WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING June 20, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES Banks to get cheap money to lift UK lending The government’s new “funding for lending” programme, designed to boost credit for British business, will cut banks’ costs to as little as 1.2 per cent, according to people briefed on the scheme. The supply of such cheap money to the banks is supposed to [...]
Diving below Microsoft’s Surface June 20, 2012 Microsoft this week unveiled the Surface tablet PC, its biggest hardware project since that launch of the Xbox in 2001. The device will be released to coincide with the release of its completely revamped Windows 8 operating system. These are interesting times indeed for the tech giant. At present, specific details – including, vitally, pricing [...]
THE TABLET RIVALS WHAT IS THE COMPETITION LIKE? June 20, 2012 Samsung Galaxy Tab The number one rival to the all conquering iPad is the Galaxy Tab. The 8.9 inch version offers something Apple doesn’t – it will fit into your pocket. It’s a well built machine but the £400 price tag is steep. BlackBerry Playbook Blackberry promised much with the PlayBook, including true multi-tasking between [...]
Imagination sinks on Apple reliance fears June 19, 2012 IMAGINATION Technology, the chip designer, yesterday reported a 30 per cent jump in full year revenues to £127.5m. But its shares plunged as much as 10 per cent on fears that the London-listed company leans too strongly on its business from Apple. Analysts doubted whether Imagination has a large enough range of clients to hit [...]
Is Microsoft likely to find success with the launch of the Surface Windows 8 tablet? June 19, 2012 YES Steve Dinneen Can Microsoft’s new tablet beat the iPad? No. Apple’s category- defining product had a US tablet market share of around 73 per cent last year and it shows no sign of slowing. But Microsoft’s offering can still be a success – the market for tablets is growing exponentially (by 91.7 per cent [...]
RAPID responses June 19, 2012 Marital business [Re: Selling off unproductive assets is liberating music to a capitalist’s ears, yesterday] Anthony Evans says he has merged his CD collection with his wife’s, and she has made unofficial assurances that the new entity now belongs to him. I’m afraid his wife now sees the entire collection as a problem. After a [...]
Market report: FTSE benefits from caffeine hit as inflation falls June 19, 2012 Coffee and a promise to safeguard the Eurozone from further contagion pushed the FTSE up 0.4 per cent in early trading this morning. As a result London’s blue chip index broke through the 5,500 level – a technical level seen as key for spurring further buying. Last night European leaders at the G20 summit in [...]
Microsoft introduces tablet computer range to take on iPad June 19, 2012 Microsoft signalled a significant change in strategy last night by announcing its own range of tablet computers to take on Apple’s iPad. The firm, which has traditionally eschewed the hardware business in favour of licensing software to the third-party manufacturers, said it will launch a range of tablets under the “Surface” brand. The range includes [...]
Microsoft reveals its new Surface tablet in bid to challenge Apple June 18, 2012 MICROSOFT last night drew back the curtains on Microsoft Surface, its first, long-awaited tablet as it looks to step up competition with Apple’s iPad. At a private event held at Milkwood Studios in Hollywood yesterday evening, the technology giant showed off two versions of the Windows-powered Surface device, a thinner 9.3mm model for the Windows [...]
US tech stock rally stymied by debt fears June 18, 2012 THE Nasdaq advanced yesterday, propelled by a rally in Apple and other big-cap tech stocks, but fears Europe’s debt crisis is in danger of worsening limited broader gains. Positive analyst comments lifted both eBay, up 4.5 per cent to $42.49, and Groupon, up 10.8 per cent at $11.15. Apple accounted for about half the Nasdaq’s [...]