6 hours ago - businesswire.com

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- #addigy--Addigy today revealed extended compliance benchmarks for iOS and iPadOS devices and enhanced customization capabilities for all Apple devices.

6 hours ago - cnbc.com

A slew of major tech companies including Microsoft, Amazon, and OpenAI, on Tuesday agreed to a landmark international agreement on artificial intelligence safety at the Seoul AI Safety Summit.

7 hours ago - proactiveinvestors.co.uk

Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL, ETR:APC) will challenge a €1.8 billion fine levied by European Union regulators for imposing anti-competitive practices against Spotify and other music-streaming services. Apple copped the fine in March for preventing Spotify and others from directing users outside of Apple's App Store ecosystem.

9 hours ago - fool.com

The AI market hit $200 billion in spending last year. Meanwhile, Intel believes its coming chip factory will become the primary provider of chips for the AI U.S. market.

10 hours ago - cnbc.com

Apple looks to boost sales in China with hefty discounts as e-commerce festival gets underway

13 hours ago - reuters.com

Vietnamese officials have called on Apple supplier Foxconn to voluntarily reduce power use by 30% at its assembly plants in the north of the country where there were electricity outages last year, two people familiar with the matter said.

20 hours ago - https://www.investopedia.com

Key Takeaways Microsoft unveiled a new category of Windows PCs designed for artificial intelligence (AI) called Copilot+ PCs.Microsoft announced the Copilot+ PCs at an event on Monday ahead of the company's annual developer conference on Tuesday.Copilot+ PCs will be offered through Microsoft's Surface line as well as several manufacturing partners, and are set to become available as of June 18, with pricing starting at $999.Microsoft said that the new Windows AI PCs "outperform Apple’s MacBook Air by up to 58%," in the announcement that comes not long after Apple unveiled an iPad model powered by the new AI-capable M4 chip. Microsoft (MSFT) announced a new category of Windows PCs designed for artificial intelligence (AI) called Copilot+ PCs at an event Monday, ahead of the company's developer conference, Microsoft Build, on Tuesday. The company is expected to provide more details at the conference. "Copilot+ PCs are the fastest, most intelligent Windows PCs ever built," the company said in a release, adding that "Copilot+ PCs will enable you to do things you can’t on any other PC." Copilot+ PCs Available June 18, Starting at $999 Microsoft said Copilot+ PCs will be offered through Microsoft's Surface line as well as its original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners including Dell Technologies (DELL), Lenovo, Samsung, HP (HPQ), Acer, and Asus. Microsoft said that Copilot+ PCs, which are priced starting at $999, can be pre-ordered starting Monday and will become available June 18. The devices will run on Qualcomm (QCOM) chips. Microsoft said the Windows AI PCs "outperform Apple’s MacBook Air by up to 58% in sustained multithreaded performance, all while delivering all-day battery life." Apple (AAPL) announced a new iPad model powered by the recently released M4 chip earlier in the month, in the iPhone maker's push into AI devices. Microsoft's Copilot, which is "connected to and enhanced by the large language models (LLMs) running in our Azure Cloud in concert with small language models (SLMs)," is capable of running AI workloads through neural processor units (NPUs) built into the tech. 'Recall' Feature Likened to 'Photographic Memory' Microsoft also announced a feature called "Recall" that allows users to virtually access everything seen or done on the computer "in a way that feels like having photographic memory." The company said that the new PCs would have access to OpenAI's latest model GPT-4o as well. Microsoft shares closed 1.2% higher at $425.34 Monday, contributing to the stock's gain of over 13% since the start of the year. Do you have a news tip for Investopedia reporters? Please email us at [email protected]

21 hours ago - investors.com

Excluding tech, the S&P 500 would have fallen.

