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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Taylor Swift has intertwined time with her recent musical projects, starting with "Midnights."</li><li>Now fans can't get enough of analog clocks.</li></ul>There's much more to being a Taylor Swift fan than memorizing new albums and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-eras-tour-cost-of-tickets-for-multiple-shows-2023-8">spending thousands of dollars</a> on concert tickets.Swifties must also be on high alert whenever the musician nods to old-school clocks.Since releasing <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-midnights-bonus-tracks-3am-version-album-review-breakdown-2022-10">"Midnights"</a> in 2022 and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-album-review-tracklist-breakdown-2024-4">"The Tortured Poets Department"</a> this year, Swift has been noticeably intertwining time into her musical work.But the Grammy-winning superstar hasn't gone digital — even in a world of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-to-allow-iphone-text-scheduling-ios-software-update-2024-6">iPhones</a>, Apple Watches, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mckinsey-prompt-engineer-ai-right-questions-key-to-success-interns-2024-6">AI</a>.Instead, the musician has almost exclusively utilized analog technology — a choice that's made a noticeable impact on businesses and her younger fans.<div type="image" title="taylor swift eras tour opening" height="1667" width="2500" msid="111007417" hostid="261"></div><h2 id="bb71387d-09e1-4e35-9a9b-a4794c4e87e8">Telling time with Taylor Swift</h2>Time has always held a prominent place in Swift's art.Lyrically, she began singing about meaningful moments on her debut album. You might remember lyrics like "2 a.m. riding in your truck" from the fan-favorite track "Mary's Song (Oh My My My)."But Swift introduced time as a theme more heavily in 2022 and 2023 following the release of her 10th studio album.During the "Midnights" era, Swift used clock motifs throughout the "Bejeweled" music video, prominently featured them in her massive Eras Tour, and included some as (still-undecoded) <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-midnights-lyrics-easter-eggs-2022-10">Easter eggs</a>, or hidden clues, in her "Karma" and "Lavender Haze" music videos.<div type="image" title="A clock Easter egg in Taylor Swift's &quot;Karma&quot; music video." height="1556" width="2075" msid="111007409" hostid="261"></div>Then, when she was <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-grammy-history-aoty-four-times-2024-2">nominated for six Grammys</a> this year, Swift arrived on the event's red carpet <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-grammys-outfit-easter-eggs-2024-2">wearing a diamond-encrusted watch</a> custom-made into a choker.The Lorraine Schwartz timepiece was a playful nod to her nominated work and a subtle reference to a new project she'd announce that night: her 11th studio album, "The Tortured Poets Department."<div type="image" title="Taylor Swift wears a Lorraine Schwartz clock necklace at the 2024 Grammys." height="3000" width="2000" msid="111007413" hostid="261"></div>But then <a target="_blank" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-13521467/Taylor-Swift-new-girl-squad-Kate-Moss-Cara-Delevingne-Phoebe-Waller-Bridge-London.html">Swift wore the necklace again</a>, this time while out with friends in Notting Hill on Tuesday night. And fans think the "Anti-Hero" singer is up to something because of it. <h2 id="341cb6b5-db03-4f58-99e2-5a4e07c5a7d2">Is she more powerful than Father Time? Maybe.</h2>Swiftie or not, you've probably noticed that most things Swift touches turn to gold.She <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-vintage-chiefs-sweatshirt-local-business-2023-12">brought major attention to small Kansas City businesses</a> during the latest NFL season, and her tour has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-economic-impact-wall-street-earnings-calls-new-album-2024-4">boosted economies</a> around <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-eras-tour-hits-uk-europe-tour-tourism-trend-2024-6">the globe</a>.And that's not to mention Swift's impact on the rebirth of vinyl records.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2024/03/27/taylor-swifts-1989-taylors-version-was-the-only-album-to-sell-one-million-vinyl-copies-in-2023/">Forbes</a> reported that "1989 (Taylor's Version)" was the highest-selling vinyl of 2023 with 1.4 million copies, and "The Tortured Poets Department" <a target="_blank" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2024/04/23/taylor-swift-proves-shes-the-queen-of-vinyl-yet-again/">broke the record</a> for largest vinyl sales — more than 700,000 copies — in a single week.These feats partially result from a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/17/arts/music/taylor-swift-albums-versions-vinyl.html">popular tactic</a> in which artists release multiple vinyl variants of their albums to boost revenue. Swift has been leading the charge.<div type="image" title="Taylor Swift performs at The Eras Tour in Nanterre, France." height="1057" width="1409" msid="111007410" hostid="261"></div>Naturally, Swift has also impacted the world of telling time.Look no further than entrepreneur Victoria P., who created her watch-focused jewelry brand, <a target="_blank" href="https://joiedevika.com/">Joiedevika,</a> two years ago. She first sold her handmade, time-telling necklaces at Los Angeles flea markets. As her designs became more popular, her business expanded to Etsy, Depop, and a personal website.Speaking with Business Insider, Victoria said friends texted her when they saw Swift wearing a watch necklace at the 2024 Grammys. And instantly, orders came pouring in."I Googled 'watch necklace Taylor Swift,' and I found necklaces from my Etsy shop," she said.Victoria noted that her online shops have received a big boost in recent months, with her Etsy sales this year already surpassing her total for 2023."I have a lot of customers asking me for watch necklaces to wear to Taylor Swift parties and events. It's very interesting," she told BI.And she's not the only one. Eugena Lee of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.depop.com/eugenasjewelry/">Eugena's Jewelry</a> told BI that her watch necklaces have been especially popular this year. Avery Borders also said she'd noticed the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-wears-small-business-ring-2024-2">"Taylor Swift Effect"</a> on her small business, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=9427047b65ac068138e5d0a81e030b23660b7ca211a1cb8e76bba9226833c365&amp;postID=6669c135074e87bb00f5c65d&amp;postSlug=taylor-swift-clock-obsession-boosting-business-2024-6&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.etsy.com%2Fshop%2Fthemundusmagica%2F%3Fetsrc%3Dsdt">Mundus Magica Creations</a>."I've seen a few whispers of steampunk elements in the fashion industry lately," Borders told BI. "But Taylor wearing a watch necklace has been super cool. I've seen a boost in sales, a boost in interest, and a boost in inspiration on my end." Swift has also made some cash on clock-themed merchandise. She previously sold a "Folklore"-themed clock and a "Lover"-themed watch as official merchandise, and four of the "Midnights" vinyl variants she released created a clock when displayed together.Brittany Cheshire, a 31-year-old Swiftie from Arizona, spent $120 on the four records. And no, she doesn't own a record player."I was moving into my new house and I was excited to decorate the walls in my office," she told BI. "I needed a clock, and what's better than a Taylor one?"She also purchased a $50 display set from Swift's official merchandise website, which allows fans to mount the albums on a wall and turn them into functional clocks."I totally understand that it's four of the same album. But for me, it's more about the artwork," Cheshire added. "I have all four variants of 'The Tortured Poets Department' on my wall, too. The photos, the composition, everything is beautiful. I'm not just a crazy super Swiftie who has to have everything she puts out." But maybe more importantly, Swift has inadvertently helped young people learn to read analog clocks — something they've long been accused of not knowing how to do, even by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvLKbhXqEKw">Jimmy Kimmel</a>."That's it! I'm learning to tell time! Gimme!" one TikToker commented on a video Swift posted about her clock vinyl variants."From teaching about spelling to telling the time, it's official! Taylor Swift is the best teacher you could ever ask for," another fan wrote on X. So what exactly is Swift saying by wearing her sparkling watch necklace again?Dedicated fans are scouring the internet for answers, with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@1989vinyl/video/7379601636420865323?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc&amp;web_id=7289141024454592043">one woman</a> saying she emailed a journalist to request that they check high-resolution photos to see what numbers Swift had her timepiece necklace set to.The answer remains unclear, and only time — no pun intended — will tell. But Swifties are determined to beat the clock.

