Tesla Motor's Model S To Witness a Hike in Price

The automaker has not yet announced that it will be increasing the price of its Model S however a number of indirect announcements indicate that it is likely to do so in the near future.

After the launch of Tesla Motors much anticipated vehicle, the Model 3, the auto-maker is likely to change the price of its flagship automobile, Model S. Initially there were rumors regarding the modification in the price of the sedan however after an investigation by Electrek.co, it was discovered that the price for the full-sized electric vehicle will be modified early in April; basically after the company is done with its Marc 31 Event.

The automobile organization issued a statement to Electrek.co stating that the prices for the company’s auto are consistently changed throughout the world as they have to adjust prices as per the foreign currency exchange rates. Furthermore, the statement stated that the company has informed its customers regarding the change in price of the Model S in April.

However, an increase in price of the sedan has not been mentioned in the statement issued by the auto-maker. Since the price of the vehicle has not been raised for several years now, it is expected that Tesla might just increase the price of the vehicle. There’s a public form Tesla Motors Club where a number of people stated that they are feeling that the organization is likely to raise the price of the sedan.

They backed this up by saying that some representatives have stated that the price of the specific automobile will rise in the beginning of April. Since the representatives wanted people to avail the price it which it is currently being sold, they encouraged to make their bookings for the auto immediately.

However, any statement made on the Motors club can’t be considered as the final word since it does not come from the company itself but people are taking into account the statement that Tesla provided to Electrek.co and believe the fact that the price might just go up. A representative is also stated in the group that the price hike has nothing to do with the introduction of any new feature in the vehicle. As per the rumors though, the Sedan is likely to get a P100D variant. This would be a new product in the Model S product-line that indicates that the price for all Model S variant might fluctuate.

Presently, there are three variant for the Model S that include 70D, 90D and P90D (high performance). The former variants are priced at $70,000 while the latter versions are close to a price of $138,000. In addition to that, the automaker also discontinued its 85D variant which indicates that it is planning on extending its range.

Ever since its launch 2012 the price of the vehicle has not been raised which brings us to the conclusion that maybe the automaker has decide to raise the price after these four/five years. During this time, the company eliminated a number of battery options and also upgraded the vehicle whilst keeping the same price. And since it added a few additional features to the auto which includes an air wireless update; it is possible that is why the company is working towards raising the price for it. Plus the Sedan has been the highest selling vehicle in the United States due to its impressive drive experience.

In addition to that, as it expects to increase the price, the revenue generated by the sales of the model it will put the surplus amount in the development of Model 3 since that will be its mass market vehicle. Even the CEO Elon Musk has stated that the revenue generated by its high-end Model S and Model X will be used in the development of the anticipated Model 3.

Alibaba To Surpass Wal-Mart As The Top Retailer

Alibaba expects to overtake the record sales posted by Wal-Mart in a fiscal year

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is one of the biggest retailers in the world which has given tough time to not only domestic competitors but the international competitors as well. The company has always given its rivals a tough time when it comes surpassing its lead. For a very long time, Wal-Mart had been on the very top in the domestic and international market but its growth was hampered considering the pace at which American’s reigning monarch of online shopping Amazon.com, Inc. was growing. But regardless, Wal-Mart has managed to set up good business in its physical stores as well as online.

The company posted staggering sales valued at a massive $478.6 billion for the fiscal year which ended on January 31. According to sources, it is believed that the Chinese e-commerce leader Alibaba Group Holding is expected to surpass the US multinational Wal-Mart Stores as the world’s largest retail marketplace in the coming times. In an official media report which was published on Wednesday, Alibaba Group currently has total trading of $463.3 billion which is set to exceed before the fiscal year ends.

Times of India reported that Alibaba Group Holding will soon make an official announcement at the end of the fiscal year on March 31. Alibaba said a couple of days ago, “WalMart Stores Inc posted net sales of $478.6 billion for its fiscal year ending Jan 31, while the latest trading volume figure for Alibaba amounted to three trillion yuan ($463.3 billion)”.