22 hours ago - https://www.patch.com

SKOKIE, IL — A judge ordered an 18-year-old man accused of stealing cars and robbing people at gunpoint to remain at the Cook County Jail while he awaits trial. Saul Esquivel is charged with the May 4 armed robbery of a jogger in Wilmette and the May 14 armed robbery of a 7-Eleven in Skokie. Esquivel also faces charges of possessing a stolen vehicle, burglarizing a vape store, fleeing from police on multiple occasions and a misdemeanor firearm offense. At his initial appearance before a judge Friday in Skokie, Esquivel's court-appointed attorney, Assistant Public Defender Vanessa Ficaro, said Esquivel had recently graduated Waukegan High School and lived there with his family. Assistant State's Attorney Patrick Campbell told the judge that Esquivel had identified himself as the person who broke into Lincolnwood Tobacco and Vape, 3942 W. Devon Ave., by smashing the front door with a brick early on the morning of April 13. Officers in Des Plaines tried to pull over Esquivel in a car he was driving April 20 on East Prairie Avenue, according to separate felony charges, but the 18-year-old motorist fled and struck a squad car. Then, on the morning of May 4, Esquivel and an accomplice stole a woman's phone at gunpoint as she went on a morning run on Beechwood Avenue in Wilmette, according to Campbell. The woman told police two masked men, possibly teens, emerged from a black Hyundai sedan. Esquivel's accomplice on this robbery, who he identified as 18-year-old Samnang Toem, demanded the woman unlock the phone and enter her Apple ID, the prosecutor said. When the woman was unable to remember, they got frustrated and Esquivel, the driver, allegedly told Toem to "just grab the phone" before they fled. Wilmette police later tracked down the Hyundai to an earlier carjacking in the 4600 block of North Walcott Avenue in Chicago and found footage of the two people who later dumped it in the 3900 block of North Milwaukee Avenue, in which Esquivel identified himself and Toem, the prosecutor said. After waiving his rights against self-incrimination, Esquivel "related that he likes stealing cars and he was up late the night before and into the morning stealing cars with his friend Sam," Campbell said. "[Esquivel] further related that Sam was upset because his mother took his phone and they decided to rob someone of theirs," the prosecutor said. At the time of the Wilmette armed robbery, Toem, of Evanston, was out on pretrial release while awaiting trial in connection with the Dec. 10, 2023, armed robbery of a delivery driver in the 2200 block of Foster Street. Toem was later ordered jailed in connection with a separate armed robbery and he was booked into the Cook County Jail on May 10, according to the sheriff's office. His next court appearance is scheduled for May 23. Esquivel was working with a different accomplice during the Skokie armed robbery. Skokie police were called to the 7-Eleven, 7950 Crawford Ave., for a report of an armed robbery that took place around 12:30 a.m. on May 14. The clerk told police two masked figures came into the store, according to the prosecutor. When he asked them to take their masks off, Esquivel pulled out a gun, racked a round and pointed it at the store employee, demanding cash. When the clerk struggled to open the register, Esquivel told him, "I'll knock your ---- back." Esquivel and his accomplice, who he identified as "Sergio," then fled the store while flashing gang signs, according to Campbell. The prosecutor said Esquivel was taken into custody following a pursuit that began when officers with the Glencoe Public Safety Department tried to pull him over in another stolen Hyundai on the southbound Edens Expressway in response to an alert from a Flock Safety automated license plate reader camera at Tower Road. Esquivel exited the freeway and drove through Lincolnwood before driving into Skokie and abandoning the car in the 4900 block of Estes Avenue in Skokie, where he was later found hiding under a bush. He later told police that car was the fourth one that he had stolen that night, according to the prosecutor. "He has clearly shown that he is a volatile and violent individual with little regard to the law, has ran from the police on multiple occasions, as was noted in the other cases, even running into a police car as he fled," Campbell told the judge, arguing against the defense's request for house arrest in Waukegan "[Esquivel] has made statements that he hangs out with Latin King gang members, he gets guns from Latin King gang members, he sells stolen cars to Latin King gang members and I don't think, given his behavior, an ankle monitor would stop him from stealing cars — and he's stolen multiple cars — and using them in armed robberies," he said. Cook County Associate Judge Anthony Calabrese determined there were no conditions of pretrial release that could mitigate the threat to the community that Esquivel poses. "We have an individual who, in broad daylight," Calabrese said, "in Wilmette, commits an armed robbery, in which a citizen is simply out on her own, enjoying a jog when a stolen sedan pulls up — and the individuals get out and they point a silver handgun to her head." Esquivel is due back in court June 13 to be indicted. "The raw number of cases, the allegations here and the use of the firearms in such a careless and reckless manner is clearly a danger to the community," the judge said.

