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☆ Intel used to dominate the U.S. chip industry. Now it's struggling to stay relevant
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +16 min

David Paul Morris | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesThe iPhone could have had an Intel chip inside. It would've made sense to use Intel chips, which ran on the best desktops at the time, including Apple's Macs. Braithwaite, who worked at Intel in the 1980s, said Intel's process engineers were the company's "crown jewels." Intel doesn't have a GPU competitor to Nvidia's AI accelerators, but it has an AI chip called Gaudi 3. For comparison, AMD expects about $2 billion in annual AI chip revenue.

Persons: Pat Gelsinger, Seth Wenig, Gelsinger, Biden, Nicholas Braithwaite, Akshara Bassi, It's, Steve Jobs, David Paul Morris, Apple, Paul Otellini, Walter Isaacson's, Otellini, Isaacson, Jobs, Apple didn't, Apple —, TSMC, Mikako Kitagawa, Joe Biden, Brendan Smialowski, Braithwaite, Gordon Moore, Moore's, Brian Krzanich, 7nm —, TSMC didn't, Jensen Huang, Josh Edelson, OpenAI, Gaudi, Intel's, it's, Bassi, CNBC's Jon Fortt Organizations: Intel, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Nvidia, Micro Computer, Qualcomm, Broadcom, Texas Instruments, AMD, Apple, Celesta, Meta, Microsoft, Getty, Samsung, Gartner, Asus, AFP, Semiconductor, Engineers, SAP Center, Afp, Companies, Blackwell, Habana Labs, Gaudi, FactSet, U.S Locations: New York, American, U.S, Chandler , Arizona, California, San Jose , California, Taiwan, Columbus , Ohio

☆ 15 million Toshiba laptop adapters recalled over burn and fire risks
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York, New York CNN —Dynabook Americas, the company formerly known as Toshiba, has recalled 15.5 million Toshiba laptop AC adapters over potential burn and fire hazards. The company said it received 679 reports of the recalled AC adapters overheating or catching on fire, melting and burning, including 43 reports of minor burn injuries. The recall applies to AC adapters sold both alongside Toshiba personal laptop computers and sold separately, with date codes ranging between April 2008 through December 2012. Toshiba was once a leading player in the laptop market but now makes up about 1%, according to market research firm Gartner. AC adapters made headlines years ago for risks around heating up quickly and catching on fire.

Persons: ”, Mikako Kitagawa, ” Kitawgawa Organizations: York , New York CNN, Dynabook, Toshiba, Gartner, Lenovo, HP, Dell, Apple Locations: York , New York, Dynabook Americas, China, Canada

The latest craze in Japan: The pig café. Very relaxing and enjoyable,” said Brad Loomis, a software engineer from Pullman, Washington, after visiting Tokyo’s Mipig Café with his 21-year-old daughter, Paige. Customers pay 2,200 yen ($15) for the first 30 minutes in the company of the pigs. The Mipig Café in fashionable Harajuku is among 10 such pig cafes the operator has opened around Japan. The animals, known as “micro pigs,” don’t get bigger than a corgi dog, even as adults.

Persons: cafés, lattes, ”, Brad Loomis, Tokyo’s Mipig, Paige, Shiho Kitagawa, Ben Russell, Sophie Mo’unga, Sachiko Azuma, Azuma, Bruce Kornreich, I’m, Kornreich, ” Paige Loomis, ___ Yuri Kageyama Organizations: TOKYO, —, corgi, Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell Feline Health Center Locations: Japan, Pullman , Washington, Tokyo, Mipig, Kyoto, New Zealand, Ithaca, N.Y

☆ Dell misses quarterly revenue estimates on slow PC market recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Harshita Mary Varghese | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The company's client solutions group, which includes its consumer and enterprise personal computer business, posted revenue of $12.28 billion for the third quarter, a near 11% fall compared to a year earlier. However, Dell has more impact than its competitors due to the weakness in the business PC market, which is a core market (for the company)," said Mikako Kitagawa, analyst at Gartner. Dell's servers and networking business revenue was up 9% from the second quarter, fueled by customer interest in generative artificial intelligence, Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clarke said. Revenue for the third quarter came in at $22.25 billion for Dell, missing estimates of $23 billion, according to LSEG data. The PC market is expected to bank on demand from AI boost, according to research firm Canalys, as it projects adoption of AI-capable PCs to accelerate from 2025 onward, with such devices accounting for around 60% of all PCs shipped in 2027.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, lockdowns, Dell, Mikako Kitagawa, Jeff Clarke, Harshita Mary Varghese, Maju Samuel Organizations: Dell, Dell Inc, REUTERS, UNITED STATES, Dell Technologies, Gartner, Nvidia, Revenue, Intel, AMD, Thomson Locations: New York

