Apple reaches $500bn value February 28, 2012 SHARES in Apple closed at a record high of $535.41 last night, valuing the company in excess of $500bn. The tech giant, already the world’s biggest listed firm after surpassing Exxon, becomes one of just six public companies worldwide to ever pass the $500bn equity value barrier, with its market cap set to hit the [...]
Yahoo battles for licensing fees as it launches patent war with Facebook February 28, 2012 THE ever-growing string of patent lawsuits between technology firms has branched out to social media companies as Yahoo and Facebook scrap over intellectual property. Waning search site Yahoo has asserted claims on a variety of mechanisms used by Facebook, including the way it operates its adverts, privacy controls, news feed and messaging service. The list [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING February 27, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES GORDON GEKKO TELLS WALL ST GREED IS NOT GOOD Michael Douglas is playing a new and unlikely role as spokesman for the US Federal Bureau of Investigation in its war against corruption on Wall Street. The Hollywood actor – famous for his line “greed is good” in the 1987 film Wall Street – [...]
The new kids February 27, 2012 ALL eyes were on Nokia yesterday morning, as delegates at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona waited with bated breath for its latest release. Some were hoping for a long-rumoured tablet, which never materialised. What we got was a cheaper handset in Nokia’s Lumia range, the 610. It’s a solid enough device, with enough curves [...]
Better squeezed than baffled by tax breaks February 27, 2012 WHEN my wife was pregnant last summer we received a £100 voucher from the government to ensure she was eating enough fruit and vegetables. She already was eating enough fruit and vegetables, but the money came in handy for other things. This is just one small example of how a well-intentioned policy is a waste [...]
World fastest smartphone from Huawei February 26, 2012 CHINESE low-cost smartphone manufacturer Huawei is further encroaching on the territory of waning technology veterans such as HTC as it launches the world’s fastest smartphone, the Ascend D quad. The world’s number two network equipment maker specialises in sub-$200 smartphones and is swiftly stealing customers from its pricier rivals. In its 2010 financial year, Huawei [...]
BT looking to launch a new music player February 26, 2012 BT is considering launching its own music service, putting it in direct competition with the likes of Apple’s iTunes and Spotify. A BT spokesperson said, “We’re keen to launch a music service this year, but the business model has to make sense.” He declined to comment on the nature of the product or its expected [...]
OPERATIC DUET FOR MITIE BOSS AND HUBBY February 26, 2012 WHAT connects Mitie, the FTSE 250 support services company, with opera? It isn’t just that Mitie is responsible for managing the facilities at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. The £19m contract, which sees Mitie providing cleaning and security services to the 2,256-seater venue, is certainly important to chief executive Ruby McGregor-Smith – but [...]
Dividend soon on Apple stock February 23, 2012 APPLE could be close to paying a dividend, it was revealed, as chief executive Tim Cook told investors the board is “thinking about this very deeply.” He dropped the hint during the company’s first annual general meeting since the death of Steve Jobs, who famously refused to pay a dividend. Apple is sitting on a [...]
Benefits for all with a bring your own device policy February 22, 2012 AS THE proliferation of smartphones and consumer mobile devices increases at an exponential rate, they are rapidly changing the way that companies do business. Apple are reportedly on target to sell 8m iPads this quarter and have already sold 183m iPhones – when the iPhone 4S was launched, 1m were sold. INCREASING DEMANDS As certain [...]