Samsung Electronics’ latest flagship phone costs more to build than the previous model after the South Korean technology company upgraded the device’s camera, according to research firm TechInsights.
The new Galaxy S9+ smartphone costs US$379 to build, up from $343 for last year’s Galaxy S8+, TechInsights estimated. The S9+ has a more advanced camera system that includes a second rear camera. Those components cost $48 versus $32 on the S8+.
As smartphone cameras have improved enough to be the go-to picture-taking devices for most people, photo quality has become a major battleground between Apple, Samsung and other mobile technology companies.
The most expensive [...]
Controversial Afrikaans singer Steve Hofmeyr has vowed that the “show will go on”, after the George Municipality withdrew permission for him to lease out the local hall for his concert next week.
He confirmed to News24 on Thursday that he was consulting lawyers and that the municipality would have to explain their actions.
“The George town council first gives permission and then takes it away,” he said.
“That show will carry on. At the same venue. We are pursuing litigation.”
He said “being gagged by liberals” was “nothing new” for him.
He maintained his concerts were musical and had [...]
The stronger rand appears to have helped MultiChoice keep its annual price increases below inflation. The broadcaster said the price of DStv Premium, its top-end bouquet, will rise by 2.5% on 1 April 2018 — from R789/month to R809/month.
That compares to a price hike of 4% in 2017 for DStv Premium. A year ago, the rand was trading over R13/US$. On Friday morning, it was trading at R11.59.
Mid-tier bouquets, however, will see bigger increases, with DStv Compact Plus (formerly Extra) set to rise by 4.1% from R489 to R509/month and DStv Compact going up by 5.5% to R385/month from R365 now.
Last year, Compact Plus was hiked by 6.5% and Compact by 5.8%.
The [...]
Today, digital advertising is expected to grow to an annual spend over $335 billion by 2020. The industry is booming, taking over search ad spend at #1 in 2016. However, with constant increases in ad volume and spend, what’s happening to returns?
The average clickthrough rate of display ads across all formats and placements is a miniscule fraction of a percent: 0.06%. Even of this small amount, over half of mobile ad clicks are reportedly accidental—and that’s if you can reach the user in the first place.
Conversely, ad blocking tools are growing explosively, with usage up 41% on the year globally. The number is even higher among younger [...]