Even when the airwaves clog up, Li-Fi will keep us connected

The internet is vital for many of us. We work, play, and socialize online. Internet access has even been recognized as a basic human right by the United Nations. But fears of an impending spectrum crunch persist.

As demands grow, particularly video streaming, our cellular and Wi-Fi networks are being strained to breaking point. One possible solution to alleviating the strain is Li-Fi, an interesting technology that allows the internet to come through LED lights.

What is Li-Fi?

Li-Fi allows you to transmit data using light. While Wi-Fi relies upon radio frequencies to send data, Li-Fi employs infra-red and ultra-violet light, as well as visible light, to send data back and forth. With PureLiFi’s implementation, a router connects to an access point via Ethernet cable, the access point connects to a Li-Fi-enabled LED light and modulates the light at extremely high speeds. You plug a dongle with a transmitter and receiver into your laptop or tablet and it sends and receives data from and to the light. You can use it just the same way you would use Wi-Fi to surf the web, stream a video, or upload files.

Simon Hill/Digital Trends

We’ve been following the progress of Li-Fi for the last couple of years. After seeing a demonstration at MWC earlier this year, we gave Edinburgh-based PureLiFi our cool tech award. The team has been hard at work since then to miniaturize the technology and it recently took the wraps off a new product – the LiFi-XC.

New and improved LiFi-XC

Previous demonstrations relied on the LiFi-X, a chunky dongle produced as a proof of concept to allow potential customers to test the technology. The new LiFi-XC is much sleeker, with an aluminum casing and a stylish design that resembles a premium USB thumb drive.

“We’ve focused on the miniaturization, productization, and robustness of the technology,” PureLiFi Chief Operating Officer, Harald Burchardt, told Digital Trends. “We also substantially reduced the power draw of the dongle, which is particularly important as we move towards integration.”

“We’re looking at a two to three-year time frame to be able to integrate our technology into devices.”

The LiFi-XC system is comprised of the USB dongle, which plugs into a tablet or laptop, and an access point which connects a router to an LED bulb. It is the first fully certified Li-Fi system, with FCC, UL Listing, and CE approval. It’s designed to be plug-and-play and offers support for Windows, MacOS, and Linux.

We tried it out with a Microsoft Surface laptop and walked around the conference room of PureLiFi’s Edinburgh office while streaming a video. It worked flawlessly, offering speeds of 43 megabits per second (Mbps) up and down.

While LiFi-XC is a significant improvement over the original LiFi-X, the company is aiming to get the technology integrated into devices, in much the same way that Wi-Fi is integrated now.

“We were visited by the largest mobile manufacturers at MWC,” explains Burchardt. “We’re looking at a three-year time frame to be small enough for mass integration.”

If you strip away the casing, the board, receiver, and transmitter inside the LiFi-XC could be accommodated into a laptop today, maybe even a tablet. Further miniaturization will be needed before we see this technology in smartphones, but that’s what PureLiFi is working towards.

“Look at the path of LTE and Wi-Fi from dongle, to increased functionality, miniaturization, and lower power before it ended up in a product,” Alistair Banham, PureLiFi CEO, said. “This will follow the same path. We’re already developing new techniques to miniaturize and manage the way you collect photons.”

To that end, the company has hired another 30 people since the last time we spoke, taking the team up to 50. It’s an international mix that includes some of the best talent in the world. Little wonder then, that PureLiFi has tripled its revenue from last year and hopes to achieve similar growth in 2018.

Compelling use cases

Li-Fi offers some interesting advantages over Wi-Fi and cellular connections, which we’ll mention in a moment, but the main driver of adoption is the fast-growing burden on existing networks.

“Smartphones will need this technology to serve increasing demands.”

“Smartphones will need this technology to serve increasing demands,” Burchardt said.

There’s no doubt that we’re increasingly using smartphones and other mobile devices to access the internet. Global mobile data traffic grew 63 percent in 2016, according to Cisco, when 8 billion mobile devices each generated average traffic of 3.4GB per month. By 2021, it predicts there will be 11.6 billion mobile devices generating an average of 8GB of traffic per month.

“Li-Fi is a complementary technology,” Banham said. “The 5G framework is about using multiple bearers in a wireless environment to transfer data, that bearer could be light, it could be radio frequency (RF), it could be something else, so interoperability is all part of the 5G plan.”

