Editor’s Note: Related tickers: Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY), Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL), SINA Corp (NASDAQ:SINA)
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook unveiled one of the biggest dividend and buyback programs in corporate history earlier this year. It still wasn’t enough for some investors. Carl Icahn, the billionaire activist investor who has made a career of pushing companies to make changes to boost shares, yesterday said in a Twitter Inc. posting that he’s an Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) shareholder. Icahn bought $1 billion worth of stock and wants Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to allocate $150 billion for a repurchase, said a person with knowledge of his plans who asked not to be named because the investment was made privately.
Marketing gurus test Google Glass (ArgusLeader)
Marketing leaders John Meyer and Paul Ten Haken are among the few in South Dakota to wear tech’s new “it” accessory. The two were selected by Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) to test the company’s Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Glass product. They had to pay $1,500 for the high-tech glasses and get themselves to California for training. “There’s no requirements of Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), nothing I have to share. It’s yours to use,” said Meyer, who co-founded online marketing and graphics companies 9 Clouds Inc. and Lemon.ly. “They just want to get feedback.”
Microsoft to annouce a new Xbox One exclusive at Gamescom (LazyGamer)
Phil Spencer has announced that Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) will be showcasing a new unique exclusive at their event at Gamescom this year along with some big news relating to Europe’s biggest franchise. …So Europe’s biggest franchise must be FIFA and I’m going to presume their big announcement is related to Kinect which isn’t anything I’m overly excited about but a brand new exclusive is something that piques my interest.
The Only Way Apple Will Survive the Cutthroat Mobile Market (CountingPips)
It’s ironic that BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) announced that it was looking at viable strategic alternatives on Monday on the same day speculation grew that rival Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) could be looking at launching a much-needed new “iPhone” in September. So, BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) appears to be throwing in the towel, which, of course, I have said it should have done since the iPhone became the go-to smartphone in the U.S. BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) CEO Thorsten Heins—once the optimist—appears to be facing reality in light of the market gains in not only Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) but also Samsung and “Android”-based smartphones.
iPod, iPhone, iPad, iCahn? (CNBC)
Oracle CEO: Google chief is “absolutely evil” (Businesstech)
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s informal motto is “don’t be evil,” but outspoken Silicon Valley billionaire Larry Ellison has accused the Internet company’s CEO, Larry Page, of acting “absolutely evil.” Ellison, the CEO and co-founder of software giant Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL), has long been famous for his zingers against business foes. He targeted Page as the two companies square off in a U.S. appeals court over a bitter lawsuit involving Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Android operating system. “We just think they took our stuff, and that was wrong,” Ellison said in an interview with Charlie Rose on “CBS This Morning,” which was aired on Tuesday.
