The million-dollar price tag doesn’t seem to be discouraging anyone from pursuing this car. Porsche reps (9 in all) recently showed off the show-stopping Spyder to 18 writers (a 9:18 ratio) in Leipzig, who got to drive the world’s most anticipated hybrid. It plans to start producing on September 18 (9/18) of this year, yet Motor Trend is already wondering whether the car is the greatest Porsche ever made.

How can the 918 Spyder qualify for such a distinction? Among its highlights, the so-called supercar goes 0 to 60 in 2.8 seconds; tops the 211 mph mark on the track; and beats the Porsche Carrera in races by a margin of 20 seconds. While these specs could contribute to the high esteem for the 918, the fact the car can travel up to 18 miles without gasoline makes it a home run. In fact, Porsche is considering the car to be the model for all future Porsches.

Frank Markus of Motor Trend was unabashed in his praise for the 918 Spyder, which is said to crank with 887 horsepower and is so fast that engineers had to go to great lengths to make sure it stayed on the ground. A retractable wing helps pull off the feat, a fascinating detail for a car some thought could be weighed down by the battery.

On the topic of the car’s electric-only performance, Markus was equally impressed. He described the estimated seven seconds to go from 0 to 60 on electric power “conservative” while remarking the Spyder could fly at speeds over 90 mph without a drop of gas. Of course, the attraction is combining the horsepower of both electric and the traditional engine sources. In these moments, car enthusiasts consider the entire project a success, and the $1 million price tag something approaching reasonable. Do Detroit automakers have an answer for the 918 Spyder?

While the short answer is “absolutely not,” some Ford (NYSE:F) enthusiasts are finding their way to the aftermarket tuning shops where you can add torque and horsepower to models like the Ford Focus ST hatch. For pure speed, Ford lovers looking to break the 200 mph-barrier along with the 918 Spyder would gravitate toward the Mustang Shelby GT 500, the car with 662 horsepower that has impressed engineers on the race track and off.

Meanwhile, GM’s (NYSE:GM) top performance car is the 2014 Corvette Stingray. This model, which will act as the pace car at the Indy 500, packs a 6.2-liter V-8 engine capable of generating up to 450 horsepower. While neither Detroit automaker has a hybrid option that can compare to the 918 Spyder, both deliver their top performance cars for $70,000 or less. It’s a long way down from the Porsche supercar specs, but it’s also a far cry from the one-million-dollar-price tag.

Don’t Miss: Meet the Ford Focus That Packs an Extra Punch.

It’s a scary prospect for students as their college education costs continue to skyrocket and show smaller and smaller certainties of payoff. Despite the diplomas they receive on graduation day, they attempt to take their first steps in a nation that is slowly recovering from its recession and still suffers from a 7.5 percent unemployment rate.

Joseph Stiglitz, a former senior vice president and chief economist at the World Bank and a former member and chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, has spoken openly, and often critically about the student loan crisis. He explains: “Student debt has become an integral part of the story of American inequality … We now have a pay-to-play, winner-take-all game where the wealthiest are assured a spot, and the rest are compelled to take a gamble on huge debts, with no guarantee of a payoff.”

Grim enough for you? Unfortunately, we have 6 other facts about student loans that will depress you.

1. Seventy percent of the class of 2013 is graduating with debt

In addition, the average student in 2013 owes around $35,200, a number high enough to drop any jaw. The study by Fidelity Investments also highlights that a greater understanding of the total cost of college could have impacted how students addressed their college choices and savings strategies. Half of these students say they are surprised by how much debt they have accumulated, and 39 percent report they would have made different choices related to college planning had they better understood the debt consequences they are now facing.

2. Student debt has tripled between 2004 and 2013

Another bleak reality: even though U.S. consumers are slowly working their way out of debt, students are demonstrating an ability to do the opposite. From 2004 to 2013, consumer debt posted only a modest growth of 9 percent, with student debt actually tripling to $986 billion in that same time span. The loans that were supposed to help students move forward are now holding them back, and as college costs continue to rise, debt only promises to smother the next generation of students more.

3. More than 40 percent of 25-year-olds carry student debt

Once these students graduate, the troubles begin to mount. According to American Student Assistance, more than 40 percent of 25-year-olds carry student debt, up from about 26 percent in 2004. Why are they struggling so much? The same study reports that 48 percent of 25-34 year-olds say they’re unemployed or under-employed. With the depletion of available jobs in the U.S., a significant percentage of the recent college grads are unable to find work, no matter how much they forked over for their education.

