Apple warns employees to stop leaking information on future products

Apple issued a warning to all its employees to avoid information leaks on future products.

A lengthy memo put out on the company’s internal blog talked about the business repercussions of leaked information and the legal actions that can be taken to punish leakers, as reported by Bloomberg.

The memo stated the company “caught 29 leakers” in 2017 and 12 of those were arrested. Apple also warned that those who get terminated may find difficulty in finding new employment.

Apple product marketing executive Greg Joswiak said on the memo, “We want the chance to tell our customers why the product is great, and not have that done poorly by someone else.”

“The impact of a leak goes far beyond the people who work on a project,” the memo stated.

Several instances of leaks were cited on the memo. One of these referred to information about a software package which revealed details on the then-unreleased iPhone X and new Apple Watch.

A meeting with software engineer head Craig Federighi earlier this year was also leaked to the media. Federighi told staff who attended the meeting that some planned iPhone software were getting delayed.

Apple’s stand to remain secretive about plans and future products is yet to be tested. Whether the internal memo will prove effective in preventing leaks before they happen remains to be seen. Alfred Bayle/JB

source: technology.inquirer.net

World stocks up as Britain leans towards EU remain vote

HONG KONG — Asia led a rally in global markets Monday, building on gains at the end of last week as polls suggest Britain’s upcoming referendum will result in the country staying in the European Union.

The average of the last six British European Union referendum polls put the Remain and Leave camps neck-and-neck at 50-50, excluding undecided voters, according to the What UK Thinks website.

Markets across Asia and Europe slid early last week as polls showed the Leave side a few percentage points for the June 23 vote, but showed some improvement Friday as the Remain camp gained ground.

The upswing comes after the International Monetary Fund warned that a Brexit vote could deal a “negative and substantial” blow to the British economy, adding that the “contagion effects” of a vote to leave the bloc could hit markets worldwide.

Tokyo closed up 2.34 percent, adding to gains of one percent at the end of last week to finish at 15,965.30. Hong Kong was up 1.69 percent by close, its steepest gain in two weeks.

After ending the morning slightly down, Shanghai eked out gains to close 0.13 percent, or 3.70 points, up at 2,888.81. The Shenzhen Composite Index, which tracks stocks on China’s second exchange, rose 0.44 percent.

European markets rose strongly at the start of trading with London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index jumping 2.10 percent, and Frankfurt and Paris up 2.30 and 2.60 percent respectively.

Gold was down 0.38 percent Monday, having hit a near two-year peak on Friday as investors sought the commodity on fears of the impact of a “leave” vote on the world economy.

‘Risk-on move’

The yen, often seen as a safe haven, eased slightly to 104.56 to the dollar in afternoon trade in Tokyo, from 104.19 yen in New York Friday as the “Stay” camp appeared to gain strength in the polls.

“We are seeing a risk-on move after the latest Brexit poll,” Niv Dagan, executive director at Peak Asset Management LLC in Melbourne, told Bloomberg.

“It may be short-lived and volatility is likely to remain high until Thursday’s vote. This really could still go either way.”

Oil prices extended gains on a weaker dollar, driving up demand for the commodity.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for July delivery was up 77 cents to $48.75 a barrel, while international benchmark North Sea Brent for August delivery was up 90 cents, trading at $50.07 a barrel.

Key figures around 0830 GMT

Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 2.34 percent at 15,965.30 (close)

Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.13 percent at 2,888.81 (close)

Hong Kong – Hang Seng: UP 1.69 percent at 20510.20 (close)

Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1342 from $1.1280 late Friday

Pound/dollar: UP at $1.4623 from $1.4348

Dollar/yen: UP at 104.56 yen from 104.19 yen

New York – DOW: DOWN 0.33 percent at 17,675.16 (close)

London – FTSE 100: UP 2.10 percent at 6,147.48

source: business.inquirer.net

Samsung ‘bendable’ phones out in the market next year–report

Smartphone giant Samsung is expected to introduce next year two smartphone prototypes with bendable screens capable of folding like a compact makeup powder.

