Hipster Antitrust Microsoft president Brad Smith, who was the company's general counsel during its antitrust wars in the 1990s, reckons changes are coming to antitrust enforcement as regulators find new ways to evaluate the behavior of tech giants. Smith concurred with the analysis of Fortune's Adam Lashinsky that the U.S. government is about to hew to "hipster antitrust" standards that are based on socioeconomic issues rather than pricing alone. Smith: "Apple-Spotify will be first real case on how operating systems use app stores." Fortune
Apple and Intel Apple is in advanced talks with Intel to acquire its smartphone modem chip business, WSJ reports—a crucial step in Apple differentiating its iPhone, and getting a head start on the growth of 5G. That deal could be worth $1 billion, giving Apple access to technology and engineering talent, while Intel would shed a part of the business that's been weighing on its bottom line. WSJ
Apple and the iPhone Apple's results were well-received late on Tuesday, as revenue rose 1% from a year earlier, eclipsing analyst expectations by about $400 million. But that had little to do with Apple's flagship product, the iPhone—sales fell 12% in the quarter, and it was the first time since 2013 that the phone didn't make up the majority of Apple's quarterly revenue. Customers are now holding onto their phones longer, and that means Apple is increasingly dependent on other services. Fortune / WSJ
Supposedly, Apple is going to release 3 new phones next August/September that will all be 5G capable. In spite of their growth in other areas, the new phones should do well for them. It will be a valid reason for upgrading to a new phone (if yours is 3,4 years old ) instead of buying a new one for a newer, faster chip or a slightly better camera.
AAPL has a nice set up on the charts for a rally to new highs before earnings, any afterthoughts why it won't make new highs in the next few weeks/months?
Apple and China Apple has yanked a Beijing-criticized app from its App Store. The app, HKmap.live, showed protestors in Hong Kong where the cops were. Apple said it pulled the service because it endangered law enforcement, after Hong Kong's Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau said it was being used to ambush police and threaten public safety. However, Apple also reportedly agreed to pull the app of the U.S. publication Quartz, which had been reporting on the protests. Wall Street Journal
%% Its up about 50% YTD. Looks like a lot more room to run; 4th quarter tech.........................................................................................................
Apple Data Apple's routing of Safari users' browsing data to Google may be very limited, and clearly intended for anti-fraud measures, but it could still break EU privacy law. And no, not the GDPR—rather, the now long-in-the-tooth ePrivacy Directive, which deals specifically with electronic communications. Fortune