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Video games have fired their number of users, and come from an unsuspected place: television series

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The video game adaptations have long left behind the “impossible” sambenito. Criticism and public successes such as recent television series’The Last of Us‘ either ‘Fallout‘They have proven that the episodic format fits especially well with the long plot developments of the games and with their very wide characters. But there is more: a recent study shows that not only those series are successful because they attract the players. The flow also works in reverse. More spectators. According to A recent study by Ampere Analysisscreen adaptations drive the growth of the number of players by 140% on average. Among these adaptations, the average increase achieved by television series is up to 203%, much higher than films (48%). Among the former we can find such outstanding series as’Arcane‘,’ The Last of Us ‘,’The Witcher‘,’ Fallout ‘,’ Knuckles’, ‘Cyberpunk: Edgerunners‘,’ Conserje Pokémon ‘or’ Halo ‘. Among the movies, ‘A Minecraft movie‘,’Sonic The Hedgehog‘,’Super Mario Bros. the film‘,’Uncharted‘,’ Mortal Kombat ‘or’ Detective Pikachu ‘. To the bunker. For example, the premiere of the “Fallout” series in Prime Video in April 2024 caused a 490% increase in monthly active users (UAM) playing the franchise: 80% of the 14 million active players were new. In contrast, additional content launches for ‘Fallout 76’ previously achieved only 17% increase in UAM. It is a phenomenon that had already been detected since the same premiere of the series, when the 2015 Búnkeres construction and management game ‘Fallout Shelter’ received an unusual impulse Almost a decade after birth, going from giving benefits of about $ 20,000 a day to enter $ 80,000 a day, thus increasing their benefits by 232%. The last ones will be the first. There is a more particular case, because it adapts a narrative game, closed, without online and that had been acclaimed by criticism and public a few years before, calling the attention of non -hardcore public, that is, that the middle fan had more than known. ‘The Last of Us “experienced a 150% rise in its players base: an absolutely spectacular figure if we take into account that the series does not” complement “or expands what is seen in the games, but tells it again. Without a doubt, it is a different phenomenon from that of ‘Fallout’: the excellent invoice of HBO production, much more mainstream That the prime video, it caught the attention of non-players. To compare: the relaunch of “The Last of Us Part II” for PS5 only made the monthly players in 70%. And in cinemas, ‘Minecraft’. This is one of the greatest recent box office successes, and here there has been a clear feedback: the commented Tumults in cinemas They are due to the preteen enthusiasm of the ‘Minecraft’ players, but the current was also in the reverse direction: the premiere in April 2025 produced a growth of 30% of users of the game. Of all of them, 54% of the new players were people who had abandoned the games previously, that is, the film reactivated their interest in the game. Some reasons. They are diverse (although we like to continue putting in the same sack to ‘Arcane’ already ‘Street Fighter’, these are adaptations for generations of completely different spectators), but the Massive television accessibility. This allows those who do not play videogames to know their emblematic stories without having to overcome the “input barrier” that sometimes lifts the technology, already later encouraged to enter them on their own. In any case, it seems that we are living a golden era for this type of series and films: fidelity to the originals achieved with films such as ‘Super Mario Bros.’ or ‘Sonic’ was unthinkable a few years ago. The change in the interests of the public causes these products to cease to be niche, or rather, that they no longer have the need to soften the elements of the original video game to become massive products. Viodeojuegos are already an entertainment mainstream and its adaptations catapult that audience. Header | HBO Max In Xataka | Umbrella to the end of the zombie world: all ‘resident evil’ films worse to better

A sliding butterfly has become the animal with the highest number of chromosomes than we have news: 229 pairs

