Apple reportedly looking to buy Cobalt directly from miners. The metal is used in lithium-ion batteries in Apple's devices, but it can also power electric vehicles. Shares of Apple up half a percent on Wednesday. Inverse Technology Reporter Mike Brown explains how this move might help Apple further its dominance in the tech space.
"There's a race at the moment for supplies over the coming few years," says Brown. Electric vehicles use about 1,000 times as much Cobalt as smartphone devices.
"It would be the first time Apple secured its own Cobalt supply so it could help to re position itself as a company, rather than going to factory manufacturers that deal directly with suppliers itself," says Brown.
As U.S. cities and airlines are weighing COVID-19 protocols like mask and vaccine mandates, Canada continues to ban travelers who are not fully vaccinated -- including professional athletes. The MLB season is now underway, and the Toronto Raptors have advanced to the NBA playoffs, so several athletes are expected to not participate in upcoming games in Canada. Gabe Lacques, MLB reporters and Baseball Editor for USA Today Sports, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to dsicuss.
Bence Jendruszak, COO and Co-Founder of SEON, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says his platform sees more victims of online fraud during economic downturns, but explains why his company's solution can stop that trend.
Andrew Miller, Chief Operating Officer at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, joined Closing Bell to discuss the warning from Rivian's CEO about a possible EV battery shortage due to lack of access to key metals like lithium.
Fathom Digital Manufacturing, one of the largest on-demand digital manufacturing platforms in North America, went public late last year and serves the product development and manufacturing needs of companies such as Google, Amazon, Tesla, Johnson & Johnson, and more. CEO Ryan Martin joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss what the IPO means to the company and how he thinks digital manufacturing can help mitigate supply chain issues seen throughout the pandemic. "We can take parts that would take 4-6 weeks condense that down into just days using additive manufacturing in many cases. And so it's all about speed," he said.