22 hours ago - https://www.investors.com

Dow Jones futures, along with S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures, were little changed ahead of Tuesday's stock market open. Artificial intelligence stock Palo Alto Networks (PANW) plunged on earnings late Monday. And, later this week, Nvidia (NVDA) earnings and minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest policy meeting are due out. Key earnings movers late Monday include Palo Alto Networks and Zoom Video Communications (ZM). Cybersecurity leader Palo Alto plunged more than 9% in extended trading, while Zoom stock cut losses to less than 1%. The coming week sees Wednesday's release of Federal Reserve minutes for May. Investors will look for further clues into the thoughts of Fed Chair Jerome Powell and other central bankers on the future path of interest rates. Other economic reports due in the coming week include existing-home sales on Wednesday, new-home sales Thursday and S&P flash U.S. Purchasing Managers' Index data for both manufacturing and services, which come Thursday. Check Out IBD's New Exposure Levels To Help You Stay In Step With The Market Trend On Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average moved down 0.5% and the S&P 500 rose 0.1%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite climbed 0.7%. Robinhood Markets (HOOD), PDD (PDD), Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM), Trade Desk (TTD) and Tradeweb Markets (TW) — plus Dow Jones components JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and Merck (MRK) — are among the best companies to watch on the stock market today. And Dow Jones tech icons Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT) ended higher in today's stock market, with Apple and Microsoft up 0.6% and 1.2%, respectively. Microsoft and Trade Desk are featured in this Stocks Near A Buy Zone column. Find The Best Stocks To Buy And Watch With IBD Stock Screener And IBD Screen Of The Day Ahead of Tuesday's opening bell, Dow Jones futures, along with S&P 500 futures and tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 futures, were little changed vs. fair value. Remember that overnight action in Dow Jones futures and elsewhere doesn't necessarily translate into actual trading in the next regular stock market session. On Monday, the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield ticked higher to 4.44%. And oil prices fell, as West Texas intermediate futures settled around $79.20 a barrel. Get Real-Time Buy And Sell Alerts On Stock Market Leaders With IBD Leaderboard Now is an important time to read IBD's The Big Picture column amid the ongoing stock market rally. Following Monday's action, be sure to check out today's The Big Picture for an updated exposure level. On Monday's IBD Live show, the IBD Live team discussed current trading conditions and continued to survey prospects for a new power trend in the market. An essential resource for daily breakouts is IBD MarketSurge's "Breaking Out Today" list. It shows MarketSurge Growth 250 stocks that are breaking out past buy points. Notably, Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) broke out past a consolidation's 140.28 buy point. Meanwhile, the MarketSurge "Near Pivot" list shows stocks nearing buy points in bases. To find more stock ideas, check IBD Stock Lists like IBD 50, Big Cap 20 and Stocks Near A Buy Zone. These features identify bullish patterns and buy points and are available to check every day. JPMorgan gave up its flat base's 200.94 entry during Monday's decline of 4.5%. Meanwhile, drug giant Merck is building a flat base that has a 133.10 entry. 4 Top Growth Stocks To Watch In The Stock Market Action Outside the Dow Jones index, Temu-parent PDD is in buy range past a cup-with-handle's 142.32 buy point, according to IBD MarketSurge. Robinhood Markets rallied 3.7% Monday, breaking out past a 20.55 buy point in a cup base. Chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor is in buy range above a 148.43 buy point in a double-bottom base in the wake of strong recent gains. Trade Desk climbed 2.9% Monday, closing further above a 94 entry in a consolidation. And Tradeweb is squarely in its buy range past a flat base's 108.04 buy point, despite a 1.8% drop Friday. Learn How To Time The Market With IBD's ETF Market Strategy These are four stocks in or near buy zones in today's stock market. Join IBD experts as they analyze leading stocks in the current stock market action on IBD Live Among Dow Jones stocks in the Magnificent Seven, Apple stock added 0.6% Monday, closing at its highest level since late January. Shares forming the right side of a new base that has a 199.62 entry. Microsoft shares climbed 1.2% Monday, moving closer to a flat base's 430.82 buy point. The software leader is expected to announce new initiatives in the artificial intelligence space at its Build 2024 event, which kicks off on Tuesday. The Dow Jones component will be looking to maintain its momentum in the AI space following Google-parent Alphabet's (GOOGL) recent I/O developer conference. Be sure to follow Scott Lehtonen on X/Twitter at @IBD_SLehtonen for more on growth stocks and the Dow Jones Industrial Average. YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Top Growth Stocks To Buy And Watch Learn How To Time The Market With IBD's ETF Market Strategy Find The Best Long-Term Investments With IBD Long-Term Leaders Check Out IBD's New Exposure Levels To Help You Stay In Step With The Market Trend Spot Buy Points And Sell Signals With MarketSurge Pattern Recognition

