1. Amazon Altered Search Algorithms to Promote Certain Products
Amazon.com Inc. reportedly altered its product search system to better feature items which are more profitable for the company. According to reports, Amazon had apparently optimized its search algorithm late last year, so that instead of showing the most relevant and best selling items, it will instead promote items which are most profitable to the company.
The move to change the search algorithm was the result of several years of discussions with Amazon’s Seattle retail interests, which supported the changes, and the company’s California-based search team, who opposed it.
Any changes to Amazon’s search system will greatly affect many businesses because of how shoppers use the search bar to find items online. According to marketing analytics firm Jumpshot, nearly two thirds of all product traffic comes from first page results. So the introduction of the new search algorithm will therefore shift priority from best-selling items to items which are most profitable to Amazon’s profit margins.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-changed-search-algorithm-in-ways-that-boost-its-own-products-11568645345
2. Apple Launches Apple Arcade
Apple recently launched the Apple Arcade app on September 19. This new app will allow players to play games that were developed over the course of several years.
According to the official Apple site, the Apple will include several interesting games with rich and subtle stories. One game, called ‘The Enchanted World,’ takes place in a magical fantasy setting, where a fairy is given the task of solving various puzzles in order to save her world.
Another game is ‘Patterned,’ and it involves coloring various puzzle pieces in order to complete a new canvas. Nate Dickens, who developed the game, claimed that he developed it as a way to ‘find calm.’
Two other popular games include “Overland,” a post-apocalyptic road trip type game and ‘Card of Darkness,’ a game that involves various card-type puzzles. Interested gamers can find more information on Apple’s app store.
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/09/apple-arcade-its-time-to-play/
3. Elon Musk: Tesla Expanding Services at ‘Max Speed’
Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently reported that Tesla is now expanding its services at “Max Speed.” The new policy was intended to help Tesla balance its service capacity with its production capacity and fleet size, both of which grew significantly over the past two years. In contrast, Tesla’s service coverage lagged behind other aspects of the company, a problem that Musk admitted was a ‘foolish oversight.’
Now, the company is expanding the number of services centers that it has all over the world. In fact, Tesla announced last month that it will be opening more than 30 new service centers, and several more in the coming months. Some of the new service centers are also intended to complement the arrival of the new Model 3 in Europe.
Tesla announces more than 30 new service centers everywhere but on MarsTesla announces more than 30 new service centers everywhere but on Mars
4. Oracle and Intel Collaborate on Next Generation Oracle Exadata X8M
Intel and Oracle recently announced that Oracle is incorporating the capabilities of the Intel Optane DC persistent memory into its new Exadata platform, the Oracle Exadata X8M. The new integrated platform will be used to support and power the Oracle Autonomous Database, Oracle Cloud Applications as well as the database infrastructure of several major banks, retailers and telecoms.
The Oracle Exadata X8M was designed to perform several tasks, including support for Online Transaction Processing (OLTP), database consolidation, machine learning as well as analytics and mixed workload database requirements.
