Enterprise
Microsoft wins the right to acquire Activision Blizzard
The UK is its last hurdle
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Microsoft’s national nightmare is over. After a length deliberation in court, Microsoft has successfully defended its case against the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). At least in the United States, the company is now free to pursue its plans to acquire Activision Blizzard.
For weeks, Microsoft found itself in the courtroom in a tenacious defense against the FTC’s case. According to the FTC, the company’s deal to acquire Activision Blizzard goes against the spirit of competition in the gaming industry. Today, California Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley ruled out the FTC’s preliminary injunction request. Microsoft is free to complete the deal.
1/We're grateful to the court for swiftly deciding in our favor. The evidence showed the Activision Blizzard deal is good for the industry and the FTC’s claims about console switching, multi-game subscription services, and cloud don’t reflect the realities of the gaming market.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) July 11, 2023
Contrary to the FTC’s claims, the court found that the deal actually fostered competition. However, it still emphasizes the importance of questioning such mergers especially at this caliber. According to the judge’s statement, the court’s investigations laid bare some practices that ultimately helps the industry. For example, it’s now known that Activision penned deals with Sony and Nintendo for rights to the Call of Duty franchise on their respective platforms for at least ten years.
Besides the arguably beneficial results of the investigations, other juicy tidbits also emerged during the trial. For example, Microsoft, wittingly or unwittingly, spoiled some details about Sony’s future consoles. Sony, for its part, also retaliated by saying that the Xbox was good only because of the Call of Duty franchise.
Now, though Microsoft’s American tribulations are over, the company is still facing some scrutiny across the Atlantic. The United Kingdom is also seeking to block the deal from closing. The European, which also sought after the company, already gave a go signal for the deal.
SEE ALSO: A PlayStation 5 Slim might launch this year, Microsoft says
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Launching your own smartphone company takes guts. Now, creating a sub-brand so soon after launching a new company takes a more enormous amount of confidence. However, if it’s confidence we’re talking about, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei has that in spades. Only a few years since launching Nothing, the entrepreneur is now building a sub-brand called “CMF by Nothing.”
After announcing his departure from OnePlus, Pei quickly created his next venture called Nothing. Despite the name, Nothing offers something a lot more unique than standard smartphone fare. The company thrives on releasing devices with notable designs and hardware. The company already offers a fairly healthy lineup of smartphones and earbuds.
Now, Nothing has its sights set on another segment. Today, Pei has announced that CMF by Nothing will cater to a different market. It means “Color, Material, and Finish.” Color is certainly something different for Nothing, which releases products using more monochromatic profiles.
Instead of design innovation, CMF by Nothing will focus on “clean design.” It will also focus on accessibility and trusted quality. Given the scant descriptions, the sub-brand will likely offer more traditional devices.
Pei hasn’t announced much else about the new brand itself. However, he did reveal that the first products from the brand will be a pair of earbuds and a smartwatch coming later this year.
SEE ALSO: Nothing Phone (2) Review
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Every major smartphone brand has a color or color combination associated with it. Samsung has blue; Xiaomi has orange; and OPPO has green. However, things are about to change for the green brand. OPPO is slowly draining its branding of all things green.
Most users will likely pass over the changed branding. OPPO hasn’t technically announced a major change explicitly. Instead, the company gradually started changing the branding’s colors in all of its channels. According to IThome, users in China, however, noticed the change through the company’s official website, which recently switched from a green logo to a monochromatic one.
In response, OPPO confirmed the gradual transition. In the future, the company’s branding will no longer have any color. In the meantime, it will still incorporate the traditional green in some channels and in “interactive visual designs.” Green isn’t going away entirely yet.
Now, the change shouldn’t affect a lot of users. Prior to confirming the transition, OPPO already removed green from a lot of accounts. A lot of them are using the logo in white font on a black background.
It’s quite a change for the company. Since its early days, the brand swirled around its colorful white-and-green color combination. Now, the company is gunning for something more premium-looking with a monochromatic look.
SEE ALSO: OPPO Reno10 series: Price, availability in the Philippines
Automotive
Ford Philippines’s retail performance rose to 55 Percent for H1 2023
Next-Generation models are at play
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Way to go, Ford!
The automotive company delivered a strong retail performance for the first half of the year in the Philippines. Thanks to its Next-Generation vehicle lineup, Ford Philippines’s retail sales rose 55 percent from a year ago to 13,838 vehicles.
The Next-Generation Ranger became Ford’s top-selling vehicle in the country, with sales growing by 25 percent year-on-year to 5,436 units sold. The addition of the Next-Generation Ranger Raptor also boosted retail performance, with sales reaching close to 600 units since its launch in late May.
Furthermore, the newly-launched Next-Generation Territory contributed to Ford’s strong sales as well. Like its predecessors, it’s still the leading small SUV in the Philippines, with sales increasing by 22 percent to 4,493 units. The Next-Gen model also breached the 2,500-unit mark in less than three months after its launch at the Manila International Auto Show.
Meanwhile, the Ford Everest continues to thrive in the competitive mid-size SUV segment. It delivered strong sales performance, growing by 503 percent from last year to 3,786 vehicles.
Enhanced ownership experiences
Ford is committed to improving the ownership experiences, giving the Next-Gen Ranger, Territory, and Everest with a five-year warranty. Moreover, Ford Philippines also introduced new service initiatives designed to provide ease and convenience in owning a Ford vehicle.
For instance, Express Service is offered to customers who prefer to have their vehicles serviced in a more efficient way than the usual maintenance. Pickup and Delivery, on another note, is available for those who are interested to have their vehicle serviced without interrupting their day. Participating dealers will pick-up the vehicle, service it, and bring it back to the customer’s preferred location.
“These milestones testify to our commitment to enhance the Ford ownership experience with vehicles and services that our customers need and deserve,” shares Mike Breen, managing director, Ford Philippines.
“We celebrate these milestones with our customers who continue to patronize the Ford brand, as well as with our dealers for their partnership and commitment to enhance the customer experience. We are truly energized and excited for what’s to come for the second half of the year.”
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