4. About 17 percent of loans were delinquent at the end of last year

Another problem is of these loans falling into delinquency. About 17 percent of loans were delinquent at the end of last year, compared with less than 10 percent in 2004. When only loans in repayment are considered, about one-third are delinquent. Young people acknowledge that they need more information about delinquency and default, and cite that they didn’t full understand the contract they were signing. Bob King, president of the Kentucky Council for Postsecondary Education, the group overseeing public universities in the commonwealth, explains that students need more counseling about much they should and can borrow.

5. More and more borrowers are moving to delinquency from repayment 

Another contributing component that isn’t helping matters is the fact that quarterly movement of borrowers to delinquency from repayment has accelerated to nearly 9 percent, up from 6.5 percent in 2005. Thank goodness, this is just what these borrowers need.

6. Burden is growing with time

Lastly, statistics report that time offers no respite for these students, and might actually make it worse. As of early 2012, borrowers in their 30′s have a delinquency rate (more than 90 days past due) of about 6 percent, while borrowers in their 40′s have a delinquency rate double that, at about 12 percent. Borrowers in their 50′s have a delinquency rate of 9.4 percent, and those over 60 have a delinquency rate of 9.5 percent.

Don’t Miss: Here Are Some Surprising Findings About Hunger In America.

Biosense Technologies’ uCheck system has not yet been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration because the agency wants to impose stricter rules for tools that directly diagnose medical conditions through automated analysis and offer treatment. In the case of uCheck, the system employs test strips manufactured by Siemens (NYSE:SI) and Bayer, which are then dipped in urine and read using the smartphone’s camera in order to produce automated results. The problem is that the strips are only approved for a visual reading and require new clearance for automated analysis, according to a letter sent to Biosense from the FDA. The company may also need to gain agency approval for the system as a whole.

The agency wants more oversight, and to further this mission, it imposed quality standards for heart stents, ultrasound machines, and other medical devices back in 2011.

“We intend to finalize the guidance this year,” agency spokeswoman Synim Rivers told Bloomberg Wednesday via email. “The FDA has proposed a regulatory approach that limits its immediate oversight to a specific, small subset of mobile medical applications that are medical devices and present the greatest risk to patient safety if they don’t work as intended.”

In February, the app required to run the automated system was praised at the technology conference TED2013, and it became available in Apple’s app store earlier this year. But the problem of FDA approval lingers.

The agency wrote a letter to Biosense on May 22 detailing its concerns. Co-founder Abhishek Sen said that the company intends “to work very closely with the U.S. FDA over the coming months to ensure that we continue to deliver accurate, affordable, and convenient diagnostics across the world,” according to Bloomberg. But he declined to give any further information regarding his communications with the agency.

This letter gave Biosense the opportunity to meet and discuss the issue. Depending how the company responds, the FDA may follow up with warning letter that details specific violations of the law that must be rectified immediately, Rivers said. The regulator suggested a 510k application, which is the least stringent of FDA device approval pathways, as a possible solution. It only requires the company to prove their product is similar to one on the market. As the letter noted, Acon Laboratories has already submitted data for its urine analyzer.

Follow Meghan on Twitter @MFoley_WSCS

Don’t Miss: More iOS 7 Redesign Clues Emerge.

According to Macotakara’s insider sources, the next iteration of Apple’s 9.7-inch iPad will feature a microphone on the back. The author of the blog notes that this feature was originally going to be installed on the iPad mini but was later removed for unknown reasons.

The placement of the microphone would most likely be near the rear-facing camera, which would mirror the design of the iPhone 5. Macotakara’s sources also indicated that the fifth-generation iPad “may support standard SIM [subscriber identity module]” or possibly only SIM data. Several of Apple’s earlier iPad models only supported micro-SIM cards, while Wi-Fi models have no SIM capability.

Macotakara’s sources state that the fifth-generation iPad will ship sometime after the iPhone 5S. Many supply chain analysts believe that the iPhone 5S will be shipped sometime this fall.

Previous rumors about the iPad 5 have predicted that the thickness of the device will be almost identical to the iPad mini, which would suggest that some significant changes to the device’s internals would also be necessary. Some analysts have suggested that a thinner iPad profile could be achieved by incorporating “GF Ditto” or GF2 touchscreen technology.

Here’s how Apple stock has traded so far this week.

