Retail News CRM

Tag: meta

  • Apple might be building its own version of the metaverse

    Apple might be building its own version of the metaverse

    At this point, it is somewhat obvious that Apple is done with new hardware releases for 2022. After quietly launching a couple of new iPads and a new Apple TV, the American tech giant has decided to call it a year.

    Many are bound to be disappointed by the lack of a dedicated November/October event, as is the norm and the fact that we will not be getting new MacBooks this fall. Still, it seems Apple could be building momentum for something big – namely, its VR/AR headset.

    The latter is set to make its debut sometime next year, possibly at the company’s first event for 2023 in Spring. It is hardly a secret that Apple has big plans for AR/VR technology – Tim Cook even went as far as saying that that could be the “next big thing”.

    Now we are getting the first taste of just how far the Cupertino company is willing to go. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple is now beginning to work on a whole “3D mixed-reality world” and is seeking new talent.

    This information is based on a recent Apple job listing and was first brought forward by Gurman himself in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter. According to the prominent tech pundit, whose track record concerning Apple leaks is impeccable, the Cupertino company could be building a virtual environment similar to Mark Zuckerberg’s “metaverse”.

    Gurman jokingly quips that the controversial term will never be officially used by the company. Regardless of how Apple decides to name this virtual universe, one thing is certain – the rumored VR/AR headset is only the beginning.

    With Google also set to enter the fray with a headset of its own sooner rather than later, no less than three American tech giants will be looking to pave the way for our VR/AR future. It seems Tim Cook was right – that truly is “the next big thing”.

    Lees ook:

  • Meta cuts 11,000 jobs as it sinks more money into the metaverse

    Meta cuts 11,000 jobs as it sinks more money into the metaverse

    Meta Platforms Inc said on Wednesday it would cut more than 11,000 jobs, or 13% of its workforce, as the Facebook parent doubled down on its risky metaverse bet amid a crumbling advertising market and decades-high inflation.

    The mass layoffs, one of the biggest this year and the first in Meta’s 18-year history, follow thousands of job cuts at other tech companies including Elon Musk-owned Twitter, Microsoft Corp and Snap Inc.

    Like its peers, Meta hired aggressively during the pandemic to meet a surge in social media usage by stuck-at-home consumers. But its business has suffered this year as advertisers and consumers pull the plug on spending in the face of soaring cost pressures and rapidly rising interest rates.

    “Not only has online commerce returned to prior trends, but the macroeconomic downturn, increased competition, and ads signal loss have caused our revenue to be much lower than I’d expected,” Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said in a message to employees.

    “I got this wrong, and I take responsibility for that.”

    Meta, once worth more than a trillion dollars, is now valued at $256 billion after losing more than 70% of its value this year alone.

    Shares rose 4% on Wednesday as investors cheered caution by a company that has been pinning its future on the metaverse with pricey investments that Zuckerberg himself says will take a decade to bear fruit.

    “The market is breathing a sigh of relief that Meta’s management or Zuckerberg specifically seems to be heeding some advice, which is you need to take some of the steam out of the growing expenditure bill,” Hargreaves Lansdown analyst Sophie Lund-Yates said.

    The company now expects 2023 expenses between $94 billion and $100 billion, compared with the $96 billion to $101 billion range projected previously. It also narrowed its 2023 capital expenditures forecast range.

    Other than the job cuts, which will impact units across Meta with a disproportional hit to the recruiting and business teams, the company will also reduce office space, lower its discretionary spending and extend a hiring freeze into the first quarter to rein in expenses.

    Metaverse cash burn

    Still, more of the leftover resources will go toward the Reality Labs unit responsible for its metaverse investments. The business lost $9.44 billion between January and September this year, with losses expected to grow significantly in 2023.

    The spending spree has drawn the ire of Wall Street and shareholders, with one investor recently calling the investments “super-sized and terrifying”. Analysts have also questioned how long Meta can pour money into the project in a weak economy.

