Ele.me Rebrands to Taobao Flash Sale, Xiaomi Tri-Fold Phone Anticipated, BYD Hints at New Technologies, and Meta Considers Metaverse Spending Cuts
As AI systems move beyond text, the digital landscape continues to evolve with significant shifts in branding, hardware innovation, and strategic corporate adjustments. Today's developments highlight these dynamic changes across various sectors.
Highlights
Ele.me Rebrands to Taobao Flash Sale: The Ele.me application has officially rebranded as Taobao Flash Sale following its latest update. This change was observed by users on December 4th, with the official account name and app icon reflecting the new branding. The application's core functionalities and product modules remain unchanged, though its visual elements have transitioned to an orange color scheme. Alibaba management previously indicated that Taobao Flash Sale had achieved rapid scale expansion in its initial phase and met economic benefit optimization targets in its second phase, reinforcing the company's commitment to long-term investment in instant retail.
Xiaomi Potentially Developing Tri-Fold Phone: A new Xiaomi device, model number 2608BPX34C, has appeared in the GSMA database. Industry analysts suggest this model could be a tri-fold phone within the Xiaomi MIX series, potentially named the MIX Trifold. Should this materialize, Xiaomi would join Huawei and Samsung as a mass-producer of tri-fold screen smartphones. From a structural standpoint, Xiaomi had previously developed a similar "dual-fold" prototype in 2018, showcased in 2019, which featured a vertical folding mechanism distinct from competitors.
BYD Chairman Hints at Future Technological Breakthroughs: During an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders on December 5th, BYD Chairman and President Wang Chuanfu stated that the company is addressing user pain points, such as slow charging speeds in low temperatures, through technological advancements. Wang Chuanfu indicated that more significant technologies are slated for future release, emphasizing that BYD's core competitiveness is rooted in its technology and its team of 120,000 engineers, which supports ongoing innovation.
Meta Reportedly Plans Metaverse Spending Reductions: Reports indicate that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is considering a reduction of up to 30% in spending on metaverse projects. This potential cut would affect the virtual world platform Meta Horizon Worlds and the Quest virtual reality division. Such a large-scale reduction could commence as early as January next year and may be accompanied by layoffs, though a final decision has not yet been announced.
Context
The rebranding of Ele.me to Taobao Flash Sale signifies a strategic consolidation within Alibaba's e-commerce ecosystem, aiming to streamline instant retail services under a unified brand. Meanwhile, Xiaomi's potential entry into the tri-fold phone market underscores the ongoing innovation in mobile form factors, pushing the boundaries of smartphone design. BYD's statements highlight the competitive landscape in the electric vehicle sector, where continuous technological advancement is crucial for market leadership. In contrast, Meta's reported reevaluation of metaverse investments reflects a potential recalibration of its long-term strategy amidst economic pressures and evolving market priorities.