Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) Ventures Into Artificial Intelligence To Boost Coffee Sales

Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) is venturing into the realm of artificial intelligence to determine what customers want before they even know it by studying the coffee habits of the customer.

The company is adopting technology, specifically AI to determine what the customer wants. Starbucks plans to roll out a digital flywheel program which will be linked to the Starbucks Reward members’ accounts. The program will rely on siren-based sorcery as well as complex algorithms to study the coffee consumption habits of the customers. It will analyze various factors such as work days or weekends, the time of the day, prevailing weather conditions, and customer data such as their birthdays. It will then use this information to make suggestions.

“Starbucks is one of the best companies in the world that connects brand, user and consumer experience between digital mobile and the real world,” stated Brian Solis, an analyst at Altimeter.

Solis also pointed out that Starbucks is still committed to venturing deeper into technology. It’s digital flywheel will allow the firm to integrate its services with the digital world. It is a dynamic strategy that will allow the company to come up with new ways of catering to its customers.  The company hopes that the digital flywheel strategy will help attract customers and keep them excited about the new innovation.

According to Matthew Ryan, Starbucks’ global chief strategy officer, the company’s mobile app will start integrating push notifications as well as real-time triggers to keep customers deeply engaged. Customers could theoretically make their order through the push notifications or via text if they happen to be near one of the Starbucks outlets.

Mark Astrachan, an analyst at Stifel told The Street that mobile is quite a promising platform for Starbucks. The new strategy highlights the fact that the company is definitely willing to venture into technology to boost its performance and is already coming with ways of doing so. The new technology gets customers making food and snack orders that they would usually not make to accompany their coffee.

Starbucks stock closed the latest trading session on Friday at $54.00 after a 9.24 percent drop from the previous close.

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TIM Participacoes SA (ADR) (NYSE:TSU) Hopes To Accelerate Network Transformation

The stock of TIM Participacoes SA (ADR) (NYSE:TSU) closed at $17.05 gaining 1.01% in yesterday’s trading session. Together with Cisco Systems, Inc (NASDAQ:CSCO), it has unveiled a project that will most probably transform TIM’s Optical Packet Metro (OPM) network. This happens to be a form of infrastructure indicating major capabilities in both the collection and the aggregation of traffic .That is from mobile, fixed lines to the company connections.

Analysts view the project as a major step towards technological evolution of TIM’s IP network. That is because immense success was witnessed following the deployment of the latest Software Defined Network technology and the new automation mechanisms. The company has achieved greater operational efficiency. The new business models have been set up in such a way that they will readily adopt 5G technology.

The new agreement provides that an integration of OPM network and ASR 9000 (Cisco Aggregation Services Router) technology will be carried out. Cisco’s ASR 9000 technology is characterized with top speeds. Asides from this, it has continued to showcase both efficiency and completeness in supporting the demand generated by data traffic peaks and videos across each and every network.

Both providers are looking forward to the eventual implementation of the project. Once implemented, it will be possible for TIM to move smoothly through the process of digitizing its fixed and mobile line services for the consumer. This will also cover the various wholesale and business sectors.

Some experts have pointed out to the great need for the two providers to ensure optimized and simplified operational models. They have also emphasized on the great need to have in place the adequate bandwidth. That will be achievable through the provision 100 Gigabit IP connectivity to the metropolitan areas. Directing great support towards the growth of video traffic is something the two providers will have at the center-stage.

The investment sticks out as one of the top strategies by TIM and reports place the company’s expenditure in line with this to stand at about 5 billion euros. The company hopes that soon it will be able to speed up the implementation of national ultra-broadband coverage. TIM’s spokesperson opines that they will move smoothly through the process.

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Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) Plans To Hire Thousands Of People In One Day

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is planning to unveil thousands of job opportunities to people in just one day. The company announced its plans recently as it prepares to hold a huge job fair in the coming week at almost all its warehouses across the US. Amazon will be launching the job fairs next week and it intends to recruit at least 50,000 and the majority of these positions will be offered on a full-time basis.

