Charlotte Henry

Gamers play more on their phones than on consoles. Cult of Mac reported on a survey by trade body the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) that found 65 percent of American adults play video games, using a smartphone 60% of the time. By comparison, a console is used 49% of the time.  No wonder Apple launched Apple Arcade.

About half of all Americans use their phone to play games, according to 2019 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry released today by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), an industry trade association. “Americans play video games to have fun, relieve stress, learn, and spend time with family,” said ESA acting President and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis. “This innovative form of entertainment touches on every part of society and improves how we play, work, and live.

Apple was once again named the biggest company in Ireland by the Irish Times. The newspaper said that the company continues to lead as it puts all non-US sales through the country which keeps it leading the pack. Google was in second place.

Apple, with turnover figures of almost €120 billion for its Irish operation, continu[es] to dwarf every other company which operates, or is headquartered, in Ireland. Yes, the US gadget giant is by far and away Ireland’s largest company, although it should be noted that the company, which recently made a larger leap into services, has not updated the figures for 2018, so the ones we are using are those which emerged as part of a European Commission investigation into its tax affairs. This process revealed that Apple puts all its sales outside of the US through Ireland, hence the scale of its Irish related sales.

Tech and politics are increasingly overlapping. That seems particularly true in the case of presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg. The Democratic contender has attracted support from a number of big names in Silicon Valley, including Mark Zuckerberg, Recode reported.

Buttigieg, though always stressing his bonhomie upbringing in the industrial Midwest — such as when giving a ride-along of South Bend’s abandoned factories — is quite comfortable in elite corridors like Silicon Valley. He is not an anti-tech firebrand politically, nor a total newcomer to the land of the uber-wealthy. And as his relationship with people like Zuckerberg shows, he also brings a Rolodex that gives him tech contacts that — with the right touch and message on Friday — can become exclusive supporters and maxed-out tech donor.

Apple is reportedly close to opening its first Apple Store in India. Bloomberg News, whose predictions can, it is fair to say, sometimes be a bit off, said the company now has a shortlist of locations in Mumbai. Whatever happens next, it is clear India is now a key focus for Apple.

The iPhone giant has zeroed in on several upscale sites in Mumbai, and plans to make a final decision in the next few weeks, said the people, asking not to be named because the discussions are private. The vetted spots are comparable to iconic Apple locations on Fifth Avenue in New York, Regent Street in London or the Champs-Elysees in Paris, they said. Apple has been prohibited from opening its own stores in the country because it doesn’t meet local sourcing requirements, but it’s shifting manufacturing into India and is in talks with the government about its retail expansion.

Angela Ahrendts recently gave her first interview since leaving Apple. However, it seems some at the company will not miss her. Bloomberg News spoke to a number of staff members at Apple Stores who say they became more unfriendly under her leadership.

They say the quality of staff has slipped during an 18-year expansion that has seen Apple open more than 500 locations and hire 70,000 people. The Genius Bar, once renowned for its tech support, has been largely replaced with staff who roam the stores and are harder to track down. That’s a significant drawback because people are hanging onto their phones longer these days and need them repaired…. [Deidre] O’Brien’s immediate challenge is to make the stores more shopper-friendly—even if that means moving away from the tony gathering places her predecessor favored and creating more clearly defined spaces for browsing, quick purchases and service.

Passwords are dying, and nobody is going to miss them very much. Fast Company reported on firms who are leading on finding the alternatives, including MobileIron, and even Google. Not surprisingly, there is a large focus on biometrics.