Connect with us

Published

on

In this article

Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., center, arrives at U.S. district court in Oakland, California, on Friday, May 21, 2021.
Nina Riggio | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Apple prevailed on nine of 10 counts in its trial against Epic Games on Friday, but federal Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers issued an injunction that prohibits Apple from preventing developers from linking out in their apps to collect payments directly and cut out Apple and its 30% take of in-app purchases.

Apple’s stock slid more than 3% on the news Friday. But Wall Street analysts and longtime Apple followers believe that the financial impact on the company will be limited.

Developers will only be able to link, and will not be permitted to build their own alternative payments mechanism into their apps, a person familiar with Apple’s thinking said. That limits the effect as Apple’s in-app payments will still be easier for a consumer than putting their credit card into a website.

JPMorgan analyst Samik Chatterjee said the ruling did not change the bank’s outlook for Apple’s services or app store businesses, noting that the decision did not recommend changes to Apple’s 30% take, and that it merely kicks off the first stage of a multistep process.

“Our view continues to be that consumers will leverage payment alternatives in the case of expensive subscriptions and in-app purchases, limiting headwinds for App Store revenues and earnings from what is an otherwise very broad base of applications,” Chatterjee wrote.

Loup Ventures founder and longtime Apple analyst Gene Munster told CNBC’s Josh Lipton that the worst-case scenario for Apple could decrease Apple’s earnings by 4% over the next year, but more likely, the effect would be closer to a 1% decrease.

“The two silver linings for investors: First, 12-18 months after the changes are implemented growth rates will return to normal,” Munster tweeted. “Second, Apple’s long-term potential is not impacted by the change.”

Apple sees the verdict as a win because it did not challenge Apple’s right to determine which software is permitted on its store, and because it did not find Apple is a monopoly under federal or state law.

“We are very pleased with the court’s ruling and we consider this a huge win for Apple,” Apple General Counsel Kate Adams said in a statement.

But investors closely watch Apple’s services business, which has grown strongly for the past few years, and includes revenue from Apple’s App Store sales in addition to online subscriptions, search licensing revenue from Google and AppleCare warranties.

Services accounts for about 20% of Apple’s revenue, but it is a profit engine for Apple, with significantly higher margins than its hardware business. Apple reported $53.77 billion in services sales in its fiscal 2020 at a 66% gross margin, much higher than the 31.5% margin for Apple’s hardware business.

Apple doesn’t break down how much of its services sales come from the App Store, but it’s a big component. Apple’s App Store grossed more than $64 billion in 2020, according to a CNBC analysis. Sensor Tower, an app analytics firm, places the number slightly higher, at $72 billion.

Worldwide, Apple grossed $47.6 billion from mobile games, collecting fees of about $14.3 billion, according to Sensor Tower statistics provided to CNBC.

The judge’s ruling on Friday highlighted how much of Apple’s App Store revenue comes from games and in particular, big spenders. Rogers said in Friday’s ruling she believed Apple’s fully burdened margin on the App Store was over 72%, based on Apple documents.

Gaming app stocks soared on Friday’s news. Shares of AppLovin, Zynga, Playtika and Roblox climbed on hopes that those gaming companies can reduce costs by directing users to their own payments, bypassing Apple’s cut.

Epic Games is a private company and its CEO Tim Sweeney said in a statement that Friday’s ruling wasn’t a win. Epic wants to be permitted to offer its own app store on iPhones.

Continue Reading

Technology

Amazon faces FAA probe after delivery drone snaps internet cable in Texas

Published

on

By

Amazon faces FAA probe after delivery drone snaps internet cable in Texas

Amazon’s new MK30 Prime Air drone is displayed during Amazon’s “Delivering the Future” event at the company’s BFI1 Fulfillment Center, Robotics Research and Development Hub in Sumner, Washington on Oct. 18, 2023.

Jason Redmond | AFP | Getty Images

Amazon is facing a federal probe after one of its delivery drones downed an internet cable in central Texas last week.

