The biggest show last week was Apple’s (AAPL Quick QuoteAAPL - Free Report) product event but Alphabet’s (GOOGL Quick QuoteGOOGL - Free Report) Pixel event was also given a date and Fiat Chrysler (FCA Quick QuoteFCA - Free Report) joined Intel’s (INTC Quick QuoteINTC - Free Report) self-driving effort.

Here are the details:    

Apple’s Product Event

Apple’s product event revealed three new iPhones as anticipated. They will be called iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and the tenth anniversary edition called iPhone X sporting the “Super Retina Display.” The 8 series brings back the glass-back design, adds water and dust resistance, a more powerful six-core A11 Bionic processor, a 30% faster GPU, 25% louder stereo speakers, better image processing, better low-light detection, a better pixel processor, more accurate Face ID (replacing Touch ID) and multiband noise reduction and wireless charging by placing on a pad called AirPower.

The new iOS 11 enables person-to-person payments with Apple Pay, a refreshed Control Center, a revamped Apple Maps, support for augmented reality (AR) applications, etc. it also introduced Animoji (around 12 animated emojis including the monkey, panda, alien and fox that can take on your own expressions). Price: the iPhone 8 range starts at $699 and iPhone X starts at $999. Further iPhone details are available here.

Non-iPhone announcements included that of the Apple Watch Series 3 and Watch OS 4. The Watch series sports 3 colors: a new gold aluminum finish, silver and space gray. Incorporating cellular connectivity for the first time, it can make and receive calls using the same number as your iPhone.

There’s a new enhanced heart rate app to go with it that can detect increased heart rates, especially at rest and also analyzes heart rhythms that will be used by Stanford University for its Apple Heart Study. Price $329 for regular and $399 for cellular versions.

The new Apple TV 4K has better color contrast and will stream ultra-high definition (UHD) resolution video, which is sharper than the full-HD 1080p resolution it offered earlier. It will also be able to stream live video, like sports, movies and TV shows in 4K HDR from Apple TV apps. Price $179.

Fiat Chrysler Joins Intel Self-Driving Effort

In a notable development for Intel’s self-driving technology, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has joined its effort, which has thus far also included BMW and Mobileye (that Intel subsequently acquired).

The partnership looks significant because it seems to indicate that Intel has made progress with the development of the technology that now requires testing on a mass-market vehicle before it can be released to the public. “FCA will bring engineering and other technical resources and expertise to the cooperation, as well as its significant sales volumes, geographic reach and longtime experience in North America,” reads the press release.

Intel intends to bring its highly automated driving (Level 3) and fully automated driving (Level 4/5) solutions into production by 2021. So it’s expected that testing its technology on 40 FCA vehicles by year end that will also utilize the experience gathered from the 100 test vehicles earlier announced by Mobileye will help it realize its goal.

Google Pixel 2 Coming Oct 4

Google has set Oct 4 for its Pixel event and a number of news sites, most notably Droid Life, have leaked some details. Accordingly, it appears that there will be five announcements in total.

The first two deal with the phones Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Pixel 2 will be built by HTC, come in "kinda blue, "clearly white" and "just black" colors, may not have a headphone jack, and priced at $650 for the 64GB version and $750 for the 128GB version. Pixel 2 XL will be built by LG, in black and black-and-white variations and priced at $850 for the 64GB version and $950 for the 128GB version.

The third announcement will be about a Google Home mini (though of course we don’t know if it will call it that) for obvious competition with the Amazon Dot series, in three colors, fabric (possibly swappable) covers and at similar price points.

Then there’s the Google Pixelbook that looks designed to compete with Microsoft Surface that will have a backflipping touchscreen lid and support for a pressure-sensitive, tilt-sensitive stylus, at $1,200 for the 128GB version and 1,750 for 512GB one.

Next up is a new Daydream View headset for $100 (previously $80). So things are getting pricier around here and it will be worth checking out what’s changed.

Other stories

Corporate

WhatsApp Co-Founder Leaving Facebook: WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton has resigned to pursue his own interests, which were vaguely described as “on-profit focused at the intersection of nonprofit, technology and communications.” But after eight years at WhatsApp, feels its time to move on and will “have more to share in the coming months.” WhatsApp is doing really well with a record number of users and big plans afoot to finally monetize that user base.

Facebook reportedly won’t be filling his position of engineering lead at WhatsApp. Acton made his announcement at an all-hands meet and later added a Facebook post as well.      

Facebook’s New Ad Placement Rules:  Facebook has said that it will soon have tools for advertisers that will allow them to see what content their ads were placed against. Although users generally know that the ads and content aren’t linked, Facebook isn’t taking any chances.