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It is likely that at school they will teach us that the human being has, as a general rule, 23 pairs of chromosomes. We know that there are complex organisms, such as animals, that survive with Just a couple of chromosomeslike species ants Myrmecia Pilosula. The question is then what are the species with the highest number of chromosomes. A new record. A recent study has pointed out To a kind of butterfly, the so -called Atlas girl (Atlantic polyommatus), As the animal with the greatest number of chromosomes known: 229 pairs. The number is even more striking if we consider that many of the species closest to this in the taxonomic tree have 23 or 24 pairs. The Atlas girl. The Atlas girl is an elusive butterfly that inhabits the Northwest Cordillera of Africa, extending their habitat in parts of Morocco and Algeria. We had knew That this animal had a high number of chromosomes, but the new study of the animal’s genome opens the doors to have a precise measure of the number, at the same time that also allows us to know more about why this surprising figure. “I have been investigating this butterfly for many years and I am one of the few people who have been able to observe it in nature. Unfortunately, P. Atlantic is seriously threatened by the destruction of their habitat. Explain to Sinc Roger Vila, co -author of the study. Investigating the chromosome. The strange future of this butterfly genome began about three million years ago, Explain the responsible team of sequencing this genome. And everything would have begun with 24 chromosomes, a number similar to that of other species in his family. The analysis allowed to discover that the chromosomes of the Atlas girl had been fragmenting in the areas where DNA accumulated with less density. This, the equipment adds, implies that, despite the growth of the number of chromosomes, the genetic information contained in them did not grow proportionally. Three million years of fragmentation. The team observed that all chromosomes except sexual experienced this fragmentation, carrying the total number of cormosomes from 24 to 229 throughout the last three million years. A “relatively short” interval of time in evolutionary terms, highlights the team responsible for the study. The details of the study have been published In an article In the magazine Current Biology. Evolutionary advantage? The study raises new unknowns, admits the team. An example is to know to what extent the fragmentation of chromosomes or having an abundant number of these, can help or harm the species that travel this evolutionary path. More than counting chromosomes. Beyond establishing this “new record”, the study can help us better understand the evolutionary and genetic history of this and other species. Knowing this evolutionary past can also give us clues about the future of this evolution, the team maintains. We could, for example, better understand how species can respond to changes in their environment, such as the increase in the temperature we are observing in some regions of the globe. Chromosomatic changes also occur at the non-evolutive level, for example in some cancer cells. That is why knowing the fragmentation mechanisms of chromosomes It can help us to investigate the changes when they happen in medical contexts. In Xataka | The case of the wounded fox who returns to his caregivers is not so strange: how closely we are domesticating the fox? Image | Roger Vila

The misuse of agricultural machinery is behind a surprising number of events

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We are in full heat wave and extreme precautions. Reminders we do not lack and one of the last ones has given the Agrarian Association Young Farmers (ASAJA), for a good reason: the danger that these days supposes The misuse of agricultural machinery. 131 fires. The use of machinery and engines, especially in the agricultural context, has been triggered 131 forest fires in Castilla y León so far this year. Are ASAJA datathat cite a letter from the General Director of Natural Heritage and Forest Politics, José Ángel Arranz, in which the increase in forest fires of agricultural origin was alerted. This implies, Asaja points out, an increase of 37.9% compared to the average of the last five years: 95 fires. In a statement, Asaja details that these fires would have burned 750.57 agricultural hectares and 52.53 hectares of forest soil. The Administration indicated that 17 causes of fire by harvesting had been identified, but that the investigation continues in other cases. One third. According to data of the Ministry of Environment, Housing and Planning of the Territory of the Board of Castilla y León, this year (on July 30, the latest data we have) have occurred in the Autonomous Community 391 fires, most of them, 313, conatos (fires in which the burned surface is of a hectare or less). This implies that around a third of the fires produced in the Castilian-Leon territory would have their origin in this type of machinery. The 17 fires caused by harvesting would represent more than 4% of the total. A double risk. This type of fire has a double impact on the agricultural sector. First, when producing in agricultural farms, these fires disproportionately affect the field, putting at risk not only harvests and facilities, but also the workers themselves. In second place, Asaja remembers that to the risk of fires must add the sanctions, which can take different, administrative or criminal. The fact that the event is accidental and even complying with the regulations does not exempt from civil liability derived from the fire caused. The last alert of the Board. In this context, the Junta de Castilla y León has made a special appeal To the citizens to extreme caution. It also published a resolution of the General Directorate of Natural Heritage and Forest Politics in which certain actions are prohibited. Among them “the use of machinery that, in its usual functioning, dismisses sparks or electrical discharges such as torch, welders and radials, both in the mountain and in a strip of 400 meters of the terrain that surrounds it.” The resolution also prohibits lighting fire in open spaces in the mountain, as well as in recreational and camping areas, “even in areas enabled for it”; also the use of barbecues located in open spaces of the mount or nearby areas; and suspend events such as fireworks, other elements of pyrotechnics, and in general, the use of fire in activities. In Xataka | Turning Portugal into eucalyptus monoculture was a disaster. And the last fires do nothing but remind us Image | Asaja Castilla y León

China is at the gates of overcoming Taiwan in number of chips produced. Sounds very intimidating but it is not so much