With more than 80,000 robots operating in 25 fulfillment centers worldwide, Amazon is still finding hard to progress without the human warehouse labor. People who will be hired on the spot will perform various tasks including packaging and sorting boxes and assisting in shipping them to designated customers across the globe.

About three-quarters of 50,000 jobs will be offered on a full-time basis and most of these jobs are basically meant to fulfill the goal that Amazon announced earlier in the year that it’s further hiring 100,000 full-time employees by mid-2017. The hiring binge is another signal of the digital company’s extensive growth in the times when most traditional retailers are closing businesses and cutting down its workforce.

In most of Amazon’s distribution centers, the tasks are increasingly automated operations. However, the robots have not abolished the dire need to hire human employees. Some industry analysts also suggest that there is a stiff competition for the human workforce. Currently, Amazon has over 90,000 full-time workers in major fulfillment centers and the firm is further expecting to add 40,000 on that number before the end of the year.

The salary scales vary depending on the region but a close source reveals that a full-time employee at Baltimore warehouse center is paid from $13 to $14 per hour while the same position at Tampa commences at $11 per hour.

The job fair is another way for Amazon to close in workers before they commence the hectic holiday shopping season whereby other companies will be looking forward to hiring seasonal workers. Currently, most retailers are facing a stiff job market with the country’s unemployment rate at 4.4%.

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Nokia Oyj (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) Earnings To Be Boosted By Patent Royalties From Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

The quarterly earnings of the Finland-based Nokia Oyj (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) are likely to be boosted by a patent licensing deal the telecommunications gear maker made with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). This deal will offset the weak demand that Nokia has experienced in the mobile networks equipment business. Investors are however still nervous since Ericsson, a telecommunications giant based in Sweden, lowered its global network market forecast last week.

An analysts’ poll conducted by Reuters predicted that network sales at Nokia would fall by 3% in Q2 compared to the same period a year ago. Revenues from Nokia’s technologies unit under which patent royalties fall are, however, expected to increase by 40% after the agreement with Apple.

Consensus estimates

Consensus estimates also put Nokia’s operating profit in the second quarter as coming in $520 million which will be a rise of 35% compared to a year ago.

In recent years, vendors of network gear have struggled as a result of the peaking in demand of mobile broadband equipment for 4G technology. Meanwhile the updates that are required to herald 5G network technology are seen as being years away. Recent quarterly results have seen Nokia outpacing Ericsson and this is due to the acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent.

Business momentum

Earlier in April Nokia revealed that there was an improvement in business momentum. On the other hand, Ericsson forecast that the mobile network market would decline by high single-digit figures in 2017. The Sweden-based telecoms gear maker had earlier in the year forecast that the decline would be in the low single-digit figures.

“[Ericsson’s] results and revised outlook raise some concern for Nokia given previous expectations for some stabilization in the market,” Maynard Um, an analyst at Wells Fargo, wrote in a client note.

The deal between Apple and Nokia comes after the two tech firms settled a patent dispute two months ago. In the deal it was agreed that Apple would pay Nokia bigger patent royalties. Nokia would also supply mobile infrastructure gear to Apple. The two would also partner in the digital health business.

On Tuesday shares of Nokia Oyj fell by 1.12% to close the day at $6.16.

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Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE:WMT) Is Successfully Beating Back Germany Grocery, LIDL

After entering the intense price war last month, Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE:WMT) could be increasingly taking an advantage over its rival German Grocer Lidl. According to S.C. Jefferies analyst Daniel Binder, Lidl is losing the price advantage over Walmart Stores and ALDI after launching its first 20 US stores in Virginia, North and South Carolina regions.

The Lidl initial prices in South Carolina were at same level with Walmart and ALDI at the beginning, but later Walmart and ALDI reduced its prices and as Binder states, Lidl has not done the same. Consumers are enjoying major discounts at both Wal-Mart and ALDI, which cannot be found at Lidl stores, such as a 29-cent discount on a carton of a dozen eggs and much more. Furthermore, the prices of certain items on nationally branded items at Lidl are costlier than the offers at its rivals.

