us-stock-market:-biggest-weekly-loss-since-march-–-bad-numbers-for-tech-companies

US stock market: Biggest weekly loss since March – bad numbers for tech companies

Disappointing quarterly reports from well-known tech giants such as Apple and Facebook weighed on the US stock exchanges on Friday. In addition, the new corona infections, which have triggered sharp price drops since Monday, continue to cause concern. The at times heavy daily losses in the Dow Jones Industrial fell sharply in the last hour of trading.

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Biggest loss since March Ultimately, the Wall Street Index declined at a moderate discount of 0, 59 Percent on 26. 501, 59 Points from trading after losing almost 2 percent at times. The minus since the beginning of the week amounts to 6.5 percent, his monthly loss to 4.6 percent. The Dow has not slumped so strongly – on a weekly or monthly basis – since March.

The market-wide S&P 500 returned on Friday at 1, 21 Percentage on 3. 269, 96 points after. The Nasdaq 96 atone for 2, 62 Percent on 11. 052, 95 counter and thus lost 5.5 percent in the past five trading days. This also means the largest loss since March for the Nasdaq selection index. The monthly minus adds up to a more moderate 3.2 percent.

Business climate improves, consumption increases Better than expected economic data initially only had a positive effect at the start of trading and dampened losses. The business climate in the important economic region of Chicago deteriorated less than expected in October. In September incomes and consumer spending also rose more than forecast.

Biggest disappointment: Apple Apple was the main disappointing company: The delayed market launch of the iPhone 11 broke the technology heavyweight a profit decline in the past quarter. For the success-spoiled share, which only climbed to a record high in early September after a share split, it fell 5.6 percent at the end of the Dow. In the course of the year so far there is still a plus of 50 Percent to book.

Facebook sagged at the end of the S&P 100 by 6.3 percent. Although the business of the social network benefited from the fact that more companies were relying on digital platforms during the Corona crisis, Facebook also warned of considerable uncertainty in the coming year. Among other things, reference was made to the unpredictable development in the advertising business due to the pandemic.

Twitter and crisis profiteer Amazon: shares lose value The world’s largest online retailer Amazon is also one of the beneficiaries of the Corona crisis and reported a great business, as the trend towards shopping on the Internet continues. The shares gave up 5.5 percent. Since the beginning of the year they have increased in share price by around 70 percent already went extremely well.

The downward trend was particularly steep for the papers from Twitter with a discount of around 21 Percentage, which is the largest daily loss since 2014 suffered. The short message service gained only one million new users in the past quarter, despite the great attention it received from the US election campaign. That disappointed the investors immensely.

Google parent company wins Alphabet shares jumped 3.8 percent. Booming advertising income and a strong cloud business ensured a leap in profits at the Google parent company in the third quarter despite the corona pandemic.

The euro was 1,

at the end of Wall Street. dollars traded. The European Central Bank previously set the reference rate in Frankfurt at 1, 1698 (Thursday: 1, 1704) dollar fixed. The dollar cost 0, 8549 (0, 8544) Euro. On the US bond market, the futures contract for ten-year Treasuries (T-Note-Future) lost 0, 24 Percent on 100 ,13 Points. The yield on the ten-year bond was 0. 501 percent.

(tiw)

apple-iphone-12-pro-in-for-review

Apple iPhone 12 Pro in for review

Our review of the iPhone 12 is already up, but we’ve also been spending some quality time with the more premium iPhone 12 Pro. But while the review team is still doing its thing here go a few early thoughts.

The iPhone 12 Pro certainly makes a better first impression than the iPhone 12. For starters the frame isn’t aluminum but stainless steel. It feels better too and it’s shinier.

The rear glass is nicer to touch too, thanks to its matte finish (the regular 12 gets a shiny one). Finally the iPhone 12 Pro gains 25 grams on the regular 12, making it feel denser and more solid.

Otherwise Apple made the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 the same exact dimensions so any case that would fit one, would also work on the other.

The next big difference between the 12 Pro and regular iPhone 12 is the 12MP 52mm f/2.0 2x telephoto camera on the iPhone 12 Pro. We’re fans of telephoto cameras, but would have to say that having the same old 2x camera from the 11 Pro isn’t nearly enough to justify the $200/€243/£200 premium on the Pro.

Moving to the screens and we have a minute difference. The iPhone 12 and 12 Pro both feature 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED panels with HDR10 support and 1170x2532px resolution, but the iPhone 12 tops at 600 nits, while the iPhone 12 Pro brings it a bit further to 800 nits. We can’t say it’s a noticeable difference when the two are side by side, though. Both also have the same peak brightness of 1200 nits for HDR content though.

Finally there are storage options and RAM. The iPhone 12 Pro has a base storage of 128GB with the upgrade tiers of 256GB and 512GB, while the iPhone 12 starts at 64GB and brings it all the way up to 256GB. The iPhone 12 gets 4GB of RAM, while the Pro has 6GB – something that might seem like a decent upgrade, but doesn’t seem to make a huge difference at least in these early days.

