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IPSOS AND WGSN STUDY: “TORRAS IS THE NEXT GENERATION OF MOBILE PHONE CASES”
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — At CES 2024, TORRAS revealed the results of a new 2023 IPSOS and WGSN consumer study of mobile phone case consumption trends and insights. Ipsos is one of the world’s leading market research and polling companies and WGSN is a global expert in trend forecasting.
The study credited TORRAS for pioneering the development of kickstand phone cases and complimented the recent designs of TORRAS phone cases for combining kickstand and magnetic suction features with upgraded protection and thinness and portability. It also called TORRAS “the next generation of phone cases.”
Some of the trends revealed in the 2023 study of 3000 global consumers include:
- Digital life is increasingly penetrating, and the number of digital nomads, people who travel freely while working remotely using technology and the internet, is further growing.
- Currently, daily leisure and entertainment (listening to music, watching videos, playing games, etc.) and mobile social networking (taking photos with family and friends, sharing videos, video calls, etc.) are still the most mainstream scenes in the world. In the future, with the rise of digital nomads and the highly integrated life and work, it is expected that smartphones will be used more frequently during outdoor activities, sports, driving and online working.
- Western countries have more social interaction scenes, and they tend to take photos or videos or make video calls with family and friends, while Eastern countries (China and Japan) tend to be “quiet and reserved” and prefer to watch long videos to pass the time.
In Western countries, daily travel/commuting is now dominated by self-driving, so mobile phone assistance scenarios while driving are more common, while in China, as a result of the emerging new energy vehicle industry, driving scenarios will undoubtedly become increasingly important.
- In this important life, entertainment, socializing, driving, and working scenarios, different actions are taken when using smartphones, resulting in differentiated needs for mobile phone cases. When using phones to watch short videos or play games, people hold them in one hand or both hands more often, which requires anti-slip and anti-drop functions.
- When occasions of watching long videos, daily socializing, and work video calls/meetings on mobile phones, a phone case with a kickstand that helps to free people’s hands is necessary.
- The development of phone case products and smartphones take place simultaneously. While smartphones are transitioning from feature phones, mobile phone case products are also being constantly upgraded, from basic protection in the 1.0 era, to improvements in appearance and materials in the 2.0 era, to comprehensive functional evolution in the 3.0 era. Phone cases have also gradually become a “rigid need” for users.
Leading companies/brands of phone cases, therefore, have further innovated and developed the functions of their products to meet the demands of new scenarios:
- Higher standards for protection functions, and more advanced technology;
- Besides the fashionable appearance/personalized style, the concept of the design is “returning to nature”, under which the similar touch/color of phone cases to the phone and the minimalist style set off a new trend;
- With the popularity of long video apps, the rise of short videos, the coming era of live streaming dividends and the requirement for office workers to have “three heads and six arms” (multiple devices are interconnected and shared), the mobile phone case with kickstand is born;
- With the launch of MagSafe (magnetic charging) for iPhone 12, coupled with people’s common/frequent need for driving, there are demands for in-car magnetic charging, which has given rise to magnetic phone cases.
The functions and design that consumers expect most for future mobile phone cases are:
- Upgraded protection (76%)
- Lightweight and portable (52%)
- All-in-one functions, allowing for hands free use (52%)
- Minimalist/same feeling as bare phone (59%)
When asked about TORRAS, the study revealed: “Through continuous innovation and research and development, TORRAS integrated upgraded protection and portability, restoring the design style of bare phones. At the same time, it pioneers a new design of phone case with the combination of kickstand and magnetic suction, which performs excellently and has won many international design awards, patented innovations, and industry honors, leading the development and progress of the kickstand and magnetic suction phone case products.”
Click to access the trend report
About TORRAS
Founded in 2012, TORRAS is an innovative brand with a design philosophy of “Simple but Unique.” They now have an R&D laboratory that spans over 2,000 square meters and have obtained more than 1,300 patents thus far, with 60 of its products winning prestigious international design awards. For more information, visit www.torraslife.com.
