Microsoft acts the grown-up on tech rules 23 Oct 2019 Satya Nadella’s firm has built a constructive reputation in D.C. and Brussels, unlike Facebook, Google and others. It helps that it lacks a social network. Microsoft has also learned from past watchdog tussles. Less mature peers could do worse than copy its understated approach.
U.S. tech implosion is opportunity for European VC 21 Oct 2019 WeWork and Uber were hugely overvalued in private markets. In Europe, funding is scarcer and startup valuations seem less extreme. If the bloc’s venture capitalists can defy stagnant, fragmented economies, returns may beat U.S. peers, finally earning them serious money to manage.
Huawei’s China strength hides rising vulnerability 17 Oct 2019 Stronger smartphone sales at home helped revenue jump a surprising 24% year-on-year in the nine months to September. But the telecoms hardware giant has yet to feel the full impact of U.S. restrictions, set to resume next month. Slowing Chinese consumption is as big a worry.
Samsung’s smoother outlook papers over deep cracks 4 Oct 2019 Quarterly guidance from the world's top chipmaker next week may raise hopes of a recovery. The cheer is unlikely to last, though, given trade tensions and a slowing economy in China. Worse, a leadership vacuum leaves $263 bln Samsung vulnerable to falling behind new technologies.
Japan-Korea spat returns chip price error message 25 Jul 2019 Earnings at semiconductor giant SK Hynix plunged 88%, weighed down by a worldwide glut. Yet shares rose on hopes that Tokyo's export curbs to South Korea will depress supply and lift prices. The risks of weaker demand and supply chain ruptures suggest the rally looks premature.
Gamer favourite Razer’s next level demands focus 23 Jul 2019 The Hong Kong-listed maker of pro-keyboards wants to widen its appeal beyond gamers. It already sells phones, and is dabbling in payments. Distractions can be costly, though, and Razer's main business is doing fine. Doubling down on e-sports instead might help it turn a profit.
Apple’s march from China is long and inevitable 19 Jun 2019 The idea of the iPhone maker shifting 30% of production elsewhere may concentrate minds as the U.S. and China square up in trade talks. Such a move would take years. Detroit and London show economic clusters rarely implode. But they can erode, and the process is hard to stop.
Review: Why an AI apocalypse could happen 14 Jun 2019 Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking have warned that superintelligent machines could destroy humanity. In "The AI Does Not Hate You", journalist Tom Chivers offers a terrifying primer on why they should be taken seriously. Governments and companies, though, still need convincing.
Samsung reaps benefits of U.S.-China tech war 21 May 2019 Restrictions on Huawei’s use of American chips and software will make it harder to sell telecom gear outside the PRC. And Apple products could be vulnerable to a backlash in China. That leaves openings for the Korean group to sell network equipment as well as more smartphones.
Viewsroom: Apple versus Alphabet 2 May 2019 Both Silicon Valley giants are looking for the next big thing after a slowdown in their main product – iPhone sales at Apple and online ads at Alphabet. Lower expectations mean Tim Cook’s outfit has more time to act. Plus: Activist Dan Loeb puts Sony back under the microscope.
Apple’s old age beats Google’s adolescence 30 Apr 2019 The iPhone maker reported a 5 pct drop in revenue as consumers pocket its marquee product longer. Boss Tim Cook’s handouts to investors provide a nice cushion as he searches for the next big thing. Alphabet’s Google has higher expectations and less room for missing the mark.
Apple tea leaves suggest worrying shift on M&A 4 Apr 2019 The $920 bln firm has reduced stock buybacks, its merger specialist now reports to CEO Tim Cook, and its services push needs more oomph. That all suggests bigger deals are coming. Yet one Apple virtue has been avoiding large takeovers that distract from making compelling gadgets.
Apple Card puts customer first, Goldman second 26 Mar 2019 The remarkable thing about the iPhone maker’s new status symbol isn’t its titanium sheen, the cash back or promises to protect user data. It’s that partner Goldman Sachs has eschewed many features that make the credit card business so lucrative for issuers. That’s no bad thing.
Apple stretches to take on Netflix, Amex, Disney 25 Mar 2019 It unveiled a dizzying array of new services aimed at disrupting sectors like media and finance. They range from the confusing to the mildly innovative. The $880 bln tech giant’s launches used to strike fear, but this time boss Tim Cook is paving a trail of mediocrity, not havoc.
Nvidia chip deal big on vision and price 11 Mar 2019 The $94 bln graphics-chip company’s $6.9 bln acquisition of Mellanox, which makes hardware for data centers, is a bet that data will grow rapidly, and chip speeds only slowly. That view looks solid. But the price, pumped up by competing bids, presupposes a lot of success.
Breakdown: End of Moore’s law reshapes chip market 26 Feb 2019 For decades, raw computing power increased and became cheaper at a heady pace. The death of the trend means chip producers seeking an edge must specialize or find more difficult advances. One result will be a more fragmented industry. Intel and others have their work cut out.
Lenovo’s reboot could run low on battery 21 Feb 2019 Quarterly pre-tax earnings more than doubled from a year earlier, confirming a turnaround at the world's top PC-maker. That's mostly powered by cost cuts in the $9 bln group's handset and server units. With demand cooling for both, this comeback may prove difficult to sustain.
Apple departure points to wider mystery 6 Feb 2019 Retail chief Angela Ahrendts was one of the firm’s best-paid executives. Was she worth it? It’s impossible to know, because Apple doesn’t say how its stores are doing. It’s one of several important data points the company holds back. Opacity weighs on Apple’s valuation.
Microsoft floats above tech downdraft 30 Jan 2019 The software giant, at some $820 bln vying to be the most valuable company, racked up another quarter of strong growth and profit as more business moved to the cloud. The shift has years to go and could accelerate in a recession. Microsoft’s lesser regulatory worries are a bonus.
Apple cash and services salve iPhone worries 29 Jan 2019 The tech giant’s holiday quarter was dismal, as warned. A 5 pct sales drop shows Tim Cook’s company can no longer expect to sell significantly more phones or jack up prices. But rising margins on services for iPhone users and hefty capital returns buys Apple time to refresh.