So overall, the iPhone 12 Pro has a few things to justify its price premium over the iPhone 12. Which is much smaller if you need to equalize storage. Overall we’d say paying more for the Pro is worth it if you enjoy the perspective of the telephoto camera or plan on carrying it without a case and enjoy the nicer build quality. But we’re also here to tell you that the iPhone 12 feels just as fast than the Pro, is a bit lighter thanks to its aluminum frame, and comes in nicer colors. This year the line between Apple’s regular and Pro lines is very much blurred.

A quick word for iPhone 11 Pro users looking to get an iPhone 12 Pro. The 12 Pro looks bigger but doesn’t feel like that, mainly due to its virtually unchanged weight. The flat edges make the iPhone 12 Pro a different-feeling phone in the hand and we welcome the change. Apple was able to make a phone like no other in the market – one with flat sides and a fully-flat display and it almost feels revolutionary after so many years of lightly to outrageously curved devices.

Yet upgrading from the iPhone 11 Pro to the 12 Pro is hard to justify. Yes, the new phone is faster and yes, it has a bigger screen, but neither is a big difference. As we see it the only reasonable upgrade path for 11 Pro owners is the 12 Pro Max if you can live with the much larger phone.

Stay tuned for our detailed iPhone 12 Pro review, coming in the first days of the next week!

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Our Apple iPhone 12 video review is up

Apple finally launched the iPhone 12 lineup and for the first time, there are four smartphones – mini, vanilla, Pro, and Pro Max. The iPhone 12 was expected to be the bestseller of the four by delivering the most versatile size at a more affordable price tag.

Having already completed our written review, we are now ready to show you the video version. It’s over 10 minutes long, so take a comfortable seat and see what Will has to say about the Apple iPhone 12.

There are plenty of things to get enthusiastic about but Apple also managed to disappoint some of its hardcore fans. While the iPhone 12 looks lovely and the Blue paint job is a head-turner, the panel still fails to impress – other manufacturers are going beyond the 120Hz refresh rate threshold while this one is stuck at 60Hz.

The new device does have the fastest chipset and 5G connectivity but the battery life is shorter than the predecessor iPhone 11 even if you stick to LTE networks only. In today’s world and with having an OLED screen, one would expect Apple to offer an alternative to FaceID (since it doesn’t work with a mask on) but alas there’s no TouchID.

Then again, the iPhone 12 is the fastest and most durable iPhone up to date, so it’s not like it doesn’t have a lot going for it.

this-year’s-two-best-phones-feature-one-big-surprise

This year’s two best phones feature one big surprise



(Image credit: Sony)

This year’s What Hi-Fi? Awards feature two winners in the smartphones category. But while one is fairly predictable, the other will likely come as a surprise – it certainly surprised us.

We split our winners by price and, by chance, one is iOS while the other is Android winner. So if you’re ensconced in one or other of the ecosystems, there’s something for you here.

As always, it’s all about the best-value performance when it comes to our winners, and with phones we’re paying extra attention when it comes to audio and video performance. So if you use your mobile for music and video, as you surely do, take note.

(Image credit: Apple)

First up, it’s the Apple iPhone SE. We have to go back to 2016 to find the last time we didn’t have an iPhone as an award winner, and that’s the same year that the original iPhone SE was first introduced. Back for 2020, the all-new iPhone SE is our pick as the best smartphone under £500. Yes, Apple can do (relatively) affordable too.

The iPhone SE once again delivers on its promise of offering an affordable iPhone experience without sacrificing overall performance. The A13 chip is here, as found in the iPhone 11, alongside the great picture and sound we’ve come to expect from Apple.

Sure, you have to sacrifice on the battery life and camera compared to the flagship phone – but that’s why it’s half the price. If you don’t want to spend a fortune on a new smartphone but do want to enjoy everything Apple and iOS do so well, it’s a cracking value handset.

(Image credit: Sony)

Now here comes our surprise. It had been a while since we’d reviewed a Sony phone, but the company is back with a bang thanks to the excellent Xperia 1 II, which seems made for What Hi-Fi?.

While it isn’t cheap, the Xperia 1 II aims to deliver class-leading performance, particularly when it comes to audio and video. And it delivers. A true 4K OLED screen and Sony’s sonic expertise combine to make this a mobile that’s perfect for anyone who cares about AV performance. 

It doesn’t scrimp elsewhere, either: the camera quality and battery life are both as good as you’ll find anywhere else, and the overall design and usability more than holds its own. We think it’s the best phone around right now for anyone with an interest in using their mobile for music and video.

Don’t forget we’ll be revealing our Product of the Year winners next week on Thursday 5th November – our overall winner in each of our 26 product categories. 

We’ll also announce five new winners in five special categories: Readers’ Award, Temptation, Innovation of the Year, Outstanding Contribution and a new entry into the What Hi-Fi? Hall of Fame. And you can watch the event live…

  • See all 111 What Hi-Fi? Awards 2020 winners
  • What Hi-Fi? Awards: smartphones
  • Best phones 2020