Alibaba Plans To Buy The South China Morning Post

Alibaba and Jack Ma are under now advance negotiation phase to purchase Hong Kong based newspaper in the coming times.

Alibaba is looking to reinvest its interest in buying The South China Morning Post, an influential English newspaper based in Hong Kong. Alibaba Group Holding, reportedly, is under negotiations to purchase a major newspaper company in the near future. The news came out from a person who has direct knowledge of the discussion between both parties.

In 2013, Amazon purchased The Washington Post. This deal would be quite similar to the Amazon one, as Jeff Bezos wanted to buy the newspaper company in order to support it at a turbulent time of its business. It is obvious that The Washington Post and The South China Morning Post are facing difficulties to keep their business going and adapt to the major changes within the media space.

In both situations, the buyout does not result in a clear business benefit for the buyer. The source familiar with the matter stated that it is still unclear whether Alibaba or Jack Ma, himself, would buy the Hong Kong based newspaper.

Any agreement regarding the newspaper will result in a lot of political interference. New York Times reported, “The prospective takeover is raising concerns that the newspaper’s editorial independence could be compromised by a corporate owner whose market position depends in large part on the good will of the Chinese government.”

Jack Ma is currently dominating the tech industry and the internet world of China. Andrew Collier, a former reporter for the newspaper, suggested that the founder of Alibaba Group wants Beijing to support him in this decision as it might help him in continuing the dominance in the sector. Mr. Andrew Collier is currently in a financial research firm.

It is still not confirmed whether the deal would be agreed within the next few weeks or in the coming months. According to the person familiar with the matter, he also stated that there is a slight chance that the deal would not go through at all.

So far, both companies have declined to comment on these rumors and speculations. The South China Morning Post stated that the company does not comment on the market rumors.

The Chinese tech giant has once again made the headlines in the sector with another big acquisition if the deal is successful. Alibaba is determined to continue its dominance in the internet space and stay ahead in the competitive market among its rivals. Experts also view this decision in favor of the organization.

The Story Of Twitter Moments

Here is how Forbes explained why Twitter came into being and what is its purpose.

It has been a tough year for Twitter Inc. as it did not only post poor results but did not improve its business at all. The company’s user growth is stalled as well as the monthly active users are declining which is worrying the shareholders and investors. A few months ago, the company was on its verge to launch one of its most anticipated products, Project Lighting, which is also known as Moments. During that time, Moments was a win win situation for the social media network.

Analysts and professionals claimed that it will prove to be a game changer for the company in the coming times. Twitter is not only battling in the market to compete against Facebook but now it has to do well so that it can lure more users on its platform that are currently preferring the likes of Snapchat, Instagram, and WhatsApp as their normal routine social media network. Moments was said to be not only improve and increase the user growth but make things attractive for the existing users as well.

As Forbes reported, “If Twitter’s primary challenge has been to simplify discovery of its rich content and become more relevant for novice and non-users, then Moments takes a critical first step forward in that mission.” The social media website was created for this purpose only however ever since its inception it has not been used for the purpose it was created for. And this annoys the old investors that have been with the company from the time it was not public.

Facebook generates most of its revenues from advertising and when Twitter tried to boost advertising and marketing on its platform, it miserably failed as no big name advertisers and marketers chose Twitter to do business. But gradually, this has changed. Several businesses and brands are now looking to promote in order to extend their reach and presence throughout the social media.

Twitter has been a victim of immense criticism recently because of lack of its product direction. Everyone uses Twitter the way they want to use it. Hence all the virtual happenings that take place across the globe is actually reported on Twitter first in comparison to other social platforms. Forbes wrote “For brands, the opportunity is to start rethinking their approach to media publishers.  As curation becomes increasingly central to news delivery, brands should pay close attention to trending stories and topics that align with the most influential curators such as Twitter.”

Samsung Expands Its Wearables Portfolio Rapidly

Samsung is expanding its wearable portfolio and already has more in the market than its rivals.

