Huawei has launched its Mate 70 smartphone series, signalling a major step in its comeback to premium devices while showcasing HarmonyOS NEXT, its Android-free operating system. Priced from 5,499 yuan ($758), the Mate 70 challenges Apple’s iPhone 16 in China, boasting features like satellite paging, an advanced processor, and a 40% performance boost over previous models.
HarmonyOS NEXT represents Huawei’s bid for software independence after US export restrictions cut off access to Google services. The company announced that all new devices starting in 2025 will run the new system, while current Mate 70 users can choose between HarmonyOS 4.3 (Android-compatible) and the new HarmonyOS NEXT 5.0. Despite this shift, Huawei has retained Android compatibility as a backup while growing its app ecosystem, which already includes 15,000 applications.
The Mate 70 also highlights China’s advancing chipmaking capabilities, reportedly featuring SMIC-produced Kirin 9100 processors in higher-end models. This achievement underscores Huawei’s resilience despite ongoing US export controls and the addition of Chinese firms to trade blacklists. Huawei’s rebound is reflected in its rising market share, now ranked as China’s second-largest smartphone vendor with over 10 million units shipped in recent quarters.
The launch of the Mate 70 marks Huawei’s increasing competition with Apple and other global players in the world’s largest smartphone market, fueled by patriotic support for its technological breakthroughs.
Brazil’s antitrust regulator, Cade, has mandated Apple to lift restrictions on in-app payments. The decision follows a complaint by e-commerce giant MercadoLibre, accusing Apple of unfair practices.
The complaint, filed in 2022 in Brazil and Mexico, criticised Apple for forcing app developers to use its payment system. It also alleged that the company blocks apps from offering third-party digital goods or redirecting users to external websites.
Cade’s ruling requires Apple to permit developers to integrate external payment systems and allow hyperlinks to external purchasing platforms within apps. Developers must also have the option to include alternative in-app payment methods.
Apple faces a 250,000 real (£43,000) daily fine if it fails to comply within 20 days. Both Apple and MercadoLibre have yet to provide comments on the ruling.
Meta, the company behind Facebook, is set to face trial in April over allegations from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that it stifled competition by acquiring Instagram and WhatsApp. The FTC’s lawsuit, filed in 2020, argues that Meta acted illegally to maintain dominance in personal social networks by purchasing potential competitors rather than innovating within the mobile ecosystem.
The case is scheduled to begin on 14 April, as ruled by Judge James Boasberg. Earlier this month, the judge rejected Meta’s request to dismiss the case, which argued that the FTC’s claims relied on a narrow definition of the social media market. Meta highlighted competition from TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, and X as evidence that the FTC’s market analysis was outdated.
Judge Boasberg acknowledged the challenges facing the FTC, noting that shifts in technology and market dynamics complicate its claims. He described the agency’s approach as pushing antitrust law to its limits, raising doubts about whether its case could withstand trial.
The trial will examine whether Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 were part of a deliberate strategy to eliminate competition. The outcome could have significant implications for the future of antitrust enforcement in the tech industry.
Bernard Looney, the former CEO of BP, has been named chair of Prometheus Hyperscale, a US-based data infrastructure company. Looney, who stepped down from BP in 2023 after not fully disclosing details of past relationships with colleagues, will now oversee the strategic growth of the company. Prometheus Hyperscale is focused on advancing data center infrastructure to meet growing technological demands.
In his new role, Looney will support the development of the US-based Prometheus’s $10B data center project in Evanston, Wyoming. The company emphasised that his leadership will be critical in shaping its long-term goals in the rapidly evolving data-driven industry.
Prometheus Hyperscale has already made strides in innovation, partnering with Oklo, a nuclear energy company backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Looney described the opportunity as an exciting new chapter, expressing optimism about contributing to the data infrastructure sector after his tenure at BP.
A federal judge has denied the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s bid to sanction Elon Musk over missed testimony in its investigation of his $44B Twitter purchase. The judge concluded that sanctions were unnecessary after Musk testified in October and paid $2,923 to cover the SEC’s travel expenses.
The US SEC is probing whether Musk delayed disclosing his stock purchases in early 2022, potentially enabling him to buy Twitter shares at a lower price before revealing his significant stake. Critics argue this delay might have given Musk an unfair financial advantage leading up to his eventual takeover.
Musk, currently the world’s richest person, attributed the delay to a misunderstanding of SEC rules. The billionaire, whose ventures include Tesla and SpaceX, has had prior conflicts with the SEC, including a 2018 settlement over his tweets about taking Tesla private.
