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☆ Cracker Barrel is in a battle for relevancy. One of its solutions is surprising
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-01 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New Cracker Barrels might be smaller restaurants altogether, with menus that include new items like green chili cornbread and banana pudding. Discounted dinner from 4 to 6 p.m.Why would Cracker Barrel, so desperate for relevancy, lean into a tactic typically used to attract senior citizens? A woman eats lunch at Cracker Barrel. Masino didn’t explicitly mention the specials during the discussion about the long-term strategy for Cracker Barrel. To compete in this environment, Cracker Barrel realizes it has to offer some type of deal.

Persons: Julie Felss Masino, ” Masino, ”, Jeff Greenberg, Baby, Masino, Lisa W, Miller, RJ Hottovy, It’s, “, John A, Gordon Organizations: New, New York CNN, Universal, Getty, Baby Boomers, Miller & Associates, Street Journal, Pacific Management Consulting Group Locations: New York, The Tennessee, Placer.ai

☆ Publishers and advertisers demand that Apple's Tim Cook stop the rollout of an anticipated 'web eraser' tool over fears it'll hobble web advertising
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

You can opt-out at any time by visiting our Preferences page or by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of the email. download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. The French group of trade associations fears that Apple's web eraser could represent another example of Big Tech implementing disruptive changes over which media and advertising companies have no control. Apple generates advertising and subscription revenue from its Apple News service, though it makes the majority of its ad revenue from search ads within the Apple App Store. A spokesperson for the NMA said the organization hadn't heard back from Apple since it sent the letter on May 10.

Persons: —, Tim Cook, Apple's Cook, Thierry Breton, Apple, NMA, hadn't Organizations: Service, Apple, Business, Safari, Alliance, SRI, Union des Marques, Big Tech, Google, Facebook, Publishers, Apple News, French Competition Authority, Europe's, UK's News Media Association, Daily Mail, Guardian Locations: France, Europe, Germany

☆ Samsung union calls first ever strike after pay negotiations stall
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Yoonjung Seo | Juliana Liu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Seoul/Hong Kong CNN —A labor union representing tens of thousands of workers at Samsung Electronics in South Korea has called a one-day strike next week, in what would be the first such walkout at the smartphone and chipmaking giant. The Nationwide Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) said on Wednesday during a press conference streamed on its official Youtube channel that its 28,000 members — just under a quarter of the company’s total workforce in the country — would strike on June 7, following failed negotiations over pay and bonus arrangements. Son Woomok, leader of the Nationwide Samsung Electronics Union, speaks to CNN on May 29, 2024. The vast majority of the world’s advanced microchips are made in just two places: Taiwan and South Korea. Taiwan’s industry is larger and more dominant, something South Korea is keen to challenge.

Persons: —, ”, Woomok, Yoonjung Seo, chipmaker Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Samsung Electronics, Nationwide Samsung Electronics Union, CNN, Samsung, Wall Street, Intel Locations: Seoul, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan

☆ Finding investment opportunities as AI heads to mobile devices
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFinding investment opportunities as AI heads to mobile devicesJames Lee, managing director at Mizuho Securities, joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss AI's monetization in the consumer space, the buzz around potential charges for AI on mobile devices, and more.

Persons: James Lee Organizations: Mizuho Securities

☆ How Ace Hardware, America’s neighborhood hardware store for 100 years, is beating its big-box rivals
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Parija Bhatnagar | Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

A majority of Ace Hardware stores are located in neighborhoods. Courtesy Ace HardwareBarker is owner and operator of five Breed & Co Ace Hardware locations in the Austin, Texas, area. We count on people coming in everyday to buy a gift item from us.”This hybrid hardware-home goods-curio model is setting Ace Hardware stores apart. “They are essentially shareholders, they own the brand and the company,” said Kim Lefko, chief marketing officer of Ace Hardware. It just launched its first Ace-branded food product, a line of BBQ sauces, and a collection of Ace Hardware vintage-inspired clothing.

