• A leading tech pundit expressed concern about a miss on Tesla miss on Model 3 deliveries for Q4 2018 and the impact of a reduced federal EV tax credit.
• Tesla's discount was actually pretty light, relative to how much its vehicles cost.
• It's unclear whether tax credits actually support Tesla demand.

Gene Munster used to be a leading tech analyst, well known for his views on Apple. 

He made the switch to investing and now labors for Loup Ventures. He's frequently offered his bullish views on Tesla, so on Wednesday after the carmaker reported quarterly Model 3 sales that were a bit lighter then Wall Street anticipated and announced a $2,000 price cut, Munster went into deep-concern mode, while preserving his long-term optimism.

"These developments are psychological setbacks for investors looking to gain confidence in Tesla production and underlying demand, but the news does not fundamentally change the company's long-term opportunity related to EVs, renewable energy, autonomy, and ridesharing," he wrote in a brief note.

He's correct that the news is a psychological setback for Tesla investors, who promptly sent shares down 7%, to $311. But anything could be a psychological setback for Tesla investors these days, so Herr Doktor Munster is going to be busy if Wednesday's news is his standard.

Read more: Tesla's core business of selling Model S and Model X vehicles is holding up, but no one is paying attention

In terms of what this really means, think of it this way. Tesla didn't miss by that much on Model 3 deliveries, the company hit its guidance for its big-ticket Model S and Model X vehicles, and in any case, quarterly sales are only marginally less noisy than monthly sales. What matters is the consistency of sales across a car model's cycle: sell close to a million Ford F-150 pickups every year for a decade, for example.

As for the price cut — pricing in the car business is extremely flexible. That's why a price is called "manufacturer's suggested retail price" (MSRP). Dealers have a great deal of power to determine what they're willing to sell a car for. Tesla acts as its own dealer in many cases, using a direct-sales model, and while it says it doesn't cut prices, it can if it wants to. 

The two-grand cut is meant to compensate for a $7,500 federal tax being cut in half for new Teslas in 2019, as the carmaker has passed a sales threshold established by the government and will now see the credit phased out. Of course, Tesla could simply call it an "incentive," in which case it would be about half of the current industry average. Automakers selling vehicles in the US have been knocking off around $4,000 from sticker prices for months.

So why the worry? Well, the stock did go down, but $TSLA is a yo-yo, and a fragile one at that. If Elon Musk tweets something about ... pretty much anything, the stock could move. 

But otherwise, the psychological impact of Wednesday's news should have been negligible. Tesla is getting a good price for its vehicles, and it did sell more cars in 2018 — almost 250,000 — than in the previous 14 years of its existence combined.

I reached out to Munster for his thoughts, but he hasn't responded. 

Tesla could always re-label a price cut as an incentive

In his note, he also wrote that the $2,000 price cut"is evidence that demand for Teslas and for EVs more broadly is still tied to incentives, so the step down in the tax credit ... will, understandably, have an impact on demand."

He added: "This equates to about a 3% average discount on a Tesla. If Tesla had a demand issue, they would have to discount by more than 3%. To be clear, we are not changing our 2019 unit estimates."

Munster is right; a 3% discount is a drop in the bucket. A lot of carmakers would be jumping for joy if all they had to do was trim 3% off the price to move metal.

What about the demand-incentive nexus? Well, it's certainly nice to be looking forward to reducing your tax bill by $7,500 — but that assumes you'll owe the IRS something. If you don't, then the credit is useless. So in a sense, Tesla is opening a discount to non-rich people, the folks who don't generally have to worry about reducing their annual tax liability.

So ironically, Tesla's use of its pricing power (to both raise and lower the sticker) could actually increase sales. We'll have to wait for first-quarter numbers to come in to see if that's the real psychological impact of Wednesday's news.

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NOW WATCH: What would happen if Elon Musk left Tesla

• Disney World raised its prices twice in 2018 and switched to a dynamic pricing model that charges higher prices during peak summer months and winter holidays.
• This is the fourth time in park history that annual pass prices were raised twice in the same year.
• The new model prices out many of its pass holders in the middle class — the old model doesn't work in the modern US economy anymore.
• According to Robert Niles, editor of Theme Park Insider, Disney Parks wants to use pricing and promotions to equalize crowds throughout the year.

Narrator: In 2018, Disney World raised its ticket prices, twice. Take the park's platinum pass for example, it's the standard option that grants access to all four parks with no blackout dates. In February, the price went from $779 to $849, then in October its price jumped from $849 to $894, as Disney unveiled its dynamic pricing model. That's a 15% increase in just one year.

This is the fourth time in park history that annual pass prices were raised twice in the same year. The first time was 1997 in anticipation of Animal Kingdom's 1998 opening. Similarly, the price markups in 2018 are in advance of Disney World and Disneyland's 14 acre Star Wars theme lands, called "Galaxy's Edge." And Disney parks expansion doesn't stop there. Hong Kong Disneyland is spending $1.4 billion on Avengers and Frozen themed attractions. On top of that, it's adding capacity to Tokyo DisneySea, and updating Epcot and Disney Studio park at Disneyland Paris.

Despite all the costly expansions, Disney Parks and Resorts reported a $4.5 billion operating profit for the 2018 fiscal year. That's over 100% increase from 2013. So, if it is steadily profiting, why are Disney Parks becoming so expensive?

From the mid-80s into the early 20 00s, Disney Parks pulled way ahead of its competition. In 2002, Magic Kingdom's attendance alone nearly doubled its closest non-Disney competitor, MGM Studios. But in 2010, that changed when Universal opened the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Robert Niles: It was game on in this business all of a sudden Disney had a competitor again and Disney does not like to lose, not just lose, Disney doesn't even like to compete. Disney wants to dominate its competition.

Narrator: Disney launched a full out retaliation against Universal and other competitors. In 2011, it announced Pandora, its Avatar themed attraction located in Animal Kingdom. Then over the following six years, it opened new attractions in all four major parks. And by 2017 Disney Parks claimed 55% of North American theme park attendance.

Niles: This has been really successful, so everybody wants to come during summer vacation and Christmas when their kids are out of school. And the trouble is that if you spent billions of dollars really to build these attraction facilities. They are open 365 days a year. It's just not efficient to have them filled to the brim for four, five, six weeks out of the year and then not so much the rest of the time. So, they really want to use all of their pricing and promotions to try and equalize the crowds throughout the year.

Narrator: Disney World's second price hike of 2018 included a switch to dynamic pricing. Charging higher prices during those peak summer months and winter holidays and encouraging volume purchases.

Niles: Disney understands the demographic changes that are happening in the United States at this point. They understand what's happening with income and economic inequality. They know that the money is in the upper level, the top 10%, the top 1%. They've created a wide variety of new products to try and, frankly, extract more money out of the people who have money to spare.

Lee: Disney has several new offerings targeted at its wealthiest visitors, including dinners with Disney princesses, two Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutiques that offer a makeover, hairstyling, and costumes. And even private VIP tours of the parks. But the luxury offerings go beyond activities in the parks. In 2014, Orlando's first five-star resort opened on the Disney grounds, a Four Seasons resort with rooms starting at $449 a night. And Bora Bora Bungalows that cost $29 dollars when the park first opened can reach prices of $3,400 today.