Taylor Swift's clock obsession is good for business

Wall clocks now tell more than just time! With so many shapes, designs and colours, wall clocks have graduated from a simple tool to a decor piece. Analog wall clocks have an old world charm to them, but in recent times these are available in modern and contemporary styles. Statements making big colourful dials, vintage metal clocks, to the ones with a pendulum or designs with spiritual figures - wall clocks can set the style statement of any room. We’ve curated for you the <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Best Analog Wall Clocks that are stylish and functional." comment="subhead" text="Best Analog Wall Clocks that are stylish and functional."><keyword id="9753370" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="best-analog-wall-clocks" source="Orion">Best Analog Wall Clocks</keyword> that are stylish and functional.</cmsannotation> <bulletContentEmbed name="B01N6OOW52" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B01N6OOW52_head"> <div type="image" title="Top Pick" msid="77548243" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B01N6OOW52</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B01N6OOW52_body"><bulletContentRow name="B01N6OOW52_0877970778667281"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">AJANTA WALL CLOCK</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Soothing, sophisticated and stylish - this 13-inch analog display wall clock makes a subtle statement. The all white dial with contrasting black hands lend a timeless appeal to this piece. Quartz movement with Arabic and stick time markers display accurate time while accentuating the classic look of the dial. With a glossy finish, the dial of the clock is made of imported high quality acrylic, whilst imported metals have been used for the hands.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow><bulletContentRow name="B01N6OOW52_5954171742310598"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">This white minimal design wall clock pairs well with modern and contemporary decor themes</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed> <bulletContentEmbed name="B076VF43GG" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B076VF43GG_head"> <div type="image" title="Editor&amp;#39;s Pick" msid="80836668" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B076VF43GG</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B076VF43GG_body"><bulletContentRow name="B076VF43GG_2636796152990573"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Amazon Brand - Solimo 12-inch Wall Clock - Classic Roulette (Silent Movement, Black Frame)</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">This analog wall clock from Amazon Brand- Solimo is a unique and beautiful piece. This clock is full of colours and gives a really vibrant look to your house, office etc. It comes with a contemporary touch and is a great product. The frame of the clock is made up of high quality plastic material .</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow><bulletContentRow name="B076VF43GG_7553806310358802"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Has large and clear numbers.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed> <bulletContentEmbed name="B07NGXC8B4" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B07NGXC8B4_head"> <div type="image" title="Popular Pick" msid="80210465" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B07NGXC8B4</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B07NGXC8B4_body"><bulletContentRow name="B07NGXC8B4_1055377939832804"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Oreva Roman Figure Round Plastic Analog Wall Clock (28 cm x 28 cm x 3.9 cm, Silver, AQ-1457)</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">This silver &amp; white coloured analog wall clock by Oreva is made up of high quality plastic material. This extremely beautiful and classy wall clock is round in shape and has a step movement. Its vintage look makes it an elegant piece for your home as well as for your office.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow><bulletContentRow name="B07NGXC8B4_3531772013414825"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Budget-friendly wall clock with elegant design.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed> <bulletContentEmbed name="B07VGHBH91" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B07VGHBH91_head"> <div type="image" title="Must Have" msid="81645575" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B07VGHBH91</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B07VGHBH91_body"><bulletContentRow name="B07VGHBH91_1804094482906462"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Oreva Plastic Wooden Look Designer Wall Clock (32.5 x 32.5 x 4.8 cm, Wood, AQ 6197)</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">This analog wall clock from Oreva has a beautiful antique touch to it. The clock is made up of high quality plastic material but still gives a wooden look due to its design, texture and pattern. The clock looks good on all kinds of walls and is a must have product to enhance the beauty of your space.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow><bulletContentRow name="B07VGHBH91_2765901965265753"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Budget friendly and elegant.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed> <bulletContentEmbed name="B01718WT7U" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B01718WT7U_head"> <div type="image" title="Also Consider" msid="81645602" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B08L3WL9N4</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B01718WT7U_body"><bulletContentRow name="B01718WT7U_2399107201261460"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Craftel Metal Analog Double Sided Vintage Station Wall Clock with Brass in Dial (Golden, 8 Inches)</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">One look at this handcrafted analog wall clock and you imagine yourself in the old black and white world of railway steamers, letters and timeless romance. This vintage wall clock has a brass electroplated finish that lends it a regal look. With numbers on both sides, it is a perfect choice to be hung in corridors, alleys, living room, etc. With readable numbers, it has a dial size of 8 inches.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow><bulletContentRow name="B01718WT7U_2590253994512101"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Bring an old world charm to your home with its timeless design.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed>

Best analog wall clock in India

Howdy readers. I'm Phil Rosen, reporting from Manhattan. Remember the whole "<a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-trends-flipped-upside-down-investors-defy-fed-2023-2">good news is actually bad news</a>" relationship between the economy and markets?Well, yesterday we learned private sector economic activity clocked in at multi-month highs, which means businesses are gaining momentum. But stocks dipped on the news because the strength of the data suggests the Fed's interest rate hikes haven't been all that effective — which ups the odds for higher-for-longer rates and more hikes. Today's Fed minutes release should provide more insight on what's to come in March. In any case, despite yesterday's sell-off, the swath of persistently-hot data hasn't weighed on markets as much as you'd expect — and that's leading <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-crash-death-zone-analysis-morgan-stanley-mike-wilson-2023-2">some of Wall Street's heavy hitters</a> to warn that a reckoning is just around the corner.If this was forwarded to you, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter/10-things-opening-bell">sign up here</a>. Download Insider's app <a href="https://www.insider.com/app">here.</a><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-crash-death-zone-analysis-morgan-stanley-mike-wilson-2023-2"></a>1. The bulls have showed out in force this year amid 2023's strong rally, but their optimism may be outweighed by the grim prognostications of a single analyst. Morgan Stanley's Mike Wilson is <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-crash-death-zone-analysis-morgan-stanley-mike-wilson-2023-2">one of Wall Street's most prominent bears</a>, and he just made a bleak comparison between the recent strength in stocks and climbers <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-crash-death-zone-analysis-morgan-stanley-mike-wilson-2023-2">scaling Mount Everest</a> without considering the risks."Many fatalities in high-altitude mountaineering have been caused by the death zone, either directly through loss of vital functions, or indirectly by <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-crash-death-zone-analysis-morgan-stanley-mike-wilson-2023-2">wrong decisions</a> made under stress or physical weakening that lead to accidents," Wilson wrote."This," he continued, "is a <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-crash-death-zone-analysis-morgan-stanley-mike-wilson-2023-2">perfect analogy for where equity investors find themselves</a> today, and quite frankly, where they've been many times over the past decade."So according to Wilson, stocks have entered this death zone after <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-crash-death-zone-analysis-morgan-stanley-mike-wilson-2023-2">climbing too high too fast</a> in hopes the Federal Reserve is about to pull back on its aggressive monetary policy. He's reiterated several times this year that <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-crash-death-zone-analysis-morgan-stanley-mike-wilson-2023-2">the rally will lose steam</a>, and he expects sticky inflation to push the Fed to hold interest rates higher for longer. "The bear market rally that began in October from reasonable prices and low expectations has <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-crash-death-zone-analysis-morgan-stanley-mike-wilson-2023-2">morphed into a speculative frenzy</a> based on a <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/fed-pivot-definition-6748840" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fed pause/pivot</a> that isn't coming," Wilson maintained.But with the rally leading more investors to the "fear of missing out" trade, <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-crash-death-zone-analysis-morgan-stanley-mike-wilson-2023-2">the fallout will ultimately be even worse</a>, especially as <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-outlook-drop-3800-sp500-fed-economy-target-inflation-2023-2">strong economic data</a> continues to roll in.Meanwhile, Bank of America strategists cautioned that all of the S&amp;P 500's year-to-date gains could be <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-outlook-drop-3800-sp500-fed-economy-target-inflation-2023-2">wiped out in early March</a>. "Payroll, retail sales, inflation; <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-outlook-drop-3800-sp500-fed-economy-target-inflation-2023-2">mission very much unaccomplished</a> for Fed despite 450bps tightening," according to BofA.The bank's analysts now see the Fed <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-outlook-drop-3800-sp500-fed-economy-target-inflation-2023-2">raising rates by 25 basis points in June</a>, which would bring the terminal rate to a target range of 5.25-5.5%. At that point, BofA expects a <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-outlook-drop-3800-sp500-fed-economy-target-inflation-2023-2">hard-landing</a> to follow. "As [stocks] have reached even higher levels, there is now talk of a "no landing" scenario – whatever that means," Wilson noted. "Such are the tricks the death zone plays on the mind – one starts to <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-crash-death-zone-analysis-morgan-stanley-mike-wilson-2023-2">see and believe in things that don't exist</a>."What's your recession outlook and how are you positioning your investments to prepare? Tweet me (<a href="https://twitter.com/philrosenn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@philrosenn</a>) or email me (<a href="mailto:prosen@insider.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prosen@insider.com</a>) to let me know. In other news:<a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/chatgpt-investing-stock-markets-book-recommendations-investors-money-equities-economy-2023-2?_gl=1*o2pb5a*_ga*MjA5NTAyMzYyOS4xNjYyNDcwMDc5*_ga_E21CV80ZCZ*MTY3Njk5NjM2Ny41OTcuMS4xNjc3MDAyMDMyLjAuMC4w"></a><div type="image" title="Warren Buffett ChatGPT AI Book recommendations Benjamin Graham Investing" height="960" width="1920" msid="98153920" hostid="261" sizebytes="99586"></div>2. US stock futures edge higher early Wednesday, after taking a battering yesterday thanks to investors' fears that interest rates will stay higher for longer. They're waiting for the latest Federal Reserve minutes due later for any hints to their future path. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/premarket" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Here are the latest market moves</a>.3. On the docket: NVIDIA, Lloyds Banking Group, and eBay, all <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/earnings-calendar">reporting</a>.4. A former BlackRock stock chief said the S&amp;P 500 could fall another 17%. Investors are ignoring the growing number of tell-tale recession signals, Bob Doll explained. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stock-market-crash-recession-indicators-building-sp500-forecast-blackrock-doll-2023-2">Here are the downbeat harbingers that are "not talked about at all."</a>5. The chairman of Credit Suisse is facing a probe over comments that potentially misled investors about client fund outflows. Reuters reported that the Swiss regulator is looking into whether Axel Lehmann made misleading statements amid rumors of a Lehman Brothers-style collapse. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/credit-suisse-regulator-review-swiss-bank-client-outflows-finma-reuters-2023-2">Here's what you want to know.</a>6. I asked ChatGPT for book recommendations that could make me a smarter investor. The language bot shared five titles, including two names with ties to Warren Buffett. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/chatgpt-investing-stock-markets-book-recommendations-investors-money-equities-economy-2023-2?_gl=1*o2pb5a*_ga*MjA5NTAyMzYyOS4xNjYyNDcwMDc5*_ga_E21CV80ZCZ*MTY3Njk5NjM2Ny41OTcuMS4xNjc3MDAyMDMyLjAuMC4w">See the full list.</a>7. History's most reliable recession indicator no longer works. The inverted yield curve has long predicted a downturn, but Ned Davis Research said that's no longer the case. Strategists explained that banks' high level of cash reserves means <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/inverted-yield-curve-recession-indicator-no-longer-works-bank-reserves-2023-2">they are less reliant on short term borrowing to fund longer-term loans. </a>8. This real estate investor owns over 1,200 units and retired at age 36. Dave Allred was able to stop working just 13 years after purchasing his first property. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/real-estate-investing-strategy-financial-freedom-early-retirement-reverse-engineering-2023-2">He explained how he's been able to "reverse engineer" his financial freedom.</a>9. Meet a 28-year-old Amazon seller who sold $5 million worth of wallets in a year. When it comes to boosting Amazon sales, Joe Reeves said you have to start with a great product and accumulate positive reviews. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-seller-how-to-run-successful-profitable-online-ecommerce-business-2023-2">After scaling his business to over $1 million in revenue, he broke down his four keys to e-commerce success. </a><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/buy-meta-stock-facebook-subscription-mark-zuckerberg-elon-musk-twitter-2023-2"></a><div type="image" title="Meta stock price on Feb. 22, 2023" height="1224" width="1334" msid="98153922" hostid="261" sizebytes="41114"></div>10. Meta stock looks attractive after Mark Zuckerberg copies Elon Musk's subscription model. Strategists at BofA said the new service for Facebook is a "potential high margin business." <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/buy-meta-stock-facebook-subscription-mark-zuckerberg-elon-musk-twitter-2023-2">In other words, now that paying users have the option to get a verified badge, shareholders have reason to cheer.</a>Curated by Phil Rosen in New York. Feedback or tips? Tweet <a href="https://twitter.com/philrosenn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@philrosenn</a> or email <a href="mailto:prosen@insider.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prosen@insider.com</a>.Edited by Max Adams (<a href="https://twitter.com/maxradams?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@maxradams</a>) in New York and Hallam Bullock (<a href="https://twitter.com/hallam_bullock" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@hallam_bullock</a>) in London.