Persons: New York CNN — Mahin Barker, ”, Sherwin Williams, ” Neil Saunders, Hardware’s, today’s, Michael Brown, It’s, “, Barker, ” Barker, we’ve, ” Brown, “ We’ve, Kim Lefko, Lefko, John Madden, Pat Summerall, Michael Wynn, Vera Bradley, ” Wynn, Wynn Organizations: New, New York CNN, Home Depot, Hardware, Ace Hardware, Globaldata, “, NFL, Acon Investments, Sunshine Locations: New York, West Lake Hills, Austin , Texas, Brook , Illinois, Placer, remodels, Lake Hills, Chicago, Southern Florida, Florida

☆ Cybersecurity professionals share best practices for securing 5G networks
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Professionals at the RSA Conference shared insights on securing 5G devices and networks. Business Insider spoke with several cybersecurity professionals at the annual RSA Conference, which took place from May 6 to 9 in San Francisco. Private 5G networks will change the way in which everything connects." Here are cybersecurity professionals' best practices for securing 5G devices and networks. That's because as more devices get connected to 5G networks, the bigger the attack surface becomes.

Persons: —, Nathan Howe, it's, Andrea Carcano, Boaz Gelbord, Donna Johnson, you've, Christine Gadsby, It's, Darren Guccione, Guccione, Jimmy Mesta, Carcano Organizations: RSA, Service, Business, RSA Conference, Nozomi Networks, BlackBerry, RAD Security Locations: San Francisco, cybersecurity

☆ The Baltimore Bridge cargo ship’s crew has been stuck on board for 7 weeks. What life is like on the Dali vessel
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Holly Yan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Mark Nestlehutt boarded the Dali cargo ship a week after it crashed into a Baltimore bridge, anxious questions emerged among the 21 crew members:“When will I get off the ship? When will I be able to get home?”More than a month later, crew members still don’t know the answers. But the FBI has only returned some of the crew members’ SIM cards, he said. They’re also assisting with the salvors.”The Singaporean-flagged Dali cargo vessel is shown on March 26, hours after it destroyed Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge. Their one-month visas expired during the nearly two months they’ve been trapped on the Dali, Duan said.

Persons: Mark Nestlehutt, They’ve, Dali, Francis Scott Key, ”, Gwee Guo Duan, they’ve, Philip C, Schifflin Jr, ” Schifflin, Nestlehutt, “, Duan, Dave Heindel, Bro Chen Chuanyi, ” Don Marcus, Darrell Wilson, They’re, Baltimore's Francis Scott Key, Julia Nikhinson, ” Wilson, Wilson, Duan –, can’t, “ They’re, ” Duan, nonessential, Schifflin, Gloria Pazmino Organizations: CNN, Francis Scott Key Bridge, FBI, Singapore Maritime Officers ’ Union, Center, Mariner, Federal Register, Seamen’s Church Institute, Singapore Organisation of Seamen, International Union, ”, ITF, International Organization of Masters, Synergy Marine, –, Marine, Synergy, National Transportation Safety, Walmart Locations: Baltimore, Lankan, United States, Dali

☆ RSA CEO Rohit Ghai says emergent 5G technology increases the need to protect critical networks
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Emergent 5G technology is faster and more secure than ever. "There's a huge amount of intellectual property and corporate data that sits on mobile devices," Ghai said. 5G networks are very, very dynamic. The other change is using identity and access governance to make sure privileged access to IT and OT [operational technology] networks is managed. That same pattern follows in 5G networks.

Persons: Rohit Ghai, Ghai, —, It's Organizations: Service, RSA, Infrastructure Security, 5G Locations: San Francisco, cybersecurity

☆ Samsung stock: Shares rise after tech firm reports big jump in profit
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The upbeat outlook from the world’s largest memory chip maker sent its shares 1.8% higher on Tuesday after it reported a more than 10-fold rise in first-quarter operating profit. Operating profit rose to 6.6 trillion won in January to March, up from 640 billion won a year earlier. It was the company’s highest operating profit since the third quarter of 2022. Samsung’s mobile devices business booked a 3.51 trillion won operating profit in the first quarter, down from 3.94 trillion won a year earlier. Rising costs, including increased memory chip prices, dented margins from its flagship Galaxy S24 smartphones launched during the quarter.

Persons: ” Jaejune Kim, Jeff Kim, ” Kim Organizations: Seoul Reuters, Samsung Electronics, Samsung, SK Hynix’s, Nvidia, SK Hynix, AMD, KB Securities, Apple Locations: Seoul, China

☆ 10 Years, 100 Stories: The Work That Defines the Upshot
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( The Upshot Staff | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +20 min

Ten years ago this week, The New York Times introduced the Upshot, a section devoted to explaining “politics, policy and everyday life.” That’s a wide scope, by design. As a result, more than 5,000 articles later, the Upshot has been many things to many readers. To mark our 10th birthday, we’ve collected 100 stories that embody the Upshot. WordleBot Eden Weingart/The New York Times When Wordle first became popular, several people on the internet claimed, plausibly, that they had come up with the “best” opening word. Force of Ship Impact Was on the Scale of a Rocket Launch Erin Schaff/The New York Times We think of the Upshot as a place where back-of-the-envelope calculations can be both helpful and welcome.

