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Apple, OPPO most popular brands in Singapore, Philippines – study

Huawei hovers in the top 3 for both countries

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A recent study by online shopping aggregator site iPrice reveals that OPPO is the most searched brand in the Philippines while Apple leads the way in Singapore making the two the most popular brands in the mentioned countries. The study used two factors that determine a brand’s popularity — the retail price of a smartphone and the annual household income.

OPPO leads the way in the Philippines

OPPO, which is currently launched the Find X2 Pro and has been marketing its Reno series, leads the way as the most popular brand in the Philippines. Its most expensive smartphone — OPPO Find X2 Pro —  retails for PhP 65,990. Meanwhile, its cheapest is OPPO A5s which retails for PhP 6,990. The brand had been known to cater to the budget and midrange segment more but has recently been trying to make waves in the more premium pricing segment.

In a country with an annual income of PhP 460,000, brands that offer plenty of midrange smartphones appear to be really popular. This is the case for Vivo which ranks third in popularity.

Photo by iPrice

Apple dominates Singapore

This one’s not so surprising. Singapore has a much higher annual household income than the Philippines. Thus, Singaporeans are much inclined to search for expensive brands like Apple and Samsung. Apple came out on top, followed closely by Samsung. These brands offer expensive flagships that anyone with a higher income can afford.

Interestingly, a Google Trends search on the terms Apple, iPhone, and OPPO both in Singapore and the Philippines over the last 12 months reveal that the iPhone dominates the search by a wide margin. This could mean that while people consider the price when it comes to actual purchase, they still religiously follow news about Apple’s iPhone.

Huawei ranks consistently among the top 3

Huawei fared consistently on both countries’ most popular smartphone brands. It ranked second in the Philippines, while it ranked third in Singapore. There are many factors to Huawei ranking among the top 3 for both countries. Huawei has offerings across all price ranges and has been a consistent force in the premium segment in recent years.

Huawei offers flagship with prices comparable to Apple and Samsung. However, it remains competitive in the budget segment by offering budget-friendly and reliable smartphones. The Huawei Y5 Lite sells for PhP 3,990 in the Philippines, while Y6s retails for SG$ 178 in Singapore.

Huawei also churns out many midrange smartphones that can compete with offerings from midrange brands too. Combined with an established presence in both countries, it’s no wonder the company is popular in both the Philippines and Singapore.

Photo by iPrice

Xiaomi makes significant progress

Xiaomi’s push in the Southeast Asian market is paying off, and the study supports that. In Singapore, where Xiaomi has long established its presence, the company snagged the fourth place, edging out the likes of OPPO and Vivo. The company has been aggressive in pushing out smartphones at an affordable and competitive price, and it shows.

In the Philippines, however, Xiaomi lands at the fifth spot still behind Apple. The company continues to gain popularity as it expands its stores beyond major urban areas in the country.

The study shows how brands with compelling midrange phones have become successful by offering near flagship smartphones at an affordable price. However, flagship smartphones still occupy a place in society. People with deep pockets will sway towards buying a flagship. After all, they just want the best smartphone their money can buy.

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Logitech introduces a dedicated shortcut for ChatGPT

Compatible with most keyboards and mice

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April 19, 2024

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Artificial intelligence is already meant to simplify a workflow. However, despite the ease, there are still a few ways to optimize the process. Today, Logitech has launched a new shortcut to launch ChatGPT straight from your mouse or keyboard.

Minus programmable hotkeys or buttons, there are hardly any built-in way to easily access an AI model. For a typical workflow, it still consists of manually opening the model on a separate window and keeping it within cursor’s reach throughout the day.

Logitech is simplifying the process by adding a dedicated shortcut for its devices. With a Logitech keyboard or mouse supported by the Logi Options+ app, users can program a keyboard or mouse button for the new Logi AI Prompt Builder.

Once activated, the AI Prompt Builder automatically accesses easy options for highlighted text. For example, users can easily rephrase or summarize the text. Likewise, they can input their own custom queries. By eliminating a few clicks and some typing throughout the day, the new tool hopes to save you time.

While most Logitech keyboards and mice are compatible with the new tool, it is also more easily accessible with the new Logitech Signature AI Edition Mouse. The new mouse has a dedicated button just for AI prompts. If you’re an AI power user, this one is perfect for you.

SEE ALSO: Logitech unveils G Pro X 60 gaming keyboard: Price, details

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X’s AI accused Klay Thompson of vandalizing houses with bricks

AI thought joke posts were real

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April 18, 2024

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Image source: Keith Allison, Wikimedia

Despite the ease that the technology promises, artificial intelligence still isn’t the most reliable thing you can depend on. Today’s models can still flub answers. Now, the pitfalls of AI are abundantly clear with a few mishaps on X. Golden State Warrior Klay Thompson was just “accused” of a vandalism spree involving bricks.

Late Tuesday night, X presented an AI-generated news snippet. The article, posted soon after the Warriors’ play-in loss to the Sacramento Kings, reads: “Klay Thompson Accused in Bizarre Brick-Vandalism Spree.”

The snippet hilariously described an incident where Thompson supposedly vandalized houses in Sacramento with bricks. Thankfully, according to the snippet, no one was hurt. It even had a few sources for its claims below the news summary.

The sources, however, are just joke posts stemming from the recently concluded game. In that do-or-die game, Thompson put up a staggering 0 points on ten shot attempts, the most misses without a make by a Warrior since the ’68 season. Naturally, everyone joked that the Warriors guard just threw bricks all over Sacramento.

Now, X is currently experimenting with a new AI feature called Grok. The model collates trending topics and creates snippets of what’s happening for X users. However, it’s not exactly the smartest in determining real news from satiric ones. The feature notes as much, carrying a fine-print caveat warning users to “verify its outputs” because it’s an early feature and can make mistakes.

SEE ALSO: New X users must pay a dollar per year to post and reply

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New X users must pay a dollar per year to post and reply

Rolling out globally now

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April 16, 2024

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New users on X might soon face a tough time on the platform. The social media website will likely start charging new accounts a small fee for the right to post on the platform.

Now, the fee isn’t a new one. Almost six months ago, the company tested the paid system in New Zealand and the Philippines. New users in those countries had to pay a dollar per year for the ability to post and reply to content.

As spotted by X Daily News on the same platform, the company might be ready to take the experiment to a larger market. New text strings have shown that the policy is rolling out worldwide.

The policy is designed to combat a wave of bots appearing on the platform. By preventing new accounts from creating posts, X hopes to stave off the standard behavior of bots these days. You might have noticed them as OnlyFans creators in unrelated posts, peddling NSFW content on their bio.

Though the global rollout was only just spotted, owner Elon Musk has seemingly confirmed the change. Replying to X Daily News, Musk says that it is “the only way to curb the relentless onslaught of bots.” He says that the current breed of bots can easily bypass simple checks these days.

SEE ALSO: X will no longer let you hide your blue checkmark

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