Google Pixel 7 preorders are now live. Announced at the Google October event, the new Google Pixel 7 costs $599, whereas the Google Pixel 7 Pro starts at $899. On-shelf availability for both phones starts on October 13. (Be sure to follow our Google Pixel event live blog for the latest updates today).
The Pixel 7 sports a 6.3-inch 90Hz OLED display (2400 x 1080) and Tensor G2 chipset. You also get 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It features a 50MP (f/1.85) main camera lens and 12MP (f/2.2) ultrawide lens. On the front of the phone you get a 10.8MP (f/2.2) lens.
Meanwhile, the Pixel 7 Pro sports a 6.7-inch 120Hz OLED display (3120 x 1440) and Tensor G2 chipset. You also get 12GB of RAM and an additional 48MP (f/3.5) telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom. (The front camera lens remains the same). Unlike the Pixel 7’s 4,355 mAh battery, the Pixel 7 Pro includes a 5,000 mAh battery.
The current-gen Pixels are among the best phones on the market and we expect Google’s new phones to raise the bar even higher. Plus, with Google Pixel 7 preorder deals now live, this could be one of the best smartphone values around. Also, make sure to check out our Pixel Watch preorders page for deals on Google’s first smartwatch.
Vehicles are displayed for sale at an AutoNation car dealership on April 21, 2022 in Valencia, California.
Mario Tama | Getty Images
DETROIT — New cars are slowly becoming more widely available, as supply chain bottlenecks finally start to ease. But now, an increasing number of Americans might not want them or be able to afford them.
With the Federal Reserve aggressively hiking interest rates to fight inflation, consumers are finding that the cost of financing a new car is suddenly a lot higher than it was even earlier this year. That’s expected to cut demand and add new pressure to the auto industry, which had been struggling with depleted inventories during the pandemic.
“The irony for the auto market is that just as the industry is poised to start seeing volumes increase from supply-constrained recession-like low levels, the rapid movement in interest rates is reducing demand,” Cox Automotive Chief Economist Jonathan Smoke wrote in a blog post Wednesday.
At the end of third quarter, Cox Automotive found the new vehicle loan rate was 7%, up 2 percentage points for the year. The loan rate in the used market was up by the same amount, to 11%, according to Cox Automotive.
The higher cost for car financing comes as household budgets are already being squeezed by decades-high inflation. That means many Americans may no longer to be able to afford the new cars that are starting to arrive on dealer lots.
And the cost of financing is expected to keep climbing. Already this year, the Fed has aggressively increased interest loan rates to 3% to 3.25%, and it has indicated it plans to continue hiking rates until the the fed funds rate hits 4.6% in 2023.
Automakers could offset costs with financing deals and discounts, but the latter is something companies have vowed not to return to amid record profits.
Recovering inventory
Automakers had been counting on pent-up consumer demand from the supply chain shortage during the pandemic to persist in the near term. But fleet and commercial sales, which aren’t as profitable, notably increased in the third quarter, indicating that consumer demand may be waning.
That’s even as inventory levels are finally rising from record lows.
Total automotive inventory increased to about 1.43 million units at the end of September, the highest level since May 2021 and up 160,000 units from the end of August, according to BofA Securities.
“We continue to believe that the sales weakness over the past year+ is a function of limited inventory,” analyst John Murphy said in a Wednesday note to investors.
But he also noted that demand could soften based on inflation, weak consumer confidence and the concerns about a recession.
Largely due to the central bank’s actions, Cox recently lowered its new vehicle sales forecast for the year to 13.7 million, down from an already lowered 14.4 million and a level not seen in a decade. At that sales pace, Smoke said lower production and profits could further stress the supply chain, which may lead to bankruptcies and further inventory disruptions.
In the meantime, however, price increases for new vehicle prices have been slowing. Average purchase prices for new cars rose 6.3% in September to a record of more than $45,000, J.D. Power estimates. Earlier in the year, prices had surged at record levels of 17.5% and 14.5%.
