Tag Archives: aapl

Apple’s music service talks spark antitrust concerns

Apple (AAPL) is raising hackles among competitors in the streaming music sector because of its talks with record labels aimed at ending free streaming tiers at rivals like Spotify. Apple has been pushing major music labels to discontinue their free-music-streaming licenses with Spotify ahead of the launch of Apple’s new paid-streaming-music service, the Verge reported. Apple also has targeted Google’s (GOOGL) YouTube music service for similar action, the report said. Apple’s activity has attracted the attention of the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, the Verge said. The regulatory agencies are concerned that Apple’s business practices in the music space might be anticompetitive. In July 2013, Apple was found guilty of violating federal antitrust law for conspiring with top book publishers to raise e-book prices by getting them to change their contract terms with market leader Amazon.com (AMZN). Apple worked with the publishers ahead of the launch of its e-book store and iPad tablet…

Android Beats Apple iOS In Mobile Ad Revenue, A First

For the first time ever, Google’s (GOOGL) Android operating system last quarter surpassed Apple’s (AAPL) iOS in mobile advertising revenue share, Opera Mediaworks reported Tuesday. Android already held the lead in mobile ad traffic, but in Q1 it grabbed 45.8% of mobile ad revenue, compared with 45.4% for Apple’s iOS, said Opera Mediaworks, a mobile ad platform provider. In terms of mobile advertising traffic, Google’s Android claimed 65.2% market

Apple Watch killer app could be Apple Pay, analyst says

A s a second wave of Apple Watch reviews questions its raison d’etre, Jefferies analyst Sundeep Bajikar argues that mobile payments via Apple Pay will be the killer app for the new smartwatch. “We think the convenience of using Apple Pay on Apple Watch with or without a tethered iPhone, while ensuring a higher level of security and privacy as compared to using physical credit cards, is likely to gain traction as a smarter way to pay,” Bajikar said in a research report Monday. Apple ‘s (AAPL) mobile payment service will become even more compelling when it ties payments to retailer loyalty programs, he said. The Apple Watch also is well positioned to become a convenient and secure “repository” of “electronic credentials” including airline boarding passes, membership cards and hotel room keys, Bajikar said.