Li-Fi offers around 1,000 times the data density that Wi-Fi can, enabling much more data per square meter. A single access point for each light is the ideal installation and will provide fast, reliable internet access, even in crowded situations.

There are security advantages as well. While Wi-Fi penetrates walls, light can be easily contained. Each Li-Fi enabled light has a unique IP address, so advanced geofencing is easy.

Some of PureLiFi’s early partners have been attracted by the lack of radio frequencies, which can interfere with equipment. Li-Fi can work well in environments like hospitals, power plants, and airplanes, because interference can be eliminated.

Earlier this year, PureLiFi teamed up with Nokia and Verizon to demonstrate the durability of Li-Fi in the aftermath of a simulated terrorist attack, in the shape of a simulated explosion in an underground tunnel in Georgia. RF often cuts out in these situations, making it impossible to maintain contact with first responders. Backup generators always focus on light first, so Li-Fi technology is a good fit, allowing people to communicate and locate each other in difficult circumstances.

A bright future

There are obviously some limitations to the technology right now, not least the fact you need the right hardware and the light to be on. Li-Fi increases the power needs of lights at a time when most of the industry is striving for greater power efficiency, but PureLiFi is already looking at how to reduce the power draw.

“We have the firm belief that Li-Fi will touch every aspect of our communications in the same way that Wi-Fi does now.”

Further miniaturization will also be vital as it looks to leave the dongle behind. PureLiFi is already working with OEMs on integration, though it won’t name them right now. It has also built partnerships with lighting manufacturers like Lucibel, Linmore LED, and Wipro to get the technology embedded into lights.

“We need a decent install base to serve devices for when smartphone integration comes,” Burchardt said.

The LiFi-XC is a clear step in the right direction and PureLiFi is working towards higher data rates using existing lighting structures and aiming for gigabit speeds in the long term. Li-Fi isn’t going to replace Wi-Fi any time soon, but it’s not aiming to – this is a complementary technology that can work in concert with existing networks to ensure we have seamless internet access all the time.

It may be a while before you see Li-Fi support in your home. For now, the LiFi-XC system is only for business partners, but PureLiFi is confident it will reach the consumer market in the next few years.

“We have the firm belief that Li-Fi will touch every aspect of our communications in the same way that Wi-Fi does now,” Burchardt said.

We’ll have to wait and see whether it can reach the heights of Wi-Fi, but looking at PureLiFi’s progress over the last year, we believe Li-Fi has a very bright future ahead of it.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Voltaic OffGrid Solar backpack (second-gen) review
• 2017 Vanderhall Venice first drive review
• If data is the new oil, are tech companies robbing us blind?
• FrontRow Camera Review
• Kindle Oasis (2017) review

Even when the airwaves clog up, Li-Fi will keep us connected

The internet is vital for many of us. We work, play, and socialize online. Internet access has even been recognized as a basic human right by the United Nations. But fears of an impending spectrum crunch persist.

As demands grow, particularly video streaming, our cellular and Wi-Fi networks are being strained to breaking point. One possible solution to alleviating the strain is Li-Fi, an interesting technology that allows the internet to come through LED lights.

What is Li-Fi?

Li-Fi allows you to transmit data using light. While Wi-Fi relies upon radio frequencies to send data, Li-Fi employs infra-red and ultra-violet light, as well as visible light, to send data back and forth. With PureLiFi’s implementation, a router connects to an access point via Ethernet cable, the access point connects to a Li-Fi-enabled LED light and modulates the light at extremely high speeds. You plug a dongle with a transmitter and receiver into your laptop or tablet and it sends and receives data from and to the light. You can use it just the same way you would use Wi-Fi to surf the web, stream a video, or upload files.

Simon Hill/Digital Trends

We’ve been following the progress of Li-Fi for the last couple of years. After seeing a demonstration at MWC earlier this year, we gave Edinburgh-based PureLiFi our cool tech award. The team has been hard at work since then to miniaturize the technology and it recently took the wraps off a new product – the LiFi-XC.

New and improved LiFi-XC

Previous demonstrations relied on the LiFi-X, a chunky dongle produced as a proof of concept to allow potential customers to test the technology. The new LiFi-XC is much sleeker, with an aluminum casing and a stylish design that resembles a premium USB thumb drive.

“We’ve focused on the miniaturization, productization, and robustness of the technology,” PureLiFi Chief Operating Officer, Harald Burchardt, told Digital Trends. “We also substantially reduced the power draw of the dongle, which is particularly important as we move towards integration.”