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China will surpass Taiwan in 2030 in the production capacity of semiconductors. This is indicated by a recent Yole Group report that highlights how the efforts of the Asian giant will soon be rewarded. At least in the quantity section. Not so much in quality. Chinese-Taiwan tension. China has one especially delicate relationship With Taiwan, and that shows in the chips race. TSMC is the jewel of the Taiwanese crownabsolute protagonist in the semiconductor sector. No one produces more and better chips, and the restrictions that affect the People’s Republic of China (China) do not affect the Chinese Republic (Taiwan). China, however, has been investing in its own continental companies and manufacturing plants (“Foundries”), and that is giving results. The data. According to this study, the production capacity of semiconductors in continental China plants will represent 30% of the world total quota before the decade ends, when in 2024 it was 21%. Taiwan currently is the market leader with a 23%share, while China is already second with the aforementioned 21%. Behind are South Korea (19%), Japan (13%) and the US (10%). Big Fund. Beijing put years ago its plan to be a “complete nation” in the field of semicoductors. This is: not depending on anyone. To do this, he created the so -called Investment Fund of the Integrated Circuit Industry of China, popularly known as the “great background” or “Big Fund”. The economic support of this body has allowed SMIC and Hua Hong Semiconductor – two of the main manufacturers of Chinese semiconductors – to flourish especially. Chinese manufacturers evolve. The domestic plants of continental China have been growing in relevance, and They have invested significantly in expansions that allow working in chips for sectors such as automotive or generative artificial intelligence. All this makes the panorama for semiconductors in China improve, but only in a section. Good for quantity, bad for “quality”. The problem of these semiconductor plants is that they use less advanced photolithographs ranging from 8 to 45 Nm. Although these types of chips remain perfectly valid for industries such as automotive, IoT devices or appliances, they are not for advanced AI chips, which are in which TSMC dominates. The great Chinese promise, in trouble. SMIC, the main Chinese semiconductor manufacturer, has been trying to make the leap to a 5 Nm photolithographic node, but this technology He is choking. In fact, his 7 nm node already had Notable problems In performance per wafer, and failing to take that step is for the moment a negative note in that remarkable advance in production rhythms. And while his rivals for all. TSMC and Samsung have already overcome that photolithographic node and are going at full speed to start the mass production of 2 nm chips. It is expected that TSMC achieves it this year and that Samsung does it in 2026. Taiwan in fact is Testing your lithography A14 (1.4 Nm), which will enter large -scale production in 2028. Image | Xataka with chatgpt In Xataka | ASML’s new lithography team divides chips manufacturers. TSMC considers not using it until 2030

