App Stores See Massive Sales Over Holidays

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App Stores See Massive Sales Over Holidays

Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store saw massive gains over the Christmas holiday as people stayed at home.

As the coronavirus pandemic has hit record levels, health experts urged people to stay at home and cancel their holiday plans. While some refused to do so, many did change their plans. As a result, people looked elsewhere for entertainment and distraction, specifically to app stores.

According to Sensor Tower’s estimates, people spent a shopping $407.6 million on the App Store and Play Store on Christmas. This represents a 34.5% year-over-year (YoY) growth from 2019.

The biggest category was games, which grew 27% YoY, representing $295.6 million. Aside from games, Entertainment was the biggest category, with $19.3 million being spent on the App Store and $4.3 million on the Play Store.

Sensor Tower’s figures are just the last example of the digital transformation currently underway, accelerated by the global pandemic.

App Stores See Massive Sales Over Holidays
Matt Milano

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Wedbush: Microsoft Has ‘Unparalleled’ Cloud Advantages

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Wedbush: Microsoft Has ‘Unparalleled’ Cloud Advantages

Dan Ives, Wedbush Senior Technology Analyst, is bullish on Microsoft thanks to its “unparalleled” advantages in cloud transition.

Microsoft’s Azure platform is currently in second place in the cloud market, behind AWS. In spite of that, Azure has been growing rapidly, outpacing the market at large. In particular, Microsoft has been making headway at the expense of AWS and third-place rival Google Cloud.

Ives doesn’t see that stopping, thanks to the unique position Microsoft is in, in combination with continued work-from-home trends.

“Deal flow looks strong heading into the rest of FY21 as we estimate that Microsoft is still only ~35% through penetrating its unparalleled installed base on the cloud transition,” Ives said, according to Markets Insider. “To this point, we believe Azure’s cloud momentum is still in its early days of playing out within the company’s massive installed base and the Office 365 transition for both consumer/enterprise is providing growth tailwinds over the next few years.”

As a result of these factors, Ives sees the company’s stock hitting $260 per share next year, an increase of 16% over the current price.

“From a valuation basis, even if we take a 10%+ haircut to the cloud and enterprise growth drivers, we are still looking at what we value as a $1 trillion valuation cloud franchise for Redmond,” he added.

Wedbush: Microsoft Has ‘Unparalleled’ Cloud Advantages
Matt Milano

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Apple May Be Working on Adaptive, Key-Changing Keyboard

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Apple May Be Working on Adaptive, Key-Changing Keyboard

Apple may be preparing to take typing to the next level, with plans to make a keyboard that could adaptively change its keys as needed.

With the rise of mobile computing, tables and smartphones, people are expecting devices to be more versatile. It’s no longer enough to have a computer that sits on a desk at home or at the office. Instead, people rely on their devices for work, communication, entertainment, learning and more.

Apple may be preparing to take that versatility to the next level, working on a keyboard with dynamic key labels, if a newly filed patent is any indication. First noticed by Patently Apple, the patent is entitled “Electronic devices having keys with coherent fiber bundles.”

The patent’s Abstract outlines what Apple may be working on:

An electronic device may have a reconfigurable keyboard. The keyboard may be formed from an array of keys coupled to a housing. Each key may have a movable key member and an associated key display. Control circuitry in the keyboard may direct the key displays to display dynamically adjustable key labels for the keys. Each key movable key member may be formed from a fiber optic plate. The fiber optic plate may be formed from a coherent fiber bundle with opposing first and second surfaces. The first surface may be adjacent to the key display and may receive key label images from the key display. The second surface may face outwardly towards a user and may receive key press input from the fingers of a user while presenting key label images for viewing.

This kind of adaptive, configurable keyboard could be a big help to gamers, multi-language typists, as well as anyone using custom software that has specific keyboard requirements.

Apple May Be Working on Adaptive, Key-Changing Keyboard
Matt Milano

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Boston Dynamics’ Robots Dance Together

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Boston Dynamics’ Robots Dance Together

Boston Dynamics’ robots showed some impressive dance skills, with four robots dancing to The Contours’ Do You Love Me.

Boston Dynamics is one of the leading robotics firms in the world, and has a history of showing off its robots in whimsical ways. In 2018, its SpotMini danced to Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk.