“We’re looking at a two to three-year time frame to be able to integrate our technology into devices.”

The LiFi-XC system is comprised of the USB dongle, which plugs into a tablet or laptop, and an access point which connects a router to an LED bulb. It is the first fully certified Li-Fi system, with FCC, UL Listing, and CE approval. It’s designed to be plug-and-play and offers support for Windows, MacOS, and Linux.

We tried it out with a Microsoft Surface laptop and walked around the conference room of PureLiFi’s Edinburgh office while streaming a video. It worked flawlessly, offering speeds of 43 megabits per second (Mbps) up and down.

While LiFi-XC is a significant improvement over the original LiFi-X, the company is aiming to get the technology integrated into devices, in much the same way that Wi-Fi is integrated now.

“We were visited by the largest mobile manufacturers at MWC,” explains Burchardt. “We’re looking at a three-year time frame to be small enough for mass integration.”

If you strip away the casing, the board, receiver, and transmitter inside the LiFi-XC could be accommodated into a laptop today, maybe even a tablet. Further miniaturization will be needed before we see this technology in smartphones, but that’s what PureLiFi is working towards.

“Look at the path of LTE and Wi-Fi from dongle, to increased functionality, miniaturization, and lower power before it ended up in a product,” Alistair Banham, PureLiFi CEO, said. “This will follow the same path. We’re already developing new techniques to miniaturize and manage the way you collect photons.”

To that end, the company has hired another 30 people since the last time we spoke, taking the team up to 50. It’s an international mix that includes some of the best talent in the world. Little wonder then, that PureLiFi has tripled its revenue from last year and hopes to achieve similar growth in 2018.

Compelling use cases

Li-Fi offers some interesting advantages over Wi-Fi and cellular connections, which we’ll mention in a moment, but the main driver of adoption is the fast-growing burden on existing networks.

“Smartphones will need this technology to serve increasing demands.”

“Smartphones will need this technology to serve increasing demands,” Burchardt said.

There’s no doubt that we’re increasingly using smartphones and other mobile devices to access the internet. Global mobile data traffic grew 63 percent in 2016, according to Cisco, when 8 billion mobile devices each generated average traffic of 3.4GB per month. By 2021, it predicts there will be 11.6 billion mobile devices generating an average of 8GB of traffic per month.

“Li-Fi is a complementary technology,” Banham said. “The 5G framework is about using multiple bearers in a wireless environment to transfer data, that bearer could be light, it could be radio frequency (RF), it could be something else, so interoperability is all part of the 5G plan.”

Li-Fi offers around 1,000 times the data density that Wi-Fi can, enabling much more data per square meter. A single access point for each light is the ideal installation and will provide fast, reliable internet access, even in crowded situations.

There are security advantages as well. While Wi-Fi penetrates walls, light can be easily contained. Each Li-Fi enabled light has a unique IP address, so advanced geofencing is easy.

Some of PureLiFi’s early partners have been attracted by the lack of radio frequencies, which can interfere with equipment. Li-Fi can work well in environments like hospitals, power plants, and airplanes, because interference can be eliminated.

Earlier this year, PureLiFi teamed up with Nokia and Verizon to demonstrate the durability of Li-Fi in the aftermath of a simulated terrorist attack, in the shape of a simulated explosion in an underground tunnel in Georgia. RF often cuts out in these situations, making it impossible to maintain contact with first responders. Backup generators always focus on light first, so Li-Fi technology is a good fit, allowing people to communicate and locate each other in difficult circumstances.

A bright future

There are obviously some limitations to the technology right now, not least the fact you need the right hardware and the light to be on. Li-Fi increases the power needs of lights at a time when most of the industry is striving for greater power efficiency, but PureLiFi is already looking at how to reduce the power draw.

“We have the firm belief that Li-Fi will touch every aspect of our communications in the same way that Wi-Fi does now.”

Further miniaturization will also be vital as it looks to leave the dongle behind. PureLiFi is already working with OEMs on integration, though it won’t name them right now. It has also built partnerships with lighting manufacturers like Lucibel, Linmore LED, and Wipro to get the technology embedded into lights.

“We need a decent install base to serve devices for when smartphone integration comes,” Burchardt said.

The LiFi-XC is a clear step in the right direction and PureLiFi is working towards higher data rates using existing lighting structures and aiming for gigabit speeds in the long term. Li-Fi isn’t going to replace Wi-Fi any time soon, but it’s not aiming to – this is a complementary technology that can work in concert with existing networks to ensure we have seamless internet access all the time.

