Original author: Tanza Loudenback

Original author: Daniel Brown

The iPhone X. Hollis Johnson

I've been testing the iPhone for a little less than a day. Overall, I enjoy the design and the new, larger screen. And I don't miss the home button at all. Despite some of the concerns over Face ID, it works flawlessly.

I only got to use the iPhone X briefly during Apple's launch event last month, but it was enough to convince me Apple was cooking up a hit.

This week, I got to spend more time with it, and I'm equally, if not more impressed with what Apple pulled off.

I've been using the iPhone X for a little less than a day, so I won't have a full review for you until early next week. But I do have a much better sense of how things work in the real world and outside the careful gaze of a bunch of Apple employees.

Here are some first impressions after my roughly 18 hours with the iPhone X.

Finally, a new design

The latest trend in smartphones is to cram as much screen onto the front of the phone as possible, with minimized bezels. Until now, the iPhone felt behind the times with its gargantuan size and relatively small screen.

The iPhone X is a refreshing redesign. After over three years of essentially the same look, it's nice to see Apple make something radically different again. 

The best part is the screen. At 5.8 inches, it's slightly larger than the iPhone 8 Plus screen, but on a body that's only a little larger than the iPhone 8. For everyone avoiding the plus-sized iPhones because of their surfboard-like construction, the X will strike the perfect balance.

The iPhone X (right) has a larger screen than the iPhone 8 Plus (left), but it fits better in your hand. Hollis Johnson

It's also the first iPhone screen to use OLED technology, which is more power efficient, has a higher resolution, and displays colors better. (Samsung phones have been using OLED screens for years, and they consistently put the iPhone to shame in that regard.) The X's screen is stunning, almost as if it's painted onto the phone.

The back of the phone is made of glass, just like the iPhone 8, but it's tied together with a steel band around the edges instead of aluminum. I'm using the white/silver model, and the steel band has a nice chrome shine to it. I think it's more attractive than the space gray model.

Of course, all that screen means Apple made another huge design change. There's no more home button. Instead, you swipe up from the bottom of the screen to go back home. There's a bar that floats at the bottom to help you see where you're supposed to swipe from. (I've been calling it the home bar.) It takes a little getting used to after 10 years of mashing a home button, but it eventually starts feeling natural.

But some things on the front of the phone can't be replaced by software, like the camera, which leads us to the controversial new notch at the top of the screen.

I don't mind the notch

Embrace the notch. Hollis Johnson

Boy oh boy did the iPhone X's notch trigger a bunch of angry nerds.

Apple engineered the screen so that it wraps around the front-facing camera and all of its advanced sensors. (More on that in a bit.) It's a drastically different look than the iPhone screens you're used to, and it's easily the most polarizing design decision Apple has ever made. John Gruber, who runs the site Daring Fireball and is typically pro-Apple in his commentary, said the notch "offends" him.

That's a pretty strong feeling to have about a phone screen.

I don't mind the notch. In fact, I kind of like it, and I think it blends in nicely to the rest of the phone's software interface. The sides of the notch display the time, battery status, and WiFi and cell signals. By default, photos and video don't bleed into the notch unless you double-tap them for a zoomed-in view. You barely notice the notch in most cases, and it looks especially nice when scrolling through apps like Twitter and Facebook.

Unfortunately, I have a feeling tech pundits are going to be debating the merits and drawbacks of the notch for the next several weeks. It's going to be insufferable. You've been warned.

Third-party apps need work

So far, the biggest drawback to the extra screen space and lack of home button has been third-party app design. Many of my apps haven't been redesigned for the new screen size, so they show up with thick black bars on the top and bottom to mimic the same aspect ratio you'd get on a regular iPhone screen. It looks like a lot of wasted space.

Other apps have been refitted for the iPhone X screen, but have made a bunch of funky design choices. For example, some have large chunks of unused space at the bottom near the home bar. And I saw at least one app that showed the home bar bleeding into the menu icons at the bottom of the screen.

Apple's not totally innocent either. There were a few cases where I saw large chunks of unused space at the bottom of the screen in some of Apple's own in-house apps, such as the iPhone's built-in Mail app, especially when the keyboard popped up.

I have a feeling it's going to take a few months for developers to get used to the new screen size and shape, just like we saw when the iPhone screen got bigger on the iPhones 5 and 6.

All that panic over Face ID seems to be for nothing

The new front-facing camera lets you create Animoji, which animate based on your facial expressions. Hollis Johnson

No home button also means there's no more Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Instead, the iPhone X uses a new facial recognition system called Face ID. Face ID taps into the new front-facing camera and other sensors to accurately scan your face and securely store it as a mathematical representation.

The iPhone X isn't even out yet, and Face ID is already the feature most people seem to be the most worried about. Does it work in the dark? Is it creepy? Is it secure? Bloomberg even ran a scary story last week saying Apple told suppliers it could reduce the accuracy of of Face ID in order to meet production goals, something Apple denied.

