Technology giant Apple, which has held the title of the world’s most valuable publicly-listed company since July 2022, is at risk of losing its crown this year, as mounting pressures and challenges take a toll on its market value.
Investors are expressing concern over the company’s recent performance, marking its worst start to the year by some measures.
The company’s shares experienced a 0.4 per cent decline on Friday, closing at approximately US$181. This downturn follows reports from The New York Times indicating that the US Justice Department is nearing the filing of an antitrust case against Apple.
This development, coupled with existing challenges such as slowing iPhone sales and patent issues related to the Apple Watch, has intensified apprehensions among investors.
Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Anurag Rana commented that the potential antitrust case could target Apple’s business model, known for tightly integrating its devices and services. The Cupertino-based company has witnessed a continuous decline in its stock for five consecutive days, representing its longest losing streak since October.
While Apple has been the most valuable stock since July 2022, it has already lost approximately US$177 billion in market value in the current year, according to Bloomberg data.
This decline marks the largest market value destruction at the beginning of any year on record, even surpassing previous percentage declines in the first week of January.
The challenges for Apple began earlier in the week when the company faced two ratings downgrades, citing a weak macro environment in China impacting iPhone demand. This setback has narrowed its lead over Microsoft Corp, another technology giant, to less than US$100 billion.
According to the South China Morning Post, analysts and experts believe that investors are reacting to the rarity of two downgrades before an earnings report. Gene Munster, managing partner of Deepwater Asset Management, told South China Morning Post, “Investors realize how rare it is to have two people go negative.”
Additionally, market dynamics at the start of the year, where investors tend to rebalance their portfolios, are contributing to the pressure on Apple’s stock.
As a result of these challenges, Apple’s market value has now fallen to around US$2.8 trillion, approaching Microsoft’s US$2.7 trillion.
Microsoft’s more modest decline at the beginning of the year has been attributed to its involvement in the artificial intelligence trade, making it OpenAI’s largest shareholder with approximately US$13 billion invested in the ChatGPT parent company.
(With inputs from agencies)
As space agencies prepare for extended missions to Mars, researchers from the US, the UK, Australia, and Spain have addressed the culinary challenge faced by astronauts on long space voyages.
Published in the journal ACS Food Science & Technology under the title “Modeling of Space Crop-Based Dishes for Optimal Nutrient Delivery to Astronauts and Beyond on Earth,” the study presents an optimal “space meal” designed to provide both nutrition and flavour.
Considering the recommendations of NASA, which outline up to 36 nutrients and 102 crops, the researchers focused on fresh ingredients tailored to meet the specialized nutritional needs of male astronauts. The result is a tasty vegetarian salad, featuring components that can be cultivated in space.
Astronauts in space expend more calories than their Earthbound counterparts and require additional micronutrients, such as calcium, to maintain health in prolonged microgravity conditions.
With future long-term missions necessitating sustainable food production within spacecraft or colonies, the researchers, led by Dr Volker Hessel from the University of Adelaide and the School of Engineering at the University of Warwick, aimed to optimize a space meal that fulfils nutritional requirements and is palatable.
Employing linear programming, a computational method balancing various variables to achieve a specific goal, the researchers assessed combinations of fresh ingredients.
Their model determined how well these combinations could meet a male astronaut’s daily nutritional needs while minimizing water consumption for cultivation.
Sustainability was a key consideration, with an emphasis on ingredients requiring minimal fertilizer, time, and space to grow, and the potential recyclability of inedible portions.
Among the ten scenarios examined, a vegetarian meal comprising soybeans, poppy seeds, barley, kale, peanuts, sweet potato, and/or sunflower seeds emerged as the most efficient balance of maximal nutrients and minimal farming inputs.
While not providing all necessary micronutrients, the researchers propose supplementing the missing elements separately.
To ensure the identified combination was not only nutritious but also tasty, the team created the ideal space meal as a salad and conducted taste tests on Earth with four participants.
While one tester gave rave reviews, expressing a willingness to eat it throughout the week as an astronaut, others were more reserved in their praise, though they returned for second helpings.
Looking ahead, the researchers plan to explore options for female astronauts and expand the variety of crops in their database based on computer model outputs.
(With inputs from agencies)
Pros
– One of the best camera arrays fitted to a smartphone, ever
– Blazing-fast performance
– Stunning AMOLED display that is vibrant and bright
– Solid build quality with an IP68 rating
– Solid battery life, with 100W wired charging, 50W wireless
– Stunning design
Cons
– Front-facing camera feels very normal and just adequate enough
Price: Rs 89,999
Rating: 4.75/5
Vivo has been acing the smartphone camera with their flagship X series for quite some time now. This year, however, their X100 Pro takes things to a whole new level. There is simply no point in beating around the bush here — The X100 Pro, very simply, has the best smartphone camera that has been launched yet.
It handily beats some of the best offerings from 2023, by a mile, and in all likelihood, will beat a lot of the upcoming flagship smartphones of 2024 in the camera department, and that too at a price that is half of what most flagships from other major smartphone brands cost.