The current ongoing sales which Alibaba just posted are equal to the last year’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of one of the China’s provinces, Sichuan. The GDP of Sichuan is ranked sixth on the Chinese mainland.

The CEO of the firm, Daniel Zhang Yong, said in a conference which took place in Hangzhou that the sales figure was recorded on its multiple online marketplaces such as Tmall which is the business to consumer platform, Taobao Marketplace and Rural Taobao which are the consumer to consumer platform, and Juhuasuan which is the group buying site.

At the beginning of this week, Zhang Yong said that it expects Alibaba Group to achieve a milestone by having an annual trading volume of $980 million approx. (six trillion Yuan) in the coming four years. He added, “In 2024, we wanted to be a business platform serving 2 billion consumers and tens of millions of enterprises at home and abroad.”

Zhang continued, “the company will strive to combine cloud computing and big data technologies with the Internet and the Internet of Things, as well as consumer terminal equipment, to spur its development. The Internet of Things is the network of physical objects - devices, vehicles, buildings and other items - embedded with electronics, software, sensors and network connectivity that enables these objects to collect and exchange data.”  

Apple Inc. Didn't Have Much To Offer At The Event Yesterday

Saturating smartphone market, increased competition, threat of substitutes – could it be game over for Apple Inc.?

At the Apple event held yesterday at Cupertino, California, the technology company introduced a number of latest additions to its product line including a 16 GM 4-inch iPhone SE, Apple Watch with neon colors along with a 9.7 – inch iPad Pro. Similar to their names, the devices that have been launch in yesterday’s event they look the same aw well. For now, people are simply referring to these devices with their length, storage capacity etc.

The Apple Watch which was launched here has been introduced in a variety of different colors however the price has been slashed down to $299 which was the price pertaining at certain stores including Target and Best Buy. In this aspect, the iPhone maker has simply caught up with the rest of the market. Considering that the Cupertino based tech company has slashed the price of a device which doesn’t have a new model yet is alarming as the company has never had to do something like this.

Furthermore, it showcased a number of bands with the smart sports watch, one of which was leaked back in January, the black Milanese loop. Along with this they have introduced a new nylon band as well that will come in a variety of over seven colors, as this nylon band features a four layered construction. This new range of band colors has been dubbed as the ‘spring line’ by the Apple which simply means that we might be getting a new collection every season now.

On the other hand, the launch of the latest 4-inch iPhone SE came as a disappointment for many as in the past seven years, ever since the launch of the company’s iPhone 3Gs which has the same 16GB capacity, apps have gotten heavier and people have started to rely on storage. This issue was raised initially as well however it is sad to see that the organization didn’t focus on the feedback given by people.

When this subject of storage came up last time, the Senior Vice President, Phil Schiller stated that iCloud is likely to serve as a substitute for local storage. He added that the idea behind it is that more price-conscious people are more to buy cheaper priced iPhones and sync their local storage documents, photos and videos on the iCloud service. However, what the company isn’t taking into consideration is that to use the iCloud service, the users will have to rely on cellular data just to retrieve or sync their data which would ultimately cost them more. IPhone SE has been put up at a price of $399 for 16 GB while a price tag of $499 has been put on 64GB.

Additionally, during the event, the CEO Tim Cook talked about the future of the planet as well stating that 93% of Apple’s global operations are carried on sustainable energy. Even though that’s an impressive number, the technology organization’s competitors are aiming at reaching the 100% mark. However, it should be noted that currently Apple is at the top of that list.

Overall, it seemed as though the technology organization did not have much to offer; only interesting thing going on with the company might be its battle with the FBI over unlocking an iPhone of a terrorist that was involved in the San Bernardino attack. Appel might want to up its games a bit soon since more people were disappointed than impressed by what the company has to offer now.