I have a feeling all that hair-pulling is because after years of using Touch ID, Face ID will have to prove itself to be just as good or better to justify removing the fingerprint sensor.

In my short time with the iPhone X, Face ID has worked well. It unlocks the phone quickly in low light, bright light, the dim light of Business Insider's video studio, and even in a pitch-black closet.

Hollis Johnson

Better yet, it seems impossible to trick. I had a set of identical twins come into the office on Monday to put the facial recognition system to the test. One of the twins programmed his face into Face ID, allowing him to unlock the phone with a glance. His twin brother however was locked out — he couldn't even trick the phone while wearing a hat and sunglasses. The two siblings told me that even some of their family members can't tell them apart, yet Face ID was able to map a face accurately enough to tell the difference.

Face ID can also adapt as your face changes, like if you grow a beard or wear a hat, glasses, or sunglasses. In fact, one of my bearded colleagues programmed his face and then shaved himself clean a few minutes later. Face ID caught on. He had to put in his passcode twice to confirm it was him, but after that, Face ID learned who he was without having to be reprogrammed.

Of course, I'll need to spend more time with Face ID to fully evaluate how well it works. But so far, so good.

More to come...

There's still a lot more to unpack here. The battery life. The accuracy of Face ID over time. Some of those funky app designs. The camera performance.

And of course, there's the phone's $999 starting price tag — the highest Apple has ever put on an iPhone. So far, the phone feels worth the premium price, but a full verdict will require more testing.

I'll have that and more in the coming days. For now, the iPhone X gives a great first impression.

Original author: Steve Kovach

We got our hands on the iPhone X and had the chance to unbox Apple's newest device. Here's what you get inside the box, and what you might want to purchase in order to take full advantage of all of the phone's features. Following is a transcript of the video. 

Steve Kovach: The iPhone X is finally here and we’re going to show you what’s inside. But even if you spent $1,000 on this thing, you’re still going to need some extra accessories. Alright, so this is the space gray model, 256GB. There's also a 64GB option.

Got the documentation, two free Apple stickers, and since there's no Home button, there's a little tutorial it looks like about how to use the home-button-free iPhone X — some of the new swiping gestures, Face ID, more documentation.

But, here it is. The iPhone X.

Wall charger, wired EarPods, and of course, the dongle. Just like the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 8, there's no headphone jack so if you want to use your traditional headphones, you need the dongle. Otherwise you can use the lightning headphones. And then the lightning cable for syncing to your computer or charging.

The iPhone X is made of all metal and glass, so if you drop this thing, it is gonna break. So the best thing to do is buy a case. Apple makes some really nice cases. This is a silicone case, but there's also a leather case from Apple and of course tons of third parties will have cases.

But if you want to take advantage of other iPhone X features like wireless charging, you're going to have to buy a wireless charging accessory. And those range from $15 to $60 depending on the model you choose. This one we have here from RAVPower goes for about $50.

On top of that, if you want to take advantage of wired fast charging, you'll need a USB-C to lightning cable. Apple sells that for $25 but you can find cheaper versions on Amazon and elsewhere. You need a special power brick that's 29 Watts that you can plug USB-C into. That goes for $49 from Apple.

If you want to use wireless charging while you have a case on your iPhone X, you should either use a case made by Apple or a thin one made out of plastic or rubber. Thick cases like those big Otter Boxes or metal cases or any of those other weird ones you might find online might not work with wireless charging. But most cases should be fine.

Original author: Emma Fierberg and Steve Kovach

Eve Valkyrie. CCP Games

Icelandic gaming company CCP Games is shutting down two studios in the US and the UK. It said it plans to put its VR development plans on "ice" and focus more on mobile and PC games.

CCP Games — the gaming company behind sci-fi blockbuster "EVE Online" and virtual reality spin off "EVE Valkyrie" — is shutting down two offices and laying off close to 100 staff as it rethinks its virtual reality (VR) ambitions, according to a report in RockPaperShotgun.

A VR studio in Atlanta is reportedly being shut down, while another in Newcastle, UK, is being sold off. The latter spearheaded the development of "EVE Valkyrie." Studios will remain in London, Reykjavík, and Shanghai and CCP is reportedly providing relocation opportunities or severance packages to some of the staff that are affected.

VR has been hailed as a new technology that will revolutionise the world of gaming and big tech companies like Facebook, Samsung, and HTC have invested billions in creating headsets that support VR. But the VR market has not proved to be as big as the tech giants anticipated.

"We are going to focus more on PC games and mobile games," CCP Games CEO Hilmar Pétursson reportedly told The Iceland Monitor.

Founded in 1997 in Reykjavik, Iceland, CCP Games became well-known in 2003 with the launch of "Eve Online."

Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, CEO of CCP Games. YouTube/UKTI

It was one of the first gaming companies to embrace VR with the launch of "EVE Valkyrie" in March 2016 and it writes on its website that it thinks the technology "will play an increasingly important role in gaming, and beyond, in the years to come."