Here’s how Apple traded Friday:

Follow Nathanael on Twitter (@ArnoldEtan_WSCS)

Don’t Miss: E-Book Trial Judge Gives Apple a Thumbs Down.

Shares of Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) surged 4 percent on Friday and continued to climb higher in late afternoon hours. The world’s largest consumer-products maker has replaced Chief Executive Officer Robert McDonald with his predecessor A.G. Lafley. The decision ends McDonald’s four-year battle to help the company adapt to growing global competition and more frugal customers. McDonald has been under scrutiny from investors, who accused him of not doing enough to reduce P&G’s cost structure.

L Brands (NYSE:LTD) sank nearly 3 percent on Friday, but the company declared its regular quarterly dividend of 30 cents per share, payable on June 21 with an ex-date of June 5.

Shares of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) edged slightly higher on Friday, and continued to attract attention in late afternoon hours. Despite the decline in the stock price over the past several months, a total of 188 hedge funds owned shares of Apple in the first quarter, according to statistics provided by the WSJ. That makes Apple the most commonly held stock among hedge funds.

Don’t Miss: The Horrors of Student Debt Hit the Small Screen

Follow Eric on Twitter (@Mr_Eric_WSCS)

Would banks possibly try to sidestep the obligations put in place during last year’s huge settlement? According to the exclusive Reuters report, BofA and Wells Fargo have racked up up 339 mortgage practice violations since last October, with the lion’s share (210) in Wells Fargo’s corner. That’s why Schneiderman is prepping to sue them regardless of what happens in the coming months. He sent a letter to the monitor for the settlement in order to start the timeline in which the other offenders can right the ship and avoid being sued again by New York’s AG.

Since suits against BofA and Wells Fargo are a foregone conclusion, that puts JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM) and Citigroup (NYSE:C) in the hot seat. Both banks have an unspecified time frame in which they must correct their deficient lending practices in order to avoid having another suit come their way via Schneiderman or the attorney general of other states. According to reports, there are numerous states willing and able to come at them with a suit.

“Several other states have identified similar recurring deficiencies by the participating servicers,” wrote Schneiderman to the settlement’s monitor. Ally (NYSE:GKM) was the fifth bank in the $25 billion settlement of last year, so it, too, might be vulnerable to regulators’ legal efforts in the months ahead.

Of all the companies on the radar of state attorneys, Bank of America and JPMorgan might have the most to lose. For Morgan, one lawsuit after another has plagued the company in the wake of its London Whale fiasco. Its contentious shareholder meeting this week in Tampa endorsed the tenure of CEO Jamie Dimon, yet the pressure on the bank is unrelenting. BofA, for its part, hoped to get past its suits to get back to profiting on a regular basis. That effort will have to wait a little while longer.

Don’t Miss: Here’s Why Most Americans Will Work Past Retirement Age.

The publishing division keep the News Corp. name while the entertainment section will be renamed 21st Century Fox. Murdoch will remain chairman of both companies and CEO of 21st Century Fox. He named The Wall Street Journal editor Robert Thomson as CEO of the new News Corp.

It was announced that the branches would split last year after the 2011 scandal involving News Corp. journalists who gained illegal access to private phone messages and attempted to bribe U.K. police. The incident lead to the closing of the News of the World newspaper.

The new News Corp. will keep ownership of its newspaper titles, which include The Wall Street Journal and the Times newspapers in the U.K. The more lucrative entertainment division will include the TV channel Fox News and the 20th Century Fox film studio.

The board of the News Corp. publishing business approved a $500 million stock repurchase program. The stock repurchase is welcome news to investors and analysts curious about how the new News Corp. will use the $2.6 billion in cash it will have when the split is complete. Current News Corp. stakeholders will receive one share in the new News Corp. for every four shares previously owned.

The repurchase will include a “poison pill provision,” also called a shareholder rights plan, to prevent a hostile takeover. The provision will be triggered if someone acquires more than 15 percent of either company. News Corp. has experienced potential takeovers in the past, including a 2004 incident in which Liberty Media Corp.’s (NASDAQ:LMCA) John Malone purchased 20 percent voting stake in the company.

Murdoch seems to be feeling good about the split, saying in a statement, “We continue to believe that the separation will unlock the true value of both companies and their distinct assets, enabling investors to benefit from the separate strategic opportunities resulting from more focused management of each division.”

Shareholders will formally approve the split on June 11.

Don’t Miss: Why Did Protesters Disrupt Cablevision’s Meeting?

