Tag Archives: aapl

Apple Rival Google Revs Up Android Auto, Targets Infotainment

Aiming to shoot past  Apple ‘s ( AAPL ) CarPlay, Alphabet ’s ( GOOGL ) Google hopes to woo auto makers with its new Android N operating system, which can be used in infotainment systems, as well as smartphones. Google unveiled an “auto-centric” variant of Android N at its Google I/O developer’s conference on Wednesday. Google also announced that Android Auto will include the Waze traffic app as part of its navigation system. “This is very important, as the major screen projection systems (Apple CarPlay and Android Auto) have relegated the user to only the native navigation Apple or Google map application, but the Waze application has tremendous popularity,” Egil Juliussen, an analyst at research firm IHS Automotive, said in a report. Apple and Google have revved up efforts to integrate their smartphone technologies with auto communications systems. QNX Software Systems, a subsidiary of BlackBerry ( BBRY ), has also pushed into Web-connected infotainment and telematics systems, along with AT&T ( T ). Apple and Google have faced challenges because of the lengthy design cycles for autos. While Apple’s CarPlay technology is built around its iOS software, some automakers have preferred open-sourced technologies, analysts say. At the developer’s conference, Google showcased the Android N software working in a Maserati Ghibli equipped with a 15-inch screen. Google said it has added Wi-Fi capability to “Android Auto,” a move Apple took in 2015. IHS Automotive says Android software has been built into infotainment systems on new Honda ( HMC ) and Renault vehicles. “ General Motors ( GM ) and Harman ( HAR ) announced a tie-up to build Android-based infotainment systems for GM vehicles,” said the IHS report. “This $900 million contract will (create) a new next-generation infotainment system powered by Android by the end of 2016 — it’s possible that those vehicles will be powered by this (Android N) embedded system.”

Here’s Why Apple Should Be More Like Netflix

Loading the player… Amid slowing iPhone sales, Apple ( AAPL ) should take a page from Netflix’s ( NFLX ) playbook and go with the subscription model, according to a Bernstein report out Wednesday. With the cost of owning and using an iPhone averaging at about $3 a day, Bernstein says Apple could offer its products to customers as a bundled monthly service instead of single purchases of more than $700 every few years. The analyst believes customers could get more services from an Apple subscription bundle at a cheaper cost than their Internet and cable bills. Apple shares closed up 1.2% in above-average volume after testing support at the 10-day line in Tuesday’s session. The stock still has a lot of recovering to do after crumbling to its lowest level in nearly two years just last week, in the wake of the company’s disappointing quarterly earnings report. Apple is 28% below its all-time high reached in April 2015. Meanwhile, Netflix is looking to retake its 10-day line, an area the stock has struggled to stay above in the aftermath of its disappointing Q2 subscriber addition guidance about a month ago. Shares are trading 32% below their all-time high reached last December, but finished 2.1% higher Wednesday. Another big tech company benefiting from the subscription model is Amazon ( AMZN ). The e-commerce giant’s Amazon Prime service costs $99 dollars a year and is growing in popularity. Amazon also recently rolled out a monthly Prime membership for $10.99 a month and a video-only subscription for $8.99 a month. Amazon is looking for support at its 10-day line. The stock tried to climb back above the 700 price level in intraday trade but reversed lower by the afternoon, then ended up 0.3% at 697.45. Shares are 3% below their all-time high reached last week and extended 16% past a cup-with-handle buy point it initially cleared just a few weeks before the company’s latest quarterly report.

Fitbit’s New Bands Could Double As Mobile Wallets

Fitbit ( FIT ) signaled it might add mobile wallet capability to upcoming fitness trackers, as it announced Wednesday that it had bought the assets of financial technology firm Coin. San Francisco-based Fitbit said the transaction closed on May 12. Financial terms were not disclosed. The deal includes key personnel and intellectual property specific to Coin’s wearables payment platform. The acquisition excluded smart payment devices, such as Coin 2.0. “While there are no plans to integrate Coin’s wearable payments technology into the 2016 Fitbit product roadmap, the acquisition accelerates Fitbit’s ability to develop an active NFC (near field communication) payment solution that could be embedded into future Fitbit devices, broadening its smart capabilities,” Fitbit said in a press release . Inclusion of payment technology into future Fitbit bands and watches would further the company’s strategy of making its products an indispensable part of people’s lives, CEO James Park said in a statement. Mobile payment technology lets consumers pay for items at tech-equipped retailers with the wave of a smartphone, smartwatch or other device using NFC technology. Examples include  Apple ‘s ( AAPL ) Apple Watch and newer iPhones carrying the Apple Pay mobile payments service. Fitbit stock was down close to 1%, near 14, in late-afternoon trading on the stock market today . RELATED: Fitbit, Apple Lead In Wearables, But Other Brands Gaining Fast .