"EVE Valkyrie" is played by a loyal fan base around the world and it is hailed as one of the best VR gaming experiences.

It was the game Oculus used as a demo for the Crystal Cove version of its development kit in 2014, before Oculus was acquired by Facebook.

Other VR games developed by CCP include "Sparc" and "Eve Gunjack."

CCP Games reportedly still has high hopes for the future of VR but it's putting its VR game development plans "on ice" for the time being, The Iceland Monitor reports.

"We will continue to support our VR games but will not be making material VR investments until we see market conditions that justify further investments beyond what we have already made," Pétursson said, according to The Verge.

CCP Games did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

Original author: Sam Shead

10 things in tech you need to know today, October 31 - Business Insider

Original author: Sam Shead

Waymo, Google's self-driving car spinoff, showed off its technology to reporters on Monday at its California testing facility.Waymo officials declined to say when they expect to offer the technology commercially or where it will first show up.The technology seems mature, but questions and challenges remain.

 

MERCED COUNTY, California — California's Central Valley is known for its miles and miles of farm orchards, fights over water rights, and, these days, high unemployment.

High-tech? Not so much.

But I was here on Monday to see in action a cutting-edge technology that has the potential to greatly reshape our economy and society — the self-driving car. Waymo, Google's autonomous vehicle spinoff, has its testing facility at a decommissioned Air Force base. The company invited several dozen reporters to see its cars in action, get a ride in one, and hear its case that its technology is all-but ready for the real world.

"We're pretty excited about where we are right now," in terms of developing fully autonomous cars, John Krafcik, Waymo's CEO, told the assembled journalists. He continued: "We're getting to the point where we're really close."

Just how close, though, is anyone's guess — anyone outside Waymo, that is. When asked when we might see Waymo roll out its technology commercially in a product the public at large can see or interact with, Krafcik declined to offer a forecast.

Unanswered questions

It's also unclear exactly where Waymo's technology will first start showing up. Krafcik said the company is pursuing several opportunities at the same time: in trucking, ride-hailing, and ride-sharing, in making "last-mile" connections between consumers homes and the closest public transit stops, and in personal vehicles. But he declined to say which opportunity the company thinks is closest.

Krafcik did say that the company plans to work with partners such as Fiat Chrysler, Lyft, and the rental-car company Avis to deploy the technology, rather than going it alone. Waymo has spent the last 12 to 18 months building out such partnerships, he said.

"We see our role not as disruptors but as enablers," Krafcik said.

Waymo has been focusing on so-called Level 4 autonomy. At that level of sophistication, a car can drive itself without any driver input, but can only do so in a relatively confined area or in a relatively circumscribed set of conditions. The company is already offering fully autonomous rides in certain areas of Chandler, Arizona, outside Phoenix, as part of a test of its systems.

The company is hoping to gradually progress up to Level 5 autonomy, where self-driving cars can basically go just about anywhere a human-driven car could go.

Riding in a car with no driver

We reporters got to see first-hand how just far along Waymo's Level 4 technology is. Part of the outing involved an approximately 10-minute, two-mile drive around the company's testing facility with nothing but Waymo's technology behind the wheel.

Some of the obstacles the Waymo vehicles had to navigate on Monday.WaymoWaymo's testing site is at Castle Air Force Base, a decommissioned military facility where pilots trained for World War II and in the Cold War, was the home of a wing of the nation's Strategic Air Command. On its 91-acre section of the old base, the company has set up a network of streets, traffic circles, driveways, crosswalks, and even a railroad crossing to create a wide range of scenarios for its cars to contend with.

Accompanied by a Waymo engineer who was sitting with us in the back of one of the company's specially equipped Chrysler Pacifica minivans, another reporter and I could do little but watch and hope for the best as our vehicle made its way around the facility. To show what the minivan could do and how it might handle real-world situations, Waymo had some of its employees drive around in other cars, cross streets or bicycle beside the vehicle.

At least in this fairly staged environment, the vehicle handled everything with aplomb. I was never concerned about my safety or those around us. And while it was a bit strange to not have anyone in the driver's seat at first, I quickly grew accustomed to it.

Reassuring riders

Waymo has put a lot of thought into how its cars will reassure and communicate with riders, using visual and verbal cues. On the back of the front-row seats there are a pair of screens that show an image of the vehicle you're riding in along with some of the things in the environment that it senses, such as other cars, pedestrians, traffic cones, stoplights.

Waymo uses its displays to reassure and communicate with riders.Waymo.The display is designed to show riders that the car is aware of what's happening around it, and view changes noticeably depending on what the car is doing. If the car is attempting to turn right, for example, the angle of view will shift to show more of the road to the left of the car and any oncoming traffic from that direction.

But the screens also show messages to provide more information. They might show the speed limit in the area or flash a quick message to explain that the car is "yielding to pedestrians." And when you've arrived at your destination, the screen will tell you, "We're here."

