Apple and Google have announced a joint plan to help contain the spread of COVID-19 by using mobile phone location tracking. The companies plan to add new software to phones, making it easier to use Bluetooth wireless technology to track down people who may have been infected by coronavirus carriers....
Apple to Pay up to $500M Over Battery-Related Phone Slowdown
SAN FRANCISCO — iPhone owners could get $25 from Apple after the company agreed to pay up to $500 million to settle claims over intentionally slowing down older phones to preserve older batteries. Apple and lawyers representing iPhone consumers agreed to a deal stemming from Apple's 2017 admission that it was slowing...
California Apple Stores Must Pay Workers During Bag Searches
PLACERVILLE — Employees at Apple stores must be paid for time they spend waiting for managers or security guards to search their bags to make sure they’re not stealing anything, the California Supreme Court ruled Thursday. What’s more, the justices said their class-action ruling is retroactive, covering all Apple California...
Apple Holiday Season Tops Projections as iPhone Bounces Back
SAN FRANCISCO — Apple is still reaping huge profits from the iPhone while mining more moneymaking opportunities from the growing popularity of its smartwatch, digital services and wireless earbuds. That combination produced a banner holiday season for a company whose fortunes appeared to be sliding just a year ago amid...
Trump Ecstatic as Wall Street Sets Records Galore
Retailers and technology companies powered stocks broadly higher on Wall Street Thursday, extending the market's record-setting run. The Nasdaq composite climbed above 9,000 points for the first time as Apple led technology stocks higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 also climbed to new highs. The benchmark index...
Saudi Stock Offering Creates World's Most Valuable Company
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabian oil company Aramco surpassed Apple as the world's most valuable public company Wednesday when its shares made their debut on the Saudi stock exchange, part of an ambitious shift away from the very fossil fuels the country's economy depends on. The shares' 10% rally...
Walters: Housing Crisis — Fits and Starts
The latest developments in California’s housing crisis are, as usual, mixed. In September, according to the Legislature’s budget analyst, permits for 10,580 new housing units were issued, a 13% increase from August and a 40% boost from September 2018. However, overall housing starts are still running below 2018’s level, meaning the...
Apple Commits $2.5B to Combat California Housing Crisis
CUPERTINO — Apple has committed $2.5 billion to ease California's housing crisis, eclipsing similar pledges by fellow Silicon Valley giants Google and Facebook to address a lack of affordable housing in the region they call home. Apple's pledge Monday includes a $1 billion fund to build new homes for households...
Freebies Are the Key Hook in New 'Streaming Wars'
If you make it free, will they come? Apple, Disney and AT&T's WarnerMedia want to jump-start their challenges to Netflix by offering freebies and deep discounts on emerging streaming plans. That includes a free year of Apple TV Plus for customers of new Apple devices and a free year of...
Finally, There's an App for Downtown Fresno Parking
Parking in downtown Fresno is finally making the leap into the smartphone era. City Hall says drivers can now use a mobile phone app to locate and pay for metered parking downtown. The ParkMobile app is live and will soon offer online access to over 2,000 metered spaces, according to...