Tuesday Tech Updates: Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s Interesting Details, Google Inc (GOOG) & Microsoft Corporation (MSFT)’s Reorganization Plan

Apple Takes Over Mapping Company Embark (Yahoo)
Finally, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) seems to have taken the mapping business seriously. Reportedly, Apple recently acquired Embark, which offers mass transit information of selected cities in Europe and the U.S. However, the financials associated with the deal were not disclosed. The current deal follows back-to-back acquisitions of HopStop.com Inc. and Locationary Inc. in Jul 2013. These were preceded by the takeover of WiFiSLAM, a provider of indoor mapping application technology earlier this year.

How Google’s Chromecast Will Change My Life (Forbes)
I don’t consider myself an early adopter of technology. I still prefer books in paper and I don’t feel the need to try out every device or app that comes on the market. At best, I’m a reasonably fast follower. Nevertheless, when Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) came out with Chromecast, I ordered it within a few days (which still made me too late to get one before the first batch sold out). It came last week and so I’ve had some time to put it through its paces…

Microsoft Said to Reassure Workers That Plan Is On Track (BusinessWeek)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is moving to reassure employees that a reorganization plan by departing Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer will go ahead. …The communications follow concern at the software maker that any new CEO — especially an external one — won’t keep the company as Ballmer laid out last month in the biggest restructuring in more than a decade. Ballmer is refocusing Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) on hardware and Internet-based services, in a bid to move the company away from software for the declining personal-computer industry and onto better footing with Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)