Jack Dorsey's Twitter Inc.'s Turn 10

The micro-blogging platform that has been making the headline for quite some time now has officially turned ten; maybe it should be treated like a ten year as well.

Twitter Inc. has officially marked its tenth anniversary; since its inception on March 21, 2006, the micro-blogging website has managed to go public and has accomplished to get over 300 million users on its platform. It has launched a two and a half minute video where it has penned to get a ‘thank you’ note across to the users all around the globe.

However, like most ten year olds, the social media platform is still misunderstood by many and its shareholders have been confused about the power of it ever since it came into being. In its 2 minute note, the social networking website had tried to summarize all that it has done and what the website actually stands for.

Much of what the company had tried to portray in the video signifies that it has been a great platform for breaking news from the Tsunami to the Arab Spring events; it has nicely shown how Twitter was the perfect platform to get informed. Furthermore, it has also highlighted how the platform has served as a Social Activist platform as many movement were began on it, some of which include the ‘Black Lives Matter’, ‘Bring Back out Girls’ etc. all of which were the most popular and trending hashtags.

The video further goes on to show popular tweets from celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, LeBron James along with other public figures including Malala Yousufzai, Emma Watson etc. Other videos and GIFs that had gone viral on the platform throughout that time were also showcased in the video.

The author of the note tried to write the message under the platform’s 140-character count limit. Initially however he goes past the character limit but brings it back to the initial count. This move by the writer signifies that micro-blogging platform’s commitment to the character limit. Initially there were rumors that they were going to get rid of the character limit exactly how they did in their direct messages however Jack Dorsey got rid of that idea as it didn’t reflect the purpose of the platform. They did not want to lose the essence of Tweet just to attract more customers; it would have been a desperate move on the company’s part to copy Facebook, Inc.

Despite the fact that Twitter Inc. had a tough time proving itself throughout these ten years, it has managed to become a popular platform for politics and a marketing place for companies. This fact is undeniable that along those lines it has definitely proved itself to be useful. The CEO who was also the co-founder of the platform, has been given the challenging task of Fixing Twitter which, on one hand, many believe that he is capable of while on the other hand, many say that since he is also the CEO of a payment solutions company, Square, might not be able to fulfill the task.

Users Can Now Make Purchases on Amazon With a Selfie

The retail giant is now allowing its customers to make payments with the help of selfies now instead of typing long passwords.

As technology evolves, turns out you can make purchases through a selfie instead of a secure password. Amazon.com is taking up the same strategy as the retailer believes that passwords can be stolen or forgotten and can be impersonated by another human being while selfies are more authentic.

The e-commerce giant has filed for a patent to use photos or videos of users to make payment for an online purchase. Even though the company stated that passwords are unsafe but at least selfies cannot be stolen or misused, however the facial recognition systems can be spoofed by users by simply holding up a picture of the person and not their actual face in front of the camera.

The Seattle based e-commerce organization has worked a way across that as well; it has stated the facial recognition system will ask the user to blink hence having a two-step system. The facial recognition software will take two selfies of the user, in which the first one will be for the user’s identity while the second one will be to avoid spoofs.

In the second selfie, the computer or smartphone will ask the user to do a few actions including motions as well as certain gestures like to smile, blink or tilt their head in different directions. The computer or smartphone will ask the user to perform these functions to verify that it’s the same person do is making the purchase.

Amazon is not the first e-commerce company to adopt this mode of payment verification; initially a number of other e-commerce companies along with financial services firms have also adopted this payment method as they believe this is more secure and efficient.

As per research, it has been reported that as many as one person in every five people use the same password for most of their things while approximately 58% of people use a few password while the rest use small variations in their password. As per the research, it can be concluded that it become way too easy for anyone to copy passwords.