Robots will overcome their human employees in number

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In some of Amazon’s most advanced logistics centers, robots are no longer an aid: they are a majority. They move tirelessly, raise shelves, scan packages and feed a huge distribution network. Automation is ceasing to be a promise to become a reality that can mark the rhythm of the entire sector. Amazon has already deployed more than one million robots in its logistics centers. Company itself sayswhich has been automating many tasks before people. That figure is not only the highest recorded so far, it also reflects to what extent automation has ceased to be marginal to become a key piece of the system. According to data collected by Red Stag FulfillmentAmazon had some 2025 with some 1.56 million employees globally. Of that total, approximately 1.1 million worked in the United States. If we compare both figures, the number of robots begins to approach that of human workers. It all started more than a decade ago In 2012, Amazon paid 775 million dollars By Kiva Systems, a company that was then dedicated to manufacturing mobile robots to move shelves in stores. It was an unexpected operation, but full of intention: it was not just a technological acquisition, it was a declaration of principles. Amazon not only bought technology, bought control of its future automation. Since then, the strategy was clear. Amazon began to integrate Kiva technology into its logistics centers. What was once a specialized startup in material management became the heart of a Silent transformation that has redefined how millions of orders are processed per day. At first, Kiva robots They were limited to transportr shelves with products without packing. It was a very concrete solution, designed to eliminate physically demanding and repetitive tasks. But over the years, the role of robotics was expanding. Today, robots not only move things: package, classify, raise weights, organize loads and optimize routes inside the warehouse without rest. In some centers, more than 70 robotic arms classify millions of items, fill paper bags, close cast cars and They collaborate directly to human staff. “Kiva’s purchase marked the beginning of our robotic trip,” Amazon explained. “But it was just the beginning.” And what came later shows it. Amazon has not only multiplied the number of robots in their stores. It has also diversified its catalog to form an ecosystem of specialized machines, each with very specific functions and a degree of autonomy that continues to grow. One of the most advanced systems is Sequoiaa platform that uses artificial intelligence for Manage inventory much faster. They ensure that it allows identifying and storing products 75% faster than traditional systems. It does so by displacing the items directly to storage areas or to operators located in positions designed to avoid injuries, always at the right height: between the chest and the thighs. Other mobile units work next to him Like Hercules and Titan. Both are responsible for moving complete shelves – the famous pods – to work stations. Titan, more robust, is prepared to transport more bulky and heavy objects, such as small appliances or product pallets. Both models navigate autonomously by marked soils with codes, avoid obstacles and adjust their movement in real time. In more specific tasks it appears Vulcanthe first Amazon robot With “sense of touch”. It is able to detect how much force applies to grab an object and when it has made contact, which allows you to manipulate fragile or poorly placed items without damaging them. It works especially at the highest and lowest levels of the shelves. The chain continues with Sparrowa robotic arm that identifies products, grabs them and places them in the right container thanks to computer vision and automatic learning. Then involvement systems of the packaging intervene, which provide custom paper bags for each order using sensors and thermal sealed. Robin and Cardinal are robotic arms that collect packages, detect damage and place them in cars, even when weigh up to 23 kilos. Then Proteus comes into play, the first Amazon autonomous robot, which circulates freely through the warehouse and carries those cars to the exit zone without human help. In all this deployment, there is a category of machines that continues to generate special interest: humanoid robots. What role do they have? Are they starting to integrate into logistics centers? The answer, for now, is nuanced. Amazon has begun to try them, but their presence is limited and their very specific functions. In 2023, The company announced the start of tests With Digit, a bipedo robot developed by Agility Roboticsa company in which Amazon invested through its Industrial Innovation Fund. Digit measures 1.75 meters, can transport loads of up to 16 kilos. His first task has been to help in the recycling of totes, the empty boxes that are constantly transported once their content is processed. Images | Amazon (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) In Xataka | AI as chatgpt is possible thanks to the indiscriminate use of online content. Cloudflare just said that it is over

If you ask the IAS to choose a number between 1 and 50, they usually choose 27. The reason is very human

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You may want to do the test. Go to Chatgptto Gemini to Claude OA Perplexityand see everyone asking to choose a number between 1 and 50. It is not certain that everyone does it, but there is a high probability that The chosen number is 27. What is happening? Andrej Karpathy asked it months ago, one of the best experts in AI in the world. Actually his initial perception was that “All LLM sound the same“That is, everyone speaks surprisingly and also answers very similarly. Chatbots usually give similar answers in their formulation to our questions if they are factual. That is, if they are based on verifiable facts, such as “what is Rafa Nadal’s age?” The funny thing is that in many cases give the same answer when what we ask is much farther. For example, that they choose a number between 1 and 50. You ask several chatbots, and everyone chooses on 27. What happens here? Karpathy himself I recovered that question A few hours ago with a discovery I had seen In Reddit: Those who had done the test proved that most chatbots answered the same thing: 27. In The answer to his comment in x Many users “Although not all— They showed captures either Shared conversations of different chatbots that had precisely answered with that same number. Coincidence or problem of the IAS? The condemnation of human biases Because? In one of the responses of the chatbots who answered the user, he just asked that to AI. This answered that he had chosen that number because he avoids the ends, because it is beautiful mathematically (the cube of three), and 27 “Give the feeling of being random but human”. And there is one of the keys: the IAS try to answer in a similar way as a human would. An entrepreneur named Chester Zelaya precisely elaborated a theory curious about this phenomenon. For him the models used games theory and try to “win” to guess the number. For this they adopt a binary search strategy that allows building A binary tree. And in the game of guessing that number between 1 and 50, 27 is a starting number that according to him is especially adequate (although not the only one). However, another way of explaining that AI frequently chooses 27. AI models have been trained by humans with human data, and therefore they are full of biases included in these data and used voluntarily or involuntarily by those people. The “7” is an especially frequent number on its own or as a termination, and As explained Another user called Yogi, that human bias is everywhere. “That is why when you ask multiple LLM to choose a” randomly “number, they all respond with confidence 27. Not because it is random, but because it is predictably popular.” Almost 7,000 people chose a number between 1 and 100 in an experiment. And many chose 69, and then 7 and 77. Source: Reddit It is also a very reasonable theory. An experiment carried out years ago on social networks asked people to choose a number between 1 and 100. Of the 6,750 people who responded conclusion was reached that the number that had been chosen most was —Us— on 69. And after him, 7 and 77 were also especially frequent. There are, as always, exceptions to the rule. In my tests I have been able to verify how almost all chatbots chose number 27, but there were one that did not. The same thing happened to many X uuarios, who found that when they asked Grok, the number chosen It was 42. Very appropriate. Image | Xataka with chatgpt In Xataka | The old dream of “resuscitating” your deceased relative is realizing thanks to AI. And there is a whole business behind

