Category Archives: CNBC

Porn’s Most Powerful Players 2013

Posted on by

Performers 100355409-triple-x-neon-sign-gettyP.600x400might take the spotlight in the porn industry, but they rarely (if ever) have any of the power.

Instead, the people pulling the strings often tend to remain behind the scenes. While some have familiar names, the majority prefer to keep a low profile. And more and more, the most powerful people in porn have no direct ties to onscreen sex.

CNBC spoke with industry insiders, ranging from executives to stars, to get their thoughts on who are the true power brokers in the world of porn today.

Read more at CNBC.com

Porn on the Precipice

Posted on by

Last 100377040-porn-convention-entrance-gettyp.240x160year wasn’t the best year for the porn industry.

Piracy continued to ravage the already suffering video business. And scandal rocked the industry more than once. The industry suffered a setback in November when voters in Los Angeles County passed a resolution that made condom use in adult films shot in the area mandatory – and, depending on how the issue is enforced, could mean a lot more than that.

Read more at CNBC.com

10 Disruptors You’ve Never Heard of…But Should

Posted on by

Disruption disruptorsisn’t always obvious. In fact, it can sometimes fly under the radar for years, establishing a solid base before upending the ways certain industries do business.

That’s understandable, given the changing business models many startups go through. But just because a business isn’t on the tip of everyone’s tongue doesn’t mean it’s not primed to change the way things are done.

Not every company that’s about to shake up (or is in the process of shaking up) its respective industry is a household name just yet, but here are 10 we think you could be very familiar with in the near future.

Read more at CNBC.com

Nintendo Sells 400,000 Wii U Units in First Week

Posted on by

Nintendo’s next generation console system is selling fast in the U.S., but it’s still falling a bit short of the pace set by its predecessor.

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime says the company sold 400,000 units in its first six days of availability, including Black Friday, and that the system is currently “essentially sold out” at retail.

Read more at CNBC.com

Nintendo Hits a Few Hurdles in Wii U Launch

Posted on by

System launches from Nintendo tend to be smooth running affairs, but the ambitious nature of the Wii U has presented a few stumbling blocks for the company.

Within hours of the next generation console’s debut, new owners were grumbling about a system update that kept them from playing for an hour or more, sporadic system outages and anticipated features that were delayed at the last minute.

Read more at CNBC.com

Nintendo’s Wii U: All Hype? Or Saving Grace?

Posted on by

It’s shaping up to be a very Nintendo holiday season.

This Sunday’s launch of the Wii U, the first of the next generation videogame consoles, seems all set to follow the script that most new gaming systems follow: A huge rush of initial sales, followed by weeks of people camping outside of stores on weekends in hopes of grabbing one before Dec. 25.

The question is: What happens after the holidays are over?

Read more at CNBC.com

Next Year’s Top 20 Startups

Posted on by

During the first nine months of 2012, venture capitalists closed just shy of 2,700 deals with entrepreneurs, investing nearly $20 million, according to the National Venture Capital Association and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Not surprisingly, the bulk of the top deals (those boasting investments of $25 million or more) are in the software category, but biotech and medical devices/equipment are both putting in strong showings this year.

Here’s a look at the startups that landed the most venture capital funding through the end of the third quarter — and are now poised to be the hottest young tech companies of 2013.

Read more at CNBC.com

Five Things to Consider Before Embracing the Cloud

Posted on by

In theory, the cloud is great. It simplifies actions, such as billing. It lets businesses reduce their information technology costs. And it claims to be infinitely scalable.

In the real world, though, it doesn’t always work as well as advertised. Several major sites — including Reddit, Foursquare and Common Sense Media — found that out last month when Amazon’s East Coast cloud servers suffered what the company called “performance issues.”

Read more at CNBC.com

10 Gifts Gadget Lovers Will Love

Posted on by

When it comes to the holidays, gadgets perennially top people’s wish lists — and retailers are happy to oblige.

Shoppers will spend an average of $252 on consumer electronics this year, according to a Consumer Electronics Association forecast, with 76 percent of gift-giving adults planning to give a gadget as a present. Sorting out the hot items from the ones destined to end up in the clearance bin — or at a garage sale — isn’t easy, though.

If you’re looking for a perfect tech gift for a friend or loved one, click ahead for suggestions that can’t miss.

Read more at CNBC.com

10 Must-Have Videogames This Holiday Season

Posted on by

If you’ve got a gamer on your holiday list, there are plenty of good choices this year.

The final years of a console generation typically bring some of the best titles, since videogame developers have gotten to know the ins and outs of the systems. Unfortunately, it often brings a flood of sequels, since publishers are less willing to take risks at this stage. That makes it all the more surprising, then, that amidst the sequel sprawl of 2012, there are so many outstanding original games. Even better, some of the sequels that did show up were surprisingly innovative.

Read more at CNBC.com