Prices keep climbing
To make up for lower sales, automakers have been focusing on producing their most expensive vehicles, which are also their most profitable. That, combined with rising interest rates, is pushing more car shoppers to look at used vehicles.
Edmunds reports the average amount financed for new vehicles hit a record of $41,347 during the third quarter. That’s up from $40,602 during the second quarter and $38,315 a year earlier. The average monthly payment on a new vehicle stayed above $700 during the third quarter. Of those buyers, more than 14% committed to a monthly payment of $1,000 or more for new vehicles — the highest level that Edmunds has ever recorded.
“Inventory can be a bit tenuous, but it feels like maybe it’s going to get better and not necessarily worse, which comes at an interesting time, because now it feels like there may actually be a bit of trouble on the demand because of higher prices, higher interest rates and the questions of whether we’re in a recession or not,” said Jessica Caldwell, executive director of insights at Edmunds.
Cox Automotive economist Charlie Chesbrough said he doesn’t expect new vehicle pricing to ease anytime soon, if ever, as automakers vow to keep leaner inventories to boost profits.
“I don’t know that there’s any return to normal. I think we’re just at a new normal,” he said.
Pricing in the used vehicle industry has been declining, but the interest rate increases could offset that, depending on the terms.
After peaking in January, Cox Automotive’s Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index, which tracks prices of used vehicles sold at its U.S. wholesale auctions, has fallen by 13% through the middle of September. But prices remain elevated from historical levels.
The average price of a financed vehicle is over $31,000, a level closer to new vehicle prices than used cars and trucks, according to Edmunds.
“There just aren’t a lot of good options,” Caldwell said. “Used doesn’t present itself as a good option, really, unless you can find something with a lower interest rate.”
Pixel Watch preorders are now live. The new smartwatch made its long-awaited debut with the Google Pixel 7 and Google Pixel 7 Pro at today’s Google October event.
Although Google has made software for wearables for years, the Pixel Watch will be the search giant’s first smartwatch. Google teased the Pixel Watch at its Google I/O conference last May, but now it’s official. The Pixel Watch will start at $349 for a GPS/Bluetooth model or $399 for an LTE-compatible version. The watches include 3 months of YouTube Music Premium as well as 6 months of Fitbit Premium.
That said, Pixel Watch preorders will face stiff competition from the Apple Watch Series 8 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 5. Nevertheless, we expect to see plenty of Pixel Watch preorder deals now that Google’s event has come to a close. Below we’ve rounded up a few retailers and carriers with early Pixel Watch preorder deals.
Make sure to follow our Google Pixel event live blog to get the latest news on the new Pixels and all Google announcements.
Both of Samsung’s foldable phones are currently matching their best prices ever. Available for $999.99 at launch, the 128GB configuration of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 is currently discounted to $899.99 at Amazon and Samsung — matching its lowest price yet. The unconventional design isn’t for everyone, but the fourth iteration of the Galaxy Z Flip is actually a pretty decent phone with solid battery life that easily compresses into a roughly 3 x 2-inch block that can actually fit in your pocket. The photo capabilities are slightly lacking compared to the Z Fold 4, but the Flip 4 is an excellent choice for something reminiscent of a flip phone. Read our review.
$899.99
When the device is folded, the Flip 4’s outer screen shows at-a-glance information, like notifications and weather widgets. To interact with the phone, you usually need to open it and use the large inner 6.7-inch screen.
If you’re more about living that big phone life, you might want to check out Amazon’s deal on the Galaxy Z Fold 4, lowering the $1,799.99 launch price of the 256GB model to $1,499.99. The 7.6-inch inner display gives you more than enough room for running side-by-side applications or streaming games and movies. When folded, the Z Fold 4 provides a generous 6.2-inch screen for checking notifications or responding to texts. If you’re able to look past its high price tag, the Z Fold 4 is an extremely capable phone that can double as a tablet and makes very few compromises in the process. Read our review.
$1499.99
The Fold 4 is a multitasking powerhouse that can be used tablet-style or as your daily driver smartphone. It’s a gadget person’s gadget with a high price tag to match.
