Techmeme: Telegram rolls out version 10.5 of its app, offering “totally redesigned” voice and video calls with new animations and backgrounds (Ben Schoon/9to5Google)

Top News

Global premium smartphone sales likely grew 6% in 2023; Apple had a 71% market share, down from 75% in 2022, Samsung had 17%, and Huawei had 5%, up from 3% — - As against the decline projected for the overall global smartphone market this year, the premium (wholesale price ≥$600) market's sales are likely to grow 6% YoY in 2023.

More: 9to5Mac, SiliconANGLE, Android Authority, TechSpot, SamMobile, PhoneArena, Supercharged, Sammy Fans, Huawei Central, Wccftech, and GSMArena.com

Ben Schoon / 9to5Google:

Telegram rolls out version 10.5 of its app, offering “totally redesigned” voice and video calls with new animations and backgrounds — Telegram is rolling out a new update, version 10.5.0, which delivers a new look and feel for voice and video calls, as well as a revamped delete animation that's now available on Android.

More: Telegram, TechCrunch, SamMobile, HotHardware, Sammy Fans, New.blicio.us, Android Police, Android Headlines, MSPoweruser, Neowin, PhoneArena, and SamNews 24

BBC:

After UK regulators approved Microsoft's Activision deal in October 2023, Brad Smith rows back his criticism of the UK, saying the CMA had been “tough and fair” — Microsoft's president, Brad Smith, has rowed back on criticism he made last year that the UK was “bad for business”.

More: BBC, The Verge, Dot Esports, Wccftech, Windows Central, Pure Xbox, Video Games Chronicle, UKTN, and Neowin

Bloomberg:

Sources: ASML canceled shipments of some of its machines to China at the US' request, weeks before export bans on the high-end chipmaking equipment took effect — - ASML canceled shipments of a liminted number of devices — Biden is cracking down on Beijing's semiconductor industry

Ben Schoon / 9to5Google:

X posts with link previews now display titles or headlines in the bottom left corner of the image, but the text size is small and long headlines get cut off — X, the platform better known as Twitter, removed headlines from posts with links a few months ago, but is now bringing them back in a new format.

More: The Verge, Thurrott, and Bloomberg

Threads: @crumbler. X: @selviano

Ben Lovejoy / 9to5Mac:

A deal by OECD members, including the US and France, that took effect January 1 says platforms must report users' earnings made on their services to authorities — Apps like eBay and Airbnb will be reporting your earnings to tax authorities, under a new global agreement which took effect yesterday ...

More: BBC, GOV.UK, Financial Times, ITV News, AppleInsider, and Nairametrics

X: @theashrb, @financedircfo, @lucysiegle, and @louloumach

Hartley Charlton / MacRumors:

Apple released no new iPads in 2023, the first year without a new tablet since the iPad's launch in 2010; rumors suggest all iPad models will get a 2024 update — Apple has broken a tradition it maintained for 12 years, releasing no new iPads in 2023 - the first time that the company …

More: Fortune, Lifewire, and PhoneArena

Mastodon: @ambulephabus@mastodon.social. X: @joannastern. Forums: MacRumors Forums

Eric Lipton / New York Times:

Retiring generals and departing top Pentagon officials are increasingly flocking to VC firms that have pumped billions into defense tech startups like Anduril — Retired officers and departing defense officials are flocking to investment firms that are pushing the government to provide more money to defense-technology startups.

More: TechCrunch and New.blicio.us

X: @ericliptonnyt, @shashj, and @ericliptonnyt

Sean Endicott / Windows Central:

Steam ended support for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 on January 1, saying the app used a now-unsupported embedded Chrome version; <1% of Steam users are on those OSes — Less than 1% of Steam users are on Windows 7, 8, or 8.1, and that figure will soon be even lower. — What you need to know

More: The Register, Thurrott, HotHardware, Tom's Hardware, PCWorld, PCMag, guru3d.com, BetaNews, TechPowerUp, Ghacks, Digital Trends, TechSpot, OC3D, iThinkDifferent, VideoCardz.com, XDA Developers, Notebookcheck, SamMobile, Neowin, and Gizmochina. Mastodon: @bazkie@mstdn.social

Harry Wilson / Bloomberg:

HSBC plans to launch international payments app Zing in the UK in the coming days before a wider rollout, seeking to compete with Revolut and Wise — - Zing will be available within days on Appstore and Google Play — HSBC banking CEO Nuno Matos says lender will ‘attack’ market

More: Tech Monitor, Bloomberg Law, City A.M., Financial Times, Financial Times, AltFi, FinTech Global, and Finextra

Cory Weinberg / The Information:

Sources: Canva nears a deal to let longtime staff and investors sell $1B+ in stock to new investors at a $26B valuation, about the same as in a 2023 share sale — Design software startup Canva is nearing a deal that lets longtime employees and investors at the company sell more than $1 billion …

Financial Times:

Employees, sources, and experts describe a crisis at Alibaba, as the company struggles to chart a new course and an ambitious restructuring didn't go as planned — Once Asia's most valuable company, the group has fallen behind rivals amid a chaotic restructuring

More: Business Insider. X: @jordannovet and @adam_tooze

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