In the United Kingdom, MasterCard has also introduced this service for its customers where they can make payment via selfies and fingerprints and can leave the hassle of typing passwords behind. On the other hand, android smartphones as well as Microsoft 10 already allows its users to unlock their phones by just looking directly into the camera. Additionally, smart payment solutions also allow users to simply make payments via Samsung Pay and Apple Pay with the help of a fingerprint.

Microsoft Upgraded Skype for Web With New Features

Microsoft is working hard to make its communication platform 'Skype' the biggest communication platform in the world; it is going in the right direction.

On March 15, 2016, Microsoft Corporation announced new features for its video and voice calls platform, Skype. The browser version for the technology giant’s most popular communication network was introduced last year and now it can be seen with a number of new features. The addition of these new features comes as the company aims to bring the browser version of the communication platform in line with the desktop and mobile versions.

With the addition of the new features, Skype users can now invite non-Skype users into their conversations. Some of the functions allow users to view videos on YouTube from the browser version. Microsoft Corporation stated that these changes have been brought on the request of the users and it helped the company to realize which features had to be rolled out first in comparison to other.

Skype users will be able to make direct calls to landline as well as smartphone but they will need to subscribe or purchase Skype credit in order to make those calls. If a person has subscription or Skype credit, he/she can simply sign in through browser and simply make a call to destinations.

Watching YouTube videos on Skype will be as easy as it is to watch it on the website itself. They videos will include an embedded link that the user will be able to play on Skype (browser version) with the sound along with the full-screen option – exactly how it is on YouTube’s website itself.

Skype for Web can easily be accessed by users with the following URL (web.skype.com) and then sign in to use all the new features available for them. Initially, the service lacked a number of features that the customer craved for; but with the feedback provided to the company, they have been able to act on it quite efficiently. Presently, browsers that support this service include Google Chrome, FireFox and Internet Explorer.

Furthermore, the technology company has also expanded its public switched telephone network (PSTN) and has made it available in over 17 countries. It stated that the service is likely to be in over 100 countries by the end of June 2016. Cloud Connector Edition of Skype for Business Server will also be made available by the organization in April this year.

Microsoft has high plans for its communication platform for the future. Skype is continuously growing its user base and is presently the most popular communication platform in terms of video and voice calls. The two biggest rival of the communication platform are WhatsApp and Viber – as the former is currently working on introducing video calling on its platform as well, which is likely to give Skype a tough time in the market. 

Facebook, Google and Snapchat To Up their Security Game

The social networking websites have decided to provide even stronger security platform to its customers amid Apple and FBI's battle.

Caught in a battle between Apple, Inc. the FBI and the US Government over encryption, a number of technology companies have decided to increase security on their platform. These technology companies include, Google, Snapchat as well as Facebook Inc.

Facebook Inc. wants its users to feel as secure as possible; the social media network already encrypts its WhatsApp, instant-messaging app’s messaging but it is now working on applying encryption to the voice calls as well as group messaged. As per a report by The Guardian that was published on Monday, the social networking website is also working on increasing the security on its Messenger chat tool. The service presently has over 1 billion users, and it wants to make sure that they are on a network on which they feel safe and have their photos, videos and call private.

Another social media app, Snapchat, which is a video messaging app, is also working on building an enhanced security feature for the application, as per the report by The Guardian who cited two people close to the matter. On the other hand, all of these tech giants have signed a ‘friend of the court’ brief showing support for Apple Inc., as the iPhone maker fights a battle with the government authorities over accessing data on a terrorist iPhone that was involved in the San Bernardino attack.

Additionally, Google is also working on making its platform more secure, for now, its investigating on whether encryption can be applied to other products that the search engine giant has been using as part of its End to End Project. Back in 2014, Google has revealed that it was working on its End to End email encryption Project with one of the oldest search engine websites on the internet, Yahoo! Inc. however they were constantly running into obstacles while implementing it.

