Dec 12, 2017

Apple doesn't like to say how much it pays for acquisitions

Apple yesterday confirmed its rumored acquisition of music identification app Shazam, but declined to say how much it paid (some reports suggest around $400 million).

Bottom line: This is normal operating procedure for Apple, which has only disclosed purchase prices for 15 of its 68 acquisitions, according to Thomson Reuters.

Reproduced from Thomson Reuters Dals Intelligence; Note: Data as of Dec. 11, 2017; Chart: Axios Visuals

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Sara Fischer

Apple bets big on Tinseltown's top talent

Richard Plepler Photo: Gary Gershoff/FilmMagic, Oprah Winfrey Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage, Reese Witherspoon: Taylor Hill/Getty Images

Apple's new streaming service is only beginning to take shape, but already the tech giant has signaled that it's willing to spend big to lure Hollywood's top talent to be a part of it.

Why it matters: Analysts have for years predicted that Apple, with lots of free cash flow, would one day buy a content company like Netflix or HBO to fulfill its streaming ambitions. But Apple's recent investments in individual producers, actors and directors suggest the Silicon Valley titan is heading in a different direction.

Go deeperJan 3, 2020

Ursula Perano

Trump rips into Apple for refusing "to unlock phones used by killers"

President Trump. Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

President Trump attacked Apple on Tuesday, recommending the technology company unlock the iPhones used by "killers, drug dealers and other violent criminal elements."

What he's saying: "We are helping Apple all of the time on TRADE and so many other issues,” a Trump tweet read. "They will have to step up to the plate and help our great Country, NOW!"

Go deeperJan 15, 2020

Ina Fried

Apple signals fight over access to Pensacola shooter's iPhones

Photo: Apple

In a situation that greatly resembles the aftermath of the 2015 San Bernardino shooting, the Justice Department wants access to encrypted iPhones tied to the Pensacola, Fla. Naval Air Station shooting. Apple, for its part, is strongly hinting it will challenge a demand to do so.

Why it matters: The San Bernardino standoff ended without a legal determination when the FBI withdrew its request. Whether law enforcement has the right to access encrypted data on smartphones remains unsettled and is one of the most hotly debated issues in tech, with no clear middle ground.

Go deeperJan 14, 2020