Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook addressed a Senate hearing on Tuesday that was largely convened to explore how Apple uses foreign subsidiaries to allegedly shelter billions of dollars in income from U.S. taxes.

Not surprisingly, Cook defended both Apple and its tax practices.

“We pay all the taxes we owe — every single dollar,” Cook told members of the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. “We not only comply with the laws but we comply with the spirit of the laws,” he said. “We don’t depend on tax gimmicks.”

Continue Reading

Following months of speculation as to what Microsoft’s next-generation video game console would look like, the company behind the venerable video game brand finally answered our burning questions today.

On Tuesday, Microsoft unveiled the “Xbox One,” its next-generation voice-controlled video game console.

The Xbox One, which will be available later this year at a price to be announced, will also be the first platform to release the next installment in Activision Blizzard Inc’s blockbuster shooter franchise, “Call of Duty”.

Continue Reading

With online giants like Amazon entering the arena and skepticism surrounding the value of Bitcoin – virtual currency is a hard topic to ignore.

This morning Tapjoy, a leading mobile ad and monetization network, released the findings of a study commissioned to Yankee Group, “Redefining Virtual Currency” that examines the $47.5B virtual currency market and how mobile plays a role in the developing virtual economy.

The study found that one in five mobile device owners engage with advertising in exchange for virtual rewards or premium content on a daily basis and nearly 50 percent do so monthly.

Continue Reading

Apple has topped Google in the race for the world’s most valuable brand.

Despite the utter beating Apple has endured on Wall Street since last fall, there are no scuff marks on Apple’s brand power.

Conquering fellow brand titans like Coca-Cola and McDonalds, Apple once again received top honors from BrandZ. And the results were published today by MarketingWeek.

Continue Reading

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has just announced a hefty new facelift for Flickr.

“Photos tell the stories — stories we’re inspired to relive, share with our friends, or capture simply to express ourselves,” Mayer writes on the Yahoo Tumblr blog. “Collecting these moments is a part of our everyday.”

This “everyday” experience just got a little prettier and more spacious.

Continue Reading

The ICMI recently hosted the first annual ICMI Global Call Center Awards Dinner and Ceremony to celebrate award honorees and finalists from across the world and recognize leadership, vision, innovation and strategic accomplishments within the contact center industry.

The ICMI team and more than 200 ACCE attendees say the inaugural gala was a “huge success.”

“The food was awesome, the conversations engaging, and the passion in the room was infectious,” a post on the ICMI blog reads. “We are already looking forward to hosting the Second Annual Global Call Center Awards Dinner next year, and if you weren’t able to make it this time, I highly recommend you attend next year!”

Continue Reading

This week, Asymco analyst Horace Dediu published a new report based on research and analysis showing that Apple’s retail stores are now generating record revenue per visitor.

“In the US, on a sales per square foot basis, Apple retail continues to perform twice as well as Tiffany & Co., the second best retailer, and three times as well as lululemon athletica, the third best retailer,” Dediu revealed Monday.

With the most lucrative square footage across the global retail landscape, Apple’s retail stores now generate nearly $58 per visitor.

Continue Reading