Last month, the Germany-based ALDI announced its interest to invest about $3.4 billion in the U.S. to expand its presence in the region by opening more than 2,500 grocery stores by 2022. The intended plan will make ALDI come third after Walmart and Kroger stores.

Additionally, Lidl which is also a German-based store disclosed its plans to launch its expansion in the US.  Lidl was expected to put pressure on Walmart as it also distributes general merchandise just as Walmart and ALDI.

The expansions were supposed to threaten the leading US Company, Walmart, particularly in the grocery segment and the move has led to price wars among the rivals as consumers increasingly enjoy the discounted prices of items.

Competing on price is significant for Wal-Mart which could maintain its leading position in the market as its discounted grocery segment is anticipated to increase every year for the next three years. Based on Bain & Co findings, by end of the year, Wal-Mart will be trailing lower prices in numerous regions with the intention of offering 15% prices than its rivals.

When Lidl opened its first store in mid-June, the German-based grocery was expected to aggressively beat Wal-Mart on prices but things have taken a different curve as Wal-mart counteracts with lower prices.

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Better Days Ahead For GlaxoSmithKline Plc (ADR) (NYSE:GSK) After It Files For Extended Use Of Relvar Ellipta

Innoviva Inc (NASDAQ:INVA) and GlaxoSmithKline plc (ADR) (NYSE:GSK) today made the much awaited announcement. The two business giants have made a submission to the European Medicines Agency (EMA.

They hope to obtain the go-ahead for the extended use of once-daily Relvar Ellipta (fluticasone furoate/vilanterol, FF/VI).This happens to be an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) / long-acting β₂-agonist (LABA) combination provided to those persons controlled on an ICS/LABA combination.

While addressing a recent board meeting, the company’s CEO said, “FF/VI is currently indicated in Europe for the regular treatment of patients aged 12 and over with asthma who are not adequately controlled on both ICS and ‘as-needed’ short-acting β₂-agonist (SABA) and where use of a combination product (ICS and LABA) is appropriate. The proposed indication would also include those patients already adequately controlled on an ICS/LABA combination.”

This particular submission covers critical positive data obtained from a recent reported¹ non-inferiority lung function study which brought out a crucial medical revelation. It outlined that those patients with well-controlled asthma are in a position to switch from twice-daily fluticasone propionate/salmeterol, FP/SAL (Seretide Accuhaler) 250/50 to once-daily FF/VI 100/25.This of course happens smoothly without compromising the functions of their lungs in any way.

The data emanating from this study (201378) has been brought into close review by some top experts. From their reports, the adverse event data showed a lot of consistency with the known safety profile for FF/VI identified in those persons that had been struggling with Asthma. Asides from this, the experts did not see any new safety signals. The European regulatory authorities contributed in coming up with the study design and the future looks bright.

While recently addressing some top journalists, one of the provider’s top officials working with GlaxoSmithKline said that they were indeed happy with their progress lately He stated that it was great working closely with a co-operative partner like Innoviva Inc and they hoped to achieve much more together.

The competition in the world markets is stiff now more than ever. Some people attribute it to the technological advancements sweeping across. The two companies hope to improve their rankings in the industry according to Yahoo.

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Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) To Source Chips For The 2018 iPhone From Samsung Electronics

A new report from the Korean Herald has revealed that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will get chips for its 2018 iPhone from Samsung Electronics.

The Korean Herald stated that the two companies signed a deal earlier this week in which Samsung will continue the production of the A-series chips. The chips will be incorporated in iPhones in 2018 though it is not clear whether the deal will cater for more years to come. Samsung was the previous supplier of chips for Apple’s handsets but their partnership came to an end in 2013. The Korean giant lost the production rights to the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).

The Korean Herald stated that it received the news about the Apple-Samsung deal from undisclosed sources. They revealed that Kwon Oh-Hyun, one of the executives at Samsung was one of the key people behind the deal. He had reportedly visited Apple’s headquarters in June, meaning there was a significant negotiation between the two companies.

“The CEO could persuade Apple’s top brass taking advantage of their close ties on OLED,” said one of the sources.

