Technology

Bloomberg Microsoft Corp released one product and unveiled another designed to warehouse, analyse and keep track of data, taking on Amazon.com Inc and Snowflake Inc in a growing market for cloud-based tools that help companies do more with reams of information. Microsoft widely released its Azure Synapse Analytics tool and announced a preview of a new product called Purview, which …

Bloomberg JD.com Inc, China’s second-biggest online retailer, will become the country’s first virtual mall to use digital yuan, the cryptocurrency backed by the central bank. JD Digits, the e-commerce giant’s fintech affiliate, will launch a pilot program this month, and customers will pay for certain items with digital yuan, it said on its official WeChat account. About 100,000 digital cash …

Bloomberg Google is set to win conditional European Union (EU) approval for its $2.1 billion takeover of health tracker Fitbit Inc this month, people familiar with the discussions said. The deal could be approved as soon as next week after national competition authorities give their opinion, said the people who asked not to be named because the procedure isn’t public. …

Bloomberg Foxconn Technology Group will move the manufacturing of some Apple Inc iPads and MacBooks to Vietnam from China, a person familiar with the matter said, as the company aims to mitigate the risk that a trade war with the US could continue after US President Donald Trump leaves the White House. The person asked not to be identified because …

Bloomberg The UK government approved plans for a separate regulatory program for companies including Facebook Inc and Google, saying the new competition unit would be given powers to impose fines to rein in the dominance of the largest tech companies. The Digital Markets Unit will be housed inside the antitrust regulator from April, with powers to enforce a new code …

Bloomberg Facebook Inc will be making payouts to only about a quarter of the 6 million Illinois residents eligible for the biggest consumer privacy settlement in US history. Based on a tally filed in court after claims deadline, some 1.57 million people will probably pocket more than $300 each — after about a third of the $650 million settlement fund …

Bloomberg Apple slammed Facebook and other internet giants for their ad-targeting practices in response to a letter questioning a decision by the iPhone maker to delay a new privacy feature. The Cupertino, California-based technology company criticised Facebook’s approach to advertising and user tracking, according to a written reply sent to several human rights and privacy organisations, including the Electronic Frontier …

Bloomberg Nikon Corp plans to reduce about 2,000 employees, or 10% of its total workforce, due to a slump in its core camera business, Nikkei reported. Its business was also impacted by the performance of Intel Corp, one of Nikon’s key clients of semiconductor equipment, the daily reported, without saying where it got the information. In the company’s reform agenda, …

Bloomberg Spotify Technology SA agreed to acquire Megaphone, which creates tools for podcast advertisers, in a deal that values the acquisition at $235 million. Founded by online news company Slate, Megaphone connects podcast publishers such as Vox and ESPN with networks of advertisers. Spotify will use Megaphone’s network and tools to offer advertising technology to thousands of podcasts. After building …

Bloomberg The Trump administration has given the owner of TikTok another 15 days to resolve national security concerns before it’s required to sell the viral video-sharing app. The app’s Chinese owner, ByteDance Ltd, said in a court filing that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US had granted it until November 27 to reach an agreement, extending a deadline. …