iPad Mini? iBook? Apple event invites are out
Exactly an hour after Microsoft announced its pricing for its Surface tablet, Apple sent out the invitations to what is expected to be the launch of a smaller and cheaper iPad – perhaps called the iPad Mini or iBook – next week.
The timing is hardly likely to be coincidental but it’s hard to see who is hijacking whose announcement here. Read more
GM may not be back on Facebook yet – but it does like Twitter ads
General Motors’ pullback from Facebook ads in May became a touchstone moment for doubts about the social network’s business model, just before it went public.
But as we report in today’s FT analysis of the growing turf war in the social networking market, GM has been spending money on Twitter for two years – and is now “beyond experimenting” with ads there. Read more
Yahoo! Marissa Mayer and new baby are both “doing great”
Yahoo’s chief executive Marissa Mayer gave birth to a baby boy on Sunday evening, her husband said – but she’ll be back to work in a couple of weeks.
“Baby boy Bogue born last night. Mom (@marissamayer) and baby are doing great–we couldn’t be more excited!” tweeted Zach Bogue, a technology investor, on Monday morning. Read more
Instagram is overtaking Twitter on mobile
Twitter has been touting its success as a “mobile first” social network, capitalising on the biggest perceived weakness of its main rival Facebook.
One recent estimate from eMarketer has even suggested that Twitter will generate more revenues from mobile ads than Facebook this year.
But new data show the scale of the threat that Twitter faces from explosive growth at Instagram, the photo-sharing app acquired by Facebook. Read more
Some Apple users complain about iOS6 WiFi glitch
Within the last hour, Twitter and Apple’s forums have lit up with hundreds of complaints from users whose upgrades to the latest iOS6 software for iPhone and iPad have prevented them from connecting to WiFi. Read more
A nitpicker’s guide to the iPhone 5
The first batch of iPhone 5 reviews is out. Every one agrees it will be a smash hit for Apple. As is customary with iPhone reviews, there is no shortage of superlatives along the way.
“This iPhone 5 review unit is the single nicest object in my possession,” writes Daring Fireball’s John Gruber, while acknowledging the hyberbole.
That isn’t to say Apple doesn’t deserve such high praise. But with such lofty standards, the faults can stand out more glaringly, sometimes becoming minor news cycles in themselves.
So below is a nitpicker’s guide to the new iPhone, as seen by its first batch of users outside Cupertino. Read more
Nokia apologises for “faked” Lumia ad
Poor Nokia just can’t catch a break.
The struggling Finnish phone maker had to apologise after it emerged that a YouTube advertisement for its new Lumia device, showing off its video-stabilisation technology, was not filmed on the smartphone. Read more
Apple and FBI deny involvement in device data leak – so where did it come from?
Apple and the FBI have both denied any involvement in the alleged hacking attack which AntiSec, an offshoot of Anonymous, disclosed on Tuesday. Read more
Tech M&A valuations double
Valuations in technology mergers and acquisitions nearly doubled last year and have continued to rise into 2012, even as dealmaking has waned in other areas this year, a study has found.
American Appraisal, a valuation advisory group, said that on average, the multiples of earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation that technology companies paid for acquisitions in 2011 leapt from 7.7x in 2010 to 14.1x in 2011, a trend it says has continued during 2012. Read more
| About this blog | Blog guide |
Richard Waters has headed the FT's San Francisco bureau since 2002 and covers Google and Microsoft, among other things. A former New York bureau chief for the FT, he is intrigued by Silicon Valley's unique financial and business culture, and is looking forward to covering his second Tech Bust.
Chris Nuttall has been online and messing around with computers for more than 20 years and since 2004 has reported from the FT's San Francisco bureau on semiconductors, video games, consumer electronics and all things interwebby.
Maija Palmer has been writing about technology for the FT since 1999 and is fascinated by cybercrime, privacy and all the other issues of the information society. Based in London, she covers European tech companies and hopes that they won't all get acquired by American rivals.
Robin Kwong is the FT's technology, media and telecoms page editor in London. Formerly he was the Taipei correspondent and wrote about the companies that manufacture the vast majority of the world's computers and gadgets. He is interested in the intricacies of the technology supply chain and how China is increasingly changing the tech landscape.
Tim Bradshaw is the FT's digital media correspondent, and has just moved from London to join our team in San Francisco. He has covered start-ups such as Twitter and Spotify, as well as the online ambitions of more established media companies, such as the BBC iPlayer. He also covers the advertising, marketing and video-game industries. Tim has been writing about technology, business and finance since 2003.
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