Wall Street analysts are warning stocks are about to come crashing down

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">AmazonThe Amazon Echo Wall Clock brings Alexa to a wall-mounted timepiece.</div></div></div>What time is it? Maybe time to get a new wall clock, powered by Amazon's Alexa virtual assistant. The wall clock, somewhat unimaginatively called the Echo Clock, is Alexa-enabled and is capable of setting multiple timers at once. The clock is analog, but it has a built-in motor, so it's capable of updating the time on its own during Daylight Savings. The clock will cost $30 and is available for pre-order starting Thursday. Amazon says it'll be available later this year. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-mock-facebook-privacy-woes-iphone-2018-9">Apple took another subtle jab at Facebook during its iPhone XS event</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Amazon made a $30 wall clock with its Alexa assistant built in

US Department of EnergyA photo of the US Castle Bravo thermonuclear weapons test in the Pacific Ocean on March 1, 1954.<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doomsday-clock-time-trump-nuclear-war-annihilation-2018-1">Doomsday Clock</a> is now 100 seconds to midnight, closer than ever in its 73-year history.</li><li>The researchers behind the clock cited increasing tensions between nuclear-armed nations, the climate crisis, the spread of misinformation, and inaction from world leaders to confront these threats. </li><li>"We have indeed normalized a very dangerous world," one scientist said.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>The Doomsday Clock has jumped closer to midnight than it's ever been in its 73-year history, indicating looming apocalyptic threats.The clock is a symbol created at the dawn of the Cold War. Its time is set annually by the <a href="https://thebulletin.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists</a>, a group founded by researchers who helped build the first nuclear weapons during the Manhattan Project.The Bulletin began publicly adjusting the clock in 1947 to reflect the state of dire threats to the world. At first, they were primarily addressing tense US-Soviet relations and the risk for global nuclear war.But since 1991, the clock has taken into account other major threats such as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trumps-rhetoric-on-climate-change-not-the-greatest-threat-2016-12">climate change</a> and cyberwarfare."The Doomsday Clock is a globally recognized indicator of the vulnerability of our existence," Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a <a href="https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/">press briefing</a> about the clock's time change on Thursday. "It's a metaphor backed by rigorous scientific scrutiny. This is no mere analogy. We are now 100 seconds to midnight, and the world needs to wake up."ReutersPresident Donald Trump holds a news conference at the 50th World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2020.Previously, the clock's most alarming position was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doomsday-clock-time-trump-nuclear-war-annihilation-2018-1">two minutes to midnight</a>, where it sat in 2018 and 2019 for the first time since 1953. On Thursday, researchers moved it 20 seconds closer, citing a rising risk of global conflict and the looming threat of climate change."What we have called the new abnormal last year - an abysmal state of affairs in the realms of nuclear security and climate change - now has become an apparently enduring, disturbing reality in which things are not getting better," Robert Rosner, chair of the Bulletin's Science and Security Board, said in the briefing. "We have indeed normalized a very dangerous world."Members of the Bulletin chastised world leaders, particularly President Donald Trump, for not leading a charge against nuclear weapons, fossil-fuel emissions, and the spread of misinformation."Citizens around the world should rightfully echo the words of climate activist Greta Thunberg and ask, 'How dare you,'" Bulletin president and CEO Rachel Bronson said , referring to a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/greta-thunberg-tearful-speech-un-climate-action-summit-2019-9">tearful speech</a> in which the 16-year-old activist scolded world leaders at the UN Climate Action Summit in September 2019.Former California Gov. Jerry Brown added, "we are truly in a dangerous moment, but you would never know that from the president, from the Republican leadership, or even from the Democratic leadership. What is being said this morning is not being heard. It's being ignored, it's being denied, and it's being belittled."<h2>Why the Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever</h2>Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group / GettyThe nuclear bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, August 9,1945.Researchers said they chose the clock's new position before the Trump administration announced that it had killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. Rising concerns about Iran developing nuclear weapons, the Bulletin researchers said, further support their decision."It seems the world is a pressure cooker," Robert Latiff, an expert on military technology, said. "It is a high-energy system that only requires a simple mistake, somewhere in a world bristling with weapons, for a war to start and escalate catastrophically."The Bulletin members compared the state of today's international relations to the fragile nuclear landscape of the Cold War. They cited the failure of US negotiations with North Korea, the possibility that the Iran nuclear deal could fall apart, and continued tensions between India and Pakistan - all of which could lead to nuclear conflict.Other military technologies also concern the Bulletin scientists, including artificial-intelligence systems, experiments with pathogens, and hypersonic weapons."We have a witch's brew of ingredients for global conflict," Latiff said.Meanwhile, global temperatures are rising as fossil-fuel use pumps heat-trapping gas into the atmosphere. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/14-billion-dollar-disasters-2019-second-hottest-year-ever-2020-1">Last year was the second-hottest on record</a>. The spike in temperatures has been linked to the rising frequency and intensity of heat waves, wildfires, hurricanes, and floods - <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/recording-breaking-weather-linked-to-climate-change-2019-11">events that all broke records in 2019</a>.<a href="https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13142">NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center</a>This map shows Earth's average global temperature from 2014 to 2018, as compared to a baseline average from 1951 to 1980, according to a NASA analysis. Yellows, oranges, and reds show regions warmer than the baseline."Despite these devastating warnings, and although some governments are echoing scientists' use of the term 'climate emergency,' their policies are hardly commensurate of an emergency," Sivan Kartha, a climate scientist working with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said.He pointed to world leaders' failure to come away from global climate meetings with concrete plans; the December COP25 summit in Madrid was widely criticized for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/united-nations-cop25-climate-conference-in-madrid-by-the-numbers-2019-12">yielding few tangible outcomes</a>."To test the limits of Earth's habitable temperature is madness. It's a madness akin to the nuclear madness that is again threatening the world," Kartha said.The researchers added that the spread of misinformation makes it more difficult to pursue solutions."The continued use in 2019 of untruths, exaggerations, and misrepresentations by world leaders, in response to what they deem 'fake news,' has made worse an already dangerous situation," Latiff said.<h2>Time is running out to turn the clock back</h2><a href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Doomsday-Clock/ed38291d52654acb9d2044385dbf25ce/17/0">Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo</a>Robert Rosner, chairman of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, moves the minute hand of the Doomsday Clock to two minutes to midnight during a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, January 25, 2018.Critics of the Doomsday Clock have questioned its usefulness in recent years, with some <a href="https://thebreakthrough.org/journal/issue-5/fear-and-time">arguing</a> that the apocalyptic analysis can paralyze people and foster inaction. Others say the clock is not scientific, while some critics question the Bulletin's authority on policy solutions."The Doomsday Clock unscientific," Lawrence Krauss, a theoretical physicist and former Bulletin board member, wrote in a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/time-to-stop-the-doomsday-clock-11579734922">Wall Street Journal op-ed</a> on Wednesday. "The factors of its setting are now dominated more by policy questions than scientific ones. The former may be important, but claiming the authority of 'atomic scientists' is appropriate only for the latter."But Brown defended the Bulletin on Thursday."Speaking of danger and destruction is never very easy. If you speak the truth, people will not want to listen because it's too awful and it makes you sound like a crackpot," he said.The Bulletin members did note, however, that there is still time to calm nuclear tensions and slow climate change - if world leaders cooperate."The world is not over. We have incredible opportunity to reverse the nuclear arms race, the carbon emissions, and the headlong rush to ever more dangerous technology," Brown said. "It's within human hands." <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-if-nuke-nuked-hurricane-trump-detonate-2019-9">What would happen if we actually detonated a nuclear bomb inside of a hurricane</a></h3>

The 'Doomsday Clock' has jumped closer to midnight than ever as nuclear weapons and climate disasters turn the world into a 'pressure cooker'

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11908246" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="bill-ackman" source="Orion">Bill Ackman</keyword> wants the <keyword id="11895523" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="federal-reserve" source="Orion">Federal Reserve</keyword> to immediately taper its stimulus and raise interest rates.</li><li>The <keyword id="12452505" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="pershing-square" source="Orion">Pershing Square</keyword> chief has hedged against rate hikes to protect his fund's stock portfolio.</li></ul>Bill Ackman called for the Federal Reserve to reduce its stimulus spending and raise interest rates, confirmed he's hedged against rate hikes, and referenced a notorious Wall Street quote in a <a href="https://twitter.com/BillAckman">string of tweets</a> on Saturday.The billionaire investor and Pershing Square boss shared a <a href="https://www.newyorkfed.org/medialibrary/media/aboutthefed/pdf/IACFM-presentation-Oct-2021">recent presentation</a> he delivered to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. It highlighted elevated <keyword id="11894140" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="inflation" source="Orion">inflation</keyword> and robust jobs growth in recent months, and predicted those trends would continue as the US economy reopens following the pandemic, and the Biden administration seeks to spend upwards of $2 trillion on infrastructure and social programs."The bottom line: we think the Fed should taper immediately and begin raising rates as soon as possible," Ackman tweeted.The hedge fund manager has taken steps to protect his fund against higher rates. Pershing Square plowed $157 million into interest-rate "swaptions" between December last year and February this year, and those derivatives had appreciated by about 150% as of late May, Ackman <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/bill-ackman-pershing-psth-spac-deal-couple-weeks-inflation-hedge-2021-5">disclosed earlier this year</a>."We have put our money where our mouth is in hedging our exposure to an upward move in rates, as we believe that a rise in rates could negatively impact our long-only equity portfolio," he tweeted on Saturday.Ackman underlined the need to tighten monetary policy and cool the US economy by referencing Chuck Prince's <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/howard-marks-iconic-quote-financial-crisis-markets-today-2017-7">iconic line</a>. "As long as the music is playing, you've got to get up and dance," the former Citi CEO said in July 2007, encapsulating Wall Street's herd mentality and willful ignorance of systemic risks before the 2008 financial crisis."We are continuing to dance while the music is playing, and it is time to turn down the music and settle down," Ackman tweeted.The investor's tweet might also be a nod to a <keyword id="11915967" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="warren-buffett" source="Orion">Warren Buffett</keyword> <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/warren-buffett-warned-against-speculating-day-traders-dont-care-2020-6">comparison</a> of speculation in heady <keyword id="11893875" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="markets" source="Orion">markets</keyword> to Cinderella at the ball. The <keyword id="11915968" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="berkshire-hathaway" source="Orion">Berkshire Hathaway</keyword> CEO made the analogy in a <a href="https://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/2000pdf.pdf">letter</a> to his shareholders after the dot-com bubble burst."They are dancing in a room in which the clocks have no hands," Buffett said about people who buy into bubbles and plan to get out just before they burst, and everything turns into pumpkins and mice.

