Technology

Google sued for £5bn in UK over allegations of shutting out rivals
Posted on Wednesday April 16, 2025

Class action argues US tech firm charged more for advertising on its preinstalled apps than it could in fair marketGoogle is being sued in the UK for up to £5bn in damages over allegations it shut out rivals in the internet search market and abused this dominance to overcharge businesses for advertisements. A class action filed at the competition appeal tribunal on Wednesday argues that the US company has taken actions that enable it to charge higher prices for the promotions that appear in search queries than it otherwise could in a fair market. It is alleged that Google, which is owned by Alphabet, contracted phone makers to pre-install the Google search app and Chrome browser on Android devices and paid Apple to make it the default search engine on iPhones, with the intention of shutting out competition. The claim is filed by a competition law expert, Or Brook, on behalf of thousands of businesses and alleges Google ensured its search engine had better functionality and more features for Google’s own advertising offering than that of its competitors.A Google spokesperson said: “This is yet another speculative and opportunistic case and we will argue against it vigorously. Consumers and advertisers use Google because it is helpful, not because there are no alternatives.” Continue reading...

Nvidia expects to take $5.5bn hit as US tightens AI chip export rules to China
Posted on Wednesday April 16, 2025

Shares plunge as firm says H20 chip, designed for Chinese market to comply with controls, now needs special licenceNvidia has said it expects a $5.5bn (£4.1bn) hit after Donald Trump’s administration barred the chip designer from selling crucial artificial intelligence chips in China, sending shares in one of the US’s most valuable companies plunging in after-hours trading.The company said in an official filing late on Tuesday that its H20 AI chip, which was designed specifically for the Chinese market, to comply with export controls, would now require a special licence to sell there for the “indefinite future”. Continue reading...

Tens of thousands of Spotify users around world report problems
Posted on Wednesday April 16, 2025

Audio streaming app says it is rolling out an update, after users reported glitches with downloads and searchesTens of thousands of Spotify users around the world have reported being unable to stream music on the app.Downdetector, which tracks platforms, showed more than 48,000 outage reports for Spotify worldwide on Wednesday afternoon. Continue reading...

Revealed: Chinese researchers can access half a million UK GP records
Posted on Tuesday April 15, 2025

Medical information will be available from UK Biobank, despite western intelligence agencies’ security fearsResearchers from China are to be allowed access to half a million UK GP records despite western intelligence agencies’ fears about the authoritarian regime amassing health data, the Guardian can reveal.Preparations are under way to transfer the records to UK Biobank, a research hub that holds detailed medical information donated by 500,000 volunteers. One of the world’s largest troves of health data, the facility makes its information available to universities, scientific institutes and private companies. A Guardian analysis shows one in five successful applications for access come from China. Continue reading...

Zuckerberg feared monopoly scrutiny and mulled Instagram split, files show
Posted on Tuesday April 15, 2025

Testimony that Instagram was ‘better’ seems to bolster allegations Meta used ‘buy or bury’ tactic to snap up rivalsMeta’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, considered spinning off Instagram in 2018 in anticipation of a potential antitrust suit, documents unveiled at a trial in Washington showed on Tuesday.“While most companies resist break-ups, the corporate history is that most companies actually perform better after they’ve been split up,” he wrote in an email at the time. He said there was a “there is a non-trivial chance” his company would be forced to spin Instagram and WhatsApp out anyway. Continue reading...

Apple airlifted iPhones worth $2bn from India in March as Trump tariffs loomed
Posted on Tuesday April 15, 2025

Tech giant stepped up production and chartered cargo flights with at least six jets to ensure sufficient inventoryApple’s main Indian suppliers Foxconn and Tata shipped nearly $2bn worth of iPhones to the United States in March, an all-time high, as the US company airlifted devices to bypass Donald Trump’s impending tariffs, customs data shows.The smartphone maker stepped up production in India and chartered cargo flights to ferry 600 tons of iPhones to the United States to ensure sufficient inventory in one of its biggest markets based on concern that the US president’s tariffs would push up costs. At least six cargo jets were used in the operation, which one source described as a way to “beat the tariffs”. Continue reading...

The best espresso machines to unleash your inner barista at home, tested
Posted on Wednesday April 16, 2025

We’ve rounded up espresso machines for every budget and skill level, from the cheapest manual models to high-end assisted marvels• The best coffee machines for your home: your morning brew made easyMore espresso, less depresso. To be clear, these weren’t the words of Angelo Moriondo, the Italian inventor who patented the first espresso machine in 1884, but it’s nice to imagine that he shared the sentiment. Without him, and the inventors that refined his creation, our daily lives – the sour-faced commutes and sunny weekend strolls – would be all the poorer.Espresso forms the bedrock of many coffee staples – the latte, the cappuccino, the flat white, the americano – but making the perfect shot, or just a rather good one, is a thrillingly contentious topic. Millions of hours of YouTube videos have been dedicated to the craft, and the associated Reddit threads may one day form a voluminous historical artefact.Best manual espresso machine overall: Lelit Anna PL41TEM£509.95 at AmazonBest budget espresso machine:De’Longhi Stilosa EC230£89 at AmazonBest for temperature control on a budget: ProCook espresso machine£199 at ProCookBest if you can afford it:Sage Dual Boiler£1,249.95 at SageBest assisted espresso machine overall: Ninja Luxe Cafe Premier£499 at John LewisBest assisted machine for beginners: Sage Bambino Plus£349 at John LewisBest high-end assisted espresso machine:Sage Oracle Jet£1,699 at John Lewis Continue reading...

As a new book skewers Spotify’s effect on music, two Guardian music writers spent a week assessing the limits of living with and without itLaura Snapes, deputy music editor I was set the task of not listening to Spotify for a week, but Alexis, your task was much worse: only listening to Spotify-created playlists, and the songs it suggested to you based on your listening history. How did that go?Alexis Petridis, chief rock and pop critic One day in the car I just listened to nothing instead of facing it again. When it plays me songs I like, it’s not what I want to hear at that moment. That’s not to say the music it was recommending wasn’t good. One morning it played Schizophrenia by Sonic Youth. I love that song but I didn’t want to hear it then. It played me Billie Holiday’s Riffin’ the Scotch followed by My Bloody Valentine, which clearly demonstrates the great breadth of my music taste – but just because I like it all doesn’t mean I want to hear it all together. I didn’t like that it was untouched by human hands. I always think that the amazing thing about a record collection is that it doesn’t make sense to anybody other than you. And yet when it’s presented like that, I find it really jarring and difficult – it’s all over the place. Continue reading...