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Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Thursday.
- Apple and Samsung are now tied in the battle to be the world's biggest smartphone seller - or so the consensus seems to show. Some fourth-quarter smartphone shipments estimates put Apple slightly ahead of Samsung, while others put Samsung slightly ahead of Apple, Bloomberg reports, suggesting the pair are practically neck-and-neck.
- The Wuhan coronavirus has led Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft to close China locations and suspend employee travel unless 'business critical'. As the coronavirus continues to spread, major tech companies are restricting employee travel to China.
- Apple and Broadcom have been collectively fined $1.1 billion for patent infringement. Bloomberg reports that the pair have been ordered to pay damages for infringing California Institute of Technology parents on WiFi tech, with Apple fined $837.8 million.
- Amazon has rubbished claims that it's a competitor to Deliveroo, as UK regulators threaten a £440 million mega-investment. Deliveroo and Amazon rejected claims that an investment tie-up would reduce competition in UK food delivery sector.
- Facebook will pay $550 million to settle an Illinois lawsuit about it use of facial recognition and user photos. The social media giant said on Wednesday it reached a $550 million settlement in principle related to a lawsuit that claimed it illegally collected and stored biometric data for millions of users without their consent.
- Mark Zuckerberg says his 'goal for the next decade isn't to be liked but to be understood'. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg opened the company Q4 earnings conference by vowing to communicate more clearly, even if it means upsetting people.
- Tesla stock has popped by 7% after it had another profitable quarter and said it's ahead of schedule with Model Y production. Tesla earned $2.14 per share on revenue of $7.4 billion in the fourth quarter of 2019, the electric-car company reported on Wednesday.
- Apple may have a pair of high-end headphones coming this year, says one of the most accurate Apple analysts. The tech giant may release a pair of high-end, over-ear headphones in 2020, adding to its growing lineup of audio products.
- Robinhood challenger Freetrade, which has raised millions for its fee-free trading app, acknowledged a high attrition rate after 22 staff departed in 2019. London tech startup Freetrade saw between 22 and 26 staff members leave the company last year amid a spate of layoffs at the stock trading app
- Google is building a new messaging app that brings its own products together with Microsoft Office and Zoom, and it could launch as soon as April. This app is expected to be a one-stop shop for accessing G Suite apps, as well as outside apps like Slack, Zoom, Cisco WebEx, and Microsoft Office.
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