It may be a while before you see Li-Fi support in your home. For now, the LiFi-XC system is only for business partners, but PureLiFi is confident it will reach the consumer market in the next few years.

“We have the firm belief that Li-Fi will touch every aspect of our communications in the same way that Wi-Fi does now,” Burchardt said.

We’ll have to wait and see whether it can reach the heights of Wi-Fi, but looking at PureLiFi’s progress over the last year, we believe Li-Fi has a very bright future ahead of it.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Voltaic OffGrid Solar backpack (second-gen) review
• 2017 Vanderhall Venice first drive review
• If data is the new oil, are tech companies robbing us blind?
• FrontRow Camera Review
• Kindle Oasis (2017) review

5G to reach a billion people by 2023, with VR and AR firing up development

Mobile infrastructure experts Ericsson predicts that in 2023 20-percent of the global population will have access to a super-fast, next generation 5G phone connection. Although that doesn’t sound like much, it’s around a billion people, and the United States is primed to be at the forefront, due to 5G tests already taking place. However, despite this, 4G LTE will remain the most likely connection you’ll see on your phone, even in six years time.

What will push 5G development during this time? Ericsson says mobile video will be one of the primary uses for faster 5G connections, but interestingly adds that virtual reality and augmented reality technology will push networks and infrastructure firms like Ericsson and Nokia to get 5G connections up and running quickly. It expects VR and AR to shift away from gaming and entertainment use, to become helpful and widely used by more people. Fast, reliable, low latency data connections will be imperative.

Ericsson echoes predictions about 5G we’ve heard already. It expects the very first 5G signals to go live in 2019, with a larger, more extensive launch in 2020. Along with the United States, South Korea, Japan, and China will also be among the first to provide commercial 5G networks. In September, Qualcomm said it expected the first 5G-ready smartphones to be available in 2019, a year earlier than the company had previously expected.

Where will you need to live to get a strong 5G connection after 2020? Ericsson says, “dense urban areas,” will be the first to enjoy 5G speeds, which means major cities to you and me. Among the networks working on 5G tests now is Verizon, and it has even more ambitious plans. It intends to test the first 5G connections in 11 different U.S. cities in 2018. T-Mobile, hot from its win to use the 600MHz spectrum, said it intends to have a nationwide, working 5G network by 2020.

How will the 20-percent 5G coverage compare to 4G LTE’s coverage in 2023? According to Ericsson, 4G LTE will be available to 85-percent of the global population at that time, reaching about 5.5 billion people. That’s a big difference, and likely gives us an indication of just how often we’ll see 5G speeds on our phones at that time, even in large cities.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Qualcomm executive confident the first 5G phones will be here in 2019
• Verizon gets serious about 5G, plans to launch in homes in 2018
• T-Mobile is faster than Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T, according to Oookla Speedtest
• Qualcomm unveils a new chipset and 5G reference design at an event in Hong Kong
• Which Verizon plan is best for you? We check out family, individual, and prepaid

These are all the Android devices updated to fix KRACK Wi-Fi vulnerability

If you want to keep your info safe in the post-KRACK world, these are the Android devices you need to be using.

In October 2017, a big vulnerability with the WPA2 Wi-Fi standard was discovered. Referred to as KRACK, this is a vulnerability that essentially makes open season on all your personal data when connected to a Wi-Fi network using WPA2.

You can find all of the information about KRACK in Jerry’s guide here, but when talking about newer Android devices specifically, it’s important to note the following:

On phones running Android 6.0 Marshmallow and newer, the KRACK vulnerability can force the Wi-Fi connection to create an absurdly easy-to-crack encryption key of 00:00:00:00:00. With something so simple, it’s easy for an outsider to read all of the traffic coming to and from a client, like a smartphone or laptop.

Attackers can’t necessarily use KRACK to steal your bank account information or passwords, but it’s still something that you want to protect yourself from as much as possible. Both Wi-Fi routers and devices connected to them need to receive a software update in order to be free form potential attacks, but at least in the case of Android phones and tablets, these are the gadgets that are safe to use.