Niles: Now the down side with that is if you are one of those remaining middle class people in America, you could get squeezed here.

Narrator: Since 2000, Disney World prices have steadily increased while wage growth has been falling from its 2001 high of 5.4%. And in 2018, Disney Parks reported a 5% increase in per capita spending in the parks and an 8% uptick in per room revenue in hotels.

Niles: Disney's done such a good job at becoming a cultural institution in the United States. It's done such a good job of becoming a lifestyle brand that some of the people who may have been early adopters to this brand are really feeling some pressure right now, because of the way the company is growing. People who were early adopters to this are used to a middle class pricing model that just doesn't really work in the modern economy anymore. And they feel frustrated that they put a lot of loyalty into this brand, into this company and now they feel like they really have to stretch to keep up. And that's tough, but at the same time, if Disney's going to grow, it's got to go where the money is. It's got to go in a direction that allows it to get maximum value from its investments and limiting itself only to its early adopters isn't going to allow the company to do that.

Join the conversation about this story »

• 2019 just started, but this year's calendar is already getting busy for potential 2020 contenders. 
• With stops in Iowa and New Hampshire, these are some of the major events 2020 presidential candidates can look forward to in 2019: 

SEE ALSO: An early look at the 2020 presidential contenders

Fundraising for Quarter 1 begins — January 1, 2019.

Presidential candidates will begin making their announcements in the first weeks of January, since fundraising for the first quarter of the year begins on January 1.  

Politics & Eggs forums — beginning in February 2019.

The "Politics & Eggs Forums," a long-held tradition in New Hampshire's political calendar, usually begin in February. During the series of forums hosted by the New England Council and Saint Anselm College, candidates meet one-on-one with attendees, sign wooden eggs, eat breakfast, and talk about their proposals, campaigns, and perspectives. 

Fundraising for Quarter 1 ends — March 31, 2019.

The first fundraising quarter of the year ends on March 31. 

• With no end in sight for the US government shutdown, many Washington, DC museums and attractions have been forced to close their doors.
• The Smithsonian temporarily closed 17 museums on Wednesday. The National Zoo is now shuttered as well.
• Many tourists arrived at the sites, only to discover closure signs posted on doors and gates.

Washington, DC, has been a bit quieter the last few days as a partial government shutdown now enters its second week.

During this time, hundreds of thousands of federal employees have been put on furlough, with some choosing to work without pay. 

While many national parks, museums, and attractions have attempted to remain open, Wednesday saw the closure of 17 Smithsonian-run museums, including the National Museum of American History.

Read more:Photos show national parks and monuments overflowing with garbage

The National Zoo has also shut down, bringing a temporary end to its beloved "Panda Cam."

Sidewalks along the National Mall are now strewn with garbage amid a backdrop of empty monuments. 

All the while, President Trump is holding firm on his desire fora $5.6 billion border wall between Mexico and the US.

On the same day that the Smithsonian shuttered its museums, Trump declined to compromise on congressional funding, saying the shutdown would last "as long as it takes" to secure his demands. 

In the meantime, visitors have been disappointed by the sight of closed museums, and citizens have been angered by the filth lining their streets. Take a look at the current state of affairs in Washington, DC.

The Smithsonian announced the closure of all of its museums on Wednesday.

Signs were posted outside the National Museum of American History, which receives around 6 million annual visitors.

Source: Statista

The National Zoo also closed its gates to visitors, though they insisted that "all animals will continue to be fed and cared for."

Source: Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

• In a surprise move on Wednesday, Apple issued a press release to announce it was lowering is revenue guidance for its first fiscal quarter, which ended in December.
• Apple previously told investors to expect revenue between $89 billion and $93 billion. Apple revised that estimate, dropping it to $84 billion.
• In a letter to investors, Apple CEO Tim Cook offered more details on why iPhone sales were weak during the holiday quarter — and one of the reasons he cited was how customers took advantage of "significantly reduced pricing for iPhone battery replacements."
• In December 2017, after it had been caught quietly throttling the performance of older iPhones, Apple issued an open letter to customers announcing it would cut the price of out-of-warranty iPhone battery replacements from $79 to $29 "for anyone with an iPhone 6 or later," an offer that ended on December 31, 2018.

Apple issued a press release on Wednesday to announce it would be lowering revenue guidance for its first fiscal quarter, which ended in December.

Apple stock was halted in after-hours trading just minutes prior to the announcement. Apple CEO Tim Cook wrote a letter to investors, which was issued alongside the press release, and he also spoke to CNBC Wednesday afternoon to answer questions about the quarter and revised guidance.

Cook said most of the blame falls squarely on iPhone sales.

"Lower than anticipated iPhone revenue, primarily in Greater China, accounts for all of our revenue shortfall to our guidance and for much more than our entire year-over-year revenue decline," Cook said in the letter.

"In fact, categories outside of iPhone (Services, Mac, iPad, Wearables/Home/Accessories) combined to grow almost 19 percent year-over-year."

The letter offered many explanations for why iPhone sales were so weak during the holiday quarter: Cook mentioned broader challenges, such as selling expensive phones in emerging markets, changes to the strength of the dollar, and, notably, a relative lack of people who wanted to upgrade their iPhone.

But Cook also listed this among the factors: "Some customers taking advantage of significantly reduced pricing for iPhone battery replacements."

The iPhone throttling controversy

Last year, Apple cut the price of an out-of-warranty iPhone battery replacement from $79 to $29 "for anyone with an iPhone 6 or later whose battery needs to be replaced, available worldwide through December 2018."

The reason for this year-long offer, though, was because Apple was caught intentionally slowing down iPhones with older batteries.

In December 2017, new data from Geekbench backed up some long-held theories that replacing the battery in an older iPhone could significantly improve its performance. This suggested that a software limitation was holding back the processing speed of older devices. And just a few days after Geekbench's report was published, Apple said that it was, in fact, throttling the performance of older iPhones to prevent them from shutting down unexpectedly.

While Apple believed it was in the right to intentionally lower iPhone performance to save on battery life, the company was facing a good deal of consumer outrage at the time, so it issued an offer at the end of its letter to customers: For one year, until December 31, 2018, customers could go into an Apple store and replace the batteries in their iPhones for just $30.

Apparently, enough people took advantage of that "significantly reduced pricing" on iPhone battery replacements to make a dent to Apple's bottom line in the holiday quarter.

SEE ALSO: Hold on to your current smartphone for as long as you can

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: I'm a diehard iPhone user who switched to Android for a week — here's what I loved and hated about the Google Pixel 3 XL

• NASA's New Horizons probe flew past the giant space rock MU69 on New Year's Day.

• MU69, also called Ultima Thule, is more than 4 billion miles away from Earth, making it the farthest object ever explored.
• Queen guitarist Brian May released a new song, "New Horizons," to celebrate the historic flyby.
• This is May's first solo release in more than two decades. The guitarist has a PhD in astrophysics and also worked with NASA's New Horizons science team.

