The staggering figures behind Apple’s €1.7bn investment in Europe February 23, 2015 Shares in Apple rose 1.7 per cent today, after it announced plans to invest €1.7bn (£1.2bn) on two massive data centres in Europe. With a combined floor space of 332,000 sq m (that's just under two Wembley Stadiums, fact fans) the two data centres – one in Athenry, Ireland, and one in Viborg, Denmark – [...]
Google buys Softcard to take on Apple Pay February 23, 2015 Google has signed a partnership with Softcard to buy some of its payment solutions software. In a deft move, the search giant has also struck a bargain with several of the US’s biggest mobile carriers, which will see Google Wallet app pre-installed on thousands of handsets. Apple arrived at the near-field-communications party with Apple [...]
Is Apple about to change its rules with its new mobile operating system? February 22, 2015 iPhone users could be about to get a developer’s view of Apple’s operating system. The tech giant is reportedly planning to open up its new iPhone software to all users, rather than just developers, as part of a plan to improve functionality and eliminate bugs before the final release. The beta launch may, however, be [...]
More Greek tragedies, plus another excuse to break the internet: What got us talking this week February 20, 2015 Greece was still the word The cat-and-mouse game between Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis and his German counterpart, Wolfgang Schaeuble, had everyone guessing. The result? At the time of writing, the Eurogroup was still in negotiations. In the meantime, we've been trying to work out exactly what Varoufakis' leather jacket means, who Greece actually owes, [...]
Allan Leighton confirmed as Co-op chairman February 19, 2015 ALLAN Leighton has no qualms about taking the toughest jobs in business. The self-style pluralist has experienced several, including Leeds United (where he organised a rescue takeover) and Asda (which he turned around after near-bankruptcy) to name a couple. The boardroom veteran added another to his list yesterday after the Co-operative Group confirmed the appointment [...]
Apple faces poaching suit February 19, 2015 Electric car battery maker A123 Systems has launched legal action against Apple, alleging that it had poached its engineers to build a large-scale battery division. Analysts believe Apple is looking to design an electric car of its own. A123 is a pioneering industrial lithium-ion battery maker, backed by a $249m (£169m) US federal grant. It [...]
Monsoon Chief Executive John Browett quits February 18, 2015 MONSOON chief executive John Browett has quit after less than two years in the job. The former Dixons Retail boss has had an eventful few years after leaving the electricals giant in 2012 to join Apple where he was abruptly forced out six months later. Sources said Browett – once a high-flyer at Tesco – [...]
Creaking mindsets: Why businesses are about to learn some hard lessons February 18, 2015 Are we experiencing a revolution in the way that organisations operate? A recent essay in the Harvard Business Review has caused a stir by claiming that we are. The authors, Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms, draw a distinction between institutions that are defined by “old power” and “new power.” The former rely on the exclusive [...]
The web on film: As Modern Family sets an episode on a laptop, what are the problems with filming the net? February 18, 2015 You’re having dinner with an old friend. The conversation flows until his phone, which has been sitting on the table beside his plate, vibrates. He looks down, but continues to nod as if still engaged in the conversation. “Yeah,” he says, scrolling to the bottom of the message, eyes widening at some surprising detail. [...]
Samsung to take on Apple in mobile payments sector with purchase of LoopPay February 18, 2015 Samsung has purchased LoopPay, a mobile wallet company that will rival Apple Pay and Google Wallet. The South Korean tech company has not disclosed the price of the deal it proclaimed will “accelerate the next wave of innovation in the digital smart wallet”. The move suggests that Samsung is ready to compete [...]