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GoPro lays off 200 employees as coronavirus pandemic impacts sales
GoPro has announced that it will lay off 200 employees or around 20 percent of its workforce due to the coronavirus pandemic. It aims to reduce expenses by about $100 million by switching the majority of its business to a direct-to-consumer model.
Square Enix slashes prices on its ‘Final Fantasy’ Switch games
RPG fans who are stuck at home and need some bang for their buck might want to check out Square Enix's sale on the Nintendo Switch eShop. All of the main Final Fantasy games available on the Switch are on sale for 40 to 50 percent off, and titles from Square Enix's other RPG series like Romancing Saga and Star Ocean have been discounted as well. Gamers may want to revisit Final Fantasy VII in particular -- down from $15.99 to $7.99 -- since the game's highly anticipated remake will finally be out on April 10th.
Groupon is done selling you junk
For most folks, Groupon is probably synonymous with dirt-cheap spa days, wine tastings or trips to the fancy escape room across town. Open the app, however, and for every experience on offer, there's a listing for a faux-leather purse, off-brand latex mattress or sheepskin comfort slipper. Now, as part of its turnaround plan, Groupon is going to pull out of selling products in order to get back to the good old days.
Sony's PlayStation business is slowing faster than expected
Back in 2018 Sony made it clear that its games department would be slowing down as it prepared for the next generation PlayStation. Now it's released its quarterly results which go beyond a "slowing down" to illustrate a much more significant drop in revenue for the business.
Apple outsold every other smartphone manufacturer last quarter
Thanks to an excellent fourth quarter, Apple leaped ahead of Samsung to become the top-selling smartphone manufacturer in Q4 2019, according to Strategy Analytics and other research firms. Thanks to iPhone 11 sales that lifted Apple to its best quarter ever, it grabbed 18.9 percent of the market, besting Samsung by a half percent. Overall, Apple shipped seven percent more smartphones in the fourth quarter than it did in Q4 2018.
The best pre-Super Bowl deals for 4K TVs and streaming
With the big game right around the corner -- I mean Super Bowl LIV, in case that isn't clear -- it's once again time to consider making a TV upgrade. If you need a little something extra to make sure football fans stop by your party instead of staying home, a bigger and brighter setup will go further than pushing your array of snacks. Plus, while many of these deals are online, shopping locally can give you an opportunity to see the screen in person, or make for a quick return if you find out that it's just too wide for the stand you wanted to put it on. (I should've measured first.) With prices nearly as low as we saw during the Black Friday push, and likely as low as they'll get until sets start hitting clearance shelves, you have your choice of equipment. Also worth considering is the fact that this year, for the first time, you can watch a Fox Sports 4K/HDR feed. It's upconverted from 1080p, but judging from my experience watching Thursday Night Football earlier in the season, it's sharp and vibrant enough to justify switching over if you can. Fox's plan to capture the game includes eight 4K cameras, as well as three 8K cameras trained on the sidelines and benches -- you'll want every super slow motion zoom-in to look as good as possible.
Mercedes delays the US launch of its all-electric SUV until 2021
Mercedes' EQC all-electric SUV was initially scheduled to arrive in the US in early 2020. If you were hoping to buy the vehicle stateside, you'll have to wait a little longer. Mercedes has rescheduled the launch date to 2021.
Redbox stops renting video games, and will stop selling them too
Redbox has been handy for renting video games to get through their stories without buying a copy outright, but that won't be possible from now on. The company has confirmed circulating reports that it's no longer renting games at its kiosks. Not only that, but it's bowing out of sales, too. While Redbox said on Twitter that it was ending sales "early next year," a spokesperson told The Verge that purchases would only be available "through the end of the year." Don't expect to buy a game to usher in 2020.
California is suing Juul for allegedly targeting minors
California is suing e-cigarette maker Juul. The lawsuit alleges that Juul targeted underage Californians with its marketing and sales practices, failed to warn consumers of their exposure to chemicals linked to cancer and birth defects, failed to properly verify the age of its customers and violated the privacy rights of minors by retaining their email addresses even when they failed age verification. Attorney General Xavier Becerra, Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey and the County of Los Angeles announced the lawsuit today.