Earlier in the week, we pointed out that Google is clearing out stock of its Pixel 6A phone ahead of its Pixel event tomorrow, but we’ll say it one more time for the people in the back. Amazon, Best Buy, and Target are all discounting the Pixel 6A to $349, knocking $100 off the original price of the excellent midrange phone. Google’s Pixel 6A offers almost everything you might want from a current-gen phone but forgoes features like wireless charging, allowing it to strike a balance between performance and price. The 6A uses the same Tensor chipset as the more expensive models of the Pixel 6 but, overall, makes the right compromises for a phone that’s roughly $100 cheaper than the next best thing. Read our review.
$349
Google’s Pixel 6A comes with a relatively small 6.1-inch OLED screen but is an excellent performer with a good camera and battery life.
Taking a hard left turn into peripherals, you can find the Logitech MX Keys Mini on sale at Lenovo for $69.99 instead of its usual $99.99. While Logitech’s newer MX Mechanical keyboards use mechanical switches, the MX Keys use scissor-type switches that will feel familiar to anyone that’s used an Apple keyboard recently. The MX Keys Mini offers similar functionality to the Apple Magic keyboard but at a lower price point and, in some cases, could be considered better than its Apple counterpart. The MX Keys Mini uses a USB-C connection as opposed to the lightning connection used with the desktop version of the Apple Magic keyboard, and it can easily switch connections between up to three paired Bluetooth devices.
$69.99
Logitech’s compact scissor-switch keyboard can pair with devices either via Bluetooth or 2.4Ghz wireless and features a low-profile design.
Logitech’s excellent MX Master 3 wireless mouse is on sale at Lenovo as well, reducing the price of the $99.99 mouse to just $69.99. Not to be confused with the Master 3S, the standard model has more audible clicks and a 4K DPI optical sensor as opposed to the silent clicks and 8K DPI sensor in Logitech’s newer model. If you’re willing to look past these minor compromises, you’ll find an excellent, productivity-focused mouse. The Master 3 sports a total of seven buttons that can be remapped to different desktop functions and incorporates a second scroll wheel under the thumb, in addition to the electromagnetic scroll wheel between its left and right buttons.
$69.99
The Logitech MX Master 3 Advanced is a Bluetooth wireless laser mouse designed for efficiency. It has seven buttons, an electromagnetic wheel for fast scrolling, and is compatible with Windows and macOS. Dell is offering a $40 digital gift card with the purchase.
Amazon recently revealed a number of next-gen Echo products, but if the new features didn’t grab you, you might want to check out a handful of Prime-exclusive Echo bundles, which pair a last-gen Echo Dot or Echo Show 5 with LED smart bulbs for a steep discount.
The fourth-generation Echo Dot with the built-in clock originally cost $59.99, but you can currently get one bundled with a single Wyze color bulb for just $46.32. This compact speaker supports all the same Alexa integrations as its more expensive counterparts, letting you set timers, control music playback, and control other devices around your home. Read our review.
$46.32
The 2020 Echo Dot features a more spherical design than an actual dot but can still do all the things Alexa does with other Echo models.
You can also find the second-generation Echo Show 5 bundled with a pair of GE CYNC LED bulbs for $34.99 instead of its usual combined price of $108.98. The Show 5 is an excellent companion for a nightstand or kitchen counter since it can handle alarm, recipe, or entertainment duties. It shares a lot of functionality with Echo speakers, the Echo Show can also stream video from Prime Video and Netflix, show you the forecast, or display your agenda for the day. Additionally, the built-in camera gives the Show 5 some limited video chat capability. Read our review.
GE’s Direct Connect CYNC bulbs are similar to many of the other smart LED bulbs on the market in that they can be controlled using either Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, but unfortunately, they aren’t compatible with Apple HomeKit.
$34.99
Amazon’s Echo Show 5 is an ideal smart display for a nightstand. You can set alarms with Alexa using your voice, play music, control smart displays, get a weather report, and more. When the alarm goes off, you merely need to tap the top of the Echo Show 5 to snooze it.