• BlackBerry DTEK50
• BlackBerry DTEK60
• BlackBerry KEYone
• BlackBerry Motion
• BlackBerry Priv
• Essential Phone
• Nexus 5X
• Nexus 6
• Nexus 9
• Nexus Player
• NVIDIA Shield Android TV
• NVIDIA Shield Tablet
• NVIDIA Shield Tablet K1
• OnePlus 3/3T
• OnePlus 5/5T
• Pixel/Pixel XL
• Pixel 2/Pixel 2 XL
• Pixel C
• Samsung Galaxy Note 5 (Verizon)
• Samsung Galaxy Note 8 (Verizon)
• Samsung Galaxy S6 (Verizon)
• Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge (Verizon)
• Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ (Verizon)
• Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ (Sprint, Verizon)
• Sony Xperia L1
• Sony Xperia X
• Sony Xperia X Performance
• Sony Xperia X Compact
• Sony Xperia XZ
• Sony Xperia XZ Premium
• Sony Xperia XZs
• Sony Xperia XZ1
• Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
• Sony Xperia XA1
• Sony Xperia XA1 Plus
• Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra

Update, December 4, 2017: Initial post. This list will continually be updated with new devices as they’re updated.

Xiaomi teases all-screen Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus ahead of launch

Xiaomi offers an early look at its upcoming budget phones.

Xiaomi is all set to unveil the Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus in China on December 7, and the company’s global spokesperson Donovan Sung‏ has served up an early preview of both devices on Twitter. The upcoming Redmi phones will be the first budget devices from the company to offer all-screen displays with minimal bezels and an 18:9 ratio. Both phones showed up at China’s certification authority TENAA last week, giving us an early look at the specs on offer.

Xiaomi Redmi 5 specs

The Redmi 5 is said to sport a 5.7-inch HD+ panel with a resolution of 720 x 1440, and the minimal bezels up front should allow Xiaomi to fit that panel in a smaller chassis. The phone is powered by a 1.8GHz chipset, which will likely be the Snapdragon 450. Other details include 2GB/3GB/4GB of RAM and 16GB/32GB/64GB internal storage configurations, and the Redmi 5 will also feature a 12MP rear camera and a 5MP front shooter.

The Redmi 5 is also set to feature a 3200mAh battery, considerably smaller than the 4100mAh battery seen in the Redmi 4. TENAA lists dimensions of the device as 151.8×72.8×7.7mm, which is a millimeter thinner than the Redmi 4’s 139.2 x 70 x 8.7mm.

Of course, with the phone now set to feature a taller display, Xiaomi could have spread out the battery over a larger area at the back, giving the manufacturer the ability to reduce the overall thickness. With the launch just a few days away, we’ll have to wait until Thursday to know more.

Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus specs

From the specs, it looks like the Redmi 5 Plus will be the more interesting of the two. The TENAA listing suggests a 5.99-inch FHD+ display with a resolution of 2160 x 1080, and an octa-core Snapdragon 625 chipset clocked at 2.0GHz.

Other specs include 3GB/4GB of RAM along with 32GB/64GB internal storage configurations, a 12MP rear camera along with a 5MP front camera, and a 4000mAh battery.

The devices will also be available in blue and pink color options in addition to the standard black variant. They are likely to run MIUI 9 based on Android 7.1.2 Nougat out of the box. Current rumors suggest the Redmi 5 Plus will retail at around the $200 mark, and with the launch event just a few days away, we should have all the details shortly.

What do you think of the design of the Redmi 5 series?

The Morning After: Monday, December 4th 2017

Hey, good morning!

We’re back to the start of the week, and Samsung is looking into palm reading. It’s also been 25 years since the first text message was sent, which is making us feel a little old.

You could get password hints without them getting obvious.
Samsung envisions phones that read your palm

There’s a good possibility that you’ve forgotten a password and had to get hints or recover it. But the process for that isn’t very trustworthy — intruders can guess security questions. Samsung might soon have a subtler way of helping you remember your password, though: through palm reading… of a kind. A recent patent application shows that Samsung has been exploring a system that would scan the unique lines on your palm and use them to display hints in the form of incomplete characters. You’d get a nudge in the right direction, but nothing so obvious that a thief could guess it (even if they could use your hand).

The first text message was sent 25 years ago
A lot has changed in a quarter century.

Engineer Neil Papworth sent the first SMS on December 3rd, 1992, when he wrote “merry Christmas” on a computer and sent it to the cellphone of Vodafone director Richard Jarvis.

It’s much more than your usual artist page.
Neil Young’s huge online music archive opens to the public

Neil Young has been talking up his giant online archive for ages, but he’s finally ready to deliver on his promises. The simply-titled Neil Young Archives have launched and include all the media he has produced to date. And we do mean everything — every song Young has made is available to stream for free (until June 30th 2018) through his Xstream Music service, including unreleased tracks.

