Signifying a sign of free expression, Dubai has announced they are the first city in the world to secure their very own typographical font. This specially-commissioned typeface otherwise known as ‘Dubai Font’, integrates Arabic and Roman alphabets and is available in 23  different languages.   This is a remarkable milestone reached by designers on a global level. The task of translating the calligraphic Arabic script to digital typography has proven to be a hurdle for even the best in the industry.  

There has forever been a fine line between beauty and functionality for type designers, but
‘Dubai Font’s’ creator Nadine Chahine, defied the norms with her “aim to make the font legible, while also conveying the spirit of Dubai as a city with openness to other cultures who live on its land in harmony and peace,” she told the Khaleej Times, a daily English-language UAE newspaper.  

UAE crown prince Hamdan bin Mohammed al-Maktoum has requested all government agencies to utilise this font while partaking in any government business or generating official correspondence. He was pleased to announce the development of the ‘Dubai Font’ was a force in their effort to become a world-class tech hub. “The launch of the ‘Dubai Font’ to the world is a very important step for us as part of our continuous efforts to be ranked first in the digital world,” he said.  

Cricket Australia and the Nine Network are set to face challenges as the contract for broadcast rights are scheduled for renegotiation. Questions that would have been almost unthinkable 10 years ago are now being asked as 2018-23 contract details are being addressed. 

With the costs reported to be around $100M per year for the channel’s existing broadcast rights, Nine Network only recouped about $60M-$70M per year from their agreement.   The redistribution of the national media market audience between free-to-air, streaming, app viewing, and pay tv platforms leads to difficulty in revaluing the broadcast deal.   According to Arnhem Investment Management in an article on The Conversation, 'the era of advertising-supported premium sport on Australian television is “drawing to a close”'. With the constantly shifting advertising climate, more creative strategies are required with contemporary media outlets to keep audience engagement.  

Khaleesi vs Cersei, Jon Snow vs Ramsay Bolton, Android vs iOS – although there’ll (hopefully) be less bloodshed in the Game of Phones, the coming months and years will present new challenges and opportunities for the three main players: Apple, Samsung and Google. 

With 70 per cent of the population projected to have smartphones by the year 2020*, it’s likely there will be new competitors entering the market to meet users’ demand and differing needs. Cementing brand reputation is an important step to ensure an enduring piece of the pie.

After weeks of reports that its flagship Galaxy Note 7 were catching on fire from defective batteries, Samsung has permanently ceased production of the device.

At the time of the new Galaxy Note’s arrival, Samsung was enjoying a consistently successful couple of years in the public perception. According to data from social media analytics company Spredfast, sentiment about Samsung has plummeted 186% in the last month.

Now with a PR and brand emergency on their hands, the Note 7 debacle undermines Samsung’s singular attraction and reputation as a purveyor of excellent hardware devices. This raises the wider concept of brand health, and how tenuous it can be.

Either by chance or design, capitalising on the whole affair is Google with the launch of their new smartphone, Pixel.  Presenting more of a threat to the near-monopoly Samsung enjoys in the Android space; Apple may not feel too challenged by Pixel. They’re different devices for consumers who want different things.

Although Google doesn’t want to be seen to be explicitly competing against their own partners, Pixel is stepping out from the rest of the Android ecosystem. With a premium Android strategy delivering exclusive features, Pixel is putting itself in direct competition with other Android flagships. A move more likely to erode Samsung’s market share than Apple’s.

That said, Apple’s decision to remove the headphone jack and their seemingly stagnant tech progression, has left some long-time Apple users disgruntled and potentially looking for another option.

As a challenger, it is unlikely Google will topple Samsung’s empire in the near future, but the companies seem destined to eventually compete to be the leading vendor of premium Android devices.

*Ericsson Mobility Report, June 2015.