Weekly Tech Updates (April 2, 2021)
Weekly Tech Updates is an easy and convenient way to keep up with all the happenings in the tech world. Stay tuned every Friday for all the latest updates.
New Launch / Release in Malaysia:
News:
1. Xiaomi announces new logo.
Xiaomi announced its new logo design during the New Product Launch 2021 showcase. The new logo is designed by renowned designer Kenya Hara, the art director of Japanese retailer Muji.
According to various sources, the new logo design has been 3 years in the making and cost US$305,000 (~MYR 1.2million). As one would expect, the logo was received with much criticism. The logo has made its way round the internet with many citing that Xiaomi was scammed or robbed while others simply offered to do the redesiging at a much lower rate.
Lei Jun, CEO of Xiaomi did in fact anticipate criticism and disappointment as he asked the audience, “Are you disappointed at this logo, that we just made our original logo rounder?”
Nevertheless, Lei Jun believes that the new logo truly embraces and captures an upgrade of the company’s “internal spirit and qualities”, a company that is truly ‘alive’.
Watch part II of the product launch here:
2. Google announced non-participation in upcoming MWC 2021
Google has officially announced that it will not be exhibiting at the upcoming Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2021. This is in line with the company’s COVID-19 travel restrictions and protocols.
Nevertheless, Google will still be participating virtually and will continue to support the organizer, GSMA. This news comes as quite a blow to the organizers as Google presence at the event is very significant.
Aside from Google, several other notable companies like Facebook, Sony, Nokia and Ericsson have earlier pulled out from the exhibition.
Even with this unfortunate news, GSMA is still determined to carry on with the MWC 2021 in-person exhibition which will be held in Barcelona from 28 June – 01 July 2021. MWC 2020 was called off due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
3. Paypal now allows payments with crypto currency in the US
Paypal launched “Checkout with Crypto” on Tuesday, 30 March 2021. It was back in October 2020 when Paypal first announced its venture into the crypto market. The new feature is currently only available in the US but considering Paypal’s international presence, we believe it is only a matter of time before this feature is rolled out to the other regions.
4. TWS & Wearables record strong growth in 2020
While 2020 has been a rough ride for many industries due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the smart personal audio devices saw a growth of 20% in 2020 to reach 432 million units, while wearable bands grew 10% to reach 185 million units (report source: Canalys).
The growth in this segment is very likely due to growing concerns about health and people becoming more active outdoors. In our opinion, the growing trend of working from home is also likely a contributing factor to the growth in TWS and wireless earphones.