The backup thrusters have been inactive since 1980.
NASA wakes up Voyager’s slumbering thrusters 37 years later

NASA’s Voyager 1 has been drifting farther and farther away from our planet for the past 40 years. Now, the agency has ensured that it can maintain contact with the farthest spacecraft from Earth for at least two to three more years by waking up a set of backup thrusters it hasn’t used since 1980.

But wait, there’s more…

• Netflix cancels YouTube star Miranda Sings’ show after two seasons
• Ask Engadget: What is the best 4K, 3D-capable TV?
• Apple releases iOS 11.2 with Apple Pay Cash and a bug fix

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you’ll miss if you don’t Subscribe.

Craving even more? Like us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter.

Have a suggestion on how we can improve The Morning After? Send us a note.

Engadget UK giveaway: Win a smart heating system courtesy of Tado

There’s nothing like cosying up in front of a roaring fire during the Christmas holidays, but you can’t exactly stoke the embers from your smartphone on the way home from work. Turning your central heating up to tropical temperatures from afar is something you can do with Tado’s smart heating system, though. This week, we’re giving away one of Tado’s connected thermostat starter kits, two smart radiator valves for creating specific heating zones, and free installation for the lot. The smart thermostat also works with Alexa, Siri and Google’s Assistant, so there are plenty of ways to fiddle with the dial without taking your hands out of those toasty pockets. Go ahead and get your entries in via the Rafflecopter widget below, but make sure to familiarise yourself with the giveaway rules first.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

• Entries are handled through the Rafflecopter widget above. Comments are no longer accepted as valid methods of entry. You may enter without any obligation to social media accounts, though we may offer them as opportunities for extra entries. Your email address is required so we can get in touch with you if you win, but it will not be given to third parties.
• Contest is open to all residents of the UK, 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so direct your anger at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
• Winners will be chosen randomly. One (1) winner will receive one (1) smart thermostat kit, two (2) smart radiator thermostats and free installation.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Make sure that the account you use to enter the contest includes your real name and a contact email or Facebook login. We do not track any of this information for marketing or third-party purposes.
• This unit is purely for promotional giveaway. Tado and Engadget / Oath are not held liable to honour warranties, exchanges or customer service.
• The full list of rules, in all its legalese glory, can be found here.
• Entries can be submitted until December 8th at 11:59PM GMT. Good luck!

Source: Tado

VW unveils an electric van for its MOIA ride-sharing service

Volkswagen has unveiled the electric van that’s a key part of its MOIA autonomous vehicle ride-sharing service. Shown yesterday at TechCrunch Disrupt, it’ll carry up to six passengers with niceties like roomy individual seats, ambient LED lighting, WiFi and device power ports. The van-pooling MOIA service will launch in Hamburg in 2018 with 200 vans, letting passengers enter a departure point and destination in an app. “We’ve set ourselves the goal of taking more than a million cars off the roads in Europe and the USA by 2025,” said MOIA CEO Ole Harms.

MOIA’s aim is to eventually put autonomous, purpose-built vehicles on the road without drivers. For its first electric van, however, the company isn’t emphasizing the self-driving part. Rather, it’s focusing on electric vehicle benefits, including the pollution-free 300 km (186 mile) range, 30-minute time to an 80 percent charge and quiet operation. At Disrupt, the company said that the business can still be profitable without the need for autonomous operation.

MOIA also revealed more details about the ride-pooling service, including pricing. While it’ll obviously be cheaper than calling your own taxi or Lyft, it won’t undercut public transport. “We are operating with full respect of the public system,” Harms told TechCrunch. “We don’t want to get below the public transport system because them we would take people who are already pooled in a bigger vessel into a smaller one.”

VW was able to get the MOIA van on the road and present a functional vehicle in just ten months thanks to “agile” design techniques used at its factory in Onsnabrück. It has already incorporated passenger feedback from tests that started in October using the Volkswagen T6 van. To make the carpooling app work efficiently, the company is developing virtual “bus stops” every 250 yards or so in cities where it’ll operate.

