Chinese AI firm slaps Apple with $1.4bn patent lawsuit August 3, 2020 Chinese artificial intelligence firm Shanghai Zhizhen Network Technology has filed a $1.4bn lawsuit against Apple, claiming the iPhone giant has infringed on a patent for its voice assistant technology. Shanghai Zhizhen, also known as Xiao-i, is calling for 10bn yuan ($1.4bn) in damages and demands that Apple cease “manufacturing, using, promising to sell, selling, and [...]
Zoom suspends China sales in partial market retraction August 3, 2020 Zoom is to stop selling new or upgraded products directly to customers in China, as it transitions towards a partner-only model in the region. Local Zoom customers were told today that a selection of third-party suppliers will now handle Zoom sales and some operations in China, listing a number of authorised partners that will now [...]
Trump gives Microsoft 45 days to clinch Tiktok deal as owners eye London move August 3, 2020 Microsoft and US President Donald Trump have worked out an agreement which gives the software giant 45 days to finalise a deal for the US arm of Tiktok. The software giant said in a statement that its chief executive Satya Nadella has been in discussions with the President about a potential Tiktok purchase, and that [...]
Big Tech cashes in on worst day for US economy since Great Depression July 31, 2020 The world’s four largest tech firms yesterday announced blockbuster earnings for three months to June, despite the US economy facing its darkest day since the Great Depression. Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple, worth more than $5 trillion ($3.81 trillion) in total, smashed expectations as they all posted record profits yesterday. The upbeat results were met [...]
A data arms race has begun — it’s not a game, it’s a national security imperative July 31, 2020 Data privacy is a human right. It is also a matter of national — and international — security. If the “new Cold War” is upon us, as has been claimed on City A.M., it will be fought with information. However, the west seems less serious about the “data arms race” than China and Russia, leaving [...]
Strong iPhone sales power Apple past expectations July 30, 2020 Sales of Apple’s hallmark iPhone surpassed analyst expectations by $4bn in its fiscal third quarter, pushing the tech firm to report revenue gains in every product category and geography. With 60 per cent of its smartphone sales coming from international markets, the California-headquartered tech giant posted iPhone revenues of $26.42bn, leapfrogging analyst expectations of $22.37bn. [...]
Amazon blows past estimates in revenue and profit beat July 30, 2020 Amazon surprised investors as it beat analyst estimates for second-quarter revenue and profit by a long shot, sealing off a strong quarter for the e-commerce retailer. Amazon reported a net income of $5.2bn in the second quarter, or $10.30 per diluted share, doubling its profit from a year earlier of $2.6bn. Analysts had been expecting [...]
Tiktok sets up $2bn fund to poach creators from rivals July 30, 2020 Tiktok has today revealed it will be putting more than $2bn aside over the next three years to pay creators on its platform, in a bid to attract more influencers from rivals Instagram and Youtube. Around $300m of that fund will go to creators in the UK and Europe, while $1bn will be set aside [...]
Nasa launches ninth Mars mission in hunt for signs of past life July 30, 2020 Nasa today launched its next-generation Mars rover from Florida on a $2.4bn mission to find signs of past life on the red planet. The Perseverance rover was aboard an Atlas 5 rocket, which is manufactured by the Boeing-Lockheed joint venture United Launch Alliance. Once on Mars it will also deploy a mini helicopter and test [...]
Want a cure for Covid right now? Stop smoking, exercise more, and focus on holistic health July 30, 2020 So much of the conversation around how to beat Covid-19 has focused on the Holy Grail of a vaccine. This is obviously of utmost importance. But to beat coronavirus, as well as prepare for the next pandemic, we need a new definition of health — one that can strengthen our natural immunity and save thousands [...]