    “They’re going to have to continue to rightsize … next year is going to be a difficult environment for them,” said Paul McCarthy at Kisco Capital, which previously owned Meta shares.

    McCarthy added that he was skeptical about the company’s metaverse bets, and that rising interest rates and a gloomy macro environment could continue to weigh on the ad market.

    As part of the severance package, Meta will pay 16 weeks of base pay and two additional weeks for every year of service, as well as all remaining paid time off.

    Impacted employees will also receive their shares that were set to vest on Nov. 15 and healthcare coverage for six months, according to Meta, which had 87,314 employees as of the end of September.

    The company did not disclose the exact charge for the layoffs, but said the figure was included in its previously annou

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Meta is working on Instagram Malfunction

    Meta is working on Instagram Malfunction

    Instagram seems to be down for a lot of people around the globe at the time of this writing, according to users flocking to Twitter to make their plight known to the entire world (oh, the irony) and the always reliable Downdetector platform.

    The situation is already so widespread that the social network’s PR team has also taken to Twitter to apologize to everyone for the “inconvenience” of not being able to access your Instagram accounts for the last few hours (at the time of this writing).
    What Instagram parent company Meta is not ready to confirm just yet is the nature of this “inconvenience”, which appears to include random account suspensions for a worrying number of users.
    Many people claim they are not aware of having violated any rules so egregiously that a 30-day ban would be warranted, and because the Instagram app and website themselves refuse to work for a lot of these users, appealing the decision is currently impossible.

    Account confirmation is also being required of some users, which is either not possible at the moment as well or completely broken.

    In short, Meta has a PR disaster in the making, and although the company is undoubtedly “looking into” the outage and its causes, the masses are demanding (and arguably deserving) more detailed and satisfying explanations, not to mention a swift resolution. We’ll keep you posted if we find out more or if the glitches are indeed resolved soon.
    Lees ook:

  • Zuckerberg’s net worth is down $70 billion this year

    Zuckerberg’s net worth is down $70 billion this year

    This has not been a good year for Mark Zuckerberg’s wallet. Apple’s App Tracking Transparency feature, which allows iPhone users to opt-out of being tracked for the purpose of receiving personalized advertising, is expected to cost Facebook $10 billion in revenue this year. That is a mighty big chunk of change and led investors to dump Meta’s stock.

    Since the beginning of the year, Meta’s stock has declined 61.7% dropping from $338 to the current price of $129.82. That decline has cost Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg a whopping 70% of his net worth. And things will get even worse tomorrow morning. After the markets closed in New York this afternoon, Meta dropped a stinker of a third-quarter earnings report sending the stock down in after-hours trading to $104.30 for a $25.22 decline or nearly 20%.

    Not including what the damage will be tomorrow morning, Zuckerberg’s net worth has declined from $125 billion to $55.3 billion since the start of the year. Tomorrow morning, Zuckerberg could take another $10 billion hit, although he still might not need you to start a Go Fund Me page for him.

    Meta reported $27.71 billion in third-quarter revenue, which was a 4% decline from the $29.01 billion that the company grossed during the same time period last year. Still, it topped the $27.38 billion estimate made by Wall Street analysts. Operating margin, the percentage of profit remaining after subtracting costs, dropped to 20% from 36% a year earlier. Net income took a big hit, declining 52% from last year’s $9.19 billion during Q3 to $4.40 billion during this year’s third quarter.

    This year’s earnings per share during the three months from July to September fell 49% to $1.64 from the $3.22 Meta reported during the 2021 third quarter. Wall Street forecast that Meta would report earnings per share of $1.89. That 25 cents a share shortfall was part of the reason for the stock’s huge decline.

    Other problems included Meta reporting average revenue per user of $9.41, short of the $9.83 that Wall Street was looking for. The number of Daily Active Users (DAUs) met estimates of 1.98 billion people during Q3 while at 2.96 billion the number of  Monthly Active Users actually topped forecasts of 2.94 billion.

