■ Music Players
Mini iPod release delayed
Apple Computer Inc said Thursday it had postponed the overseas launch of the smaller version of its iPod music player, citing unexpectedly strong US demand since the product's launch last month. The Cupertino, California-based company said it pushed back the international release of the iPod mini from April to July because it needs more time to meet expected demand. "The iPod Mini is a huge hit with customers in the US and we're sure it will be the same worldwide once we can ramp up our supply in the July quarter," said Tim Cook, Apple's executive vice president of worldwide sales and operations, in a prepared statement.
■ Vending
Bread machine invented
Two Singapore inventors announced yesterday that they had developed a vending machine capable of dispensing enough bread to feed an army. The BreadPod -- the brainchild of Tan Suan Loke, 36, and Cheo Meng Soon, 49 -- is believed to be the first that can hold 156 loaves. "The machine can be customized to hold bagels, buns and French loaves," Cheo told the newspaper Streats. "All are sealed and changed daily so it's fresh." Tan, an engineer, and Cheo, who works in electronics and communications, formed VendPod, which specializes in vending machines.
■ Semiconductors
AMD in China venture
US semiconductor company Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has formed a strategic alliance with Beijing University Founder Group Corp in a bid to increase its market share in China, state press said yesterday. Under the agreement, Founder Group will make and sell computers based on AMD's 64-bit microprocessors, which allows processors to manage thousands of gigabytes in memory, the China Daily reported. "The partnership with Founder Group will enable us to integrate AMD's technological advantage with Founder's local resources and it will become a new start for our business in China," the newspaper quoted AMD corporate vice-president and China general manager Karen Guo as saying.
■ Televisions
Sales to peak this year
Growth in global television shipments will peak this year as the increase in demand for flat-panel screens begins to slow, starting next year, technology industry researcher Isuppli Corp said. Global shipments will rise 7.5 percent to 173 million units this year, the highest annual percentage increase until 2008, Isuppli said. Growth will slow to 5.3 percent next year and 4.4 percent in 2006, it said. By type, shipments of liquid crystal display TVs will more than double to 8.7 million units this year from 3.6 million last year and growth will begin to slow next year, rising 58 percent, it said.
■ US
Economy grew strongly
Economic growth in the US was 4.1 percent in annual terms during the final quarter of last year, according to figures released Thursday by the US Commerce Department. GDP grew at an annualized 8.2. percent in the third quarter. Combined, the two quarters produced the strongest half-year US growth in almost 20 years. "The economy grew solidly in the fourth quarter and appears to be doing so in the first quarter," Steven Wood, principal economist at Insight Economics in Danville, California, told the Bloomberg financial news agency. "
CLOSURES: Several forest recreation areas have been closed as a precaution, while some ferry and flight services have been suspended or rescheduled A land warning for Tropical Storm Danas was issued last night at 8:30pm, as the storm’s outer bands began bringing heavy rain to southeastern regions, including Hualien and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島), according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). As of 9:15pm, the storm was approximately 330km west-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, moving north-northeast at 10-20kph, the CWA reported. A sea warning had already been issued at 8:30am yesterday. The storm had maximum sustained winds near its center of 83kph, with gusts of up to 108kph, according to the CWA. As of 9:30pm last night, Kaohsiung, Tainan,
POWERFUL DETERRENT: Precision fire and dispersed deployment of units would allow Taiwanese artillery to inflict heavy casualties in an invasion, a researcher said The nation’s military has boosted its self-defense capability with the establishment of a new company equipped with the US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). The company, part of the army’s 58th Artillery Command, is Taiwan’s first HIMARS unit. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄), who presided over the formation ceremony in Taichung on Friday, called the unit a significant addition to the nation’s defensive strength, saying it would help deter adversaries from starting a war. The unit is made up of top-performing soldiers who received training in the US, according to the Ministry of National Defense. The HIMARS can be equipped with
STRONG WINDS: Without the Central Mountain Range as a shield, people should be ready for high-speed winds, CWA weather forecaster Liu Yu-chi said Danas was yesterday upgraded to a typhoon and could grow stronger as it moves closely along the nation’s west coastline, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Hsinchu and Chiayi cities, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Hsinchu, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Nantou, Chiayi, Penghu and Pingtung counties have canceled work and school today. Work and school in Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan, and Yilan, Taitung, Hualien, Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties would continue as usual, although offices and schools would be closed in Taoyuan’s Luju (蘆竹), Dayuan (大園), Guangyin (觀音) and Sinwu (新屋) districts. As of 5pm yesterday, the typhoon’s
UNILATERAL: The move from China’s aviation authority comes despite a previous 2015 agreement that any changes to flight paths would be done by consensus The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday slammed Beijing for arbitrarily opening the M503 flight route’s W121 connecting path, saying that such unilateral conduct disrespected the consensus between both sides and could destabilize the Taiwan Strait and the wider region. The condemnation came after the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) earlier yesterday announced it “has activated the W121 connecting path of the M503 flight route,” meaning that west-to-east flights are now permitted along the path. The newly activated west-to-east route is intended to “alleviate the pressure caused by the increase of flights,” China’s state-run Xinhua news agency quoted China’s Taiwan Affairs Office
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