Sources corroborated to Bloomberg that the two bendable smartphone models will use organic light-emitting diodes for better screen technology.

 

The first model is designed to fold in half, while the second one will have a 5-inch screen when used as a handset and can expand to 8 inches when used as a tablet.

Moreover, Samsung Galaxy Note will skip a number, moving to “Note 7″ to align its launch with the Galaxy S series.

Currently, Samsung is the top supplier of OLED products for mobile phones. The trendy bendable phones, codenamed “Project Valley,” will be launched ahead of the Mobile World Congress in February 2017.

The Suwon, South Korea-based company has published a YouTube video on the foldable prototypes but has not released any model. In China, start-up company Moxi Group has unveiled its ambitious plan to manufacture a bendable phone with a black-and-white screen.

According to tech news sites Engadget and The Verge, “Project Valley” would intensify its hi-tech war with competitor Apple, which will release its “bezel-less” smartphones without an outside frame, by 2017. Apple will switch its trademark iPhone products from LCD to OLED as well, making it congruent with the 6 and 6s models. Gianna Francesca Catolico

source: technology.inquirer.net

Bloomberg takes on AlDub’s influence on markets

The phenomenal loveteam of Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza a.k.a. Yaya Dub is undeniably one of the hottest pairings in the Philippine entertainment industry nowadays.

But after a show in the world’s largest indoor arena sold out 55,000 tickets in less than three days, and with a Twitter record of 41 million tweets with its hashtag in one day, AlDub has also caught global attention in both the mainstream and social media.

After the British Broadcasting Company dubbed them as a ‘social media phenomenon,’ international business news platform Bloomberg discussed how the unassuming and ‘bizarre’ Philippine show is affecting sales in different markets.



"The 'AlDub' phenomenon, (and) how it's becoming a mega hit on social media and how it's becoming a gold mine for anyone associated with it," read the blurb of the Bloomberg story.

In the article, Ehden Llave Pelaez, social media manager at iSentia Brandtology, described AlDub and the Kalyeserye segment from Philippines’ longest-running noontime show ‘Eat Bulaga’ as a brand new type of the typical Cinderella love story.

Pelaez said its appeal came from how it responded to the audience.

“Another nice thing, which is probably where social media comes in, is they get to listen to their fans. They story follows what the fans wanted to see. It's an open-ended series,” Pelaez said.

After only months of charming the Filipino audience, AlDub already starred in different commercials for a wide variety of brands, such as fast food, household cleaning agent, a telecommunications company, adult milk brand, cellphone brand, and many more.

Vice President for Marketing Communications at Golden Arches Development Corporation Margot Torres confirmed that the sales of McDonald’s grew significantly following the release of the #ALDUBkoto TV commercial.

"Our  growth is measured based on same-store sales and transactions. If we use the period when we sold Minions (which was a good month) as a base index of 100 and compare the same-store transactions growth figure with the period 3 weeks after we launched our chicken fillet a la king and the AlDub campaign, the figure is 470 versus base index," Torres told GMA News Online.

"This is a nationwide number,” she added.

"Needless to say, the launch of our Chicken Fillet a la King product with the AlDub campaign has positively impacted our business and sales for Chicken Fillet a la King have well exceeded its target," Torres said.

Within 24 hours of posting on September 11, the AlDub TVC was viewed 1.5 million times on the fast food chain’s Facebook page.

According to Pelaez, this remarkable increase in business is brought by the fact that the ‘AlDub phenomenon’ is not restricted to a particular class or industry.

Aside from being talked about in five out of seven continents, the love team’s reach also cuts across different markets because of their wide audience reach assisted not only by television but more importantly, by social media.

“They are cutting across different industries and segments. Beyond McDonald's and Talk N' Text, they have household cleansers and other upcoming TVCs,” Pelaez said.

“Using these people as effective product ambassadors proves that their fanbase also cuts across different markets. So, you're touching different consumers, and it doesn't matter what industry you're in. You are able to connect to different kinds of audience," she added. —Bianca Rose Dabu/NB, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com