23 hours ago - https://www.investors.com

Microsoft (MSFT) on Monday introduced a speedy, AI-enabled notebook computer that it claims far outperforms Apple's (AAPL) MacBook Air. Microsoft stock rose on the news. At a media event at its headquarters in Redmond, Wash., Microsoft unveiled a new category of Windows personal computers designed for artificial intelligence called Copilot+ PCs. The company showed off a new Microsoft Surface notebook PC that it claims outperforms the 15-inch MacBook Air by up to 58% in a sustained multithreaded computing application. Microsoft also said its new Copilot+ notebook provides up to 20% more battery life than the MacBook Air when running local video playback. Microsoft's Surface Copilot+ PC runs on a Snapdragon X Series processor from Qualcomm (QCOM) and will be available on June 18. PC makers Acer, Asus, Dell (DELL), HP (HPQ), Lenovo and Samsung also are coming out with Copilot+ PCs running Qualcomm processors. Copilot+ PCs will start at $999. Microsoft plans to add Copilot+ PCs running AMD (AMD) and Intel (INTC) processors at a later date. On the stock market today, Microsoft stock rose 1.2% to close at 425.34. Meanwhile, Qualcomm stock jumped 2.2% to 198.05. And Apple stock climbed 0.5% to 190.88. At the event, Microsoft officials demonstrated several new AI-powered applications for Copilot+ PCs. An application called Recall allows users to easily find and remember what they have seen on their PC. Live Captions can translate audio from 40-plus languages into English. And Cocreator can generate and refine AI images in near real-time directly on the device. "Over the past year, we have seen an incredible pace of innovation of AI in the cloud with Copilot allowing us to do things that we never dreamed possible," Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft executive vice president, said in a blog post. "Now, we begin a new chapter with AI innovation on the device. We have completely reimagined the entirety of the PC — from silicon to the operating system, the application layer to the cloud — with AI at the center, marking the most significant change to the Window platform in decades." Microsoft held the product launch event ahead of its Build conference for software developers, which starts Tuesday. Microsoft stock is near completing a flat base. Follow Patrick Seitz on X, formerly Twitter, at @IBD_PSeitz for more stories on consumer technology, software and semiconductor stocks. YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Can Nvidia Stock Reach The Summit With Its Fiscal Q1 Report? Broadcom's New Networking Gear Aims To Resolve AI Data Center Bottlenecks Layoffs, Studio Closures Could Signal Bottom For Video Game Stocks MarketSurge: Research, Charts, Data And Coaching All In One Place See Stocks On The List Of Leaders Near A Buy Point