    Commenting on the results for the third quarter, Zuckerberg said, “Our community continues to grow and I’m pleased with the strong engagement we’re seeing driven by progress on our discovery engine and products like Reels. While we face near-term challenges on revenue, the fundamentals are there for a return to stronger revenue growth. We’re approaching 2023 with a focus on prioritization and efficiency that will help us navigate the current environment and emerge an even stronger company.”

    Besides owning Facebook, Meta also owns Instagram which it bought for only $1 billion in 2012. With an estimated value of $102 billion, the purchase of Instagram is considered one of the best acquisitions (if not the best) made in the tech industry. A bit over two years later, Facebook closed on its purchase of WhatsApp, a deal that cost the social media company $21 billion by the time the deal closed.

    Also helping to take Meta’s shares down in after-hours trading was the company’s forecast that fourth-quarter revenue would be in the range of $30 billion to $32.5 billion. Wall Street was predicting that Meta’s gross for the current quarter would be $32.2 billion.

    If Meta does open tomorrow at around $104, it will be the lowest price since November 2015 or approximately seven years ago. If you’re Mark Zuckerberg, tonight is just another bad night from a bad year that has seen his standing among the world’s richest people decline to number 20. This is a good example of how those entrepreneurs who see their wealth grow exponentially due to the stock they own in the company they founded, can easily see the process work in reverse when the shares fall.

  • Zuckerberg announces $1,500 Meta Quest Pro and takes a shot at Apple

    Zuckerberg announces $1,500 Meta Quest Pro and takes a shot at Apple

    On Tuesday, Mark Zuckerberg unveiled Meta’s new $1,499 Quest Pro Virtual Reality (VR) headset. VR gives the user the immersive experience of being in a fabricated environment that is not real, no matter how realistic it looks. Meta’s CEO and co-founder took a shot at Apple which is supposed to unveil its own pricey mixed-reality headset early next year.”
    While not exactly mentioning Apple by name, the executive did make some comments referencing Apple’s so-called “Walled Garden.” Mark said, “In every generation of computing, there’s been an open ecosystem and a closed ecosystem, there was Windows and Mac, then Android and iOS. Closed ecosystems focus on tight control and integration to create unique experiences and lock in. Although most of that value ends up flowing to the platform over time.”
    The executive goes on to say, “I see our role is not just helping to build this open ecosystem, but making sure that the open ecosystem wins out in this next generation of the internet.”
    Zuckerberg has been angry at Apple ever since last year when the company gave iPhone users the opportunity to opt out of being tracked by apps and websites for the purpose of receiving customized ads. And that hit Meta hard as the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature cost the company more than $10 billion in revenue. And while that wasn’t the only factor involved, for the year to date Meta’s shares are down $210 or a whopping 62%.
    Last month, CBS News calculated that Zuckerberg’s net worth had declined by $71 billion because of the stock decline. Ouch! That has got to hurt. And we get the feeling that Mark blames Apple for much of the hit he has taken personally.
    Zuckerberg sees VR and Augmented Reality (AR) as the building blocks of a new platform that could be found on a new device that could become more popular than the smartphone. First, let’s tell you that AR allows users to see computer-generated data superimposed on top of a live video feed. A good example of this is Google Maps’ “Live View” which can be activated while walking.
    Users see the view in front of them thanks to a rear camera. On top of that image are arrows that give the user navigation directions while other computer-generated icons point out landmarks and notable locations.
    Apple’s upcoming headset, nothing more than a rumor at this point, will reportedly be powered by an Apple M2 chip and could feature 16GB of memory. Rumored pricing has Apple’s headset costing over $2,000 and perhaps reaching $3,000.
    After these headsets are released, it appears that the next item on the agenda is AR glasses similar to Google Glass. Many see AR glasses eventually replacing the smartphone as the glasses can project data into your eyes while doing everything that a smartphone can do. Apple is supposedly working on AR glasses although they are believed to be a few years away.
    Zuckerberg made it sound as though Meta is also working on a similar product. “The fundamental technologies across the stack to build augmented reality glasses are coming together. We’ve got displays, sensors, silicon, AI, and more,” the CEO said.
    In early April of 2012, Google unveiled “Project Glass” to the world releasing “a day in the life of” video that showed how the specs could handle the things that a smartphone could do. But the pricey glasses led many bystanders to wonder if they were being photographed or recorded without permission. Some movie theaters banned Google Glass as they worried that the user could be recording a bootleg video that would be sold illegally.
    Eventually, users became known as “Glassholes” and Google stopped selling the device to consumers. Google is reportedly taking another shot at this device and is said to be working on its own AR specs for the public that will look different than Google Glass and more like regular eyeglasses.
  • Apple iPhone users sue Meta for allegedly stealing their personal data

