Techmeme
December 7, 2016, 5:50 PM

Top News

Lauren Goode / The Verge:
Fitbit confirms Pebble software assets acquisition; Pebble is shutting down, cancels Pebble Time 2 and Core, and will issue Kickstarter refunds  —  Wearables are in a precarious state  —  Digital health and fitness-tracking company Fitbit has just officially announced that it is buying key assets …
Bloomberg:
Sources: Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky to rejoin Y Combinator as partner; Fitbit has sent job offers to 40% of Pebble staff  —  Pebble CEO Migicovsky said planning to join Y Combinator  —  Fitbit Inc., the fitness band maker, is close to buying software assets from struggling smartwatch startup …
Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple is in talks with movie studios to get earlier access to releases for iTunes, possibly as soon as two weeks after theater debut  —  Movie companies said discussing rentals 2 weeks after debut  —  Encryption technology said to be one concern in negotiations
Shirley Halperin / Billboard:
Apple says Music now has 20M+ paying subscribers, up 15% from 17M in September  —  Eddy Cue and Zane Lowe on exclusives and why their service rules hip-hop.  —  Apple has released the latest numbers for the music subscription service Apple Music.  In the 18 months since the service was launched …
Dave Gershgorn / Quartz:
Leaked slides from an invitation-only event on December 6 reveal Apple's LiDAR and AI research efforts, including more efficient neural networks  —  Apple has long been secretive about the research done within its Cupertino, California, labs.  It's easy to understand why.
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Google and Slack partner to launch new Google Drive integrations, including previews of Docs files, updated permissioning, more  —  Slack announced a strategic partnership with Google Cloud this morning, which will bring a number of new features, including deeper integrations with Google services …
Andrea Wong / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple parks much of its foreign earnings tax-free in US via US bond purchases; filings show Treasury Dept. paid Apple $600M+ in interest over 5 years  —  Over the years, Apple Inc. has become the poster child for U.S. multinationals accused of sheltering overseas profits to avoid the IRS.
Chris Welch / The Verge:
T-Mobile debuts Digits in limited beta, letting users make/take calls with same phone number on all their devices, launches to public next year with pricing TBA  —  And multiple numbers on the same device — but no iMessage  —  T-Mobile just revealed its answer to AT&T's NumberSync technology …
Jethro Mullen / CNNMoney:
Foxconn confirms discussions with US officials about investment to expand US operations, says details will be announced when talks conclude  —  One of Apple's biggest suppliers is in talks to invest in the United States.  —  Taiwan-based Foxconn is a giant contract manufacturer that plays …
Bloomberg:
Alex Hern / The Guardian:
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey says he has “complicated” feelings over Donald Trump's use of the service, especially as it puts a spotlight on the company  —  Jack Dorsey says he has mixed feelings about the president-elect's use of the social media service
Mary Jo Foley / ZDNet:
Microsoft announces Build 2017 will be held on May 10-12 in Seattle  —  Microsoft is combining some of its previously separate large-format conferences for 2017, and is pushing back its Build developers confab to May next year.  —  Microsoft is bringing its Build developers conference …
Vlad Savov / The Verge:
Kantar: iPhone market share up 7% to 40.5% in US, likely due to Samsung Galaxy Note7 troubles  —  Missing headphone jack is apparently a ‘non-issue’ for Americans  —  The US smartphone market is dominated by two big brands, Apple and Samsung, and when one of them flubs its lines, the other one stands to benefit in a substantial way.

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