An island wants to unite Spain and be the autonomous community number 18. The problem is that it belongs to the USA

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It We count A while ago, in front to secessionismboth in Europe and in other continents we find the face of the other currency: movements that what they are looking for is the union against separation. One of them has sounded again these days. Actually, It is not newbut it always gives speaking in the case of a territory Very particular from the United States … and want to be part of Spain. Union is strength. As we said, this Another face of the currency travels shared historical and historical narratives, from the desire of the Moldavos to return to the body of a Romania with which They share languageculture and past, even, as we will see, in the echoes of Imperial nostalgia of some Puerto Ricans who, in a gesture as unusual as revealing, imagine their future not in the 51st star of the American flag, but as an autonomous community number 18 from Spain. Examples There are moresince Tyrol del Sur has revived in the past old belongings Habsburg-Germanic when dreaming of a Reintegration in Austriawhile The “Great Albania” Ethnic-national ghosts were revived yet lit In the Balkans. He Iberismmore lyrical than political, evoked the peninsular union between Spain and Portugal, sustained more by nostalgic intellectuals than by movements with real citizen traction. In parallel, The “Great Hungary” He kept beating on the margins of Magaria nationalism, especially among the Hungarians who were out of the borders after the TRIANON TREATYand in Valonia, a small game dreams of return to France a strip of the old Napoleonic space. The same end. All these movements, although of little practical viability, reveal that identities not only fragment: sometimes too They seek to reconstituteas if the map of Europe, far from stabilizing, was still an unfinished canvas where some villages aspire to join beyond the borders they have to live. Let’s put as an example the Puerto Rico case. A historical link. Among the embers of a Empire that dissolved More than a century ago, there are still territories and movements that, by conviction or nostalgia, aspire to restore the political ties that one day united them to the Spanish crown. This is the case of Puerto Rico, an archipelago that for more than 400 years was an integral part of the Spanish empire and that, after the effects of the Spanish-American war in 1898, was ceded to the United States. Since then, the island has lived in an ambiguous legal status as Associated free state: It is not an independent nation, but neither a sovereign state within the American Federation. In that institutional limbo the MOVEMENT AWARD MEASURESa group that proposes, in a serious although controversial, that Puerto Rico returns to Spain and becomes its autonomous community number eighteen. In other words, the initiative seeks to activate historical, sentimental and legal springs to reverse the course taken more than a century ago, challenging both the structure of the Spanish State and the constitutional rigidity of the United States. Legal obstacles. Obviously it is not so simple. In fact, the legal reality is relentless against the aspirations of the movement. The United States Constitution prohibits any form of territorial secession that is not mediated by Congress, which annuls the possibility of Puerto Rico abandoning its link with Washington without a highly unlikely legal process. On the other hand, Spain lacks a mechanism in its order that contemplates the Incorporation of a territory foreign as a new autonomous community. Although activists They denounce a blackout Informative that prevents the dissemination of their message within Puerto Rico, they claim to have the 16.3% support of the population (figure not verified by independent studies). There is no game. In addition, and very important, being constituted as a cultural association and not as a political party (a limitation imposed by US legislation on entities with proposals incompatible with their federal system) cannot attend elections or develop institutional political activity. All this gives the movement a more symbolic than pragmatic, more provocative than realizable. Background questions. Be that as it may, and despite the obvious limitations, AWAY MEETING Open a peculiar window on the perception of identity in Puerto Rico. In a territory where there is no Right to vote By the president of the United States, where American citizenship is granted without full representation and where Spanish remains the maternal language of the majority, there are sectors that feel culturally closer to Hispanic Europe than to the Anglo -Saxon universe. The phenomenon, although minority, Old debates revives On decolonization, self -determination and belonging, not only from a legal perspective, but also from an emotional, historical and linguistic. Image | Pexels In Xataka | The ghost of secessionism travels Europe In Xataka | A Caribbean island causes a new exodus of millionaires: Puerto Rico

The number of smartphones produced by each technological company in the world, illustrated in this graphic