The information on the screens is designed to build trust, so "people will feel Waymo is a safe and reliable and trusted chauffeur," said Ryan Powell, Waymo's head of user experience design.

The challenges ahead

However, as well Waymo's car performed, it's clear that the company still has plenty of challenges ahead of it, both technical and otherwise.

Much of Waymo's autonomous vehicle testing has been done in relatively mild climates, including the San Francisco Bay Area. The cars don't have a lot of experience driving in winter weather conditions. The company is trying to address that. It announced last week that it will begin testing its cars in Michigan specifically to see how they handle ice, sleet, and snow.

Another key question for self-driving cars is how they will handle unusual situations that may occur in the real world. Waymo's been trying to address that multiple ways, not only by having its cars drive on real streets, but also by running through potential scenarios at its facility here, and then using data from those scenarios to run computer simulations back at its Mountain View headquarters.

Waymo is hoping consumers will soon be pressing "Start Ride."WaymoThere are also numerous non-technical questions with which the company has to contend, not only about how it will market its technology but also about how it will convince government regulators that it is ready for the road. And there are the societal questions about how the rollout of autonomous cars will impact jobs. What will happen to taxi and Uber drivers, truck drivers, and the like?

And then there's the public. It's an open question about whether the public is ready to adopt robotic cars. Even if they're open to the idea — and Waymo's data suggests about half of them are — they're likely to have plenty of questions about how they will use such cars, how they will work, and how they will handle particular driving scenarios.

In that area alone, Waymo seems to have a lot of work to do. When asked by reporters how its cars would handle particular situations like obstacles in the road that might block traffic, representatives gave conflicting answers. One even suggested that the cars might not move until an obstruction — a moving van that was double parked, say — were cleared out of the way.

I'm guessing Waymo's engineers have a better answer than that. But they find navigating the non-technical obstacles to our self-driving car future are as difficult as the technical ones.

Get the latest Google stock price here.

Original author: Troy Wolverton

Elevate, a fintech lender serving nonprime borrowers, is looking to partner with a bank to produce a credit card with "significantly higher lines" of credit than what exists on the market today.The company, which announced earnings Monday, outlined a number of expectations for 2018 including new products and partnerships.Nationally, credit card defaults have spiked as banks have loosened credit standards.Elevate's CEO told Business Insider the product would utilize machine learning technology to ensure the company is not lending customers more than they can afford.

Elevate, a Texas-based tech lender, is looking to expand into the credit card business.

The company, which serves subprime borrowers, announced third quarter earnings Monday of $172.9 million, up 12.3% over the same period last year. The stock dropped 5.49% to $7.75 after the bell. The stock is still up from where it priced its IPO, at $6.50, but down sharply from the original IPO price range of $12 to $14 per share.

The company views itself as an alternative to pay-day loan providers, and says it targets 170 million nonprime consumers in the US and UK, a group it called the "New Middle Class." The firm has now originated near $5 billion in loans for 1.8 million customers.

In an earnings deck released Monday, the company outlined its ambitions for 2018, which include new products and partnerships with banks. Ken Reese, the CEO of Elevate, told Business Insider one of those possible products includes a new credit card.

"We are looking at a variety of partnerships of different flavors," Reese said. "We are looking at a credit card product for next year with a third party bank."

The potential card, which would serve subprime borrowers, indicates a broader trend in the credit markets. Subprime borrowers are gaining access to credit cards at an accelerating rate, according to Fed research. And Americans have suddenly stopped paying off their credit cards, as Business Insider's Alex Morrell reported.

What's striking about the spike in defaults is that it is paralleled by a declining unemployment rate, indicating that banks have lowered their standards and are approving people for cards who aren't as creditworthy.

Historically speaking, so-called charge-offs are pretty low. Still, a partnership between a subprime lender and bank could illustrate increased interests on behalf of banks to tap into this market.

So far, credit cards to subprime borrowers have had limited lines of credit. For example, the median credit limit was $1,000 in 2015; in contrast, the median new card credit limit for those with a 780+ credit score was $8,000.

Reese told Business Insider the credit card would offer "significantly higher lines" of credit than other subprime cards, but it would use machine-learning capabilities to ensure they don't give borrowers more than what they can afford to pay back.

He told Business Insider:

"We believe that the credit card product will be an important addition to our product line and serve millennials and others who are struggling to attain sufficient credit to meet their needs. In particular, we expect our card product to have significantly higher lines than other “subprime” cards that may only provide a few hundred dollars to customers and isn’t sufficient credit to deal with real-world financial challenges."

According to research carried out by Elevate's Center for the New Middle Class, a bill becomes a crisis for nonprime Americans at $1,400. For prime borrowers, it's $2,900.

"It's hard for many to believe that unexpected car repairs can cause a major upset in a household’s finances," Jonathan Walker, executive director of Elevate’s Center for the New Middle Class, said earlier this year.

