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☆ Rivian orders placed after 20% price hike appear to jump the line, angering early order-holders
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Alexa St. John | Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Some R1S SUV orders placed after March 2022 — when Rivian hiked prices about 20% — are now slated to be filled before less-expensive orders placed earlier, according to customer posts on Twitter and in company forums, and orders reviewed directly by Insider. This is at least the second time Rivian has faced backlash from its early customers over changes to their orders. When Rivian announced the price hike, the move originally included customers with pre-existing configured orders and deposits in place. Now it appears that the orders placed after the price hike are getting priority. That means that quad-motor R1S orders, placed before the price hike, cost less than dual-motor R1S orders placed after it.

☆ I made more than $877,000 in revenue last year selling emotional-intelligence card games online. Here's how I built my business.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Vartika Puranik | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Jenny Woo is the founder of Mind Brain Emotion, which sells emotional-intelligence card games. But in 2018, I quit my job at the Montessori school and founded my company, Mind Brain Emotion, where I sell practical card games on emotional intelligence. I used Amazon Ads to bid on keywords that consumers used to search for similar productsA bid is the amount of money you're willing to spend toward a keyword or advertisement. I did more market research between fall 2018 and February 2019, and another card deck was born, 52 Essential Relationships, in March 2019. I went backward to move forward in my business because I recognized that in order to have genuine conversations, trust and understanding are prerequisites.

The new HomePod is $50 cheaper than the original, and packs in more smart home features. It's Apple's first new smart speaker since the release of the $99 HomePod Mini in November 2020. The launch price of the new HomePod is actually $50 cheaper than the original model, which was discontinued in 2021. Should you preorder the new Apple HomePod? Apple's smart speakers have struggled to win over customers compared to Amazon's Echo brand and Google's Nest, and remain more expensive than the competition.

Apple's latest Mac Mini uses the company's M2 and all-new M2 Pro processors. Though it's kept the same minimalistic form factor, the new compact desktop is now powered by Apple's M2 and M2 Pro processors. If these claims hold true, the new Mac Mini should give content creators a nice boost in performance. The Mac Mini with M2 Pro is pricier but delivers more power for professionalsFor even heavier loads, the Mac Mini with M2 Pro offers more power. Mac Mini with M2 (256GB)Mac Mini with M2 Pro (512GB)

MacBook Pro preorders start at $1,999; they'll ship January 24 and arrive in stores that same day. The 2023 MacBook Pro's M2 chips promise a big performance boostThe new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models will utilize Apple's M2 Pro and M2 Max processors, which provide an upgrade over the previous M1 Pro and M1 Max models. Meanwhile, the M2 Max has twice the memory bandwidth of the M2 Pro, delivering even better performance for tasks like video rendering. AppleThe new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros with M2 Pro and M2 Max processors replace the M1 Pro and M1 Max versions released in 2021. 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro with M2 Pro (512GB)16-inch Apple MacBook Pro with M2 Pro (512GB)

☆ Rolls Royce and Porsche's gravity-defying sales numbers show the rich aren't cutting back on luxury spending just yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ultra-wealthy shoppers meanwhile have kept up spending, driving record sales for Rolls Royce and Porsche. But the 2022 sales of brands like Rolls Royce and Porsche appear to defy this financial gravity. Rolls Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös. Porsche 2022 Taycan GTS and Taycan GTS Sport Turismo. While most average households are balancing the math of higher-priced eggs against shifting energy bills, an exclusive few are busy making sure the Rolls Royce they buy is one-of-a-kind.

☆ Prince Harry Book ‘Spare’ Sells Over 1.4 Million Copies in U.S., U.K and Canada on First Day
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Prince Harry’s memoir sold more than 1.4 million copies in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. on its first day, a performance that publisher Penguin Random House said was the largest first-day sales total for any nonfiction book it ever published. The first day sales totals for “Spare” included preorders as well as sales of print books, digital books and audiobooks, Penguin Random House, a unit of Bertelsmann SE, said Wednesday. The publisher said it printed 2 million hardcover copies of “Spare” for the U.S., and that it has gone back to press.

☆ Amazon’s Audible Says Audiobook Preorders of Prince Harry’s ‘Spare’ Suffering Delays
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Jennifer Calfas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Amazon.com Inc. ‘s Audible said Tuesday some preordered audiobooks of Prince Harry ‘s “Spare” were delayed for customers eager to listen to the highly anticipated memoir. “We’re aware of an issue impacting a limited amount of pre-orders and the team is working on it now,” Audible said in a tweet addressing users experiencing delays with their preordered audiobooks, narrated by Prince Harry and released Tuesday.

Roku Select and Plus Series TVs will be available in spring 2023. Announced at CES 2023, Roku Select and Plus Series TVs will be the brand's first displays developed entirely in house. Roku Select and Plus Series TVs arrive in spring 2023Roku Select and Plus Series TVs. RokuRoku will launch its new smart TV lineup with two series: The Roku Select and Roku Plus Series. The Roku Plus Series will have better picture and a hands-free remoteAll Roku TVs come with a voice remote.