Persons: ”, Nate Cohn’s, we’ve, Kevin Quealy, John Branch, John, Patrick Thomas, tut, Trump, pollsters, Obamacare, Leif Parsons, We’re, Jason Henry, Tony Luong, Jordan, ‘, Ruth Fremson, Laurel, ’ Rodrigo Corral, Alex Welsh, Paul Romer, Tim Enthoven, Barack Obama, epidemiologists, It’s, you’re, WordleBot Eden, Wordle, Lila Barth, McCabe, Tom Brady, ChatGPT, —, Erin Schaff Organizations: New York Times, Facebook, Yankees, Red, State Newspaper, ESPN, The Athletic, The Times, You’re, Voters, Trump, Mr, Times, Siena College, Walmart, The New York Times, Jordan Siemens, Health, New, Nike, Democratic, Twitter, America, Iowa, Iowa Democratic, Cancer, Hit, Biden, Insurance, Roe America, Disorders, Republican, Republican Party of, U.S, Budget, NASA, National, Traffic, Administration, Yorkers, Force Locations: It’s, Red Sox, State, America, Dakota, Ireland, Chipotle, Japan, U.S, United States, Siena, New Pennsylvania, District, Iowa, Covid, York City, New York, Pennsylvania, Roe, Tonga, Arizona, York, Holland

☆ Baidu says its ChatGPT-like Ernie bot exceeds 200 million users
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Men interact with a Baidu AI robot near the company logo at its headquarters in Beijing, China April 23, 2021. Florence Lo | ReutersSHENZHEN — Baidu CEO Robin Li said Tuesday the company's ChatGPT-like Ernie bot has exceeded 200 million users. Li, who is also co-founder and chairman of Baidu, was delivering an opening speech titled "Everyone is a Developer" at Baidu's AI Create conference. Smartphone companies Samsung and Honor have integrated Ernie's AI capabilities with certain mobile devices. Li said in February that Baidu's AI chip reserve "enables us to continue enhancing Ernie for the next one or two years."

Persons: Florence Lo, Robin Li, Ernie, Li, Joe Tsai Organizations: Baidu, Reuters SHENZHEN, Samsung, Norges Bank Investment Management Locations: Beijing, China

☆ Fidelity targets the next generation of investors with teen-inspired portfolios
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Tessa Campbell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

They're available through the Fidelity Youth app and target market sectors that young investors are most interested in. AdvertisementTeens can access Youth Baskets without paying the $4.99 monthly Fidelity Basket Portfolios subscription. However, teen-inspired baskets don't have the same flexibility and customization as regular Fidelity Basket Portfolios. How to invest in Fidelity Youth BasketsAnyone aged 13-17 with an active Fidelity Youth account can invest in Fidelity Youth Baskets free of subscriptions or additional fees. Investors 18 and up must pay the $4.99 subscription fee to access Fidelity Basket Portfolios.

Persons: —, Kelly Lannan, we've, Said, they'll Organizations: Fidelity, Service, Social Media, Fidelity Investments, Entertainment Fidelity, Apple, Netflix, Disney, Entertainment

☆ After a dismal year, Samsung forecasts a 900% jump in profit
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Diksha Madhok | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New Delhi CNN —Samsung Electronics has said it expects to report a huge rise in its operating profit in the first quarter, offering hopes of a strong recovery after a dismal 2023. The South Korean tech giant estimates its operating profit to have increased to 6.6 trillion Korean won ($4.9 billion) in the January-to-March quarter, from the 0.64 trillion won reported a year earlier, according to an earnings guidance released on Friday. The forecast is higher than consensus estimates of 5.4 trillion won from FactSet. Sales are expected to have risen by more than 11% to 71 trillion won, the world’s biggest memory chip maker added. The upbeat forecast comes after Samsung reported four straight quarters of declining profits, as demand for consumer devices and the chips that power them remained sluggish last year.

Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, Samsung Electronics, South, FactSet, Samsung Locations: New Delhi

☆ Samsung says it needs to 'redefine' its voice assistant Bixby with generative AI upgrade
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"So Bixby has been a key voice assistants voice assistant for Samsung not just for the mobile devices, but also for TVs and digital appliances that exist in Samsung's ecosystem. So it has been the core voice assistant assistant so far," Won-joon Choi, executive vice president at Samsung's mobile business, told CNBC in an interview last month. Choi did not give a timeline when Bixby may get generative AI features, but said that Samsung is "working so hard" to deliver them. Samsung's focus on the technology comes at a time when investors are scrutinizing what Apple will deliver when it comes to generative AI. Apple announced it would hold its annual developers conference, WWDC, in June, when the company is largely expected to talk up some AI features across its products.

Persons: SeongJoon Cho, Bixby, Samsung's Bixby, joon Choi, Choi Organizations: Samsung Electronics Co, Samsung, Bloomberg, Getty, CNBC, Galaxy, Google, Apple Locations: Seoul, South Korea

☆ This chip stock is mounting another attempt at a breakout, according to the charts
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Todd Gordon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Arm Holdings is a UK-based semiconductor and software design company that has been around for quite some time and been through multiple corporate events, changes of ownership and multiple large investors. The majority shareholder of Arm (ARM) is Japanese conglomerate Softbank, which bought the company in 2016 before taking it public again on the Nasdaq in 2023. The stock formed a base into March, held $120-area support and is now mounting another attack after breaking the gray dotted downtrend resistance/trigger level at $135. I do not yet hold the stock, but I am looking to add to our holdings at current levels and will require the stock to remain above that $135 breakout level now serving as support. BEFORE MAKING ANY FINANCIAL DECISIONS, YOU SHOULD STRONGLY CONSIDER SEEKING ADVICE FROM YOUR OWN FINANCIAL OR INVESTMENT ADVISOR.

Persons: we're, They're, Gordon Organizations: Nasdaq, ARM, Nvidia, Cadence Design Systems, IBM, Intel, AMD, Apple, Facebook, Google, Inside Edge Locations: UK

The reason for the reports of a deteriorating service in Ukraine are unclear, and Starlink, SpaceX and Musk declined to comment. Even with the Starlink devices that are firmly in the Ukrainian military’s control, there is a concern among Ukrainian officials that Russians may hijack their communications or hack them. Ukraine’s SBU intelligence service claimed last year that Russian military hackers were trying to steal battlefield communications sent from Ukrainian soldiers’ mobile devices to Starlink terminals. She promised 30 at a later date, and also posted images of a stack of 20 apparent donated Starlink units. Ukrainian units have also been posting footage of multiple drone strikes against Russian trenches where Starlink terminals have been spotted.

Persons: Elon Musk, SpaceX, Misha, “, ”, John Moore, Anton, Oleg Kutkov, Jeff Jurgensen, Musk, Starlink, crowdfunders, Katya Valya, CedarWoods Organizations: CNN, Elon, SpaceX, 65th Mechanised Brigade, Russian, Pentagon, Ukraine, CedarWoods Locations: Ukrainian, Russian, Ukraine, Donbas, “, Kyiv, Poland, Russia, Moscow

☆ Salesforce's behind-the-scenes co-founder is tackling Slack as software company turns 25
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +16 min

"The V2MOM had nothing about generative AI," Parker Harris, who co-founded the company with Benioff, told CNBC in an interview. Harris, a Salesforce board member and now the technology chief of Slack, which Salesforce bought in 2021, said he'd rather avoid the limelight. Without the Data Cloud, Harris told CNBC, "I think we would have been in a much worse place." He told Benioff he'd redo the plan, the person said. They'll be talking more frequently, as Harris said they're about to kick off weekly meetings on Slack and Salesforce integrations.