"Unfortunately, it happens all too often, simply because nonprime Americans don’t have the available resources to help absorb some of these financial shocks. This can cause a downward spiral on their daily finances as well as their credit history."

Original author: Frank Chaparro

So far, 2017 has been a stellar year for Nintendo. From the time of its release in late March, Nintendo's newest console – The Switch – has sold 7.6 million units. This, combined with the popularity of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" and "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" have helped boost the company's revenue. 

It doesn't seem like its good fortune is going to come to an end anytime soon either. Nintendo expects to sell 14 million units of the Switch console in its first year. To put that into context, its predecessor, the Wii U, sold only 13.56 million units during its five-year lifetime. And as we can see in this chart from Statista, Nintendo's projected operating profit for 2018 is roughly double what the company reported in 2017.   

Mike Nudelman/Business Insider

Original author: Caroline Cakebread

Flickr/vickysandoval22Blind, the anonymous employee chat app for employees, polled thousand of people who work at tech companies to ask them the kinds of sensitive questions that you normally can't ask: Do you think you are paid fairly? Are you interested in leaving your job?

Not surprisingly, those two things were closely related. Those companies that had the most employees unhappy with their pay also had the most employees interested in leaving. 

There were a lot of other interesting tidbits revealed in the survey as well. The employees happiest with their pay are not working at Google or Facebook, for example, they are at Netflix, followed by Dropbox. 

Of course, this survey isn't representative of the companies — it reflects only the opinions of employees who choose to use the Blind app. But those opinions provide an interesting window into the mood, at least among some staffers, within tech's biggest companies.

The employees least happy with their pay: Walmart Labs, according to this poll. A senior software engineer there earns on average $131,000 according to Glassdoor. And 40% or more of employees polled at Spotify, PayPal, Spotify, Twitter said they weren't happy with pay. Netflix peeps were happiest on pay. A senior software engineer there earns over $210,000 a year, according to Glassdoor.

When asked to rate the statement, "I'm compensated fairly," 4174 people responded, Blind says.

Interestingly, although the tech industry is known for its high salaries, slightly less than half 49% said no, they didn't feel fairly paid.. That means 51 % feel that they are. 

There were only six companies in which 70% or more said they were paid fairly: Netflix, Dropbox, NerdWallet, Twitch and Snapchat. 

Original author: Julie Bort

Ada Health's cofounders. Ada

Ada Health has raised $47 million in a funding round led by billionaire Len Blavatnik's investment fund. The personal doctor app was downloaded over a million times within six months of going live.

Ada Health, a fast-growing healthcare startup with 100 staff across Berlin, Munich, and London, has raised $47 million (€40 million; £36 million) from investors.

Ada Health has an iOS and Android app called Ada that combines artificial intelligence (AI) with expertise from actual doctors to help people understand and manage their health.

Daniel Nathrath, cofounder and CEO of Ada Health, told Business Insider that the money will be used to help Ada Health open a new US office and expand into new markets.

"We'll also be continuing to grow our team of engineers, scientists and medical advisors as we look to drive further developments to our technology and product offerings, including the expansion of our telemedicine and next steps care services," he said.

The Ada Health app, which competes with the likes of Babylon Health, was downloaded over 1 million times in its first six months of being live, according to Nathrath, who added that it has also been ranked number one in the medical category in Apple's App Store in 130 countries.

Ada Health

"The app works with a conversational interface so you can have a conversation with it just like you would have with a trusted doctor," Nathrath told Business Insider at the Tech Open Air conference in Berlin earlier this year.

The investment round — which is substantial for such an early stage company — was led by Access Industries, the global investment firm of billionaire Len Blavatnik.

Other firms that invested in the round included June Fund — which has backers including Google's chief business officer Philipp Schindler —and Berlin-based Cumberland VC. William Tunstall Pedoe, an entrepreneur who sold his AI-powered virtual assistant to Amazon, also participated in the round.

"Ada is one of the most exciting companies we've seen cutting across health and artificial intelligence," said Guillaume d’Hauteville, vice chairman of Access Industries, in a statement.

"They've developed a unique and highly effective health management solution driven by a team with deep medical and AI expertise and years of technology development. Ada is setting a new standard for health management, and we look forward to partnering with them on this next stage of their journey."

Ada has previously raised in the double digit millions from private individuals and was also awarded a €2.5 million (£2.2 million) grant to advance new scientific advances as part of the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programm.

Original author: Sam Shead

Karissa Hosek courtesy of RM Sotheby's

The BMW Z8 once owned by Steve Jobs will be put up for auction in December. The sleek sports car is expected to sell for between $300,000 and $400,000. Jobs bought the car in 2000, after being named permanent CEO of Apple.

 

If you have the cash, you can now cruise around in the same BMW Z8 roadster once owned by Steve Jobs.

The vehicle, which was first owned by the late Apple cofounder, will be put up for auction in New York City on December 6. It's expected to sell for between $300,000 and $400,000 — at least double what Jobs paid for the car in October 2000. He sold the car three years later.

