The Apple Watch appears to have outsold the entire Swiss watch industry combined in Q4 2017 if latest numbers are anything to go by.
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Tag: Swiss
Apple Watch holiday sales volume beat entire Swiss watch industry for first time
More Apple Watches shipped in the fourth quarter of 2017 than the entire Swiss watch industry, a report claims, showing the Apple-produced wearable device is still growing in popularity, though analysis also indicates the Apple Watch still has some way to go before it can outpace Swiss watches on an annual basis.
AppleInsider – Frontpage News
Apple Watch Outsold the Entire Swiss Watch Industry in Q4 2017
When Apple revealed its Q4, 2017 numbers, it mentioned that the Apple Watch had its best quarter ever with the Apple Watch Series 3 selling twice of what the Apple Watch Series 2 did in the same period. Now, as per analytics firm Canalys, Apple shipped 18 million Apple Watch units in 2017, with over 8 million of them being shipped in Q4 2017 alone — an increase of 32 percent YoY. Continue reading
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Apple Watch spanks the Swiss watch industry for real
Apple Watch is absolutely dominating the traditional Swiss watch industry. The latest reports on Apple Watch sales figures were released today and even though Apple hasn’t put out its own official numbers, it looks like Apple Watch outsold the entire Swiss watch industry combined during the last quarter of 2017. Analysts at Canalys reported today […]
Apple Watch Had Record Year With Estimated 18M Shipments in 2017, Topped Entire Swiss Watch Industry Last Quarter
Not only did the Apple Watch just have its best quarter ever in terms of sales, but it also had a record-breaking year overall, capped off by topping shipments from the entire Swiss watch industry combined last quarter.
Apple Watch shipments topped an all-time high of 18 million units in 2017, according to estimated data from research firm Canalys, an over 50 percent increase compared to the roughly 12 million units Apple shipped in 2016.
Canalys claims that 48 percent of the shipments were the latest Apple Watch Series 3 models, while 52 percent were Series 2 or older models. Among the Series 3 models, around 13 percent of customers opted for an LTE-enabled model, while 35 percent of people were satisfied with the Wi-Fi and GPS version.
The keyword is estimated, since Apple doesn’t actually reveal Apple Watch sales on a standalone basis. Instead, the device is grouped under Apple’s expanding “Other Products” category, alongside the Apple TV, Apple Watch, accessories like AirPods and Beats, and as of next quarter, the HomePod.
Apple analysts, who closely examine the “Other Products” revenue and other clues to estimate Apple Watch sales, each have similar totals. Ben Bajarin of Creative Strategies estimates Apple Watch shipments totaled 17.4 million last year, while Horace Dediu of Asymco comes in at 17.7 million.
I am at 17.4 m for 2017. So consensus is this ballpark so safe to assume this range is correct. https://t.co/jB1JjxoVc9
— Ben Bajarin (@BenBajarin) February 6, 2018
Canalys estimates Apple Watch shipments at 18 million in 2017. My estimate has been 17.7 million.
— Horace Dediu (@asymco) February 6, 2018
On an earnings call last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the Apple Watch had its best quarter ever during the final three months of 2017, with over 50 percent growth in revenue and units sold for the fourth quarter in a row, and strong double-digit growth in every geographic segment that Apple tracks.
Cook added that sales of Apple Watch Series 3 models were also more than twice as high as Series 2 models in the year-ago quarter.
Interestingly, it appears that this growth has resulted in Apple Watch shipments coming in higher than all Swiss watch brands combined for the first time last quarter, according to IDC research director Francisco Jeronimo. In other words, Apple is now the biggest watchmaker in the world.
For the first time, #Apple shipped more Apple Watches in 4Q2017, than the entire Swiss Watch Industry shipped watches! Apple is the biggest watch maker in the world #AppleWatch pic.twitter.com/G6M6TJ7uO2
— Francisco Jeronimo (@fjeronimo) February 4, 2018
The key takeaway here is that the Apple Watch continues to grow at an impressive rate as the device approaches its third anniversary in April. Apple Watch also remains the world’s most popular smartwatch by a significant margin, and is now even running the iconic Swiss watch industry a run at its money.
Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 4
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A Swiss System Is Capturing Carbon Dioxide from the Air and Reselling It
Carbon Capture
The level of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is becoming untenable – a recent report indicated that it hasn’t been this high in millions of years. Now, researchers in Switzerland are investigating a method of addressing the problem by capturing carbon dioxide from the air.
The team is developing a commercial approach to carbon capture at a facility half an hour outside of Zurich. A fleet of 18 fans the size of washing machines have been placed on top of the roof of a recycling center. As they draw in air, chemically coated filters absorb the carbon dioxide.
The filters become saturated within a matter of hours, at which point they are heated to 100 degrees C using waste energy from the recycling plant. This allows pure carbon dioxide gas to be siphoned off.
This set-up is being called a direct-air capture system, and was developed by the Swiss company Climeworks. It’s capable of capturing up to 900 tonnes of carbon dioxide in a year. In this case, that captured carbon is then sent to a large greenhouse, where it helps enhance the size of vegetable produce.
A recent study by Chatham House suggested that we will need to find a way to remove and store carbon from the environment by 2030. We’re seeing various different attempts to make this happen, from efforts to use carbon dioxide as fuel to research into advanced carbon capture membranes.
This kind of work is crucial for the continued health of our environment – but there are questions to be asked about how such endeavors will pay for themselves.