If you’re shopping around for more storage for your PC or PlayStation 5, you can currently find the 2TB configuration of the Crucial P5 Plus M.2 SSD discounted to $245.98 at Amazon. The heatsink-equipped SSD is usually priced at $330.98 and is rated for transfer speeds of up to 6600MB/s, allowing you to quickly transfer large files and, in some cases, speed up loading times for games.
Having a compact Bluetooth speaker on hand is rarely a bad idea. The $49.95 JBL Go 3 is small enough to stash just about anywhere, has an IP67 waterproof and dustproof rating, and is currently discounted to $29.95 at Amazon.
Correction October 5th, 3:25PM ET: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the original price for the fourth-generation Echo Dot with the built-in clock was $99.99. The original price for the fourth-generation Echo Dot with the built-in clock was $59.99. The article has been updated to reflect this. We regret the error.
BERLIN—The European Union has advanced work on a price cap for Russian oil under an approach that keeps the U.S.-led effort on track but holds off on final approval.
EU member states have agreed on a two-stage approach to the international price cap on Russian oil, which is being developed within the Group of Seven industrial economies. Member states signed off on the legislation needed to implement the measures on Wednesday morning but will hold off approving it until the rest of the G-7 is ready, diplomats and officials said.
The price-cap decision is part of an eighth package of sanctions against Russia over the invasion of Ukraine. The measures will come into effect Thursday morning.
The EU approach reflects concern among some member states about the proposal, which would place a maximum price on what can be paid for Russian seaborne oil. Hesitation is greatest in EU members with large shipping sectors, including Greece, Cyprus and Malta.
The emerging EU approach means the price-cap proposal remains on track to enter into force, but raises fresh questions about how quickly it can be implemented.
Washington has pushed the international oil-price cap as a way of minimizing the Kremlin’s revenue from foreign oil sales without inflating oil prices by preventing oil sales to Asia and Africa. The idea is to set a maximum price at which shippers from G-7 countries may legally transport Russian oil to countries in Asia and Africa. The plan would also permit those companies to buy insurance for Russian oil cargoes, a critical aspect of the shipping industry. The G-7 hopes other countries will join the system.
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The G-7 still must agree on the details of the price cap, including the price at which to set the cap, its precise implementation methods and how many other countries they need to join the G-7 in launching the cap. U.S. lawmakers are advocating increasing penalties for foreign buyers who don’t abide by the price cap.
U.S. officials have been flexible about how the other G-7 countries decide to implement the cap.
The EU formally backed the measure at the G-7, but European officials have repeatedly raised concerns about how the mechanism would function and its effectiveness in crimping Russia’s oil revenues.
Greece, Malta and Cyprus have raised concerns that banning EU companies from carrying Russian oil that is sold at rates above the price cap could hurt their economies. They fear losing business to countries that stay outside the mechanism, and they have also raised concerns that some G-7 countries may not enforce the price cap as rigorously as the EU, diplomats said.
At a meeting Tuesday evening, EU ambassadors agreed on a proposal under which they could agree on the legislation, but only formally approve the mechanism at a later date if the other G-7 countries have cleared the way to implement the cap system.
That means the 27 EU member states will need to revisit the three central elements of the price cap proposal. First they would need to sign off an exemption into the June sanctions package that banned EU companies from providing insurance on Russian oil transport after Dec. 5. They would also need to implement a ban on EU shippers transporting Russian oil priced above the cap, and then they would need to sign off on the G-7’s price cap.
To assuage the concerns of Malta, the ambassadors agreed Tuesday to carry out an impact assessment of the oil price cap mechanism when it enters into force. That will take into account the price cap’s “expected results, international adherence to and informal alignment with the price cap scheme” of non-G-7 countries, according to diplomats. It would also assess its potential impact on the EU.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive body, last week proposed to lay the legal basis for the price cap mechanism as part of a new package of sanctions it was placing on Russia in response to the Kremlin’s claim that it was annexing four regions of Ukraine.
