Mobile

GroupM warns clients that Twitter is a “high-risk” media buy: Chaos under Musk's leadership is causing brands to pull spending or leave the platform entirely.

Ads on the menu: Advertising links to services like OneDrive are appearing as menu items in Windows 11 dropdowns. It’s a way to boost advertising and target ads, but it’s not welcome.

Apple and Amazon deal faces a new lawsuit: The companies are headed to court to determine if their 2019 deal for Apple’s storefront on Amazon Marketplace reduced competition from independent Apple resellers.

Sweatcoin leads US mobile health apps in traffic, with 15.0 million unique visitors in August. Fitbit and MyChart rank No. 2 and No. 3, with 12.5 million and 12.1 million unique visitors, respectively.

Apple warns of iPhone shortages: China’s lockdowns and supply chain disruption could accelerate Apple’s plans to find manufacturing alternatives in other countries as it prepares to have fewer iPhone 14 Pros for the holiday season.

Chaos reigns at Twitter: The company takes on an impulsive character as it lays off half its staff but then implores ex-employees to return. Advertisers are pausing while new features are stalled until after the midterm elections.

Twitter chaos gives fuel to alternative app: Despite Mastodon’s recent gains, its limitations won’t bring widespread adoption.

DraftKings sees Q3 revenue strength: Expansion of online sports betting bodes well for future, but outlook suggests profitability may be a ways off.

Do Windows PCs need ad disruption? Abysmal Windows 11 adoption and expiring support for Windows 10 mean Microsoft needs new strategies. Ad-based subscriptions could bring prices down but alienate customers.

Social media newcomer BeReal was downloaded 14.7 million times worldwide in September. In January, the app had less than a million downloads, but it’s soared in popularity since then, thanks to its simple premise and focus on authenticity.

Tablets and Chromebooks slump: Vendors are looking to double down on Windows PCs as more-affordable computer hardware loses luster, likely due to saturation or slow innovation in the sector.

PlayStation Plus’ diminishing user base: The convoluted game streaming service is losing subscribers and active users. A troubled economy and recent price hikes are likely causes.

China’s prolonged COVID-19 shutdowns lead to factory escapes: With cases spiking, manufacturers like Foxconn are turning to bonuses to keep production moving, but some workers are running away.

Netflix isn’t backing down from video games: Another acquisition brings its studio count to six, but it’s not doing enough to promote this business.

Instagram is latest to suffer outage: Instagram users are suspended in the latest service outage. Meta’s platforms are becoming unmanageable as users experience weekly outages that are taking longer to resolve.

Twitter in transition: Upheaval follows the leadership change at Twitter as it grapples with ramping up profits and drumming up advertising revenue just as brands and users question its content moderation policies.

Intel accelerates cost reductions: Layoffs and reduced work hours are aimed to help Intel reduce $3 billion in costs in 2023 and up to $10 billion in 2025. Competing chipmakers and PC companies are likely to follow suit.

Apple’s lack of experience managing ads is showing: Its new App Store placements were flooded with gambling ads, prompting a widespread backlash.

Insights from the Future of Meta report: We look at key VR hardware and software opportunities for Meta’s future as the company leverages its dominance in VR headsets to build its vision for the metaverse.

Big Tech’s economic omen: Tech giants’ earnings show steep declines in profits and the effects of reduced consumer spending and plunging ad revenues, It marks the end of pandemic-era growth and a continued downturn.