Apple inches closer to a true-blue TV set; Google chairman says Android has Apple beat.
Apple moves closer to making TV set [THE WALL STREET JOURNAL]
Executives at some of Apple’s suppliers said the company has been testing designs for a large-screen high-definition set.
Two people said Hon Hai Precision Industry Co.which assembles the iPhone and iPad, has been collaborating with Japan’s Sharp Corp. on the design of the new television for several months. “It isn’t a formal project yet. It is still in the early stage of testing,” one of the people said.
Marc Andreessen: We’re in a tech depression [FORTUNE]
In the past six months, such tech companies as Facebook and Groupon have seen their shares disappoint. Andreessen said that while there are some company specific issues, tech companies in the market today are generally good investments in a really bad market for tech stocks. Andreessen said that wasn’t the case back in the early 2000s when the tech bubble burst. “These are big companies with a lot of cash,” says Andreessen. “The public market hates technology.”
Google chairman says Android winning mobile war with Apple [BLOOMBERG]
Schmidt’s remarks reflect Google’s growing confidence in its ability to attract users and advertisers as more customers rely on handheld devices and shun traditional computers. By giving away Android, Google cedes revenue to hardware partners, such as Samsung Electronics Co. Schmidt is willing to make that sacrifice because it drives demand for ads and other Internet- based services that benefit Google over time.
“The core strategy is to make a bigger pie,” he said. “We will end up with a not perfectly controlled and not perfectly managed bigger pie by virtue of open systems.”
Facebook changes privacy settings, again [THE NEW YORK TIMES]
First, it is improving some privacy protections. The company is adding a new top-level control, called Privacy Shortcuts, that will allow people to quickly change who can see their “stuff” (as Facebook calls it) and who can contact them through the Web site. The shortcut will also feature a one-button link to block someone on Facebook.
The tablet is killing the ebook reader: Study says shipments to fall 36% this year [GEEKWIRE]
“The stunning rise and then blazing flameout of ebooks perfectly encapsulate what has become an axiomatic truth in the industry: Single-task devices like the ebook reader are being replaced without remorse in the lives of consumers by their multifunction equivalents, in this case by media tablets,” says IHS analyst Jordan Selburn in a news release.
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