Musk Says He Will Drop Price of Model S

Elon Musk, CEO and Co-Founder of Tesla, has tweeted that the price of the company’s Model S will be lowered to $69,420, a reduction of about $4,000. The announcement was apparently a reaction to the introduction of an electric luxury sedan priced at $77,400 by Lucid Air, according to a report in The Verge.

Even if Musk makes slightly less profit on the Model S, the future still looks incredibly bright for Tesla.

“Billionaire investor Ron Baron has been pumping Tesla for years now, and who can really argue with him at this point? The stock is up more than 400% this year, and if Baron’s prediction for sales growth of 50% annually comes to fruition, there’s certainly more upside from here,” writes Shawn Langlois in MarketWatch.

Zoom Launches ‘OnZoom’ Events Platform; Elevates Security Capabilities

Zoom is making it easier for organizations to host virtual events and is ramping up its encryption capabilities.

“Zoom’s new OnZoom marketplace allows anyone to host and sell tickets for virtual events. It’s also integrating the ability for nonprofits to accept donations,” according to a report in TechCrunch. “In addition, Zoom said it will begin rolling out end-to-end encryption (a feature it’s been promising since acquiring Keybase in May) to users next week.”

From my perspective, Zoom is a truly visionary company that’s moving quickly to stay ahead of the field and maintain a leadership role in a highly competitive market.

Apple Unveils 4 New iPhone 12 Phones

Four versions of the new iPhone 12, all with 5G capabilities, were introduced this week.

Apple “finally took the wraps off the four new iPhone 12 phones, which have all-new designs and will all support 5G wireless networks. Apple also unveiled the HomePod mini, a smaller and more affordable version of the HomePod smart speaker,” writes Jay Peters in The Verge.

Sustainability advocates also are applauding the new phones, which come with fewer accessories.

“Apple’s decision to remove the charger and headphones from iPhone 12 boxes has generally been well received by environmentalists, although the tech giant has been pressed to go much further in reducing its impact on the environment,” writes Sam Shead of CNBC. “Apple announced Tuesday that all of the four upcoming iPhone 12 models will not include a charging adaptor or the wired headphones that have been commonplace in iPhone boxes for years. As a result, iPhone boxes will be considerably smaller, and Apple says it will be able to fit 70% more iPhones onto a shipping pallet.”

Clear Seeking Wider Market Beyond Airports

Clear, the company that helps travelers move through airport security more quickly, is apparently looking to broaden its market. According to one report, Clear hopes to leverage its innovative approach to expand its business model.

“At its core, Clear monetizes trust. When the company verifies a person’s identity, whether that be to enter an airport, a stadium, or buy a beer at a concession stand, Clear is affirming that they are who they say they are,” writes in David Gershgorn in OneZero.

This is an absolutely fascinating article about Clear’s pivot at a moment of extreme economic uncertainty. It’s definitely worth reading.

Schools and Students Face Laptop Shortage

It’s widely known that many schools are struggling to devise effective virtual learning strategies to cope with the pandemic. In addition to those challenges, a shortage of laptops now threatens to make the situation even more stressful.

“This period of remote schooling for so many families has made painfully clear the glaring gaps between those who have internet access and those who don’t. But some students also can’t access online classes because a surge in demand for laptops has left many schools and families struggling to find the computers they need,” writes Shira Ovide in The New York Times.

This story is worth reading, and hopefully it will inspire some practical solutions.