An interesting mix of rivalry and partnership

Samsung also occupies a large percent of the OLED industry and it also happens to be the exclusive provider of OLED displays for the upcoming iPhone. The new deal widens the portfolio of products that the Korean giant offers to Apple and further strengthens their relationship. This is a bit ironic considering that the two companies are currently the biggest rivals in the handset industry.

Samsung managed to secure the deal to supply chips for Apple’s iPhones mainly due to the fact that it managed to adopt the highly efficient seven-nanometer technology earlier than the rest of the competition. The company will supply a portion of the chips while TSMC will supply the rest since its contract will remain active. Samsung intends to carry out tests for the new machines for making the chips. It is currently waiting for Apple to give it the go-ahead to commence production.

Meanwhile, Samsung continues to enjoy massive success. It reported its most profitable quarter in history this year with operating profit hitting a record $8.7 billion. Most of its revenue was generated by its demi-conductor business which is fueled by the growing demand for chips.

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Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Dismisses The Perception That Google Glass Is Only But An Experiment

Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) has today lifted the non-disclosure requirement on its Glass EE partners. Hopefully, more businesses will have the opportunity to participate. A large number of device users have been hoping that Google Glass will indeed be the next portable computer. That might soon come to pass considering the strong moves the manufacture has been making recently towards achieving that.

According to some reliable sources, some top experts have already tested the second iteration of Google Glass eventually deploying them across a wide array of factories situated in the U.S. The main difference between the enterprise version and the original Glass lies in the associated major upgrades. The advanced camera will impress a lot of users because its resolution has been upgraded from 5 megapixels to 8.

This new version will save users a lot of trouble considering its extended battery life. That means will be able to travel long distances without the need to keep recharging the system. It goes without saying that Wi-Fi and processor will make it easy for people to browse quickly and access the information they need. The associated red light is also a new feature and it automatically turns on whenever a user needs to make a video recording.

While speaking to a number of top news reporters recently, one of the top company executives said, “The electronics of Glass have also been made modular in the shape of a so-called Glass Pod. It can be detached and reattached to Glass-compatible frames, which can include things like safety goggles and prescription glasses.”

He added that the scale of the Glass EE rollout still remains rather insignificant. In fact, the sales have for long stood at hundreds with most of the top customers choosing Glass just for trial sake.

Jay Kothari, the Project lead during a recent board meeting outlined that it was wrong for anyone to think of the company’s move as a mere experiment. One would have been excused to think that a few months back. The company is currently engaging in full production with its partners and customers as well according to Theverge.

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PayPal Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:PYPL) Becomes Payment Option For Samsung Users

Samsung Electronics has integrated the PayPal Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:PYPL) for in-app, online, and in-store payments with its Samsung Pay. The companies announced today that Samsung users will soon select PayPal as their alternative option for payments of Samsung products via its mobile payment platform, Samsung Pay. The strategic agreement will first be accessible to Samsung Pay users within US before spreading to other regions.

The partnership will boost the business of both companies. Samsung’s mobile payment technology is a competitor to Apple Pay, Google’s Android Pay, and others that offer point-of-sale services. However, because Samsung Pay employs Magnetic Secure Transmission technology, it’s easier to replicate a card swipe with it thus making Samsung Pay more acceptable almost anywhere there are payment cards.

In the current arrangement, Samsung users will be required to basically add their PayPal email accounts to the Samsung Pay and they are ready to start business transactions everywhere that the Samsung Pay is acceptable. Generally, users will get several benefits including the gift cards, membership and loyalty programs.

The move is going to open up other numerous stores for PayPal services. The partnership will definitely give the consumers the opportunity to transact with mobile in almost every part of the world where customers can swipe or tap the credit cards. In addition, vendors will also accept Samsung Pay as a suitable method of payment in all in-app and online through the PayPal service. Currently, Samsung Pay covers almost everywhere in US.