About WGSN
Based in London with 25 years of experience, WGSN is the world’s leading consumer trend forecaster. Our accurate forecasts provide global trend insights, expertly curated data and industry expertise to help our clients understand consumer behavior and lifestyles, create products with confidence and trade at the right time. For more information, visit www.wgsn.com.
About IPSOS
Ipsos is one of the largest market research and polling companies globally, operating in 90 markets and employing over 18,000 people. Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. We serve more than 5000 clients across the world with 75 business solutions. For more information, visit www.ipsos.com.
MEDIA CONTACT: Jacinta Zou, [email protected]
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- His Majesty King Felipe VI and the Government of Spain have bestowed upon Professor Marcos López de Prado the Officer’s Cross of the Royal Order of Civil Merit
- The award recognizes Professor López de Prado’s distinguished services to science and the global investment industry over an international career spanning 25 years and three continents
- Knights and Dames of the Order include heads of state, royalty, diplomats, scientists, artists, as well as government, business, political, religious and military leaders
ABU DHABI, UAE, Nov. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — ADIA Lab Board member Professor Marcos López de Prado has received the Officer’s Cross and diploma of the Royal Order of Civil Merit, one of Spain’s highest honours, from His Majesty King Felipe VI and the Government of Spain. The award was presented at the investiture ceremony held in Abu Dhabi on 21 November 2024 by H.E. Íñigo de Palacio España, Ambassador of Spain to the United Arab Emirates. The honour recognises Professor López de Prado’s “distinguished services to science and the global investment industry”.
His Majesty the King of Spain is the Grand Master of the Order, and Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation is its Grand Chancellor. Knights and Dames of the Order are appointed for their outstanding service to society and include heads of state, royalty, diplomats, scientists, artists, as well as government, business, political, religious and military leaders.
In his remarks at the investiture ceremony, Ambassador de Palacio highlighted Professor López de Prado’s extraordinary contributions, including his pivotal role in founding ADIA Lab and establishing its collaboration agreement with the Kingdom of Spain, which has fostered a robust scientific exchange between Spain and the UAE. The Ambassador also commended Professor López de Prado for elevating and enriching Spain’s image abroad.
Professor López de Prado has been a driving force in the modernisation of finance over the past 25 years, pioneering artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms that are now widely adopted at some of the world’s largest investment firms—an achievement recognised with multiple international awards. He is Global Head – Quantitative Research and Development at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), a Research Fellow at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (U.S. Office of Science), and Professor of Practice at Cornell University’s School of Engineering, where he teaches machine learning.
Ambassador de Palacio remarked:
“Ranked among the top 10 most-read authors in economics globally by the Social Science Research Network (SSRN), and having advised the U.S. Congress on AI policy, Marcos’ work spans science, industry and public service. The Royal Order of Civil Merit acknowledges not only his scientific and professional accomplishments, but also the lasting social impact of his work, which has strengthened international cooperation and deepened ties between nations.”
Professor López de Prado expressed the personal significance of this honour:
“As both a professor and a fund manager, I have worked for the past 25 years to advance our field, developing AI algorithms that make investing more evidence-based, systematic, and reliable. I hope this accolade draws further attention to the financial applications of AI and supercomputing, which benefit society by enabling better decision-making and public policy design. I am grateful to ADIA for the opportunity to apply my scientific work towards achieving its long-term investment objectives.”
“I extend my heartfelt thanks to H.E. Íñigo de Palacio España for his exemplary role as Ambassador, and his strong advocacy for ADIA Lab. I would not have earned this highly coveted distinction without the unwavering support of my family, friends, and countless colleagues, many of whom are here with me today. This knighthood is also for them, and I will wear its insignia in their name with pride, and with profound gratitude towards His Majesty King Felipe VI.”
