Editor’s Note: Related tickers: Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO), Deutsche Bank AG (USA) (NYSE:DB), DIRECTV (NASDAQ:DTV)
Icahn plans dinner tete-a-tete with Apple’s Cook on buyback size (Tech2)
Carl Icahn has spoken again with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)‘s Tim Cook and plans a longer discussion with the chief executive over dinner next month about the size of the iPhone maker’s buyback program, the activist investor tweeted on Thursday. The hedge fund billionaire, known for launching aggressive assaults on American boardrooms, caused a sensation last week when he revealed on Twitter he had taken a large position in Apple and was pushing for the company to expand its program of share buybacks — already one of the market’s largest.
Yahoo passed Google in US Web visitors in July (BostonGlobe)
For the first time in more than two years, more Americans visited Yahoo’s websites than Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s, according to comScore Inc.’s Internet traffic data for July. The research firm said Wednesday that Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO)’s websites saw 196.6 million unique US visitors last month, while Google’s sites had 192.3 million. The last time Yahoo was ahead of Google Inc. was in May 2011, according to comScore. That said, Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) is still far behind Google in making money from the people who visit its websites…
Microsoft offers more info on 3D printing support in Windows 8.1 (NeoWin)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has been promoting the fact that it has included built in support for 3D printing hardware in Windows 8.1 since late June, but today the company offered up a lot more information on the actual format that will be used to give its latest OS those kinds of features. In a blog post, Microsoft said that while there are app data formats that support 3D graphics and models, they lack many of the features needed for 3D printing, such as color and material support. In the end, Microsoft decided to support STL as an input format but also created the new 3D Manufacturing Format (3MF) to handle features specific for 3D printers.
Apple Inc. hopes to woo more Chinese with champagne iPhone (FinancialExpress)
If Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) hopes to woo more Chinese by adding a glitzy coating – some call it champagne, some gold – to its next iPhone, it may be in for a surprise. While gold is hugely popular as a safe haven and a status symbol – China is set to overtake India as the world’s biggest gold consumer this year – shoppers at an Apple store in Beijing weren’t all convinced it should be coupled with that pinnacle of mobile gadgetry. Ni Suyang, a 49-year old worker at a Beijing state-owned enterprise, said that colour mattered less to her than the glass surface and silver metallic finish.
Google Price Target Increased to $935.00 by Analysts at Deutsche Bank (GOOG) (UtahPeoplesPost)
Equities researchers at Deutsche Bank AG (USA) (NYSE:DB) lifted their price target on shares of Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) from $850.00 to $935.00 in a research report issued on Thursday, American Banking News reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 7.01% from the company’s current price. GOOG has been the subject of a number of other recent research reports. Analysts at TheStreet reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Google in a research note to investors on Tuesday, August 6th. Separately, analysts at S&P Equity Research downgraded shares of Google from a “buy” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note to investors on Monday, July 22nd.
