Apple hits back at EU over ‘wasteful’ universal charger proposal January 23, 2020 Apple has today lashed out at an EU bid to make the tech firm ditch its Lightning charger, alleging the proposed rules would “create an unprecedented amount of waste”. Politicians in the European Parliament last week pushed forward calls for a universal charger for all mobile devices, amending a draft law to rule that all [...]
Tiktok inks licensing deal as it gears up for music streaming launch January 23, 2020 Tiktok has secured a licensing deal with a major music rights agency, marking a key step forward in the social media firm’s plans to launch a new rival to Spotify. The Chinese video app today said it has entered into a multi-territory partnership with Merlin, which represents tens of thousands of independent record labels. The [...]
Amazon breaks $200bn mark as world’s most valuable brand January 22, 2020 Online retail titan Amazon has defended its position as the world’s most valuable brand for a third year in a row, with the firm becoming the first to break the $200bn (£153bn) mark. Jeff Bezos’ company is worth $220.8bn in total, over $60bn more than second-placed Google, which is worth $159.7bn, according to the annual [...]
OECD tells UK to ‘hold fire’ on new tech giants tax January 22, 2020 The UK has been told by the OECD to “hold fire” on a new tax on big technology companies planned for April. The secretary general of the organisation, which is tasked with brokering a global compromise on the issue of tech giants not paying enough tax, said there would be the risk of “a cacophony” [...]
Netflix beats fourth-quarter revenue estimates as subscribers jump January 21, 2020 Netflix added more subscribers than analysts had expected at the end of last year, despite the debuts of several rival streaming services. The streaming giant added 8.76m paid subscribers globally in the three months to December, compared with analysts’ average estimate of 7.63m, thanks to hits such as the Irishman and the third season of [...]
You can’t compare Jurgen Klopp’s side to great Liverpool teams but I prefer watching them to Manchester City January 21, 2020 Managers are a vital part of any club and certain conditions – money, clout – are necessary in a rebuilding job, but Jurgen Klopp really has proven to be the perfect fit for Liverpool that he was billed as. Since arriving in October 2015 he has improved the team each year and, having won the [...]
Apple boss Tim Cook calls for overhaul of corporate tax system January 20, 2020 Apple chief executive Tim Cook has acknowledged that the global corporate tax system needs to be overhauled, adding he was optimistic that upcoming reform would be fair. Tech giants such as Apple have come under increased scrutiny over their tax practices amid concerns they are dodging their liabilities by booking profit in low-tax countries. This [...]
Public cash shouldn’t be for private gain January 20, 2020 Have you ever heard of Apton? It’s game-changing. It’s synergetic. It’s revolutionary. It’s self-actualising. It’s… costing you money with naught in return. You probably haven’t heard of Apton, though — it’s only got 3,000 subscribers. It’s an app to stream Welsh language music — kind of like Spotify, but with a much smaller catalogue, fewer [...]
EU could force Apple to ditch iPhone charger January 17, 2020 Apple could be forced to abandon the Lightning connector, as the European Parliament mulls the introduction of a common charger to fit all devices Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will debate the issue on Monday, calling for a charger that will “fit all mobile phones, tablets, e-book readers and other portable devices”. According to [...]
Google it: Alphabet hits $1 trillion landmark amid ad growth optimism January 17, 2020 Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has hit a landmark stock market valuation of $1 trillion (£760bn) for the first time. The company’s shares rose by 0.76 per cent yesterday, enough to make it the fourth US-listed company to hit the milestone. Shares ended the day valued at $1,450.16. Alphabet hit the valuation 22 years [...]