Techmeme: Sources: Merck's bid for Japanese chip materials maker JSR, which JSR didn't disclose to its shareholders, led to a state-backed fund's $6.4B offer in June 2023 (Financial Times)

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Global premium smartphone sales likely grew 6% in 2023; Apple had a 71% market share, down from 75% in 2022, Samsung had 17%, and Huawei had 5%, up from 3% — - As against the decline projected for the overall global smartphone market this year, the premium (wholesale price ≥$600) market's sales are likely to grow 6% YoY in 2023.

More: 9to5Mac, PCMag, SiliconANGLE, Android Authority, TechSpot, SamMobile, PhoneArena, Supercharged, Sammy Fans, Huawei Central, Wccftech, and GSMArena.com

X: @ldignan and @counterpointtr

Ben Schoon / 9to5Google:

X posts with link previews now display titles or headlines in the bottom left corner of the image, but the text size is small and long headlines get cut off — X, the platform better known as Twitter, removed headlines from posts with links a few months ago, but is now bringing them back in a new format.

More: The Verge, Axios, The Messenger, Thurrott, Bloomberg, and MobileSyrup

Threads: @happicamp, @chris, and @crumbler

X: @tsuvik, @jappleby, @jrosenbaum, @mgsiegler, and @selviano

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Ben Schoon / 9to5Google:

Telegram rolls out version 10.5 of its app, offering “totally redesigned” voice and video calls with new animations and backgrounds — Telegram is rolling out a new update, version 10.5.0, which delivers a new look and feel for voice and video calls, as well as a revamped delete animation that's now available on Android.

More: Telegram, TechCrunch, SamMobile, New.blicio.us, Android Police, Android Headlines, MSPoweruser, Neowin, Sammy Fans, PhoneArena, and SamNews 24

BBC:

After UK regulators approved Microsoft's Activision deal in October 2023, Brad Smith rows back his criticism of the UK, saying the CMA had been “tough and fair” — Microsoft's president, Brad Smith, has rowed back on criticism he made last year that the UK was “bad for business”.

More: BBC, The Verge, MobileSyrup, Dot Esports, Wccftech, Windows Central, Pure Xbox, Video Games Chronicle, UKTN, and Neowin

Bloomberg:

Sources: ASML canceled shipments of some of its machines to China at the US' request, weeks before export bans on the high-end chipmaking equipment took effect — - ASML canceled shipments of a liminted number of devices — Biden is cracking down on Beijing's semiconductor industry

More: Reuters, ASML, Engadget, Tom's Hardware, The Register, The Guardian, Metaverse Post, Data Center Knowledge, DatacenterDynamics, Neowin, KNSD-TV, TweakTown, South China Morning Post, and SiliconANGLE

X: @cagankoc, @dnystedt, @byron_wan, and @tphuang

Ben Lovejoy / 9to5Mac:

A deal by the 38 OECD members that took effect on January 1 says that platforms must report users' earnings made on their services to local tax authorities — Apps like eBay and Airbnb will be reporting your earnings to tax authorities, under a new global agreement which took effect yesterday ...

More: BBC, GOV.UK, Financial Times, ITV News, AppleInsider, and Nairametrics

X: @theashrb, @louloumach, @financedircfo, and @lucysiegle

Hartley Charlton / MacRumors:

Apple released no new iPads in 2023, the first year without a new tablet since the iPad's launch in 2010; rumors suggest all iPad models will get a 2024 refresh — Apple has broken a tradition it maintained for 12 years, releasing no new iPads in 2023 - the first time that the company …

More: iMore, Lifewire, and PhoneArena

Mastodon: @ambulephabus@mastodon.social. X: @joannastern. Forums: MacRumors Forums

Eric Lipton / New York Times:

Retiring generals and departing top Pentagon officials are increasingly flocking to VC firms that have pumped billions into defense tech startups like Anduril — Retired officers and departing defense officials are flocking to investment firms that are pushing the government to provide more money to defense-technology startups.

More: New.blicio.us and TechCrunch

X: @ericliptonnyt, @shashj, and @ericliptonnyt

Reuters:

Bitcoin rises above $45K for the first time since April 2022, up 156% in 2023, its best yearly performance since 2020 but far off its $69K peak in November 2021 — Bitcoin stormed above $45,000 on Tuesday for the first time since April 2022 as the world's biggest cryptocurrency started …

More: HotHardware, Bloomberg, Bitcoin Insider, Bitcoinist.com, Cryptonews, TechStartups, and Nairametrics

Sean Endicott / Windows Central:

Valve ended Steam support for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 on January 1, saying the app used a now-defunct embedded Chrome version; <1% of Steam users have those OSes — Less than 1% of Steam users are on Windows 7, 8, or 8.1, and that figure will soon be even lower. — What you need to know

More: BleepingComputer, The Register, Thurrott, TechRadar, ExtremeTech, HotHardware, BetaNews, TechPowerUp, Digital Trends, TechSpot, guru3d.com, PCMag, OC3D, Tom's Hardware, iThinkDifferent, PCWorld, Ghacks, VideoCardz.com, XDA Developers, Notebookcheck, SamMobile, Neowin, and Gizmochina. Mastodon: @bazkie@mstdn.social

Cory Weinberg / The Information:

Sources: Canva nears a deal to let longtime staff and investors sell $1B+ in stock to new investors at a $26B valuation, about the same as in a 2023 share sale — Design software startup Canva is nearing a deal that lets longtime employees and investors at the company sell more than $1 billion …

More: SiliconANGLE

Harry Wilson / Bloomberg:

HSBC plans to launch international payments app Zing in the UK in the coming days before a wider rollout, seeking to compete with Revolut and Wise — - Zing will be available within days on Appstore and Google Play — HSBC banking CEO Nuno Matos says lender will ‘attack’ market

More: Tech Monitor, Bloomberg Law, City A.M., AltFi, Financial Times, FinTech Global, and Finextra

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