Among the attendees at the ceremony were several renowned scientists: Prof. Steven Chu, Nobel Laureate in Physics (1997) and former U.S. Secretary of Energy (2009-2013); Prof. Dan Shechtman, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry (2011); Prof. Shafi Goldwasser, recipient of the Turing Award (2012) and the Gödel Prize (1993, 2001); Prof. Guido Imbens, Nobel Laureate in Economics (2021); Prof. Jack Dongarra, Turing Award (2021); Prof. Miguel Hernán, Rousseeuw Prize for Statistics (2022); Prof. Horst Simon, Gordon Bell Prize (1998, 2009). Institutional representatives included: H.E. Carme Artigas, Co-Chair of the United Nations AI Advisory Body; H.E. Sultan Al Mansoori, former Minister of Economy of the UAE; H.E. Félix Barrio Juárez, Managing Director of Spain’s National Cybersecurity Institute; H.E. Prof. Enrique Herrera Viedma, Vice-President for Research of the University of Granada; H.E. Antoine Delcourt, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to the UAE; and H.E. Robert Lauer, Ambassador of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to the UAE.
About Marcos López de Prado
Dr. Marcos López de Prado is Global Head – Quantitative Research and Development at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), a founding Board member of ADIA Lab, a Research Fellow at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (U.S. Office of Science), and Professor of Practice at Cornell University’s School of Engineering, where he teaches machine learning. He has published approximately 100 scientific articles on AI and statistical inference in the leading academic journals, is a founding co-editor of The Journal of Financial Data Science, and the author of influential graduate textbooks used by universities worldwide. He is the inventor of 15 patents, several of which have been purchased and licensed by some of the largest institutional investors worldwide to manage multibillion-dollar funds. In recognition of his work, Professor López de Prado has received various scientific and industry awards, including the National Award for Academic Excellence (1999) by the Kingdom of Spain, the Quant Researcher of the Year Award (2019) by Portfolio Management Research, the Buy-Side Quant of the Year Award (2021) by Risk.net, and the Bernstein Fabozzi / Jacobs Levy Award (2024) by The Journal of Portfolio Management. For more information, visit https://QuantResearch.org/
About ADIA Lab
ADIA Lab is an independent institution engaged in basic and applied research in Data Science, AI, Machine Learning, and High-Performance Computing, across all major fields of study. This includes exploring applications in areas such as climate change and energy transition, blockchain technology, financial inclusion and investing, decision making, automation, cybersecurity, health sciences, education, telecommunications, and space. Based in Abu Dhabi, ADIA Lab is an independent, standalone entity supported by the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, a globally-diversified investment institution that invests funds on behalf of the Government of Abu Dhabi.
ADIA Lab has its own governance and operational structure, and is guided by an Advisory Board of global thought-leaders in data and computationally intensive disciplines, to pursue its research independently. For more information, visit https://www.adialab.ae/
About the Royal Order of Civil Merit
The Royal Order of Civil Merit is a state honour established in 1926 by King Alfonso XIII of Spain to recognise extraordinary services of Spanish and foreign citizens for the good of the Nation. Knights and Dames of the Order include heads of state, royalty, diplomats, scientists, artists, as well as government, business, political, religious and military leaders.
His Majesty the King of Spain is the Grand Master of the Royal Order of Civil Merit, hence all awards of this Order are bestowed in his name. Spain’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation is the Grand Chancellor of the Order. The Ministry’s Directorate-General for Protocol receives the proposals, evaluates all candidates, and produces the mandatory reports justifying the exceptional merits of each awardee. For more information, visit https://www.exteriores.gob.es/es/Ministerio/Protocolo/Paginas/Condecoraciones.aspx
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- EQT to sell Melita to Goldman Sachs Alternatives
- Under EQT’s ownership, Melita strengthened its position as a leading digital infrastructure owner and operator through strategic investments in its network and customer experience, while building a successful international Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity business
- Today, Melita is the only operator in Malta providing both nationwide Gigabit fixed and nationwide 5G mobile services, and is well-positioned to expand its footprint in the fast-growing IoT connectivity sector
STOCKHOLM, Nov. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — EQT is pleased to announce that the EQT Infrastructure IV fund (“EQT”) has signed an agreement to sell Melita (“the Company”) to Goldman Sachs Alternatives.
