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Injection-molded vinyl could offer better sound and lower costs
The vinyl resurgence trudges on and a Dutch company is working on a new production method that could bring big changes to how the format is made. Symcon built an injection molding system for pressing vinyl records that not only reduces production costs and provides better audio quality, but it also uses 65 percent less energy during the manufacturing process. Energy is saved by not using steam to heat and press records and the company hopes it can eventually cut turnaround times from 12-16 weeks down to two.
Vimeo is working on a subscription streaming service
Vimeo plans to start a new Netflix-type streaming service and develop its own content, but its won't spend Netflix dollars. Rather, the site (owned by Barry Diller's IAC) will help its creator community develop original content and supplement it with licensed programming. "Vimeo has the once-in-a-generation opportunity to, following in Netflix's footsteps, deliver compelling subscription viewing experiences for consumers in the market for pay TV," CEO Joey Levin said in a shareholder letter
Adidas uses robots to bring shoe production back to Germany
Years ago, clothing manufacturers started moving production to developing nations where the labor costs were cheap and employees were plentiful. Proponents of globalization said that jobs going to poorer regions was a great thing, but sportswear firms paying workers pennies to make $100 shirts certainly isn't. But now, the robot revolution is likely to cause a retreat from the days of fashion houses opening sweatshops in far-flung lands. And Adidas, which has often come under fire for its use of unethical labor practices, is leading the charge.
Nintendo says it's not stopping Wii U production
Contrary to reports from Japan's well-regarded business rag, Nikkei, Nintendo has told ITMedia that it has no plans to halt Wii U production so soon. "That's [Nikkei's report] not an official announcement. We plan to continue production through the rest of the year." (Admittedly, Nikkei's Nintendo scoops have been hit and miss in the past.) Despite rolling out a steady stream of new hits, the console is failing to gain the traction of the original Wii, and the higher-powered PS4 and Xbox One continue to make Nintendo's home console a distant third in installed user numbers. The games maker is hoping more exposure, courtesy of its tip-toeing foray into mobile, might help improve sales.
Mercedes replaces robots with people on its assembly line
We've all heard stories about how the robots are taking our jobs. While that may be true, Mercedes-Benz is replacing some of its high-tech workers with real live humans. As it turns out, robots can't keep up with the degree of customization that the automaker offers on its S-Class sedans. To be fair, there are four different types of caps for the tires alone, not to mention options for carbon fiber trim and temperature-controlled cup holders.
BMW can't build its $135,000 plug-in hybrid fast enough
Gas may be cheap right now, but even the well-to-do prefer not to burn it. BMW is doubling the production pace of its 357 horsepower i8 plug-in hybrid car -- which runs 23 miles or so on electricity alone -- to around 20 vehicles per day. The automaker is bumping the numbers to meet demand and cut the four-month waiting list in half. As our sister site Autoblog pointed out, that's a mere .04 percent of an F-150's production, but then again the i8 costs around four times as much.
Report: 3DS XL on the way out in Japan
The super-size 3DS XL is about to be downsized in Japan, at least according to new details spotted on Nintendo's website. As Siliconera reports, Nintendo's 3DS site lists "ending production soon" notices for the seven XL colors available in the country. Nintendo's not announced anything formally, but it does seem the XL will soon be an ex-device in Japan While Nintendo's notices indicate the regular 3DS is to remain in production, the company's gaze looks to be shifting to the New 3DS. Both the XL and regular versions of the enhanced handheld continue to top Japan's sales charts, and according to data tracker Media Create they're matching the strong initial pace of the DSi, itself an iteration of the DS. Media Create estimates the New 3DS, which launched in Japan back in October, will reach 1.2 million sales by the end of 2014. Of course, there's no similar news of XL discontinuation for North America or Europe, where the New 3DS is still waiting on release dates.
Motorola confirms Moto Maker isn't dying, despite US factory closure
Today's revelation that Motorola is shutting down its sole American plant is an indication that its latest flagship didn't do as well as expected in the US and the costs of operating the Texas factory were simply too high to continue operations. Since the facility focused heavily on shipping Moto Maker products to US consumers, speculation arose that the feature -- which gives you the ability to customize the color and trim of your Moto X -- would die along with it. Upon reaching out to Motorola, a spokesperson confirmed to us that Moto Maker is not going away as a result of the factory's closure.
EVE Online graph shows connection between production and destruction
According to CCP, EVE Online is a constant feedback loop of production and destruction, each feeding off of each other in enormous amounts. The studio posted a colorful infograph that shows how much of each side was done in the game last year and under what level of system security. The devs explain the key difference between the two sides: "Most wars take place in the outermost regions of space (red on the scale), far beyond the safety of the high security regions of the Empires (light blue on the scale). The most favorable conditions for production are a mix of close proximity to major market hubs and the safety provided by the high security regions surrounding them. This visualization tells this story, showing the total produced- and destroyed-value of end products (ships and modules), where production mainly takes place in higher-security space (yellow to blue) and the majority of destruction takes place in low- or null-security space (orange to red)."
