Threads: Five million join new Meta app in matter of hours July 6, 2023 A new app billed as a rival to Twitter has seen more than five million people sign up in its first few hours. Threads, created by Facebook and Instagram owners Meta, went live in the UK at midnight on Thursday. Linked to Instagram, it allows users to post up to 500 characters of text and [...]
Government lags on ‘disappointing’ semiconductor strategy already as advisory panel still not announced July 5, 2023 The government’s Semiconductor Advisory Panel (SAP) announcement is almost a month late, leaving chip experts questioning the effectiveness of the national semiconductor strategy. In the national semiconductor strategy, published in May, the government said it will “formally launch the advisory panel at London Tech Week in June 2023 as part of our drive to promote [...]
Supreme becomes ‘master distributor’ for top vape brands as shares spike July 5, 2023 Supreme shares are up five per cent today as the vaping giant announced it is now the “master distributor” for UK e-cigarette brands, although the company has reported weak annual profits. The firm has been chosen as the master distributor for two leading UK vaping brands, ElfBar and Lost Mary, which it will supply to [...]
New Online Safety Bill sparks privacy and national security concerns among public July 4, 2023 The draft Online Safety Bill (OSB) has sparked security and online privacy concerns according to a new survey – although Ofcom has brushed off the scrutiny. Under the new OSB, which is in its final stages of passing through parliament, authorities could force communication providers like WhatsApp to scan online messages sent in the UK [...]
WANdisco raises £24m as attempts to recover from fraud scandal continue July 4, 2023 WANdisco has successfully completed a $30m (£23.7m) fundraise as it attempts to recover from scandal and resume trading on AIM. The Sheffield-based data company will issue 47.5m new shares, representing 70 per cent of the company’s capital prior to the fundraise. The proceeds will provide working and growth capital to the firm. The firm added [...]
Facebook vs Twitter: Meta launches rival as Musk locks Tweetdeck July 4, 2023 Facebook owner Meta is launching a new app to rival Twitter this week. Threads, which will be linked to Instagram, is available for pre-order in the Apple App Store and will go live on Thursday. It is described as a “text-based conversation app… where communities come together”. The new app is the latest chapter in [...]
Twitter explainer: What are rate limits and why are they causing advertising headaches July 4, 2023 Twitter advertising troubles may have gone from bad to worse after Elon Musk has put his foot in it again – this time by restricting users’ viewing limits over data concerns. On Saturday, the billionaire ex-CEO of Twitter imposed a temporary ‘rate limit’ on all users, effectively capping the number of Tweets that accounts can [...]
Apple halves Vision Pro headset production plans as virtual reality given a reality check July 3, 2023 Apple has slashed production forecasts for its $3,499-a-piece Vision Pro headset as the company experiences teething problems in its foray into virtual reality, according to reports. The tech giant has had to halve 2024 shipments for its mixed-reality headsets with predictions down from 900,000 to 400,000 in the first year, according to a Financial Times [...]
CMA probe throws £16bn Adobe and Figma tie-up into doubt June 30, 2023 The UK’s competition watchdog has said it may move to block Adobe’s acquisition of design platform Figma unless they can resolve anti-trust concerns. In a summary of the decision, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the merger of the two companies gives rise to “a realistic prospect of a substantial lessening of competition”. Leading [...]
Salesforce £3.2bn investment a ‘ringing endorsement’ in UK economy, says Sunak June 29, 2023 Salesforce has announced a major investment of $4bn (£3.2bn) in its UK business over the next five years. The software company will use the cash injection to improve AI innovation and customer growth in the UK as companies become increasingly eager to transform digitally and capitalise on AI within their business operations. Prime Minister, Rishi [...]