Don’t fear falling tech firm valuations: This isn’t a repeat of the dot-com bust April 19, 2016 Is tech overvalued? Are we heading for another painful bust? If you only read the headlines and looked at the numbers, you might believe that. After reaching record levels, some tech startup valuations are falling. And with global economic conditions looking gloomy again, those valuations might drop further. Together with my partner Steve Schlenker, I [...]
Porsche 718 Boxster review: Is this four cylinder Porsche even better than its predecessor? April 18, 2016 Design: ★★★★☆ Performance: ★★★★★ Practicality: ★★★★☆ Value: ★★★☆☆ Price: £52,972 0-62MPH: 4.2 secs Top speed: 177mph CO2 G/KM: 167g/km MPG combined: 38.7mpg Midway through its life, the Porsche Boxster has a new name – 718 Boxster – and a new pair of turbocharged four cylinder engines. For a marque synonymous with the sonorous flat-six, this could be [...]
At the close: FTSE 100 closes flat after regaining ground from early losses, oil price pulls back after failed Doha talks April 18, 2016 UK equities closed slightly higher today, regaining ground from losses at the open. A late recovery in the oil price and metals gave a boost to commodity stocks. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index finished 0.2 per cent higher at 6,353.52 points, bouncing from a low of 6,261.71 shortly after the open as investors feared equity would follow [...]
As Buckingham Palace prepares for Queen Elizabeth’s 90th Birthday, here are some of the worst tributes on offer April 18, 2016 Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her 90th birthday this year, and the whole corporate world is clamouring to celebrate it with her. As the nation gears up to wish her maj a happy birthday, UK retailers are also cashing in on the moment in history. Affordable Accessories Affordable jeweller Signet is patriotically promoting products at its Ernest & [...]
Mobile is a hot topic (again) as Advertising Week Europe comes to town April 18, 2016 "This will be the year of mobile” has been a multi-year meme in the ad industry, but there’s some logic to it. Since the first iPhone captured consumers’ imaginations in 2007, each subsequent year has truly been the year of mobile, with app developers inventing new uses for these palm-sized computers, marketers observing how these devices [...]
S&P: Green bond issuance could triple this year April 15, 2016 Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's has said green bond issuance could triple to $28bn this year, providing the Chinese market takes off. But investor appetite will continue to exceed supply, following the Paris climate change negotiations in December. Read more: London is leading the world in financing the global low carbon shift A green bond must [...]
The rumours are true: Apple only expects its devices to last a few years April 15, 2016 Splashing £500-odd on a new iPhone every few years might seem like a bit of an ask – but at least if you're buying an Apple device, you know it's going to last, right? Wrong. Today the company published new information on how it deals with old devices – and revealed that iPhones are built to die [...]
The rich get richer as the vote for the Online Personal Wealth Awards includes a prize draw for an Apple Watch April 14, 2016 What do you get for the audience that has everything? An Apple Watch, of course. The voting is open for the Online Personal Wealth Awards, and those who get involved are could get a little bit wealthier. Now in it's third year, the personal wealth awards hands out gongs to companies which "offer great service and [...]
Here’s CaptionBot, Microsoft’s latest artificial intelligence experiment April 14, 2016 Microsoft certainly hasn't been scared off doing further experiments with artificial intelligence after the whole racist bot debacle. The tech firm is back with an AI powered API that can identify (or at least try) what's in a picture. 1. Boat or wheel? 2. The shard clock 3. Unhappy Sir Martin Sorrell 4. Tech blind? 5. [...]
iPad Pro 9.7 inch review, UK price and features: a remarkable device April 13, 2016 While everyone was busy talking about the tiny new iPhone SE, Apple launched another product: the iPad Pro 9.7 inch. It’s a lot like last year’s gigantic 12.9 inch iPad Pro, only smaller. I'm not sure how I feel about this: I love the iPad Pro 12.9 inch, but mostly because of its size, which makes [...]