Samsung is not stopping any soon when it comes to manufacturing wearable electronics. It is making continuous addition in the wearable portfolio, already having more gadgets of the kind in the market in comparison to its biggest rivals, such as Microsoft Corporation and Apple. The demand for wearable electronics is more in Japan than Europe and USA.

The famous galaxy series maker is well aware of the rising demand for wearable gadgets and is taking all the right and necessary actions to be at the top of the game. The tech giant was reported to have more patents than any other organization in 2013 and 2014, as it has achieved 600 patents for wearable in those years. According to KETI, Korea Electronics Technology Institute, which was the biggest number in the market achieved, and it beats its rivals in that case.

Samsung is aiming to develop more smartwatches and other mobile payments facilities in order to grow globally, while Apple is making efforts to do the same as well. Samsung has already been at the top for a very long time in the mobile phone market because of its successful Galaxy series, such as the Galaxy 6 and S6 Edge.

The electronics company has made reports that have mentioned leaked pictures of Galaxy A5 and A7, which showed the back and the front of the phones. A7 was black in color while A5 was golden. The public now knows that these upcoming smartphone are going to be presented in a metal body, which is a change as most of the mobile phones the company makes are in plastic or aluminum, but the previous model of A5 and A7 consisted of metal bodies as well.

The most evident difference is the glass back panels both phones will have, according to the pictures. They both look like the company’s famous Galaxy S6 and the designs will have an LED flash that would be next to the primary camera of the phones.  The speakers have been placed in a different location this time, being at the bottom of the phone.

Sadly, these devices will not have the heart rate sensor feature in them which would have gotten the company more sales through customers who care about their health. The home button is taller, which might be a hint that the phone might have a fingerprint option in them, the sensors have been rearranged in upcoming devices. These devices might be launch in January in 2016 packed with average specifications yet economical prices in comparison to the company’s other smartphones.

Samsung stock closed at $1,100.00 on November 5.

Alibaba Decides To Pause International Expansions

Alibaba has decided to temporarily stop international expansions for other issues.

Alibaba just achieved huge success on its most awaited Singles Day, but oddly, its shares were still reported to decline. This leads to the decision it just announced that it is putting a pause to its expansions in India for the time being. India is the world second most populated country, and would have given the company huge business.

The future would be very good for the company if and whenever it expands to India in future, due to the high population of the country, around 1.2 billion and is growing every year by 1.24%. Alibaba Group stopped the deal it was supposed to sign with a smartphone group in India, MicroMax. A delay has been reported by business finance news on other investments in China’s demising economy. It has plans to expand to India but not now.

The chairman of the retail giant values the plans of growth in India, and made it the main feature of growth strategy in 2014, but its hometown’s slow economy has made it suffer and delays its plans. It has been making headlines over controversies of fake product on its platform, which has also played a part in the company’s decline in share.

It does not want to ruin its name and image in the market, but the ongoing lawsuit regarding this accusation have done the damage already. Alibaba Company deal with MicroMax was getting it 20% shares in the group, worth $3 billion. Other companies in the market are also interested in this attractive deal, and now that Alibaba has put a pause on everything, they will try getting their hands on the India’s major phone manufacturer’s deal.

The retail company has made a smart decision, and has a close eye on the currrent happenings in the market. It takes decision accordingly so that it faces as less damage as possible. It should give importance towards keeping a strong and dominant image in the market so that it can face the obstacles that will come in the future due to the declining economy of China.

Pause on the expansion is good decision even though it would have been very profitable for the retail giant. Patience is what will get the company through now but once the expansion takes place in such a populated country, it has to keep in mind to maintain its standard and take actions of the accusation of fake products on its online shopping platform.

Alibaba stock closed at $75.77 on November 13.

Twitter Will Have To Keep On Innovating In Order To Sustain

Twitter new products and tools are currently saving the company's future in the market.

