Apple faces action for coercing Yahoo Japan to quash game platform: Report

Apple allegedly pressured Yahoo Japan to quash a game platform that offered competition to the App Store, prompting regulators in Japan to initiate an investigation, Nikkei Asian Review reported on Thursday.

Launched in July 2017, Yahoo Japan's Game Plus allows users to play games without needing to download apps and gives developers lesser restrictions in matters relating to sales, fees and software updates than Apple's App Store, the report said.

The platform elicited interests from a large number of companies including famed role-playing game maker Square Enix Holdings.

But Apple allegedly found this strategy of Yahoo Japan a direct threat to its model of App Store which contributes a big amount to the tech giant's revenue and pressurised Yahoo Japan to quash the platform.

Apple shares at record high on better than expected iPhone sales

Apple Inc on Tuesday delivered surprisingly strong third-quarter earnings and signalled that its upcoming 10th-anniversary phone lineup is on schedule, driving the stock up 6 per cent to an all-time high in after-hours trading.

The stock climbed above its intraday record high to $159.10 after the company reported better-than-expected iPhone sales, revenue and earnings per share. The stock price move was expected to help drive the Dow Jones Industrial Average over the 22,000 mark on Wednesday.

Apple also said it hit a milestone of 1.2 billion iPhones sold.

The April-June quarter is traditionally a soft one for Apple as the market waits for the September launch of new iPhone models. But Tuesday’s results show that iPhone buyers may be less inclined than they once were to delay purchases until a new model is out.

The iPad product lines also showed unexpected strength, service revenue continues to grow at a healthy clip, and even the much-maligned Apple Watch showed a 50 per cent sales increase.

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Beware! Don't be duped by fake e-wallet apps

Latest News - Digital payments have gained popularity among consumers but have also brought in the threat of cyber criminals placing fake e-wallet apps to dupe users.

According to cyber security solution firm Kaspersky, no such incident has been reported yet but the probability of cyber criminals adding fake apps on app stores remains high.

"Digital payment companies ensure that the transactions are safe on their apps. Besides, there are checks like two-factor authentication for ensuring secure transactions for consumers," Altaf Halde, Managing Director at Kaspersky Lab, South Asia, said.

In such a scenario, cyber criminals could look at tricking consumers into downloading fake apps that look almost like the genuine one, allowing a backdoor entry into their smartphone.

While financial institutions like banks and mobile m-wallet companies take steps to (Read More)