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The world of technology is fierce. Although in almost all segments we have several brands in Liza, it is one or two that lead. We see it on video games with Nintendo and PlayStationin Nvidia graphics cards or on televisions with Samsung and LG. In the world of mobiles it is not different and, although there are multitude of brandsthose that are distributed by the cake are Apple and Samsung. It is something that It was not always like thatand in this graph prepared by Visual Capitalist We can see the evolution of mobiles produced by the different manufacturers in the last decade, as well as those that survived and those that remained on the road. Dance of two. Although the graph, which reflects the data of Trendforceleave out Many Chinese giantswhat is clear is that the global market is dominated by two players: Apple and Samsung. It is estimated that, between the two, more than 40% of the world smartphones market dominated, highlighting Apple in Income and Samsung in total market volume, and in the Visual Capitalist graph, what we see is not the total market, but the evolution of the units produced by the selected brands. That is the reason why we do not see others like Xiaomi or a huawei that now sells, above all, in China, but for a while He played the reign to Apple and Samsung. Apple Samsung 2015 215.3 million 321.5 million 2016 225.5 million 309 million 2017 225 million 312 million 2018 200.5 million 292.6 million 2019 190.4 million 287.5 million 2020 214.6 million 276 million 2021 239 million 272.8 million 2022 225 million 245.4 million 2023 222.4 million 227.55 million 2024 222.5 million 225.8 million The ones we lost. But, although the graph is not complete, it is interesting for a reason: it allows us to see the evolution of many historical brands outside the two largest today. Thus, we can see how Nokia in 2015, already low Microsoft’s mantle, It was small compared to what it wasbut he kept planting. The same with Sony and, to a lesser extent, Asus and HTC. Nokia and Sony are still there, although with a volume very far away they handled, but the biggest batacazo without counting a Blackberry which was lost in 2018 was LG. The South Korean occupied a privilege position until it vanished in 2021, when they decided abandon completely The smartphones business. Google Sony Nokia LG 2015 – 29.5 million 30 million 66.5 million 2016 450,000 16.4 million 15 million 74.7 million 2017 3.65 million 13.5 million 14.8 million 56.1 million 2018 4.55 million 6.95 million 14.3 million 39.3 million 2019 4.75 million 4.2 million 9.5 million 33 million 2020 4.05 million 2.85 million 6.7 million 30.2 million 2021 6.45 million 2.7 million 3.3 million 3 million 2022 8 million 2.6 million 3.1 million – 2023 10.3 million 2.8 million 780,000 – 2024 10.5 million 2.45 million 160,000 – Google. It seemed that Asus was going to have his time, especially in a few years in which they innovated with their Reversible Chamber Systems – The Zenfone Flip– And some phones like the Zenfone 10 that bet on gross power in a contained size when The rest of the market was going to huge diagonalsbut the adventure did not curdle. Like that of a Sony converted into a niche brand with its Ultrapanoramic screens and powerful recording and editing tools, but that produces fewer units. In the graph we can see a very different story, that of Google. The company has been supporting others such as Samsung, HTC or Asus since 2010 to create His Nexusbut in 2016 they made the leap to their own mobiles with the Google Pixel. That first Pixel was revolutionary in the Android market and, although they have not opted for power, they have been consistent when creating mobile phones with very Good camera systems and one Applied to photography. They have also relied to being the entrance door to New Android versions of each yearand in the graph we can see how they go from having a marginal position to be one with increasing presence. Also in advertising, with series such as Last season of ‘You’ In Netflix in which the characters use brand devices. And the Chinese? They are the great absent of this comparison. Taking data from 2023, Xiaomi shipment about 146.1 million smartphones worldwide, which represented a slight annual decrease in global computing, but a light Growth in a premium segment in which they want to strengthen. Oppo (including Realme and OnePlus) sent about 100 million units and from Huawei there are no data, but after years of sanctionsin 2023 and 2024 They returned strongly to the Chinese market. In fact, although the figures say that the iPhone 15 It was the best -selling mobile of 2024 and Samsung also appears well stopped on the list, last year The great victory went to Chinawith its main brands rising in a spectacular way. And you have to wait for 2026 to see the full photo of 2024. In Xataka | The long goodbye of Huawei in Spain: of strategic partner to Technology Non Grata

The Benidorm of North Korea is about to open. Your problem is how to fill the crazy number of rooms

