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The latest news, analysis and opinion on Apps. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
Lin Heung Lau, a 100-year-old resturant in Central, Hong Kong, has kept the traditions of handwritten wall menus and dim sum trolleys. Photo: Alexander Mak
Hong Kong economy

Opinion | True Hong Kong service won’t be found in an order-it-yourself app

From QR codes to place an order in restaurants to self-service checkouts, cold tech is taking away the warmth of proper service.

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TikTok ban

Trump’s TikTok love raises stakes in battle over app’s fate

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TikTok ban

Trump favours keeping TikTok in US after ‘billions of views’ during election

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Artificial intelligence

Chinese-owned Character.ai rival vanishes from US App Store

Talkie, a popular AI companion app developed by Shanghai start-up MiniMax, has been removed from Apple’s store in the US.

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Talkie, a chatbot app developed by Chinese start-up MiniMax, allows users to converse with AI characters. Photo: Handout
Tencent

China’s super app WeChat flexes e-commerce muscles with gift feature

The new function could be Tencent’s next big hit after electronic red packets, says one merchant.

US-China relations

TikTok ban: US senators urge Biden to extend ByteDance deadline by 90 days

The app’s China-based parent company is mounting a legal challenge against a law forcing it to sell its US assets or face a ban.

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Apple

Apple in talks with Tencent, ByteDance to launch AI in China, report says

The iPhone maker is reportedly in early talks with the tech giants to launch Apple Intelligence on the mainland after talks stalled with Baidu.

Apple has faced challenges in launching Apple Intelligence on its iPhones in mainland China owing to the country’s strict regulation of the technology. Photo: AP
Mobile gaming

New Pokémon mobile game downloaded over 60 million times in 6 weeks

Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket ranks second among mobile games measured by their first-month revenue, surpassed only by 2016’s Pokémon Go.

US-China relations

US TikTok ban: Supreme Court to review law banning Chinese-owned app

The arguments over whether the law violates freedom of speech protected by the US Constitution will be heard on January 10.

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Cybersecurity

Ireland fines Facebook owner Meta €251 million for data breach

The tech giant infringed EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, according to the country’s data watchdog.

Meta Platforms’ Irish arm has been fined by the country’s data watchdog. Photo: Reuters
Crime

US tech consultant found guilty of murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee

Nima Momeni faces 16 years to life in prison for stabbing Lee to death with a knife he took from his sister’s kitchen.

The case has drawn national attention, partly given Bob Lee’s status in the tech world. Photo: X/crazybob
Technology

Opinion | From TikTok to Apple, companies must tread carefully amid digital nationalism

Restrictive policies could hinder innovation, limit consumer choice and fragment the global digital economy.

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TikTok

TikTok Shop is outperforming Shein and Sephora among US shoppers online

A new consumer trends report found that 45 per cent of surveyed Americans have bought something on TikTok.

Wellness

How meditation benefits health and a free app for beginners

A psychologist who helped develop an award-winning meditation app explains how the practice can lower stress, boost concentration and more.

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The longer you meditate, the greater the benefits you accrue. But even small bursts of mindful breathing can pay off, suggests research by American psychologist Professor Richard Davidson. Photo: Shutterstock
TikTok

US asks court to reject TikTok’s bid to stave off law that could ban the app

The Justice Department argued that ‘continued Chinese control of the TikTok application poses a continuing threat to national security’.

A man carries a Free TikTok sign in front of the courthouse where the hush-money trial of Donald Trump was underway on April 15 in New York. Photo: AP
E-commerce

Beijing puts e-commerce sector’s ‘refund-only’ policy and PDD under scrutiny

The State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Commerce have directed Pinduoduo owner PDD to fix this practice.

Facebook

Facebook and Instagram down for thousands of users, WhatsApp also affected

WhatsApp, Meta’s messaging application, was also down for more than 1,000 users.

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Artificial intelligence

Disappointed by your 2024 Spotify Wrapped? Blame Google’s AI

Spotify decided to shake things up for its 2024 Wrapped recap, employing Google AI to make a generative ‘podcast’ – but users were not impressed.

2024 Spotify Wrapped shown on the Spotify app. Photo: SCMP / Alexander Mak
TikTok

TikTok Shop opens in Spain, Ireland in e-commerce expansion as US ban looms

The Spain launch is TikTok Shop’s first foray into continental Europe, coming three years after opening in the UK, its first European market.

TikTok

TikTok pays users to shop, invite friends as US ban looms

TikTok has been working to boost users’ time spent and develop shopping habits ahead of its possible ban from US app stores on January 19.

Artificial intelligence

After OpenAI’s Sora launch, Adobe is falling behind with its AI video roll-out

Two months after Adobe announced a browser-based video generation tool, the product remains in limited testing, while OpenAI publicly launched Sora this week.

The stand for US computer software company Adobe seen at Web Summit in Lisbon on November 12, 2024. Photo: AFP
Celebrity children

Who is Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris newly engaged to? Meet Justin Long

Justin Long was a business development manager before turning to music; he’s been featured on FX’s Mayans soundtrack and has worked with (you guessed it) Paris Jackson.

Michael Jackson’s daughter, Paris Jackson, just got engaged to musician Justin Long. Photo: @parisjackson/Instagram
United States

TikTok seeks temporary halt to potential US ban pending Supreme Court review

Company and its parent, ByteDance, say the appellate ruling upholding the law is based on ‘flawed legal rationale’ the court should address.

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E-commerce

No Black Friday windfall for Chinese online shops selling overseas

Cut-to-the-bone pricing is eating into the profit margins of Chinese merchants selling online to global shoppers.

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Malaysia

‘I trust it more’: Chinese app Xiaohongshu offers unexpected window on Malaysia

With over 2.5 million users in Malaysia, Xiaohongshu not only attracts tourists but helps Malaysian Chinese connect with their heritage.

Tourists walk past a mural featuring the Malaysian national flag in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: EPA-EFE
Artificial intelligence

Did the Chinese intern sued by ByteDance just win an AI award?

The award, however, triggered speculation about whether the paper’s lead author was the ex-intern who ByteDance sued for US$1.1 million.

The award received by ByteDance further boosts its credentials in artificial intelligence technology. Photo: Shutterstock
Tencent

Tencent launches its answer to OpenAI’s Sora text-to-video tool

HunyuanVideo is available for free to enterprise and individual users.

Wellness

Strava’s great – but watch your mental health, warn researchers

Many fitness enthusiasts use Strava for tracking and in order to network with a community of like-minded athletes – but is this really a good thing?

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