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Next-Gen AirPods to Spark Intense Competition in Smart Earbuds Market Next Year

For an idea of the potential health integrations Apple has in mind for future AirPods, a new patent awarded to Apple on Tuesday (spotted by 9to5Mac) shows AirPod-like devices performing heart rate monitoring and taking body temperature measurements.

With smartphone shipments slowing, more brand vendors are said to be paying attention to wireless earbud sales as a way to generate growth in the near-term, with a view to long-term strategic improvements in the ear-device space, according to Kuo.

Earlier this week, Kuo said he expected Apple’s AirPods to see “dramatic growth” over the next two years, with new AirPods with a wireless charging case to debut in the first quarter of 2019, and an “all-new design model” following in the first quarter of 2020.

Kuo also said that fewer than 5 percent of iPhone users currently own AirPods, and with over 1 billion iPhone users worldwide, there are “great potential growth opportunities” for the accessory. Almost a year ago, Kuo predicted Apple would launch upgraded AirPods in the second half of 2018, but Apple’s difficulties in bringing its AirPower charging mat to market likely impacted those plans.

https://www.macrumors.com/2018/12/05/new-airpods-to-trigger-competition-2019/

 

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How tech has revolutionized restaurant hospitality

Technology has proliferated in the restaurant industry over the past five years, as eateries look to improve both efficiency and the customer experience. Fast food aficionados have already become accustomed to one new form of service: Ordering from kiosks instead of cashiers. These kiosks have assumed most of the restaurant tech spotlight, cutting labor costs, increasing efficiency, and reducing human error. While kiosks may be successful for fast food chains or to-go based stores, that method isn’t as functional for traditional, sit-down restaurants.

In a sit-down restaurant, technology is geared more towards improving the guest experience, rather than getting as many customers in and out of the door as possible, according to Steve Fredette, president and co-founder of Toast. A widely-used point of sale system for restaurants, Toast is a cloud-based platform designed to improve efficiency for both customers and employees.

Toast and similar products allow waiters to take orders, payments, and customer signatures on handheld devices, and can also read digital gift card QR codes and send texts alerting customers that their food is ready. These tools are now commonplace in many restaurants.

https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-tech-has-revolutionized-restaurant-hospitality/#ftag=RSS-03-10aaa0b

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