Those sanctions would place an import ban on €7 billion, equivalent to about $7 billion, of Russian sales to the EU and would ban the export to Russia of a number of goods that can be used by its military in the war in Ukraine.
It will also target around three dozen people and companies involved in the latest annexations by Russia of Ukrainian regions.
The EU’s backing for the price cap is critical because the bloc plays a critical role in both the shipping industry and in shipping insurance sector. Sanctions must be approved by all 27 member states.
Under a sanctions package passed in June, the EU agreed to place an oil embargo on Russian seaborne oil by Dec. 5 and, on the same date, ban the provision of services, including shipping insurance, for Russian oil sold outside the bloc. The insurance measure could have choked off oil supplies to Asia and Africa, pushing oil prices higher.
EU diplomats have said that if the G-7 price cap is fully ready and detailed well in advance of Dec. 5, then they can come back and sign off the measures. If the G-7 mechanism is only finalized a few days before the December deadline—or isn’t in place until after it—some member states may demand a transition period to fully implement the measure.
Only Australia has pledged to join the G-7 system. European and U.S. officials say it is unlikely that India, China and some other top buyers of Russian oil will formally participate. Still, U.S. officials hope that by agreeing the price cap, they will at least drive down the price that other countries are willing to pay for Russian oil.
—Andrew Duehren contributed to this article.
Write to Laurence Norman at laurence.norman@wsj.com
Twitter stock was halted twice, the second time for news pending, and rose around 13% in midday trading Tuesday following reports that Elon Musk has proposed to move forward with his deal to buy the company at the originally agreed upon price of $54.20 per share.
Bloomberg and the Washington Post reported on Tuesday that Musk had sent a letter to Twitter proposing to complete the deal as originally signed, citing people familiar with the negotiations.
Representatives for Musk and Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The news comes as the the two sides have been preparing to head to trial in two weeks over Musk’s attempt to pull out of the $44 billion acquisition agreement, which Twitter had sued him to complete. Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal had been set to be deposed by Musk’s lawyers on Monday, and Twitter’s lawyers had planned to depose Musk starting on Thursday.
Such an agreement could bring to an end a contentious, months-long back and forth between Musk and Twitter that has caused massive uncertainty for employees, investors and users of one of the world’s most influential social media platforms.
Twitter’s board would likely agree to suspend the litigation to move forward with closing the deal, according to Josh White, assistant professor of finance at Vanderbilt University.
“The very public saga has certainly taken a toll on them and Twitter employees,” White said. “It is best for all parties to finish the deal and make a quick and seamless transition. I suspect it will close quickly.”
The saga began in April when Musk revealed he had become Twitter’s largest shareholder. Over the next several months, Musk accepted and then backed out of an offer to sit on Twitter’s board, threatened a hostile takeover of the company, signed an agreement to buy the company, started raising concerns about bots on the platform, attempted to terminate the agreement, was sued by Twitter to follow through with the deal and added claims from a Twitter whistleblower to his argument.
Musk initially moved to terminate the deal citing claims that the company has misstated the number of spam and fake bot accounts on the platform. Twitter claimed that Musk had breached the deal and was using bots as a pretext to exit a deal he’d gotten buyer’s remorse over after the broader market decline, which also hurt Tesla stock and, by extension, Musk’s personal wealth.
Still, many legal experts have said that Twitter has the stronger argument heading into court, and that Musk would a face a significant burden in trying to prove that the company had made materially misleading statements in its securities filings or in the deal contract.
The lawsuit was the final hurdle remaining in the way of the deal getting closed, after Twitter shareholders last month voted to approve the deal. The deal had originally been set to close this month.
With news that the deal could end up closing, attention may once again shift to what Musk’s control could mean for the social media platform.
Musk has previously suggested a series of potential changes to Twitter, the most significant of which could be returning former President Donald Trump to the platform and doing away with permanent account bans. Musk has also said he wants to make Twitter more open to “free speech” and could change its content moderation policies.
