Apple breaks into the Fortune 500 top five as it upgrades software June 2, 2014 APPLE leapt up the Fortune 500 rankings yesterday, moving up to 5th on the annual listings of the top US companies by revenue, on the same day it unveiled a host of software updates to its iPhone, iPad and Mac software. The improvement is due to a 9.2 per cent jump in Apple’s revenue, to [...]
CNBC Comment: What central bank shifts mean for funds June 2, 2014 THE ECB has heavily hinted that it will provide more support to markets on Thursday, although how the support will look has yet to be determined. I had Ron Mock, chief executive of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, a $145bn fund that manages pension savings for over 300,000 current and retired teachers in Canada, on [...]
New OS X? iPhone iOS 8? What to expect at Apple WWDC 2014 June 2, 2014 Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off this week starting with a keynote from chief executive Tim Cook (which will be streamed live at 6pm tonight) in which he is likely to announce a slew of new software updates that will set the company’s direction for the next year. While Apple is by far the most [...]
Bottom Line: Time is quickly running out for Apple’s Cook to deliver June 2, 2014 JUST days after revealing its $3bn (£1.8bn) takeover of Beats Electronics, Apple chief executive Tim Cook will tonight announce a slew of new software updates that will set the technology giant’s direction for the coming year – but time is running out for Cook to deliver on his promises. Last year the technology giant’s chief [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 30 May 2014 May 29, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES John Mack steps down from Rosneft John Mack, the former chief executive of Morgan Stanley, is to step down from the board of Russia’s state-controlled oil group Rosneft. His move comes after the US Treasury department last month sanctioned Igor Sechin, Rosneft’s president, in connection with Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Mack dismissed the [...]
Inside Track: For the first time since Lehman, CEOs are ready for deals May 29, 2014 Notwithstanding the fact that the US drugs group Pfizer was forced to walk away from its £69bn bid for Astrazeneca, takeover bids and deals, and even the sniff of them, are back. Yesterday morning, Man Group, the fund management company that has been haunted in recent years by the poor performance of its previously successful [...]
Apple confirms $3bn deal for Dr Dre’s Beats May 28, 2014 APPLE announced yesterday that it is snapping up Beats Electronics, an audio firm famed for its headphones, for $3bn (£1.8bn). Beats founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr Dre will join Apple as the technology and computer giant takes over their firm, which is known for its iconic headphones. The deal will worth $2.6bn immediately with another [...]
Tablet market in slowdown as shipments drop May 28, 2014 GLOBAL tablet shipments fell during the first quarter of 2014, according to new research, the first fall since Apple’s iPad launched in 2010. Shipments dropped from 59m units in the first quarter of 2013 to 56.3m units in the first quarter of this year, according to research firm NPD. “The wider trend is that clearly [...]
Why it’s nimble SMEs that are best-positioned to capitalise on the huge benefits of big data May 28, 2014 BIG CORPORATIONS are best placed to exploit big data, right? They have the resources, and can afford to focus effort on the science of data, and turn that into business advantage. Maybe. But the way the technology environment is moving, maybe not. It’s now been the case for a while that, with a credit card, [...]
Apple rumoured to be close to unveiling Jetson-style home automation platform May 27, 2014 Remember the Jetsons? Their home was filled with a variety of push-button, space age, automated conveniences. Fifty years on and the fantasy could soon be another step closer, as Apple takes its biggest stride yet into the "internet of things". According to the FT, the electronics titan is preparing a new software platform that’d turn [...]