Editor’s Note: Related tickers: Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), Pandora Media Inc (NYSE:P), Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)
iOS 7 to new MacBooks: Will Apple’s WWDC 2013 live up to expectations? (FirstPost)
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is expected to reveal a digital radio service and changes to the software behind iPhones and iPads on Monday as the company opens its annual conference for software developers. Apple hasn’t said what it will unveil at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. But the major announcements are expected during Monday’s keynote presentation. Last year, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) used the conference to announce its own mapping service, better integration with social networks and improvements to virtual assistant Siri. It also announced thinner MacBooks with high-resolution screens. The conference runs through Friday.
Apple Polishes Software for iPhones, iPads (WSJ)
This week, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) +0.76% will try to regain its shine. The company’s annual developer conference, which begins Monday, looms as the latest crossroads as the technology icon struggles to maintain its trendsetter status since the death of Steve Jobs. Apple’s streak of game-changing devices has stalled and the iPhone and iPad seem stale, compared with new offerings from Samsung Electronics Co. 005930.SE -0.14% and others. Software blunders, like Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s widely panned mapping app, have raised doubts about the company’s ability to build cutting-edge mobile services. Rivals like Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) +1.75% are colonizing the iPhone with their own software, bolstering use of their own rival offerings.
Apple Music Service to Compete with Pandora, Spotify (Nasdaq)
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) on Monday is expected to unveil a long-awaited service for streaming digital music, the company’s most ambitious collaboration with the music industry since the launch of the iTunes Music Store a decade ago. As then, the stakes for both sides are high. …For Apple, streaming is a shot at regaining an edge in digital music and beating back competitors trying to colonize the iPhone and iPad with other software that could make their users less loyal over time. Rival offerings like Pandora Media Inc (NYSE:P) Internet radio app have become big sellers of mobile advertising, competing with Apple’s iAd service.
Most Emerging Stocks Rise on U.S., Japan Data as Zoomlion Slides (BusinessWeek)
Most emerging-market stocks advanced as better-than-estimated data from the U.S. and Japan overshadowed Chinese trade figures that trailed estimates. Largan Precision Co. (3008) led gains by Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) suppliers after the Commercial Times said that the Cupertino, California-based company will sell a lower-priced iPhone in August. Hyundai Merchant Marine Co. (011200), which does business in North Korea, jumped 15 percent as South Korea agreed to minister-level negotiations this week with the communist regime. Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Co. slumped to a record in Hong Kong. India’s rupee sank to a record versus the dollar.
Apple’s 30% E-Book Commission Is 100% Legal (WSJ)
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) just passed 50 billion downloads of the 850,000 apps for its iPhones and iPads. For paid apps, developers get 70% of the sales revenue and Apple keeps 30%. This applies to everything from the best-selling game Angry Birds to the GarageBand app that turns an iPad into a musical instrument. Revenue sharing is a common business model, and it wasn’t controversial until the Justice Department made this 30% the crux of its e-book price-fixing case against Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), now entering its second week in federal court in New York.