Elon Musk has reversed course and is again proposing to buy Twitter for $54.20 a share, according to sources familiar with the matter. A deal could happen as soon as Friday, the sources added.
Twitter shares jumped as much as 15% on Tuesday after Bloomberg first reported on the Tesla CEO’s plans to go forth with his deal to acquire the company. The stock was halted after the report.
A few weeks after Musk agreed to the deal earlier this year, valuing Twitter at $44 billion, he quickly tried to back out, officially informing the company in July of his intentions to terminate the agreement. Twitter sued Musk to force him to go through with the purchase. The two sides were scheduled to go to trial in Delaware Chancery Court on Oct. 17.
Musk alleged that Twitter was misstating the number of “bots” on its service as one of the reasons he was reneging on the deal. He and his lawyers claimed that the social media company was misleading investors by providing false numbers in corporate filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Twitter countered, however, that Musk’s assertions of fraud were incorrect and were based on a misunderstanding of the way the company tallies bots and fake accounts on its platform.
Musk also alleged that Twitter failed to provide him with the necessary data related to spam and bots, which Twitter denied.
Twitter alleged that Musk was looking for a reason to back out of the deal when the company’s shares dropped alongside a broader decline in the overall market.
CNBC has learned that Musk could own Twitter within a matter of days and that all litigation would come to an end.
Meanwhile, Tesla shares dropped about $9 per share as the news of Musk’s proposal crossed, but are still up more than 2% on the day.
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
is paying $17.90 a share in cash for Poshmark, the companies said. Poshmark priced its initial public offering at $42 a share in January 2021 and the shares more than doubled on their first day. The stock has slumped since and closed Monday at $15.57.
The transaction values Poshmark at about $1.6 billion, including about $580 million of cash reserves, Naver said. Poshmark’s peak market capitalization was $7.3 billion, which it hit on the day it went public, according to FactSet.
Poshmark looks and behaves much like Instagram, motivating sellers to give and receive comments and “likes” and allowing users to follow their favorite sellers. Similar to
eBay Inc.,
EBAY 1.11%
sellers take photos of their own items and sell them directly. Poshmark collects fees on sales on its marketplace but doesn’t hold any inventory.
While the Covid-19 pandemic gave a boost to online shopping, Poshmark’s losses have widened and its revenue growth has slowed this year. After reaching $90.9 million in revenue in the March quarter, revenue edged down to $89.1 million in the June quarter and Poshmark forecast it would come in between $85 million and $87 million for the September quarter.
Naver is South Korea’s largest web portal and operates as a major search engine ahead of Google locally. It also offers mobile payments and online shopping. Outside Korea, Naver is behind the Line messaging app and is a major operator of webtoons, or digital comics made for reading on online and mobile platforms. In 2021, the South Korean company acquired Wattpad, a Toronto-based storytelling platform, for $600 million.
The companies said the Poshmark transaction is expected to close by the first quarter of 2023. The Redwood City, Calif., company will become a stand-alone U.S. subsidiary of Naver. Poshmark’s founder and Chief Executive
Manish Chandra
and his team will continue to lead the company.
Founded in 2011, Poshmark has billed itself as a way to marry sustainable commerce with social media and says it has more than 80 million registered users. The number of active buyers—people who purchased on the site in the past 12 months—was about 8 million in the last quarter, the company reported. It faces competition from
Etsy Inc.,
eBay,
ThredUp Inc.,
the
RealReal Inc.,
Facebook Marketplace and other marketplaces that let people buy or sell secondhand goods.
The companies said the combination would help Poshmark expand into Korea and other parts of Asia. Poshmark currently offers its app to users in the U.S., Canada, Australia and India. It would also give Naver a bigger foothold in the U.S. market.
Naver expects the deal will enable savings totaling around $30 million for the two companies. That includes gains from reducing redundant costs and Poshmark’s expected gains from accessing Naver’s live-commerce solutions and other technologies, said Kim Nam-sun, Naver’s chief financial officer, in a conference call.