    Apple iPhone users sue Meta for allegedly stealing their personal data

    When Apple started to allow iPhone users to opt-out of getting tracked by third-party apps with the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature last year, Facebook complained the loudest with CEO Mark Zuckerberg shelling out the big bucks it costs to run full-page ads in some big-time newspapers. And as it turned out, Zuckerberg knew exactly what was coming and as he figured, it was a disaster.
    According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, in the year since the ATT rolled out, Facebook lost $10 billion in potential revenue. There is speculation that Facebook has come up with a way to help it generate the revenue it lost from Apple’s decision to roll out ATT. Just last month, we told you that Felix Krause, a former Google engineer, and a security researcher, alleged that Meta is tracking the keystrokes made by iOS users typing on Facebook’s in-app browser.
    Krause said that Facebook and its Instagram unit could use JavaScript to grab your credit card data, address, passwords, and more without your permission. Now comes word that two class action suits have been filed against Facebook parent Meta by three iOS users who are citing Krause’s allegations. The lawsuits were filed on behalf of all iOS users impacted and accuse Meta of committing several illegal actions, including:
    • The concealing of privacy risks.
    • Ignoring the privacy choices made by iOS users.
    • “Intercepting, monitoring, and recording all activity on third-party websites viewed in Facebook or Instagram’s browser.
    The plaintiffs claim that Meta used the data collected to collect “personally identifiable information, private health details, text entries, and other sensitive, confidential facts.” The users, whose information was allegedly stolen by Meta, had no idea that this was going on. The latest filing was made yesterday by California’s Gabriele Willis and Kerreisha Davis from Louisiana.
    Adam Polk, a lawyer, working for the law firm of Girard Sharp LLP, which is handling the case involving Willis and Davis, said it is important to stop Meta from continuing to hide their continued privacy invasions. The law firm also pointed out that in the past, Facebook (now Meta) had been fined $5 billion by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
    Polk said that “Merely using an app doesn’t give the app company license to look over your shoulder when you click on a link. This litigation seeks to hold Meta accountable for secretly monitoring people’s browsing activity through its in-app tracking even when they haven’t allowed Meta to do that.”
    The complaints related to the class action suit “revealed that Meta has been injecting code into third-party websites, a practice that allows Meta to track users and intercept data that would otherwise be unavailable to it.” Researcher Krause has determined that Meta uses code to override the wishes of Facebook users wanting to use their default browser forcing them to use Facebook’s in-app browser instead when using the app.
    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Meta brings Community Chats to Messenger and Facebook Groups

    Meta brings Community Chats to Messenger and Facebook Groups

    Meta has just announced it will launch a new feature in Facebook and Messenger, which will allow users to start group chats directly in these apps. Called Community Chats, the new feature will first be tested in Messenger and will expand to more Facebook Groups in the coming weeks.

    The ability to start Community Chats in Messenger should allows users to create a Facebook Group, start chats and audio channels, as well as invite other people to join their group all within the app. The new experience is a mix between Messenger and Facebook Groups, but it doesn’t seem to replace either, at least for the time being.

    There will be multiple options to start a chat for group members, like a specific topic, an event chat, a view-only broadcast chat for announcements, or admin-only chat that will keep the discussions between admins and moderators private.