So it has now announced that ads will no longer be placed next to nine kinds of content including content related to publisher logos you have stolen, adult content, content promoting drug abuse or other illegal activity, content flagged as false news, involving children engaged in adult activity, etc. But the most surprising of all, ads will no longer appear next to “fiercely debated social issues,” which could cause problems with free speech advocates.

Microsoft Cloud Veteran Moves to JD: After a 24-year stint at Microsoft (MSFT Quick QuoteMSFT - Free Report) that included the position of general manager of its Chinese cloud unit, Samuel Shen has jumped ship to Chinese ecommerce company JD.com. Shen will operate as President of JD’s cloud business, reporting to Liu Qiangdong, chairman and CEO. The move will be a blow to Microsoft, which has been trying to capture share in the Chinese market by collaborating with Chinese government authorities. The market for cloud services in China grew 68% in 2016, according to IDC and is expected to continue growing at a blistering pace in the foreseeable future.

Google Play Store Invaded by Malware: Checkpoint researchers identified what was one of the Play Store’s biggest malware attacks that affected over 21 million people. The ExpensiveWall app that compresses malware code through encryption, and thus prevents detection, affected at least 50 apps in the store. It’s also believed that the infected apps and malware were repeatedly advertised on social networks.

The report says that it "sends fraudulent premium SMS messages and charges users' accounts for fake services without their knowledge." The malware and all infected apps have since been removed from the store but users who downloaded them on their devices will have to remove them manually. Checkpoint said it will publish a complete list of affected apps soon.

Amazon Warehouse in Mexico:  Amazon (AMZN Quick QuoteAMZN - Free Report) is planning a million square-foot warehouse in the Tepotzotlan municipality around 40 km north of Mexico City, according to four real estate professionals in the area, reports Reuters. The warehouse is expected to triple Amazon’s distribution capacity to reach 120 million people. Amazon more-than-doubled its Mexico sales last year and is already the third largest online retailer in the country despite its late entry, according to Euromonitor.

Amazon is focusing on the expansion of its product offerings, faster deliveries and a smooth and secure purchasing process to inspire consumer confidence but Mexico’s long border with the U.S. may not come in useful if relations with the U.S. deteriorate. At any rate, much will depend on the scope of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which may be expanded, restricted or renewed soon.

Legal/Regulatory

Facebook Fined in Spain: As with some other technology companies, data harvesting remains a continuing problem for Facebook and may be expected to create repeated problems in the future. In this case, the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) fined the company around $1.4 million (a drop in the ocean as far as its earnings are concerned) for collecting information on users’ ideology, sex, religious beliefs, personal tastes and browsing history, without clearly informing them about the way this information will be used.

The AEPD says that “Facebook’s privacy policy contains generic and unclear terms.” It also says that “The social network uses specifically protected data for advertising, among other purposes, without obtaining users’ express consent as data protection law demands, a serious infringement.” It alleges that people without Facebook accounts are also not let alone but tracked through “like’ buttons on other pages. The social network also keeps information for more than 17 months after users close their accounts.

Facebook, Google Fight Bill: Tech companies like Airbnb, Amazon, Facebook, Google and Twitter are up in arms against senators from both parties that are on the verge of approving changes to a very old California law that offers immunity to websites that host content related to prostitution and child trafficking. The California Broadband Internet Privacy Act, written by Assemblyman and democrat Ed Chau, requires broadband providers to get permission before collecting or sharing customers’ information. It is supported by advocacy groups such as San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation and Washington, D.C.-based Center for Digital Democracy.

While the tech companies support the cause, they feel the proposed bill is overly broad and could involve legitimate operators in unnecessary litigation, impact the way small scale Internet-based businesses advertise and therefore generate revenues and not really help the purpose for which the law is being framed.

Google Appeals EU Fine: Following the particle success Intel saw in its EU appeal, Google has also appealed the decision of the European Commission, which fined it around $2.2 billion for favoring its own shopping comparison service in the search rankings to those of rivals. In the words of EC chief Margrethe Vestager, “What Google has done is illegal under EU antitrust rules… It denied other companies the chance to compete on the merits and to innovate. And most importantly, it denied European consumers a genuine choice of services and the full benefits of innovation.”

New Products/Technology

AR Feature from Snap: Following the $64 million acquisition of Bitstrips, the maker of the Bitmoji app last year, the company is bringing AR special effects to its rear facing camera. Nearly a third of the company’s 173 million daily active users that use its AR features will now be able to place customizable Bitmojis of themselves onto the real world.

The Bitmoji app is to be used to create their custom avatars, which are then linked to their Snapchat accounts. Upon scrolling the lens carousel, selecting the new 3D Bitmoji World Lens and pointing at the desired surface, users can see a cartoon version of themselves. These cartoons are 3D, so not only can they be moved around and made life size, but they can also be anchored to a spot for any-side viewing.