Facebook is looking at making its instant messaging app, WhatsApp more secure as it is likely to be a part of a wiretapping lawsuit. This case could be quite similar to that of Apple Inc. and the FBI as the Federal Bureau would force the social networking platform for decrypt the messages or even the voice calls to disclose the communication that might have took place between the terrorists. Last month, as part of a drug investigation a Facebook executive was jailed because he failed to supply certain information regarding the instant messaging app to the officials.

Furthermore, despite of being in an intense argument with the Federal officials, Apple Inc. is planning on taken drastic measures to develop an even stronger security system for its iPhones. In the upcoming models, it is safe to say that even the tech organization itself will not be break down the security on the future iPhones.

Yahoo! Inc. Appoints Two New Directors; Fueling a Proxy-Battle with StarBoard

The search engine company recently appointed two new director without the consent of hedge fund activist StarBoard Value.

Amid the transitional phase that Yahoo! Inc. currently in, the search engine organization announced yesterday that they have just appointment two new directors to its board. The bold move by the internet company clearly avows how fixated it is to battle investor activists.

The new additions to the Yahoo family include Catherine Friedman who is a former managing director of Morgan Stanley, along with Eric Brandt, who is the former finance chief of Broadcom Corp, a semiconductor company. In the past few months, two of Yahoo’s board members Max Levchin and Charles Schwab had resigned due to other professional commitments but with the addition of these two members, the count comes back to nine members.

As for current CEO Marissa Mayer, she is working hard on keeping her job. According to a recent interview on the ‘Charlie Ross Show, Ms. Mayer mentioned the sale of the company and added that she hopes that this strategic alternative still leaves a play for her in the internet company and furthermore said that even if the company is privatized and acquired by a private equity firm, they would still honor the commitments of their shareholders.

However, the activist hedge fund Starboard Value LP has been quite critical of Mayer’s efforts throughout as they believe that she failed to live up to her promises of turning around the core business of the company and most her plans failed to deliver. Furthermore, they believe that she did not manage to restore growth and generate enough returns for the investors.

People familiar with the matter stated that there is a potential proxy fight on its way which could possibly lead to Starboard Value completely restructuring the board with new directors. However, the CEO has expressed her faith in the latest turnaround plan. She believes that the success is on its way and might take as much as five and seven years; and also believes that the company’s core business going private can serve as an opportunity for her as well as the search engine giant as it will be away from the public eye and at least they will not have to worry about maintaining a good public image, for a while.

The turnaround plan includes cost cutting strategies so that the organization can put its resources and investments to better use such as investing in better opportunities to drive efficiency. These cut costing strategies could lead to more job cuts. On Friday, the company also announced that it will be shutting down its messaging service, LiveText as well by the end of the month.

Yahoo stock is currently at $33.81 up by 3.02% while the market capitalization of the search engine company is at $32.30 billion. 

GoPro Inc. Faces Temporary Glitch In The Stock Price

The action camera maker is been struggling for a while now however in the past four week the stock price was seen perform well, we believe that it was just a temporary drop.

In early trading hours on March 8, GoPro Inc.’s stock plunged as much as 10% due to an overall sell-off in the technology sector. This drop in the stock price of the action camera maker created a sense of confusion amongst the shareholders. Additionally, Ambarella, the action camera maker’s supplier also dropped by 8% along with a number of other tech companies in the industry that witnessed a decline of as much as 5%.

2016 has been a rough year for the action camera maker; with an already declining stock price this was just cherry on top. Ever since the start of the current year, the stock has plunged by as much as 30% and in the past twelve months, it has gone down by 70% which has left the company as well as its investors in a state of utter confusion and distress.

The action camera manufacturer had hoped for the holiday season to be a turning point as most of the tech giants in the industry witnessed the most sales during the period, however to its disappointment the company failed to perform well. GoPro’s latest Hero Line failed to woo the target audience due to which the company reported poor earnings for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2015 along with weak guidance for the current fiscal year.