    In addition, admins will be able to create audio channels to allow group members to share live commentary or receive real-time support. Members of a chat group will also have the option to enable video once they’re in the audio channel.

    According to Meta, the new Community Chats feature will be released alongside a solid suite of tools meant to help admins manage both chat and audio experiences much easier. Among these tools, Meta confirmed the suite will include moderation capabilities such as blocking, muting or suspending group members, and removing members or messages, as well as Admin Assist.

    Admin Assist seems to be one of more useful tools since it allows admins to set custom filters to automatically suspend users, remove reported messages, and stop message from ineligible authors or containing violating content from being send.

    Finally, all members of Community Chats will be able to report messages to group admins or directly to Meta, block users, as well as leave a chat at any time. As mentioned earlier, Community Chats are now being tested in Messenger, but they will be rolled out to Facebook Groups in the coming weeks too.

    Lees ook:

  • Meta expands parental control tools for Instagram and in VR

    Meta expands parental control tools for Instagram and in VR

    Back in December last year, Meta announced it will bring new parental controls to its social network products. The first set of those parental control tools launched back in March, 2022, allowing parents to view how much time their teens spend on the social network, set time limits, and be notified when their teen reported someone.

    Today, Meta has announced on its blog that the company is releasing the second batch of parental control tools, this time both for Instagram and in VR. Instagram already has a solid slew of options in the Parent Dashboard, but the new features will allow parents to:

    • Send invitations to their teens to initiate supervision tools. Initially, only teens could send invitations.
    • Set specific times during the day or week when they would like to limit their teen’s use of Instagram.
    • See more information when their teen reports an account or post, including who was reported, and the type of report.
    • Approve their teen’s download or purchase of an app that is blocked by default based on its IARC-rating.
    • Teens 13+ can submit an “Ask to Buy” request, which triggers a notification to their parents.
    • The parent can then approve or deny the request from the Oculus mobile app.
    • Block specific apps that may be inappropriate for their teen, which will prevent the teen from launching those apps. Apps that can be blocked include apps like web browsers and apps available on the Quest Store.
    • View all of the apps that their teen owns.
    • Receive “Purchase Notifications,” alerting them when their teen makes a purchase in VR.
    • View headset screen time from the Oculus mobile app, so they’ll know how much time their teen is spending in VR.
    • View their teen’s list of Oculus Friends.
    • Block Link and Air Link to prevent their teen from accessing content from their PC on their Quest headset.

    It’s worth noting that in order for parents to gain control of their little ones, they have to link both accounts together – a process that requires approval from both the parent and the teen. We see a lot of potential for tension at home with these new features but at the end of the day, it can save our kids from a lot of trouble, so it might be worth it. It’s down to negotiation skills and positive reinforcement.

  • Tech giants pay $220 million in taxes

    Tech giants pay $220 million in taxes

    Cross-borders platforms like Facebook and Google have paid VND5.1 trillion ($220 million) in taxes for the period between 2018 and 2021, says Finance Minister Ho Duc Phoc.

    He informed lawmakers in a report that by April 2021, Facebook had been taxed VND1.97 trillion; Google, VND1.9 trillion; and Microsoft, VND651 billion.

    The figures were 15 percent higher than Phoc’s report in March.

    Vietnamese authorities also collected VND735 billion from handling violations and tax avoidance by individuals and organizations providing cross-border digital and e-commerce services, the report said.

    Last year, Vietnam earned VND1.32 trillion from taxing cross-border platforms, up 15 percent from 2020.

    The General Department of Taxation said last year that Facebook, Google, Netflix, YouTube and other cross-border platforms were not fulfilling their tax obligations in Vietnam.

    Vietnam is also looking to tax online sellers, both on e-commerce platforms and social media, as e-commerce sales have been surging by double-digits in recent years.

