Thinks 2116

FT: “Apple is estimated to have sold a record 250mn or so iPhones last year, accounting for half of its sales. But that is not so different from the 231mn smartphones it sold back in 2015, after the launch of the iPhone 6. The trick is to find new ways to keep users paying up for replacement devices, while also parting with ever larger amounts to maintain Apple’s margins as the bill of materials rises. So it is somewhat ironic that, 19 years after the launch of the iPhone and 16 years after the iPad, Apple’s hot new product is a cross between the two. A passport-sized smartphone that unfolds to create a screen only slightly smaller than an iPad mini, the Duo is a premium gadget that could nudge up the company’s average selling prices, though it will first have to prove that a hybrid can fill more than a small niche.”

NYTimes: “The run-walk method is a training strategy based on the premise that, by walking for short intervals before you get tired, you can avoid some fatigue and tackle longer distances. Because run-walking can be gentler on your body than continuous running, many people find they are able to recover faster in between runs, too.”

WSJ: AI May Become the Third Superpower. “We are at the dawn of recursive self-improvement, the moment when AI systems begin rewriting and improving their own code, causing an intelligence explosion, all without human intervention. Recursive self-improvement is machines building machines, which is absolutely stunning.”

FT: “Bilateral trade between China and India last year rose 12.4 per cent to a record $155bn, more than double the $71.6bn reported 10 years earlier, according to Chinese customs data. In the first seven months of this year, bilateral trade jumped a further 23 per cent compared with the same period a year ago. Investment flows are also picking up.”