TOKYO (AP) — The Japanese entertainment company that has acknowledged its founder sexually assaulted hundreds of boys over the span of half a century, took a new name on Monday: Smile-Up. Higashiyama, tapped last month to head the old Johnny’s, will now be president of both Smile-Up and the new company. “All things with the Johnny’s name will have to go,” Higashiyama told reporters at a Tokyo hotel. Payments will begin next month, Higashiyama said. That causes great pain to the victims,” said Junya Hiramoto, who heads a group of Johnny’s victims.

Persons: Noriyuki Higashiyama, Johnny’s, ” Higashiyama, “, Johnny Kitagawa, Higashiyama, Kitagawa’s, Julie Keiko Fujishima, Fujishima, ”, Mary, Kitagawa, Johnny, Yoshihito Kawakami, Junya Hiramoto, Yuri Kageyama Organizations: TOKYO, Johnny, Associates, Johnny’s, BBC, Johnny & Associates, Associated Press Locations: Tokyo, Johnny’s, Japan

TOKYO (AP) — The Japanese boys-band production company at the center of an unfolding sexual abuse scandal, Johnny & Associates, chose three former judges Wednesday to head its effort to compensate hundreds of victims. “We recognize that the late Johnny Kitagawa carried out sexual assaults over a long period, and we apologize to the victims from the bottom of our hearts,” the company said. Among the latest was Kao Corp., a chemical and cosmetics company, which cited “considerations for people’s various feelings” on Tuesday. McDonald’s Japan has also said it will stop using Johnny’s stars in future deals, but past ads featuring them remained on its official site. Johnny’s stars are extremely popular, leading to sponsorship revenue and hit TV shows.

Persons: Johnny Kitagawa, Kitagawa, Julie Keiko Fujishima, Johnny's, Noriyuki Higashiyama, Johnny’s, “, ”, McDonald’s, ___ Yuri Kageyama Organizations: TOKYO, Johnny & Associates, Asahi Group Holdings, Suntory Holdings, Kao Corp, Public, NHK, Japan Federation of Bar, Business, Rights Locations: Tokyo, Japan, McDonald’s Japan

TOKYO (AP) — Several major Japanese companies have decided to stop using stars who are represented by Johnny & Associates, an entertainment company at the center of a sexual assault scandal. Victims have come forward, demanding an apology and financial compensation from Johnny & Associates, which remains one of this nation’s most powerful entertainment companies. Critics say the mainstream news media kept silent because it didn’t want to lose access to Johnny’s stars for their programming. But public opinion has shifted dramatically in recent months, with the wave of companies dropping Johnny's expected to grow. Suntory Holdings said it will stop using Johnny’s personnel in its ads and has formally demanded improved corporate governance.

Persons: Johnny &, Junichi Okada, Toma Ikuta, Sho Sakurai, Johnny, Julie Keiko Fujishima, Johnny Kitagawa, Fujishima, Kitagawa, Hibiki, Hokuto, Atsushi Katsuki, Johnny's, ”, ___ Yuri Kageyama Organizations: TOKYO, Johnny, Johnny & Associates, Beverage, Asahi Group Holdings, Johnny’s, Japan Airlines, Nippon Life Insurance, Suntory Holdings, Asahi, Twitter Locations: Tokyo, SixTONES

☆ Head of Japan's top pop agency resigns after admitting founder Johnny Kitagawa sexually abused minors
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The head of Japan’s top pop agency Johnny & Associates stepped down Thursday after admitting that her uncle, the company’s late founder, had sexually abused minors for years, following months of international scrutiny and an independent investigation. Julie K Fujishima, the niece of Johnny Kitagawa, announced her resignation in a news conference Thursday, saying the company would compensate the victims of her uncle’s abuse, according to public broadcaster NHK. It was the first time the agency has addressed the media about the scandal, according to NHK. He alleged that over the course of four years, beginning in 2012 when he was 15, he was repeatedly sexually assaulted by Kitagawa. In 1999, a Japanese magazine published accounts of other young men and boys who claimed they were sexually abused by Kitagawa.

