On Technobyte Apple to announce new devices on March 21, Airbnb cuts into hotel stays and Mercedes Benz replaces robots with humans.
Fans waiting for new Apple goodies will have to wait just a wee bit longer. According to multiple sources, Apple will announce a new 4-inch iPhone and new 9.7-inch iPad on March 21 and not on March 15 as previously reported. Apple is also expected to unveil a new 9.7-inch iPad Pro. Previously thought to be the iPad Air 3, the new tablet will be part of the new iPad Pro family.
http://mashable.com/2016/02/28/apple-event-march-21/
Mobile World Congress is likely still a boon for Spain's hotel industry but not nearly as much as it would be if the sharing economy had never taken off. According to Airbnb vp of engineering Mike Curtis, around 30,000 people at the conference used the online booking service during their stay in this Mediterranean coastal city. The show's total attendance is not yet clear, but if it's anything near the 94,000 people who showed up in 2015, that would mean around one-third of attendees stayed in someone else's house, flat or boat. A report from Goldman Sachs seems to back that up. A survey of 2,000 people found that once customers try Airbnb, they're only about half as likely to go back to booking a hotel.
http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/airbnb-exec-about-30000-mobile-world-congress-attendees-used-service-year-169864
Mercedes-Benz is firing robots and bringing in humans to do the job instead. Robots can’t keep up with the changing pace and adaptation required by the luxury car-maker; instead the flexibility and dexterity of human workers is required. “We’re moving away from trying to maximize automation, with people taking a bigger part in industrial processes again,” said Markus Schaefer, head of production at the company. This change comes as many car manufacturers are moving towards an age of individualization, offering more options to consumers. Mercedes’s S-Class sedan, for example, comes with an array of options, from carbon-fibre trim, heated and cooled cup-holders and four types of caps for the tyre valves.
http://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/02/this-factory-is-replacing-robots-with-humans/
This article first appeared on 702 : TECHNOBYTE for 29 February 2016
