Apple’s troubles in China haven’t kept it from becoming the country’s smartphone leader.The iPhone was the most popular phone among Chinese consumers in 2023, even as the company’s shipments there fell, according to research published Thursday (Jan. 25) by IDC.The report showed Apple commanding 17.3% of the smartphone market share — up from 16.8% in 2022 — with China-based rival Huawei making it into the top five companies for the first time.“Apple’s climb to the top spot in 2023, especially in light of ren ...

Netflix is apparently cutting its lowest-cost, advertisement-free tier in select markets, a move that comes as streaming platforms look to drive more revenue per subscriber both through ad sales and price increases.The streaming platform, which has already made its Basic plan unavailable for new and rejoining members in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom, is apparently going further than that.“The ads plan now accounts for 40% of all Netflix sign-ups in our ads markets and we’re looking to retire our B ...

Mastercard has launched the Mastercard Biometric Authentication Service, a solution aimed at enhancing security and convenience for consumers.The service leverages biometrics, such as fingerprints, iris scans and facial recognition, to verify identity and secure personal data, the company said in a Wednesday (Jan. 24) press release.“We are working with our partners around the globe to replace passwords once and for all by accelerating the transition to more seamless and secure authentication, including biom ...

For Apple, the opening of the ecosystem proceeds apace in Europe.With it, however, comes the potential to realize some additional revenue streams.And what happens in Europe, with Apple at the epicenter, may be a harbinger for Big Tech in general, operating on the continent.Last week, Apple made a move to offer competitors access to its tap-to-pay mobile wallet system. The overture seems geared toward ending an antitrust case in the European Union.Now, Apple is gearing up for sideloading, a term and practice ...

Six months after parting ways with its consumer health unit, Kenvue, Johnson & Johnson has reported total sales of $21.4 billion for the last quarter of 2023, a 7.3% increase from the corresponding quarter in 2022. The pharmaceutical giant disclosed a net income of $4.13 billion, a rise from the $3.23 billion reported in the previous year. During their most recent quarterly earnings call on Tuesday (Jan. 23), J&J executives said the earnings growth in the first half of the year would be positively influence ...

Apple has reportedly scaled back and delayed its plans to develop a vehicle.After initially aiming for a fully autonomous vehicle, the company has scaled back its ambitions and is now focusing on an electric vehicle (EV) with more limited features, including more basic driver-assistance features, Bloomberg reported Tuesday (Jan. 23), citing unnamed sources.However, the project has encountered numerous setbacks, resulting in a projected release date of 2028, two years later than previously anticipated, accor ...

It turns out Procter & Gamble, the company which makes household staples like Tide detergent, Bounty paper towels, and Crest toothpaste, made more money last quarter because it raised prices on its household items, showing that even with inflation, people are still buying the company’s higher-priced products. During its latest quarterly earnings report on Tuesday (Jan. 23), the company also revealed that in addition to price hikes driving most of the sales growth, customers also purchased more items from P& ...

Netflix is strengthening its hold on the streaming category, gaining subscribers despite an industry-wide trend of many consumers canceling their media memberships.The company reported in a letter to shareholders Tuesday (Jan. 23) accompanying its fourth-quarter 2023 earnings results that its global paid membership base grew by 12.8% year over year in the quarter, amounting to 13.1 million new subscribers.In a livestreamed interview following the report, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos noted that maintaining th ...

RagaAI, a startup founded by tech veteran and former Nvidia executive Gaurav Agarwal, secured $4.7 million in seed funding to develop a tool that can automatically diagnose and fix flaws in artificial intelligence systems.“Today, we’re publicly introducing RagaAI’s breakthrough foundation models called RagaAI DNA designed specifically for AI testing,” the company said in a Tuesday (Jan. 23) announcement. “Powered by RagaAI DNA, RagaAI is the most comprehensive AI testing platform that offers 300+ tests to a ...

As Dollar General aims to infuse a breath of fresh air into its shopping experience, it’s venturing into personalized collections, including the aromatic debut of Club92 in partnership with Slatkin + Co.This initiative aligns with the growth of the global home fragrance market, which was valued at $7.2 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.16%, reaching $9.7 billion by 2028.“With a continued value-focused consumer, we recognize our shoppers seek savings and quality. We are proud to listen ...