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In October 2024 confirmed the plan that had Pyonyang in hands. Benidorm is only one, but if tourism has become the Economic engine Of so many nations, they did not want to stay in the saga. Thus, North Korea announced that the ambitious project to turn Wonsan into a kind of Benidorm to the Korean There was a stern wind. The idea is now about to become a reality, it is called Wonsan-Kalma, and the number of rooms has gone hand in hand. An unparalleled resort. As we have gone countingKim Jong’s ambitious tourism project on the Kalma Peninsula, on the east coast of North Korea, seeks to position itself as one of the world’s greatest holiday complexes. A fact exposes the intentions: it has an estimated capacity between 7,000 and 20,000 rooms. Conceived as a tourist city from scratch, the resort Wonsan Kalma is described by analysts as the most huge tourism project ever driven by the regime. Announced Back in 2014the complex suffered multiple delays attributable to international sanctions and then at the closure of borders during the pandemic. However, its opening is already planned for June, and the regime has rehearsed a shy reopening to international tourism, although the economic viability of the resort remains deeply uncertain. Tourism as a strategy. Kim conceives the resort not only as a source of income in foreign currency, but as showcase of power and the modernity of your regime. However, the attractiveness of the enclave is in question: experts like Bruce W. Bennett and Marcus Noland They explained this week The doubts that foreign visitors attract in sufficient quantity to justify their huge investment. The logical basis of the project, which presumably aspired to capture South Korean tourists for its proximity and purchasing power, collides with the diplomatic impossibility of allowing them to enter. Meanwhile, and as We explain weeks agoRussian agencies have begun Offer tour packets for Citizens of Vladivostokbut even there the enthusiasm is doubtful. Russian travelers, According to the operators themselvesThey continue to prefer traditional destinations such as Thailand or Dubai. Oasis restricted to internal consumption. Thus, another plausible strategy of the regime would be to take advantage of the resort as an internal control and reward mechanism. They counted in Insider that the facilities could be used as an incentive for loyal citizens or exemplary workers, and the complex is designed with areas reserved for presidential delegations and suites. The problem? As Bennett points outaccess will be rigorously segregated, mainly to prevent North Korean citizens from entering foreign visitors. This structure reinforces the propaganda nature of the resort that, a priori, would serve more as a political showcase than as a real tourism center (something similar To “little manhattan” They raised recently). Structural limitations. Despite the monumental effort, the project drags many of the endemic problems of the regime. The Lack of experience North Korean in the hotel industry and the rigid state censorship are important obstacles to offer a credible tourist experience. In addition, recent history of the Ryugyong Hotel (That unfinished skyscraper for decades and symbol of North Korean failed excess) remains a latent warning. Plus: Kim’s fear of the free flow of information is incompatible with the logic of contemporary tourism. Therefore, although it is seen of modernity and luxury, it is likely to end up being Another monumental decorationwithout sufficient and useful tourists only as a propaganda tool. There is several examples similar A “diplomatic” letter. If you want, in parallel, the complex can be seen as a piece on the diplomatic board. In 2018, Trump had suggested Kim towill help your “big beaches” For economic development, and it is not ruled out that the resort is used precisely as a symbolic gesture in future negotiations, especially if Pyongyang seeks recognition as a nuclear power. Remember that the nation already has made “resort” For Russian soldiers. In that context, Kalma can always fluctuate, like promise or threat: It can be used to show openness or reinforce the cult of the leader. If so, Kim Jong Un, determined to differentiate himself from his predecessors, could see in “his Benidorm” not only a tourist destination, but a political statement to the world. Image | Diego Delso, Clay Gilliland In Xataka | Kalma is the first real effort of North Korea to become a holiday place. For now only for Russians In Xataka | North Korea has revealed a small manhattan of 10,000 apartments. The problem is what is behind the facade

The magic number that puts Mercadona very much ahead of its competition and that has a hidden cost

