Tag Archives: aapl

Facebook, Google, Microsoft Team Up To Support Apple Vs. Feds

Apple ( AAPL ) has attracted some powerful friends to support its fight against a federal court order to break its smartphone security for a criminal investigation. Facebook ( FB ), Alphabet ( GOOGL )-owned Google, Microsoft ( MSFT ) and about a dozen more Internet companies will file a joint legal brief Thursday asking a judge to rescind her order in the case, Reuters reported . The tech companies will outline their support for Apple’s position in an amicus brief to U.S. Magistrate Sheri Pym, Reuters said . On Feb. 16, Pym ordered Apple to provide “reasonable technical assistance” to the FBI to unlock an iPhone belonging to Syed Farook, one of the killers in the San Bernardino, Calif., shootings on Dec. 2. Apple has protested the ruling, saying that it would create a “back door” to bypass its security protections and thus threaten the personal data of millions of iPhone users. Once available, the vulnerability could be exploited by cybercriminals, hackers and both foreign and domestic spies. Privacy advocacy groups Access Now, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Wickr Foundation filed briefs on Wednesday in support of Apple, Reuters said. Apple CEO Tim Cook has said that the court order sets a dangerous precedent. It would have Apple become an agent of the federal government, which would force Apple to write special software to crack its own privacy protections, he said. On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the iPhone case and smartphone encryption. Members of the congressional panel were split over supporting personal privacy vs. national security. RELATED: Apple-FBI Encryption Battle, Facebook Arrest Flash At RSA Federal Judge Sides With Apple In iPhone Encryption Case .  

Amazon Bets New Gear In Voice Control Fight Vs. Google, Apple

Amazon.com ( AMZN ) is doubling down on its voice-control tech Alexa as it wages a prolonged battle against  Apple ( AAPL ), Google and others for a greater share of customer attention. The mighty, Seattle-based e-commerce firm announced Thursday that it was giving Alexa two new pieces of hardware that will beef up its roster of offerings. The voice-controlled household assistant will gain Amazon Tap  and the Echo Dot. Tap is a smaller, portable version of Amazon’s original Echo speaker, which works like other Wi-Fi speakers to play music but also serves as Alexa’s cyber ears and voice. Unlike the Echo, Tap doesn’t need an electric outlet — it runs on a rechargeable battery. Like its larger sibling, Tap connects to phones and the Internet via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The Alexa-powered Tap requires people to press a button prior to commanding it to do things like order a ride via app-based car service Uber, read e-books and the news, and provide weather reports. Alexa can also operate, via voice commands, the growing number of “connected” home devices such as thermostats and lights, and perform dozens of other tasks. Tap will begin shipping at the end of March for $130. Amazon also announced the hockey-puck-like Echo Dot , which is basically a miniaturized version of its Echo without a large, high-quality speaker. It has a built-in smaller speaker along with a microphone and can connect to existing speaker systems via wire, or wirelessly by Bluetooth. Amazon is limiting Dot sales to existing Echo or Amazon Fire TV device owners; to get one, people will have to ask Alexa. Amazon’s stock was down a fraction to around 576 in afternoon trading on the stock market today . Amazon stock has an IBD Composite Rating of 80, where 99 is the highest. The stock more than doubled in 2015 but much like the rest of the market had a rocky start to 2016. But as the market has rebounded, Amazon stock has surged around 20% since Feb. 9. Executives have not disclosed to investors exactly how successful Amazon’s foray into voice-control tech is, but according to a Business Insider report , Echo vastly outsold the rest of the wireless speaker market in 2015. Amazon lists Echo as its #1 best seller in the home audio speakers section of its e-commerce site and notes that while Echo is available for orders now, it won’t actually be in stock again till March 12. The device debuted in 2014. Echo’s runaway success is not good news for other firms making voice-control plays. Apple, for example, has Siri — though unlike the Alexa-powered Echo, people must hit a button before activating Siri. Google has built a similar feature into its search engine and Android operating system. To activate the Google voice controller, people say, “O.K., Google” and proceed to command it to perform functions like setting appointments and timers. Google is a unit of Alphabet ( GOOGL ). Microsoft ( MSFT ) also has developed a virtual personal assistant called Cortana.

Tech Investors: 6 Highly Rated Chip Stocks Approach Buy Zones

With the market in a confirmed uptrend, it’s time to scan for stocks to potentially add to your portfolio. Let’s take a look at six highly rated chip stocks that are nearing buy points: Broadcom ( AVGO ), Macom Technology ( MTSI ), Maxlinear ( MXL ), Cirrus Logic ( CRUS ), Microsemi ( MSCC ) and Nvidia ( NVDA ). Two Form Double-Bottom Bases Broadcom earns a near-best IBD Composite Rating of 98 out of 99 and is due to report quarterly results after the close today. Analysts expect earnings to increase 10% and revenue to rise 6%. Broadcom has formed a double-bottom base within a larger consolidation pattern. Shares edged a few cents above the 138.79 buy point in intraday trade on Thursday, but they reversed lower with a 0.9% drop. Broadcom is 10% below its high reached last June. Macom Technology is also working on a double-bottom base, which has a 41.42 buy point. After retaking its 50-day line a few sessions ago, it’s now just 2% below the buy zone. Shares rallied 1.7% Thursday. Macom has a Composite Rating of 98 as well. The rating is based on fundamental and technical factors, including earnings and sales growth, profit margins, return on equity and relative share-price performance. Working On Right Side Of Pattern Maxlinear has a highest-possible 99 Composite Rating. It’s trading about 5% below a cup-base buy point of 17.85, but it slipped 1.7% Thursday. The stock was able to find support at its 200-day line as it formed the base. Apple ( AAPL ) chip supplier Cirrus Logic is trading 6% below a buy point from a nine-month-long consolidation pattern. Shares reversed lower Thursday in light volume, falling 1.7%. Cirrus has a 95 Composite Rating, as does Microsemi. Microsemi is trading 9% below a 39.66 buy point. It was able to retake its 200-day line last week in above-average volume. And Nvidia, a Tesla ( TSLA ) partner, is trading 4% below a buy point at 34.04. The stock gapped up to retake its 50-day line last month on the back of a strong quarterly report. Nvidia has a 99 Composite Rating.