On New Year's Day, Queen guitarist Brian May's first solo release in more than two decades.

And it celebrates an achievement of NASA's that was also many years in the making. 

The song, "New Horizons," is about NASA's successful flyby of a mysterious, mountain-sized object that's farther from Earth than anything else humanity has visited. The space rock is formally called 2014 MU69, though it's more commonly known as "Ultima Thule" (a controversial nickname — see editor's note below).

MU69 is more than 4 billion miles away from our planet and 1 billion miles beyond Pluto.

NASA's New Horizons probe, which launched toward Pluto in 2006, successfully flew past MU69 on New Year's Day. When New Horizons set off, nobody knew MU69 even existed. The object was only detected when astronauts upgraded a camera in the Hubble Space Telescope in 2009. After New Horizons completed its mission at Pluto, which it first reached in July 2015, scientists decided to send the probe to this new target.

May, who has a PhD in astrophysics, worked with the New Horizons mission's science team and was asked to write a song for the flyby. May said he was initially reluctant about the task.

The New Horizons probe's first low-resolution pictures of MU69 have revealed that the ancient object formed from two separate ones. It has reddish coloring, which scientists compared to the color of Charon, Pluto's moon.

NASA expects to receive the highest-resolution color photos of MU69 in February, though it may take two years for all of the photos and data to reach Earth.

Data acquired by New Horizons could provide new explanations about the evolution of the solar systems and how planets like Earth formed.

"Ultima is the first thing we've been to that is not big enough to have a geological engine like a planet, and also something that's never been warmed greatly by the sun," Alan Stern, who is leading the New Horizons mission, previously told Business Insider. "It's like a time capsule from 4.5 billion years ago. That's what makes it so special."

Dave Mosher contributed reporting to this story.

Editor's note: After a public campaign, the New Horizons team selected Ultima Thule as a nickname for (486958) 2014 MU69. However, we've de-emphasized it here because the Nazi party used the word "Thule" as a tenet of its ideology.

• Read more about NASA's New Horizons probe:
• NASA just pulled off humanity's farthest-ever visit to a space object — the New Horizons probe successfully flew by a mountain-size rock 1 billion miles beyond Pluto
• NASA just released the first close-up photos of the farthest object humanity has ever explored — and it looks like a giant red snowman
• Is it Planet 9 or Planet X? Scientists spar over what to call the solar system's hypothetical missing world

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: NASA just released a video of what it would be like to land on Pluto, and it's breathtaking

• Jeremy Lin credited Mike D'Antoni for helping sustain his confidence during his "Linsanity" run eight years ago with the New York Knicks.
• Lin recalled having nine turnovers in a loss and D'Antoni calling him afterward to encourage him to keep turning over the ball if it meant he would play aggressively.
• Lin said D'Antoni "empowers" players and the support of the coaching staff helped him during the run.

It's been eight years since Jeremy Lin's incredible "Linsanity" run with the New York Knicks.

Lin became an international phenomenon over a three-week stretch when he took over the Knicks, leading them back into playoff contention while putting up All-Star level stats.

While Lin saved his job with the Knicks and possibly his NBA career with his breakout, he still remembers how crucial then-Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni was to inspiring the run and keeping his confidence afloat.

Lin was a guest on The Ringer's "Winging It" podcast and said he'll always support D'Antoni because D'Antoni, now the Houston Rockets head coach, "empowers" players. Lin recalled a phone call from D'Antoni after a loss that encouraged Lin to keep his head up.

"I remember I had one game where I had 9 turnovers and we lost," Lin said. "I got a call from him after the game and he's like 'You alright?' I'm like 'Yeah.' It was actually our first loss during the Linsanity stretch. So we had won seven straight and this was our first loss. And he was like, 'Hey I just wanna call and let you know, next game, go ahead and get 20 turnovers.' He's like, 'I want you to get 20 turnovers next game.' He's like, 'Because if you get 20 turnovers, you'll probably get 40 assists. I just want you going downhill all day, all night. Do not think once about your turnovers or stopping to attack. Just play through all of them.'"

During the 10-game stretch of Linsanity, Lin averaged 24 points and 9 assists per game, but turnovers were a constant struggle, as he gave up the ball an average of six times per game. Still, Lin said the encouragement of D'Antoni and his coaching staff kept him going.

"Again, that's why I played so well. I had this coach that was empowering me, constantly in my ear telling me 'Go, go, go. Trust your instincts.' A big part of Linsanity was just being in that environment, being in a pick-and-roll system that's suited my style, and having coaches around just being like, 'Look, we trust you, we know that you're gonna make the right play more times than you won't. Let it fly.'"

Lin has bounced around the NBA since the 2011-12 season with the Knicks, playing for six teams in seven years. He's averaging 10 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists coming off the bench for the Atlanta Hawks this year.

Read more: The key to the Knicks' rebuild could be a 20-year-old French guard that the NBA can't seem to figure out

Lin said on the podcast that he knew his NBA future was in doubt during the 2011-12 season. He had been cut from teams twice before, and the deadline for final rosters was a week after his first breakout game with the Knicks.

"By the time Linsanity came around, I was already, like, back against the wall, like, 'If I'm going out, I'm doing it my way and swinging for the fences,'" Lin said.

"You did that," co-host and Hawks teammate Kent Bazemore said.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The world's largest cruise ship just landed in Miami — here's what it's like on board

• President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have been lavishing praise on Jair Bolsonaro, the controversial new president of Brazil. 
• Bolsonaro, a divisive far-right politician with a history of making homophobic, racist, xenophobic, and misogynistic remarks was sworn in on Tuesday. 
• On Bolsonaro's first day in office, he issued executive orders that targeted indigenous peoples, the LBGTQ community, and descendants of slaves.
• Pompeo said he's looking forward to working with Bolsonaro's government to support those suffering "under the weight of dictatorships."
• Bolsonaro has defended the dictatorship that presided over Brazil from 1964 to 1985. 

President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have been lavishing praise on Jair Bolsonaro, the controversial new president of Brazil. 

Bolsonaro, a divisive far-right politician with a history of making homophobic, racist, xenophobic, and misogynistic remarks, was sworn in on Tuesday. 

Trump congratulated the new Brazilian leader, a former army captain and longtime congressman who's been dubbed the "Trump of the Tropics," in a tweet: "Congratulations to President @JairBolsonaro who just made a great inauguration speech - the U.S.A. is with you!"

Read more: The 'Brazilian Donald Trump' just became president in a landslide. He got there despite saying he couldn't love a gay son and that a colleague was too 'ugly' to be raped.

In what appears to be a budding bromance, Bolsonaro replied to Trump, tweeting, "Dear Mr. President @realDonaldTrump, I truly appreciate your words of encouragement. Together, under God's protection, we shall bring prosperity and progress to our people."

Meanwhile, Pompeo also showered Bolsonaro with praise.

The secretary of state, who was in Brazil this week for Bolsonaro's inauguration, tweeted, "Great meeting President @jairbolsonaro to reinforce our shared commitment to democracy, education, prosperity, security, and #humanrights. Look forward to working together to support those suffering in #Cuba, #Nicaragua, and #Venezuela under the weight of dictatorships."