Persons: Julie K Fujishima, Johnny Kitagawa, Kitagawa, Noriyuki Higashiyama, Higashiyama, “, Jae, Mary Kitagawa, Fujishima, Kauan Okamoto Organizations: CNN, Johnny, NHK, BBC, Johnny & Associates, Associates Locations: Tokyo

☆ Japan's Johnny Kitagawa sex abuse scandal forces shake-up at J-pop agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Francis Tang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Sept 7 (Reuters) - The niece of Johnny Kitagawa, the late J-pop magnate at the centre of a sexual abuse scandal that has shocked Japan, said on Thursday that she had stepped down as the head of the talent agency her uncle had founded. As more Japanese media took up the story, lawmakers voiced outrage, while the United Nations' human rights experts also criticised the talent agency for its handling of the allegations. At a press conference televised live by most broadcasters, Kitagawa's niece Julie K. Fujishima said she had stepped down as president on Tuesday. Noriyuki Higashiyama, a former member of the popular 1980s boy-band Shonentai, was the new head of the agency, Fujishima said. But the scandal blew up this year as more victims came forward after the BBC's report, leading to demands for stricter laws to prevent child abuse and a formal apology from the agency.

Persons: Johnny Kitagawa, Kitagawa, Kitagawa's, Julie K, Fujishima, Noriyuki, Higashiyama, Francis Tang, Kantaro Komiya, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Chang, Ran Kim, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: BBC, United Nations, Johnny, Associates, Johnny's Juniors, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, East Asia

Fujishima said the alleged sex abuse had really happened and that she would stay on the company’s board to see through a victim compensation program. A group of men who accused Kitagawa of raping them as children said they were pleased the company apologized, but some had reservations. The three-month probe concluded that Johnny Kitagawa sexually assaulted and abused boys as far back as the 1950s and targeted at least several hundred people. The men who have come forward say Kitagawa raped, fondled and abused them while they were working for his company as dancers and singers. One man who came forward recently said he was routinely molested when Kitagawa had yet to found his company.

Persons: Julie Keiko Fujishima, Johnny Kitagawa, ” Fujishima, Fujishima, Kitagawa, Yukihiro Oshima, Noriyuki Higashiyama, “, ” Higashiyama, ”, Higashiyama, ” ___ Yuri Kageyama Organizations: TOKYO, Johnny & Associates, BBC Locations: Tokyo

The president of one of Japan’s most influential entertainment agencies resigned after an independent investigation confirmed the company’s founder, Johnny Kitagawa, had sexually abused young men in his care since the 1970s. His reputation as a hitmaker associated with some of Japan’s most popular boy bands protected Mr. Kitagawa from scandal, even after his death in 2019 at age 87. Under immense scrutiny, Johnny & Associates announced in May that it was forming an internal investigative panel to “prevent the recurrence” of future abuse. At a news conference on Thursday, Julie Keiko Fujishima, Mr. Kitagawa’s niece, acknowledged the results of the investigation and apologized on behalf of herself and the company. She also announced she had resigned as the company’s president on Wednesday.

Persons: Johnny Kitagawa, Kitagawa, Julie Keiko Fujishima, Kitagawa’s Organizations: Johnny & Associates Locations: Japan

☆ Japan's Hamaguchi revives himself with dark nature film
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Hanna Rantala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] The 80th Venice Film Festival - Premiere for the film "Evil Does Not Exist" in competition - Red Carpet - Venice, Italy, September 4, 2023 - Satoshi Takata, Ryuji Kosaka, Hitoshi Omika, Ayaka Shibutani, Ryo Nishikawa, Eiko Ishibashi, Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Yoshio Kitagawa pose. Hamaguchi won an Oscar for best international film with "Drive My Car" in 2022 and took the Grand Jury Prize at the 2021 Berlin Film Festival with his romantic drama "Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy", significantly boosting his international profile. I think that's why I made this film," Hamaguchi told Reuters ahead of the screening of "Evil Does Not Exist". "Where the title came from is really me watching and observing nature," said Hamaguchi. But that's not really the message of the film and I don't think anyone watching the film will think that evil does not exist," he said.