Previous survey conducted this year by Boston Retail Partners on the mobile payments, Apple Pay holds the biggest percentage of facilitating U.S. vendors, with about 36% accepting the advanced technology, up from 16% growth recorded last year. PayPal came second with 34% acceptance in US. Others include MasterCard PayPass with 25%, Android Pay 24%, Visa Checkout 20%, Samsung Pay 18%, and Chase Pay 11% retailers’ acceptance.

Last year, PayPal partnered with other giant companies including Visa and MasterCard for store transactions. To increase its adoption rate in-store, PayPal has also promised to partner with Android Pay so as to support the mobile payments in-apps and other retailers.

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AT&T Inc (NYSE:T) And Netcomm Wireless Partner To Unveil The Indiana Pre-5G

AT&T Inc (NYSE:T) and NetComm Wireless will soon collaborate in a bid to improve fixed-wireless broadband across a number of areas in the United States. This announcement was made today by NetComm Wireless and it hopes this developmental move will go quite a long way to help it generate higher revenues.

Over some time, the top provider has been planning on making major expansions. From the look of things it is surely moving towards that. The other development is the unveiling of its 5G Evolution network across Indianapolis.

For several years, NetComm Wireless has been supplying fixed-wireless equipment to Australia’s National Broadband Network (NBN).At the moment, it is focusing on supplying AT&T with its huge diversity of the wireless antennas. It hopes they will help a great deal towards enabling connectivity speeds of at least 10Mbps.This will as a matter of fact help the under-served premises in almost 18 states.

According to some top trusted sources, NetComm Wireless and AT&T have deployed the first phase of fixed-wireless in of Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Early this week, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) disclosed that something crucial. It showed its intention to use the unused channels between television broadcasts towards boosting regional access to broadband to a large number of users in the various states. Some of the states that will be benefiting from the initiative include New York, Arizona, Washington, Texas, Georgia, Kansas, Maine, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Marachel Knight, the AT&T Wireless Network Architecture and Design senior vice president recently spoke to a number of news reporters. He said, “We’re excited to launch these new, faster, wireless technologies in Indianapolis as we march towards standards-based mobile 5G. We are aggressively deploying equipment as well as investing in spectrum and technology for 5G while standards are still being finalised.”

It is quite evident that AT&T Inc is doing all within its means to climb higher in terms of business. According to one of the top officials working with the provider, they are making plans to invest more in manpower. They will soon add more experienced and vibrant members who will help the company make major steps forward in development according to Zdnet.

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Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) And KPMG Announce Global Partnership

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and KPMG have announced a global partnership in which KPMG’s audit practices are available on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform.

The partnership between Microsoft and KPMG seeks to create a global digital solutions hub that will take advantage of Microsoft’s artificial intelligence technology and Azure cloud services. The digital solutions hub will then link them with KPMG’s business experience. The aim of the partnership is to aid companies towards transforming all areas of their operations including operations, customer experience and finance. Mark Goodburn, the chief of advisory at KPMG stated that his company has enjoyed a good relationship with Microsoft since the 1990s but there has been very little change. The new partnership is thus a new avenue to explore more areas while working together.

“The intersection between technology and business has been getting stronger. We re-evaluated it, saw some of their new technologies that looked good to us and our business acumen looked good to them,” stated Goodburn.

KPMG and Microsoft to introduce solutions for serving customers better

John Veihmeyer, the chairman of KPMG Global stated that CEOs are seeking new forms of digital solutions that will feature the best technology combined with business expertise. His statement highlights the joint venture between his company and Microsoft which is one of the industry leaders in technology.

The Digital Solutions Hub will feature technology solutions that are designed to help optimize the customer’s operations. It will also help them to create digitally driven businesses that are sustainable, efficient and can compete effectively in a highly dynamic world. Goodburn pointed out that KPMG should be able to act faster to keep up with the increasing rate of change. He pointed out that most clients are aware that something has to be done but they are often not sure exactly what needs to be done.

According to Goodburn, clients are constantly demanding more agility than ever before. He believes that teaming up with Microsoft will allow for quicker movement. KPMG and Microsoft plan to commence operations at the Hub in the fourth quarter this year.