A spokesman for the State Department said Pompeo met with Brazil's new right-wing government to discuss "supporting the people of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua in restoring democratic governance and their human rights."

On Bolsonaro's first day in office, he issued executive orders that targeted indigenous peoples, the LBGTQ community, and descendants of slaves.

One of the orders will make it difficult for land to be identified and demarcated for both indigenous groups and "Quilombolas," a word for the descendants of slaves, the Associated Press reported. Another order removed the concerns of the LGBTQ community from the new human rights ministry. 

These moves fall in line with Bolsonaro's rhetoric toward minority groups and the LGBTQ community. 

As INSIDER previously reported:

• In 2011, Bolsonaro told Playboy magazine he would "be incapable of loving a homosexual son."
• "I won't be a hypocrite: I prefer a son to die in an accident than show up with a mustachioed guy. He'd be dead to me anyway," Bolsonaro said.
• He was also criticized in 2014 after suggesting a female colleague in congress was too ugly to be raped.
• "She doesn't deserve to be raped, because she's very ugly," Bolsonaro said at the time. "She's not my type. I would never rape her. I'm not a rapist, but if I were, I wouldn't rape her because she doesn't deserve it."
• Bolsonaro also once described Afro-Brazilians as lazy and fat, and he has called refugees from Haiti, Africa, and the Middle East as the "scum of humanity."
• And back in the early 1990s, he suggested he was in favor of a dictatorship.
• Years later, in 2015 he defended the brutal dictatorship that presided over Brazil from 1964 to 1985, which was responsible for numerous atrocities in its campaign to rid the country of communism.
• More recently, Bolsonaro in September suggested his political opponents should be shot. The same week, Bolsonaro was stabbed along the campaign trail, an incident that saw his poll numbers rise.

Trump and Pompeo do not seem to be concerned with Bolsonaro's incendiary rhetoric or his professed affinity for and nostalgia toward Brazil's former dictatorship. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from INSIDER. 

SEE ALSO: WSJ endorses far-right Brazilian presidential frontrunner who said an 'ugly' female colleague didn't 'deserve to be raped'

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Anthony Scaramucci claims Trump isn't a nationalist: 'He likes saying that because it irks these intellectual elitists'

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• If you are looking to get ahead in today's increasingly connected world, you must be available 24/7.
• To accommodate the demands of workers, the latest laptops look professional and make staying connected effortless.
• I liked the HP Spectre Folio laptop because it's 4G LTE enabled, so I don't have to rely on public Wi-Fi, and it has a fine leather cover that gives it a professional look.
• For all of its high-end looks and features, including the ability to fold it into tablet position, the HP Spectre Folio 13 is surprisingly affordable, starting at $1,200 on HP's website.

By some estimates, 50% of the United States workforce will be working remotely outside of the office environment by 2020. To be effective, today's professionals must be able to get work done wherever they may be. This includes having a laptop that is conducive to productivity and has a reliable Internet connection.

This vision of the future was at the forefront of the minds of HP's developers as they designed the Spectre Folio 13. Recently, HP sent me a laptop to test and review. Here are my experiences with it.

My first experience with the HP Spectre Folio Laptop

In November, HP hosted a reviewer workshop on the Spectre Folio. Presenter Kevin Wentzel, the Technical Marketing Manager for the company's Consumer PCs division, said the “disruptive” leather design was targeted at millennials who want to balance professionalism with staying connected. HP made the laptop specifically for office work and the occasional content creation. It's not ideal for video and photo editing or intense gaming.

HP also aimed to make every feature perfect. Based on its internal 2017 Pain Points Study, HP found that what shoppers look for most in a laptop, in order, are speed/performance, battery life, Wi-Fi connectivity, pre-loaded software, and storage capacity. So, HP aimed to address these needs with the Spectre Folio.

The HP Spectre Folio has a 13.3 inch full high-definition IPS micro-edge WLED backlit touchscreen with Corning Gorilla Glass 4. The aspect ratio is a standard 16:9 with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels.

Here are a few of the other specifications:

• Windows 10
• Intel UHD Graphics 615
• 256 GB solid state drive (SSD) — and no hard drive (HDD) 
• 8 GB SDRAM
• 8th generation Intel Core i7-8500Y dual-core processor
• 2 Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports (can transfer data up to 40 Gb/s) and an additional USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 port
• USB-C to USB 3.0 adapter
• Headphone/microphone port
• SIM card port

If I missed a spec you are looking for, check out the HP product page.

The laptop's pleasant leather smell struck me immediately. The Folio felt pleasant in my hands and on my lap. HP tried a variety of high-quality leathers before choosing this 100% genuine full-grain, chrome-tanned leather. HP based its leather choice on durability, appearance, and comfort.

How the HP Spectre Folio Laptop performed

The HP Spectre Folio 13 can be used in three positions. There's the classic laptop setup, but you can also push the top of the screen back and fold it down into tablet mode. Or, you can move the bottom of the screen forward to cover the keyboard and just allow access to the touchpad. This last option is best for viewing videos and photos. What I liked most about the tablet mode is that it's hard to accidentally press the touchpad or keyboard and disrupt whatever you're doing.

The laptop comes loaded with a bunch of programs I'm not interested in: Netflix, Xbox, Candy Crush Saga, and so on. However, I didn't find that it was particularly pushy in getting me to use these apps, and I didn't get a ton of emails to take advantage of special offers and other nonsense as I have with other HP systems I've tested.

The Spectre Folio features a large battery that is located under the keyboard and on either side of the trackpad. The advertised battery life is up to 21 hours. To really test it out, I played music videos loudly and set a timer to see how long the battery would last. It took about 10 hours before this battery-intensive activity used all the juice. After two hours of charging, the battery was back full-charged and ready for more.

The feature I enjoyed the most was the gigabit-class 4G LTE cellular connectivity. With LTE, you can go through your cellular service provider and use your data to get internet access in your coverage area. So far, the laptop only works with AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint.

I tried it out with AT&T coverage, and it was nice to have excellent internet service while riding in a car or in a public place. I'm not proud to admit that I may have spent all day at a Chinese food buffet doing work and keeping the cooks busy. Not all models are 4G LTE enabled so make sure you look for this feature if you're interested in it.

I liked how easily accessible all of the ports are. With USB 2.0 and 3.0, it seems like you have to try inserting your device at least three times before you get it the right side up. This is not a problem with USB-C. All of the USB-C slots are effortless to use because you can plug it in any which way. On the other hand, the SIM card slot is not easily accessible. You need to fold the screen back to get to it, but this isn't something you will likely need to access regularly.

The audio was designed in partnership with the Danish audio company Bang & Olufsen. There are quad speakers located just above the keyboard on the laptop's base. The sound is not amazing, but it does get somewhat loud. I registered 90 decibels from a foot away.

When it comes to quality, the speakers don't achieve the fullness you would expect from a larger speaker. The bass is weak, the mids are muddy, and the highs aren't clear and sound far away. And, when you are in tablet mode, the speakers are covered so the sound is mildly muffled.

