Regulator reprisal could lead to Nvidia ending pursuit of Arm: Cancellation of $40 billion acquisition could be a red flag for Big Tech mergers in 2022.

ES: Pricing, performance, and ease of use dictated who owned the market in the early days of personal computing. Today, VR ecosystems and platforms continue that trend as the metaverse takes shape: Consumers, developers, and content producers will eventually decide the future of the metaverse, but they will be limited by hardware’s capabilities. We look at the state of VR hardware, the key players, and how gaming could serve as a gateway to VR/AR adoption.

Shopify works with ecommerce giant JD.com to help its merchants sell in China: The deal marks a major push into China for Shopify and broadens JD.com’s international reach.

China’s grocery ecommerce sales were expected to grow 24.6% in 2021 and reach $198.70 billion (RMB 1.36 trillion).

Asia-Pacific will no longer produce huge increases in new social network users, but the sheer scale of the region means it should remain front and center for social media marketers. Facebook will remain on top, but TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat are making waves.

Chinese startups defied growing government regulation in 2021: Record investments point to strong momentum and confidence in tech and innovation.

Semiconductor sales are expected to normalize after a record-setting 2021 predicated by various shortages and extended gaps between orders and deliveries.

China deems personalized recommendations discriminatory and harmful to user well-being: The new law could discourage users from spending time—and money—on retail and social media platforms.

The vision of augmented reality (AR) headsets replacing smartphones could become a reality sooner than expected in China.

2021 was a year of reckoning across various industries due to the worsening chip crisis. Chip and component supplies ran dry, exposing weaknesses in supply chains, while manufacturers scrambled to adjust product lines.

Digital currencies are coming soon to a country near you: Mexico introducing a plan to launch a Central Bank Digital Currency is only the latest development in the fast-developing market for digital currencies.

The vision of augmented reality (AR) headsets replacing smartphones could become a reality sooner than expected in China. Advances in hardware and new AR commerce use cases are paving the way.

Unlocking the Wi-Fi 6 spectrum could ease the stress on remote workers’ networks: But the cost of compatible routers and devices might not be worth the incremental connectivity benefits.

Rounding up news from the last days of 2021: The news cycle didn’t stop over the holidays. These are some of the most notable stories from the last two weeks.

Tesla remains king of EVs thanks to exponential growth, despite the chip crisis: Strong sales in China and Europe propelled growth, but safety worries and expensive recalls taint Tesla’s rise.

Marvel’s ups and downs in 2021 signal change for the film industry: The superhero franchise returned to theaters this year, but trouble abroad and issues with streaming will force studios to rethink blockbuster release strategies.

Shake-ups in the new year will include hyper-personalization, tech companies venturing further into embedded finance, and the prospect of super apps in Western countries.

We expect total retail sales in China will have grown by 11.0% in 2021, the strongest growth since 2017.

The virtual world will change the way consumers in China interact online and shop.

Smart home device adoption could finally get boosted by a new standard. Could Matter push adoption beyond the steady growth we’re seeing?