1 day ago - https://www.investors.com

With Nvidia (NVDA) stock trading near its all-time high, investors are wondering if it has enough oxygen to continue its ascent. The answer likely will come when the AI-chip leader releases its fiscal first-quarter results late Wednesday. Analysts polled by FactSet expect the graphics-chip maker to earn an adjusted $5.60 a share, up 414% year over year, on sales of $24.59 billion, up 242%, in the quarter ended April 28. That would mark its fourth straight quarter of triple-digit percentage growth in sales and earnings. Investors will key in on its guidance for the current quarter. For the fiscal second quarter, Wall Street is modeling Nvidia earnings of $5.96 a share, up 121% year over year, on sales of $26.62 billion, up 97%. Nvidia stock has been consolidating for the past 10 weeks at a buy point of 974, which is also its all-time high, according to IBD MarketSurge. Last week, Nvidia cleared an early-entry buy point, based on IBD analysis. In afternoon trades on the stock market today, Nvidia stock was up 2.7% to 949.30. On Monday, at least four Wall Street firms raised their price targets on Nvidia stock: Baird, Barclays, Stifel and Susquehanna. All four firms have buy ratings on Nvidia shares. They see continued strong demand for Nvidia's graphics processing units, or GPUs, by cloud computing service providers running AI applications. Nvidia's quarterly report Wednesday will mark the one-year anniversary of the company delivering a monster beat-and-raise report that accelerated the AI stock boom. It also means Nvidia will start to face tougher comparisons on a year-over-year basis, analysts say. One headwind for Nvidia has been its inability to source components from its contract manufacturers. The company could be supply constrained through calendar 2024, especially with new products ramping in the second half of the year. Those products include the new Blackwell series GPUs. While Nvidia is experiencing an improved supply, it still faces shortages of high-bandwidth memory and CoWoS, Rosenblatt Securities analyst Hans Mosesmann said in a client note Monday. CoWoS, which stands for Chip-on-Wafer-on-Substrate, is an advanced packaging technology. Another concern with Nvidia stock is whether the company will hit an "air pocket" in sales of current Hopper series GPUs when Blackwell series GPUs become available later this year. "We do not subscribe to the air-pocket theory in the Hopper to Blackwell transition for the July-quarter guide as the transition to B100 is scheduled for later in 2024," Mosesmann said. "In reality, it is the transitions to B200 and GB200 — both of which are 2025 products — that will drive the true generational disruption. We also anticipate that Blackwell will be completely sold out, at least for a year." Mosesmann rates Nvidia stock as buy with a price target of 1,400. Piper Sandler analyst Harsh Kumar said he also does not think demand for Hopper GPUs will slip ahead of the Blackwell series launch. "Customers are wary of taking themselves out of line for Hopper allocation in fears that supply will be further limited for the Blackwell product," Kumar said in a report Thursday. "Furthermore, customers also expect that if they do receive an allocation of B100 chips, then it will most likely not be the full order amount." Kumar rates Nvidia stock as overweight, or buy, with a price target of 1,050. Nvidia's results and guidance will have an impact on other artificial intelligence plays such data-center computer makers Dell Technologies (DELL) and Super Micro Computer (SMCI). Other companies that stand to benefit from continued strong Nvidia AI chip sales include connectivity-chip makers Astera Labs (ALAB) and Marvell Technology (MRVL) and high-bandwidth-memory chip maker Micron Technology (MU). Nvidia stock is on six IBD stock lists including Leaderboard, SwingTrader, IBD 50, Big Cap 20, Sector Leaders and Tech Leaders. Further, Nvidia stock is one of the so-called Magnificent Seven stocks that had a huge run last year. In a client note Friday, Goldman Sachs strategist David Kostin said the Magnificent Seven group needs to be retired because they all aren't performing well now. Apple (AAPL) and Tesla (TSLA) are laggards this year while Alphabet (GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN), Meta Platforms (META), Microsoft (MSFT) and Nvidia are up in 2024. Follow Patrick Seitz on X, formerly Twitter, at @IBD_PSeitz for more stories on consumer technology, software and semiconductor stocks. YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Broadcom's New Networking Gear Aims To Resolve AI Data Center Bottlenecks Chip Gear Giant Applied Materials Beats Targets On DRAM Equipment Sales AMD Stock Rises On Microsoft Plan To Offer AMD AI Processors On Azure MarketSurge: Research, Charts, Data And Coaching All In One Place See Stocks On The List Of Leaders Near A Buy Point

1 day ago - schaeffersresearch.com

Shares of Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) are 0.7% higher, last seen trading at $191.28, after Reuters reported on the company's new strategy in China.

1 day ago - https://www.investors.com

Dubbed the Magnificent Seven stocks, Apple, Microsoft, Google parent Alphabet, Amazon, Nvidia, Meta Platforms and Tesla lived up to their name in 2023 with big gains. But the early part of the second quarter of 2024 showed a big divergence of returns. The Magnificent Seven stocks are among the best stocks to watch on the stock market today. Due to their outsized market capitalizations, Magnificent Seven stocks hold a disproportionate influence on the market-cap weighted Nasdaq composite and S&P 500 indexes. For an in-depth look at this issue, check out IBD's page on the Magnificent Seven weightings, market capitalizations and the companies' latest news stories. Stock Market ETF Strategy And How To Invest Be sure to read how to adjust to changing market conditions, with IBD's new exposure levels. IBD Live: A New Tool For Daily Stock Market Analysis

1 day ago - pymnts.com

Apple has reportedly begun a campaign of heavy discounting on its iPhone in China. The markdowns — up to 2,300 yuan (about $320) on select iPhone models on the company's Tmall site — come as Apple faces increased competition from local tech companies like Huawei, Reuters reported Monday (May 20).

1 day ago - pymnts.com

Apple has reportedly begun a campaign of heavy discounting on its iPhone in China. The markdowns — up to 2,300 yuan (about $320) on select iPhone models on the company's Tmall site — come as Apple faces increased competition from local tech companies like Huawei, Reuters reported Monday (May 20).