Billionaire investor Bill Ackman urges the Fed to taper stimulus now and raise interest rates soon - and confirms he's hedged against future hikes

<ul><li><keyword id="6358963" type="DEFINITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Warren-Buffett">Warren Buffett</keyword> criticized SPACs and <keyword id="1268253" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Robinhood">Robinhood</keyword> at <keyword id="6362665" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="berkshire-hathaway">Berkshire Hathaway</keyword>'s <keyword id="24152" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="annual-meeting">annual meeting</keyword>.</li><li>The investor said they encourage gambling and treating the stock market like a casino.</li><li><keyword id="293271" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Charlie-Munger">Charlie Munger</keyword>, Buffett's right-hand man, damned both trends as well.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">See more stories on Insider's business page</a>.</li></ul>Warren Buffett blasted special-purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) and the Robinhood trading app for encouraging gambling on stocks at <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/currencies/news/warren-buffett-charlie-munger-berkshire-hathaway-annual-meeting-live-updates-2021-5-1030373616">Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting on Saturday</a>.The famed investor and Berkshire CEO said that SPACs, also known as blank-check companies, were taking advantage of amateur investors and making unrealistic promises. "You stick a famous name on it and you can sell almost anything," he said.Buffett's right-hand man, Charlie Munger, said that the proliferation of SPACs was a "moral failing" to an extent."The easy money made by SPACs and derivatives and so on - you push that to excess, it causes horrible problems for the civilization."Buffett bemoaned the fact that Wall Street profits most when <keyword id="31671" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="markets">markets</keyword> are rife with <keyword id="74710" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="speculation">speculation</keyword>."You have this incredible, huge asset to humanity but it really makes its money when people are doing stupid things," he said.Buffett said that a rising number of people are treating the stock market like a casino, and reiterated his analogy that <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/warren-buffett-warned-against-speculating-day-traders-dont-care-2020-6-1029347328">day traders and speculators are like Cinderella at the ball</a>."More people are entering the casino than are leaving everyday," he said. "It creates its own reality for a while, and nobody tells you when the clock will strike 12 and it all turns to pumpkins and mice."Buffett also shared his thoughts on Robinhood, which many amateur investors and day traders have flocked to in recent months."It's become a very significant part of the casino group that has joined to the stock market" over the past 12 to 18 months, Buffett said.The investor doesn't see buying and selling put and call options - leveraged bets on whether stocks and other assets will rise or fall in value over a period of time - as illegal or immoral. "But I don't think you build a society around people doing it," he said.Munger went further in criticizing Robinhood and other trading apps for enabling speculation."It's not just stupid, it's shameful," he said. "It's deeply wrong."A Robinhood spokesperson provided the following statement to Insider:"There is an old guard that doesn't want average Americans to have a seat at the Wall Street table so they will resort to insults. The future is diverse, more educated, and propelled by engaging technologies that have the power to equalize. "Adversaries of this future and of change are usually those who've enjoyed plentiful privileges in the past and who don't want these privileges disrupted. Their criticisms are unfortunate but they prove why Robinhood's mission is in fact critical."The new generation of investors aren't a 'casino group.' They are tearing down old barriers to investing and taking control of their financial futures. Robinhood is on the right side of history."

Warren Buffett slammed SPACs and Robinhood for encouraging gambling on stocks at Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="3941015" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Lexus-LC500">Lexus LC500</keyword> is two things: unspeakably great and woefully underappreciated. </li><li>A four-seat coupe that can comfortably seat two, the <keyword id="9692543" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="lc500">LC500</keyword> starts at $92,950. Extra options put this model at $106,954. </li><li><keyword id="6415837" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="lexus">Lexus</keyword> sold just over 1,200 LC500s in 2019, making the car a rare sight on the road. Given how great it is, that's a real shame. </li></ul>The Lexus LC500 isn't a car you think about all day and all night. It doesn't shout in your face, and it doesn't adorn your kids' walls in the form of a dog-eared poster held on by the three spare tacks. It sells in minuscule numbers, making it feel like an alien on the streets of Earth. The LC500 isn't the alien. It's the spaceship, blasting by your wide eyes before they've even processed what they're seeing.<div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="1969" width="3000" msid="77331691" hostid="261"></div>The LC500 is a $100,000 — in this case, $106,954 — four-seat coupe. The "LC" literally <a href="https://blog.lexus.co.uk/lexus-model-name-meanings-explained/">stands for</a> "Luxury Coupe," just like the "LS" in Lexus LS models stands for "Luxury Sedan" and the "RX" in Lexus RX models stands for "Radiant Crossover." Good thing these folks specialize in cars, not words. The LC500 is more spacecraft than it is car, though, and its cockpit is more fighter pilot than it is driver's seat. Its yellow paint job is shimmery yet tame for a vehicle with such disregard for its own excessiveness, and its girth is so, well, girthy that you'll second guess your skills you did every time you park it. <div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="2983" width="1800" msid="77331696" hostid="261"></div>Getting acquainted with the LC500 is a funny thing. When someone first sees it and you ask how much they think it costs, they'll guess $50,000. Sixty-five thousand? Eighty. It's just a yellow Lexus!Then you'll show them the sticker, they'll gasp like they've been hit in the chest by a tetherball, and you'll invite them for a drive on a curvy road. "Oh," they'll say. "That's why."<div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="1878" width="3000" msid="77331701" hostid="261"></div>Lexus made the LC500 bigger than any car of its nature has a right to be, but size doesn't translate to usability. The hulking front end houses a 471-horsepower V8, while the hulking back end houses a trunk barely bigger than that of the Mazda Miata, which would look like a pebble next to the Lexus. The hulking middle portion of the car houses its two back seats that are more fit for purse dogs than people, and the other hulking parts of it house areas you'll never find, because the space just disappears. Size is about opulence here, not practicality. The LC500 is big because it makes the people who can't afford it stare, not because you need to use the space. Four people can't fit in it very easily, but that's because four people aren't really supposed to fit in it. The rear seats are there because they can be, not because you're expected to cram yourself into them. Lexus didn't even bother putting lights back there. <div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="2000" width="3000" msid="77331704" hostid="261"></div>Lexus packed the interior of the LC500 with the details you expect from a car the price of a house. The driver and passenger are fully separated, wrapped in their own buckets of Alcantara — a brand synonymous with upscale, suede-like interior material, whose capital "A" looks a lot fancier on the spec sheet than just regular old "suede." Lightning-bolt patterns cover a large portion of the dashboard, encased by a thick clear slab that tells everyone inside to look, not touch, because this is a museum display of how to best use your exorbitant wealth. <div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="1680" width="3000" msid="77331707" hostid="261"></div>Behind that slab also sits an analog clock with a silver Lexus logo. Like any overpriced watch on someone's wrist, the analog clock simply acts as an ostentatious display of wealth — not anything its owner actually plans to use to tell the time. Alcantara reaches all the way across the headliner, because in a car this extravagant, you can't skimp out as soon as you move above eye level.When the car starts up, purple-blue stars burst across the black background of the infotainment screen, reminding you that in a Lexus LC500, you are, in fact, the center of the universe. <div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="1600" width="3000" msid="77331712" hostid="261"></div>The LC500 isn't the fastest car out there, because it's not trying to be. It's a luxury car that happens to be fast, not a fast car that happens to be luxurious. It's a grand tourer, with emphasis on the "grand." In that context, it is very, very fast. Its performance is a dream: aggressive on the gas, glued to the corners, yet perfectly comfortable — no, luxurious — for long trips. Flipping the car into its more aggressive "sport" driving modes will make the LC500 wail like a monster tearing down a skyline — it's the only thing you hear, and it's about to eat your world alive.<div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="1810" width="3000" msid="77331714" hostid="261"></div>Part of the reason this nearly 500-horsepower car isn't as fast as it could be is because if you put it on a seesaw opposite of Clifford the Big Red Dog, Clifford would get shot into space. Its curb weight comes to about 4,400 pounds, or nearly twice that of the Miata whose trunk space isn't that much smaller. It also comes with a $6,000 package that slaps carbon fiber, a material often used to make performance cars lighter, on the roof and in the door wells. But putting a rhino on a $6,000 diet doesn't make it less of a rhino. You don't need to splurge. Then again, this car isn't about need. Like the LC500 itself, it's about buying things because you can. <div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="1667" width="2500" msid="77331717" hostid="261"></div>The LC500 is a rare sight on the roads, and a rare experience for drivers. Lexus <a href="https://pressroom.toyota.com/toyota-motor-north-america-reports-december-2019-year-end-sales/">sold</a> just 1,219 LC models in the US in all of 2019, about 100 per month — meaning your chances of seeing one are low, and your chances of recognizing what it is are even lower."Is that an LFA?" one person at the gas station yelled, referencing another <a href="https://jalopnik.com/the-lexus-lfa-is-the-most-misunderstood-modern-supercar-1725935586">deeply underappreciated</a> Lexus model from the early 2010s. Perhaps we as a population don't give Lexus enough credit, because we're too busy associating it with all of those Radiant Crossovers. For the few who do experience the LC500, there's not much to say, because it's more of a feeling than anything you can put into words. The LC500 just gets it, and driving the LC500 means that you get it, too. Everyone else just goes on about their lives without getting the greatness that happens to be sharing its streets with them. <div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="1871" width="3000" msid="77331718" hostid="261"></div>That's the entire point of the LC500, and grand tourers of its nature. It's not supposed to make you think, it's supposed to make you feel. It's not supposed to be practical, it's supposed to make you think it could be in a pinch. It's not supposed to focus on sportiness, it's supposed to make you, the outsider, think it does. Because you see, the LC500 might look like an alien spaceship to you, a person who's never been able to look past their generic fondness of the Lamborghinis, McLarens, and BMWs of the world and see that the perfect car is right there on the lot, waiting to be bought by a few handfuls of people across the US every week. But, in fact, you're the outsider — because these are the LC500's roads, and you're just lucky to be driving on them.♦♦♦<div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="1791" width="3000" msid="77331722" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="1777" width="3000" msid="77331727" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="1646" width="3000" msid="77331729" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="1802" width="3000" msid="77331731" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="2000" width="3000" msid="77331733" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="1709" width="3000" msid="77331734" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="2000" width="3000" msid="77331741" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="1785" width="3000" msid="77331744" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="1838" width="3000" msid="77331746" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="1655" width="3000" msid="77331750" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="2000" width="3000" msid="77331753" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="1585" width="3000" msid="77331755" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="1710" width="3000" msid="77331758" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="1260" width="3000" msid="77331760" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="2028" width="3000" msid="77331763" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="1843" width="3000" msid="77331766" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="1453" width="2500" msid="77331769" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="1615" width="2500" msid="77331771" hostid="261"></div><div type="image" title="lexus lc500" height="1667" width="2500" msid="77331773" hostid="261"></div>

