Unrest at iPhone plant results in mass resignations, with report of 30% production loss

There have been mass resignations of workers at Foxconn's big iPhone assembly plant in Zhengzhou, China, following unrest at the plant. Foxconn failed to pay promised recruitment bonuses, with fears mounting over a COVID-19 outbreak within the plant. Over 20,000 new hires have been said to have left, and an internal estimate reports that over 30% of production could be lost. 

Apple has already taken the unusual step of warning that iPhone 14 Pro availability would be "very constrained" during this crucial holiday sales period. Foxconn has also released a warning of its revenue growth being reversed.

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'Pokemon Scarlet' and 'Violet' sets new Nintendo sales record

Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet aren't just buzzy, but they've also set a new sales record for Nintendo. The games sold 10 million combined units within the first three days of launch, making them account for the "highest global sales level for any software on any Nintendo platform" within that time frame. The sales figure covers both packaged and downloadable versions of the games. For comparison, Pokemon Sword and Shield made over six million units in their first week, which was the fastest-selling Switch title at the time. These numbers were reached even with some glaring technical issues plaguing the new Pokemon games. But it looks like those aren't enough to turn away the fans.

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Amazon greenlit a mini-series based on FTX crypto catastrophe

While we've heard about Apple's supposed plans for an FTX-based film, Amazon has already greenlit a series about FTX and its infamous co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried. Even if the real-world impacts of FTX's crash have yet to settle, Amazon is pushing forward with the mini-series and is working with Anthony and Joe Russo's AGBO production company. Amazon has also tapped Invasion co-creator Dave Weil to executive produce the unnamed eight-episode mini-series. 

The story will detail how Bankman-Fried co-founded FTX and went on to lead the company to a liquidity crisis that resulted in his ousting. There are no actors attached to the project yet, but Amazon is reportedly eyeing some of the actors the Russos worked with in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Specific details for the show's story are reportedly being sourced from "insider reporting" by a "number of journalists." But Amazon hasn't disclosed which journalists or newsrooms it's pulling from, and production is expected to kick off sometime next spring.

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Mercedes locks faster acceleration behind a paywall

Mercedes becomes the latest company to offer subscription services for a feature its cars already have. The carmaker is introducing an "Acceleration Increase" add-on for a yearly subscription of US$1,200. This is expected to improve performance by boosting motor output by 20-24 percent, increasing torque, and shaving around 0.8 to 0.9 seconds off 0-60mph acceleration when in Dynamic drive mode. 

The subscription doesn't come with any physical hardware upgrades. It just unlocks the full capabilities of the vehicle, suggesting Mercedes intentionally limited performance so they can sell this as an extra. The add-on is available for the Mercedes-EQ, EQE, and Mercedes-EQ EQS electric car models. With global sales for new cars falling in recent years, car manufacturers have turned to selling software updates and features as subscriptions to generate a continuous revenue stream after the car's purchase.

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