The company’s robots have now upped their game, with four robots, representing three different models, dancing in sync to Do You Love Me.

Hyundai recently announced it was acquiring a controlling interest in Boston Dynamics. Hyundai is working on non-traditional automobiles, including ones that switch from wheels to walking legs for travel over uneven terrain that would otherwise not be traversable, making Boston Robotics a perfect fit.

With Hyundai’s stake in the robotics firm, who knows, perhaps we’ll one day see dancing cars.

Boston Dynamics’ Robots Dance Together
Matt Milano

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Bitcoin Hits the Big Time: NFL Player’s Salary Paid in Bitcoin

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Bitcoin Hits the Big Time: NFL Player’s Salary Paid in Bitcoin

Bitcoin has had a stellar year and passed a significant milestone with the first NFL player being paid with the cryptocurrency.

While there are a number of cryptocurrencies available, Bitcoin is easily the most well-known and recognized. The currency has been on a run, sitting at $27,500+ at the time of writing.

The currency has now achieved another major milestone, being used to pay a sizable portion of Carolina Panthers left tackle Russell Okung’s $13 million salary. Okung teamed up with Strike, the mobile payments company, to make this a reality.

“Money is more than currency; it’s power,” said Okung. “The way money is handled from creation to disseminationis part of that power. Getting paid in Bitcoin is the first step of opting out of the corrupt, manipulated economy weall inhabit. Bitcoiners are not only disrupting the status quo, we are reclaiming power that is rightly ours. PAY MEIN BITCOIN today becomes a reality thanks to Strike and the Panthers front office. This is the acknowledgement ofa new way, a new path and a new future that recognizes diversity in finance and a reclamation of true financialcontrol.”

“Strike users can easily spend wherever bitcoin is accepted and with the launch of our bitcoin payday producteveryone has a simple way to get paid in bitcoin” announced Jack Mallers, founder and CEO of Strike. “Todayanyone can sign up for early access at payday.strike.me.” With no fees, and features like cashback, Strike offers thecheapest way to buy, spend, and send Bitcoin. Strike is the first app that lets your bank account interact with theworld’s first natively digital asset class and payday is the first of many products launching in 2021.”

With the precedent set, it’s likely other professional athletes may follow suit.

Bitcoin Hits the Big Time: NFL Player’s Salary Paid in Bitcoin
Matt Milano

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Intel Willing to Work With Third Point Hedge Fund

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Intel Willing to Work With Third Point Hedge Fund

Intel has signaled it is willing to work with Third Point hedge fund to improve its business.

As we reported earlier today, Third Point’s CEO sent a letter to Intel’s chairman urging changes as the chipmaker lags behind rivals.

“Without immediate change at Intel, we fear that America’s access to leading-edge semiconductor supply will erode, forcing the U.S. to rely more heavily on a geopolitically unstable East Asia to power everything from PCs to data centers to critical infrastructure and more,” CEO Daniel Loeb wrote.

According to International Business Times, It appears Intel is open to discussion with Third Point in an effort to make changes.

“Intel Corporation welcomes input from all investors regarding enhanced shareholder value,” the California tech giant said. “In that spirit, we look forward to engaging with Third Point LLC on their ideas towards that goal.”

Intel Willing to Work With Third Point Hedge Fund
Matt Milano

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Cisco Pulls the Plug on Smart Cities Business

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Cisco Pulls the Plug on Smart Cities Business

Cisco has reportedly decided to pull the plug on its plans to build a business around smart cities.

Smart cities are considered the future of urban planning, using sensors, Internet of Things (IoT) devices and other electronics to improve the city’s functioning. Everything from utilities to hospitals to policing to medical care to IT services to traffic and transportation can be greatly improved and made more efficient.

Cisco had bet heavily on the technology, centering its efforts around its Cisco Kinetic for Cities software. According to The Wall Street Journal, however, the company is now abandoning its efforts.

“We recently decided to stop sales and eventually support for the Cisco Kinetic for City product line to align our product investment to evolving market needs and customer requirements,” a company spokesman told The Wall Street Journal.

Cisco has been working for some time to transition into software and services, relying less on hardware. Its latest earnings report showed the strategy is beginning to pay off, especially during the pandemic. Nonetheless, it appears the smart city business presented too many challenges for continued investment.

Cisco Pulls the Plug on Smart Cities Business
Matt Milano

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