For Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google, 2018 was the year when trust in the tech giants evaporated December 20, 2018 The Faangs (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google-owner Alphabet) have been the darlings of the stock market for years. These tech giants have helped to change how we shop, communicate, work – even how we watch movies. But as they have grown in size, fears have also grown, especially about what they may do with so [...]
Facebook shares down after investigation reveals true extent of data-sharing with other tech giants December 19, 2018 Facebook’s shares fell 6 per cent today after an investigation revealed the company gave big tech companies far greater access to users’ personal data than it had previously admitted. The social media giant let Microsoft’s Bing search engine see the names of virtually all users’ friends without their permission, according to reports. The New York [...]
France will tax Amazon and Facebook as tech tax talks with the EU falter December 18, 2018 France expects to pull in around €500m (£450m) each year as it introduces a new tax on major technology companies such as Amazon and Apple. Speaking in Paris, finance minister Bruno Le Maire said he would push ahead with the tax plans after talks to establish an EU-wide version collapsed earlier this month, AFP reported. [...]
Why voice assistants are set to make their ‘presents’ known this Christmas December 18, 2018 Christmas is now only a week away, and unsurprisingly gadgets will be taking up a lot of space under the tree, as people want to get their hands on the latest tech. Voice assistants are set to be an affordable, useful gift for many this year, and have become one of the hottest presents on [...]
From tech to Trump – here’s what prompted the big market moves of 2018 December 18, 2018 From Brexit to trade wars, nothing has been plain-sailing about 2018. It’s been a year of peaks and troughs across all major markets, so let’s have a look at the big moves of the past 12 months. Tech in turmoil This was the year when the tech giants raced to become the first ever $1 [...]
Apple still in violation of Chinese court order, insists Qualcomm December 18, 2018 Qualcomm has said it believes Apple to still be in violation of a Chinese court order to stop selling certain iPhone models, despite a software update pushed through by the tech giant yesterday. The Californian company is currently embroiled in an ongoing global dispute with chipmaker Qualcomm, of which the court order is just one [...]
Google to fork out $1bn on new NYC campus, one week on from Apple’s splurge in Texas December 17, 2018 Alphabet's Google will invest more than $1bn (£793.6m) on building a new campus in New York, following in the footsteps of fellow tech giant Amazon in picking the US financial capital for expansion. Named Google Hudson Square, the new 1.7m square foot campus will consist of leased properties on New York’s technology corridor. The company said [...]
Productivity lessons from the procrastinator Prime Minister December 17, 2018 Can we assume, given that you’re reading this section of the paper, that you are currently delaying doing something you really ought to be focusing on? I don’t mean to lecture you. I myself currently have an Oliver Spencer tab or two open on my browser. I spent most of last Wednesday Googling the viability [...]
The unstoppable rise of podcasts: How an industry was reborn December 16, 2018 It seems nothing can stop the rise of podcasts. On-demand listening has become the sine qua non of the commuter; the lifeblood of dinner party conversation. Popular podcasters attract millions of listeners, and advertisers are starting to reap the rewards. And yet podcasts are not a new phenomenon. They predate Facebook, Youtube and Twitter, and [...]
Apple updates iPhone software in attempt to dodge China ban December 14, 2018 Tech giant Apple has said it will be pushing out a software update to its iPhone smartphone in China next week, as it attempts to work around an upcoming sales ban on several models. The Californian company is currently embroiled in an ongoing global dispute with chipmaker Qualcomm, which believes Apple has infringed a number [...]