Persons: Parker Harris, Marlena Sloss, Marc Benioff, ChatGPT, Benioff, Salesforce, Harris, Slack, he'd, Sam Altman, Noah Berger, Robin, Batman, Frank Dominguez, Dave Moellenhoff, Bobby Yazdani, Larry Ellison, Yazdani, Dominguez, Brett Queener, who's, Queener, Salesforce.com, He's, Ruth Asawa, Josef Albers, Miles Davis, Donald Trump, Jason Alden, Marc, Kara Swisher, David Paul Morris, Adam Selipsky, it's, Stewart Butterfield, Lidiane Jones, Cal Henderson, Benioff's, Parker, Noah Weiss, Denise Dresser, Weiss, Parker Harris emoji, They'll, Salesforce integrations, Stefan Slowinski Organizations: Salesforce, Bloomberg, Getty, CNBC, Google, Microsoft, Middlebury College, Apple, San, San Francisco Bay Area, Metropolis Software, Software, Saba Software, Oracle, San Francisco's Telegraph, YouTube, Facebook, Economic, Salesforce.com Inc, Web, VMware, Employees Locations: San Francisco, Silicon Valley, English, Vermont, North Carolina, San Francisco Bay, Moellenhoff, Kincaid's, Burlingame, San Francisco's, Salesforce, France, Italy, Nantucket, San, Pacific, Davos, Switzerland, Cliff, New York, Las Vegas, Hawaii

☆ Sweeping EU rules for tech giants take effect today. Here’s what’s changing
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The new EU regulations force sweeping changes on some of the world’s most widely used tech products, including Apple’s app store, Google search and messaging platforms, including Meta’s WhatsApp. Its broad obligations affect six of the world’s largest tech companies: Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft and ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. While the law could increase demand for tech companies to extend EU-specific features to other markets, few platforms have shown signs they plan to do so. Tech pushes backBut some tech companies have pushed back on the DMA, warning that it could lead to unintended consequences. “The changes the DMA requires will inevitably cause a gap” between EU users’ security and the security Apple users enjoy outside the EU, it added.

Persons: Meta’s, Apple, Bing, Elon Musk’s, “ Fortnite, ”, Agustin Reyna, “, Apple’s, ” Apple, Reyna, ” BEUC, Tim Sweeney, Meta —, Daniel Friedlaender, CCIA, Friedlaender, Olesya Dmitracova Organizations: Washington CNN, Apple, Google, Union citizens, Big Tech, Spotify, Netflix, Digital Markets, Meta, Microsoft, European Commission, EU, YouTube, Epic, Consumer, Tech, Games, CNN, Computer, Communications Industry Association Locations: United States, Europe

☆ Facebook and Instagram outage: Widespread disruption resolved
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Meta’s platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, went down for thousands of users on Tuesday, because of what the company called a “technical issue.” The outage was resolved within around two hours. As many as 500,000 Facebook users had reported issues logging in or accessing the site as of mid-morning Eastern Time on Tuesday, according to outage tracker Downdetector. Around 50,000 outage reports had been issued regarding Instagram and another 10,000 for Facebook Messenger, although the number of reports had already begun to fall within an hour after they began. About an hour and a half after the outage reports started ticking up, fewer than 80,000 people were reporting issues with Facebook, according to Downdetector. Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp went down for nearly six hours in 2021, an outage that the company assured users was not due to malicious activity.

Persons: Elon Musk’s, “, ”, Andy Stone, Messenger, Meta, ” Stone, WhatsApp Organizations: New, New York CNN, Facebook Locations: New York

☆ A hot pink Barbie flip phone is launching this summer
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The company behind Nokia-branded smartphones, HMD, short for Human Mobile Devices, says it is launching a Barbie flip phone this summer, in partnership with toy maker Mattel . Soon, you'll be able to get a flip phone from the blockbuster toy franchise. It won't be connected to the internet, making it a throwback to the "dumb phones" of yesteryear before smartphones became popular. The device looks like a standard flip phone with buttons rather than a touch screen, and comes in a hot pink color, resembling the iconic pink flip phone accessory that comes with many Barbie dolls. This is a step away from Nokia which is the brand HMD typically has used to sell its dumb phones and smartphones.

Persons: you'll, Lars Silberbauer, Barbie, HMD, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Will Ferrell Organizations: Mattel, Nokia, Mobile Devices, YouTube, HMD, Mobile, Microsoft Locations: U.S

CNN —Tens of thousands of Americans had trouble making phone calls, sending texts, reaching emergency services or even accessing the internet on Thursday because of a nearly 12-hour AT&T network outage. The alarm over an outage of a major cell network that at one point affected more than 70,000 customers is understandable. AT&T finally restored wireless service to all customers by around 3 pm ET, and the company said it was “sincerely” sorry to customers. But starting early Thursday morning, thousands of AT&T customers began reporting issues calling, texting and accessing the internet on their mobile devices. At one point, more than 74,000 AT&T customers reported outages on digital-service tracking site DownDetector.