The $107,000 Lexus LC500 is the best-kept secret on the car market

Hello, and welcome to this Wednesday's edition of the Insider Tech newsletter, where we break down the biggest news in tech.<h4><a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/insider-tech">Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Get Insider Tech straight in your inbox by subscribing here.</a></h4>Soundtrack: for maximum enjoyment of this newsletter, we recommend listening to <a href="https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=e2JYvCp6Jxs&amp;list=RDAMVMe2JYvCp6Jxs6Jxs">"Time Warp," from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show"</a> while you read.<h2>This week: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zuckerberg-dorsey-facebook-twitter-senate-hearing-hunter-biden-trump-election-2020-11">The time warp, featuring Jack Dorsey and Mark Zuckerberg ... again</a></h2>They say that lockdown living has warped our sense of time, blurring the boundaries between days and making the past seem at once recent and remote. It sure felt that way on Tuesday, as <keyword id="6354576" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="facebook">Facebook</keyword> CEO <keyword id="6354630" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="mark-zuckerberg">Mark Zuckerberg</keyword> and <keyword id="6354616" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Twitter">Twitter</keyword> CEO <keyword id="265395" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Jack-Dorsey">Jack Dorsey</keyword> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zuckerberg-dorsey-facebook-twitter-senate-hearing-hunter-biden-trump-election-2020-11">sat in front of Congress for another grilling</a>.Haven't we been here before?Like the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zuckerberg-dorsey-section-230-could-harm-internet-free-speech-2020-10">hearings in October</a> and those <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-antitrust-hearing-congress-big-tech-explained-2020-7">in July</a>, Tuesday's rendezvous on Capitol Hill was a bipartisan thrashing of the visiting CEOs, with the legislators serving as proxies for an anxious public to vent its many frustrations about <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-jack-dorsey-social-media-can-be-addictive-2020-11">the changes wrought by social media</a>."You have built terrifying tools of persuasion and manipulation," Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut declared ominously."Change is going to come," Sen. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina warned the CEOs.Democrats and Republicans were united in criticizing the companies and the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-section-230-internet-law-communications-decency-act-explained-2020-5">regulatory shield Facebook and Twitter enjoy</a>, but that was mostly where the similarities ended. This hearing, like those before it, served mainly to showcase the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/senator-chatz-section-230-tech-hearing-dorsey-zuckerberg-pichai-sham-2020-10">reality gap between the parties</a> when it comes to basic facts.But there was one interesting comment from Zuckerberg, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zuckerberg-facebook-should-be-liable-some-content-2020-11">who shared his thoughts on how social media should be regulated</a>. Zuck's take: Not like telecommunications companies (which have almost no liability) and not like news publishers (which have lots of liability). So what then? "I do think we have responsibilities, and it may make sense for there to be liability for some of the content that is on the platform,"<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zuckerberg-facebook-should-be-liable-some-content-2020-11">Zuckerberg said.</a> "But I don't think the analogies to these other industries that were created previously will ever be fully the right way to look at this."<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zuckerberg-facebook-should-be-liable-some-content-2020-11"><div type="image" title="Dorsey Zuckerberg" height="1134" width="1942" msid="79290790" hostid="261"></div></a>Missing from the action was the CEO of the internet's hottest new property, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-parler-app-social-media-twitter">Parler</a>. <keyword id="9465142" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="parler">Parler</keyword>'s CEO is not a household name (it's John Matze, by the way), and until two weeks ago, Parler was not a well known app, either.Parler is an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-parler-app-social-media-twitter">alternative social network devoted to free speech</a> — and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/parlers-investors-include-a-big-angel-investor-and-a-pro-trump-pundit-2020-11">secretly funded by Rebekah Mercer</a>, a longtime conservative donor who is the daughter of hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer — which has seen an influx of new users in the past couple of weeks. The catalyst for Parler's growth spurt appears to be Facebook's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/parler-election-conservative-social-media-app-stop-the-steal-2020-11">clampdown on groups like "Stop the Steal,"</a> a network of users who falsely claim Joe Biden stole the election from Donald Trump.The Parler app shot up to the number one spot on the Apple App Store's list of most downloaded apps last week, and now boasts 10 million users, according to the Wall Street Journal. That's still a fraction of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-q3-2020-earnings-jack-dorsey-2020-10">Twitter's 187 million daily users</a>, let alone <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-earnings-q3-2020-revenue-eps-profit-analysis-2020-10">Facebook's 1.82 billion daily users</a>. But it's got some high-profile faces, including Fox News' Maria Bartiromo and Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.OK, so here's the real test: If Parler can earn an invitation to the next internet hearing in Congress — which if current trends continue, should be taking place soon — the company will have officially broken into the big leagues.<h2>Beware the IPOs of November</h2><div type="image" title="Brian Chesky Airbnb" height="1961" width="3000" msid="79290793" hostid="261"></div>Another oddity in the space-time continuum is the glut of IPO prospectuses (prospecti? prospectopodes?) dropping on the eve of Thanksgiving. In ordinary times, America's turkey day would be reserved for family meals and preparations for Black Friday shopping. This year is different, though, and with the capital markets in flux, a whole crop of richly-valued startups have concluded this is the time to go public. At the top of the list is <keyword id="719382" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Airbnb">Airbnb</keyword>, the short-term rental service that scrapped its IPO plans at the start of the pandemic, but is now back in the game.<ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/airbnb-files-s1-public-ipo-paperwork-revenue-losses-covid-19-2020-11">As Airbnb's S-1 revealed, the company's business has started to pick back up</a>, with revenue in its third quarter down 18% year-over-year, compared to the second quarter's jaw-dropping 72% plunge.</li><li>But the company <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/airbnb-ipo-filing-covid-uncertainty-google-regulation-tax-losses-2020-11">warned that it expects bookings to take another hit</a> in the fourth quarter as the winter wave of COVID-19, and a disastrous new peak in the United States, kicks in.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/investors-employees-benefit-when-airbnb-goes-public-2020-11">Here are the Airbnb insiders who could see the biggest payday</a> when the company goes public. Among the noteworthy non-employee names: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/airbnb-ipo-amazon-jeff-bezos-early-investor-payday-2020-11">Jeff Bezos</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/investors-employees-benefit-when-airbnb-goes-public-2020-11#angela-ahrendts-board-member-of-airbnb-413000-16">Angela Ahrendts</a>.</li></ul>The other big consumer internet IPO is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doordash-ceo-tony-xu-ipo-small-businesses-coronavirus-2020-11">DoorDash</a>, the food delivery service that thumbed its nose at superstition and filed its paperwork on Friday the 13th. <ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doordash-ipo-filing-s1-numbers-public-revenue-loss-customers-2020-2020-11">DoorDash's revenue is up a whopping 226%,</a> weighing in at $1.9 billion, in the first nine months of 2020.</li><li>And yet it still could not earn a profit, posting a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doordash-increased-marketing-spend-leading-to-ipo-without-sacrificing-profits-2020-11">net loss of $149 million</a> during that period.</li></ul>But wait, there's more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tom-siebels-c3ai-ipo-filing-shows-rising-revenues-mounting-losses-2020-11">C3.ai, an enterprise tech company founded by industry vet Tom Siebel</a>, also filed IPO paperwork, and <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/roblox-public-offering-video-game-platform-ipo-direct-listing-filing-2020-10-1029671211">Roblox</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wish-discounts-files-to-go-public-2020-8">Wish</a>, and Affirm are all on deck and expected to drop their public S-1s any day.<h2>Introducing BI's new business columnist Adam Lashinsky</h2>On Friday, we published the debut column by Adam Lashinsky, a longtime business journalist who was an executive editor at Fortune magazine and who has authored two books — <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Apple-Americas-Admired-Secretive-Company/dp/145551215X?tag=bisafetynet2-20">"Inside Apple"</a> (about Apple) and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Ride-Inside-Ubers-Domination/dp/0735211396?tag=bisafetynet2-20">"Wild Ride"</a>(about Uber). <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/larry-ellison-wacky-tiktok-plan-exposes-oracle-glaring-problem-2020-11">In his first column</a>, Lashinsky takes a look at the motive behind Larry Ellison's quixotic quest to get a piece of TikTok. It's not as wacky as it seems, but the clock is running out on Ellison's gambit. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/larry-ellison-wacky-tiktok-plan-exposes-oracle-glaring-problem-2020-11">Read it here.</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/larry-ellison-wacky-tiktok-plan-exposes-oracle-glaring-problem-2020-11"><div type="image" title="Larry Ellison" height="1064" width="1528" msid="79290801" hostid="261"></div></a>Every two weeks, Lashinsky will share his insights and reporting with premium subscribers to Business Insider, so if you're not already a subscriber, this is your sign to take the leap.<h2>Recommended Readings:</h2><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-pharmacy-internal-document-queso-pfizer-premera-partnership-2020-11">EXCLUSIVE: Amazon's first-ever plan for its new pharmacy business, which included partnering with Pfizer and J&amp;J, highlights the challenges and ambitions of the secretive business</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-seattle-area-kirkland-car-dealership-real-estate-2020-11">Google just bought a car dealership and 5 acres of land in a Seattle suburb, property records show</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/softbank-masayoshi-son-still-loves-and-respects-weworks-adam-neumann-2020-11">After losing billions on WeWork investments, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son says he still loves and respects ousted founder Adam Neumann</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-ceo-startup-emitwise-pitch-deck-2020-10">Ex-Uber CEO and billionaire Ryan Graves backed sustainability startup Emitwise in a $3.4 million funding round after seeing this pitch deck</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/salesforce-office-of-equality-tony-prophet-struggled-get-results-2020-11">Four years ago, Salesforce hired a rock star executive to show the world how to fix workplace diversity. Insiders are disappointed with the slow progress.</a><h2>Not necessarily in tech:</h2><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-trump-eviction-inauguration-secret-service-white-house-2020-11">Speculation about how Trump might be physically removed from the White House is a hot topic in a private group chat involving former Secret Service officials</a>OK then, that'll do it for this week. Thanks for reading, and if you like this newsletter, <a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/insider-tech">tell your friends and colleagues they can sign up here to receive it</a>.— Alexei