    Phoc called for tightening regulations and upgrading the capacity of collectors in order to tackle tax evasion more effectively.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Meta announces cuts in its RealityLabs division

    Meta announces cuts in its RealityLabs division

    Facebook parent company, Meta, has announced cutbacks in its RealityLabs division. This branch of the company focuses on Meta’s hardware efforts, develops the tech giant’s virtual and augmented reality products and is instrumental in the tech giant’s long-term strategy of establishing the “metaverse”.

    A spokesperson for Meta confirmed that some RealityLabs projects will be postponed, while others would be canceled altogether. For the time being, there are no concrete details on which ventures are going to be affected.

    For the most part, this news come as no surprise. Earlier in May, Meta announced that they will be cutting back on new hirings. The company has ruled out layoffs, at least for now.

    Meta’s earning reports published in past months indicate that the financial growth of the company is stagnating. The RealityLabs division in particular is operating at a loss. Some steps to address the concerns of investments were imminent.

    What is interesting, however, is that no one in Meta truly expected RealityLabs to reap financial success in the short-term. Mark Zuckerberg, the company’s CEO, has always made it clear that RealityLabs could take the better part of a decade? to start paying off.

    Hence, Meta is currently relying on revenue from their social media platforms to fund their long-term ambitions. This has been the financial strategy of the company, in theory, at least. Following the fluctuating number of daily Facebook users, some doubt has been cast on the viability of this business model in the long run.

    If anything, these cutbacks indicate a certain degree of hesitation on Meta’s part with regards to the company’s direction. When Facebook originally rebranded itself to reflect their newfound emphasis on the metaverse, its confidence in the project, however adventurous, seemed unwavering. It now seems that Meta is having second thoughts.

  • Facebook pulls the plug on some services leading to less geolocation tracking

    Facebook pulls the plug on some services leading to less geolocation tracking

    Facebook will no longer be collecting data from a number of its geolocation services. Hence, features that previously tracked your real-time location, including Nearby Friends and weather alerts among others, will soon be discontinued (after May 31st, 2022).

    In a statement for The Verge, a representative from Meta – Facebook’s parent company – confirmed the “deprecation of some location-based services”. Nearby Friends and weather alerts will be the first to go, with location history and background location expected to follow suit in the immediate future.

    Originally, the information regarding the decision to terminate geolocation data collection was disclosed to users that utilize the aforementioned services through a notification. The official justification for the discontinuation is “low usage” on the users’ part.

    Not only will data no longer be gathered, but Facebook will delete any and all stored data on August 1st, 2022. Users will be able to download and view the data collected by the platform before that cut-off point via the Setting and Privacy menu.

    It should be noted that this does not mean Facebook will stop collecting geolocation data altogether. In line with the company’s data policy, said information will continue being gathered and processed, albeit for other “experiences”.

    This naturally raises some questions, but anyone hardly expected for Facebook to voluntarily give up on collecting so much valuable user data. Meta has come under fire in recent years for the way in which sensitive user information is being handled.

    This has led companies like Apple and governments alike to start implementing measures to safeguard user data, much to the distaste of Meta. For example, iOS enables users to both distort their geolocation and withhold it from Facebook altogether.

    In the end, Facebook will be Facebook and will always treat user data as an invaluable commodity. Whether they will continue to get away with it remains to be seen.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • EU could start enforcing Digital Markets Act rules on Apple, Google, Meta in Spring 2023

    EU could start enforcing Digital Markets Act rules on Apple, Google, Meta in Spring 2023

    You may have heard so far that the European Union has been preparing to have a say in how big tech companies like Apple, Google, and Meta operate. We are talking about a legislation dubbed the DMA (Digital Markets Act) which the European Commission has been rigorously preparing for a while. The European Commission’s

    executive vice president Margrethe Vestager has set her eyes on controlling (or at least, fining if uncontrollable) tech giants such as Apple, Google, Amazon, Meta, and others with the DMA. Previously, she expected the battle to begin in October, but it seems we are more likely to see some action in the Spring of next year.

    The waiting game depends on when the DMA will get implemented. The legislation is currently waiting for approval from the Council and Parliament.

