Wipro forecasts strong growth; Minecraft makers rip into NFTs, ban them; OnePlus 10T set for Aug 3 NY event

Wipro says its order pipeline is at an “all-time high” and expects to grow as much as 5 percent sequentially in the current quarter. Mojang Studios, the makers of the hugely popular online game and platform Minecraft, has banned any NFT implementation within the game, they said in a scathing post yesterday, criticising the culture of exclusion that NFTs promote. OnePlus fans in New York can buy tickets to attend an in-person launch of the OnePlus 10T 5G phone and get earbuds as goodies. Others can watch the live stream on August 3. Notes: Wipro expects to grow as much as 5 percent sequentially in the current quarter, the Bengaluru IT services company, India’s fourth biggest, said yesterday after markets. For its fiscal first quarter that ended June 30, Wipro’s revenues were $2.7 billion, a 2.1 percent increase from the previous quarter and 17.2 percent from the year-ago period, in constant currency, according to a press release. The company expects revenue from its IT Services business – which contributes most of its revenues and profits – to be in the range of $2,817 million to $2,872 million. This translates to a sequential growth of 3 percent to 5 percent. “Our order bookings grew 32 percent YoY in total contract value terms, powered by large transformational deals, and our pipeline today is at an all-time high,” Wipro’s Paris-based CEO Thierry Delaporte, said in the press release. Mojang Studios, the makers of the hugely popular online game and platform Minecraft, has banned any NFT implementation within the game, they said in a scathing post, yesterday, criticising the culture of exclusion that NFTs promote. “To ensure that Minecraft players have a safe and inclusive experience, blockchain technologies are not permitted to be integrated inside our client and server applications, nor may Minecraft in-game content such as worlds, skins, persona items, or other mods, be utilized by blockchain technology to create a scarce digital asset,” they said in the post. "The speculative pricing and investment mentality around NFTs takes the focus away from playing the game and encourages profiteering, which we think is inconsistent with the long-term joy and success of our players." OnePlus will launch its next hi-end phone, the OnePlus 10T at a physical event in the US on August 3, co-founder and CEO Pete Lau posted on the company’s community site. The phone is being promoted with the tagline ‘evolve beyond speed’ to highlight the idea that it will offer various smart features, taking advantage of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ chip the phone runs on. The OnePlus 10T will launch at Gotham Hall in New York City, according to Lau’s post. “The return to an offline event also means the return of our launch event goodies. Those who purchase a ticket will get top-tier merchandise, topped with the critically acclaimed OnePlus Nord Buds,” he added. Alongside the phone, OnePlus will also unveil the latest version of its Android-based software, OxygenOS 13. The software OxygenOS 13 will bring improvements to gaming, connectivity, and customisation, according to GSMArena. It will launch first on the OnePlus 10 Pro, and later in the year on the OnePlus 10T. Theme music courtesy Free Music & Sounds: https://soundcloud.com/freemusicandsounds