Twitter believes in innovation and keeps on experimenting on its product. However, the company will have to keep on bringing innovation in order to survive in the tough social media industry. Twitter stocks faced a major downfall in the third quarter of this fiscal year by more than 45 percent. For over many months, the company has failed to meet the analysts’ expectations when it comes to user growth. It has been completely stalled and the micro blogging website is worried about it.

Therefore Twitter Inc. is finding it difficult to attract new users on its website as well as increase the engagement on the platform for the existing users. This has been one of the toughest challenges for the company as its business depends on its users. Hence, revenues in the future will be affected if this performance continues. Twitter decided to reorganize itself and made major changes in its leadership management which saw Jack Dorsey being named as the new CEO of the company as well as changes in the work force where the company lay off as many as 8 percent of the total work force.

According to Forbes, the company is relying on Jack Dorsey to change the fate. Forbes wrote, “We believe innovative feature and offerings to drive user engagement and attract new users will be the key factor for Twitter’s future growth.”

A couple of months back, the company introduced Moments which was said to be the game changer but it could not live up to the expectations. The social network is said to be bringing real time news and breaking news and updates for its customers however no one currently follows the real objective for which the social media website was created. It has been introducing features and analytics tool in order to not only bring users but the marketers and advertisers as well.

Analysts believe that the company is capable to bring in and cross the 100 million users’ mark within the United States and 400 million users’ mark internationally by the end of 2020.

The social media network is updating its other products as well such as Vine and Periscope in order to bring engagement through those platforms. It recently added Highlights on Android Polls as a new feature. Hence, Twitter will never stop innovating and keep on bringing new products, features, and tools in order to sustain in the market. As of now, the teens do not prefer twitter as much as they prefer other social media platforms.

Samsung Partners With AccorHotels Group To Raise The Bar In Hotel Management

Samsung announces collaboration with AccorHotels Group with the aim of providing hotels with innovative and modern technology, offering a better experience to the customers and the staff.

A partnership between Samsung and AccorHotels Group, the global largest hotel operator, was announced on Monday November 9, with the aim of launching SMART hospitality display tech in all of AccorHotels facilities spread around 92 countries around the world.

Samsung news revealed that senior vice president of visual display business at Samsung Electronics, Seog-gi Kim, said, “We are excited to partner with AccorHotels to transform the hotel experience and provide our innovative hospitality solutions to even more global consumers.”

The deputy CEO of AccorHotels said that his company is committed to offering all of its guests – whether they stay with the company  for leisure or business – regardless the company aims to make their hotel experience amazing and meet the expectations and needs, specifically in terms of technology and connectivity.

Through the partnership with Samsung Electronics, which is the leader in digital display manufacturing, AccorHotels aims to be unique in terms of providing its services, and differentiate its offering with exceptional technology products and services that customers enjoy and leave the hotels with maximum satisfaction.

The electronics manufacturer’s UHD displays are going to be present at AccorHotels bars, room, restaurants, and many other sitting areas, which will contribute to better experience for customers as well. The Samsung Galaxy maker’s partnership will help the hotel operator to attain premium hotel solutions and avail the hospitality management technology project. This will also enhance customers experiences with the innovative technology provided at the hotels.

This partnership will bring forward modern technology in hotel that will provide convenience to the customers and workers, while enabling them to achieve greater access to various automated facilities. Automated and modern technologies will be introduced in hotels around the world. Various organizations have announced plans of opening their own hotel as an experiment in South Korea, Seoul, consisting innovative technology and multi-point connectivity.

Partners are also providing cloud services and video on demand services. This will prove to be beneficial and a good experiment for the companies and guests who will have chance to witness automated electronics around the rooms and hotels. It will change the expectations of customers that enjoy hoteling. Once the innovative technology is introduced, competition will rise because expectations and demand will rise. 

Samsung is seeking to expand its demand worldwide, not just through its smartphones, but also through other electronics and modern technology to stay ahead in the market.

Samsung stock closed at $1,100.00 on November 5.