Microsoft stock closed the latest trading session on Wednesday at $71.15

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Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) Calls Upon The Government To Draft Favorable Polices For Its Mission

Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has over the years made its name in the car manufacturing industry for its hard work. There is a lot to be learned from the data from the city’s transportation department. Some top analysts have recently been scrutinizing it with each expressing his/her take. However, one thing was quite evident. It was the is the fact that the changes announced in relation to the tax benefits that customers could accrue upon purchasing the electric cars came with impact.

April 1 was the exact moment the policy was set up and sources indicate that it might last until March 2018.The city has made an important move by choosing to give a tax waiver of about HK$97,500. In the United States of America, it stands at $12,500 and it is usually applicable to the first time owners. Before the policy alteration, there was a record of almost 2,939 first-time Tesla registrations in March and February witnessed five times a similar number.

In China, Teslas are going at relatively higher costs in relation to figures in the United States and some top experts have commented linking that to the shipping and export costs. Anderson, a top executive working with the renowned company affirms that Tesla’s sales dip shouldn’t be looked by anyone as something that is outside this world. It is something that has taken place before though he blamed the registration statistics which according to him made it rather tough to obtain the required pulse for the market.

A number of top journalists followed him as he left a press conference recently seeking to extract some more information from him. He said, “I think it’s probably for sure the case that demand has gone down from the tax incentive rolling off. It’s a classic case of elasticity of demand. If a good costs more people are going to buy less of it.”

A Tesla spokesperson has commented in relation to the change citing that they were experiencing some short term challenges. He called upon the government to come up with policies that would favor them as a company .He added that it would even contribute to more people purchasing the electric cars according to Washingtonpost.

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Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) To Construct 1,500 Housing Units At Menlo Park Campus

Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) plans to address Silicon Valley’s affordable housing crisis by turning its 56-acre plot into a housing village with 1,500 homes, grocery store, transit centers among other facilities. Dubbed the Willow Campus, the new facilities will be erected across the street from the tech giant’s headquarters.

Willow Campus

The housing units will be opened to anyone and not just Facebook employees. Facebook is also planning to subsidize the units to 15% below market rates as part of the companies push to offer affordable housing.

A grocery store and Pharmacy store in the Park should solve a long-running issue of lack of food retailers in the city. The nearest store is currently 4 miles away. The trip can take up to 40 minutes during peak hours when almost everybody is on the road.

Facebook Investment

Facebook has already posted a video showing smiling workers alongside whiteboard renderings of the proposed village as part a marketing ploy. The company hopes to gain approval from city officials as soon as possible, ahead of the commencement of construction in 2019. The first buildings should be opened for occupants in 2021.

“Working with the community, our goal for the Willow Campus is to create an integrated, mixed-use village. Our hope is to create a physical space that supports our community and builds on our existing programs,” said, John Tenanes, Facebook vice President of global facilities and real estate.

Facebook is also planning to invest millions of dollars in improving Highway 101 by providing density sufficient to support a future transit center.

The company has already submitted its plans to the local council, pending approval before it can begin any construction works. Menlo Park Mayor has already welcomed the plan reiterating that it will help address the ever-escalating rent-price increases triggered by the growth of west-coast companies. Monthly rent rates in the city have tripled to highs of $3,349 since 2011 making it hard for some people to live close to their places of work.

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SAMSUNG ELECTRONIC KRW5000 (OTCMKTS:SSNLF) Q2 Profit To Trounce Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s On Booming Memory Chip Business

SAMSUNG ELECTRONIC KRW5000 (OTCMKTS:SSNLF) expects its second quarter profit to increase by 72% an achievement that will make it the most profitable tech company. The Korean company says it expects profits of $12.1 billion compared to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s expected profit of $10.6 billion.

 Samsung Q2 Outlook

The South Korean company says it expects second-quarter consolidate sales to be about 60 trillion won representing 17.78% year over year growth. Rising prices for memory chips in the second quarter, as well as Galaxy S8 sales, is seen as a key driver of the company’s earnings.

