Krypton Evening News | Trump's plan to push Coca-Cola to use sucrose faces supply chain obstacles; The second final assembly line for Airbus A320 series aircraft is launched today; Apple is reported to have cut production orders for iPhone Air.
Large Companies:
Apple's Foldable iPad Project Encounters Hurdles, May Be Delayed Until 2029 or Later
According to people familiar with the matter, the large - sized foldable device that Apple is developing to reshape the iPad has encountered technical bottlenecks during the development process, which may lead to a delay in the original launch time. This device, with an estimated price of about $3000, has been in development for many years. It was originally planned to be launched in 2028, but due to engineering problems in aspects such as weight, functionality, and display technology, the launch time may be postponed to 2029 or even later. Apple is collaborating with Samsung Display to develop an approximately 18 - inch display panel that can minimize folding marks. The foldable iPad project is an important part of Apple's layout for innovative products.
US Cable TV Giant Charter Reportedly to Lay Off Nearly 1200 Employees
According to people familiar with the matter, US cable TV giant Charter Communications will lay off nearly 1200 employees, accounting for more than 1% of its 95,000 employees. Sources said that the lay - offs will involve corporate management positions within the company, and sales or service positions will not be affected.
Trump's Plan to Promote Coca - Cola to Use Sucrose Encounters Supply Chain Obstacles
Former President Donald Trump once promoted Coca - Cola to use US - produced sucrose to make cola. However, the problem is that the carbonated beverage producer can neither obtain enough sucrose nor has sufficient production capacity for large - scale promotion of this product. John Murphy, the chief financial officer of Coca - Cola, said in an interview with Bloomberg on Tuesday that the company has started to launch cola made with US sucrose, but the scale of promotion is limited by the supply of US sucrose and the ability to increase glass bottle production capacity. "We will adopt a step - by - step approach," Murphy said. "The amount of sucrose available in the US is limited."
Mercedes - Benz Implements Large - Scale Lay - off Plan, Aims for 30,000 Employees to Leave
According to foreign media reports, Mercedes - Benz is recently implementing its largest - ever lay - off plan. So far, about 4000 employees have accepted the severance package and left. Senior managers can receive a compensation of up to 500,000 euros.
Apple Reportedly Cuts Production Orders for iPhone Air
Apple is reported to have cut the production orders for iPhone Air.
The Second Airbus A320 Series Aircraft Assembly Line Is Inaugurated Today
Reporters learned from Airbus today that the second A320 series aircraft assembly line at the Airbus Tianjin Final Assembly Line has been officially inaugurated today. Preparations for assembling the first aircraft are currently underway, and the new facility is expected to be fully operational in early 2026.
The Number of Huawei HarmonyOS 5 Terminal Devices Reaches 23 Million
36Kr learned that Huawei announced that the number of HarmonyOS 5 terminal devices has exceeded 23 million. Starting from October 22, HarmonyOS 6 will be gradually available for upgrade for the first batch of more than 90 models.
Cainiao Joins Taobao Flash Sale
36Kr learned that recently, an insider from Cainiao revealed that Cainiao Supply Chain will participate in Taobao Flash Sale business and provide one - hour delivery service. The insider said that Cainiao has already started providing services for Taobao Flash Sale in some areas of cities such as Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Nanjing, and plans to expand to more key cities. It is expected to cover categories such as 3C digital products, clothing, beauty and personal care products, and food.
New Products:
SY Dynamics Launches New High - Performance Humanoid Robot, Starting at $9998
36Kr learned that according to SY Dynamics, SY Dynamics has launched the industry's first high - performance humanoid robot priced under 10,000 yuan - Bumi Xiaobumi, with a starting price of 9998 yuan.
Nvidia's Rival Axelira Launches Europa Chip
It is reported that Axelira, a rival of Nvidia, has launched the Europa chip to challenge the AI chip giant.
Investment and Financing:
BlackRock Invests $3 Billion in Meta's $27 Billion Private Placement Bonds for US Data Centers
It is reported that BlackRock has become one of the largest investors in the $27 billion private placement bond financing that Meta Platforms needs for the construction of a data center in Louisiana. People familiar with the matter revealed that BlackRock bought more than $3 billion worth of bonds last week to finance the data center project named "Hyperion".
Today's Views:
EU Study: Artificial Intelligence Is Not a Reliable News Source
Nowadays, more and more people use artificial intelligence assistants to obtain news. However, a study released by the European Broadcasting Union on the 22nd shows that when asked about news events, about half of the answers given by the currently widely used artificial intelligence assistants in Europe and the United States are incorrect. Researchers remind the public that at this stage, artificial intelligence assistants are not a reliable channel for obtaining news and urge relevant artificial intelligence companies to take corresponding responsibilities for improvement.
Other Noteworthy News:
Pork Prices Have Dropped for 10 Consecutive Weeks, Mid - October May Be the Lowest Point of the Year
According to the monitoring of the "National Agricultural Products Wholesale Market Price Information System" of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, since August, the average wholesale price of pork has dropped for ten consecutive weeks. Zhu Zengyong, a researcher at the Institute of Animal Science of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that the continuous decline in pork prices is due to the increase in supply. At the end of August and the beginning of September this year, due to the increase in previous supply, pork prices did not rise as expected, causing panic selling among farmers. After the National Day holiday, with the decline in seasonal consumption demand, pork prices continued to fall. As for how long the pork prices will continue to fall, he said that the pork prices in mid - October may already be the lowest point of the year.
Trump Says He Expects to Reach a Trade Agreement with China, Foreign Ministry Responds
On October 22, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun presided over a regular press conference. A reporter from Agence France - Presse asked that US President Trump said that he expects China and the US to reach an agreement on trade issues at the APEC Summit next week, and he also said that the two heads of state may not meet. What's China's comment on this? Guo Jiakun said that leader - level diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic leading role in China - US relations, and the two heads of state of China and the US maintain close exchanges and communication. "I currently have no information to provide regarding the specific question you mentioned," Guo Jiakun said.
36Kr learned that Shenzhen has launched an action plan for promoting the high - quality development of mergers and acquisitions (2025 - 2027). It aims to comprehensively improve the quality of listed companies in the jurisdiction by the end of 2027, with the total market value of domestic and overseas - listed companies exceeding 20 trillion yuan, and cultivate 20 companies with a market value of over 100 billion yuan. The mergers and acquisitions market will see an increase in both quantity and quality, with more than 200 merger projects completed and a total transaction volume of over 100 billion yuan, and a number of industry demonstration cases will be implemented. It will accelerate the construction of a mergers and acquisitions fund matrix, cultivate and attract excellent mergers and acquisitions fund managers, drive social capital to form a trillion - level "20 + 8" industrial fund group, drive coordinated mergers and acquisitions in key industrial chains, and build a complete industrial chain mergers and acquisitions ecosystem.