Is the UK’s digital services tax at risk from a US tariff threat? August 26, 2025 The Digital Services Tax (DST), a two per cent levy on the revenues of major tech firms, has become a key point of friction in the UK’s transatlantic relationship with the US. The tax, which came into force in 2020, was designed to address an imbalance where global tech giants generate significant revenue from British [...]
UK backs down on plans to force Apple to share encrypted user data August 19, 2025 The British government has backed down on plans to force Apple to share encrypted user data, according to President Trump’s intelligence chief. Tulsi Gabbard told the Financial Times that the government has agreed to abandon its demands for a “back door” for data. US vice-president JD Vance reportedly intervened to broker the exemption for the [...]
Musk threatens Apple with legal action in escalating feud with Altman’s OpenAI August 13, 2025 Elon Musk has threatened to sue Apple, accusing the iPhone maker of unfairly favouring ChatGPT developer OpenAI in its App Store rankings and listings. In a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter, the Tesla and SpaceX chief claimed Apple was making it “impossible” for any other AI company to reach the number one position [...]
CMA targets Apple and Google’s market dominance to strengthen UK app market July 23, 2025 The UK’s competition watchdog has proposed a sweeping shake-up of the mobile app economy, with plans to designate Apple and Google as having “strategic market status” (SMS) – a move that could open the door to new rivals, lower development costs, and broadly loosen the tech giants’ tight grip on the mobile ecosystem. In a [...]
Apple eye Formula 1 rights as streaming rights battle looms July 9, 2025 Tech giant Apple is in talks to show Formula 1 as the fight for racing rights across the world steps up. The US firm, which is an established streamer of sport, is looking to gain access to the rights for North America with ESPN’s deal coming to a close at the end of this season. [...]
Meta nabs Apple AI chief – a win for Zuckerberg or a sign of Apple’s weakness? July 8, 2025 Meta has reportedly secured another coup in the escalating race for AI dominance, poaching Apple’s head of AI models, Rooming Pang, in a deal said to be worth tens of millions of dollar a year. While Pang’s defection might be viewed as a clear win for Mark Zuckerberg’s much-hyped ‘super intelligence’ project, it also casts [...]
Apple: UK tax bill surges as profit passes £1bn July 7, 2025 The amount Apple paid into the Treasury’s coffers surged to more than £300m for its latest financial year as its profit jumped to over £1bn. The US giant paid £303.7m in UK corporation tax in the 12 months to 28 September, 2024, according to new accounts filed with Companies House. The figure is up significantly [...]
Hey Siri: Can ChatGPT save Apple’s AI woes? July 1, 2025 After years of insisting it could do AI its own way, Apple is now reconsidering that approach – and the implications could reshape its core product experience. The iPhone maker is in talks with Anthropic and OpenAI about powering a revamped Siri, reported Bloomberg, potentially swapping out its own foundation models for one of their [...]
Is Apple losing the AI war? June 26, 2025 Apple’s position in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence landscape is increasingly precarious. While rivals such as Google, Microsoft and even Samsung have surged ahead by integrating large language models (LLMs) and generative AI into their products, Apple’s progress has been notably cautious and incremental. Commentators and insiders alike question whether Apple is losing the race [...]
This is why billions of passwords were leaked in Apple and Google breach June 24, 2025 A trove of around 16bn passwords and usernames linked to major online platforms – including Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft and dozens of government services – has surfaced online, in what researchers are calling one of the largest known compilations of stolen credentials. Initial reports caused confusion, suggesting direct breaches of platforms like Apple and Google. [...]