And its not just the camera of the X100 Pro that makes it so enticing. It has some really good specs, offers a ton of performance, and is a beast of a device when it comes to multitasking, again, at a price that seems to be the bargain of the century, when you see the devices it goes up against.
VivoX100 Pro review: The design
Similar to the X90 Pro, the Vivo X100 Pro comes exclusively in just one colourway. This time around, Vivo is calling it Asteroid Black. The X100 Pro features a fluorite anti-glare glass back panel. Unlike other brands in this price range, Vivo doesn’t offer buyers any alternatives.
The X100 Pro boasts a robust build, which is evident from the moment you pick the device up. Although it weighs 225 grams and is 8.91mm thick, Vivo has managed to give it a sleeker appearance with a rounded design, possibly explaining their continued preference for a 3D curved edge display.
Although the X100 Pro retains some elements of the X90 Pro’s design language, there are notable changes.
The most significant is the larger rear camera module to accommodate the new, bigger sensors. The bezel around thecamera module are fluted, which feels really nice to the touch, almost mimicking the ribbing we get in the zoom and focussing rings of post mirrorless or DSLR lenses. It is very subtle,
However, the protruding camera module prevents the phone from lying flat on surfaces. The phone leans towards the heavier side, likely due to a larger battery and an enlarged camera module. All of this also makes the phone top-heavy, prompting the use of the included case right out of the box.
The matte-finished fluorite glass back panel glints when light hits at a certain angle, which adds a touch of elegance.
On the right side, you’ll find the volume rockers and the power button. The left side of the device has no buttons. The bottom features a speaker grille housing one of the speakers, the USB Type-C port, and the SIM tray. At the top, there’s a microphone and an infrared blaster.
The device comes with an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.
Throughout the review period, the front glass of the phone, which is not from Corning but from an unnamed manufacturer, was pretty much smudge-free in appearance and did not get scratched. But because the glass is curved, it makes holding on to the device a little tricker. Another reason, why you will want to use the included case right from the get-go.
All in all, the Vivo X100 Pro, looks and feels as premium a device can get in 2024. We especially liked how well the device feels in the hand, once you to terms with how to have a secure grip over it.
VivoX100 Pro review: The display
The phone features a 6.78-inch FHD+ AMOLED display using an 8T LTPO panel from BOE. With support for a 120Hz refresh rate, a 100 per cent DCI-P3 colour gamut, and an impressive peak brightness of 3000 nits, the display showcases some curvature on the sides and slim bezels, delivering an exceptional viewing experience characterized by sharpness, brightness, vibrant colours, and wide viewing angles. Content consumption on the X100 Pro is truly a great experience.
Out of the box, the refresh rate is set to dynamic, offering 60Hz and 120Hz options. Both rates automatically adjust when the screen displays static content, ensuring a smooth experience in various applications. Swipes, scrolls, and general movements feel consistently smooth across all apps.
The screen incorporates up to 2,160Hz PWM Dimming, effectively reducing screen flicker and contributing to eye protection. While the colour customisation options are somewhat limited compared to previous Vivo phones, the adaptive setting effectively balances visuals to suit ambient lighting conditions.
Vivo has significantly increased panel brightness this time, claiming a peak of 3000 nits, which positions it among the top smartphones. While real-world use might not reach that extreme brightness, it still performs well outdoors, maintaining visibility even in really challenging conditions.
VivoX100 Pro5G review: The camera
Now, the piece de resistance of the entire package is the Vivo X100 Pro — its camera set-up. In my opinion, it genuinely is one the best camera setups in any smartphone. That’s largely because of the way Zeiss has worked on the camera.
Getting the specs out of the way, the main camera is a 50MP Sony IMX989 sensor, with an aperture of f/1.75. For the wide, we have a Samsung JN1 50MM sensor, paired with a 15mm lens and an aperture of f/2.0.
Next up we have a 50MP floating periscope camera with a focal length of 100mm, from Zeiss. Unlike periscope cameras that we have seen before, the floating periscope telephoto in this Vivo puts a lens in front of the prism to form a grouped structure.
Furthermore, it uses Apochromatic lenses, which have some of the best colour correction capabilities. Zeiss APO lenses work wonders in correcting chromatic aberrations, because of which macro photos and videos out of the X100 pro, look spectacular.
Tying everything up neatly in a bunch is Vivo’s V3 imaging processor.
All of this translates to an awesome performance across a range of lighting conditions. The 100mm focal length allows you to get some great separation between your subject and the background, resulting in some really delicious bokeh without relying heavily on software trickery. The 10x zoom proves highly functional during daylight, offering jaw-dropping portraits that don’t lose detail even before applying the Zeiss-flavored blur styles emulating specific lenses.
Low-light situations are handled adeptly, showcasing ample detail with minimal image noise. The camera excels in macro photography, with an 18cm focus distance allowing for capturing fine details without being directly in front of the subject. The 4.3x zoom performs impressively in all lighting conditions, and the cropped 8.6x setting remains effective when exposed to ample light.
Daylight photos exhibit exceptional quality, boasting a wide dynamic range that brings out shadow depth and highlights detail. The white balance is consistently accurate, with Vivo’s colour treatment leaning towards realism rather than Samsung’s more vivid approach.