Persons: logins —, hasn’t, John Kirby, ” Kirby, “ Organizations: CNN, Verizon, Mobile, New York Police, Federal Communications Commission, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Bureau, FCC, FBI, National Security, T, ” Telecom, Dow Jones Locations: United States

☆ How Does Technology Play a Role in Your Love Life? We Want to Hear From You.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Gina Cherelus | More About Gina Cherelus | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Technology has played a major role in our romantic lives since the invention of the telephone. But in the decades since, some watershed moments have shifted the terrain of dating and relationships. I document our ever-shifting dating lives in my weekly column, Third Wheel. As technology grows more powerful, I’m wondering: How is it affecting the way we form connections? Does a virtual dinner date with you and another person’s digital avatar sound appealing?

Organizations: Technology

☆ Samsung is optimistic about AI-driven smartphones, despite losing the top sales crown
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Samsung posted its fourth straight quarter of slumping profits on Wednesday, capping off a dismal year that also saw it lose its crown as the world’s top smartphone maker. Despite that, Samsung is optimistic about a resurgence in demand for mobile devices this year. The South Korean firm has acknowledged “lower smartphone sales” during the fourth quarter, though it noted a pickup in demand for high-end smartphones compared to the previous three months. This year, however, the market is expected to recover gradually, “despite various potential obstacles, including interest rate policies and geopolitical issues,” Samsung said in a statement Wednesday. The company managed to command higher prices for memory chips in the fourth quarter compared to the previous quarter, showing a slight “improved performance,” it added.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, ” Samsung Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hong Kong CNN — Samsung, South, Samsung, Apple, IDC Locations: Hong Kong, Seoul

☆ CosMc’s first location had twice as much traffic last month than a typical McDonald’s
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Parija Bhatnagar | Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —McDonald’s new trendy beverage-led spinoff CosMc’s is pulling in younger customers at a faster clip than a typical Mickey D’s with Big Macs and fries, according to one early traffic estimate. McDonald’s unveiled its CosMc’s specialty drinks cafe spinoff in December, with the first location opened in Bolingbrook, Illinois. That first CosMc’s location saw more than double the number of visits that a typical McDonald’s saw chainwide in the same month, despite only being open since Dec.7, according to a report from Placer.ai, which uses location data from mobile devices to estimate visits to specific locations. CosMc’s generated triple the number of visits per square foot than an average McDonald’s restaurant (CosMc’s has a roughly 2,500 square feet footprint compared to 4,000 to 4,500 square feet for the average McDonald’s location), the firm said. RJ Hottovy, head of analytical research with Placer.ai, said that the one CosMc’s location sometimes has to accommodate spillover traffic in a separate parking lot because the drive-thru lanes were often at full capacity.

Persons: New York CNN —, D’s, Big, McDonald’s, it’s, It’s, RJ Hottovy, ”, ” McDonald’s, Danielle Wiener, Bronner Organizations: New, New York CNN, Starbucks Locations: New York, Bolingbrook , Illinois, Placer.ai, McDonald’s

☆ Deal-hunters fuel $12 billion Cyber Monday shopping spree
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz Acquire Licensing RightsNov 27 (Reuters) - After a busy holiday shopping weekend, discount seekers are expected to spend between a record $12 billion and $12.4 billion on beauty products, electronics, toys and apparel on Cyber Monday, according to Adobe Analytics. Heavy online traffic and transactions could add up to a boost in sales by U.S. shoppers of 5.4% or more, according to Adobe. Shoppers spent $10.3 billion in the weekend leading up to Cyber Monday, up 7.7% from last year as retailers offered more discounts compared to last year. More merchandise was being discounted in the weekend leading up to Cyber Monday, according to a report from LSEG. Walmart (WMT.N) , eager to capture market share, slashed prices on Sunday night, joining the trend of retailers' early discounts on major shopping days.

Persons: Eduardo Munoz, Vivek Pandya, Pandya, TJ Maxx, Jharonne Martis, LSEG, Rob Garf, Garf, Vanessa O'Connell, Deborah Sophia, Arriana, David Gregorio, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Workers, REUTERS, Adobe Analytics, U.S, Adobe, Shoppers, Adobe Digital, Walmart, Reuters, Costco, Commerce, Insider Intelligence, Thomson Locations: Robbinsville Township, New Jersey, U.S, Salesforce, Ross

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