☆ In Texas, Nothing Says Christmas Like Tamales
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Elizabeth Findell | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

For Texas tamale purveyors such as Delia’s, it is crunchtime as demand for the traditional treat surges. SAN JUAN, Texas—Preorders for Christmas tamales begin in July at Delia’s, a South Texas chain with a fervent regional following. By mid-December, constables must be on hand to direct lines of cars stretching down the street to get into restaurants. On a recent morning at Delia’s San Juan location, Gabriel Murillo, an IT manager for the local school district, was picking up a cooler with more than a thousand tamales to be served at a holiday staff appreciation luncheon. Outside, two semitrailer trucks were loaded with boxes of online orders waiting to be shipped.

☆ The direct-to-consumer sales model Rivian and Lucid tout as a key unlock could hamstring them in booking revenue — while Ford and GM reap the benefits of working with dealers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Nora Naughton | Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Many EV startups like Rivian and Lucid have opted to sell their vehicles directly to consumers. The DTC model means their revenue depends on getting cars to customers — which isn’t always so easy. Competing with the legaciesWith direct-to-consumer sales, Rivian and Lucid are responsible for getting vehicles into customers' hands after they're produced. The revenue they bring in, logged once a customer has their vehicle, depends on the startups' ability to deliver efficiently. The messy business of putting a car in a customer's driveway — and finding customer financing — are outsourced to franchised dealerships.

☆ Lucid's fight to sell cars in Texas could give it a leg up in the ultracompetitive electric-vehicle market
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Nora Naughton | Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The resulting legal battles could slow crucial deliveries for EV startups. It's also a sign that there could be more legal confrontations to come for other budding EV makers, like Rivian and Fisker. What consumers can expectLast year, Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid joined forces to push for bills allowing direct sales in eight states. Many of these efforts are still in progress while Rivian, Lucid, and Tesla continue to sell vehicles remotely. Even with the legal troubles, EV startups are moving full speed ahead on direct to consumer.

"It takes off the table the risk that the Fed will have to overtighten and break the economy." The inflation data prompted traders to adjust their rate hike bets, with odds of a 50-basis point rate hike in December jumping to more than 80% from 52% before the data was released. The CBOE volatility index (.VIX), also known as Wall Street's fear gauge, fell to a near two-month low of 23.4 points. Wall Street's main indexes have suffered sharp losses this year as investors feared the U.S. central bank's aggressive rate hikes to tame decades-high inflation will tip the economy into recession. The S&P index recorded 13 new 52-week highs and no new low, while the Nasdaq recorded 70 new highs and 93 new lows.

Every line of the report shows sequential improvement," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley Financial. The report prompted traders to adjust their rate hike bets, with bets of a 50-basis point rate hike in December jumping to more than 70% from 45% before the data was released. Following last week's Fed policy meeting, some U.S. central bank officials have made comments that pointed to slower rate rises over coming meetings. The Fed's policy rate is currently in a range of 3.75%-4.00%. The CBOE volatility index (.VIX), also known as Wall Street's fear gauge, fell to a near two-month low of 23.94.points.

☆ Futures rise as focus shifts to inflation data
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Futures up: Dow 0.09%, S&P 0.17%, Nasdaq 0.31%Nov 10 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures inched higher on Thursday as investor focus turned to October inflation data for clues on the path of future interest rate hikes. Traders are split on whether a 50 basis points or 75 basis points rate hike by the Fed is likely in December. ET, Dow e-minis were up 29 points, or 0.09%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 6.5 points, or 0.17%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 33.25 points, or 0.31%. The CBOE volatility index (.VIX), also known as Wall Street's fear gauge, rose to 26.56 points, and was close to a weekly high. Reporting by Shubham Batra and Bansari Mayur Kamdar in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak DasguptaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Rivian sticks to full-year EV production target as quarterly losses come in narrower than expected
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( John Rosevear | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Here are the key numbers from Rivian's third-quarter earnings report, compared with average Wall Street analyst expectations as complied by Refinitiv:Revenue: $536 million, versus $551.6 million expected. $536 million, versus $551.6 million expected. Rivian said it's added a second shift of workers at its Illinois factory, a key step toward boosting production volumes. Year to date, through the third quarter, Rivian produced 14,317 vehicles. Because of that lag, Rivian said, the gap between its quarterly production and delivery totals may increase going forward.

[1/2] Employees work on an assembly line at startup Rivian Automotive's electric vehicle factory in Normal, Illinois, U.S. April 11, 2022. REUTERS/Kamil Krzaczynski/File PhotoNov 9 (Reuters) - Rivian Automotive Inc (RIVN.O) missed Wall Street estimates for third-quarter revenue, but shares rose after hours as the electric-vehicle maker reported a smaller-than-expected loss, reaffirmed its full-year production outlook and reported a higher number of preorders. The automaker ended the third quarter with $13.8 billion in cash, down from $15.9 billion at the end of the second quarter. EV maker Lucid (LCID.O) on Tuesday reported a $670 million loss for the third quarter and said its order bank had dropped since the second quarter. The company's quarterly net loss widened to $1.72 billion compared with a $1.23 billion loss a year earlier.