Facebook Spending Millions on NFL Reality Show: Facebook will be paying Time Warner’s Bleacher Report unspecified millions to create a reality show based on NFL player Marshawn Lynch. The show, to be called “No Script,” will start streaming this month and consist of eight episodes of 10 to 15 minutes featuring various antics by Lynch, who is returning to football as a running back for the Oakland Raiders. The goal is to capture Lynch’s raw style, including his speed.

The company has earmarked a billion dollars for original content as it beefs up its just-launched Watch tab for video viewing and social interaction around it. And there’s good reason to do this: marketing consulting firm Magna estimates that video ad spending will double to $4 billion this year while Zenith says that it will be closer to $18 billion by next year. That’s a big jump and they’re obviously using different parameters, which still indicate strong growth in both cases. 

Google’s Tez App for India: Google has built a digital payments app called Tez tailored for the unfolding opportunity in India. So it will support the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) for peer-to-peer mobile transactions launched by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

UPI is a payments system that allows money transfer between any two bank accounts with registered mobile numbers and doesn’t require you to enter credit/debit card details, IFSC code, or net banking/wallet passwords. Available for desktops, as a Chrome widget, as an app on Google Play Store, or a part of its new OS (and part of future updates thereon), it will also support other consumer facing payment services like Paytm and MobiKwik.

Collaborations and M&A

Cisco Announces Alliances: Cisco announced three important alliances last week. The first one was with PT Bank Central Asia (BCA) of Indonesia, which renewed its commitment to use Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI). The second was with Viacom, which will use Cisco Network Transport Receiver to distribute its premier branded content across multiple linear, digital and mobile screens for viewers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

NBCUniversal is using Cisco Media Blueprint to transition its broadcast and video network architecture to IP and Cloud based on a set of IP-based infrastructure and software solutions that accelerate the creation, delivery and monetization of immersive experiences. It will also be using Cisco advanced services.

Alphabet Investing in Lyft: Alphabet is getting ready to invest a billion dollars into Uber-rival Lyft. The talks are reportedly being headed by none other than Larry Page and not Alphabet’s investment arm as is usually the case. Alphabet earlier invested in Uber, but the company’s self-driving aspirations drove a rift in the relationship and it appeared for a while that Uber may have incentivized an employee to spirit away Google self-driving technology.

Whatever be the case, Uber has since sacked the offenders and moved on. But the fallout might have led Alphabet’s self-driving arm Waymo to its competitor Lyft. Waymo in any case has identified self-driving taxis as the first use case for its technology, so the collaboration could be for the long haul. That could be why it’s putting in the money so Lyft can go to work nabbing Uber customers, especially in the U.S.   

HP-Lightning Source Deal: Lightning Source LLC, a leading print-on-demand company and a part of Ingram Content Group, has agreed to deploy 24new HP PageWide T240 HD color & mono digital presses over seven years in a multi-million dollar deal that will transform the distribution and sales model for book publishers all over the world. This is the largest ever deal for HP’s graphics business and bears testimony to the ongoing changes in printing technology from analog to digital.

Some Numbers

Facebook Still Leads App Downloads: According to Statista, Facebook accounted for the top five apps on Android devices in August, with WhatsApp topping the list at 88.5 million, Messenger at 76.6 million, Instagram at 42.9 million, Facebook at 33.6 million and Facebook Lite at 22.4 million. Overall, the top 10 most downloaded apps accounted for a combined download figure of over 343 million. Facebook accounted for a combined 264.0 million downloads; down from 297.3 million downloads in July.

Top Streaming Video Apps: App Annie provides some interesting details across both Android and iOS platforms: YouTube, Netflix, ESPN, CNN News and Amazon Video were the top five video streaming platforms by average monthly users. The average time spent by users on the top five streaming platforms from highest to lowest were YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, Twitch and Fox News. But as far as average monthly revenue is concerned, Netflix topped the list, followed by HBO Now, Hulu, YouTube and Starz.

Server Market Rebound: IDC estimates that the worldwide server market revenue grew 6.3% in the second quarter of 2017 with hyperscale deployments (more than 10% of total server shipments) driving the increase. Server shipments grew a much slower 1.9%.

Low-range servers (volume purchases) grew 8.3%, midrange servers grew 19.6% and high end declined 18.9%. the top vendors were HPE (21.3% share), Dell (17.7%), IBM (6.6%), Cisco (5.6%) and Lenovo (5.3%). Dell was the only one with significant growth of 7.0% although Cisco also grew 1.7% from last year. All other top vendors saw declines. ODMs accounted for 22.6% and grew 48.1%.

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