    The EU is, however, gearing up for enforcement of the new laws. The legislation focuses on the so-called gatekeeper companies, that, if you’ve been attentive so far in this article, you might presume refers to those big tech companies we mentioned earlier.

    And you would be correct. If you’re curious, here’s the definition of what companies are considered gatekeepers: the company needs to have a market capitalization (a fancy way of saying the total of its stocks value) of over €75 billion ($82 billion) and own a social platform or app with at least 45 million monthly users.

    These companies could face fines of up to 10 percent of their total worldwide turnover (for the preceding year) if they fail to comply with the legislation. For the repeated offenders, the fine can grow to 20 percent, which could help the EU drive its point home.

    So, big tech companies will have three months to declare their status to the Commission, and then they’ll have to wait for up to two months to receive confirmation from the EU. Indeed, it seems like it could take quite a while for the giant mechanism to start working (you can’t expect tech giants and government commissions to fight a fierce Marvel-like battle that’s so quick it’s hard to see).

    And as you might imagine, the EU has a lot more work it needs to do beforehand. Hiring heroes (we mean, staff), preparing the hundreds of monitors and computers to analyze data (and possibly, the 007 coffee for the employees that are working there)… joking aside, it will indeed take some tremendous work to prepare such legislation to be executed. Vestager also mentions that they will need to prepare legal text on various procedures.

    However, when the DMA passes, it will possibly mark an end of an era. In case you haven’t heard of it yet, this is the legislation that could force Apple to allow users to download apps from outside the App Store (a possibility that freaks Tim Cook out and has him worried about the iPhone security), as well as require WhatsApp and iMessage to become interoperable with smaller chat apps.

    Sideloading (the process of downloading apps on iPhone from outside the App Store) is arguably the biggest change the DMA will force for Apple. Previously, Apple has raised concerns that this will weaken the iPhone’s security. By the way, Android users have been able to sideload apps for quite a while now.

    On the other hand, an even bigger cause of headache for Apple is that the DMA would make Cupertino allow App Store customers to make in-app payments through alternative payment platforms (you may have heard about the infamous Apple Tax, 30% cut, which Apple takes from developers when payments are made via the App Store).

    With all this being said, it will be quite interesting to see the DMA in action and what changes will big tech giants have to implement (and whether they will comply).

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Coca-Cola names new regional marketing VP

    Coca-Cola names new regional marketing VP

    Coca-Cola has appointed Matthias Blume as its new VP of marketing, ASEAN and South Pacific. Based in Singapore, Blume will lead the company’s marketing and brand initiatives across Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands and serve on the company’s senior leadership team in the region.

    He was most recently the frontline director for Coca-Cola’s ASEAN and South Pacific operating unit, based in Singapore. Previously, he was sparkling director for the company’s ASEAN business unit. According to the company, Blume has a detailed knowledge of the company’s business across the region and has driven growth and innovation across the company’s stills and sparkling beverage brands.

    He is also a strong supporter of integrating sustainability into the company’s portfolio of brands. Coca-Cola said Blume was “at the forefront” of the company’s introduction of a prominent “Recycle Me” call-out across all its packs as well as the move across Southeast Asia to switch its iconic Sprite brand to clear, transparent bottles which are easier to recycle. He has 24 years of international marketing experience including 21 years at Coca-Cola and three years at Danone. Blume has also held local, regional, and global roles in a range of markets across Asia, North America and Europe.

    “Blume brings a tremendous passion for marketing and people plus a superb knowledge of our bottling system,” said Claudia Lorenzo, president, Coca-Cola ASEAN and South Pacific, said. According to her, Blume also brings a combination of consumer centricity, marketing curiosity and business acumen – strengths that Coca-Cola needs and values deeply in our marketing organisation.

    Separately, on the public affairs and communications front, the company named Russell Mahoney its VP, public affairs, communications and sustainability in March. He now leads the team across ASEAN, Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific and looks to address “some big sustainability issues” in the company. Mahoney said in a LinkedIn post that he will be moving to Singapore in the coming months.

