By comparison, a Tesla SUV sells for around $50,000. Vingroup said it was targeting global electric vehicle sales of 42,000 in 2022. Shares of Vingroup rose as much as 5.8 percent on Thursday after it revealed VinFast’s EVs line-up and the plans to go all-el

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  • AirAsia scaling new heights with drone training

    AirAsia scaling new heights with drone training

    AirAsia Group has become the first in Malaysia to obtain a license to conduct drone training: a game-changer in the drone delivery revolution in the country. This would, at the same time be a boost to the fast-growing domestic e-commerce industry.

    Group chief executive officer of AirAsia Aviation Ltd Bo Lingam said the move to train drone pilots would drive drone delivery. AirAsia Aviation Ltd is a unit of AirAsia Group.

    “It’s a lucrative and incredibly fast-growing market. Globally, the industry has already taken off and is projected to reach US$7.39bil (RM31bil) by 2027.

    “This new training program provides an opportunity to upskill our ‘Allstars’ and offer exciting new programs for the broader community, as well as supporting the drone industry in providing quality training to have more qualified remote pilots in Malaysia.

    “No prior experience is necessary, making this a great opportunity for everyone to learn to fly,” he told StarBiz.

    Ultimately, he said this would support the company’s vision to launch urban drone delivery for goods and retail items from airasia’s e-commerce platforms.

    The sky is the limit as the company could also potentially scale up to support remote areas for essential supplies during natural disasters, he added.

    President AirAsia Group (digital), Aireen Omar said: “Innovation has always been in our DNA and we can’t wait to launch our AirAsia Drone Academy through our digital edutech arm, airasia academy, as we continue to support the digitalization of Malaysia through a broad range of innovative tech-based training programs.

    “Drone delivery will soon become our latest logistics solution, providing a strong boost to support the ever-growing e-commerce industry.

    “Most importantly, this innovation will allow us to create new high-tech job opportunities for Malaysians.

    “The ability to pivot is part of our culture and while some are losing their jobs in aviation, we offer a second chance for them to build a new career with us through e-commerce,” she said.

    As a disruptive leader, Aireen said AirAsia is ready to take on new innovative challenges and embrace the wave of Industry Revolution 4.0 to its advantage.

    AirAsia Group chief safety officer and head of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) Captain Ling Liong Tien said the company is thrilled to be the first in Malaysia to win approval from the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) for the accreditation of the remote pilot training organisation (RPTO).

    He said the team has been working closely with CAAM for months and looks forward to starting its first class in the coming weeks.

    “The idea behind becoming an RPTO is to support the industry by providing quality remote pilot training leveraging our strong aviation background and decades of expertise. The UAS has become an important element in many industries driving cost effectiveness and numerous efficiencies.

    “Our commitment is to develop a strong foundation, supported by our existing robust safety management system, crew resource management and human factors training programs along with the remote pilot training modules – both in the class and out in the field,” he said.

    Commercial remote pilot training classes would commence from Jan 24.

    Interested candidates may register to enrol for one of the courses through the airasia academy website.

  • 300,000 tonnes of dragon fruit have no buyers

    300,000 tonnes of dragon fruit have no buyers

    Around 300,000 tonnes of dragon fruit will soon be ripe for harvest but without buyers, as China clamps down on border trade, industry insiders said. With the northern provinces of Quang Ninh and Lang Son having both restricted trade at the border with China due to containers pilling up, many Chinese buyers have stopped purchasing Vietnamese dragon fruit, Phan Van Tan, deputy director of Binh Thuan’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, told a forum Thursday.

    Dragon fruit prices have dropped in the last few weeks as China tightened its Covid-19 measures that caused thousands of container trucks to get stuck at the border.

    Some exporters said they have tried to transport goods via sea but this is not a sustainable solution as shipping fees have surged three times from before.

    China has been the biggest buyer of Vietnamese agricultural produce and dragon fruit for years. Dragon fruit exports to China exceed that of 50 other markets, said Nguyen Khac Huy, CEO of Hoang Phat Fruit in Long An Province.