1 day ago - https://www.investors.com

Long before OpenAI launched ChatGPT in 2022, igniting the tech industry's AI wars, Google had been working to incorporate artificial intelligence into its long-term strategy. The big question now is how much impact will it have on its parent Alphabet's (GOOGL) stock. That includes integrating AI into its consumer-facing products such as Google Docs and Gmail and machine learning into its advertising products, which account for most of Google's and Alphabet's revenue. Google Cloud is also a core component of its AI strategy. Last week Alphabet Chief Executive Sundar Pichai announced at its I/O developer conference that it was adding AI-generated answers to its flagship search product. "I'm excited to announce that we will begin launching this fully revamped experience, 'AI overviews,' to everyone in the U.S. this week," Pichai said at the May 14 event. Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf, a senior digital advertising and media Analyst at eMarketer, said that "As consumers and businesses adopt and become more comfortable with AI, there will be more opportunities to upsell those customers so that they are using more advanced, more expensive models." But Mitchell-Wolf says there are "more questions than answers at this point" on Google's use of AI in search. This is leaving some on Wall Street searching for clarity, said Eric Savitz who covers Google for Barron's. "They think that they can overcome this issue," he told Investor's Business Daily. "I would note that in their March quarter earnings, there were no signs of problems. They had better-than-expected results in Google search and in YouTube search and YouTube advertising. So it hasn't been a problem yet." Mitchell-Wolf said Google's AI-powered advertising product, Performance Max, has been readily adopted. To use the tool, advertisers input their goals and their budgets, and Google does the rest. But Performance Max users have had some concerns. "Advertisers are not thrilled with the lack of control and the lack of granular reporting that comes with Performance Max. But it does keep growing because advertisers do feel like it is performing well, even if they can't see the details of how it's performing," Mitchell-Wolf said. Microsoft (MSFT) and Amazon also offer AI-powered advertising applications. Microsoft, though, is much smaller than Google, particularly in search advertising. Amazon (AMZN) has a growing influence, but more so as a retail media player. Google operates primarily in the search space and more broadly in digital advertising. Then there's one of Google's big AI initiatives, the Gemini chatbot, originally called Bard, which competes with ChatGPT, Anthropic's Claude and the new META AI, which is used by Meta Platforms' (META) Facebook. Google recently began charging about $20 a month for a Gemini Advanced subscription. Mitchell-Wolf said businesses seem to prefer ChatGPT over Gemini: "I think that Google's being later out of the gate with that product did hurt it in that respect. But performance-wise, I'm hearing that Gemini is pretty solid. A few stumbles aside." Still, AI technology can be tricky. Tools are known to offer inaccurate answers to queries, which can pose risks for businesses using them. In February, Google came under fire after Gemini offered what the company acknowledged were "inaccuracies in some historical image generation depictions." The AI tool offered query results that portrayed America's Founding Fathers as well as Nazi-era German soldiers as people of color. The tech giant scrambled to address the issue, apologizing for "missing the mark." "There's a creative element, and that results in unpredictability," Savitz of Barron's said. "You might get an answer that seems inappropriate or dangerous or just flat out in error, this concept (the tech industry calls) hallucination. Sometimes the software seems to be making things up. And honestly, people don't entirely always understand the processes that they've created. And that's kind of a little scary that no one can really explain it." But Google does have a competitive advantage because the tech giant controls its own AI infrastructure, Savitz added. "Some of these other AI software startups that are doing large language models don't have their own infrastructure," he said. "So they're relying on Amazon or Microsoft, or Oracle, or Google. They have to pay them for compute time, which is very expensive." Another Google advantage is the tech giant's access to massive data. "Google has more data than anybody, right?" Savitz said. "This is like the big kids' table. You can't do this on a wing and a prayer." Tech giants led by Microsoft, Amazon, Meta and Google are expected to spend some $200 billion this year on more powerful data centers to run AI workloads. Google CEO Sundar Pichai said over 70% of generative AI startups rely on Google's cloud infrastructure and AI capabilities. The company has even designed its own AI chip. Google hopes to become the dominant force behind creating a frictionless pathway to fully experience AI, in the same way it became a trailblazer with search. However, the rise of AI involves an ecosystem-wide change. The race to dominate that ecosystem will take time and a lot of effort, Mitchell-Wolf said. Tech Giants are placing big bets. And that includes Apple, which is widely seen as being late to the AI party and which is expected to make a big AI announcement at its developers conference in June. The stakes are high. Savitz estimates the technology will be a trillion-dollar market by 2030. "To me, this feels a little like the early days of the Internet or the early days of cloud computing or the early days of smartphones," he said. "If you made a conscious decision not to participate in this market as a technology company, you're making a very contrarian bet that the rest of the world is wrong. I don't see anybody doing that." So when it comes to the AI wars, where does Google fall? Mitchell-Wolf sees Google as a front-runner in this race despite "a few very public stumbles." The company has "great leaders working on this day and night trying to make sure that Google stays in at least one of the leading positions." YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Is Google A Buy Ahead Of Apple's WWDC In June Amid AI Licensing Talks? Google, OpenAI Seek Artificial Intelligence Bragging Rights Amid Apple Courtship Identify Bases And Buy Points With Pattern Recognition From MarketSurge From Search To Advertising, Will Google's Big AI Bet Pay Off?