I tested out the HP Chat Support to see if they could fix the only minor problem I had: The test period of the AT&T service had run out, and I no longer had cellular connectivity. Within a minute of loading the chat, I had Ranjeetha S helping me. She took over control of my laptop to work on the wild goose chase I put her on.

After 25 minutes and exhausting every option she could think of, she told me to contact my service provider: The correct answer. I was impressed by how quickly I had access to support and how diligent Ranjeetha was in trying to fix the problem.

Lastly, I tested the HP Spectre Folio 13 using the UL PCMark 10 test, which is considered the industry standard for PC performance for Windows 10 machines. Overall, it scored 2,674, which is better than most laptops. It scored quite high for productivity (4,631) and essentials (5,549), which includes web browsing, video conferencing, and app start-up. To learn more about this benchmark test, visit the PCMark website.

At first, I found the Folio charged slowly. Due to how my desk is set up, I was using the standard USB-C port on the left side of the unit to charge. After a little research, I discovered that the Thunderbolt ports are on the right, and the front right port is best for charging. So, learn from my mistake and make sure you use the right USB-C port for fast charging.

No Verizon LTE support and a few more quibbles

Verizon Wireless is the most popular cellular provider in the US, and it's also my provider. I'm pretty happy with Verizon's service, especially compared to my experiences with AT&T and Sprint, so I'm bummed that I can't use Verizon's service with the Spectre Folio. I'm hoping HP works out a deal in the near future.

The laptop comes with a stylus and USB-C to USB 3.0 adapter. The adapter is nice since I'm old fashioned and keep my files on a USB 2.0 drive. This worked fine, except the adapter doesn't look particularly attractive dangling off the side of the laptop. The stylus appeared to work well, though I'm not a big fan of touchscreens and mainly use the unit as a classic laptop. My only gripe about the stylus is that it's easy to accidentally break off the clip, which happened as I tried to stuff the Folio into a tote bag.

The bottom line

Overall, the HP Spectre Folio 13 is the best laptop I've ever used. It's an awesome machine that can handle writing, research, and streaming media. The cellular connectivity is a must for anyone who regularly works on the road or in public places with spotty, unsecured coverage. The leather feels good, looks nice, and has a grippy texture that will keep you from fumbling. If you are in the market for a good workhorse laptop, you will be hard-pressed to find an option better than the Spectre Folio at this price point. I highly recommend it.

Shop the Spectre Folio 13 Laptop on HP.com

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This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here.

Edge computing solutions are key tools that help companies grapple with rising data volumes across industries. These types of solutions are critical in allowing companies to gain more control over the data their IoT devices create and in reducing their reliance on (and the costs of) cloud computing.

These systems are becoming more sought-after — 40% of companies that provide IoT solutions reported that edge computing came up more in discussion with customers in 2017 than the year before, according to Business Insider Intelligence’s 2017 Global IoT Executive Survey. But companies need to know whether they should look into edge computing solutions, and what in particular they can hope to gain from shifting data processing and analysis from the cloud to the edge.

There are three particular types of problems that edge computing solutions are helping to combat across industries:

• Security issues. Edge computing can limit the exposure of critical data by minimizing how often it’s transmitted. Further, they pre-process data, so there’s less data to secure overall.
• Access issues. These systems help to provide live insights regardless of whether there’s a network connection available, greatly expanding where companies and organizations can use connected devices and the data they generate.
• Transmission efficiency. Edge computing solutions process data where it’s created so less needs to be sent to the cloud, leading to lower cloud storage requirements and reduced transmission cost.

In this report, Business Insider Intelligence examines how edge computing is reducing companies' reliance on cloud computing in three key industries: healthcare, telecommunications, and the automotive space. We explore how these systems mitigate issues in each sector by helping to efficiently process growing troves of data, expanding the potential realms of IoT solutions a company can offer, and bringing enhanced computing capability to remote and mobile platforms.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

• In healthcare, companies and organizations are using edge computing to improve telemedicine and remote monitoring capabilities.
• For telecommunications companies, edge computing is helping to reduce network congestion and enabling a shift toward the IoT platform market.
• And in the automotive space, edge computing systems are enabling companies to increase the capabilities of connected cars and trucks and approach autonomy.

In full, the report:

• Explores the key advantages edge computing solutions can provide.
• Highlights the circumstances when companies should look into edge systems.
• Identifies key vendors and partners in specific industries while showcasing case studies of successful edge computing programs.

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• The Giant Panda Cam offered 24-hour video of the three pandas in the Smithsonian's National Zoo.
• It's now gone dark because of the government shutdown.
• Fans of Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, and Bei Bei are unhappy they can't see their pandas.
• The San Diego Zoo has two pandas you can still check out on camera if you need your fix.

The Giant Panda Cam — which offered unfettered access to the lives of the three giant pandas living in Smithsonian's National Zoo — has gone dark.

Due to the federal government shutdown, the zoo's live animal cams aren't being funded anymore. The people running and broadcasting the everyday antics of Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, and Bei Bei have gone home, and the streams on the Smithsonian's website showed nothing but blackness on Wednesday.

The people who feed and care for the animals in the Washington, D.C. zoo are working through the shutdown.

But the loss of the Giant Panda Cam is a blow to fans of the three pandas.

The panda cam being shut down is just the latest casualty of the government shutdown, already one of the longest in history, which began when President Donald Trump refused to sign funding legislation that didn't include $5 billion for a wall along the border between the United States and Mexico.

The shutdown has upended the lives of government workers in a number of agencies — 800,000 of them have been furloughed or are working without pay. It has also forced changes in the lives of people who depend on government services, from food assistance recipients to people trying to get married.

Fans of the Smithsonian's panda camera can rely on the San Diego Zoo's Panda Cam to check out their pandas, Bai Yun and Xiao Liwu, until normal government funding resumes.

• Read more from INSIDER:
• The government shutdown forced a couple to move their wedding from a national park with just 7 days of warning
• Trump and Democrats dig in their heels as the partial government shutdown extends into the new year with no end in sight
• Government agency says letter advising furloughed employees to perform chores for landlords in lieu of paying rent was posted by accident

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: I'm a diehard iPhone user who switched to Android for a week — here's what I loved and hated about the Google Pixel 3 XL

• Wedding cakes can be tricky. 
• One couple cut into a frozen cake. 
• Another insisted on a huge cake topper. 

Wedding cakes can be a big deal. Literally and figuratively. The multi-tiered desserts are notoriously difficult to make, can be extremely expensive, and just precarious enough that the slightest mishap can ruin the entire dessert. Think, three tiers of cake all over the dance floor levels of ruined.

We had wedding guests, planners and newlyweds share their worst wedding cake disasters.

The statue topper was way too big.

"I was coordinating a small summer wedding at a restaurant. The Mother of the Bride walks up to me, just as the ceremony is beginning, with a ‘cake topper’ and says she is going to go put it on top of the cake. It wasn't actually a cake topper at all: It was a figurine, made of porcelain, and at least a foot tall. It probably weighed about three pounds!