☆ Expect fewer iPhones in your Christmas stockings: Apple just warned of fewer iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max shipments due to supply disruptions in China
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Apple told customers that iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max deliveries may take longer than expected. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyCustomers who ordered the iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max should expect "longer wait times" for their new phones, Apple warned on Sunday. On Sunday, Apple said demand for both the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max is still strong. Preorders for the iPhone 14 Plus and basic iPhone 14 were "significantly lower than expected," Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote in September. The closed-loop system could impact iPhone production at the plant by as much as 30%, Reuters reported on October 31.

The PlayStation VR2 headset launches February 22, 2023 for $550; preorders start November 15. PlayStation VR2 The PS VR2 is a new virtual reality headset built for the PS5. PS VR2 featuresThe PlayStation VR2 carries over many features found on the original model released in 2016, while offering a few key upgrades and new options. SonyTo get the PlayStation VR2 at launch on February 22, 2023, you'll need to preorder it from Sony via the online PlayStation store. That said, other competitors designed for PC cost way more than PS VR2, like the Valve Index and the $750 Vive Cosmos Elite, both of which require external sensors that PS VR2 doesn't need.

Sony's $200 DualSense Edge is a premium controller for PlayStation 5 with customizable buttons. DualSense Edge releases January 26, 2023, and you can preorder it now from the PlayStation Direct store. DualSense Edge is Sony's response to the popular Xbox Elite controller, which is one of this year's bestselling gaming peripherals. So far, preorders for the DualSense Edge controller are only available from the PlayStation Direct store. Sony will also sell replacement analog sticks for the DualSense Edge starting January 26 for $20 — though we hope the original sticks included with the DualSense Edge are durable enough to last for a while without replacement.

☆ Jeep just revealed its first all-electric SUV, one of 4 battery powered SUVs that it's promised will arrive by 2025
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Stephen Jones | Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Jeep officially unveiled its first all-electric SUV at the Paris Motor Show, on Monday. The Jeep Avenger will enter the European market in 2023. It's one of four electric SUVs Jeep is set to launch by 2025. "The Jeep Avenger is the first zero emission SUV for the Jeep brand," said Antonella Bruno, head of Jeep Europe at Stellantis, said in a release to accompany the unveiling at the Paris Auto show. The Jeep Avenger is the first of four battery-powered SUVs Jeep plans to launch by 2025.Insider's Tim Levin previously reported that the first two electric Jeep SUVs to enter the North American market under the plan will be the Wagoneer S and Recon.

☆ Honda and Sony are launching an EV that could connect to the metaverse — and Americans will be the first to get behind the wheel
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Stephen Jones | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Honda and Sony will launch their first EV in the US in 2025, under a joint partnership. The EV could have level-3 automation and its entertainment system could connect to the metaverse. Sony Honda Mobility Inc (SHM) — a strategic partnership between the automaker Honda and electronics giant Sony — announced Thursday that it will launch its first EV in the US. On Tuesday, Honda announced plans to invest $4.4 billion in an EV battery production plant in Anna, Ohio, in another joint venture with LG Energy Solution. The Honda Prologue, built in partnership with GM, is set to launch in 2024.

Amazon has announced its most advanced smart TV yet: the Fire TV Omni QLED Series. Amazon 65-inch Omni QLED Fire TV Amazon’s new QLED TV boasts advanced features like local dimming, quantum dots, and hands-free Alexa. The standard Omni TV does not have this feature, but the new Omni QLED does. AmazonFor the new Omni QLED, Amazon is carrying over the standard Omni's built-in support for hands-free Alexa voice control. A truly competitive priceThe 65-inch Fire TV Omni QLED is priced competitively at $800.

☆ 'Significantly lower than expected' iPhone 14 Plus preorders suggest Apple's strategy of ditching the 'mini' for a larger version of the new phone is a failure, says renowned Apple analyst
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-14 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ming-Chi Kuo said the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus will be in stock when they launch, showing low demand. The larger iPhone 14 Plus takes the spot of the previous, smaller iPhone 13 mini in Apple's lineup. They became available for preorder on September 9, and the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max launch on September 16. Looking at availability and shipping estimates, he said the iPhone 14 Pro Max and Pro are showing "good" and "neutral" results, respectively. However, preorders for the two standard models — the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus — are "bad," according to Kuo.

☆ We see strong orders for Apple's new iPhone 14 Pros cutting both ways
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-14 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Apple 's (AAPL) strategy of further differentiating its higher-end iPhone Pro offerings from its basic devices is paying off, with stronger-than-expected order demand seen for the new and most expensive iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. All the iPhone 14 models will be available Friday, expect for the iPhone 14 Plus, which won't be out until next month. When talking lead times, a new iPhone in the 14 Pro Max line ordered Wednesday won't be delivered until late October. A better camera, which has always been the case for the Pro models, really jumps up in the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14.

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