Apple and Google face growing scrutiny in the UK over allegations of stifling competition in mobile web browsers. The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) claims that both companies use their dominant positions to restrict consumer choice, citing Apple’s limits on progressive web apps as a barrier to innovation on iOS devices. Progressive web apps could bypass app stores and their fees, offering faster and more secure browsing.
The CMA’s report also points to a revenue-sharing deal between Apple and Google that discourages competition in mobile ecosystems. Both companies have responded, with Apple defending its privacy and security measures and Google emphasising the openness of its Android platform.
This investigation is part of a broader crackdown on Big Tech, with regulators in the US and UK aiming to curb monopolistic practices. The CMA plans to finalise its report in March and use upcoming digital competition laws to address these concerns.
The US Supreme Court has cleared the way for a multibillion-dollar class-action lawsuit against Meta, the parent company of Facebook, over its role in the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal. Investors claim Meta failed to fully disclose the risks of user data misuse, which caused Facebook’s stock value to drop sharply in 2018 when the scandal became public.
Cambridge Analytica, a firm tied to Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, accessed data from 87M Facebook users to influence voter targeting. While Meta has already paid over $5B in fines and settlements for privacy violations, this lawsuit focuses on alleged failures in investor disclosures.
The US Supreme Court dismissed Meta’s appeal to halt the lawsuit, leaving a prior appellate ruling intact. As legal challenges mount for tech giants, the court is also considering another class action against Nvidia over claims of misleading investors about cryptocurrency-related revenues.
The US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has finalised a rule to supervise the largest nonbank companies offering digital funds transfer and payment wallet apps, specifically those processing over 50 million transactions annually. That rule aims to ensure that these companies comply with federal laws, similar to banks and credit unions.
The CFPB estimates that the apps affected by this rule collectively process over 13 billion consumer payment transactions yearly. In addressing key concerns such as consumer privacy, fraud prevention, transaction errors, and the issue of ‘debanking’, where consumers lose access to their accounts, the rule will grant the CFPB the authority to supervise these companies proactively.
That will help detect problems early and protect consumers from disruptions such as account closures and fraudulent transactions. Furthermore, the transaction threshold for supervision has been raised to 50 million transactions annually, and the rule’s scope is limited to US dollar transactions. Therefore, this action is part of the CFPB’s broader effort to regulate large technology firms in consumer financial markets.
Digital payment apps are crucial for daily commerce, particularly among middle and lower-income consumers. The CFPB’s oversight will ensure these companies protect privacy, address fraud, and prevent service disruptions, building on past efforts to regulate sectors like debt collection and student loan servicing. This helps ensure that digital payment companies comply with consumer protection laws.
The Blockchain Association has sent a letter to president-elect Donald Trump and Congress, outlining key reforms for the crypto industry during the first 100 days of Trump’s administration. The letter, signed by CEO Kristin Smith, highlights the need for new leadership at the IRS and Treasury Department, alongside changes to policies hindering crypto innovation.
Smith criticised inconsistent taxation on digital assets and the IRS’s ‘Broker rule’, which requires brokers to disclose gains and losses on crypto transactions, warning it could drive businesses offshore. The association also called for rolling back the SAB 121 accounting guideline, labelling it ‘punitive’ and harmful to crypto firms.
The letter further urged reforms to end the exclusion of crypto companies from traditional banking, citing the need for fair access to financial services. To support innovation, the Blockchain Association proposed creating a crypto advisory council to work alongside Congress and regulators.
The association emphasised the importance of a balanced regulatory framework to protect consumers while fostering growth, stressing the role of public-private partnerships in establishing effective policies.
A groundbreaking AI model was introduced by Nvidia, showcasing advanced capabilities in audio and music generation. Known as Fugatto, the model can create novel sounds, modify voices, and even transform existing audio. Unlike other AI tools, it can take a piano melody and convert it into a human voice or adjust accents and emotional tones in spoken recordings.
Fugatto builds on generative AI’s potential to reshape creative industries like music, film, and gaming. Nvidia’s vice president of applied deep learning, Bryan Catanzaro, highlighted how computers have already revolutionised music through synthesizers, suggesting AI will usher in even greater innovation. While promising, the technology is not yet slated for public release due to concerns over ethical misuse and potential copyright issues.
The model was developed using open-source data and joins a growing trend of tools from companies like Meta and Runway, which also generate audio and video from text prompts. Nvidia’s innovation stands out for its focus on transforming existing recordings into entirely new formats, a feature that could significantly enhance creative possibilities.
Generative AI remains under scrutiny as industry leaders grapple with ethical concerns. The entertainment industry, already wary after disputes involving voice imitation, is debating how to integrate such technologies responsibly. Nvidia and others have acknowledged the risks of misuse, prompting a cautious approach to public rollouts.