Profits of $12.1 billion will cap a remarkable comeback from the Note 7 fiasco that affected sales last year. It will also mark the first time that the tech giant has beaten Apple when it comes to quarterly profits for the first time in three years.

The figures underscore Samsung growth metrics having posted two consecutive quarters of positive results. The two-quarter saw the company post its biggest profits in more than three years. Apple has not had the best of rides in recent quarter’s iPhone sales having clocked saturations levels.

Stiff competition and emergence of affordable phones packing high-end features has made it impossible for the tech giant to ship more products as was in the past. The iPhone maker is now hoping that its upcoming flagship device slated for September will overturn a poor run of sales.

 Samsung Booming Chip Business

Booming semiconductor business remains a key driver of the company’s earnings. Samsung has in the recent past started to reduce its reliance on smartphone sales competition in the space having clocked record highs.

Investments in the chips business are already paying out as Samsung is now on course to overtake Intel when it comes to memory chips. The company has already confirmed plans to invest $18 billion on chips as it continues to explore new ways of strengthening its position in the business.

Everything about Samsung’s core businesses should become clear when it reports its second-quarter earnings at the end of the month.

Samsung stock was up by 4% in Friday’s trading session to end the week at $2,080 a share.

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Nokia Oyj (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) Incorporates Zeiss Optics In Its New Smartphones

It has become almost impossible to distinguish one smartphone from the other globally in the current times considering that almost all of them look just the same. The question that a lot of people have been asking has been in regards to the particular features that one needs to go for when choosing to buy one smartphone in opposition to the other. Would Nokia Oyj (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) make it easier for the various buyers to decide on the matter?

 Some of the people believe that one should consider the kind of camera that is associated with a given smartphone. Another group takes the strong stand that it is crucial to check out the life of the battery. Nokia has unveiled its newest device which has the Carl Zeiss lenses as one of the top features.

HMD Global has seen it fit to sign into an exclusive agreement with Zeiss, which has over the years majorly focused in the manufacture of high-end lens manufacture and optical systems. The recent times have witnessed HMD sign into numerous progressive partnerships and the one in this particular case is the latest.

They have all been making attempts to bring to life the brand which many years back dominated the markets according to Financial express. Businesses are at times compelled to go through a lot of dynamics. However, failure shouldn’t be seen as the end. It is a time to reflect more just like the giant provider did and with proper strategizing it is possible to rise again.

HMD’s president, Florian Seiche while recently speaking to a number of top journalists outlined that the model of their business had much to do with striking strategic partnerships. The two partnering companies have a shared history of top end quality and craftsmanship.
Mobile industry guru Ben Wood while speaking to the top executive from Nokia said, “The camera is now so central a feature of any smartphone – for many it’s their primary camera. It sends the message that HMD is really serious about quality.”

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Stocks Finish Mixed as Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) Faces Selloff

Many equities in the U.S finished mixed in quiet, post-holiday trading session on Wednesday. The S&P 500 gained 0.2%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost a fraction, the Russell 2000 lost 0.5% and the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.7%. Treasury bonds were generally stable, gold gained 0.2%, the dollar was mixed and oil broke its eight-session winning streak with a 4.1% decline.

Breadth was negative with 1.6 decliners for every advancer on the NYSE with volume at 92% of the 30-day average. Technology stocks led the way with a 1% gain while energy was the laggard, down 1.3%.

Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) recorded a 2.7% gain after the company announced an AI-focused partnership with Baidu Inc (ADR) (NASDAQ:BIDU) to build its cloud-based footprint but bring the Volta GPUs to AI home assistants and self-driving vehicles. Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) lost 7.2% after the company announced second-quarter deliveries of “just over” 22,000 against the 24,185 that was expected.

Goldman analysts scaled down their price target and predicated a decline in the demand of the Model S/X. The result is a massive technical breakdown, pushing shares below their 50-day moving average.

The recent rise in oil has been widely characterized by overly bearish sentiments in the midst of disappointment with OPEC’s supply freeze agreement amid bloated inventories, increased U.S. shale activity and tepid U.S. gasoline demand.