    China’s proximity to Vietnam explains why exporters prefer to send their fruit there over other destinations like Europe, which could take up to 42 days. Vietnam produces around 1.4 million tonnes of dragon fruit every year. Eighty percent comes from the three provinces of Binh Thuan, Long An, and Tien Giang.

    Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Thanh Nam suggested supermarkets nationwide buy the fruit to support farmers.

    The ministry will also hold a forum with trade offices in Europe to diversify output, he added.

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  • Do not install this fake Flash Player Android app even if a friend urges you to

    Do not install this fake Flash Player Android app even if a friend urges you to

    What do you get when you combine the untimely death of a hugely popular piece of software once used on everything from smartphones to PCs with the insatiable thirst for unlawful financial gains of highly skilled hackers?

    A scary new malware campaign that, to be perfectly honest, should be pretty easy to avoid by now for anyone who’s done even the least amount of research possible on this sort of stuff before. Of course, it’s never too late to start educating yourself on the daily dangers of modern mobile life, and the first thing you need to keep in mind is that you should never, ever, ever, EVER download an Android app from an untrusted source.

    Unfortunately, because the bad actors behind this latest “FluBot” distribution scheme know exactly what they’re doing, you might receive a link to a shady website trying to feed you the vicious aforementioned banking trojan via a bogus Flash Player app from someone you 100 percent trust, like a close friend, family member, or someone else from your contacts list.

    That’s because, once your phone is infected, one of the symptoms of said infection will be the unauthorized access of your contacts, with the added malware ability to send text messages without user permission.

    Bottom line, no matter where a link seems to be coming from, you should exercise good judgment and refuse to install random APK (Android Package) files. We know, we miss Adobe’s Flash too, but the San Jose-based software giant would never use APKs to revive something that’s been dead since 2020 and dying since 2017.

    Of course, the sneakiness of this malware campaign’s authors can often go beyond just sending a text from one random Android user to a friend or family member. Because asking someone to download a “Flash Player” app from outside the Play Store would be too obvious a tell for many people, the malicious texts you should… simply ignore may try to fool you into opening links by advertising various video-related things.

    A good idea in such a case would probably be to ask whoever sends you a message containing a potentially malicious link one or two simple questions, thus making sure their intentions are pure.

    If the name FluBot happens to ring a bell, that might be because the same trojan has infected countless devices in the past using methods as diverse as posing as a security update, parcel delivery notice, and other legit apps from popular developers.

    While the main goal is and always has been to steal money with the help of banking credentials you might have stored on your Android phone, the secondary purpose is to spread like wildfire by hijacking your contacts and messages.

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  • Google executive accuses Apple of using peer pressure and bullying to sell iPhones

    Google executive accuses Apple of using peer pressure and bullying to sell iPhones

    Back in October, Google Senior VP Hiroshi Lockheimer suggested that Apple end the blue bubble vs. green bubble battle by incorporating Google’s Rich Communication Services (RCS) into the iOS Messages app. As you might know, features found on iOS such as end-to-end encryption, are broken when an Android user is part of a group chat. Lockheimer, whose official title at Mountain View is Senior Vice President of Platforms and Ecosystems, has more to say about RCS.

    First, for those uncertain what RCS is, it is Google’s attempt to build an SMS/MMS platform to compete with Apple’s Messages app. With RCS, Android users could send larger text messages, share larger media files, and have privacy thanks to end-to-end encryption. Google was even talking about using the platform as an e-commerce system allowing companies to get in touch with customers.

    RCS also gives Android users read receipts, and would allow them to send messages over Wi-Fi and mobile data. With iOS support for RCS, the Google executive notes that there would be less pressure among American youths to purchase an iPhone. With RCS, messaging an Android user would be a more modern and similar experience.

    Before RCS, Google had an Android messaging app and most U.S. carriers also loaded Android phones with their own messaging app bloatware leading to a confusing mish-mash of features on different carrier apps.

    Lockheimer, who is a strong supporter of RCS, tweeted comments related to a Wall Street Journal article about iMessage’s domination among texting teens. This had led young Android users to feel left out when texting iOS users. Lockheimer wrote, “Apple’s iMessage lock-in is a documented strategy. Using peer pressure and bullying as a way to sell products is disingenuous for a company that has humanity and equity as a core part of its marketing. The standards exist today to fix this.”