Google reportedly ramping up Glass production, prepping invite system for broader rollout
There's still no firm word on a broader consumer launch, but it looks like Google is now gearing up for what could be the biggest expansion of its Glass Explorer program to date. According to the Financial Times, the company is planning a "substantial" increase in production ahead of the holidays, which could put the wearable computer in the hands (and on the heads) of "tens of thousands" of more users over the coming months. At least some of them will reportedly be able to buy the device through an invite system, which the FT's sources likened to Gmail back in its beta days. Those sources apparently had few other details to share, though, including any indication of a change to that $1,500 price tag.
HTC reportedly scales back production after slump in smartphone sales (update: HTC says it hasn't)
According to multiple reports, HTC has paused production on roughly a fifth of its total capacity and has been looking to outsource to contract manufacturers to save money. (Update: The company tells Engadget that it hasn't shut down any of its manufacturing lines) Reuters says that it has seen parts of HTC's factories closed up, and reports that cash flow pressures have forced the smartphone maker to make serious changes -- the company reported its first net loss back in October, a total of $101.2 million. HTC's Chief Marketing Officer Ben Ho told the news service that, "Like any manufacturer, we do volume planning to optimize our lines, our manufacturing and production facilities." At the same time, the WSJ reports that HTC has apparently met with several manufacturers with a view to moving production away from in-house. If there's any positive angle here, perhaps it's all part of HTC's grand plan to ready itself for those new wearables and tablets it's apparently planning. Update: HTC's followed up on its CMO's comments, adding that it has no plans to sell off any of its production assets: "HTC is not shutting down nor does it have plans to sell any of its factory assets. HTC has a very strong balance sheet and will provide the latest financials in our upcoming earnings call to investors and the broader community."
Wii discontinued in Japan
To put this situation into parrot terms, the Japanese SKU of the Wii is pining for the fjords. Nintendo of Japan's official site lists the console as "discontinued," according to Engadget's translation. Earlier this month we learned that Nintendo planned to halt production of the console, though it was unclear whether the company intended to shut down all manufacturing processes, or only those concerning the Japanese Wii. There's still no indication that supply lines in North America or Europe have been altered, but we've reached out to Nintendo to find out precisely what the dealio, yo. In any event, this means that there are now a finite number of Japanese Wii units in existence. We anticipate that the remaining new Wii units will undoubtedly be pitted against each other in a ruthless battle to the death – or a lot more people will be buying used Wiis, whatever.
Nintendo stops selling Wii consoles in Japan
That was quick. Just a few weeks after it became clear that Nintendo would stop manufacturing the Wii for Japan, the company has quietly listed the console as "discontinued" (upper right) on its Japanese website. From now on, local gamers wanting a Wii fix will either have to pick up the backwards-compatible Wii U or hunt for leftover stock at retailers. It's not quite the end of an era when both the regular Wii and Wii Mini remain available in other countries; with that said, we wouldn't count on the last-generation system hanging around for much longer.
Intel delays Broadwell chips to early 2014 due to production yield problems
We hope you weren't dead set on buying devices using Intel's Broadwell processors, as the company has delayed production of the 14-nanometer CPU line to early 2014. Fixes for early manufacturing defects didn't work as well as expected, CEO Brian Krzanich says, limiting Intel's ability to produce enough functioning chips. The setback shouldn't affect Skylake, Broadwell's successor. Still, it's not good news for a semiconductor firm that's scrounging for good news in an unforgiving PC market.
Nintendo Wii production to cease 'soon,' at least in Japan
Manufacturing of the aging Wii game console will end "soon," Nintendo of Japan says. Kotaku spotted the note on a product page for the Wii on Nintendo's website, which reads "Manufacturing is scheduled to end soon." It's unclear if this affects worldwide production or just Japan, but we've asked Nintendo for more info. The news doesn't come as a huge surprise, though, as Nintendo's new game console comes with the ability to play Wii games built-in. A recent update even added the ability to play said Wii games directly on the Wii U gamepad screen -- the main selling point of owning a Wii U. It also doesn't hurt that tens of millions of Wiis are already out there in the world, Nintendo having finally sated the years-long demand for the seven year old console.
Nine Inch Nails puts Kinect, various other gadgets to use on festival tour
It's no secret that Nine Inch Nails' frontman Trent Reznor likes to do things a bit differently. He and long-time art director Rob Sheridan have assembled a crew to make the group's festival dates this year as visually stunning as the audio promises to be. Along with a slew of other high-tech gadgetry, there's a Kinect that handles motion tracking with captured movements projected onto a handful of mobile video screens. Alongside thermal and regular ol' video cameras, live video content is piped on-stage during specific parts of the set -- with a hand from the folks at Moment Factory, a multimedia environment studio. Reznor also notes that much of the system is "a bunch of homemade software and hardware effects that they've tied together" with the goal of creating a film-like quality to an hour and a half performance. For a 13-minute, behind the scenes look at the prep work, head on past the break.