    With the metaverse being all the rage these days, Coca-Cola also launched a pixel-flavoured drink, the limited-edition Zero Sugar Byte, which will rolle out first in the metaverse before making its way into physical retail. Coca-Cola describes the Zero Sugar Byte as the first Coca-Cola flavour to be born in the metaverse, which will bring the flavour of pixels to life in a limited-edition beverage that transcends the digital and physical worlds. The Zero Sugar Byte is the company’s second release from its Coca-Cola creations hub, following its release of its Starlight “space-flavoured” Coke in March this year.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Facebook to abandon podcasts in favor of the metaverse

    Facebook to abandon podcasts in favor of the metaverse

    Starting June 3rd, Facebook will cease to offer support for podcasts on its platform. As soon as this week, users will no longer be able to upload new content, while Soundbites and the central audio hub will be fully discontinued shortly afterwards.

    As Bloomberg reports, this decision has come to light through a note Facebook shared with its partners. The same document also states that Facebook has no intention of officially alerting users of this move, leaving it up to content creators to do so in its stead.

    Subsequently, a Meta spokesperson confirmed all of this information before Bloomberg and reaffirmed the company’s long-term plan to “focus on the most meaningful experience”. For the time being, this seems to be Reels (Meta’s answer to the success of TikTok) and the still rather cryptic metaverse.

    Almost one year ago, Facebook made the move to enter the (somewhat crowded) podcast market via a plethora of new audio services. It seems this ambition has been short-lived.

    After the initial lukewarm reception of the new services and the subsequent stagnation, Facebook has decided to give up on podcasts altogether.

    The truth is that Facebook simply could not compete with the likes of Spotify and Apple Podcasts without going the extra mile. Both of the latter services have made concrete efforts over the years to solidify their position in the market.

    For example, they have implemented new features, created new ways of exploring podcasts (like Apple Podcasts’s Spotlight editorial franchise) and encouraged creators to produce exclusive content for their respective platforms.

    In stark contrast to this, Facebook instead decided to merely rely on their already established brand name – by all means a huge asset, but, ultimately, not enough. With Facebook gone, Apple and Spotify will reign supreme and will be sure to consolidate their dominant position on the podcast market, this time for good.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Facebook monthly users rise, as Meta’s growth stagnates

    Facebook monthly users rise, as Meta’s growth stagnates

    On April 27th, Meta released its first quarterly financial report for 2022. With it, the company manages to defy the gloomy expectations of consumers and investors alike. The key takeaway – more users, more revenue, less growth.

    One figure particularly stands out – 2.94 billion – the number of users that log into Facebook on a monthly basis. This is just one of the many indicators that Meta, despite ever stronger competition and the global challenges it is facing, is very much still holding on. The report also announced growth in other key areas like total revenue and ad prices.

    After a certain period of stagnation and loss of users, Facebook seems to be once again gaining some, albeit limited, traction. The number of daily users also showcases a 4% net increase on a yearly basis. This also comes in the aftermath of the suspension of the social media platform in Russia.

    Naturally, these revelations triggered a rise in Meta’s share prices, which rose by more than 15% following the announcement. This is no doubt a breath of fresh air for the company, especially after the rather disappointing financial report by Alphabet, the parent company of Google, for the same fiscal quarter. It should also be noted that Meta’s share prices had been steadily depreciating for some months now.

    Now would be a good time for a small disclaimer. The financial growth of Meta is indeed above analysts’ projections, but it is in fact slowing down. The roots of this stagnation run deeper than the war in Ukraine. Apple’s push for protecting the data of its users and increasingly more stringent data regulations (especially in the EU) are truly pushing the company’s business model to its limits.

    Reality Labs, the project that represents Meta’s grandest ambition – establishing the metaverse – still operates on a loss and contributed just 2.5% of the company’s revenue. All this calls into question whether Meta will have the means to sustain its own future, let alone pave the way for the one it aims to build for everyone else.