In May of this year, Apple applied for permission to test 5G in the 28GHz and 39GHz millimeter wave bands. Shortly after Apple applied for the license, Business Insider reported, based on an interview with an analyst, that "Apple is likely building a network at its headquarters to test 5G." It was predicted that the experimental license would involve unidirectional transmission to test signal strength based on the distance from a mobile transmitter to a receiver. The report further stated that 5G for the iPhone would be difficult because the applications Apple uses require the transmitter to be stationary.

Can Fitbit continue to lead the premium market?
TechCrunch reported that the business performance of wearable device company Fitbit is steadily deteriorating. As people who already own premium wearable devices are no longer purchasing watches, Fitbit's global market share has plummeted from 29% to 16%, while the share of Xiaomi's relatively cheaper products has increased from 15% to 17%. Since Fitbit targets the premium market with a price point of around $300, there is a nearly tenfold difference in price when it comes to fitness bands compared to Xiaomi's cheapest product. A relatively good piece of news(?) is that competitor Jawbone has entered a period of silence. When predicting Fitbit's future, it is difficult to determine whether it is right to lower product prices by reducing device costs or to maintain premium prices with top-tier technology.

An application that will revolutionize room service hotel culture Silicon Valley startup aAvGo has launched an application that enables hotel staff and guests to communicate easily using iPads. They have extended the app, which was previously used for sharing tasks among staff, to customers. Guests no longer need to call for room service or visit the front desk from their rooms. They simply need to send a message via iPad saying, "The air conditioner isn't working properly." While there are other hotels that use their own servers, avGo differentiates itself by providing iPads directly to guests and focusing its service on hotels ranging from boutiques to higher-end establishments. aAvGo set a goal to provide services to 500 hotels by 2018.

Microchip implantation has become a reality. Three Square Market (32M), a vending machine company headquartered in Wisconsin, announced plans to provide microchips implanted in the hands of its employees. So far, 50 out of 85 employees have received the implants. With the rice-grain-sized chip implanted, employees can automatically open doors, log into computers, and make purchases in break areas using NFC technology. 32M CEO Todd Westby stated, "Once the technology becomes standardized, chips could replace passports, public transportation, and all purchases." In response, New Atlas noted that "while security and privacy technologies have been developed, they have not been widely adopted and remain a challenge," raising questions about "how much one can trust their boss."