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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.

25 Dec 2024 - 9:30AMvideocam

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

24 Dec 2024 - 6:34AMvideocam

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

23 Dec 2024 - 3:14PMvideocam

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.

20 Dec 2024 - 9:00PMvideocam

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

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.

20 Dec 2024 - 7:00PM

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.

20 Dec 2024 - 10:12AM

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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.

19 Dec 2024 - 8:00PM

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

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.

19 Dec 2024 - 8:17PM

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.

19 Dec 2024 - 5:07AMvideocam

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.

18 Dec 2024 - 10:07AM

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

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.

18 Dec 2024 - 4:04AM

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

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.

17 Dec 2024 - 6:38PMvideocam

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.

16 Dec 2024 - 10:20AM

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.

15 Dec 2024 - 7:45AMvideocam

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

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’.

13 Dec 2024 - 12:45PM

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

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.

12 Dec 2024 - 11:10PM

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.

12 Dec 2024 - 3:31AM

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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.

11 Dec 2024 - 8:15PM

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

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.

11 Dec 2024 - 5:03PM

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.

11 Dec 2024 - 11:30AM

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.

11 Dec 2024 - 10:13AM

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.

10 Dec 2024 - 6:00PM

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

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.

10 Dec 2024 - 1:45AMvideocam

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.

8 Dec 2024 - 8:56PM

‘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.

8 Dec 2024 - 8:22AM

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.

5 Dec 2024 - 10:41AM

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

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

HunyuanVideo is available for free to enterprise and individual users.

4 Dec 2024 - 12:03PM

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?

2 Dec 2024 - 6:15PM

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