1. Dell completes deal to go private
Dell, the computer giant, announced Tuesday that is has completed a deal to go private. This $24.9 billion buyout is led by the founder of Dell, Michael Dell. “Today, Dell enters an exciting new chapter as a private enterprise,” said Michael Dell “Our 110,000 team members worldwide are 100 percent focused on our customers and aggressively executing our long-term strategy for their benefit.” Stockholders will receive $13.75 in cash for each share, with a dividend of an additional 13 cents per share. Dell wants to transform itself after Dell missed the shift to mobile computing. Analysts say that transformation is easier without the pressure that comes from shareholders looking to make profits.
2. iPhone 6 with 5-inch 1080p HD display reportedly launching next year
Apple’s iPhones 5S and iPhone 5C aren’t even two months old yet, but there are already a plethora of iPhone 6 rumors popping up. The latest news report comes from a amazing called “Mac Fan,” which addresses the rumors that Apple is still playing with a number of display sizes for its next iPhone. Mac Fan states that the iPhone 6’s display is already set, on a full HD 1080p Retina display that will measure 5 inches. The report also predicts that the iPhone 6 will launch around September 2014.
3. Samsung posts record Q3 smartphone shipments
Samsung has shipped a record 88.4 million smartphones in their third quarter. That takes their global market share to above 35%, and is a 55% surge over the same period from last year. Apple posted a 26% spike in shipments over the same period but only to 33.8 million units. Strategy Analytics, an independent analytics firm, says that it expects Apple to make up last ground in the fourth quarter based on the high demand for Apple’s new iPhone 5S. Apple reported a quarterly decline in earnings on Monday for the third time in a row, while Samsung posted a 26% increase in third-quarter net profit.
4. Adobe hack much worse than reported, hits 38 million passwords and Photoshop source code
Adobe reported that the information on 2.9 million customers had been compromised during a cyberattack first detailed earlier this month. However, it turns out that usernames and encrypted passwords from around 38 million active Adobe users were stolen, as opposed to the 2.9 million users Adobe released. The initial 2.9 million accounts that Adobe cited definitely had credit card information associated with them; Adobe didn’t clarify if all 38 million had credit card information associated with them as well. Besides account details, portions of the source code for programs such as Photoshop, Acrobat, Reader, and Cold Fusion were also taken. Some of this source code and information has already been posted online.
5. 20 million new BBM users in a week – what does it mean?
We’ve all sat and watched the fall of BlackBerry. But, with BlackBerry announcing that it has added 20 million iOS and Android users to the BBM messaging service in just a week, does this mean that BlackBerry has a chance to rise back? For any messaging app, getting to 20 million users in a week, and 80 million MAUs is a phenomenal task. Additionally, on its 9th day in the market, the BBM is still one of the top-5 apps in 101 countries. Grabbing 20 million messaging app users on iPhone and Android users gives BlackBerry a legitimate shot at becoming a relevant marketing and distribution platform again.
6. Q FactorrRaises $6.5M Series A to fix rich media delivery on mobile by eliminating the wait
Q Factor, a Us startup that aims to fix media-rich content delivery on wireless devices so there’s less of a wait time, has closed a $6.5 million Series A funding round from Sigma Prime Ventures and Venrock. The startup was founded back in 2012, but has been keeping things stealthy. Today, it’s becoming a bit more public as it announces its Series A and details its technology. Q Factor has built a software-only system to do wireless packet recovery that “dramatically” improves the delivery and viewing experiences of what is called “media-rich content” for wireless devices. The system locates the lost packets and replaces them to keep content coming and streaming, thus eliminating excess wait time when streaming a video, downloading a file, or accessing a large file on a phone.
7. Apple sold 33.8 million iPhones this summer, but faces tough competition
Apple announced record fourth quarter sales of the iPhone today. Apple announced 33.8 million sales, which is up 26% from the 26.9 million sales in the same quarter of last year. iPad sales barely changed, going from 14 million last year to 14.1 million this quarter. This 14.1 million though elads the tablet market, as Samsung only has 10.5 million tablets sold this quarter. Apple earned $7.5 billion on a revenue of $37.5 billion. These quarterly earning don’t include the iPad mini with Retina display or the iPad Air, and only account for one week’s worth of sales for the iPhone 5S and 5C, which sold 9 million units during their first three days.