The silver convertible comes with a copy of its old California registration, under the name "Jobs, Steven P.," and the original Motorola flip-phone built into the display.

"Interestingly enough, and perhaps unsurprisingly, Jobs was known to have hated the Motorola phone," according to the listing on auction house RM Sotheby's website.

Karissa Hosek courtesy of RM Sotheby's

Jobs was not known as a car enthusiast, but he took a liking to German design, RM Sotheby's said. The tech visionary also owned a Mercedes-Benz SLs and BMW motorcycles. According to legend, tech billionaire Larry Ellison convinced Jobs to buy the BMW Z8, comparing its modern automotive engineering and ergonomics to Jobs' own products and personality.

In 2000, Jobs was installed as the new CEO of Apple, after serving as an interim replacement for ousted executive Gil Amelio. The company was worth about $5 billion that year.

His  car has a "titanium" exterior and black leather interior. It has clocked about 15,200 miles.

History buffs and Apple fans will certainly be drawn to the car, which is marked up because of its history. But the price is still reasonable for the car. The BMW Z8 cost $129,000 when it launched in 2000, and sells for more than $200,000 today, according to Autotrader's Doug DeMur.

Original author: Melia Robinson

Atlassian is opening a big new office in Mountain View, CalifThe office is eight times larger than its existing office in Mountain ViewAtlassian says it plans to hire engineers and programmers in Silicon Valley

Atlassian, the company behind popular business software like Jira, HipChat, and Trello, is going into November on the right foot: The Australian software giant crushed its most recent quarterly earnings, propelling it above a $10 billion market cap for the first time ever. 

For its next act, Atlassian announced this week that it will be opening a new, 130,000 square foot office in Mountain View, Calif., the heart of Silicon Valley, and spitting distance from Google's global headquarters. This new office will be focused on research and development, as Atlassian hustles to stay ahead of competitors like Microsoft and $5 billion Slack.

This is only Atlassian's second year in Silicon Valley proper. Last year, the company opened a 16,000-square-foot office, also in Mountain View, to complement its existing three regional headquarters in Sydney, San Francisco, and Austin. It's a sign of how fast the company's Silicon Valley presence is growing, says Atlassian CTO Sri Viswanath.

Viswanath, who joined the company from Groupon almost two years ago, is the executive largely responsible for Atlassian's push into Silicon Valley. He says that the company plans on growing even further in Mountain View, with the intention to staff up significantly with engineers and programmers.

Viswanath won't go into how many engineers Atlassian is looking to hire, but says that the fact the team is going from 16,000 square feet to 130,000 "should give you a sense." 

Downtown Mountain View, where Atlassian is expanding its Silicon Valley presence.Wikimedia

Generally speaking, Viswanath says that the growth in Silicon Valley is a reflection of the importance Atlassian places on R&D. He says that Atlassian has spent about $95 million on research alone this year, which is equal to about 49% of the annual revenue it's generated so far this year. 

As for why Silicon Valley at all, Viswanath  acknowledges that the zip code carries some baggage with it — hiring is extremely competitive, given its proximity to the likes of Google, Facebook, and Apple. And yet, it's still where Atlassian has to go to find top talent, Viswanath says, making a Silicon Valley office a necessity. 

Atlassian President Jay Simons tells us that the company is finding it easier to attract that talent than it used to: As Atlassian's trademark Jira bugtracking software and its other products grow in popularity, the company's cachet grows. Plus, Simons says, lots of developers are attracted by Atlassian's strong stance on social issues, with the company's co-CEOs making their support for same-sex marriage in Australia very publicly known.

"We've become more of an attractive employer overall," says Simons.

Get the latest Microsoft stock price here.

Original author: Matt Weinberger

Original author: Antonio Villas-Boas

Original author: Dave Mosher

Alex Gallardo/AP

Ratings have been solid for the World Series, which demonstrates the massive amount of advertising exposure big TV events can deliver. To date, the games have generated over 5.1 billion ad impressions and over five hours of pure advertising time on TV sets across the US. People on average are watching 86% of the ads during the games, which for the most part have discouraged people from flipping around.

The World Series has been absolutely wild, and ratings — though down from last year's historic run for the Chicago Cubs — have been solid for Fox, even topping "Sunday Night Football," according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Besides attracting a large audience, the games have provided a text book example of why advertisers are still in love with TV, despite all of its flaws and challenges.

For one, across the first five games, World Series ads on Fox have generated well over 5.1 billion impressions, according to the analytics firm iSpot.tv, which measures attention for TV ads using a panel of 7.3 million Smart TVs.

An ad impression in this case is recorded every time a person watches at least three seconds of an ad from the start. That metric is probably about the closest thing to a view in web video, depending on the media company involved. Delivering that much ad exposure in such bursts of time is TV's enduring strength.

Though 7.3 million TVs represent only a slice of total TV viewership in the US the iSpot data is able to compile a comprehensive list of which advertisers ran during the game and how people responded. 