"Just giving it a quick glance, I knew there was no way their petite cake could support the weight of this statue. Since the ceremony was about to begin, I took the figurine from her and told her I would place it on the cake later. Needless to say, I never put it on top of the cake. I placed it beside the cake and was going to put it up there just for the photos.

"Before I could explain this to the Mother of the Bride, right after the ceremony, she decided to place it on top of the cake. I didn't notice until a few minutes later, I hear the soft but unmistakable sound of glass breaking. Surprise, surprise! The tall porcelain figurine tipped over, slid down the back of the already warm cake (taking all the icing with it), and smashed into several pieces on the floor. My staff and I quickly took the smashed cake and the broken figurine to the kitchen where we tried our best to reconstruct both. The cake fared better than the figurine, but not by much.

"I moved the cake to a corner of the room with the ugly side facing the corner. I told the Mother of the Bride that we were saving the cake topper for the last moment, while my staff tried to super glue it back together. A few hours later, when the cake was served, the cake topper emerged. Broken and battered, but present."— Renee Scotti Dalo, owner at Moxie Bright Events

The cake didn't travel well.

"We had a bride’s mother who was really excited to bring in a cake from their favorite baker in Pennsylvania. We discussed with her repeatedly about how risky it was to transport a cake [to Virginia] in the middle of summer, and without the right equipment. However the plan was set, so the couple and my husband and I put together a three-step cake plan for the mother: 1. Each tier was to come boxed and un-stacked, so I could stack them on site. 2. She was to drive straight to the Manor with the A/C pumping and no stops. 3. The baker would provide extra icing to fix any patches.

"Instructions weren’t followed and a rather large mess ensued. Everyone took it really well and one of our wonderful local bakers came through with less than 12 hours notice. We did manage to salvage some of the cake so those in the know would get to taste the best cake in Pennsylvania, and it did taste wonderful."—  Isadora Martin-Dye, owner and coordinator at Rixey Manor

The cake didn't last and neither did the marriage.

"My dear friend Simeon had a lavish and stunning three-tier cake, topped with pillars and figurine from the bride’s grandparents. While dancing the Hora, kicking legs out as we danced around and around, I suddenly felt a thump against my leg. As I turned to see who I had hit, I realized with shock and horror that my leg had hit the wedding cake table, creating – as I watched in horror — what looked like an earthquake. The cake didn’t survive, but neither did the marriage."— Michael Straus

• Apple said on Wednesday that its holiday quarter revenue would be 7% lower than expected due to weakening iPhone sales, primarily in China. 
• Since the announcement, Apple's stock has dropped over 7% in after-hours trading. 
• The news of Apple missing its mark appears to be impacting other tech stocks, with Amazon, Intel, Alphabet, and others all taking hits in after-hours trading. 

Apple's surprise pre-announcement on Wednesday, warning investors that quarterly revenue will come in at least $5 billion below expectations, sent shockwaves across the business and investing world.

Apple's stock quickly fell 7% in after hours trading. And it appears to have dragged down many of its tech peers with it. 

Here's how some top tech stocks are performing after-hours on Wednesday: 

• Amazon (AMZN) down 3%
• Microsoft (MSFT) down 2%
• Facebook (FB) down 1.5% 
• Alphabet (GOOG) down nearly 1%
• Intel (INTC) down 2%
• Advanced Micro Devices down nearly 3%
• NVIDIA down nearly 2.5%
• Qualcomm down 2% 
• Alibaba down 1.7%

Apple blamed slowing demand for iPhones in China for a good deal of its woes, which may be spooking investors in other companies with businesses that are tied to China.

But even companies without obvious China exposure, such as Facebook which is banned in China, took a dip in after hours trading. It's a reflection of Apple's importance and status in the tech industry. And for many investors, the initial takeaway appears to be that what's bad for Apple is bad for tech.

SEE ALSO: Apple is partially blaming weak iPhone sales on customers taking advantage of the $30 battery replacement offer

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NOW WATCH: USB-C was supposed to be a universal connector — but it still has a lot of problems

• The Cleveland Clinic confirmed on Monday that a resident who posted anti-Semitic messages online is no longer employed by the prestigious medical center.
• Between 2011 and 2017, Dr. Lara Kollab posted several anti-Semitic remarks online including one in which she reportedly said she would "purposely give all the [Jews] the wrong meds."
• The comments were first reported by Canary Mission, an organization that tracks individuals and organizations who "promote hatred of the USA, Israel and Jews on North American college campuses."

The Cleveland Clinic confirmed on Monday that a medical resident who was outed for tweeting anti-Semitic posts is no longer employed by the prestigious hospital.

The hospital wouldn't say directly whether Dr. Lara Kollab was fired for the racist tweets, but its statement said it "was recently made aware of comments posted to social media by a former employee" and that "she is no longer working at Cleveland Clinic."

"In no way do these beliefs reflect those of our organization," the Cleveland Clinic added in its statement. "We fully embrace diversity, inclusion and a culture of safety and respect across our entire health system."

Kollab worked as a supervised resident at the hospital from July to September of 2018, the clinic said.

Her racist tweets were first made public by Canary Mission, a website that doxes individuals and organizations that express anti-Semitic and pro-Palestinian sentiments.

The website mined the physician's social media profile for dozens of such tweets, all of which were written between 2011 and 2017.

Perhaps the most shocking was one that Canary Mission documented was written in January 2012, in which she promised to "purposely give all the yahood [Jews] the wrong meds."

Read more:Anti-Jewish hate crimes increased by 37% in 2017, according to a new FBI report

According to her LinkedIn page that Canary Mission documented before it was deleted, Kollab went to medical school at the Jewish-founded Touro College in New York City. In 2013, she complained that it was "annoying to go to school in a city full of Jews because everywhere I go I hear about the wonderful [I]srael," according to Canary Mission.

In other tweets, she reportedly downplayed the Holocaust and expresseed support for pro-Palestine groups.

"I don't mean to sound insensitive but I have a REALLY hard time feeling bad about [the] Holocaust seeing as the ppl who were in it now kill my ppl," she said in another tweet seen by Canary Mission.

Kollab's medical license, which was issued by the State Medical Board of Ohio in July, is still active, according to public records The Cleveland Plain Dealer reviewed.

"Her certificate is valid as long as the individual is actively part of the program which was indicated on the training certificate application by the supervising entity," Tessie Pollock, the board's director of communications, told Fox News. "It is the Mission of the State Medical Board of Ohio to protect the health and safety of all Ohioans. Malicious acts and attitudes toward any population go against the Medical Practices Act and are denounced by the board."

INSIDER reached out to Kollab for comment on Wednesday but did not receive a response.

There has been a marked increase in anti-Semitism in the US. In February, the Anti-Defamation League released a report showing a 60% increase in anti-Semitic incidents in 2017 over 2016.

It was the largest single-year increase on record and the second-highest number the ADL reported since the organization started tracking such incidents in the 1970s.

