Technology - Google News

Apple Reportedly Plans to Cut Price of iPhone XR in Japan Due to Poor Sales and Restart iPhone X Production
Best Buy's Pixel 3 sale might be unbeatable: $400 off for Black Friday
Google Duplex expands to 'small group' of Pixel owners

Apple Reportedly Plans to Cut Price of iPhone XR in Japan Due to Poor Sales and Restart iPhone X Production

Posted: 22 Nov 2018 04:21 AM PST

Apple plans to discount the price of iPhone XR models in Japan by offering subsidies to Japanese carriers, according to a new report out this morning.

The Wall Street Journal said the price decreases on the $750 iPhone models could come as early as next week, citing sources familiar with Apple's sales strategy in the region.

"A price cut within a month off the release is rare not just for Apple but for smartphone makers in general," said a senior official at a wireless operator, who monitors sales.
Analysts say weaker-than-expected demand for iPhone XR may mirror what happened with the iPhone 5c in 2013, where sales picked up the following year. Apple's higher-priced XS and XS Max models, released a month earlier, appeal more to tech's early adopters who typically fuel initial sales of new iPhones.

The decision comes in the wake of a WSJ report earlier this week that claimed Apple has slashed production orders for its latest iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR models due to lower-than-expected demand.

Part of the problem for Apple is that the iPhone 8 is apparently still hugely popular in Japan because of its affordability, given that it's cheaper than the XR and was still available when Apple launched the XS and XS Max.

According to WSJ's sources, Apple suppliers have also resumed making the iPhone X, the 2017 model that Apple no longer sells at its own stores. If Apple plans to sell the older model in Japan, it wouldn't be the first time the company has produced previously discontinued models for regional markets where it sees sufficient demand for cheaper devices. The strategy also allows Apple to benefit from lower-cost components and depreciated production line machinery.

However, supply chain sources who spoke to WSJ claim the resumption of iPhone X production is partly due to Apple's need to use OLED panels ordered from Samsung – panels that were previously earmarked for use in the iPhone XS and XS Max devices that have since been hit by swingeing production cuts.

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Best Buy's Pixel 3 sale might be unbeatable: $400 off for Black Friday

Posted: 21 Nov 2018 05:33 PM PST

At $799 and $899 respectively, Google's Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are the most expensive phones Google has ever made, and arguably also the best. But on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, you might be able to get $400 off either Pixel 3 — and you might be able to do it without chaining yourself to Verizon or trading in your current phone.

You see, Verizon is offering that $400 off a number of flagship phones over the next two days, including the Samsung Galaxy S9, S9+, Note 9, LG V40, and the two new Pixel phones. With Verizon's deal, you'll only see that savings over the course of two years.

But Best Buy just confirmed to The Verge that it will have its own version of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL deal, one where the $400 savings happens immediately. A rep says you'll only see the remainder of your balance on your Verizon account — theoretically allowing you to pay off the rest of your bill with Verizon whenever you like, while retaining the ability to jump carriers instead of sticking around for 24 months. (Here's Verizon's device payment plan FAQ if you want to see how they work.)

The deal will be available both online and in-store, according to a Best Buy rep. You should be able to find the online version here right now:

Mind you, it'll still be a Verizon Pixel 3, meaning you'll need to activate it on Verizon and pay a $30 activation fee before you can unlock the phone. If that's too much of a hurdle, Google is also offering the pre-unlocked Pixel 3 for $150 off, and the Pixel 3 XL for $200 off starting on Thanksgiving as well.

Kudos to Droid Life for spotting the leaked Black Friday flyer that mentions the $400 off promotion, which wasn't on the company's previously released ads. You may want to take a look at Best Buy's fine print there. And here's our Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL review, in the event you want a professional opinion on the quality of the devices. (Hint: they're both excellent phones.)

Update, 12:05 AM ET: The deal is now live, and I just bought one myself! I can confirm the contract I signed is basically a loan for $400 in total (because I bought the cheapest model) and the terms say I can pay it back in full at any time. I paid $78 in tax, will be paying a $30 activation fee, and then $16.66 a month gets tacked onto my Verizon bill unless I pay it off early.

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Google Duplex expands to 'small group' of Pixel owners

Posted: 22 Nov 2018 01:31 AM PST

Google Duplex, the automated service that calls up businesses to make bookings on your behalf, has received a limited public launch, reports VentureBeat. In a statement, Google said that it's starting its "slow rollout" of the service, which is now available to a "small group" of Google Pixel phone owners in "select cities." As well as expanding its availability with users, the service can also call restaurants that Google hasn't explicitly partnered with.

As this statement implies, the service has launched in a state that's very limited — even compared to what Google demoed on stage when it first announced the service. For now, if you're able to access the service you'll be restricted to restaurant bookings (so no haircut appointments just yet), and some restaurants will be unavailable for reasons that occasionally aren't entirely clear. Pixel phones are only supported right now, meaning no smart displays or other handsets, and Google Assistant will only make English-speaking calls in the cities that Google has specifically selected for the trial. It's unclear how long it'll take for the service to overcome each of these limitations, but since Google is recording all its current Duplex calls it's likely to be gathering a lot of important usage data now that the rollout has begun.

Google Duplex being available to the public has given us our first opportunity to see how the service actually works in practice. The option to have Google Assistant make the call can be accessed either by generally asking for it to "make a reservation," or you can find a specific restaurant and request a table from there. A quick back and forth conversation with Google then occurs in which you give details such as the party size, date, time, and give a backup phone number. Then, once the booking has been made it gets transferred into your "My Reservations" list along with other appointments that have been pulled from your emails or manually added into your calendar.

Google is yet to confirm when the service may become more publicly available. We've reached out to Google for comment, and we'll update this article when we hear back.

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