1 Feb
Trendswatch | New Business Insight From The Past Week
February is finally here, and hopefully as we enter the new month things will start to brighten up. This week, we will be looking at the hottest techy trends of the moment, as over the last few days we have seen some major launches and revelations from the major players in Silicon Valley.
Facebook News, the social network’s dedicated section for news content, is launching in the UK.
The UK is the second market to get Facebook News, which launched in the United States last year.
Several major news publishers, including Channel 4, Sky News, and The Guardian have signed deals with Facebook to provide content.
It comes as the tech industry’s relationship with the media comes under increased scrutiny.
Facebook News is the social network’s own attempt to address its long-running friction with news publishers, as advertising spend has increasingly moved to the large tech firms instead of individual news outlets.
The new feature is set to go live tomorrow afternoon – Piers Morgan better watch out!
Microsoft
A surge in demand for new Xbox consoles, as well as further growth in Cloud computing, has helped Microsoft deliver better-than-expected results over the Christmas quarter.
Shares climbed 4% in after-hours trading and added to big gains over the last year for the US tech giant, which is seen as one of the winners of the “stay-at-home” economy.
As of April 2020, Microsoft’s online gaming service had nearly 90 million monthly active users, up from just under 40 million at the beginning of 2016.
The latest console has been described by fans as: Accessible, Advanced, Awesome, Original and Elegant.
Apple
Apple has overtaken Amazon to become the world’s most valuable brand for the first time in five years, according to the Brand Finance Global 500 2021 Index!
Apple currently stands at $2.4 trillion in market value, Amazon at $1.6 trillion, Google (or parent company Alphabet) at $1.26 trillion, and Microsoft at $1.8 trillion.
“Steve Jobs’ legacy continues to flow through Apple, with innovation built into the brand’s DNA,” said Laurence Newell, managing director of Brand Finance Americas, in a statement on Tuesday.
There are some exciting product updates coming in 2021, including rumoured redesigns for the iMac, MacBook Pro, and iPad mini; new AirPods; an update to the Apple TV; and the long-rumoured AirTags.
Now if you’re wondering about Airtags – they are small tracking tiles with Bluetooth connectivity that can be used to find lost items.
More insights and trends to be shared next week