Tag Archives: msft

Apple Faces ‘Existential Threat’ From Messenger Bots

Apple ‘s ( AAPL ) strength in mobile devices is due largely to its app store platform, but the company faces an “existential threat” from software bots that could replace apps, UBS analyst Steven Milunovich said Wednesday. Apple’s App Store leads the $50 billion app economy and has been critical to the company’s success, Milunovich said in a research report. However, software bots that automate tasks could take on many of the roles that apps now provide, he said. Bots mostly reside in messaging apps, providing apps within apps, Milunovich said. “In China, WeChat provides high functionality, such as paying bills, hailing a cab and checking into flights through apps within apps,” he said. “ Facebook ( FB ) just announced the Messenger Bot Store, a bot platform that allows businesses to interact with consumers.” At Facebook’s annual developer conference in San Francisco on Tuesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg showed how third parties can build chat bots into its Messenger service. He demonstrated a chat bot from 1-800-Flowers.com ( FLWS ) that could carry on a conversation with a customer who wanted to order flowers. Last month, Microsoft ( MSFT ) CEO Satya Nadella called chat bots the next big thing after apps and said that his company is aggressively investing in the technology. Chat bots offer a “more natural (way) for people to get things done” instead of having a separate app for each task. Chat bots use artificial intelligence to interact with people and complete tasks. Milunovich maintained his buy rating on Apple with a 12-month price target of 120. Apple stock was up 1.5% in late-afternoon trading in the stock market today , near 112.

Microsoft Explores Self-Driving Cars With Toyota Partnership

Source Microsoft. The efforts on the part of tech giants such as Apple and Alphabet to disrupt the automobile market have made up some of the most interesting developments in tech

Teen Interest In Console Gaming Good For EA, Activision, Take-Two

A survey of U.S. teens showed interest and spending on console video games is climbing, boding well for game publishers Activision Blizzard ( ATVI ), Electronic Arts ( EA ) and Take-Two Interactive Software ( TTWO ). Piper Jaffray surveyed 6,500 teenagers nationwide for its 31st semiannual teen survey. Of more than 4,000 video game respondents, 78% own a current-generation game console or expect to in the next two years, up from 73% in the fall survey. Plus, teen video game spending intentions reached new highs in the survey. Piper analyst Michael Olson, in the investment bank’s research report, reiterated his overweight ratings on Activision, EA, Take-Two Interactive and retailer GameStop ( GME ). Teens in the survey expect to spend, on average, $214 this year on video games, up from an 11-year average of $152. “The rising level of interest and ownership in consoles is a clear positive for the game publishers (ATVI, EA, TTWO) and GameStop (GME) as it speaks to the console cycle’s potential to drive software growth in 2016 and 2017,” Olson said in the report Tuesday. Male teens surveyed said they allocate 20% of their overall spending on food, 15% on clothing, and 13% on video games. “Amazingly, video games ranks higher than cars (10%) and electronics (9%),” Olson said. “We believe this is yet another sign that video game consoles are not losing mindshare and, in fact, may be more popular than ever.” Current-generation game consoles include Microsoft ’s ( MSFT ) Xbox One, Nintendo ’s ( NTDOY ) Wii U and Sony ’s ( SNE ) PlayStation 4. Olson anticipates strong spending on video games in the next 12 months, driven by an uptick in the overall quality and quantity of major games. These include new titles in such popular franchises as Activision’s “Call of Duty” and EA’s “Titanfall.”