According to a survey done by the Pew Research Center, 24 percent of Americans report not having been able to afford food their families needed in the last year. The U.S. was a surprising outlier in the study.

Most of the findings revealed that hunger was related to national wealth. In Uganda, Senegal, Kenya, and Ghana, which were the poorest countries surveyed, half of respondents reported not having enough to eat. In most wealthier countries, like Canada, Australia, and Germany, only one in ten people said they couldn’t afford enough food.

While the U.S. was the wealthiest country surveyed, its reported deprivation was closer to countries like Indonesia and Greece than Germany or Canada. Americans go hungry twice as much as Italians and Canadians, and three times more than Germans.

The study found that people living in advanced economies were the most pessimistic about the economy, but also experienced the least deprivation. People in emerging nations tended to feel more positive about the economy while experiencing much higher rates of deprivation.

The information was collected as part of the research center’s Global Attitudes Project.

Don’t Miss: AAII Sentiment Survey: Pessimism Reaches Its Lowest in One Year.

Boeing has faced difficulties with the 787′s lithium ion batteries overheating. The problem caused an ANA flight to make an emergency landing in Japan four months ago. After that incident and a similar one in Boston, the plane was grounded worldwide.

Boeing went back to the drawing board and improved the battery system so that fires would be less likely and easier to control if they do occur. ANA, Japan’s biggest airline, owns 17 of the Dreamliner crafts. The airline said it tested the planes on 170 flights and gave cockpit crews additional training.

President and Chief Executive Officer of ANA, Osamu Shinobe, assured customers, “The safety of passengers is our number one priority.” Shinobe also expressed his excitement about returning the innovative aircraft to use. “The 787 remains a game-changing aircraft, important from an environmental, efficiency, and passenger comfort perspective,” he said.

Earlier in the week China announced it would return the 787 to use. Other foreign carriers, including Ethiopian Airlines, Air India, and Qatar Airways, have followed suit. United Airlines, owned by United Continental Holdings (NYSE:UAL), is the only American carrier of the 787. United has said it will put the plane back into service on a flight between Denver and Tokyo on June 10.

Troubles with the 787 Dreamliner hurt airlines that had invested millions in the new jets. The 787 is made from lightweight carbon composites rather than aluminum or steel, an innovation making the craft more fuel efficient. Airlines had been counting on the 787 to make long-haul trips less expensive, and it appears as though they won’t have to wait any longer to see those savings.

Boeing shares have crossed the $100 mark for the first time since October 2007, and the company is hopeful about future growth.

Investing Insights: Will Southwest Airlines See Higher Prices?

Here are three stories helping shape the market on Friday afternoon:

1. Here’s Why Stocks Sparked a Turnaround: The stock market was off to a bearish start in the morning on Thursday as investors reacted to news that the economic slowdown in China brought the HSBC Flash Manufacturing PMI into the range of contraction. Beyond that, the Japanese stock market took a severe nosedive as soaring government bond yields scared investors.

The S&P 500 (NYSEARCA:SPY) dropped as low as 1,635 before upbeat economic data facilitated a mood of bargain hunting. Stocks lost their momentum between 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m., as the flow of better-than-expected economic reports probably scared investors into thinking that quantitative easing could end sooner than expected… (Read more.)

2. These Americans Don’t Seem Thrilled About Obamacare: Falling just behind the nation’s economy and Social Security, healthcare was listed as the most important issue affecting America, according to a poll of 1,000 “general population respondents” conducted by the international market research firm YouGov in conjunction with The Economist. Nine percent of respondents chose healthcare as their primary concern, and when asked how important healthcare was in general, 61 percent said very important, 28 percent said somewhat important, 6 percent said not very important, and just 5 percent said the issue was not important at all.

The survey spanned a range of topics — from how the Obama administration handled the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, to the strength of Barack Obama as a leader, to who should be the Democratic nominee for President in 2016… (Read more.)

3. Is General Motors the Great American Bailout Success Story? General Motors is a feel-good story. Americans love comebacks, and General Motors definitely fits the bill. Another feel-good aspect of this story is that based on employee reviews at Glassdoor.com, General Motors is a company that truly tries to do the right thing for its customers. And according to employees, it never cuts corners. In all, employees see the company they work for as the good guys. And an impressive 77 percent of employees approve of CEO Daniel F. Akerson.

It’s widely believed that corporate America is evil. However, in this case, the good guys are winning. Below is a quick look at April sales improvements… (Read more.)

Don’t Miss: Watch Out For These Hazardous Retirement Potholes.