China’s success among western firms will depend on the desirability of the brand February 5, 2019 Not a week goes by when there isn’t a data print-out of China posting the weakest number since… well pick a year. Last Friday, for example, the Caixin manufacturing survey posted a second consecutive month of contraction and the lowest reading since 2016. The slowdown has triggered a set of 2019 growth downgrades from the analyst [...]
Viacom launches on-demand streaming app for MTV reality shows February 4, 2019 MTV owner Viacom has launched a new streaming app aimed at younger audiences as it joins a growing list of broadcasters offering an on-demand service. MTV Play, which will initially be available only in the UK, will offer a range of catch-up and box set programmes, as well as a live feed of MTV’s broadcast channel. [...]
DEBATE: Should Apple produce a cheaper iPhone to stem the decline in sales? February 4, 2019 Should Apple produce a cheaper iPhone to stem the decline in sales? Carolyn Dailey, founder of Creative Entrepreneurs, says YES. Apple has been missing out on a huge opportunity to increase sales, keep ahead of the competition, and build brand loyalty with key audiences that can’t currently afford an iPhone. These include students, freelancers and startup entrepreneurs, [...]
Facetime spy bug fixed, Apple says, but users will have to wait until next week for group calls February 1, 2019 Facetime users will have to wait another week to chat with several friends at the same time as Apple said it would not re-activate the function until next week Apple said its engineers have fixed a bug which allowed callers to spy on other iPhone and iPad users, but it will wait until next week [...]
Google’s GDPR fine may cost it more than just €50m – it will impact the tech industry too January 31, 2019 Back in December, I wrote an article asking why, six months after the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) had come into force, we had not yet seen any major fines or punishments for firms that had misused or mishandled personal data. The lack of sanctions, I argued, made the new regulatory powers toothless. [...]
Facebook removes controversial app that pays teenagers for their iPhone data January 30, 2019 Facebook has taken down a research app that paid volunteers aged as young as 13 to gain unfettered access to data on their mobile phone. An investigation by Tech Crunch lifted the lid on the Facebook Research App, which bypassed the Apple App Store to seek out users via unofficial beta testing networks. The app [...]
DEBATE: Now that Facebook is integrating WhatsApp and Instagram, should we be worried about privacy? January 30, 2019 Now that Facebook is integrating WhatsApp and Instagram, should we be worried about privacy? Ruth Manielevitch, vice president of global business development at Taptica, says YES. Facebook has said that there will be end-to-end encryption across the board as part of this integration, but this will be difficult to implement. The level of personal information [...]
The Beatles’ last message from Savile Row is being echoed by today’s bespoke tailors January 30, 2019 Exactly 50 years ago today the Beatles sang together for the final time. On the rooftop of the Apple offices at 3 Savile Row, they set up a surprise live concert that lasted 42 minutes before the police intervened. After one last rendition of “Get Back”, the band called it a day, bowing out of [...]
Apple soothes investor fears by topping estimates in festive quarter results January 29, 2019 Californian tech giant Apple assuaged investor concerns tonight, having narrowly beaten analyst predictions for its first fiscal quarter of 2019. Reporting for the three months to 31 December, Apple said it took in revenue of $84.3bn (£64.1bn), slightly above consensus estimates of $84bn as collated by S&P Global Market Intelligence. Sales were down five per cent [...]
Apple sales come to the fore as big tech firms brace for crunch results January 29, 2019 Silicon Valley will be preparing for market instability this week as several members of the so-called Faang grouping gear up to report quarterly results for the recent festive period. Three members of the big tech club – which includes Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google – will publish figures amid rising speculation that their time [...]