Jack Dorsey and Mark Zuckerberg are caught in the Congressional time warp again — but where's Parler?

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://twitter.com/bengmn">Ben Crudo</a> is CEO of <a href="https://www.diffagency.com/?utm_medium=pr&amp;utm_source=csuite&amp;utm_campaign=benpublicationsications">Diff Agency</a> and an ecommerce expert helping retailers win today and tomorrow.</li><li>Six months in, it's clear that we're not returning to the office anytime soon — and that means it's time to create a more intentional <keyword id="123591" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Work-from-home">work from home</keyword> space.</li><li>Crudo says it's worth investing in things you thing really need, including things that make you feel comfortable (like a good office chair).</li><li>You need to insulate from your distraction, both in your physical space and in how you spend your time and energy.</li></ul>So, tough love: Like it or not, we're not all going back to the office anytime soon. Six months into the pandemic, if you haven't set up a proper home office yet, it's time to step away from the kitchen table and create a real, dedicated work space. The number one priority — from my lens as an engineer and the CEO of a <a href="https://www.diffagency.com/">100-plus person agency</a> — has to be intentionality. Being deliberate about the office you set up is critical. In fact, the opportunity to do this is one of the unexpected boons of this entire work-from-home experience. The fact is the traditional<a href="https://www.inc.com/brit-morse/remote-work-survey-owl-labs.html"> office environment — from 9-5 to cubicles to dress codes — didn't work for everyone</a>. If there's one unexpected benefit of the massive shift to work from home, it's that it has given us a unique chance to personalize how, where and even when we work. At home, we're free to tailor our space to what suits us and our needs. Here's a glimpse into my own set-up — not as a model to emulate, but as an example of what personalization and being deliberate can look like in practice. <h2>Invest in stuff you really need — and stuff that makes you really comfortable</h2>As an engineer, I try to be pragmatic: You don't need the latest tech toy, but quality tools you really like will keep you dialed in. I've learned that simplicity goes a long way when paired with a few luxurious touches. Obvious one here, but an ergonomic chair might be the best investment you'll make. It will make your workday easier on your body and you'll be able to sustain longer work sessions and feel happier doing it. (At my company, we've provided <a href="https://www.humanscale.com/products/seating">Humanscale ergonomic chairs</a> to all employees for exactly this reason.)That low-res monitor? It's a waste of desk space. Cycling through windows (or worse, relying on multiple monitors) is unproductive and frustrating. With a high res monitor, I find that I don't have to split my attention as much. Even stuff like the right mouse and keyboard matter. I have an <a href="https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MLA22LL/A/magic-keyboard-us-english">Apple Magic Keyboard</a> that is light, wireless and portable so I can switch up my setting when I need a change of scenery. Building a great home office doesn't mean you have to spend a lot on gear. In fact, some of the things that make me happiest working from home are low-cost, but intentional, touches. My leather keyboard pad and mouse pad are small things, but whenever my hands hit the surface in front of me, it's a grounding reminder of where I am. I also have a <a href="https://www.yeti.com/en_CA/drinkware/rambler-414-ml-mug/70000000335.html#start=1">Yeti coffee mug</a> that keeps my coffee warm for hours. And let's not forget about art — your art, not some generic office art. I've got an art deco take on Sunset Strip on my wall that's a family heirloom. Contemplating art that moves you can actually help your focus, make you<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/01/11/795010044/feeling-artsy-heres-how-making-art-helps-your-brain"> more hopeful</a>, and <a href="https://www.inverse.com/mind-body/abstract-art-mindset-study">improve your decision making</a>. <h2>Outsmarting distraction</h2>Whatever gear or decor you choose, your home office will fall short without one additional step: insulating yourself from distraction. Before the pandemic struck, employees were<a href="https://hbr.org/2020/06/a-plan-for-managing-constant-interruptions-at-work"> interrupted every six to 12 minutes</a>. Now, it's got to be far worse, between juggling personal and work lives under the same roof, yet another Zoom meeting, and constant <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> updates. For all these reasons, building and sustaining focus is one of the most important parts of remote work. Step one: turn your notifications off. You don't have to go so far as giving up your smartphone<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tech-ceo-give-up-smartphone-dumb-phone-better-leader-2019-11#limited-contact-equals-better-leadership-2"> like I did</a>, but be disciplined about giving your<a href="https://health.clevelandclinic.org/science-clear-multitasking-doesnt-work/"> undivided attention to the task at hand</a>. Quick hack: I've started using a <a href="https://bulletjournal.com/">bullet journal</a> instead of relying on digital schedulers or to-do lists. When I think of something I need to come back to, or an item for my to-do list, I jot it down by hand. An analog notebook <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90469534/how-to-use-a-bullet-journal-to-kickstart-your-mindfulness-practice">keeps me mindful</a> without derailing my focus. I've even found that it's important to be more intentional with my media consumption so I don't get overwhelmed by all the bad news. In the early days of quarantine it was easy to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200505-coronavirus-how-much-news-is-too-much">fall prey to information overload</a>. Forty-three percent of Americans say the news makes them <a href="https://www.journalism.org/2020/04/29/about-seven-in-ten-u-s-adults-say-they-need-to-take-breaks-from-covid-19-news/">feel emotionally worse</a> and I can relate. Particularly in a time of crisis, it's important to guard your mental space. Now I spend 10 to 20 minutes cycling through news from a few different trusted sources every couple of days. I focus on what I'm interested in and that's it — no more mindless <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2020/09/22/doomscrolling-isnt-helping-our-well-being-warn-experts/">doom scrolling</a>. Ultimately, work-from-home success depends on something we've largely forgotten how to do: monotask. More than any technique, this is a mindset: the understanding (backed by science) that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/01/fashion/monotasking-drop-everything-and-read-this-story.html">we get way more done</a> when we're doing one thing at a time. Working from home can actually nurture this kind of focus if you take control of your environment. This also means setting clear boundaries for when work stops. Without the cues of the office, working hours have become more nebulous. During the pandemic's early weeks, <a href="https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/you-re-right-you-are-working-longer-and-attending-more-meetings">the average workday increased</a> by 8.2% worldwide. To keep my personal life separate from my work life, I think about how many hours a day I'm going to work and, when I meet them, I'm done. Communicate your working hours to your team and invite them to do the same for you. When your workday is over, turn your computer off — like all the way off, not just to sleep — to signal to yourself that you've clocked out. <h2>Getting to know your team beyond the water cooler</h2>Remote work has reinforced the fact that we're all individual people, not cogs in a machine, and<a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00963/full"> we work better</a> when we're treated as such. As a leader, I've realized how counterintuitive it was to expect everyone to thrive in the<a href="https://www.thearticle.com/the-death-of-the-office"> traditional office environment</a>. What's needed, more than anything, is choice. This experience has actually transformed how I approach my team. Instead of fixating on getting back to the office, at my company we are doing what we can to help people thrive at home. For starters, we've allowed anyone to take any gear from the office that they want to use at home, and we're also moving away from blanket policies that treat everyone like they're the same. We're working to find ways to meet our organizational goals by being more respectful of people's singular needs. This means being open to different work schedules or hours for different people on the team.For all the challenges of working from home, we have a golden opportunity to start to redefine work on our terms. How we set up our home office is a big part of that. Whether that means fancy gear, cool art, or extra soundproofing, the point is that the choice is yours. Take it. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-crudo/">Ben Crudo</a> is CEO of <a href="https://www.diffagency.com/?utm_medium=pr&amp;utm_source=csuite&amp;utm_campaign=benpublicationsications">Diff Agency</a>. A retailer turned technologist, Ben is an ecommerce expert helping retailers win today and tomorrow.

I'm the CEO of an 100-person agency. Here's how I designed my office to work better and avoid distractions.