1 day ago - marketwatch.com

Apple Inc.'s hardware events are usually the most exciting to investors. But this time around, Wall Street is highly anticipating the company's annual software preview.

1 day ago - https://www.schaeffersresearch.com

Stock Futures Quiet Following Breakout Week The Fed's meeting minutes are on tap this week Fernanda Horner Digital Content Manager May 20, 2024 at 9:10 AM NDX|IXIC|DJIA Can the Dow keep moving above 40,000? Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) futures are muted to start the week, after the blue-chip index closed above 40,000 for the first time in the previous session. Futures on the S&P 500 Index (SPX) and Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) are modestly higher as well, on the heels of a breakout week, as Wall traders eyes key economic readings and await the Federal Reserve's meeting minutes. Continue reading for more on today's market, including: A record-breaking week on Wall Street. Oil and gas stock is a solid bullish bet. Plus, MU upgraded; Li Auto's disappointing results; and why Apple stock slipping. 5 Things You Need to Know Today The Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 2.1 million call contracts and 1.2 million put contracts exchanged on Friday. The single-session equity put/call fell to 0.54, and the 21-day moving average stayed at 0.70. Morgan Stanley upgraded Micron Technology Inc (NASDAQ:MU) stock to "equal weight" from "underweight." The firm said it underestimated the company's artificial intelligence (AI) memory business. MU is up 2.3% in premarket trading, and sports an 89.2% year-over-year lead. China-based electric vehicle (EV) maker Li Auto Inc (NASDAQ:LI) is 4.6% lower ahead of the open, after posting a first-quarter earnings miss and disappointing current-quarter guidance. LI has already shed 28% this year. Reuters reported tech giant Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) is implementing massive discounts on iPhones in China, pushing shares down 0.2% before the bell. AAPL is still up 9% in the last 12 months. Retail earnings and economic data are due out this week. Asian Markets Higher on China's Rate Decisions Asian markets finished higher on Monday, after China kept its one- and five-year loan rates steady at 3.45% and 3.95%, respectively. Despite a dip in property stocks, China’s Shanghai Composite added 0.5%, still buzzing on Friday’s jump that came after the country rolled out measures to boost the property market. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.4%, while the South Korean Kospi added 0.6%, and Japan’s Nikkei tacked on 0.7% to start the week. European markets are also higher at last glance. London’s FTSE 100 is up 0.1%, with plenty of attention surrounding Shein’s potential listing on the index, while the French CAC 40 rises 0.6%, and the German DAX moves 0.5% higher. Follow @Schaeffers (function () { var po = document.createElement('script'); po.type = 'text/javascript'; po.async = true; po.src = 'https://apis.google.com/js/platform.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s); })();

