Five implications for the app economy after Apple’s WWDC June 14, 2016 Monday's World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) found Apple announcing a raft of updates set to overhaul the entire app economy. From MacOS and Apple Watch to iMessages, the changes Apple is planning opens up an entire new world for developers. The question is though, what do these changes mean for the app economy as a [...]
This ex-Googler’s “anti-Wonga” loans startup is moving into savings June 14, 2016 A fintech startup founded by a former Google boss which lets people pay off their debts via a single monthly payment direct from their salary is now planning to expand on its loans business with a move into savings. SalaryFinance was founded late last year by Dan Cobley, the former boss of Google in the UK, former banking consultant Ashesh Sarkar, and [...]
Fintech boom means Brexit won’t hurt exports June 14, 2016 Exporting can be a powerful driver of business growth, and small and medium-sized enterprises that sell overseas often find themselves more successful in their domestic market as a result of what they learn from exporting. So, I was disheartened to see at a recent seminar hosted by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, that only around 20 per [...]
Everything you need to know about how Apple plans to stay top dog June 14, 2016 Could Apple have made any more announcements at its big developer conference? Probably not. But one thing's clear, while the nitty gritty details of all those updates are being sifted through, the tech giant certainly set out its ambitions to stay on top of its rivals. Apple is opening up several major parts of its operating [...]
The UK is home to more innovative universities than just one other country June 14, 2016 The UK is home to more innovative universities than any other country in Europe apart from Germany, a new ranking reveals. World-renowned Oxford and Cambridge ranked third and eighth, respectively, in a new list compiled by Reuters. But it's Imperial College which topped the list of UK universities, coming in at number two just behind KU [...]
Raspberry Pi maker Premier Farnell to be sold to Datwyler Technical Components in £792m deal June 14, 2016 Shares in Premier Farnell, the company behind the ultra-affordable Raspberry Pi, a credit card-sized single-board computer, have surged 50 per cent after the group revealed it has agreed a takeover deal with a subsidiary of Swiss manufacturer Datwyler. Bidco has offered 165p per share in cash, which values Premier Farnell at around £615m, and represents a premium of around 51 per [...]
Microsoft’s LinkedIn deal is right connection June 14, 2016 Microsoft's $26bn bid for LinkedIn is certainly punchy. The company founded by Bill Gates will pay $196 per share, a near 50 per cent premium on Friday's closing price. Analysts see the value in the deal. With the acquisition, Microsoft is delving deeper into the “world of work” according to Martin Garner of CCS Insight. [...]
SMEs have put cyber security on the back burner, new survey finds June 14, 2016 Despite being worried about cyber crime, research published today has found that many small firms are still not doing enough to protect themselves. The survey by Barclaycard of over 250 small businesses found that just one in five (20 per cent) rank cyber security as a top business priority, despite previous government research having found that the average cyber [...]
Apple had plenty of “I’d definitely use that” moments at WWDC June 13, 2016 Once again the Apple faithful dutifully attended or watched its annual developer update to see what the company had in store. Apple’s momentum with developers is staggering. It claims to have over 30m developers and since the iPhone launched, the company claims to have shared nearly $50bn (£35bn) of shared revenue with app makers. It remains the [...]
Watch out PayPal: Now you can use Apple Pay online June 13, 2016 Apple has made a major move with its mobile pay service, adding support for it online. This means users can simply use a "Pay by Apple" button when browsing on the iPhone or Mac, in addition to using the iPhone to pay at tills. An Apple Pay button will appear when you pay online, via [...]