Black Milk's digital divide
Before we arrive, his manager, Hex Murda, warns us that the producer's setup is "minimal." It's hard to say, precisely what that means in these days of bedroom superstars, but we've done our best to tamp down expectations in the wake of our visit to the sprawling analog forests of John Vanderslice's Tiny Telephone studios. Black Milk moved to Dallas from his native Detroit roughly eight months before, to a relatively quiet street 10 minutes from downtown. In spite of having lived in the space for the better part of a year, the apartment has that just-moved-in feel. There aren't many places to sit, unless you're willing to set up camp on top of one of the stacked boxes of Synth or Soul 12-inches he and his girlfriend are packing up ahead of the upcoming Record Store Day. Not exactly the sort of studio environment one anticipates when visiting one of alternative hip-hop's leading producers / MCs with a resume that includes the likes of Slum Village, Guilty Simpson and Jack White. "I'm thinking of extending the studio out there," he tells us. At the moment, there's not a lot in the common area, save for a couch and a TV he says he never really watches. It would be ideal for some additional recording equipment and the drum set he left back in Michigan, assuming the neighbors don't mind, that is. For the time being, however, it's ground zero for Black Milk mail order -- buy something through blackmilk.biz, and there's a pretty good chance it'll be boxed up and shipped out by one of the apartment's two residents.
Tim Cook talks about US-made Mac with Politico
Last year, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that Apple was bringing production of an existing Mac line to the US. Cook shared some additional details on the project in an interview with Politco that was published yesterday. Besides being assembled in the US, many of the components will be produced in the US. Cook confirmed to Politico that this manufacturing and assembly will be spread across many states in the US. Anna Palmer of Politico writes, "We're going very deep in this project," Cook said, noting that not only will the final product be manufactured in the US, but so will many of its components. Arizona, Texas, Illinois, Florida and Kentucky are among the states he mentioned as having parts and assembly located. Apple will invest US$100 million in this domestic manufacturing project. You can read the entire interview on Politico's website. [Via MacRumors]
Tim Cook says US-made Mac will be new model in an existing family
When Apple's Tim Cook revealed that his company would once more assemble a Mac line in the US, there was a flood of questions almost immediately: which model? Where would it be made? While the CEO isn't revealing all his cards quite yet, he just gave us a better sense of those domestic production plans through a Politico interview. The American Mac will be a new iteration of an existing family, Cook says. It also won't just be a collection of parts shipped from overseas, as multiple pieces will come from Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky and Texas. We're glad to hear that Apple's partial shift to US manufacturing is sincere, although the timing of the news isn't coincidental: Cook is about to defend Apple's growing offshore cash supply in front of a Senate committee, and any visible support for the US economy is likely to burnish his firm's image.
Adobe to go subscription-only with Creative Cloud software
As Adobe finds its footing in a cloud-based world, it pulled a move that most likely will generate a backlash from the students and creative professionals that rely on its software. Adobe announced that the Creative Suite software will be rebranded as Creative Cloud and confirmed it will no longer develop the Creative Suite line. Adobe CS6 will still be supported and available for purchase, but all future products will be provided through the subscription-only Creative Cloud service. As part of this announcement, Adobe demonstrated the first version of the new Adobe Photoshop CC. The move shouldn't come as a huge surprise. The writing's been on the wall since the launch of the Creative Suite subscription service in 2011 and Creative Cloud in 2012. Adobe announced in March that it would end sales of boxed versions of Creative Suite and Acrobat by May 1. New products such as Muse have been exclusive to the service. The Next Web says that its sources told them that it was a way for the company to stabilize its income, rather than the little bursts of extra revenue when a new release, but it (and I) agree that piracy is also a huge concern. Even with discounts, Adobe's software was out of the price range for many students and entry-level professionals. It was the thing everyone knew but didn't speak aloud -- if you had a personal copy of an Adobe product, it was most likely pirated. With Creative Cloud, it is a lot easier to access Adobe's suite of software legally. Even though you're paying more over a longer period of time, $20 to $50 per month is an easier chunk to swallow than the full price of the Creative Suite software. But that move isn't for everyone, and therein lies the problem. As a friend pointed out to me, digital artists and freelancers don't always have guaranteed income. If income runs short one month and they can't make the subscription payment, their access to the software that provides their livelihood is cut off. Fellow TUAW writers Erica Sadun and Mel Martin echoed their displeasure for Adobe's move, saying that it took people's choice away. "Going to web-only is a bridge too far," Erica said. Mel agreed. "I don't want a subscription. I don't want the cloud," he said. Though Adobe is pushing that way, not everyone wants to be tied to the web service. Adobe's subscription plan is $19.99 per month for a single piece of software and $49.95 per month for access to all of its software, plus updates. If you're using CS6 now, you can upgrade to the CC software this summer without having to worry about buying additional software. Existing CS3-5 customers can get the complete Creative Cloud for $29.99 per month for the first year and CS6 for $19.99 per month. There's separate pricing tiers for businesses and education, with the education plan being $19.99 per month for the first year and $29.99 per month after that.
