Technology Update: Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s Patent Battle, Google Inc (GOOG)’s Investment & Microsoft Corporation (MSFT)

Google, Facebook to pay more tax in Israel, if state plan succeeds (Haaretz)
With Internet companies and multinationals in its sights, the Israel Tax Authority is working toward issuing a new set of tax guidelines or sharpening existing ones by the end of this year. Companies like Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) are believed to be earning between NIS 500 million to NIS 1 billion in revenues a year in Israel. Athough the tax authorities won’t reveal how much they collect from them, the amount is thought to be negligible. Taxation will be based on a clearer definition of the component of the companies’ profits earned in Israel, as opposed to the current situation whereby the company is mainly taxed according to the jurisdiction in which it is registered, or where the business actually operates.

Microsoft cuts Surface pro tablet’s price by US$100 (IVCPost)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)’s 64GB Surface pro tablet would now be worth US$799 while the 128GB tablet’s price would be US$899. The discount came after Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) reduced Surface RT tablet’s price by 30%. The sales of Surface RT, which was launched last October, were lower than expected. Last Tuesday, the company revealed that it earned only US$835 million in revenue from the tablets. The amount was lower than the US$900 million write down for inventory adjustments and US$898 million for advertisements. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) did not disclose the number of units that it sold. It also refused to specify the separate revenue from Surface Pro and Surface RT. However, data from Bloomberg showed that it sold roughly 1.5 million tablets to date. In contrast, last month, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) announced that it sold 14.6 million iPads during the second quarter alone.

iCar dream downsizes to dashboards for Apple (DelawareOnline)
While Steve Jobs regretted not making an iCar, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) for years was ambivalent about the auto industry. Now it’s vying for dashboard space held by Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) and Pandora Media Inc (NYSE:P). By year end carbuyers will be able to choose from several vehicles that incorporate Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iPhone functions, using Siri voice controls for navigation, texting, e-mails and music. Displacing competitors in the car may be more difficult than in desktop computing or mobile phones, as the technology giant grapples with challenges including extreme temperatures, noisy cabins and long product cycles.