Persons: Satoshi Takata, Ryuji Kosaka, Hitoshi Omika, Ayaka Shibutani, Ryo Nishikawa, Eiko, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Yoshio Kitagawa, Yara, Hamaguchi, that's, Crispian Balmer, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Venice, Italy, Tokyo

☆ Dell raises full-year forecasts on AI strength, demand recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Zaheer Kachwala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo for Dell Technologies Inc. is displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., January 10, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid Acquire Licensing RightsAug 31 (Reuters) - Dell Technologies (DELL.N) raised its full-year forecast for revenue and profit on Thursday, as it benefited from the artificial intelligence (AI) boom and stabilizing demand for computer hardware and server products after a months-long slump. "AI is already showing it's a long-term tailwind, with continued demand growth across our portfolio," Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clarke said. The company forecast third-quarter revenue between $22.5 billion and $23.5 billion beating analysts' estimates of $21.67 billion, according to Refinitiv data. Dell reported second quarter revenue and EPS above analyst estimates.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Jeff Clarke, Dell, Mikako Kitagawa, Zaheer Kachwala, Shailesh Organizations: Dell Technologies Inc, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Dell Technologies, Cisco, Nvidia, Big Tech, Dell, Revenue, Gartner, HP Inc, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, , Texas, China, Bengaluru

Hong Kong CNN —The head of Japan’s biggest music agency has apologized over allegations of years-long sexual abuse committed by its founder, the late entertainment mogul Johnny Kitagawa. “We sincerely apologize for the great deal of trouble caused by our founder Johnny Kitagawa’s alleged sexual abuse of individuals,” said Julie Fujishima, the company’s president and CEO. “On the other hand, Johnny Kitagawa, who is the party concerned, cannot speak on the accusations.”Fujishima also warned of the risk of “slander, due to speculation,” suggesting skepticism over some claims. They spoke about alleged sexual assault committed by Johnny Kitagawa, who died in 2019. A Tokyo High Court partially overturned the earlier decision in 2003, ruling the published sexual abuse claims were not libelous.

☆ AMD's lackluster forecast sparks selloff in shares
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Tiyashi Datta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The stock fell more than 6% in early trading and was set to erase nearly $9 billion in market value. Intel, whose shares rose last week on a more upbeat PC market outlook, gained more than 2%. The PC market has been in a slump for the past few quarters after a demand surge during the pandemic, while data center spending has also slowed as the economic outlook worsens. AMD, whose smaller and more efficient data center chips had helped it take market share from Intel last year, missed estimates for both PC and data center chip sales in the first quarter. "AMD results were more vulnerable (to the PC slump) than Intel's because most AMD-based PC customers were consumers.

"AMD results were more vulnerable than Intel's because most AMD-based PC customers were consumers. In contrast, Intel had a significant share in the business PC segment," said Mikako Kitagawa, analyst at research firm Gartner. "The results reflect a weaker consumer PC segment than the business PC segment." Order cuts by networking equipment makers have also cast a shadow over demand for products by Xilinx, the data center and networking chip company AMD acquired last year. Data center segment revenue was flat at $1.30 billion during the quarter.

Japanese-Brazilian singer-songwriter Kauan Okamoto alleged during a press conference that over the course of four years, beginning in 2012 when he was 15, he was repeatedly sexually assaulted by Kitagawa, who died age 87 in 2019. In 1999, Japanese magazine Shukan Bunshun published accounts of other young men and boys who claimed they were sexually abused by Kitagawa. They ‘knew it was my turn’Singer-songwriter Okamoto joined Kitagawa’s agency in February 2012 while he was in junior high school. Okamoto said Kitagawa would often invite these young recruits to spend the night in his apartment, and pick “favorites” among the boys. “He began massaging my feet,” Okamoto said, and alleged that Kitagawa touched his genitals and performed oral sex on him.

☆ Microsoft raised the bar for Windows PCs with its Surface computers, despite low share after a decade
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

In 2012, the Surface with Windows RT, later named Surface RT, was more than just a touchscreen slab like Apple's iPad. The inaugural Surface, the Surface RT running Windows RT, boasted clever physical attributes. Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro Source: Microsoft.comIn 2013 Microsoft brought out the Surface RT's more expensive and more powerful sibling, the Surface Pro. He bought a Surface Pro 3 and then a Surface Pro 7. If someone buys the Surface Pro 7 for a good price, he'll upgrade to the Surface Pro 9, which has a larger display.

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