The main catalyst in the latest reversal lower was chatter that Russia wants to retain the current supply freeze deal as well as comments by International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol on Tuesday that while he expects the global energy market to rebalance by the second half of the year output increased by Libya and Nigeria could hamper the process.

Lastly, on the economic side, the Federal Reserve released the minutes from their June policy meeting noting most policymakers dismissed recent weakness in the inflation data as related to specific factors like price pressure in wireless plans and prescription drugs. There were disagreement on the timing of the start of the balance sheet roll off process, with some preferring to start within a couple of months while others preferred waiting until the end of the year.

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Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Leaks Suggest That Upcoming iPhone 8 Will Have Face Scanning Technology

Fresh leaks about the upcoming Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone 8 suggest that the device will feature facial scanning among other technologies.

According to a new Bloomberg report, Apple might be facing out the fingerprint reader on its phone in favor of facial scanning to unlock the upcoming iPhone 8 handset. The report suggests that the tech firm planning to shift from its iconic Touch-ID technology which has been a key feature in iPhones since 2013. Sources familiar with the matter revealed that the company has been testing a new security system for users to log in to their devices, secure apps and authenticate payments.

Some of the rumors are from reliable sources

KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously had a good track record with rumors regarding past Apple releases. Also, the rumors also tie with what Apple rival Samsung Electronics introduced earlier this year with the Samsung Galaxy S8.Other sources claim that the iPhone maker is also working on eye-scanning technology.

The iPhone 8 leaks about a possible facial scanning technology also aligns with previous rumors that the company has been purchasing a lot of 3D cameras. This further solidifies the rumors because 3D cameras are important in facial recognition. The 3D aspect makes sure that the ID system cannot be tricked using 2D photos.More details in favor of the rumors include the fact that Apple CEO Tim Cook has been pushing heavily towards 3D sensing. This is because the technology can be used to improve numerous existing solutions.

Such features on the upcoming iPhone would not only make it unique, it would also make it possible for the device to compete more effectively against strong handsets such as the Samsung Galaxy S8. It also means Apple will be using technology that is up to date with the current trends in the market. Most importantly, the iPhone 8 will be the company’s 10^th generation iPhone and thus there is a lot of pressure to deliver something unique.

“Apple is clearly gearing up for an iPhone release well beyond the scale of anything we have seen to date,” stated Forbes in a recent report.

Apple stock closed the latest trading session on Monday at $143.50.

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Nokia Oyj (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) Hires Gregory Lee, A Former Samsung Executive To Head Its Technologies Division

Nokia Oyj (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) announced on Friday that it hired Hires Gregory Lee, a former executive at Samsung Electronics as the new head of the Nokia Technologies division.

Lee has been with Samsung for 13 years and he held down the CEO position for the Korean giant in the North American region. He has been the head of all the company’s electronics businesses in North America since 2014. He will now lead a team of Nokia executives in the U.S through the Nokia Technologies division which aims to dig deeper into various industries such as digital health and virtual reality.

“I am excited by the opportunity to lead Nokia Technologies. The Nokia Technologies team has produced innovative products and solutions in dynamic, high growth segments of the consumer technology market, and I am honored to be in a position to help build on this success in the future,” Lee pointed out in a statement.

Lee is the ideal fit for the leadership position at Nokia’s tech division

Lee’s numerous years at Samsung have equipped him with the skills necessary to handle the position that Nokia has offered him. During his tenure at Samsung, he also handled digital content, virtual reality, and digital health. These are the same technologies that Nokia is now focusing on. This explains why Nokia was quick to poach him.

Nokia’s president and CEO Rajeev Suri welcomed Lee on board, stating that his company has chosen the right person to take the Nokia Technologies division to the next level. He also expressed a lot of excitement about the brand and the products that it will develop in the future. The new hire comes just around the same time that the company has been working on making a comeback in the smartphone market. The tech firm is planning to launch three new handsets that are expected to be launched this month in Australia. However, there is a lot of competition in the smartphone market and it will be interesting to see what Nokia bring to the table.

Nokia stock closed the latest trading session on Friday at $6.16.

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