Even in nighttime scenarios, the automatic low-light mode produces equally impressive snaps. Noise is kept minimal, the white balance remains realistic, even in the presence of overly yellow street lights, and there’s an abundance of detail. In the darkest scenes, the image processor may enhance sharpening to extract definition.
The camera app’s user-friendly interface allows seamless navigation, featuring a carousel for easy switching between Photo, Video, Portrait, Night, Cinematic Portrait Video, and more. Preset zoom levels of 2x, 4.3x, and 10x, along with the 0.6x ultra-wide option, are available. The Supermacro mode, activated by the flower icon, proves useful for capturing close-up shots of flowers, insects, or food.
A noteworthy feature is the Multi-Focal Portrait mode, offering focal lengths of 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, and 100mm. We also get Zeiss’s portrait features such as Distagon, B-Speed, Biotar, Planar, Cinematic, and B-speed, all of which provide an enjoyable experience and lets you get really creative when experimenting with different combinations.
As for the 32MP front-facing camera, it is solid and bankable, but it won’t blow you away like any of the rear cameras. It just doesn’t feel that special. For the X100 Pro, Vivo & Zeiss seemed to have all their focus on making the best rear camera module ever fitted to a smartphone, so much so that the front-facing camera, seems to be an afterthought.
For some unedited camera samples straight out of the Vivo X100 Pro, click here.
VivoX100 Pro5G review: The performance, software experience and UI
The Vivo X100 Pro stands out as the first phone in India to feature the new MediaTek Dimensity 9300 chipset, a flagship offering that boasts four Cortex-X4 performance cores clocked up to 3.25GHz and four Cortex-A720 efficiency cores reaching up to 2.0GHz.
With a substantial 16GB of RAM and an additional 16GB of virtual RAM, the device proves more than capable of handling multitasking and cycling between multiple apps. This ensures that apps and games remain in memory for extended periods, allowing for instant access without the need for the apps to be relaunched and reloaded.
As one of the fastest Android phones on the market, the Vivo X100 Pro provides a seamless multitasking experience, avoiding lag or slowdown even when navigating through apps. The MediaTek chipset effortlessly handles demanding games, such as Apex Legends and BGMI, even at the highest graphics settings, without causing any major overheating issues.
Running on the Android 14-based Funtouch OS 14 the device offers a relatively clean UI with a few pre-loaded apps like Block Blast, and PhonePe, alongside a few of Vivo’s own apps. Vivo has also promised 4 major updates, so you will have the next 4 versions of Android OS.
Users have the option to uninstall third-party apps for a more stock appearance. Furthermore, with Funtouch OS you get a ton of customisation features. The phone provides ample customization opportunities, featuring a range of home screen widgets, always-on display options, and dynamic animation effects. A convenient pop-out sidebar facilitates launching two apps in split-screen mode, although specific app pairings cannot be saved. The Quick Settings menu resembles vanilla Android, and Google Discover is just a swipe away from the home screen.
Although you will need to tweak the UI a little to get it to your liking, once you have dialled everything in, things run pretty smoothly.
During extended use, the phone does experience some warmth, with sustained performance gradually decreasing, although not to a level where it should be concerning. The device effectively manages heat thanks to its vapour chamber cooling system.
VivoX100 Pro5G review: The battery life
The Vivo X100 Pro comes with a massive 5400mAh, which on paper seems like a massive upgrade. However, you have to keep in mind the king of hardware that the X100 Pro comes with, and therefore can’t expect the device to last two days on a single charge.
The battery in the Vivo X100 Pro will last you a day comfortably, but that’s about it. You will need to plug in a charger at the end of the day. Due to the MediaTek Dimensity 9300’s emphasis on high-performance cores, it tends to consume power more rapidly, especially when engaging in resource-intensive applications.
The good news is that Vivo has sorted the charging scenario out pretty well. The X100 Pro comes with a 120W charging brick included in the box, although the device supports only 100W wired charging, and 50W wireless, both of which are pretty solid options. In wired charging, I was able to get my device from 2 per cent to a full charge in just over half an hour, which is really impressive.
Vivo X100 Pro review: The verdict
The X100 Pro truly is one of the best, value-for-money flagship devices on the market right now, considering that it goes toe to toe against devices that are at least 40-50K more expensive than it, and often comes out ahead of them. And as far as the Zeiss- powered cameras are concerned, they are simply, the best in the business.
Even otherwise, the phone excels in nearly every aspect that has come to define a flagship device — a dazzling AMOLED display, impressively rapid charging speeds, and top-notch performance. The MediaTek Dimensity 9300, serving as a capable flagship chipset, ensures swift and high-performance operations, standing toe-to-toe with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC.
Adding to its appeal is a substantial 5,400mAh battery that provides enduring power, lasting a day and a half even under moderate to high usage.
The Vivo X100 Pro ticks a lot of the boxes that would make it the perfect smartphone for a whole bunch of people. However, if taking photos is what you use your smartphone the most, picking the Vivo X100 Pro seems to be a no-brainer for now.