<div class="image-container float_right"><div class="image">APCut some prices, Mr. Cook!</div></div>Third quarter <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-apple-smartphone-market-share-2013-11">global smartphone sales</a> came out earlier this week.
The message was clear:
<keyword id="6354427" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Apple">Apple</keyword> is getting its clock cleaned by Samsung, which is now by far the dominant smartphone maker in the world. (Samsung had 32% of the global market in Q3, the same share as a year ago. Apple, meanwhile, had only 12% of the market, down from 14% a year ago.)
Yes, both companies sold more smartphones this year than last year. But Apple's sales badly lagged both Samsung and, importantly, the broader smartphone market.
Apple's sales increased 23%. Samsung's increased 46%. The smartphone market as a whole, meanwhile, grew 46%.
In other words, Apple's smartphone sales grew at only half the rate of the market.
Apple fans have developed excuses for Apple's lagging sales. The most popular is that Apple is a "premium" gadget maker, not a hoi polloi gadget maker, and it only wants to sell its phones (and tablets) to people who can afford to pony up for them. Apple, in other words, is like BMW, not Ford.
There are two big problems with this analogy. First, unlike cars, smartphones are a "platform market" - third parties build products and services that run on top of smartphones - and in platform markets, market share is a huge competitive advantage. Second, in emerging markets, which is where most of the growth in smartphones and tablets now is, there just aren't that many people who want to buy BMWs when many very high-quality gadgets are available for much lower prices. 
The actual reason that Apple's gadget sales are now so badly underperforming the market is that Apple no longer sells products at price points that appeal to the growth segment of the market. 
Apple fans can keep telling themselves that this is just fine, that Apple doesn't want or need to sell gadgets to earthlings of more average wealth, but what these fans need to recognize is that this is effectively a major change in Apple's pricing strategy.
In the first few years after the iPhone and iPad launched, Apple led the market not just in product quality but in product price. The iPhone and iPad were not just way better than the competition, they also cost the same or less.
Now, Apple may still have an edge in product quality (this is debatable and a matter of personal preference), but in most countries, its gadgets are considerably more expensive than the alternatives. And those alternatives - from Samsung, Google, Amazon, and many other vendors - are getting better and better.
If gadgets were not a platform market, this wouldn't matter. But they are. And the more market share Apple surrenders in China, Brazil, India, et al, the less chance it will have to become the leading platform in these countries. (In fact, in many of them, it's probably already too late.)
The simple answer is NOT for Apple to make low-end gadgets that it considers crappy. It is for Apple to use its phenomenal profitability as a competitive weapon. Specifically, the answer is for Apple to sell some of its gadgets -- not the latest, greatest ones, but some - at prices that are highly competitive with local alternatives.
Now that Apple has "forked" its iPhone product line into the 5S and 5C, for example, it could sell the 5C at a sharply lower price point. Instead, Apple is still charging almost as much for the 5C as the 5S. (Yes, Apple is selling the iPhone 4 at a significantly lower price than the 5s, but this phone is now old, weak, and small.)
Similarly, in iPads, Apple is selling its "Mini" at prices that are radically higher than high-quality alternatives. Instead, it could sell the latest, greatest version of the Mini at a high price and other recent models at a very competitive price.
Importantly, this would cost Apple nothing more than some near-term profits. And Apple has plenty of profit to spare. (In fact, it has so much profit to spare that it has no idea what to do with the cash piling up on its balance sheet.)
Significantly increasing its market share in key markets around the world would make Apple's long-term competitive position much stronger. It would help Apple increase the value of its content and app "ecosystem" in these countries and, thereby, strengthen the "lock-in" of its products and services.
But, instead, Apple is being greedy and shortsighted and choosing to maintain its already fantastically high profit margins at the expense of market share.
Let's go to the charts:
(These charts are all from BI Intelligence, our premium industry research service. <a href="https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/">You can sign up for a free trial here &gt;</a>)
First, as you can see, the global smartphone and tablet markets are still growing like mad. Here's smartphones:
<div class="image-container click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="Business Insider" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52863c2f6da811a954cfbc53-960/slide013-5.jpg"></a>Business Insider</div></div>
And here's tablets:
<div class="image-container click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="Business Insider" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/52823bf6eab8ea864c9f9ea6-960/slide051-4.jpg"></a>Business Insider</div></div>
And now look at Apple's growth in these markets.
First, as the line in the chart below shows, Apple's iPhone sales have slowed sharply:
<div class="image-container click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="Business Insider" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/52863d2d69bedd897768a820-960/slide049-5.jpg"></a>Business Insider</div></div>
Apple's tablet sales, meanwhile, have hit a wall. (Yes, the new iPads will help. But it is going to be very hard for Apple to make up this lost ground.)
<div class="image-container click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="Business Insider" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/52863d8369bedd2b7468a827-960/slide052-5.jpg"></a>Business Insider</div></div>
When confronted with these statistics, Apple fans generally point out that Apple still has a very strong position in the U.S. market and that Americans keep scarfing up Apple's top-of-the-line iPhones.
That's true.
Apple's market share in the United States is indeed strong, as the following chart shows:
<div class="image-container click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="Business Insider" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/528641aa69beddab7d68a826-960/slide068-5.jpg"></a>Business Insider</div></div>
But the U.S. is an anomaly. In most other countries, Apple is losing share fast. And that means that, at best, Apple is missing a massive opportunity.
The bottom line is that, by trying to maintain its price points and super-high profit margin, Apple has radically underperformed the market for the past couple of years, especially in tablets. Because of the importance of the platform and ecosystem for long-term value, this is a shortsighted decision.
Meanwhile, Google's Android has become the world's dominant smartphone and tablet platform:
<div class="image-container click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="Business Insider" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52863eb26bb3f7867c1e0698-960/slide055-5.jpg"></a>Business Insider</div></div>
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If it continues to pursue its current pricing and maximize-short-term profit strategy, Apple may continue to increase its profits for the next couple of years. But it will continue to lose platform and ecosystem share in most of the world. Apple fans can talk all they want about how Apple is "like BMW," but in a couple of key competitive respects, it isn't. And if the gadget platform market behaves the way other platform markets have (think Windows), Apple and its fans may come to regret this short-term thinking in the end.
SEE ALSO: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-future-of-digital-2013-2013-11">The Future Of Digital [SLIDES]</a>
Disclosure: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/i-just-bought-apple-stock-2013-4">I'm an Apple shareholder.</a>

Come On, Apple Fans, It's Time To Admit That The Company Is Blowing It

19 fiery hot (and ice cold) takes about the ending of 'Game of Thrones'

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image">Mike Nudelman/Business Insider</div></div></div>First, a caveat: The Firefly vaporizer is not intended to be used for marijuana.
Definitely not.
Never mind that the herb is now legal for recreational use in two states, and can be obtained with a prescription in 20 more. Or that legislation <a href="" http:="" medicalmarijuana.procon.org="" view.resource.phpresourceID="002481&quot;&quot;" target="" _blank="">now pending</a> in 10 additional states would decriminalize the use of cannabis for medical purposes.
At present, marijuana is still a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law, and <a href="" http:="" www.law.cornell.edu="" uscode="" text="" target="" _blank="">U.S. Criminal Code</a> makes it illegal to sell drug paraphernalia, so no.
Instead, the inventors of this high-end vaping implement built the Firefly for legal substances, such as tobacco or, as the Vape World website delicately puts it, "aromatherapy blends."
You know, this tool is supposed to appeal to that market of people who would be puffing away on pipes like John Cheever and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but have been clamoring for a beautifully designed high-tech gizmo that produces a lung-caressing vapor instead of a bronchi-blistering smoke.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image">FireflyThe top-of-the-line Firefly Vaporizer</div></div></div>
"The tobacco is the business," says Firefly co-founder Sasha Robinson. "To ignore that market or to think it's a secondary market is just wrong."
That said, if someone happened to want to load the Firefly's chamber with another dried out herbaceous substance, who's to stop them?
"We respect the consumer's right to choose," Robinson adds patriotically. "We have to be respectful of federal laws while understanding that the market in the United States is changing rapidly."
It's a different world now than it was back in 2007, when Robinson and Firefly co-founder Mark Williams met and bonded over their shared passion for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-burning-man-like-2013-photos-2013-9" target="_blank">Burning Man - a wholesome gathering in the desert </a>where upstanding citizens come together to engage in perfectly innocent activities.
Since they quit their very lucrative Silicon Valley jobs several years ago to plunge headfirst into a sketchy and unproven new industry, the world of vaping has heated up. E-cigarettes, which utilize a similar technology, had their moment in the spotlight during the Golden Globes, when Julia Louis-Dreyfuss puffed away on camera. They're ubiquitous at New York Fashion Week, and Big Tobacco is <a href="" http:="" qz.com="" has-big-tobacco-taken-its-first-tentative-steps-into-the-marijuana-industry="" target="" _blank="">gobbling up vaporization startups,</a> grabbing a piece of the new industry before analog smokes wind up in the ashtray of history.
What all that means to Williams and Robinson is that some of the <a href="" http:="" www.cdc.gov="" tobacco="" data_statistics="" fact_sheets="" adult_data="" cig_smoking="" target="" _blank="">42 million</a> smokers in the U.S. (and - shhhh - perhaps a few cannabis users too) will soon be ready to ditch their cancer sticks for a space-age device that looks right at home sitting next to a glass of Barolo and a MacBook Air: a battery-powered, almost odorless, very possibly healthier way to ingest the chemicals contained various plants.
Instead of igniting the leaves - a technology that hasn't been updated since Prometheus - vaporizers like the Firefly heat it to extremely high temperatures, slowly drying the vegetable matter and emitting a smooth vapor for the user to suck in.
 
