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Posts tagged as “Hong Kong”

Apple Vision Pro now available in China mainland, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore

Apple’s highly anticipated spatial computing headset, the Vision Pro, has finally arrived in key Asian markets. After launching in the US back in February, the device is now available for purchase in Apple Stores across China mainland, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore.

The Vision Pro promises a seamless blend of the digital and physical worlds, offering users a variety of transformative experiences. From work and collaboration to entertainment and reliving memories, the headset boasts a wide range of capabilities. Apple is heavily emphasizing the guided in-store demo experience, allowing potential customers to explore the full potential of spatial computing.

This launch comes amidst reports of slowing sales in the US, where the $3,499 price tag may have deterred some consumers. By entering these new markets, Apple is targeting regions with a strong tech presence and potentially more receptive audiences.

Checking the Apple Online Store in Singapore, the new Apple Vision Pro retails for S$5,299 (around Php 228,171.46) and its limited to just two units per customer.

Source: Apple

Delivery Hero to sell FoodPanda Business in South East Asia

On September 20, 2023, Delivery Hero, the parent company of Foodpanda, announced that it was in talks to sell its Foodpanda business in Southeast Asia. The move comes as Delivery Hero is facing increasing competition from other online food delivery platforms in the region, such as Grab and Gojek.

The potential sale of Foodpanda is significant, as the company is one of the leading online food delivery platforms in Southeast Asia. Foodpanda operates in eleven Southeast Asian countries, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. The company has over 10 million users and over 60,000 restaurants on its platform.

The potential buyer of Foodpanda is reportedly Grab, the Singapore-based ride-hailing and super-app. Grab is already the leading ride-hailing platform in Southeast Asia, and it is also expanding into other verticals, such as food delivery, payments, and financial services.

The sale of Foodpanda would create a dominant player in the Southeast Asian online food delivery market. Grab would have access to Foodpanda’s large customer base and network of restaurants. This would give Grab a significant advantage over its competitors. The sale of Foodpanda would also have implications for consumers, since this will lessen the competition, which could potentially raise prices or reduce discounts after acquiring the food delivery company.

On the otherhand, the sale of Foodpanda could also lead to improved innovation and efficiency in the Southeast Asian online food delivery market. Grab could use its resources to invest in new technologies and improve its services. This could benefit both consumers and restaurants.

The negotiations are in their preliminary stages and it is uncertain and subject to various open points whether this will lead to a definitive agreement. However, the potential sale of Foodpanda is a significant event that could have a major impact on the online food delivery market in Southeast Asia.

Carousell to layoff 10% of it’s global staff

Singapore-based Carousell just announced that it will layoff 10% of its staff or around 110 employees. The company made the announcement to all its staff via email and an official blogpost on their website. The company operates in 10 markets; Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Quek Siu Rui, Carousell’s Co-founder and CEO said in the post “I am deeply sorry for this outcome, and I take responsibility for the decisions that have led us here. Parting with teammates, whom we are grateful to for joining us on this mission, is a very difficult decision. We will be sure to treat everyone impacted with compassion and to lend as much support as we can to them.”

The company’s goal for the “impacted” employees is to help them in their job search by allowing them to keep their office laptop and continue their LinkedIn Learning membership until June 30, 2023; provide at least 3 months of compensation and, extend medical benefits and insurance coverage for employees and their dependents up to June 30, 2023, subject to approval by local insurers and medical service providers.

Carousell was founded in 2012, backed by Sequoia Capital India, Naver, 500 Global and Rakuten Capital, has raised a total of $372.6 million and acquired another of companies including OLX Philippines, after receiving an investment from Naspers.

Batang Gilas bounced back on a 42-points win against Hong Kong

After absorbing a 31-pts loss in the hands of the Australians, Batang Gilas bounce back and defeated Hong Kong in the quarter finals of Fiba Under-16 Asian Championship, in Foshan, China.

The game was actually decided in the first half, where Batang Gilas are enjoying a 25-points lead. You can watch the reply from the video above.

King Balaga lead Batang Gilas is scoring by contributing 12 points, while Kai Sotto grabbed 12 rebounds, 9 of those rebounds are on the defensive end, this is in addition to his 11-points. Rence Keith Sean Padrigao dished 6 assists to help the team.

Batang Gilas next assignment will be Japan this Friday.

From Spin.ph;

The scores:

Philippines 103 – Balaga 12, Calimag 12, Padrigao 11, Sotto 11, Chiu 11, Guadana 10, Bautista 6, Go 6, Lazaro 5, Cortez 3.

Hong Kong 61 – Lung T.K. 18, Cheung M.T. 12, Lam M.K.A. 7, Leung P.T. 6, Siu W.Y. 6, Kwok H. 4, Lo K.H. 4, Siu K.W. 2, Chan T.H. 2, Lee C.K. 0, Chan P.L. 0, Chiu T.H. 0

Quarterscores: 31-18; 59-36; 86-52; 103-61.