    Not all Twitter users took Apple’s side of things. A subscriber named Remon (@TheGreatUsurper) stated, “Typical iPhone user missing the point. Android has an iMessage equivalent, it uses a protocol to replace SMS. All major carriers already support the standard. Android users text over wifi & data, (receive) read receipts, great group chats, (and) reactions. Apple intentionally hurts communication.”

    ion not to support RCS is being done so that Apple continues to benefit from the vendor lock-in effect. Back in 2016, Apple’s Phil Schiller said “moving iMessage to Android will hurt us more than help us.” Apple’s software head Craig Federighi stated that “iMessage on Android would simply serve to remove [an] obstacle to iPhone families giving their kids Android phones.”

    The Google SVP believes that with iOS support for RCS, there would be less pressure on teens to buy an iPhone. Along those same lines, there also would be less pressure on the parents of teens to buy them an iPhone instead of an Android phone. And since some Android handsets are much cheaper than iPhone models, not allowing Apple’s Messages platform to integrate with RCS is theoretically costing consumers a large amount of money every year.

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  • BMW To Create Up To 6,000 New Jobs Next Year

    BMW To Create Up To 6,000 New Jobs Next Year

    Germany’s BMW plans to create up to 6,000 new jobs next year to prepare for the growing demand for its electric vehicles, the carmaker’s chief executive said.

    BMW is on a very good path through the transformation and has its plants prepared for e-mobility, Oliver Zipse was quoted as saying in an interview published on Wednesday. “That is why we will increase our workforce by up to five percent next year.”

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  • Honda China JV Announces 120,000 Units-A-Year EV Factory

    Honda China JV Announces 120,000 Units-A-Year EV Factory

    Honda Motor and its Chinese joint venture partner Dongfeng Motor said on Thursday they would build a new factory in Wuhan to exclusively manufacture electric vehicles (EVs) from 2024.

    The factory would have a production capacity of 120,000 vehicles a year, Honda said in a statement.

    Honda, Japan’s second-largest automaker, is set to launch a new EV brand in China this year called e:N Series with plans to roll out 10 models with partners Dongfeng and GAC.

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  • Sony Looks To Electric Cars For Its Next Big Hit

    Sony Looks To Electric Cars For Its Next Big Hit

    Japan’s Sony Group Corp plans to launch a company this spring to examine entering the electric vehicle market, looking to harness its strengths in entertainment and sensors to play a bigger role in next-generation mobility.

    The new company, Sony Mobility Inc, comes as the Japanese tech giant is “exploring a commercial launch” of electric vehicles, Sony chairman and president Kenichiro Yoshida told a news conference, speaking ahead of the CES technology trade fair in the United States.

    “With our imaging and sensing, cloud, 5G and entertainment technologies combined with our contents mastery, we believe Sony is well-positioned as a creative entertainment company to redefine mobility,” he said.

    Although its once-dominant position in consumer electronics has been eroded by Asian rivals like South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co, Sony still has an arsenal of sophisticated technology in areas such as sensors critical to autonomous driving.

    It also remains one of the world’s biggest entertainment companies, home to prominent video game and movie franchises. Audio and entertainment systems are increasingly a focus for next-generation vehicles.

    Shares in Sony jumped 4.2% in Tokyo after the electric vehicle plans were announced, easily outpacing a flat Nikkei index.

    Yoshida unveiled a prototype sport utility vehicle (SUV), the VISION-S 02, which uses the same electric vehicle platform as the previously announced VISION-S 01 coupe that began testing on public roads in Europe from December 2020.

    He said the company saw mobility as an “entertainment space” where passengers could choose individual entertainment options and use 5G internet connection.

    Wall Street is betting heavily on electric cars and the global auto industry has been upended by Tesla Inc, now the world’s most valuable automaker. Many investors also expect Apple Inc to launch its own vehicle within the next few years.

    Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp in December committed $70 billion to electrify its automobiles by 2030.

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