Naver’s shares fell by nearly 9% on Tuesday following news of the Poshmark acquisition.
At a press conference in Seoul, Naver CEO
Choi Soo-yeon
played down the stock slide. The purchase was made at a very reasonable price, she said, expressing confidence that the so-called customer-to-customer market that Poshmark operates in would continue to grow in the years ahead.
With the acquisition, Naver expects to help Poshmark improve its marketing campaigns and to pursue partnerships with the South Korean company’s own offerings. As an example, Ms. Choi cited Weverse, an online marketplace for K-pop merchandise it jointly owns with HYBE Co., the agency behind boy band BTS.
“We will continue to pursue new projects and study the best ways to create service synergies between the two firms,” Ms. Choi said.
LOS ANGELES (KABC) — The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Los Angeles County rose seven-tenths of a cent to a record $6.466 Monday, topping the previous high of $6.462 set June 14.
The average price has risen 31 consecutive days, increasing $1.22, including 1 cent Sunday and 15.3 cents Thursday, the largest daily increase since the record 19.2-cent hike on Oct. 5, 2012, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service.
The increases Sunday and Monday are the smallest since a half-cent increase Sept. 19.
The average price is 62.6 cents more than one week ago, $1.202 higher than one month ago and $2.05 greater than one year ago.
The streak of increases follows a run of 78 decreases in 80 days totaling $1.216 that began June 15, one day after the average price rose to a record $6.462.
The Orange County average price rose one-tenth of a cent to $6.423, one day after dropping seven-tenths of a cent. It rose 4.3 cents Saturday to a record $6.429, topping the previous high of $6.41 set June 12.
Sunday’s decrease ended a 12-day streak of increases totaling $1.033, including a 15.9-cent increase Thursday, the largest daily increase since the record 19.5-cent hike on Oct. 5, 2012.
The Orange County average price is 59.2 cents more than one week ago, $1.23 higher than one month ago, and $2.044 greater than one year ago.
The rising prices are the result of insufficient supply to meet demand caused in part by reduced production of gasoline from refineries undergoing maintenance, Marie Montgomery, a public relations specialist with the Automobile Club of Southern California, told City News Service.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked refineries to switch to their winter blend gas earlier than normal. The blend is typically cheaper, but analysts say it is unclear how soon drivers will see that change at the pump.
Meanwhile, some relief could come soon arrive through gas rebate checks for Californians who filed their 2020 tax returns.
Checks could be rolled out as early as Friday.
The national average for a gallon of gas is $3.79.
Google’s Pixel Watch is set to cost $349 as we’ve reported, but what about its bands? According to a new early hands-on, the Pixel Watch “Active” band will cost around $50.
The folks over at Droid-Life obtained two “Active” bands for the Google Pixel Watch ahead of launch from an unnamed “mega-retailer” who briefly had the product available for sale recently.
While there’s obviously not a ton we can gather from looking at bands without their accompanying smartwatch, there are some interesting details here.
For one, the price of these Pixel Watch bands apparently landed at $49 a piece. The “Active” band is expected to be Google’s default band choice for the Pixel Watch, which means $49 is likely the lowest price we’ll see for an official band. That’s certainly a hefty cost, as Fitbit charges $29 for its “Infinity” bands on Sense and Versa smartwatches. But it’s in line with Apple’s cost, with a “Sport” band for the Apple Watch also running $49.
According to this early hands-on, the bands are in small and large sizes, with the small size going from 130mm to 175mm adjustments, and the larger at 165mm to 210mm.
We also get a good look at Google’s proprietary connector in this leak as well as a look at the manual, which explains how the band connects to Google’s watch. A “band secure button” helps you remove and lock the band into place, with a sliding move to get the band into the right position.
Droid-Life describes the band as “very premium rubber” and “quite soft” to the touch. In terms of how they connect, it looks virtually identical to Fitbit’s “Infinity” system, which is also similar to recent bands from Apple.
The Pixel Watch goes official on October 6.
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