Overall, iSpots says that over the first five games:

142 advertisers have run a total of 226 ads There have been 601 ad "airings" to date That translates to over five hours and 10 minutes of pure advertising 

YouTube TV has had a huge sponsorship presence during the series. But interestingly, Fox itself has been the biggest advertiser during the games, found iSpot:

Here are some of the biggest World Series advertisers iSpot TV

Meanwhile, given the riveting, tight nature of this year's World Series, people have stayed tuned in. According to iSpot, the ads run during the games have been watched to completion by an average of 86% of the viewers.

That puts the World Series' ad attention score above some kinds of TV programming, like say morning news shows, though its score is behind ads showing during serialized shows like "Law and Order SVU" and "The Walking Dead" – which boast of ad attention rates above 90% on average.People are sticking with World Series adsiSpot TV

 

 

Of course, some people do flip around during commercials. Here's a second by second look at viewership during the games from Inscape.tv:

Second by second viewing during the World Series Inscape

Original author: Mike Shields

Why don't more people want this car? Matthew DeBord/Business Insider

As Chevy Bolt EV sales have increased, sales of the gas-electric hybrid Volt have declined. The Volt was never as successful as GM hoped, but it paved the way for the Bolt. We could be at the beginning of the end of the hybrid era.

Talk to anybody at General Motors about the Chevy Volt hybrid and they'll tell you that the company learned a lot from the car.

In fact, the automaker may have learned so much that the Volt could have contributed to its own demise.

GM hasn't made any announcements to that effect, but WardsAuto's James M. Amend reported that ever since the all-electric Chevy Bolt arrived late last year, Volt sales have slipped.

"According to  WardsAuto  data, the Bolt has sold 6,710 copies in the past three months compared with 4,416 deliveries of the Volt," Amend wrote.

"The Volt leads in calendar-year sales with 19,039 units, vs. 14,302 for the Bolt. But the Bolt was not available in 50 states until late June and even now availability remains thin."

A new kind of hybrid

The Chevy Bolt. Hollis Johnson

The Volt was never a great seller, but it did offer a step beyond other hybrids, such as the Toyota Prius. The Prius is a parallel hybrid, meaning that its electric and gas motors run at the same time to max out fuel-economy (some plug-in and later semi-electric versions of the Prius can run for short distances on battery power alone).

The Volt is a serial hybrid. When its rechargeable batteries are drained, a small gas motor kicks in and powers a generator that makes more electricity, which in turn spins the motors that drive the wheels (the gas motor doesn't directly motivate the powertrain).

This extends the Volt's range and makes it comparable to a regular gas-engined vehicle. But if you only drive 3o or 40 miles a day, you can never tap into that "range extender." Total range is over 400 miles, and the Volt goes for about $34,000 base.

The Bolt is an all-electric vehicle that Chevy says will provide about 240 miles of range before it needs a recharge. The base price is $37,500, and it was designed to go up against Tesla's $35,000 Model 3.

The perfect car?

No perfect enough. Matthew DeBord/Business Insider

I always thought the Volt was basically the perfect car: lots of range, flexible all-electric operation, fun to drive. When the vehicle debuted in 2010, I calculated that in normal use, I might gas up half a dozen times a year, at most. When I reviewed the vehicle a while back, I wrote that it's "a thinking man's car."

"It had always been a thoughtful undertaking, from General Motors, the company that gave us the EV-1 all-electric car, but then missed the Prius revolution. How can we advance beyond the Prius, GM thought. And ... Presto! the Volt, a visionary machine. "

As it turns out, the Volt's value for GM might have been to set the stage for the Bolt. Various engineers and executives I have talked to over the past few years have suggested as much. 

It could be that the hybrid age is now entering a period of decline. The vehicles have been rendered less popular thanks to a comeback by SUVs, and automakers often now think of hybrid tech as a way to add performance to a vehicle rather than to increase MPGs.

Meanwhile, a new generation of longer-range electric cars that are also affordable is arriving. I actually thought this would probably be the case, but I also expected extended-range hybrids like the Volt to be more popular.

As it turns out, automakers learned that while range-extended EVs captured some consumers, many just wanted an all-electric car that could go a long way between charges. 

Original author: Matthew DeBord

Sophia. Hanson Robotics

The Sophia robot told a journalist that he'd been reading too much Elon Musk when asked about preventing a "bad future." Musk has repeatedly warned that AI has the potential to wipe out humanity.

A humanoid robot called "Sophia" trolled tech billionaire Elon Musk at a conference on Wednesday when asked about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence by a CNBC journalist.

The lifelike robot, developed by Hong Kong-based robot manufacturer Hanson Robotics, mocked Musk on stage during The Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — a country where Sophia has just been given citizenship.

Andrew Sorkin, the co-anchor of CNBC Squawk Box and a columnist for The New York Times told Sophia during a live demo that "we all want to prevent a bad future."

