3D laser detection system to reduce bridge collisions
$999, some analysts were sceptical that people would pay so much, but it has been the company’s best-selling smartphone. Now Apple is making the core features available on a range of devices that appeal to different budgets.
The variety of models show how the company is adjusting its strategy.
Rather than luring millions of new iPhone users, Apple’s goal is to steadily raise average prices while expanding the total number of active devices to support sales of accessories and digital services such as iCloud storage, streaming music and video.
Earlier this week, the company signed two deals for movies to stream via a forthcoming online video service.
Wall Street has embraced Apple’s evolution from a consumer hardware company into a more diversified technology giant with an installed base of 1.3 billion devices supporting a growing roster of digital services. The stock has jumped more than 30% this year, making Apple the first public company worth $1 trillion. On Tuesday, UBS raised its price target to $250, arguing a growing stream of recurring revenue from services and other offerings deserves a higher valuation than the more cyclical hardware business.
The three new iPhones have an average starting price of $949.
The iPhone ASP was $724 in the most recent quarter. The iPhone Xr will be the main driver of Apple volume, with 100 million units projected to be sold in the next year, according to analyst Neil Shah.
“It’s a great upgrade product in the traditional iPhone price range for the two year-old iPhone or Android users,” he added, predicting a “runaway hit”. | NOT many people associate a glass of milk with advanced technology, but in reality there is an extraordinary amount of cutting-edge technology at play to get that glass from the farm to our tables. For example, UK-based tech company DairyMaster produces MooMonitor, which is a device that connects cows to the internet.
Dairy cows are extremely sensitive creatures, and the slightest illness or excitement can stress them out and adversely affect their milk yield, requiring farmers to monitor them 24 hours a day. This is fine when you have a handful of cows, but how do you monitor hundreds of cows simultaneously?
This is where the MooMonitor device implant comes in. It is a tiny implant that constantly monitors each cow, keeping a close watch on its health, movements and stress levels. It uploads vital health data to a server with specialised artificial intelligence software that looks for irregularities in the cow’s health and behaviour.
The instant it detects something amiss, like an irregular heart rate or a cow moving sluggishly, it alerts the farmer and pinpoints the cow’s exact location. The implant also tracks the amount of milk each cow produces over its lifespan, because a slight drop could point to a health issue.
MooMonitor is just one example of what is known the “internet of things”, commonly abbreviated as IoT, NEW technology employed by the City hopes to reduce the number of vehicles that crash into overhead bridges.
The City’s Transport and Urban Development Authority is using a 3D laser detection system, thereby keeping a closer eye on drivers of over-height vehicles who disregard the warnings issued. Eddie Andrews, Mayco member for area south, visited the intelligent transport system (ITS) installation which has been in effect on Baden Powell Drive since June, and has been in operation along Main Road and Atlantic Road since 2016.
“The railway bridge crossing in Atlantic Road, Muizenberg, is known for vehicular crashes mainly because road users often underestimate the height of their vehicles when driving under the bridge.
“Since the installation of this ITS in 2016, we have seen a significant reduction which is a phenomenon where things besides computers and smartphones are connected to the internet.
Machinery, furniture, clothing, vehicles, kitchen appliances – and now cows – are now connected.
Computer chip manufacturer Intel describes IoT as “a robust network of devices, all embedded with electronics, software, and sensors that enable them to exchange and analyse data”.
In other words, these devices are able to talk to one another and exchange valuable data which is then used to make real-world decisions.
An example of IoT is the “smart home”, which will be able to adjust itself for your optimum comfort. As you drive home after work, your cellphone will determine your mood by analysing a number of things like your calendar, your heart rate and even the way you drive. It will then communicate this data to your smart home, which will use this and other data to prepare itself for you.
Let’s say it has been a warm day and you’ve had a rough day at the office. You are totally exhausted and somewhat stressed. Your smart home will kick into action: your air-conditioning system will adjust itself to an optimum temperature, your home entertainment system will play a soothing track and your espresso machine will mix you a delicious “pick-me-up”.
At your front door an artificially in the number of over-height vehicles getting stuck or crashing into the bridge. However, despite the intelligent facial-recognition camera system will recognise you and disable the home security system and unlock it.
The concept may be a vision of the future, but there are aspects of it that are already in existence, and have been for some time. For example, most security and camera systems allow us to monitor our properties from anywhere in the world with nothing more than a smartphone with a browser. These are IoT devices.
IoT has been around for nearly two decades and has gained incredible momentum in the past few years, thanks to smaller, more powerful computers and faster internet.
But despite its phenomenal growth and huge impact, IoT it is still considered an “emerging” technology whose full potential we are far from tapping. numerous warning signboards, we still average two cases per month, but these are two too many, considering the IoT is big, and getting bigger.
And it has some incredible economic ramifications. The International Data Corporation predicts a total worldwide spend on IoT of $772.5 billion (R11.3 trillion) this year alone, and expects a sustained worldwide spending growth rate of 14% until total spending peaks at $1 trillion by 2021. This is huge by any standards.
But not only that, IoT is also a major driver of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. IoT, and by extension the Fourth Industrial Revolution, presents tremendous potential for economic growth.
The question is, will South Africa position itself to tap this potential? Will we ride the wave of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or as in the previous industrial revolution, will we largely miss out?
No one really knows the answers, but there are certain indicators. We can start with a few questions like: do our schools teach kids computer science skills? Do our kids learn about coding, robotics and IoT?
Do our universities produce software developers and engineers who are ready for the Fourth Industrial Revolution? Are our graduates ready to compete in a global arena? Is there a thriving start-up community focused on IoT?
If our answers are in the negative, then we are in serious trouble.
We want to reach as many customers as we can with this incredible technology MooMonitor is a tiny implant that constantly monitors each cow, keeping a close watch on its health, movements and stress levels.
inconvenience and the risk to public safety,” said Andrews.
The first phase of this system, completed last year, covered the northbound approach on Main Road, which saw a reduction in the number of crashes, and this led to the roll-out of phase two along Baden Powell Drive.
The 3D laser-detection system measures the height of every vehicle approaching the bridge. Should it detect that the highest point of a vehicle in either of the two lanes is greater than 2.5m from the road surface, a warning system is activated, which in turn triggers two bright orange flashing beacons on a warning signboard.
The beacons remain flashing for about 30 seconds to indicate to the driver that an alternate route should be used and that the vehicle is too high to pass under the railway bridge. |