<h2>The Birth of Vaping</h2>
Five years ago, if you encountered a vaporizer, you were probably sitting in a college dorm room surrounding a clumsy, vaguely sinister-looking contraption with a motley collection of hygienically challenged dudes - alternative types, hobbyists. The kinds of kids who order mysterious packages from websites that end in .net. You probably also saw a few computer parts scattered around and maybe some Grateful Dead posters on the walls. It was a very niche audience.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left"><div><div class="image"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Volcano_Vaporizer.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a>The pioneer: the Volcano Vaporizer</div></div></div>This was pre-Firefly. The vape of choice back then was a desktop contraption called the Volcano. Developed by German manufacturer Storz Bickel, it has a base that looks kind of like the bottom of a blender, and it comes with a plastic bag you fit over the top of it.
You load your herb of choice, plug in the machine, turn it on, and wait. The bag fills with vapor like a Snoopy balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and once it's full, you take it off the base and inhale. It's a little like huffing glue or getting anesthesia - neither one of which are especially appealing to a mass user base.
Adam Schoenfeld, one of the early distributors of The Volcano and now a prominent business consultant in the shadowy vaporizer industry, calls The Volcano "the Mercedes G Wagon of vaporizers."
The Firefly, on the other hand, is more like a Tesla. It's a high-end luxury product - one aimed at consumers making upward of $75,000 a year. Retailing for $269, it would take months of grocery bagging to afford one. Sorry, kids.
The Tesla comparison is also apt in that the Firefly - and similar handheld vaporizers on the market- depends on advances in lithium battery technology, just like the Tesla. The Firefly was not the first handheld vaporizer on the market. In 2008, the butane-heated IOLITE, by Oglesby and Butler debuted.
In terms of battery-powered vapes, another pioneer was the Magic Flight Launch Box. It hit the market around 2010, and is basically a tiny box of wood that comes with a rechargeable AA battery. Jamming the battery into a hole in the side activates the device. It's not the sexiest or most powerful gadget, but it gets the job done.
In the high-end vape market, a device called the Ploom Pax beat the Firefly by a year or so. And while the Pax is smaller and lighter (and thus more discreet), the Firefly is far more <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image">PloomThe Ploom Pax, Firefly's chief competitor</div></div></div>powerful, running on 50 watts rather than Pax's 4.
The Firefly also works differently. Whereas the Magic Flight and the Pax use conductive technology, heating up the area on which the plant matter rests, the Firefly is convective, heating the air in the chamber to an astonishing 400 degrees. Some purists argue that this technique, known as convection, makes for a better tasting experience.
Either way, James Monsees, co-founder of Ploom, is certain that he's making a Tesla as well. Today's consumerwill settle for nothing less.
"I would argue that the reason it's happening now," Monsees says of high-end vaporizer culture, "is that we're getting precious about a lot of things. We have the luxury to be picky and be precious about a lot of things - to know what we want."
 
<h2>Building the Firefly</h2>
Try this: Graduate from one of the best schools in the country, have a wildly successful career in Silicon Valley by your late 20s, get a prestigious job at a firm people would die to work for, get married, be sort of happy.
Then chuck it. Quit your job, ply your savings into a new venture all your own, and design a fetish-like new product for a vaguely shady industry that few people even know exists. Then take a look at your knuckles - they're white.
When they met in 2007, Robinson and Williams were dancing to a mix by a party crew called The Space Cowboys at San Francisco's Burning Man Decompression party.
It's a party for people who wish they were at Burning Man.
Both were health-conscious smokers (a rare but growing species). They had experimented with vaporizers and found the results promising. But there was a problem: The older models looked like bulky science experiments - like model spaceships - and they weren't always reliable.
"The early inventors were great pioneers," says Williams. "We have a lot of respect for what they did. But neither of us wanted to buy any of the products that were around at that time."
Normally that would be that, but Williams and Robinson were not your typical "burners" (as aficionados of Burning Man are called).
Williams spent years rising through the ranks at Apple designing Mac OS software, and Robinson had been working at prominent Silicon Valley companies for decades.
They'd both built things, and they had that hacker mindset where you look at a problem and assume you can solve it. Together, they resolved to invent a vaporizer of their own, one that would do for smoking what the iPod did for music. It would be the perfect meeting of form and function, a sleek, intuitive device that would make vaping "as quick as lighting up."
It wasn't exactly an easy decision.
"I walked away from a pretty sizable amount of money to work on this project," Williams told Business Insider. "I could've ridden Apple into the sunset."
<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_left"><div class="image">FireflyFirefly cofounder Sasha Robinson</div></div>Robinson had it pretty good, too, having bounced from Silicon Graphics Incorporated, to Juniper Networks, a networking equipment manufacturer, before bailing out before he was 30.
"I retired," says Robinson. "I was basically like f--- this tech stuff. I'm going to learn to weld."
He cashed in some stock, bought a house in San Francisco, and traveled - to Thailand, Cambodia, Poland, Costa Rica. You name it, he wandered there for weeks.
Back home in San Francisco, he got pretty good at metalworking. He constructed jaw-dropping installations for Burning Man and danced a lot.
"I achieved every single career goal I had for myself by the age of 29," says Robinson, now 41. "It's a weird feeling to be both really proud and lost."
Lost he remained, though, until he met a girl. She told him that unemployment was not sexy. Soon, he realized she was right and joined consulting firm Moto as director of software.
When Moto was bought by Cisco Systems, though, he got antsy.
"I put my toe in it and I thought 'I'd love to make this work,' and then I changed my mind," he says. He was gone within a month.
Since becoming friends, Robinson and Williams were constantly meeting at house parties, or at late-night events in San Francisco's vibrant electronic music scene. It was Williams who came up with the idea to build a vaporizer. They began spending their Tuesday nights tinkering with coils and testing different power supplies in Robinson's basement, which was jammed with everything from power tools to Burning Man projects, including a colorfully painted bike with a fur-covered seat.
Because "if you're wearing short-shorts and not much else in the desert, it's nice to be sitting on fur," Williams explains.
Things proceeded slowly. Robinson and Williams were trying to tackle problems they hadn't deeply considered before, and it was tougher than they thought.
Like how to create a 400-degree oven that fits in someone's hands but won't explode in their face.
The guys started by drawing pictures of how the mechanism would work. After settling on butane, they enlisted the help of a mechanical engineering friend to build a model.
If Williams had learned one thing at Apple, where he worked on Mac OS collaboration software, it was the difference between a decent user experience and a great one: It was all about simplicity.
"That was always the measuring stick of what a good prototype was," Williams says. "People had to get it by just looking at it."
He also discovered that working at a big company, even one as widely admired as Apple, could be deadening. "I'll get a construction job before I fill out another TPS report," he jokes, referring to the "testing, procedure specification" reports software developers often produce.
Eventually, with his wife's buy-in, he decided to part ways with Apple, joining Robinson to give the Firefly his full commitment.
"I had a lot of nights when I was awake at 3 am working out an issue because I knew my future income was dependent on this project," Williams recalls.
NEXT: The Grandmother Test

<h2>The Grandmother Test</h2>
By January of 2011, Williams and Robinson had been tinkering for two years, and they still weren't satisfied. The butane was the problem. It just wasn't reliable enough. Sometimes it didn't ignite. And it seemed a little risky even under the best circumstances.
"You couldn't just hand it to your grandmother," Robinson jokes.
The Grandmother Test was perhaps a high bar for what was, after all, a fancy piece of drug paraphernalia, but the partners didn't want to settle for a workable device. Like seemingly every startup founder, they wanted to change the world.
Williams and Robinson knew they had to make something that users would fall in love with from their first puff. For that to happen, the vaporizer would have to be absolutely dependable and perfectly intuitive.
They ditched the first model and started over, pivoting to an electrical power source.
Now the issue was finding the right coil, one that would keep the air inside the chamber pure. Robinson and Williams started experimenting with different metals. Both of them developed an allergy to the standard industry coil, a nickel/chromium alloy, and decided to find a better option.
They did, but they prefer not to reveal what material they eventually settled on. Trade secret.
To make sure the device worked every time, they turned the basement into a lab, testing models around the clock. A mechanism would run the vaporizers in cycles - on for 10 seconds, off for 5, then on again - at least 50,000 times.
"I wouldn't even look at my electric bill," Robinson jokes.
The guys even went as have electron microscopy photos taken to see what was happening to the coil inside the Firefly's chamber. They had to know it wasn't deteriorating.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image">FireflyFirefly cofounder Mark Williams</div></div>"You have to be a little nuts," says Williams, "because you have to be able to say with certainty 'my product does not degrade.'"
And once you can say that, you can take your show on the road.
To succeed in any business, it's important to understand the landscape, and the world of vaporizers traditionally has been a world of message boards and e-commerce sites, trade shows and hobbyists. Market data doesn't really exist.
"This industry is coming out of a really shady period," said Robinson, "so finding people we could trust in it was really important."
That's where Aaron LoCascio came in. In 2005 he started selling vaporizers on an eBay site along with a few other appliances. After 2008, he ditched the appliances, which weren't moving as fast. Now he runs VapeWorld.com, the preeminent online vape retailer, which has grown to a staff of 60.
Now, with the scent of opportunity in the air, people present him with new vaporizer designs on a daily basis. But he's pickier these days than he once was.
"Eight years ago, you and I could have gotten together, gone to the garage, slammed a piece of wood and some coils together and been successful," he says. "Now? Not going to happen. The barrier to entry has definitely been raised."
When he saw the Firefly prototype in 2011, he was floored.
He became Robinson and Williams' sensei, teaching them about the arcane import/export regulations, helping them find legal assistance, and schooling them on the ins and outs of supply-chain management and doing business in China, which is where Fireflies are made.
This last part is harder than it sounds.
To make a product in China, you must find someone to work with that wants to help you. This cannot be done over the phone. Instead, you must go to southern China, to towns where you'll feel lonely. You will encounter factory owners and workers with a range of notions about quality control. You will likely need to take a weekend off in Thailand to blow off some steam.
After wasting a few months on a manufacturer who turned out to be a poor fit, Williams and Robinson finally found a factory that could produce the device to their specifications. The Firefly launched at the end of last year to much acclaim. Gadget site Gizmodo declared it "portable perfection."
<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_left"><div class="image">FireflyThe Firefly booth at a trade show in early 2014</div></div>
Customers seem to agree. Right now, the Firefly is back-ordered by about 5,000 units. Brick and mortar smoke shops that carry the device are subjected to a maximum limit. Robinson and Williams have had to hoard some Fireflies for themselves to sell directly from their website, since the margins are better.
In other words, after over three years, they can finally exhale.
But Williams and Robinson aren't through innovating. They want to expand the Firefly line to vaporizers that accept cartridges of liquid or wax, and to make improvements to the core product, which could be lighter, sleeker, faster. And while the Firefly is definitely being marketed for tobacco users (in total compliance with the U.S. criminal code), the partners have no way to control what a consumer might do in the privacy of his or her own home, or dorm room, or the back of a van.
Or, for that matter, at massive music-and-art festival under the stars in the desert of northern Nevada.
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/longform">Read more of Business Insider's long-form features »</a>

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