Apple boots Fortnite off App Store after challenge to payment rules August 13, 2020 Apple has removed Fortnite off its App Store, after the game’s creator Epic Games instituted a new way of buying in-game benefits that circumvents Apple’s rules. Epic Games has in turn initiated legal action against Apple, it said in a statement. “Apple’s removal of Fortnite is yet another example of Apple flexing its enormous power [...]
Social media news consumption drops as trust declines August 13, 2020 The number of people accessing news through social media has fallen in the last year as trust in online platforms has slipped, new figures have revealed. The proportion of Brits using social media sites to stay up to date with the latest stories slipped to 45 per cent in 2020, down from 49 per cent [...]
Bytedance weighs selling stake in Tiktok’s Indian arm to Reliance to ease app ban August 13, 2020 Tiktok parent Bytedance is said to be in talks with India’s Reliance about a investment in the operations of Tiktok in the region, as it seeks to end the government’s app ban. Conversations between the two companies began late last month but have yet to reach a deal, sources told Techcrunch. In June the Indian [...]
Report: Apple to bundle services under ‘Apple One’ subscription August 13, 2020 Apple is reportedly planning to launch a range of subscription bundles that will give customers access to a selection of its digital services at a lower price. The bundles, dubbed Apple One, are set to be launched as early as October alongside the new generation of iPhones, Bloomberg reported, citing people with knowledge of the [...]
Lyft maintains end-2021 profitability goal August 12, 2020 Lyft said today that cuts had put the company on track to reach its goal of becoming profitable on an adjusted basis by the end of 2021, even as its revenue fell 61 per cent. Quarterly revenue fell to $339.3m, as the pandemic crushed demand for ride-hailing services in North America. The ride-hailing app said [...]
Tesla shares spike on five-for-one stock split August 12, 2020 Tesla’s move to split its stock into smaller chunks caused its share price to jump more than eight per cent as markets opened this afternoon. Analysts said the split had the potential to extend a 200 per cent rally in Tesla’s shares this year by making it easier for retail investors to hold the stock. [...]
Microsoft prices folding Surface Duo phone at $1,399 August 12, 2020 Microsoft has said the Surface Duo, its newest dual-screen Android smartphone, will have a starting price of $1,399. The phone folds shut like a book, opting for two separate screens that are synchronised rather than one screen that folds in the middle like recent launches from Huawei and Samsung. The Surface Duo will arrive in stores [...]
Coronavirus: Facebook blames pandemic for fall in child abuse moderation August 12, 2020 Facebook has admitted that its efforts to remove child abuse and self-harm images from its platform have been hampered by the coronavirus outbreak. The tech giant said it took action against considerably less material on Facebook and Instagram in the second quarter because it had fewer content moderators working during the pandemic. Facebook removed just [...]
Tencent profit beats expectations as Wechat ban looms August 12, 2020 Tencent today said it has smashed expectations for second-quarter revenue and profit as the Chinese tech giant enjoyed higher demand for its video games during the Covid-19 lockdown. The world’s largest video game company posted revenue of 114.9bn yuan (£12.7bn) in the three months to the end of June — an increase of 29 per [...]
An obesity strategy that stigmatises patients won’t work August 12, 2020 At the end of last month, the government revealed an array of measures as part of its new obesity strategy to “protect against coronavirus and safeguard the NHS”. Unveiling a 12-week plan to get the nation fit and healthy, the Prime Minister spoke openly about his own brush with death, and the part his excess [...]