1 day ago - https://www.prnewswire.com

-Fashion-forward alternative leather protection now outfitting iPhone 15 lineup- FORT COLLINS, Colo., May 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- OtterBox is bringing a new and luxurious phone case experience comprised of Desserto®, a plant-based material made from nopal cactus to the iPhone 15 line. The innovative material is offered exclusively on OtterBox Symmetry Series for iPhone 15 and 15 Pro devices. The collection, including Symmetry Series Cactus Leather phone case and Apple Watch Band Cactus Leather, is available now on otterbox.com. "Symmetry Series Cactus Leather is the perfect blend of material innovation, protection and style," said OtterBox CEO JC Richardson. "Working with the team at Adriano di Marti, makers of the plant-based Desserto material, we developed a case that offers both luxury and durability. This is also the slimmest Symmetry Series case we've ever made, while still delivering the trusted OtterBox protection everyone knows and loves." Symmetry Series Cactus Leather cases exude a subtle luxury while keeping protection at the forefront of the design.1 Built with durability in mind, ditch the leather conditioner and know these cases stay in top shape, as they are resilient to scratches and stains. Symmetry Series Cactus Leather cases can withstand daily drops and bumps. Plus, the case includes raised edges for added protection around the screen and camera. Symmetry Series Cactus Leather case is MagSafe compatible to support all your favorite MagSafe accessories with a strong, perfectly aligned connection every time. "The launch of Symmetry Series Cactus Leather cases is a testament to a shared commitment to sustainable innovation. It is marking a significant step in redefining luxury design for mobile accessories with the use of Desserto," said Adrian Lopez Velarde. "The fusion of craftsmanship and premium aesthetics offers a statement piece to phones and smart watches, perfect for anyone who values both style and sophistication." OtterBox Apple Watch Band Cactus Leather top off the accessory line-up and are designed to wear all day for a timeless look for your smartwatch. Designed for comfort and quiet elegance, these cactus leather watch bands feature precision stitching and perfect integration to Apple Watch. Crafted from the same, durable cactus leather as Symmetry Series, these watch bands are resilient to stains and scratches. OtterBox Symmetry Series Cactus Leather cases and Apple Watch Bands are available now on otterbox.com. About OtterBox:From humble beginnings in a Fort Collins, Colo. garage, OtterBox now leverages more than 25 years of engineering and design expertise to develop protective products for all things mobile. It's no surprise that OtterBox is the #1 most trusted smartphone case brand in the U.S. From ultra-rugged to sleek and stylish, OtterBox has you covered. Protect it. Style it. OtterBox it. At the center of every OtterBox innovation is a deeper goal to affect positive, lasting change. In partnership with the OtterCares Foundation, OtterBox gives back by inspiring kids to change the world through entrepreneurship and philanthropy. To learn more about this mission, visit otterbox.com/givingback. For more information, visit otterbox.com. 1Symmetry Series Cactus Leather NOT protective against water. Will provide added protection against drops and shock.

1 day ago - businesswire.com

RICHMOND, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apple Hospitality REIT Announces Monthly Distribution.

1 day ago - https://www.businesswire.com

RICHMOND, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE: APLE) (the “Company” or “Apple Hospitality”) today announced that its Board of Directors declared a regular monthly cash distribution of $0.08 per common share. The distribution is payable on June 17, 2024, to shareholders of record as of May 31, 2024. Based on the Company’s common stock closing price of $14.61 on May 17, 2024, the annualized distribution of $0.96 per common share represents an annual yield of approximately 6.6%. About Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc. (NYSE: APLE) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (“REIT”) that owns one of the largest and most diverse portfolios of upscale, rooms-focused hotels in the United States. Apple Hospitality’s portfolio consists of 224 hotels with approximately 29,900 guest rooms located in 87 markets throughout 37 states and the District of Columbia. Concentrated with industry-leading brands, the Company’s hotel portfolio consists of 101 Marriott-branded hotels, 118 Hilton-branded hotels and five Hyatt-branded hotels. For more information, please visit www.applehospitalityreit.com. Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by use of statements that include phrases such as “may,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “project,” “target,” “goal,” “plan,” “should,” “will,” “predict,” “potential,” “outlook,” “strategy,” and similar expressions that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the ability of the Company to effectively acquire and dispose of properties and redeploy proceeds; the anticipated timing and frequency of shareholder distributions; the ability of the Company to fund capital obligations; the ability of the Company to successfully integrate pending transactions and implement its operating strategy; changes in general political, economic and competitive conditions and specific market conditions (including the potential effects of inflation or a recessionary environment); reduced business and leisure travel due to geopolitical uncertainty, including terrorism and acts of war; travel-related health concerns, including widespread outbreaks of infectious or contagious diseases in the U.S.; inclement weather conditions, including natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes and wildfires; government shutdowns, airline strikes or equipment failures or other disruptions; adverse changes in the real estate and real estate capital markets; financing risks; changes in interest rates; litigation risks; regulatory proceedings or inquiries; and changes in laws or regulations or interpretations of current laws and regulations that impact the Company’s business, assets or classification as a REIT. Although the Company believes that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable, any of the assumptions could be inaccurate, and therefore there can be no assurance that such statements included in this press release will prove to be accurate. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements included herein, the inclusion of such information should not be regarded as a representation by the Company or any other person that the results or conditions described in such statements or the objectives and plans of the Company will be achieved. In addition, the Company’s qualification as a REIT involves the application of highly technical and complex provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Readers should carefully review the risk factors described in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to those discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. Any forward-looking statement that the Company makes speaks only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or cautionary factors, as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law. For additional information or to receive press releases by email, visit www.applehospitalityreit.com.