Technology

Bloomberg The world’s biggest technology companies could face billions of dollars in fines for breaches of new European Union legislation after lawmakers reached an agreement on its scope. The landmark Digital Services Act (DSA) is the EU’s answer to what it sees as a failure by tech giants to combat illegal content on their platforms. Noncompliance could cost companies as ...

Bloomberg Facebook’s interest in podcasts is fading, barely a year after it began. Last April, during a hot market for audio, Facebook launched Live Audio Rooms, short-form stories called Soundbites and podcasts for US users. The company signed deals with creators and sponsored one of the industry’s biggest US conferences: Podcast Movement. Facebook product managers even appeared on the long-time ...

  Bloomberg Apple Inc is paying a small number of engineers another round of special stock bonuses as part of an unusual push to retain key talent, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The iPhone maker doled out the bonuses in recent days to a select group of employees in its software and hardware engineering departments, said the ...

  Bloomberg Apple Inc, looking to address criticism of its competitive practices by the European Union, developers and US lawmakers, pointed to a report showing that third-party apps are thriving on the iPhone and other devices. In a study published by Analysis Group and touted by the iPhone maker, analysts said that Apple’s own apps are infrequently the dominant option ...

  Bloomberg Spain plans to invest 11 billion euros ($12.4 billion) to develop microchips and semiconductors in a bid to modernise its tourism-dependent economy. “We want our country to be at the vanguard of industrial and technological progress,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in Madrid, without giving more details. He said the project will be approved soon by his cabinet. ...

  Bloomberg Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) revenue rose to a record in the first quarter on demand for chips used in smartphones, computers and cars, while a prolonged shortage helped to boost prices. Revenue jumped 36% to NT$491.1 billion ($17 billion) in the three months through March, the company said in a statement. Analysts estimated NT$469.4 billion on average. ...

  Bloomberg Sony Group Corp. introduces a new video game subscription service for the PlayStation, said people familiar with the plans. The service, which has been in development under the codename Spartacus, is Sony’s answer to Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox Game Pass, a sort of Netflix for video games that has amassed more than 25 million subscribers. Sony’s will debut with ...

Bloomberg Apple Inc is exploring new sources of the memory chips that go into iPhones, including its first Chinese producer of the critical component, after a disruption at a key Japanese partner exposed the risks to its global supply. It’s considering expanding a roster of suppliers that already includes Micron Technology Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. after Kioxia Holdings Corp. ...

  OAKLAND / WAM Google announced its latest plans for using smartphones to monitor health, saying it would test whether capturing heart sounds and eyeball images could help people identify issues from home, Reuters reported. The company, a unit of Alphabet Inc, is investigating whether the smartphone’s built-in microphone can detect heartbeats and murmurs when placed over the chest, head ...

  Bloomberg Tech giants face sweeping changes to how they operate in the European Union after the bloc hammered out a deal on a new law that paves the way for multibillion euro fines and acquisition bans for the worst transgressors. The new Digital Markets Act, agreed on by negotiators in Brussels, targets so-called gatekeeper companies — platforms like Facebook ...