As mid-April in London – the city of our corporate headquarters – does its best impression of summer, we at Mediolana have some bright news to share: namely, one of the world’s most pre-eminent companies in any sector has joined our stellar list of corporate partners, which already includes Honey By PayPal, Newsweek and DHL.
Analysis: the remarkable resurgence in the popularity of the featurephone defies predictions, but the novelty of having one's every move tracked, packaged and sold by Big Tech is starting to wear thin #privacy#BigTech
To watch: any electronics manufacturer who can produce a privacy-centred, tactile #smartphone stands to win significant and sticky market share; the thirst for a genuinely different offering is palpable https://t.co/L4S0X44upP
With 2022 now in full swing and the world fitfully edging away from its fixation with COVID-19, we at Mediolana have given our social media channels a breezy aesthetic reboot courtesy of a ultra-striking new header.
Blonde fashion model makes way for brunette; a cloudy firmament is banished by possibly one of the clearest skies ever to be captured on film in an urban area; and the moment itself commands the deployment of sunglasses which are – almost – too cool for school.
What on Earth could all this signify? Stay tuned, dear readers, and all will be revealed on these pages. ‘Til then!
The growth in online sales is predicted to slow in 2022 as governments loosen or abolish #COVID19 restrictions, but should still register an impressive 13% year-on-year increase #technology#postCOVID
Analysis: the fact that 81% of all sales remain offline – despite nearly two years of top-down 'incentives' to utilise #ecommerce channels – shows that a hybrid approach to the selling process is still required #sales
2022 is not even a week old, but it has already birthed one of its most significant stories: the implementation of a decision promulgated by BlackBerry Limited (‘BlackBerry’) on 9th September 2020 that mobile devices running any of its proprietary operating systems ‘will no longer reliably function’ as of 4th January this year. Exactly what this means remains to be seen, but it is clear that the Canadian company formerly known as Research in Motion is effectively terminating its distinct presence in the smartphone and tablet sector.
The implications of this move may at first glance appear to be minor. BlackBerry’s market share – 37% as recently as September 2010 in the United States – has long collapsed under the onslaught of the iPhone and other touchscreen-centric devices; the smartphone industry will scarcely register a blip at BlackBerry perfecting its long march into obscurity.
However, the de jure demise of ‘classic’ BlackBerry models – those later iterations running Android will continue to be supported – is actually far more important than most analysts seem to realise. In fact, it represents nothing less than a multi-tiered catastrophe; after some reflection, we at Mediolana have identified three specific reasons as to why this is the case:
Security. Phones built on BlackBerry 7.1 OS and BlackBerry 10 offered communications so impregnable that they spooked governments, and not merely those with authoritarian leanings as conventionally understood. The contrast with the operating systems comprising today’s duopoly – iOS and especially Google Android – could scarcely be more jarring; ironically, this state of affairs has arisen at a time when electronic privacy concerns have arguably never been greater, and demand for email providers based in Switzerland and the EU is booming.
Tactility. Something that has the global base of smartphone users in near-universal agreement: the experience of typing on a touchscreen remains frustrating and inaccurate; moreover, it is mangling the use of language possibly beyond repair. It retrospect, it seems absolutely horrifying that the ultra-elegant BlackBerry Passport – a keyboard-based handset which attracted the ultra-prestigious Red Dot: Best of the Best design award in 2015 – did not prove to be an iPhone killer.
Productivity. BlackBerry devices were synonymous with the highest tiers of business and administration, and with good reason: they resembled mini-computers which were text-focused and enabled exceptional levels of productivity. For all their technical brilliance, contemporary offerings from the likes of Apple, Samsung and the fast-swelling band of Chinese entrants such as Xiaomi risk becoming essentially televisions with fancy instant messaging (‘IM’) capabilities; like so much else today, this is a backwards step.
Tony Blair Institute for Global Change ('TBIGC'): the emergence of new #COVID19 variants mean that 'a fourth dose of the vaccine may soon be needed', a statement which raises some basic questions about existing vaccine efficacy #TonyBlair
TBIGC: successfully combating future #COVID19 strains will depend on 'a better approach to "command and control" through a strong and coherent public-health emergency operations centre' #militarisation
Analysis: Tony Blair has long been a toxic brand; his institute's foreshadowing of #COVID vaccine dose #4 is unlikely to help sell the concept to an increasingly disenthralled public #Iraq
To watch: exactly how the global population reacts to future 'waves' of #COVID19 will be a fascinating watch; a mix of inconvenient data and off-key messaging could yet add a new dimension to proceedings https://t.co/5WTn82YD2d
Dublin: the Republic of Ireland is to drop almost all pandemic restrictions – including #VaccinePassports – from October 2021 in a marked policy shift #COVID19
#VaccinePassports were introduced in the form of 'vaccine certificates' for entry into indoor dining venues in 07/2021, but are scheduled to be abolished on 22/10/2021 #Ireland#COVID19ireland
To watch: the controversial policy of introducing #vaccinepassports is arguably much more of a political issue than a medical one; coercive behaviours may achieve little else than further alienation from state structures https://t.co/DBFpaoNS5z
Israeli Ministry of Health data: people with immunity from natural infection are far less likely to become reinfected with #COVID19 than those who have had a coronavirus vaccine #NaturalImmunity
Israel: of more than 7,700 new #COVID19 cases from 05/2021, just 72 were reported in non-vaccinated people known to have been infected previously (<1%), contrasted with 3,000+ (c.40%) vaccinated individuals #NaturalImmunity
Analysis: the Israeli Ministry of Health data has enormous implications for the protective effects of #COVID19 vaccines vis à vis natural immunity, potentially raising serious questions about which demographics these injections are actually useful for
To watch: the efficacy of #COVID19 vaccines will be under scrutiny like that of no previous medical intervention; failing this test could mean that public cooperation in the event of future medical crises will be characterised by – at best – apathy https://t.co/bRFx2QbtkH
Cairo: Egypt's government has inked a Memorandum of Understanding ('MoU') with South Korea's Hyundai Rotem to upgrade the Arab Republic's railway system – including the Cairo Metro #Cairo#ArabSpring
Cairo: the Egypt-South Korea infrastructure agreement stipulates a serious level of localisation, with Egyptian components making up 75% of metro cars after six years #urban#Africa#Asia#CairoMetro
Analysis: a little over ten years after the beginnings of the Arab Spring in Egypt, the main legacy – for now – seems to be a new-found alacrity for useful modernisation initiatives #Cairo
To watch: with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi scheduled to be in charge until 2030, the big question is whether enough material improvements will be delivered to keep the Egyptian political situation relatively stable #ArabSpring#Cairohttps://t.co/uUwnBMi8Tn
Twitter: Bill Gates becomes the latest high-profile corporate entity to announce an end to a long marriage, rendering 27 years of union to Melinda of historical interest only #billgatesdivorce
Speculation concerning the motives of Bill Gates' divorce has flooded the Internet within the last 24 hours; the lawyerly cut-and-paste statement promulgated by the couple has done little to provide any certainty #BillGates
Analysis: the trajectory of Bill Gates' public image since March 2020 means that in the eyes of many, he has crossed the line into 'toxic brand' territory; the ferocity of the vitriol may yet have spooked Melinda #BillGates
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