• Read more:
• Republicans are attacking Jewish candidates all over the country with the same anti-Semitic stereotype
• Far-right extremists have ramped up anti-Semitic harassment before Election Day
• 'The fact is, we're at war': Some Jewish people are getting handgun and AR-15 training after the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
• Man who reportedly demanded 'all Jews raise their hands' on a Delta flight arrested upon landing

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NOW WATCH: I'm a diehard iPhone user who switched to Android for a week — here's what I loved and hated about the Google Pixel 3 XL

• INSIDER asks experts if barre is an effective workout.
• Experts say that three-four barre classes per week are recommended for optimal results.
• If it works for you, experts say it can be a good workout for beginners. 

Taking a barre class can certainly be intimidating. Between the small pulses, bends, squats and stands, accented with two or three-pound weights, there is a lot to keep track of. 

But is a 50-minute workout routine combining "little bend, extends,""tucks" and small pulses actually healthy? INSIDER asked the experts for guidance.

First off, what is barre?

You may have heard your friends talking about barre class or tucking grippy socks into their bags, but if you've never been to a barre class, it can be shrouded in mystery. 

Of course, every barre class will be slightly different, but generally, barre class consists of small movements, done next to or on a ballet barre, as well as a mat. The movements are designed to target and strengthen areas of your body that other exercises may not necessarily do. 

By design, Barre Classes, "isolate, sculpt and strengthen every major muscle group in the body through small, low impact, targeted movements inspired by dance, yoga, and pilates," explained Rachelle Reed, barre Kinesiologist with Pure Barre.

If you don't normally separate your exercise routine into "arms days" and "legs days" and cardio days, this all-encompassing workout can be a major plus, and Reed, points out, you don’t actually need any dance or fitness experience to start a barre routine: All barre classes can be adapted to various fitness levels, ages and shapes. The goal being to"work toward achieving a toned, dancer-like physique through simple positioning and movements."

Barre class can be a good option for beginners and is generally low-impact

Dr. Michael Smith told WebMD that because of the small movements, this type of workout can be a good option for those who are just starting to craft their workout routine. 

"Barre fitness is ideal if you’re just getting into exercise," Smith told WebMD. "The classes will improve your balance, build strength, make you more flexible, burn calories, and improve stability through a stronger core."

Even if you struggle at first, it will get easier, Reed said.

"After each barre class, you’ll experience some acute health benefits of exercise, like improved feelings of energy, reduced blood pressure, increased joint mobility, and a clearer mind. After a couple months of regular attendance, you’ll start to notice some positive changes in your body, including improved muscular strength, better flexibility, weight management, reduced feelings of stress and anxiety, lower risk for chronic diseases, and improved sleep," Reed said.

She notes some clients do barre up to six times per week, though three-four days in studio are recommended, with at least one rest day per week.  

"Giving your body rest between strength training is important to allow for optimal muscle recovery," Reed said. On off days, Reed suggests going for athletic walks or finding another way of moving for at least half an hour each day.

To avoid injury, Physical therapist Jennifer Monreal also recommends ensuring you have enough time to stretch, asking instructors to check your alignment, and, of course, knowing your limits and not pushing through too much pain. Those with specific injuries or joint problems should request modified routines.

Experts seem to agree barre is healthy (at least healthier than going to a bar)

Several personal trainers INSIDER asked about the health benefits of barre said it was healthy, though they noted that it was a "beginners" exercise class.

While there are certainly better workouts for some people, exercise and personal wellness is determined on a case by case basis. If it works for you, it works for you.

If barre is the only workout class that’s getting you to use your yoga pants for more than binge-watching, then yes, experts seem to agree that it’s healthy.

Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.

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NOW WATCH: Why Harvard scientists think this interstellar object might be an alien spacecraft

• After a shaky start, wearables like smartwatches and fitness trackers have gained traction in healthcare, with US consumer use jumping from 9% in 2014 to 33% in 2018.
• More than 80% of consumers are willing to wear tech that measures health data — and penetration should continue to climb.
• The maturation of the wearable market will put more wearables in the hands of consumers and US businesses.

The US healthcare industry as it exists today is not sustainable. An aging patient population and rising burden of chronic disease have caused healthcare costs to skyrocket and left providers struggling to keep up with demand for care. 

Meanwhile, digital technologies in nearly every consumer experience outside of healthcare have raised patients’ expectations for good service to be higher than ever.

One of the key mechanisms through which healthcare providers can finally evolve their outdated practices and exceed these expectations is wearable technology.

Presently, 33% of US consumers have adopted wearables, such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, to play a more active role in managing their health. In turn, insurers, providers, and employers are poised to become just as active leveraging these devices – and the data they capture – to abandon the traditional reimbursement model and improve patient outcomes with personalized, value-based care.

Adoption is going to keep climbing, as more than 80% of consumers are willing to wear tech that measures health data, according to Accenture — though they have reservations about who exactly should access it.

A new report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider’s premium research service, follows the growing adoption of wearables and breadth of functions they offer to outline how healthcare organizations and stakeholders can overcome this challenge and add greater value with wearable technology.

For insurers, providers, and employers, wearables present three distinct opportunities:

• Insurers can use wearable data to enhance risk assessments and drive customer lifetime value. One study shows that wearables can incentivize healthier behavior associated with a 30% reduction in risk of cardiovascular events and death.
• Providers can use the remote patient monitoring capabilities of wearable technology to improve chronic disease management, lessen the burden of staff shortages, and navigate a changing reimbursement model. And since 90% of patients no longer feel obligated to stay with providers that don't deliver a satisfactory digital experience, wearables could help to attract and retain them.
• Employers can combine wearables with cash incentives to lower insurance costs and improve employee productivity. For example, The Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority yielded $5 million in healthcare cost savings through a wearable-based employee wellness program.

Want to Learn More?

The Wearables in US Healthcare Report details the current and future market landscape of wearables in the US healthcare sector. It explores the key drivers behind wearable usage by insurers, healthcare providers, and employers, and the opportunities wearables afford to each of these stakeholders. 

By outlining a successful case study from each stakeholder, the report highlights best practices in implementing wearables to reduce healthcare claims, improve patient outcomes, and drive insurance cost savings, as well as how the evolution of the market will create new, untapped opportunities for businesses.

Join the conversation about this story »

This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here. Current subscribers can read the report here.

Smart speakers comprise one of the fastest-growing device segments in the consumer technology market today. Ownership levels have nearly doubled from early 2017 to summer 2018. 

With this rapid growth, there are a few pivotal questions that both companies looking to develop and sell smart speakers as well as those looking to sell products, deliver media, and offer access to services like banking over these devices need answers to in order to craft successful strategies. In particular, they need to know who is and isn’t buying smart speakers, and what consumers who own smart speakers are actually doing with them. 

To offer these stakeholders insight, Business Insider Intelligence asked more than 500 US consumers about their knowledge of smart speakers, the devices they do or don’t own and what led them to their purchase decisions, as well as the tasks they’re using their smart speakers for.

In this report, Business Insider Intelligence will look at the state of the smart speaker market and outline how each of the major device providers approaches the space. We will then focus on the key factors that affect whether or not someone owns one of these devices. Next, we will use our survey data to outline the reasons why people don’t own devices in order to offer guidance for who to target and how. Finally, we will discuss what consumers are actually doing with their smart speakers — specifically looking at how the devices are used and perceived in e-commerce, digital media, and banking — which can help companies determine how well they’re publicizing their smart speaker services and capabilities.

