The global smartphone market remains on the slide, IDC reports-- Q4 2019 shipments total 375.4 million units, a -4.9% Y-o-Y drop making a challenging holiday season the 5th consecutive quarter of decline.
Smartphone shipments for full-year 2018 total 1.4 billion units, a -4.1% decline, leading the analyst to predict 2019 will see further decline. After all, outside of a handful of high-growth S. E. Asian markets, the world sees little of positive activity in 2018. A number of factors bring such a situation, including lengthening replacement cycles, increasing penetration levels in many large markets, political and economic uncertainty and growing consumer frustration over continuously rising price points.
China remains the focal point for the global smartphone industry. After all, the most populous country in the world is also the largest market for such devices, accounting for around 30% of smartphone consumption. It also had a worse 2018 compared to previous years, with shipments falling by "just over" -10%.
As the name might suggest, the Safe-KID-One is designed to keep children, well, safe. It features a built-in GPS tracker, microphone, speaker, calling and SMS functionality, and a companion Android app allowing parents to keep track and contact their children. Such capabilities are exactly what customers look for in such a device, but according to a RAPEX (Rapid Alert System for Non-Food Products) notification it also fails on the security front, specifically when it comes to encryption.
“The last 5 years have been the most stimulating, challenging and fulfilling of my career. Through the teams’ collective efforts, Retail has never been stronger or better positioned to make an even greater contribution for Apple,” Ahrendts says. “I feel there is no better time to pass the baton to Deirdre, one of Apple’s strongest executives. I look forward to watching how this amazing team, under her leadership, will continue to change the world one person and one community at a time.”
The MM830 weighs 162g, and carries a "top-of-the-line" Pixart optical sensor with sensitivity reaching up to 24000 DPI. The chassis is in PBT for durability, while Omron switches and a Japanese ALPS scroll encoder ensure snappy performance. In total the mouse has 8 programmable buttons, including the aforementioned d-pad integrated on the left hand side of the device.
Launched via the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform in 2015, the NEEO remote offers simple setup, out-of-the-box interoperability with 1000s of devices and a striking design complete with both a large touchscreen and physical buttons. Based in Bern, the NEEO product team has been led by founder Raphael Oberholzer, and will be working with the Control4 engineering group on the development of next-gen Control4 remote controls and touchpanels. Oberholzer takes a leadership role in the development of interaction devices, reporting to SVP products & services Charlie Kindel.