Founded in 1992, Melita is today a leading digital infrastructure owner and operator in Malta with a fully invested fiber-powered fixed network as well as a nationwide 5G mobile network with its own towers, backhaul and small cell footprint. With the largest data center in Malta, Melita delivers a full suite of digital services, including Gigabit broadband and 5G mobile connectivity, premium TV offerings, and data center solutions to households and businesses across the country.
Since EQT acquired Melita in 2019, the Company has made substantial investment in its infrastructure and enhanced its operations and service offering. For example, it has successfully developed Generative AI tools to support customers with billing, sales and technical queries which had a positive impact on customer satisfaction. The Company has also expanded internationally, establishing its presence in the rapidly growing IoT connectivity market via its proprietary platform and agile, customer-centric go-to-market approach.
Sustainability has been a core focus for Melita, becoming the first EQT portfolio company to have its near-term targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative. The Company is investing in solar farms to produce renewable energy and has already replaced almost half of its car fleet with electric vehicles. It also established the Melita Foundation which supports impactful community initiatives.
Ulrich Köllensperger, Partner in the EQT Value-Add Infrastructure Advisory team, said: “Building on EQT’s long track record of investing in digital infrastructure, we supported Melita through strategic investments including in its 5G coverage and an upgrade of its fiber-powered network. We are proud of the rapid progress of Melita’s IoT business which, in just a few years since inception, has grown significantly and through add-on acquisitions, established a promising new business line with a pan-European reach. We believe the Company is well-positioned for further growth and would like to thank Harald and the entire team for their dedication and wish them continued success.”
Harald Rösch, CEO of Melita, said: “Thanks to EQT’s support, the past five years have been transformational, enabling us to make substantial progress across all aspects of our business and becoming the first operator in the European Union to deploy both a nationwide Gigabit broadband network and a nationwide 5G network. This transaction reflects the achievements of our entire team and the loyalty of our customers. With Goldman Sachs Alternatives’ support and expertise, we are excited to continue our journey sustainably, investing in our infrastructure, enhancing our services in Malta and driving further innovation.”
The transaction is subject to conditions including regulatory approvals.
EQT was advised by UBS (financial), Milbank and Camilleri Preziosi (legal).
Contact
EQT Press Office, [email protected]
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LONDON, Nov. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Space NK reveal growth during the last financial year, as turnover rose 34 per cent to £196.5 million in the year to the end of March, compared with the previous 12 months. Pre-tax profit rose from £1.5 million to £7.5 million during the same period.
This growth has continued into the current financial year, with half year figures up 38% per cent year-on-year. Diving deeper into this performance, it’s clear Space NK is truly an omnichannel business with shop sales rising 24 per cent and online sales increasing 35 per cent during the first six months of the year.
Performance has been fuelled by Space NK’s growth in customers, with its active base experiencing double-digit growth across all age categories, from Gen Z through to millennials and Gen Alpha. The fastest-growing category being the under-25s, at 164 per cent.
Andy Lightfoot, CEO, explained “We are delighted to report another record-breaking half of sales (April 24 – Sept 24) up 38% on last year, continuing our run of greater than 30% growth every year since 2020. Since then, the business has more than doubled its revenue and with our customer first mindset and expertly curated brands, we are delighted with our consistent and continuous growth”.
Plans to increase Space NK’s store portfolio by a further 10 additions to the existing estate are in flight – Meadowhall (Sheffield) opened November 17th 2024, a new store in Milton Keynes will open this weekend (23[rd] November) with further openings in Bluewater and other locations scheduled for 2025.
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