Archives for December 2018

Nasheman News : Amid reports of Apple halting a production boost for its newest iPhones due to slower than expected demand, a new survey of US customers revealed that more Android users switched loyalty to Apple this year than in previous years.

Leading the transition for Android users is iPhone XR, a relatively cost-effective model that debuted alongside the iPhone XS and top-of-the-line XS Max this year, according to the survey by US-based research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP). 

The findings showed that 16 per cent of iPhone buyers upgraded from an Android phone in the 30-day period after the launch of the iPhone XR, CNBC reported on Wednesday. 

This is much higher than the 12 per cent of iPhone buyers who upgraded from an Android phone after the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus were released in September 2017.

That number was 11 per cent when the iPhone X was released in November 2017, the report said. 

“It appears that iPhone XR did serve to attract current Android users,” said Mike Levin,
CIRP Partner and Co-Founder. 

“Of course, Apple doesn’t just state plainly its launch strategy. But, based on the pricing and features, we can infer that Apple positioned the iPhone XR to appeal to potential operating systems switchers from Android,” Levin said. 

The CIRP research found that the new iPhone XR accounted for 32 per cent of total US iPhone sales in the 30-day period, while the XS and XS Max together accounted for 35 per cent.

The 32 per cent share of iPhone sales for the XR model compares favourably to the 30 per cent share for iPhone X in the similar timeframe last year, but lags the combined share of iPhone 8 and 8 Plus during that period last year, the report said. 

CIRP based its findings on its survey of 165 US Apple customers that purchased an
iPhone in the US in the 30 days following the launch of iPhone XR on October 26, 2018. 

Nasheman News : Throwing away clothing that is no longer needed is a missed opportunity to turn the fabric into new products such as building materials, as well as address our unsustainable landfill problems, says an Indian-origin professor.

According to Veena Sahajwalla from University of New South Wales(UNSW) in Sydney, the abundance of cheap clothes and short-lived fashion trends generate 10 million tonnes of landfill in the US alone each year, which decompose and release toxic chemicals and greenhouse gases.

“It could be said that consumers and the fashion industry have a lot to answer for, given that clothing is now one of the biggest consumer waste streams, with 92 million tons estimated to be thrown out a year globally,” said Sahajwalla, who is a Mumbai-born IIT Kanpur alumna. 

“The clothing and textiles industry is the second most polluting sector in the world, accounting for 10 per cent of the world’s total carbon emissions.

Not only is this bad for the environment, it also misses the opportunity to turn valuable clothing fibres into new products, Sahajwalla explained.

To create new building materials, Sahajwalla and her team collected a random assortment of garments from charity bins.

After removing zippers, buttons, buckles, they passed the leftover mix of cotton, polyester, nylon and other fabrics through a fine-grained shredder.

They then treated the resulting fleece with a chemical to help the different fibre components stick together, then compressed it under heat to form solid panels.

In a series of tests, the panels proved to be strong, water-resistant and minimally-flammable. Their properties could also be fine-tuned by mixing the fleece with other waste products such as sawdust filler from old couches.

The panels had different textures and colours resembling wood, ceramic or stone “depending on their mix of components” making them suitable for use as floor tiles, wall panels or other interior finishes, Sahajwalla noted.

Their strength could also make them suitable for load-bearing applications.

Sahajwalla showcased these building products at a thematic session on emerging building technologies at the 10th TERI-GRIHA summit in New Delhi last week. 

Sahajwalla and her team have been scientifically reforming common waste items using prototype technology developed for a laboratory-scale “green microfactory” to be launched in 2019.

Nasheman News :  Karnataka suffered an estimated Rs 20,000-crore loss during the kharif season owing to floods and landslides in its southwest districts and acute drought conditions in other regions, an official statement said on Wednesday.

“The prevailing condition is unprecedented, as the state was affected by floods and landslides and is facing acute drought conditions during kharif and rabi seasons, impacting the state’s economy,” the state Revenue Department said in the statement.

Of the southern state’s 30 districts, 45 taluks (sub-districts) in 8 districts were affected by floods and landslides while 100 taluks are reeling under drought due to scanty rainfall in the rabi season, it noted.

Heavy monsoon rains, which caused floods and landslides in Chikkamagaluru and Kodagu districts led to widespread destruction of crops, houses and infrastructure, besides displacing hundreds of people.

During the north-east monsoon period (October to December), the state, however, faced 49 per cent deficit rainfall, with north interior region that accounts for 90 per cent of rabi sowing, recorded 66 per cent rain deficit.

Seeds or saplings are sown during July-October for kharif crops and November-March for rabi crops.

During the rabi season, 153 taluks have been affected by drought so far, the statement added.

In the drought-hit regions, drinking water is being supplied to 283 villages through 524 water tankers and 315 private borewells (through pipelines) in 17 districts of the state.

“Since sowing has been impacted during the rabi season, fodder shortage is likely in the coming months. Fodder will be supplied at subsidised rates through its banks,” the statement said.

The state government has also increased man-days in the drought-hit districts to 150 days from 100 days across the state this year.

“Awareness campaign is being held in drought-affected villages to ensure greater participation of workforce and prevent migration from rural to urban areas,” it added.

A man-day refers to the work accomplished by a person in a day.

About 6 lakh man-days are generated per day and 1 crore per month across the state, the statement said, estimating over 10 crore man-days to be generated by March 2019