Musical shares: Why Merck Mercuriadis believes the old ones are always the best October 14, 2019 Merck Mercuriadis has a party trick. If you tell the veteran music mogul-turned City slicker your favourite band, he’ll name an older band that influenced them. Like a Spotify algorithm, but in real life. Mercuriadis’s encyclopedic music knowledge is hardly surprising. Over his career he has managed artists including Morrissey, Beyonce and Elton John, and [...]
Apple removes Hong Kong protest app HKmap.live that tracks police movements October 10, 2019 Apple has deleted the HKmap.live app that allows Hong Kong protesters to track police movements from its App Store. The tech giant said the app allowed protesters to ambush police in what have become increasingly violent clashes between authorities and anti-government activists. Read more: Hong Kong bans face masks in crackdown on protesters HKmap.live only [...]
Vodafone to shut 1,000 stores across Europe amid rise in online shopping October 8, 2019 Vodafone will close more than 1,000 of its stores across Europe and overhaul some of its remaining outlets as it looks to adapt to declining footfall on the high street. Read more: IBM and Vodafone’s $550m joint venture secures first deal Group chief executive Nick Read today said the telecoms firm will shut 15 per [...]
NBA slammed for ‘shameful retreat’ over Hong Kong protest tweet October 7, 2019 The National Basketball Association (NBA) has come under fire after distancing itself from comments made by one of its team’s senior executives in support of protests in Hong Kong. Daryl Morey, general manager of the Houston Rockets, was forced to apologise after his hastily-deleted tweet sparked anger in Beijing. Read more: Hong Kong: Government bans [...]
How BBC plans to overhaul iPlayer for the Netflix age October 7, 2019 The BBC is gearing up to overhaul its on-demand iPlayer service as it braces for an onset of newcomers in the crowded streaming market. The corporation is planning to reposition the iPlayer as the main access point for its services amid a decline in traditional TV viewing among younger audiences. Read more: Ofcom gives green [...]
Softbank’s second Vision fund hit by failed Wework IPO October 4, 2019 Softbank founder and chief executive Masayoshi Son is struggling to raise money for a second technology investment fund following the failed public offering of office space provider Wework. Son is preparing to go-ahead with the Vision Fund 2, despite advice to delay, according to Reuters. However, the fund is likely to be smaller than the [...]
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max review: The biggest leap in camera Apple has ever made October 3, 2019 For many years the most important words in a phonemaker’s lexicon were “thinner”, “lighter”, and “faster”. The race to achieve the thinnest, lightest, fastest phone resulted in the dainty little rectangles we all know and love and hate. Any variation on the theme, such as the ill-fated modular phone, was swept aside, never to be [...]
Apple rejects app that tracks Hong Kong protest locations October 3, 2019 Apple has rejected an app that helps people in Hong Kong track the location of police and protesters, according to the app’s developer. Read more: Hong Kong: Police charge teenage protester shot by officer The crowdsourced app, called HKmap Live, displays information about police patrols, tear gas use, metro closures and safe houses to help [...]
Netflix gets €57,000 tax rebate in the UK as binge-watching boosts profit October 3, 2019 Netflix has received a €57,000 (£51,000) tax rebate from the UK government last year, even as the success of hit shows such as The Crown and Stranger Things drove a rise in profit. The tax credit, granted as an incentive to produce films and TV shows in the UK, follows a rebate of €199,000 in [...]
How business rates reform can thwart the retail apocalypse October 1, 2019 When businesses like Thomas Cook fail to adapt, they are smited by new technologies with leaner business models and more efficient practices. This is Joseph Schumpeter’s creative destruction in action. Yet there is something profoundly bleak about boarded-up shops or “clearance sales” posters in the windows of once thriving businesses – particularly as the demise of [...]