Third most valuable automaker? Tesla
Tesla’s market capitalization is now $80 billion, more than twice that of Ford’s. The company produced more cars than expected, and the Model 3 is by far the most popular electric car sold worldwide. Quartz
dis-rup-shun: The big three automakers have, combined, been in business for 324 years. How did a 17 year old upstart become the 3rd most valuable automaker? The company has taken electric cars from concept to mass production, and done so in a way that appealed to the upscale customer — an opportunity that Toyota and Nissan missed with their econobox Prius and Leaf hybrid offerings. Tesla has many problems, it appears, but, like Apple’s early days, the company has a “damn the torpedoes” mentality that has already delivered a global automaker, currently well embraced by Chinese car buyers and officials, alike.
Zens Liberty charging pad is what Apple promised
For $150, you can now buy a charging pad that works with your phone and your watch, and takes up little more room than a large phone. The device uses a series of copper coils to facilitate placement almost anywhere on the pad to get a charge. TechCrunch.
dis-rup-shun: In the next decade, we will see smart surfaces everywhere — tables, car consoles, desks, etc. that do much more than offer a work or storage space. The ability to place devices and have them not only charge, but connect and give life to screens embedded all around us will make working anywhere easy and convenient. Zens, about the time it is selling at a good clip, will likely face a renewed offering from Apple, that was developing a similar product then pulled it. Apple’s, intro will probably increase awareness and sales for Zens.
CES Preview: Sexual health a new category
Last year, a vibrator made by company OSE was given an award by CES, then rescinded as someone decided that the product was inappropriate. The resulting consumer outcry resulted in the women-led OSE selling over a million units (“any publicity is good publicity?”). CES has now decided to admit sexual health devices to the event, provided that they are innovative and include new or emerging tech. Wired
dis-rup-shun: Good for CES for acknowledging that sexual health aids are consumer products too, but incorporating the latest emerging tech, if it includes an internet connected sexual device, doesn’t sound very appealing. It is disconcerting enough to think of Alexa listening to discussions about TV shows or political preferences, but hacking connected sex toys could really embarrass users. We will see how this category takes advantage of the latest technologies and how CES draw a line between inappropriate and innovative.