Cash for Carbon
“This is the first time we are commercially selling CO2; this is the first of its kind,” said Climeworks co-founder Jan Wurzbacher in an interview with BBC News. “It has to be for business. CO2 capture can’t work for free.”
Removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is the goal, but continuing this kind of process indefinitely, without a revenue stream, is impossible. That’s why Climeworks is selling the gas that it collects at just short of $ 600 per tonne.
This figure is currently high because the company has built all of the necessary hardware from scratch. The hope is that, like solar panels and wind turbines, prices will fall once manufacturing efforts are scaled up. Climeworks wants to be able to sell carbon dioxide for around $ 100 per tonne, and estimates that this might be possible within two or three years.
The direct-air capture system could work hand in hand with other efforts to make use of our waste carbon dioxide. Climeworks previously provided carbon dioxide to Audi when the automaker was developing e-diesel, a liquid fuel made by combining the gas with water. At $ 100 per tonne of carbon dioxide, Climeworks estimates that e-diesel would cost just 25 cents per liter.
It will take a broad, multi-faceted approach to address the current concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Taking a direct approach to removing it could play a key role.
The post A Swiss System Is Capturing Carbon Dioxide from the Air and Reselling It appeared first on Futurism.
Scientists say 43 kilos of gold is flushed through Swiss sewers each year
Swiss scientists have found that 43kg of gold worth about $ 1.8 million is passing through Switzerland’s wastewater each year, as first spotted by Bloomberg. The gold is lost through sludge and effluent from the country’s waste treatment plants according to a report by scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology. On average, about 70 percent of the world’s gold passes through Swiss refineries.
The scientists noted that the concentrations found in the wastewater don’t pose risks to the environment, and wide-scale recovery wouldn’t be worthwhile. But, they did find that there were some sites where recovery of the gold could be viable, like in the refinery-rich Ticino region where concentrations of the…
Swiss company ELSE raises $3 million to launch IoT nanosatellite
ELSE, a connected technology company based in Switzerland, has raised $ 3 million through a crowdfunding campaign to launch an IoT nanosatellite.
The company is looking to develop and deploy 64 cubesat-class spacecraft by 2021, forming a network it calls Astrocast, in a bid to accelerate the next wave of IoT applications.
With the support of Airbus Ventures – the investment arm of Airbus Group – it successfully closed the $ 3 million seed fund on 8 August. Other investors also participated.
Speedy deployment
As a result of this money and new awards from the European Space Agency, the company has confirmed plans to complete the deployment of two satellites.
Assembly of the first two satellites and three-unit cubesats has already started, and this is happening as the company moves into larger headquarters in Lausanne.
The firm has already come to an agreement with Seattle-based Spaceflight to launch the first satellite, and it is in the process of generating a contract for the launch of the second one.
Big advancements
To speed up the process even further, ELSE has formed agreements with several European companies to pilot the demonstration satellites for IoT use cases. These companies, it says, operate in the marine, fishing and mobile industries.
In another advancement, the company has teamed up with mobile satellite operator Thuraya to identify further potential customers. Although it didn’t take part in this investment round, the firm is supposedly providing sales and regulatory support.
ELSE is currently planning a larger Series A round, too. Aimed at supporting the full-scale development of the satellites, the company said several investors have already committed to the round, which is expected to close in 2018.
Critical phase for Else
Fabien Jordan, co-founder and CEO of ELSE SA, said in a statement: “We are extremely pleased to partner with this group of investors during this critical development phase of Astrocast.
“This seed round validates our ambitious plan to connect the planet and enhance machine-to-machine communications through our innovative satellite constellation and network technology.
“We are looking to disrupt and serve numerous industries and this successful capital raise is an important milestone for us in that plan.”
Read more: NASA looks to bring IoT to space with wireless comms test
Wealth of experience
Jordan added that his company is experienced in this area, having successfully launched a satellite in the past. What’s more, it’s still in operation after eight years.
“Our team’s experience is proven by the SwissCube mission, a satellite projected to last no more than one year yet is still fully functional today, nearly eight years post launch,” he said.
“Other key members of our leadership team bring a wealth of expertise in the areas of launch, space systems, finance, and business development – all of which is being leveraged to bring the vision of Astrocast to life.”
Francois Auque, Airbus Ventures’ chairman of the board of the fund’s general partner entity, also said: “We have decided to invest in ELSE, as we believe in the development of machine-to-machine communications and we have been convinced by the cost-effective innovative satellite constellation and network technology which ELSE will be providing.”
Read more: Helios Wire wants to ‘democratize the Internet of Things’ from space
The post Swiss company ELSE raises $ 3 million to launch IoT nanosatellite appeared first on Internet of Business.
Missing couple discovered 75 years later in a melting Swiss glacier
Seventy-five years ago, a Swiss couple disappeared in the Alps after going to feed their cows. Their bodies were recently found in a melting glacier, “perfectly preserved” in World War II clothing, complete with identification papers.
The couple — Marcelin and Francine Dumoulin — lived near Chandolin in southwest Switzerland. They were 40 and 37, respectively, on the day they went missing. The couple had five sons and two daughters.
Their youngest child is Marceline Udry-Dumoulin, who is now 79. She told Le Matin, a Swiss newspaper, that the kids “spent our whole lives looking for them, without stopping.” After the disappearance, the children were split up and “became strangers,” Udry-Dumoulin added, but they continued to hope that…
