Huawei to delay smartphone production as US measures threaten bottleneck June 17, 2020 Huawei is said to have told some of its suppliers to halt production on its newest line of smartphones, as tough US sanctions threaten disruption. Huawei has asked suppliers for some components of its upcoming Mate line of smartphones to delay production as it assesses the impact of tightening US export controls, sources told the [...]
German virus tracing app hits 6.5m downloads as Norway and Russia experience technical glitches June 17, 2020 Germany’s app to help trace coronavirus infections has been downloaded 6.5m times within the first 24 hours since its launch. Chief executive of software giant SAP Christian Klein today said he viewed the promising figures as a sign of a job well done, following a collaborative effort between SAP and Deutsche Telekom to develop the [...]
EU opens antitrust cases against Apple over App Store and Apple Pay June 16, 2020 The European Commission today launched two new antitrust cases against Apple, bolstering its fight against market dominance in the technology sector. The first investigation will explore whether Apple’s practice of charging a 30 per cent commission fee on sales and subscriptions made via its App Store is anti-competitive, following complaints by Spotify and Rakuten. Spotify’s [...]
Johanna Kyrklund: Is retail investor surge cause for caution? June 15, 2020 With a combination of resurgent markets, seemingly ebullient retail investors and a bleak economic outlook, it may be prudent to tread carefully. It’s an old investment cliché that when your taxi driver starts giving you share tips, it’s time to sell. As someone who has been on the receiving end of cabbie investment advice during [...]
Competition watchdog to investigate Facebook’s Giphy acquisition June 12, 2020 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has today begun an investigation into the completed acquisition of Giphy by Facebook. An initial enforcement order was sent earlier this week as the CMA conducts an inquiry into whether the merger of Facebook and Giphy will “result in a substantial lessening of competition within any market or markets [...]
The City View: How the City is coping with economic shockwaves and political upheaval, with Iain Anderson June 12, 2020 In this episode Christian talks to top City lobbyist Iain Anderson, Executive Chairman of Cicero AMO, about how businesses have responded to the Coronavirus crisis and the huge economic and political disruption it has caused. Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS From concerns over trade to worries about the lockdown, businesses have had to adapt [...]
Microsoft trumps Amazon in refusal to sell facial recognition software to police June 11, 2020 Microsoft has become the third tech giant to declare a moratorium on selling its facial recognition software to police, as companies weigh in on the global debate surrounding the latter’s use of violence against communities of colour. Though it does not currently sell its technology to police, Microsoft president Brad Smith said that it will [...]
Apple commits $100m to racial justice initiative June 11, 2020 Apple chief executive Tim Cook has today revealed the firm will spend $100m on a company programme dedicated to racial justice. “The unfinished work of racial justice and equality call us all to account,” Cook said in a tweet. “Things must change, and Apple’s committed to being a force for that change.” It follows in [...]
EU to levy antitrust charges against Amazon over treatment of third-party sellers June 11, 2020 The European Commission is said to be preparing to file formal charges against Amazon over its treatment of third-party sellers on its platform. The Commission will accuse Amazon of accumulating data from third-party sellers and using it to compete against them, people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal. The case could appear [...]
WPP appoints former Burberry chief June 11, 2020 Media giant WPP has appointed the former chief executive of Burberry and ex-head of retail at Apple to its board. Angela Ahrendts will become a non-executive board member at WPP after ending a five-year run as one of the most senior figures at Apple. Ahrendts led British fashion brand Burberry from 2006 to 2013, during [...]