Many automakers, including Volvo, Ford and GM, plan to launch their own ride-sharing services, either alone or in partnership with companies like Uber and Lyft. Volkswagen is now pretty far ahead of the game, however, with a purpose built vehicle and launch date (it’ll come to Europe by the end of next year and the US in 2025). “Many ideas have already been integrated into the development of this vehicle,” said MOIA COO Robert Henrich. “But parallel to this, we’re also working on future versions of the vehicle.”

Via: TechCrunch

Source: MOIA

iPhone X Early Adoption Rate Said to Beat iPhone 8 and 7 Plus Levels

iPhone X handsets make up over 2 percent of the iPhone active installed base, just three weeks after it was released on November 3, according to research conducted by IHS Markit. The countries with the highest rates of adoption are markets with high gross domestic product per head, like Singapore, Denmark, Switzerland, and Japan.

According to IHS, countries where “Plus” models have been popular show a strong correlation with initial adoption rates for iPhone X, because consumers in those markets are more interested in larger displays and dual-lens camera technology, and are willing to spend more to get them.

Production constraints appear to have had little effect on early uptake of iPhone X, which is said to be “very similar” to adoption of previous flagship iPhones launches over the same period, said IHS analysts.

In the US, iPhone X adoption after three weeks matched the adoption of iPhone 8 Plus and beat early adoption levels for both the iPhone 8 and 7 Plus. Only the iPhone 7 model had greater initial success. In Japan, initial iPhone X adoption was as good as or better than any recent iPhone launch, and matched the level of the iPhone 7.

Apple is set to enjoy its best ever year for iPhone, according to IHS, with year-on-year increases in iPhone shipments over the next four quarters. In the fourth quarter of 2017, IHS Markit forecasts Apple will ship 88.8 million iPhones, which would be the highest number of iPhones ever to be shipped in a single quarter.

Shipping 31 million iPhone X units would cause the iPhone average selling price (ASP) to exceed US$700 for the first time in the iPhone’s 10-year history, assuming total shipments in the quarter amount to 88.8 million.

Shipping estimates for the iPhone X continue to improve in many countries. In the United States, iPhone X models ordered today will arrive in just about a week, while several European stores list delivery dates of December 12. In line with IHS Markit’s analysis, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo earlier claimed that improved iPhone X shipping estimates are due to better-than-expected improvements in production, rather than a lack of demand for the new device.

(Via DigiTimes.)

Related Roundup: iPhone XBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Buy Now)
Discuss this article in our forums

KGI: AirPods Shipments Will Double Next Year Given Strong Demand

AirPods will remain one of Apple’s most popular accessories in 2018, with shipments likely to double to an estimated 26-28 million units on a year-over-year basis, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo said there has been strong demand for AirPods, which he views as the most important accessory in Apple’s wireless ecosystem. His prediction implies AirPods shipments will total 13-14 million units in 2017.

An excerpt from Kuo’s latest research note with investment firm KGI Securities, a copy of which was obtained by MacRumors:

We believe demand for AirPods has been strong, and note that the shipping time of the product on Apple’s official shopping website has shortened to 1-3 days, mainly thanks to an improved assembly process and increased capacity from Luxshare as the new assembler […] We expect AirPods to remain one of the most popular Apple accessories in 2018, with shipments likely to rise 100% YoY to 26-28mn units next year.

Chinese company Luxshare could become the main assembler of AirPods in 2018, with a higher order allocation than fellow supplier Inventec, after improving its assembly process and increasing production capacity.

Apple doesn’t break out AirPods sales like it does with iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Instead, it groups the wireless earphones under its “Other Products” category, alongside Apple TV, Apple Watch, Beats, iPods, and other accessories.

Apple reported revenue of $3.2 billion from its “Other Products” category last quarter, up 36 percent year over year.

Last month, on an earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook said he was “thrilled with the momentum” of AirPods. He boasted that Apple’s entire wearables business generated the annual revenue of a “Fortune 400” company in the 2017 fiscal year.

The combination of music streaming on Apple Music and AirPods is truly a magical experience for people on the go. We’re thrilled with the momentum of these products. In fact, our entire wearables business was up 75 percent year over year in the fourth quarter, and in fiscal 2017, already generated the annual revenue of a Fortune 400 company.

AirPods launched for $159 in December 2016 after a two month delay, but orders on Apple’s website faced a six-week shipping estimate until August 2017 as Apple struggled to improve the supply-demand balance of the wireless earphones.

AirPods shipping estimates have gradually improved since then, with orders now slated for delivery in under one week.

Tags: KGI Securities, Ming-Chi Kuo, AirPods
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