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Want to buy a car on Amazon? Well, now you might get your chance.
The e-commerce giant will launch vehicle sales in the U.S. next year and allow local car dealers to sell directly to customers on its site.
In a joint announcement with car manufacturer Hyundai on Thursday, the two companies said Amazon will begin by offering Hyundai vehicles. In turn, Hyundai will name Amazon’s cloud computing unit AWS as its preferred cloud provider and integrate its next-generation vehicles with Alexa, Amazon’s popular voice assistant.
The idea, according to Amazon, is to have customers purchase a new car online and pick it up – or have it delivered – from their local dealer.
Amazon did not say how many dealers would be participating in the program or if customers across the U.S. would be able to make purchases. An Amazon spokesperson said the company would release more details as it builds the program, which is expected to begin with Hyundai franchised dealers and launch during the later part of next year.
Currently, Amazon sells vehicle equipment online and offers a showroom for consumers who want to research different types of cars they may want to buy. However, consumers can not directly purchase a vehicle on its platform.
In a major reversal, Apple plans to adopt a technological standard next year that will allow text messaging to operate more smoothly between iPhones and Android devices.
The company had pushed back on the standard known as RCS for more than a year, even as Alphabet Inc.’s Google and others pressed Apple to adopt the technology. RCS, short for rich communication services, is an upgrade over standard SMS and MMS texting that’s backed by the GSM Association.
The technology allows more texting features to be shared over phones on different platforms. For instance, Apple users will be able to text Android users over Wi-Fi and not just via cellular networks. They’ll also be able to send larger video and photo files, more easily operate group chats, and determine if messages are received and read. It encrypts messages as well.
Apple has been protective of its iMessage system, which preserves many of those features for users of its devices the iPhone, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad.
“Later next year, we will be adding support for RCS Universal Profile, the standard as currently published by the GSM Association,” Apple said in a statement. “We believe RCS Universal Profile will offer a better interoperability experience when compared to SMS or MMS.”
Thousands of Starbucks baristas went on strike Thursday, claiming the coffee chain refuses to fairly negotiate with their union.
The work stoppage is pegged to the company’s Red Cup Day when Starbucks gives out holiday-themed reusable cups. Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union, said staff at hundreds of cafes are participating. It’s one of several tactics along with outreach to politicians and to students on campuses where Starbucks has contracts that the union has deployed in an effort to make the company change its behavior.
It’s a repeat of last year, when baristas went on strike at 113 cafes on Red Cup Day amid accusations that management was refusing to negotiate.
The union says Thursday’s strike was the largest to date.
Compiled from Associated Press and Bloomberg reports.
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