Huawei boosts smartphone sales in China by a whopping 66 percent
In spite of US sanctions, Huawei is doing just fine in China. The company's domestic smartphone shipments increased 66 percent year-over-year, according to a report by market research firm Canalys. In the last quarter, Huawei shipped 41.5 million devices in China, giving it a record-high market share of 42 percent. At least some of that success, might be attributed to customers purchasing Huawei devices as a rebellion against US sanctions and foreign pressure.
Porsche tries selling its cars online in the US
Porsche isn't just trying to fight Tesla by offering electric cars... it's hoping to replicate some of the business model, too. The automaker is piloting online car sales in the US, giving would-be owners a chance to buy from 25 of the country's 191 independently owned dealers. You'll have your pick of both new and used cars from the dealers' inventory, and can complete the brunt of the documentation and payment details online (including photos of your trade-in). You only have to visit the dealership for the last signatures and picking up your ride.
Apple's latest MacBook Air is on sale for $900
Not everyone needs a MacBook Pro. The high-powered and high-priced portables are easily capable of tasks like editing HD video, creating graphics projects and resource-intensive development. For those who just need to answer emails, browse the web and get some work done in Microsoft Office and Google Drive, the MacBook Air is likely the more reasonable purchase. Amazon is discounting the most recent 128GB and 256GB models by $200, so if you've been on the fence, now may be time to pull the trigger.
Bandai Namco discounts its Switch library until October 21st
The holidays are nearly upon us. For some, that means a whole lot of traveling. Switch owners can stock up on cheap digital downloads during Bandai Namco's publisher sale to stay occupied during flights, long drives and restless nights in lumpy childhood beds. The company's 17 Switch games are discounted by up to 75 percent on Nintendo's eShop from now until October 21st at 11:58 ET.
Best Buy’s weekend sale includes up to $500 off 12-inch MacBooks
Best Buy's three-day weekend sale includes a bunch of discounts on Apple and Amazon products, as well as cuts on laptops, TVs, smartwatches and smart home products. The sale runs through Sunday, and if you've been waiting to buy a new device, it's worth checking out.
Sony has sold 100 million PlayStation 4 consoles
Despite flagging sales of late, Sony's PlayStation 4 has sold 100 million units, making it the fastest-selling console to hit that number. In its latest earnings report, Sony revealed that it sold 3.2 million PS4s between March 31st and June 30th, after announcing last quarter that it had sold a total of 96.8 million units since the console came out. That means it hit the 100 million figure on the nose in 5 years and seven months, just two months quicker than Nintendo's Wii.
'Minecraft' has sold 176 million copies worldwide
Microsoft announced that it has sold 176 million copies of Minecraft, quite a big hop over the 156 million figure they revealed just seven months ago. Despite more buzz around games like Fortnite, Microsoft has kept the game fresh with things like the Dungeons online co-op, a free browser version, a forthcoming movie and now, an augmented reality version called Minecraft Earth. Microsoft added that it has passed 200 million registered users of the Microsoft China edition and completed 130 million Minecraft "Hour of Code" sessions.
Open Bionics’ 3D-printed prosthetic arm is now available in the US
One year after Open Bionics began selling its 3D-printed Hero Arm prosthetic in the UK, the bionic arm is available in the US. Open Bionics has made a name for itself as a start-up specializing in low-cost prosthetics, and you might remember it as the company behind arms inspired by Iron Man, Star Wars, Frozen and Deus Ex. But until now, the Hero Arm has only been available in the UK and France.
Smartphone sales in China plummet to their lowest in six years
It's no secret that smartphone sales are on the decline worldwide as consumers hold on to their handsets for longer. The trend is particularly visible in China, the world's biggest tech market, and a major battleground for the industry's leading manufacturers. When China slumps, even Apple and Samsung get burned. And the latest official sales data out of the country, via Reuters, paints a dire picture. Smartphone shipments in China fell to their lowest in six years in February, according to a government-affiliated research group.
Tesla decides to keep more stores open and raise prices instead
After saying that it will close most of its stores and go online-only, Tesla has changed its mind. The automaker announced that it will "only close about half as many stores" as it previously said, while reducing staff in some locations. In order to keep its revenue on track, Tesla added that it will raise vehicle prices "by about 3 percent on average worldwide."
Apple will pay its $571 million tax bill in France
Apple has agreed to pay 500 million euro ($571 million) in back taxes in France, according to French website L'Express. Like other European nations, including Germany and Italy, France has been trying to force tech companies, including Amazon, Google and Apple, to pay what it feels are their fair share of taxes.