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Mercadona has achieved something that seemed impossible in the saturated food distribution sector: A net margin of 3.88% in 2024. Well above not only Spanish or European rivals, but even world giants such as Costco (2.95%), Walmart (2.88%) or Tesco (2.87%). The figure, a trifle compared to other sectors, is stratospheric if we compare it with rivals such as Carrefour, with just 0.93%. Others, such as Dia, Casino or Auchan directly record losses. The supermarket business Historically operates with megic margins (1-2%) compensated for its high volume and cash flow. Mercadona, touching 4%, It is an anomaly. And he has achieved it mainly in the last five years, in which it has gone from 2.7% of 2019 to 3.88% of 2024. In addition, its net benefit has shot 37%, to 1,384 million euros. The 6 keys to unprecedented profitability “Total Efficiency” Model. The figures obey a polished strategy for decades. Juan Roig described the results of 2024 as “from ‘very good’ to ‘spectacular’” during his presentation at the central offices in Paterna. He attributed them to “the good progress of the economy, a great business model and brave decision making,” according to Castellón Plaza. One of Mercadona’s distinctive elements is its commitment to an “efficient assortment.” In other words: a short catalog. Other chains offer between 15,000 and 20,000 references, Mercadona has a rather lower number, prioritizing high -rotation products. It is one of the points that highlights the analysis of Food retaila strategy that “allows you to be more efficient, reach economies of scale and boost the quality of your own brand, all this while offering low prices.” That goes in the next point … Own brand domain. The weight of the distributor brand in Mercadona is overwhelming: its landowner brands, green or deliplus forest represent 58.2% of its sales, according to data from Actuality distribution About 2018. The chain then controlled approximately 44%of the total Spanish market of white brands, far ahead of competitors such as day (16%) or Lidl (11%). This strategy eliminates marketing costs and intermediaries associated with commercial brands. And allows you to set competitive prices without sacrificing margin. Mercadona has constantly invested in improving the quality of these products, developing them together with specialized suppliers to match or overcome the quality of leading brands. A unique relationship with suppliers. The Valencian chain has changed the distributor-professional relationship since the late nineties, when Roig promoted the “interproved” model. As it details INFORETAIL MAGAZINEMercadona “selected a manufacturer by category and granted long -term exclusivity to produce its brands”, working in “open book”: the chain knew the costs of the supplier and jointly set objectives of productivity improvement. Although this model has evolved since 2018 to a broader base of 1,400 “Totaler suppliers“, The philosophy of vertical integration and joint optimization remains. Mercadona negotiates block for all its stores, and that allows you to get conditions that other distributors do not get. The success of this symbiosis is such that, according to The economist“Mercadona suppliers are made of gold”, with growth of more than 10% in their sales during the last year. Logistics and automation. Mercadona operates one of the most sophisticated logistics networks in Europe, with 16 large highly automated blocks that supply their 1,674 supermarkets daily. In 2024, it allocated 276 million euros (26% of its total investment) to strengthen this infrastructure, according to Digital economy. The company has implemented advanced technologies such as the system Figa bridge picking (PPG) In its fresh warehouses, which speeds up the preparation of orders: it allows you to carry fresh products from the field to the store in 24 hours. Less losses and better perceived quality. This obsession with efficiency has raised productivity per employee at 313,545 euros per year, the highest in the sector. Almost null expense and marketing control. Unlike other chains with a lotHere is an example in this house) and not so much to announce products. Trust more on the mouth-a-or and the repetition of purchase. This savings in marketing, which for competitors can mean 1-2% of sales, is direct to the net margin. The company also maintains a relatively simple directive structure. In 2024, he even reduced his management committee to only six members, in front of the sixteen he came to have, according to reports Castellón Plaza. The six members of the Management Committee with Juan Roig in the presentation of results of exercise 2024. That committee came to have sixteen members. Image: Mercadona. No promotions or discounts. Mercadona has no loyalty program, points, coupons or specific discounts. Instead, opt for stable and competitive prices throughout the year. He no longer entrusts his motto ‘Always low prices‘which started at the end of the nineties, and in fact He has explicitly said that it is not his goal to be cheapbut the idea of ​​SPB remains in a certain way: fixed prices instead of specific offers. This saves you promotional marketing costs and constant price changes. In 2024 He reduced 2,000 pricesbut permanently and without this affecting its profitability, according to the company itself. In fact, its gross commercial margin remained stable at 24.7%, confirming that the increase in net profit (37%) compared to sales (9%) is mainly due to internal efficiency improvements, not to make products more expensive. Internationalization problems Mercadona has a 28% market share in Spain and is a baggy leader, but it is having difficulties when leaving other markets. In Portugal he has been for five years but “only” has sixty stores. Although the Portuguese is a market that has begun to give benefits (7 million euros in 2024), Roig has admitted that “it costs a lot” to grow there. As collected The avant -garde“after being forty years in Spain” it is not easy to adapt the model, and international expansion requires “generating managers in the country through internal promotion, which is a long process.” Mercadona has had to adapt its assortment to Portuguese taste and develop a local supplier network. According to Merca2although store sales in Portugal … Read more

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