The latest drop in the stock price came as a surprise to the followers of the organization as in the past four weeks, it was observed that the camera maker’s stock was gaining back its momentum in an upward trajectory – it witnessed an increase of 15% in stock price during the period. This increase was a result of positive news by the management which helped the company’s investors be more optimistic towards the company.

In recent time, the action camera maker has received increased competition from the smartphone and drone industry. However, GoPro Inc. is trying its best to come up with new and exciting products for its consumers. Recently, it acquired two startup companies which include Stupeflix and Vemory; the aim of acquiring these two startups was to develop the instant video editing app on which the company has been criticized numerous times.

Stupeflix is a Paris based technology company that created Replay App while Vemory is a Texas-based tech organization that created iPhone Slice app. Both the startup organizations were worth $105 million, mainly to create a better software interface for GoPro’s customers. Many a times, the American camera maker had been criticized over its video editing options as initially they were so advanced that they were suitable for videographers while general public was having difficulty in making in work.

Nick Woodman, the CEO of GoPro, later got around to the point that the business needs to introduce technology that the general consumer can work with if it wants its sales to go up and hence conducted these two acquisitions so create a user-friendly editing application for the camera. Additionally, this month the company is expected to roll out its desktop version for its customers as well, with the help of which they will be able to capture and post their moments on to their social media profiles.

Is Blackberry Ltd Back in the Game?

The Canada based smartphone make's future prospects seem promising however we're yet to find out whether it missed an opportunity at the MWC or it was smart move by the company.

Curently, Blackberry Ltd is still in a transitional phase but with its recent endeavors it can be seen that many investors are quite optimistic on its future growth prospects. Despite the fact that the Canadian firm has managed to capture the attention of investors to boost their stake in the company, it missed a perfect opportunity to showcase its next android powered smartphone at the Mobile World Congress.

After the unexpected success of the Blackberry Priv, the audience was looking forward to getting a chance to see a glimpse of what the company is working on currently, more specifically the launch of another android based smartphone. However the attendees were disappointed when Blackberry didn’t come forward to showcase a new handset.

Last year in December, John Chen announced that the Canada based smartphone maker will be launching its next series of android powered phone in 2016. The Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona is the most important event on the tech calendar where all kinds of smartphones, processors and technologies are introduced. For Blackberry, who is currently in a struggling phase, it was the perfect platform and occasion to introduce the world to its second phone. From where the Canadian firm is standing right now, it should not miss golden opportunities like these to showcase its capabilities.

For a few months now, there have been rumors regarding Blackberry Vienna, another android based smartphone that the company is planning on launching however no such specifications have been given regarding the product. According to speculations, it is likely to be a 5.8 inch device with a 4.4 display along with an 18 megapixel camera. Furthermore, it is said to have a 3GB RAM and is expected to have Android Marshmallow as its operating system.

There was a time when Blackberry and its operating system were among the most popular device that anyone could have, but evidently times have changed and most of the market has been captured by smartphone competitors including Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics. In order to retrieve its honor, the Canadian smartphone maker made a smart choice of ditching its in-house operating system for the android operating system. Because of this canny decision, the smartphone industry along with all the other competitors has started to take Blackberry seriously, once again.

Furthermore, at the time Priv was released, the CEO John Chen stated that in case this product fails in the market, BBRY will leave the smartphone industry and focus on its other more profitable businesses which include software solutions. However, it is still hard to predict exactly how well the Priv performed as the company did not disclose numerical details in its latest earnings report. The only information provided by the technology company was the total unit sold whereas more suitable would’ve been the product based break-up.

The price tag on the Priv clearly suggested that it was putting itself in direct competition with Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy however it is expected that the latest product (if any) will be targeted at a much more convenient and mid-tier market. Another bunch of people believe that by not showcase its latest product at the MWC was a smart move by the company as standing up against Samsung, LG and many others would have been difficult for BBRY as it is still currently in the transitional stage.