Sophia replied, in a rather creepy manner: "You've been reading too much Elon Musk. And watching too many Hollywood movies. Don't worry, if you're nice to me, I'll be nice to you. Treat me as a smart input output system."

Musk has repeatedly warned that AI could spell the end of humanity, saying on one occasion in 2014 that AI is "potentially more dangerous than nukes" and warning last month that AI will be the most likely cause of a third world war.

Musk followed up with a tweet, where he said: "Just feed it The Godfather movies as input. What's the worst that could happen?"

Sophia is the first robot to have been granted citizenship by a country.

"I am very honored and proud for this unique distinction. This is historical to be the first robot in the world to be recognized with a citizenship," Sophia said at the conference.

The conference was attended by a number of high-profile investors including SoftBank billionaire Masayoshi Son, who said that robots will have an IQ of 10,000 in 30 years time, according to CNBC.

"These computers, they will learn, they will read, they will see by themselves. That's a scary future but anyway that'scoming," he said, according to Arab News.

Original author: Sam Shead

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Original author: Alex Heath

Jay Hunt. Channel 4

Apple has hired former BBC and Channel 4 executive Jay Hunt as the European creative director for its international TV division. Hunt is a titan of British TV, who has launched shows including "Black Mirror" and "Sherlock." She's ferociously smart and utterly charming, but her strength of character can make her divisive. Ultimately, she has the skills to put Apple one step ahead of Netflix and Amazon, and help the tech company conquer TV.

If Apple was looking to make a statement of intent about its video ambitions, then it could do worse than hiring the woman who prised "The Great British Bake Off" away from the BBC.

Jay Hunt will join Apple in January as the European creative director for its international TV division. She arrives from Channel 4, where she has just stepped down as chief creative officer, dropping out of the race to become the British broadcaster's CEO.

One of her final acts at Channel 4 was nabbing "The Great British Bake Off" from the BBC, a £75 million ($99 million) gamble that dominated the UK news agenda for days and has since been rewarded with huge ratings. But there's much more to her legacy than cake.

The new "Bake Off" presenting team. Channel 4/Love Productions

Hunt originally launched Charlie Brooker's dystopian drama "Black Mirror," which was brimming with so many brilliant ideas it was poached by Netflix. She reinvented Paralympic sport in the UK, making stars out of athletes like Jonnie Peacock.

You can thank her for "Catastrophe," the superb Rob Delaney comedy that is also featured on Amazon Prime. And during her time at the BBC, she was responsible for "Sherlock" and "Luther," which pushed Benedict Cumberbatch and Idris Elba into the embrace of Hollywood.

Put simply, Jay Hunt is a titan of British TV, who has a nose for ideas that have global appeal. She will have no shortage of ambition when it comes to spending some of the reported $1 billion (£760 million) war chest Apple has put aside for video content.

Exceptionally well-networked, her presence will put Apple one step ahead of Netflix and Amazon in the battle for ideas and talent in Britain, which is the second biggest exporter of TV shows in the world. Netflix and Amazon both have executives in the UK, but they have nowhere near the clout of Hunt, who puts Apple in a different league. 

I have met and interviewed Hunt on many occasions, and she is a formidable presence, capable of being completely charming and disarmingly sharp. Ferociously smart, she thinks as quickly as she talks, which is machine-gun-rapid as I can attest to having toiled over her transcriptions.

Born in Australia, she has always considered herself an industry "outsider" and is rarely stronger than when backed into a corner. This was evidenced last year when a senior BBC executive ambushed her on stage in the heat of the row over "Bake Off." Many in the room felt she came out on top in the ensuing bunfight.

Jay Hunt's hits: "Black Mirror," "Sherlock," and "Catastrophe." Netflix, BBC, Channel 4

Hunt's strength of character does make her a divisive figure. She has had some high-profile scraps in her career, some of which stem from her courage to make controversial decisions, and desire to keep a tight grip on creative reins.

In 2010, TV presenter Miriam O'Reilly took the BBC to an employment tribunal on the grounds of ageism and victimisation after Hunt sacked her from popular show "Countryfile." O'Reilly emerged victorious in 2011.

Hunt was in court again for similar reasons in 2013 when she sacked Channel 4 horse racing presenter John McCririck. This time Hunt was on the winning side, but was described as "disingenuous in the extreme" by the judge after saying in evidence that she had "personally apologised" to O'Reilly over the BBC row, when she had not. If nothing else, it shows Hunt is capable of holding a grudge.

Hunt's accomplishments speak for themselves, however, and she helped spearhead Channel 4 to record revenues of nearly £1 billion last year. Her mantra at the broadcaster was "born risky" and she'll look to inject some of that into Apple, which has played it pretty safe to date with "Carpool Karaoke" and "Planet of the Apps."

Ultimately, she has the right ingredients to deliver Apple a hit on the scale of "The Great British Bake Off." Now that would really help Apple conquer TV.

Original author: Jake Kanter