Hewlett-Packard to be split in two to battle younger rivals October 5, 2014 Computer giant Hewlett-Packard plans to split into two companies as it looks to put more focus on the faster-growing corporate services market, according to a Wall Street Journal report yesterday. Under the plan, HP will separate its computer and printer businesses from its corporate hardware and services operations, and spin off the unit through a [...]
Grant Thornton boasts its fifth strong year but CEO Scott Barnes isn’t bragging October 5, 2014 Grant Thornton’s chief executive Scott Barnes is not a man given to extravagant outbursts. Today, the financial adviser’s yearly report boasts of “a fifth successive year of strong results”, with revenue breaking through the £500m mark it had targeted for next year. As Barnes took over as boss six years ago, that consecutive [...]
Apple retains smartphone sales lead ahead of iPhone 6 launch October 1, 2014 APPLE’S UK smartphone sales remained steady up to the launch of its new iPhone 6 last month, defying the historical trend of a sales slump ahead of the new devices release, according to data from Kantar Worldpanel. The iPhone 5C was the best selling smartphone in the UK during August, with 8.9 per cent share [...]
ARM is betting on the Internet of Things with new mbed OS October 1, 2014 ARM, the uk chipmaker which makes processors for most of the world’s smartphones and tablets, is creating a new operating system for Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The mbed OS is designed to use as little battery and memory as possible and will work in devices which use its own chips in a bid to [...]
Apple share price rises even as EU claims Irish tax deal may have broken laws September 30, 2014 The European Union yesterday accused Ireland of breaking its EU tax laws by letting Apple shelter tens of billions of dollars worth of profits from revenue collectors in return for maintaining jobs. Europe’s Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia wrote to Dublin that tax deals agreed in 1991 and 2007 amounted to state aid and might have broken EU [...]
iPhone 6 hits China retailers after Apple wins regulatory approval September 30, 2014 Apple has been granted approval to sell the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in China, 11 days after units began flying off the shelves in the UK and US. The Chinese government’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) finally granted Apple a licence to sell its new product in the country, after [...]
What is FireChat and how are protesters in Hong Kong using it? September 29, 2014 Protesters in Hong Kong are using mesh networking to avoid detection from authorities while organising themselves. This weekend tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters – many of them students – gathered to protest mainland China's ongoing selection of the city-state's chief executive. In doing so, many protesters have started using this relatively new [...]
Hong Kong protests: Drone footage captures astonishing scale of “Occupy Central” protests September 29, 2014 Hong Kong’s streets are overflowing with protestors. As tens of thousands of people have taken to the city, drone footage released by a Hong Kong tabloid-style newspaper has captured the massive scale of the pro-democracy demonstrations known as "Occupy Central". In the four-minute video, posted by newspaper Apple Daily, roads in Hong Kong [...]
The creative obsession: Leo Burnett London’s Katie Lee talks heritage and innovative adverts September 28, 2014 Few agencies are as steeped in history as Leo Burnett. One of the godfathers of advertising, Burnett founded his eponymous creative shop in depression-era Chicago, placing a bowl of apples in reception as a marker of the agency’s values: rosiness and hospitality. It quickly became known for bold, image-led work, later creating Tony the Tiger [...]
Bend it like an Apple iPhone 6 Plus… September 25, 2014 Apple has leapt to the defence of its iPhone 6 Plus as social media was abuzz with allegations that it bends easily. The company said that only nine people had complained about a bent smartphone. It said that the iPhone 6 Plus passed stress tests. “With normal use a bend in iPhone is extremely rare [...]