The companies mentioned in this report are: Amazon, Google, Apple, Samsung, Facebook, Sonos, LG, Anker, Spotify, Pandora, Grubhub, Netflix, Hulu, Instagram, Snap.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

• Despite their growing popularity, nearly half of respondents still don't own a device — which presents a long runway for adoption. Our survey data reveals a number of key factors that impact whether or not someone owns one of these devices, including income, gender, and age.
• Smart speakers are establishing themselves as a key platform for e-commerce, media, and the smart home.
• The introduction of a screen to some smart speakers will expand the possibilities for companies developing for the device — but developers will need to resist the compulsion to use speakers to accomplish too much.

In full, the report:

• Provides an overview of the key players and products in the smart speaker market.
• Highlights critical adoption rates broken out by key factors that define the segment.
• Identifies how consumers are using devices in important areas where companies in various industries are trying foster greater use of the voice interface.

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• Floyd Mayweather's win over Tenshin Nasukawa was "fake," according to the former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub.
• Mayweather knocked Nasukawa down three times in a first-round blowout on December 31, but his victory has not convinced everybody.
• The popular podcaster Schaub said he had seen "better acting in pornos," adding: "Of course this is fake."

Floyd Mayweather's victory over Tenshin Nasukawa has been slammed as a "fake," phoney fight

The retired American obliterated Nasukawa in the very first round of an exhibition bout that headlined the Rizin 14 show at the Saitama Arena in Saitama, Japan, on December 31.

Adopting an aggressive stance, Mayweather stalked Nasukawa from the opening bell and leathered him heavily with range-finding jabs and powerful right hands. He knocked the Japanese kickboxer down three times before the Rizin fighter's corner threw in the white towel in an act of surrender.

But Brendan Schaub, a popular Showtime podcaster and a former UFC heavyweight, has said the show was a sham.

"I've seen better acting in pornos,"Schaub said, according to Boxing Scene. "Floyd's just doing his thing, he's the aggressor, so it's not as hard to fake it."

Read more: Watch Mayweather beat Nasukawa in the first round of a bizarre exhibition fight

What gave the game away for Schaub was what he deemed theatrical behaviour from Nasukawa. "But Tenshin needs acting skills. They should have got someone to work with him on falling down, getting hit in the face, and all that.

"Of course this is fake," Schaub said. "Who cares? But of course, this is fake. Come on, you believed that?"

Mayweather claims he made $9 million for the exhibition and is not tempted to return to a boxing ring again.

After his victory, Mayweather said he only came back to entertain"the people of Japan."

SEE ALSO: Floyd Mayweather just said people 'need to see him' knocked out, as it would be 'entertainment'

DON'T MISS: Floyd Mayweather earned $9 million in less than 3 minutes by taking down Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in the first round of a bizarre exhibition fight

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NOW WATCH: Bernie Madoff was arrested 10 years ago today — here's what his life is like in prison

• Business Insider spoke with the eight best-performing fund managers of 2018 to get their best investing recommendations for 2019.
• Three of the investing heavyweights argued in favor of the same theme, which they all swear will yield major stock returns in the year ahead.

For money managers to reach the apex of the investing field, they must make decisions that set them apart from their competitors.

After all, if everyone is piling in to the same areas of the market, it's difficult to stand out.

But three top-ranked fund managers interviewed by Business Insider named the same overlooked segment of the stock market as a top pick for 2019: cellular towers.

All three provided impassioned explanations for their recommendations. Ultimately, the major takeaway from the discussions boiled down to a couple of simple facts.

First, wireless telecom providers are moving toward 5G networks, and they'll need somewhere to hang equipment. Second, cellular-tower companies are already essentially local monopolies, so all upgraded 5G technology will have to filter through them. And third, they're defensive businesses relatively insulated from external market forces.

Read more:We interviewed Wall Street's 8 top-performing investors to get their best ideas for 2019

See below for full explanations from the top-ranked fund managers who identified cellular towers as a major investment theme for 2019. All quotes attributable to the investors highlighted in each section.

Click here to read our full story, featuring exclusive interviews with Wall Street's top 8 fund managers

SEE ALSO: As stocks hurtle towards a crash, one area of the market has stayed shockingly strong — and it could be a saving grace for investors

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NOW WATCH: The equity chief at $6.3 trillion BlackRock weighs in on the trade war, a possible recession, and offers her best investing advice for a tricky 2019 landscape

• As stocks trade well off their all-time highs hit in the second half of 2018, technical analysts at Oppenheimer told clients they're watching for one indicator that would signal the stock market has bottomed.
• Strengthening breadth — the number of stocks advancing relative to the number of stocks declining — is one sign the firm would feel confident stocks have found a floor.
• Watch stocks trade live.

Stocks in the US kicked off 2019 on a volatile note, extending the market's turbulence in 2018, and trading well below their all-time highs hit in the second half of 2018. Here's where the major US indices stand:

• The S&P 500 has shed 15% from its all-time high of 2,940.91 last September.
• The Dow Jones Industrial Average has is down 14% from its all-time high of 26,951.81 last October.
• The Nasdaq Composite has tumbled 18% from its all-time high of 8,133.30 last August.

And while the selling has dissipated, the technical analysis team at Oppenheimer says it's still not ready to give the all clear. They say investors should watch for one main sign to know that the stock market's bottom is in.

Ultimately, it's all about one word: participation. Oppenheimer is watching stock-market participation measured by breadth, or the number of stocks advancing versus the number of stocks declining. Several market-watchers cited breadth last year as reason to expect more selling, proving to be a reliable measure.

Oppenheimer, specifically, is paying close attention to the number of NYSE stocks trading above their 200-day moving averages.

"At the lowest point of the market’s Q4 correction, only 8% of NYSE stocks were above their 200-day moving average—a deeply oversold condition that's been followed by above-average gains over the next 6-12 months but below-average returns over the first 1-3 months," a team led by Ari Wald, Oppenheimer's head of technical analysis, wrote in a note on Tuesday.

Wald and his team wrote this measure of breadth rose to 70% in prior years before the start of a new bull run.

"In addition, to confirm the resumption of a new bull market we'd like to see this internal breadth gauge surge to 70% like it did at the start of new bulls in 1994, 2003, 2009, 2013, and 2016," he said.

More broadly, Oppenheimer believes the bulk of the S&P 500's sell-off has come to pass, "and now requires time to base."

The firm is watching two key levels in the S&P 500 for 2019 — one to the upside and one to the downside. The firm sees the S&P trading up to its 200-day moving average, or the 2,700 level, which would imply a rise of around 7%.

To the downside, the level to watch is 2,375, 5% below its current level. 

Now read:

• 'Bird Box,' 'Black Mirror,' and Taylor Swift may not be enough to give Netflix a strong 4th-quarter finish, analyst says
• The world's biggest stock bear explains why the battered market is still doomed to lose another 50%

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The equity chief at $6.3 trillion BlackRock weighs in on the trade war, a possible recession, and offers her best investing advice for a tricky 2019 landscape