Boeing Reports Demand For 3180 Jets In The Middle East

Boeing forecast showed a demand in the Middle East for 3180 jets for the next years as well as the rising global demand.

Boeing’s forecast on Wednesday informed that Middle East is going to need 3180 jets in the next 20 years, costing around $730 billion due to rising demand and expansions of airlines.

Single aisle airplanes like the 737Max, one of Boeing Co products, will be in huge demand with deliveries of 1410, according to the company’s current markets outlook. The fresh airplanes are going to contribute widely in the growth of low-cost carriers by the replacement of older and limited airplanes. The twin-aisle aircrafts will achieve half of the country’s deliveries according to the company.

The vice president of the aerospace company’s marketing, Randy Tinseth, said, “Traffic growth in the Middle East continues to grow at a healthy rate and is expected to grow 6.2% annually during the next 20 years. About 80% of the world's population lives within an eight-hour flight of the Arabian Gulf. This geographic position, coupled with diverse business strategies and investment in infrastructure is allowing carriers in the Middle East to aggregate traffic at their hubs and offer one-stop service between many city pairs that would not otherwise enjoy such direct itineraries.”

The commercial airplanes will be in huge demand from the Middle East according to sources, if the company makes its presence strong in the region it will grow immensely. The aircrafts manufacturers forecast showed a huge demand for 38050 airplanes in the long run which will be worth $5.6 trillion.

The huge demand in the Middle East because of the expanding airlines, such as Qatar Airways, Emirates and many others contribute to the fresh deliveries Boeing is going to be receiving from the region. Emirates has reported to pick Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner or the Airbus A350-900.

The president of Emirates said he has doubts over the Dreamliner working well enough because of the country’s hot weather. Boeing has not taken this comment seriously, as it has no plans on changing the products configuration in order to meet emirate’s requirements and requests. The aerospace company has reported 1097 orders of Dreamliner from which 146 are the 787-10.

This product is the most economically friendly in terms of fuel and it will be manufactured in North Charleston so that transportation costs are efficient and easy. Boeing is going to be in competition with Airbus in this region, as well as international rising demand of new aircrafts worth $5.6 trillion.

Boeing stock closed at $148.18 on November 4.

Instagram Takes On Twitter And Snapchat With Its Video Channel

Instagram all set to compete Twitter and Snapchat with its curated video only feed.

The social media war is getting intense time after time. It will not be wrong to say that the competition is getting stiffer as users are seeing new types of social media platform every now and then which are looking to make an impact on the industry. Twitter Inc. has remained as one of the giants in this industry as well as the most preferred social media website recently. However, it faced immense competition from the likes of Snapchat, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Facebook is comfortably sitting at the top with no worries at all.

Twitter is only second to Facebook in the social media network industry. The company tries hard to sustain its business but the stiff competition from the new and established forums is making it hard for the micro blogging website. In recent times, it has gone from major leadership changes to business strategy changes but nothing has worked so far. The user growth has stalled which is worrying for the company officials. Meanwhile Instagram and Snapchat are doing wonders on their own. According to a research, teens prefer these two platforms more when compared to Facebook.

Hence, this has put more concerns on the future of Twitter. Instagram is now all ready to beef up this competition. According to the sources, the photo sharing app will soon be rolling out its latest update after being aspired from the other two platforms.  Now the Instagram users will be able to see ‘curated’ content streams for popular specific events such as Halloween etc.

According to the spokesperson who told about this new feature to Re/Code in an email, stated, “This is a new way to experience events and big moments, as they happen, through the eyes of the Instagram community. This is just the start for these kinds of curations.”

Re/Code explained that on the night of Halloween, an option was devised on the feed named ‘Watch Halloween’s Best Videos’. By tapping on this option, user was directed to a new feed where videos of Halloweens from different users as well as curated by Instagram employees were there. The objective of the company is now to make this platform popular among all the popular events and happenings.

Twitter surely feels threatened by this move as gradually the charm of the micro blogging website is fading away. It is trying hard to stay in the competition as well as in the business.