Apple facing $840m fine for ebook pricing February 2, 2014 APPLE faces a fine of up to $840m (£511m) from US state and consumer antitrust claims after last summer’s lawsuit, in which the tech giant was found to be guilty of conspiring with publishing companies to increase the price of ebooks. The class action lawsuit, comprised of customers from 33 states and led by attorney [...]
British gaming firm NaturalMotion snapped up by Zynga for $527m January 30, 2014 UK DEVELOPER NaturalMotion was last night snapped up by Zynga, the US games developer behind FarmVille and ChefVille, for $527m (£319.5m). NaturalMotion, founded by 41-year-old Oxford University graduate Torsten Reil, has created games like Clumsy Ninja and CSR Racing for Apple’s mobile devices. The firm has offices in London, Oxford, Brighton and San Francisco. Zynga’s [...]
Google sells off Motorola unit to Lenovo for $3bn January 29, 2014 LENOVO Group said last night it agreed to buy Google’s Motorola handset division for $2.91bn, less than two years after Google paid $12.5bn to buy the firm. The deal ends Google’s short-lived foray into making consumer mobile devices and marks a pullback from its largest-ever acquisition. However, Google will keep several lucrative patents, including the [...]
Carphone set to run 60 Samsung stores in Europe January 29, 2014 SAMSUNG and Carphone Warehouse have signed an agreement for the high street retailer to convert 60 of its stores across Europe into dedicated Samsung stand-alone stores. Carphone Warehouse was one of the top risers on the London Stock Exchange yesterday on the news with shares rising 6.69 per cent to close at 287.2p a share. [...]
We’re not witnessing the stirring of another Dot-com tech bubble January 29, 2014 IT MAY be chilly outside but, for those of us analysing the UK tech market, it couldn’t be hotter. It was a stellar year in 2013 for the sector. In the US, the Nasdaq index of technology-focused stocks reached highs last witnessed in 2000 – at the height of the Dot-com boom. Here in the [...]
iCame, iSaw, iConquered January 29, 2014 When Apple launched its iconic iPod it revolutionised the music industry. But with sales down 52 per cent on last year, its days may now be numbered. We look back at the glory days of the world’s favourite portable music player Classic 1st generationThis is where it all started: it was by no means the [...]
Samsung takes on Apple with dedicated Carphone Warehouse stores January 29, 2014 Samsung and Carphone Warehouse have signed an agreement for the high street retailer to convert 60 of its stores across Europe into dedicated Samsung stand-alone stores. Of the 60 stores, that will stock only Samsung products, around 20 will be opened in the UK with the others spread across Ireland, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Sweden and [...]
Carl Icahn adds to his Apple pile after share price takes a tumble January 28, 2014 BILLIONAIRE activist investor Carl Icahn said yesterday that he has bought another $500m (£301.7m) worth of Apple stock, despite Apple’s results being considered disappointing by many investors. Icahn’s stake in the iPhone maker is now more than $4.1bn, following three separate investments in the stock, as he continues his campaign to increase Apple’s share buyback [...]
Smartphone shipments reach 1bn as Samsung keeps crown January 28, 2014 SMARTPHONE shipments topped 1bn units worldwide for first time in 2013, climbing 38.4 per cent from the previous year, research firm IDC said yesterday. Smartphones made up 55.1 per cent of all mobile phone shipments last year from just over two-fifths in 2012, IDC said. “The sheer volume and strong growth attest to the smartphone’s [...]
New York Report: US stock index given boost by good results January 28, 2014 US stocks rebounded yesterday after Pfizer’s upbeat results gave investors some relief from the pain of the Dow’s five-day losing streak, and the focus turned to the Federal Reserve’s next move on stimulus. The market’s advance, which also broke the S&P 500’s three-day slide, came after heavy losses tied to concerns about the withdrawal of [...]