CATEGORIES

CHINA EXPORTS REBOUND IN APRIL BUT MORE WEAKNESS AHEAD

China’s exports rebounded in April to rise 3.5% over a year earlier, but forecasters warned that strength is unlikely to last as the coronavirus pandemic depresses global consumer demand.

GLOBAL LUXURY GOODS SALES TO SLIDE UP TO 35% - STUDY

The global luxury goods sector is heading for a stunning collapse of up to 35% this year due to coronavirus lockdowns, according to a new study by the Bain consultancy published Thursday.

STAR WARS: TAIKA WAITITI TO DIRECT NEW FILM

Taika Waititi, the New Zealand filmmaker of “Jojo Rabbit” and “Thor: Ragnarok,” will direct a new “Star Wars” film.

TESLA HITS TARGET TO QUALIFY CEO ELON MUSK FOR BIG PAYDAY

Tesla CEO Elon Musk appears to have hit all the milestones he needed to receive a stock award now worth about $730 million, a payday that will further pad the eccentric billionaire’s vast fortune.

EU FORECASTS ‘RECESSION OF HISTORIC PROPORTIONS' THIS YEAR

The European Union predicted “a recession of historic proportions this year” due to the impact of the coronavirus as it released its first official estimates of the damage the pandemic is inflicting on the bloc’s economy.

Airbnb Laying Off 1,900 Employees Due To Travel Decline

Airbnb says it is laying off 25% of its workforce as it confronts a steep decline in global travel due to the new coronavirus pandemic.

Zoom Buys Security Firm Keybase

Zoom Video Communications is buying security firm Keybase in an effort to shore up security for its video meetings.

EUROPEAN VIRUS TRACING APPS HIGHLIGHT BATTLE FOR PRIVACY

Goodbye lockdown, hello smartphone.

THE SECOND VIRUS WAVE: HOW BAD WILL IT BE AS LOCKDOWNS EASE?

From the marbled halls of Italy to the wheat fields of Kansas, health authorities are increasingly warning that the question isn’t whether a second wave of coronavirus infections and deaths will hit, but when — and how badly.

INTEL BUYS MOOVIT APP FOR $900M TO BOOST BET ON ROBOTIC CARS

Intel is buying transportation-planning service Moovit for $900 million as the world’s largest computer chip maker moves further down the road in its effort to build self-driving cars.

COVID-19 Vaccine Hunt Heats Up Globally, Still No Guarantee

Hundreds of people are rolling up their sleeves in countries across the world to be injected with experimental vaccines that might stop COVID-19, spurring hope — maybe unrealistic — that an end to the pandemic may arrive sooner than anticipated.

TikTok: 2 Billion Users & Counting For The World-Dominating App

With consumers cooped up at home amidst the coronavirus crisis, more and more of us are turning to our phones to fill our time and stay in contact with loved ones.

What's Shopping in a Pandemic Like? Drive to your Local Mall

Many Americans are getting their first taste of what pandemic shopping looks like at their local mall.

Billions Projected To Suffer Nearly Unlivable Heat In 2070

In just 50 years, 2 billion to 3.5 billion people, mostly the poor who can’t afford air conditioning, will be living in a climate that historically has been too hot to handle, a new study said.

Apple Announces Virtual WWDC20 Will Kick Off On June 22

Apple has confirmed that its first-ever virtual Worldwide Developers Conference will kick offon June 22, where the firm will show off new versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS and give beta access to developers who create compatible products and software.

China Plans To Complete Space Station By 2022

China plans to send four crewed space missions and the same number of cargo craft to complete work on its permanent space station within about two years, officials said after the launch of a newly designed spacecraft aboard the latest heavy-lift rocket.

They Helped Save Their Co-Founder While Building a Company

Every founder knows that the culture they create can ensure their company’s survival. Rarely, though, does it save an actual life. But that’s exactly what happened at MX, a Lehi, Utah-based fintech company co-founded by Ryan Caldwell and Brandon Dewitt in 2010.

GRAMOPHONE DREAMS

The Linear Tube Audio Z10e

VAC Statement 452 iQ Musicbloc

MONO/STEREO POWER AMPLIFIER

TONE, COMING AND GOING

JIM CAMPILONGO IS A TELECASTER MASTER AND AN AUDIO ENTHUSIAST

PMC fact.8 signature

LOUDSPEAKER

Wolf Audio Systems Alpha 3 SX

MUSIC SERVER

Primare A35.2

POWER AMPLIFIER

Luxury you can (almost, sort of) afford

It may come as no surprise that the two Recommended Components issues we publish every year, in April and October, are Stereophile’s most popular.

GeerFab D.BOB

DIGITAL BREAKOUT BOX

Fyne Audio F301

LOUDSPEAKER

FOLLOW-UP

FOLLOW-UP

NEW THIS WEEK: NETFLIX TEEN ROMANCES, CHESNEY, JOJO ALBUMS

It’s good to see familiar faces and hear familiar voices, and several are returning this week in ways retro and new. JoJo, Kenny Chesney and Offset are among those with new projects out this week, while Indiana Jones will be back fighting Nazis and hating snakes on network TV.

MASKS, TEMPERATURE CHECKS MARK ‘NEW NORMAL' AT RESTAURANTS

With staff wearing masks, checking customers’ temperatures, and using disposable paper placemats, some of the nation’s restaurants reopened for dine-in service Monday as states loosened more coronavirus restrictions. But many eateries remained closed amid safety concerns and community backlash.

DIGITAL-AD DOWNTURN MAY COMPLICATE LIFE FOR GOOGLE, FACEBOOK

Demand for digital advertising is shriveling after a decade of explosive growth amid the pandemic-fueled downturn. That could complicate things for Google and Facebook, who for the first time may have to contend with revenues that are actually shrinking.