Western Digital in $4.3bn deal March 7, 2011 Western Digital, the world’s second-biggest hard drive maker, yesterday agreed to buy Hitachi’s hard disk drive operations for about $4.3bn (£2.7bn) in cash and stock. After the deal, Hitachi will own 10 per cent of Western Digital. Western Digital said it had secured a term loan of $2bn and a revolving credit facility of $500m [...]
iPad 2 moves the tablet goalposts out of sight March 7, 2011 SO the iPad 2 is finally here, unveiled by Steve Jobs who, if you believe some of the more hyperbolic reports, may have risen from the dead to show it off in San Francisco last week. Geeks flocked to BBC studios for the live link-up to the event; so many geeks that there was nowhere [...]
A sanctuary – with iMacs – in West Sussex March 6, 2011 A WEEKEND in the country is often not so much a change of pace as stepping back into another era, where duvets are a dirty word and the closest you get to modern technology is a Teasmade. Not so at Park House, a luxury rural retreat in West Sussex. There might be rows of Hunter [...]
Steve Jobs returns to unveil the new iPad 2 March 2, 2011 APPLE surprised critics yesterday when its talismanic leader Steve Jobs made a surprise appearance to unveil the latest version of its iPad tablet computer. Despite being on medical leave, Jobs took to the stage in San Fransisco, saying: “We’ve been working on this product for a while – I didn’t want to miss this one.” [...]
FIRST LOOK AT THE IPAD 2 March 2, 2011 The iPad 2 is better, faster, slicker. Rivals hoping to muscle in may as well pack up and go home – if you want a tablet, nothing comes close to this. LAST night I got my hands on one of the first iPad 2s in the country. Steve Jobs, looking positively healthy for a man [...]
Wall St shrugs off fresh oil price rise March 2, 2011 US stocks eked out gains yesterday despite another rise in oil prices as investors bet the latest data signaled the economy could absorb expected higher energy costs. Wall Street seesawed as oil fluctuated throughout the day. Brent crude LCOc1 hit a 2 1/2-year high above $117 a barrel in the late morning but later slipped. [...]
Citi sells Egg credit cards to Barclays March 1, 2011 BARCLAYS is buying the UK credit card portfolio of Egg from the online bank’s US owner Citi, transferring more than 1m customer accounts to the Barclaycard brand. The value of the deal, which is subject to regulatory approval, has not been disclosed, but Barclay’s said it was buying the assets at a “significant discount” to [...]
Only a dribbling loon would buy a green laptop February 28, 2011 SONY knew it had to up its game for the new range of Vaio laptops. It’s consumer division is struggling and those pesky people at Apple have just launched another shiny new device carved out of a single block of solid gold, featuring a beacon like the Bat Sign that broadcasts into space the fact [...]
FOOD & BOOZE NEWS February 28, 2011 FINE WINE AND BURGERS AT HAWKSMOOR Beloved steakhouse Hawksmoor, which recently added a Covent Garden restaurant to its Spitalfields restaurant, will be making top-end wines available by the glass at both restaurants, and teaming them with classic dishes from the Hawksmoor menu in a series of tasting events over the coming months. Think lobster rolls [...]
Pearson boss warns Apple February 28, 2011 Pearson chief executive Marjorie Scardino yesterday expressed her discomfort at the Libyan government being a major shareholder in the firm. She also hit out at Apple, warning Pearson could leave its platform if it refuses to share user data and demands a 30 per cent cut of subscription revenues. Scardino said she expected sales, margin [...]