NZCity NewsLinks -

All Links

21 May 2025

Search

ISACA launches first advanced AI audit certification for auditors
ISACA launches the Advanced in AI Audit certification for experienced auditors, enhancing expertise in AI governance, risk, and auditing tools in evolving industries.

Dynatrace partners with NVIDIA to boost enterprise AI observability
Dynatrace partners with NVIDIA to integrate AI observability in the NVIDIA Enterprise AI Factory, boosting on-premises AI deployment in regulated industries.

Primary Industries New Zealand Awards finalists announced for 2025
Rural heroes and champions, and emerging leaders are all in the running.

High rents, economy hit Newmarket shops with 24 empty on Broadway
Many shops on Newmarket’s Broadway are empty or for lease.

Government’s pay equity amendment passes, opposition criticises urgency
Opponents argue it’ll hinder claims in female-dominated industries.

Siemens to acquire Wevolver, expanding global engineering reach
Siemens Digital Industries Software will acquire Wevolver to enhance its Supplyframe platform and expand its reach to millions of engineers worldwide.

Need to replace your PC at a reasonable price? Don’t wait—the window is closing
Buying toilet paper got ugly during the early part of COVID—between panic buying and hoarding, shelves were often empty. Due to tariffs, we may soon see similar scarcity for a bigger range of products, and that could include tech gear like PCs. Recently, the biggest port in the U.S. said that by next week, arriving shipments will have declined by 35 percent… and that empty shelves could soon follow in several weeks. In an interview with TV news station KTLA, Gene Seroka, the executive director for the Port of Los Angeles, described the anticipated drop and the expectation of layoffs in adjacent industries like trucking and longshoremen. More relevant to those of us at home, retailers who’ve spoken with Seroka gave an estimate of about five to seven remaining weeks of usual inventory. (That is, we consumers being able to walk into a store and immediately get what we need or want). After that stock runs out, Seroka predicts a rise in product prices, as well as a decrease in selection for goods. The example given: You might want to buy a blue shirt, but you’ll instead only find one among many purple ones. Despite the current (but temporary) hold on the higher tariffs for electronics like laptops, the ongoing chaos with these taxes will still likely result in fewer options and higher prices. When I spoke with companies about the effects of tariffs, multiple sources warned of reducing the availability and variety of product lineups, along with potential price increases to cover the new levies. So if you’re on an older Windows 10 PC that can’t make the upgrade to Windows 11, you could end up in a similar situation as the above shirt example—maybe you want a budget laptop for under $500, but all that’s available are $1,200+ models. Our current favorite cheap laptop currently costs just $280. That likely won’t last through the summer.Raphael Brasileiro / Unsplash Currently, one asset management company (Apollo Global) has sketched out a possible timeline for how fast tariffs could lead to empty shelves, as per Investor’s Business Daily. Released on April 27, their scenario has container shipments drying up by mid-May and domestic freight (transportation) by late May, with layoffs in retail and trucking beginning in mid-June. A recession could then follow in the summer. You can get a closer look at how this grim outlook is playing out right now in tech through Gamers Nexus’s detailed three-hour video report, which contains extremely transparent interviews with multiple contacts in the industry. To best understand why companies have chosen to stop shipments to the U.S., listen to the section where Hyte discusses the numbers for its Y40 case. The interview with Louis Rossman also explains clearly the impact on small business owners. Peppered throughout the report is the repeated estimate of reduced product availability, downsizing or outright closing, and possible layoffs. While these businesses speak more on components than on fully built PCs or laptops, the challenges posed by the tariffs apply across electronics—including moving manufacturing to the U.S. (a stated goal of these taxes). But as Seroka points out in his KTLA interview, manufacturing brought stateside won’t completely boost the job market—many tasks will be automated and performed by robots. So ultimately, what does this mean for anyone in the market for a new PC? You have to make a choice soon about whether to replace an old machine. When asked about retailers, Seroka said that large retailers will be able to hold on to normalcy the longest, as they increased pre- and lower-tariffed shipments to the U.S. in anticipation of higher ones. Major retailers will be able to offer normal levels of inventory the longest—but even that will run out in five to seven weeks.Zoshua Colah / Unsplash Small- and medium-sized businesses haven’t been warehousing stock to the same degree, so they will have to decide sooner if they’ll bring over product based on the new pricing. But again, even major retailers aren’t expecting to hang on beyond five to seven weeks. If you want to stretch your tech further, you do have some options. You can install Linux or, if you have a compatible machine, ChromeOS Flex. You can also buy yourself time by paying $30 to extend Windows 10’s security updates. But no matter if you choose to replace, stretch, or extend, you should decide on a plan. Unfortunately, sitting around won’t guarantee any more stability. The potential for additional tariffs on semiconductors still looms, as an example. Currently, China says it hasn’t entered negotiations yet with the U.S. regarding the existing tariffs. Further reading: The best laptop we’ve tested

NVIDIA & Foxconn to build AI supercomputer for Taiwan
NVIDIA and Foxconn partner with Taiwan to build an AI supercomputer using 10,000 Blackwell GPUs, boosting research and innovation across industries.

The network of tomorrow begins with the innovation of today
Australians spend nearly 3 hours online daily, using virtualised networks to boost efficiency and power smarter, more secure 5G connectivity across industries.

Elton John and Dua Lipa seek protection from AI
They are among 400 artists appealing to Sir Keir Starmer, saying creative industries are threatened.

Trump’s Broadway dreams get second act with Kennedy Centre takeover
Now that he’s installed himself as Kennedy Centre chairman, Donald Trump seems to have found a way to finally realize his theatre ambitions.

Wavelink partners with Honeywell to expand mobility solutions
Wavelink teams up with Honeywell to offer its PSS mobility portfolio across Australian industries, enhancing channel support and customer lifecycle management.