Editor’s Note: Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)
Apple Battles Google for TV Viewers (NBC Bay Area)
Apple has updated Apple TV by adding several new content apps from the Disney Channel, Vevo, the Weather Channel and Smithsonian just as Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) launches its $35 Chromecast dongle for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iOS platform. Does this mean the two are gearing for a bloody battle royale? OK, perhaps that’s a little premature, but it does seem a little too coincidental. With Redbox Instant, Netflix, YouTube, and possibly HBO Go and Hulu Plus, the highly praised, video-streaming Chromecast is already solid competition, according to Mashable, especially when Apple’s set-top box seems to be largely ignored compared to its iPhone and iPad. Google, on the other hand, has been pouring money into YouTube studio content and is in talks to purchase NFL’s Sunday Ticket rights to beef up content.
Google releases iOS app to configure Chromecast devices (CNET)
iOS users now can set up and manage their Google Chromecast devices with an app Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) released Tuesday. Google announced the app on its Chrome updates blog and published the app on iTunes. The app can be used to set up a Chromecast’s Wi-Fi settings and to adjust settings such as the device’s name. Chromecast devices plug into a TV’s HDMI port so that people can send video streams from their PCs to the TV, using an Android or iOS device as a remote control.
Microsoft Fires Back After Box Steps On Its Turf, Boosts SkyDrive Pro Storage To 25 GB (TechCrunch)
This is the real storage wars. Today Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) announced that it has increased the storage capacity of its SkyDrive Pro cloud document storage and syncing service to 25 gigabytes, from the formerly proffered 7 gigabytes. Non-Pro SkyDrive users are stuck with the 7 gigabyte tally for now. SkyDrive Pro is part of the Office 365 suite of cloud productivity tools that Microsoft sells to business and universities.
Apple Blasts Feds’ Proposed Remedy in E-Books Conspiracy Case (TIME)
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is not happy with the U.S. Justice Department, according to a letter released Monday responding to the government’s proposed remedy in the closely watched e-books price-fixing conspiracy case. Last month, a federal judge ruled that Apple conspired with major book publishers to raise the price of e-books, costing consumers millions of dollars. Apple has maintained its innocence and plans to appeal the decision. In her ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Denise Cote found that Apple worked with five major book publishers — Macmillan, Penguin, Hachette, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster – to pressure arch-rival Amazon into changing its business model, resulting in higher prices for consumers.
Google acquisition of Waze traffic app sparks OFT inquiry (The Guardian)
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s $1bn acquisition of the travel mapping service Waze is to be investigated by the Office of Fair Trading, on top of an inquiry already being conducted in the US by the Federal Trade Commission. Waze, based in Israel, provides satnav functions with real-time updates to smart phones, and claims to have more than 50 million direct users worldwide. It also supplies anonymous traffic data to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s maps service on the iPhone and iPad.