The probe comes as Amazon vies to expand drone deliveries to more pockets of the U.S., more than a decade after it first conceived the aerial distribution program, and faces stiffer competition from Walmart, which has also begun drone deliveries.

The incident occurred on Nov. 18 around 12:45 p.m. Central in Waco, Texas. After dropping off a package, one of Amazon’s MK30 drones was ascending out of a customer’s yard when one of its six propellers got tangled in a nearby internet cable, according to a video of the incident viewed and verified by CNBC.

The video shows the Amazon drone shearing the wire line. The drone’s motor then appeared to shut off and the aircraft landed itself, with its propellers windmilling slightly on the way down, the video shows. The drone appeared to remain in tact beyond some damage to one of its propellers.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident, a spokesperson confirmed. The National Transportation Safety Board said the agency is aware of the incident but has not opened a probe into the matter.

Amazon confirmed the incident to CNBC, saying that after clipping the internet cable, the drone performed a “safe contingent landing,” referring to the process that allows its drones to land safely in unexpected conditions.

“There were no injuries or widespread internet service outages. We’ve paid for the cable line’s repair for the customer and have apologized for the inconvenience this caused them,” an Amazon spokesperson told CNBC, noting that the drone had completed its package delivery.

Amazon delivery drone snaps internet cable in Texas

The incident comes after federal investigators last month opened a separate probe into a crash involving two of Amazon’s Prime Air drones in Arizona. The two aircrafts collided with a construction crane in Tolleson, a city west of Phoenix, prompting Amazon to temporarily halt drone deliveries in the area.

For over a decade, Amazon has been working to realize founder Jeff Bezos’ vision of drones whizzing toothpaste, books and other goods to customers’ doorsteps in 30 minutes or less. The company began drone deliveries in 2022 in College Station, Texas, and Lockeford, California.

But progress has been slowed by a mix of regulatory hurdles, missed deadlines and layoffs in 2023 that coincided with broader cost-cutting efforts by Amazon CEO Andy Jassy.

The company has previously said its goal is to deliver 500 million packages by drone per year by the end of the decade.

The hexacopter-shaped MK30, the latest generation of Amazon’s Prime Air drone, is meant to be quieter, smaller and lighter than previous versions.

Amazon says the drones are equipped with a sense-and-avoid system that enables them to “detect and stay away from obstacles in the air and on the ground.” The company recommends that customers maintain “about 10 feet of open space” on their property so drones can complete deliveries

The company began drone deliveries in Waco earlier this month for customers within a certain radius of its same-day delivery site who order eligible items weighing 5 pounds or less. The drone deliveries are supposed to drop packages off in under an hour.

Amazon has brought other locations online in recent months, including Kansas City, Missouri, Pontiac, Michigan, San Antonio, Texas, and Ruskin, Florida. Amazon has also announced plans to expand drone deliveries to Richardson, Texas.

Walmart began offering drone deliveries in 2021, and currently partners with Alphabet’s Wing and venture-backed startup Zipline to make drone deliveries in a number of states, including in Texas.

WATCH: Amazon unveils satellite terminal for enterprise customers — but Starlink still dominates

Amazon unveils satellite terminal for enterprise customers — but Starlink still dominates

Continue Reading

Technology

CNBC Daily Open: Nvidia’s crown looks increasingly uneasy on its head

Published

on

By

CNBC Daily Open: Nvidia's crown looks increasingly uneasy on its head

Jensen Huang, chief executive officer of Nvidia Corp., during the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) sports day event in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025.

Lam Yik Fei | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.

Shares of artificial intelligence czar Nvidia fell 2.6% on Tuesday as signs of unrest continued rippling through its kingdom.

Over the month, Nvidia has been contending with concerns over lofty valuations and an argument from the “The Big Short” investor Michael Burry that companies may be overestimating the lifespan of Nvidia’s chips. That accounting choice inflates profits, he alleged.

The pressure intensified last week in the form of a potential challenger to the crown. Google on Nov. 18 announced the release of its new AI model Gemini 3 — so far so good, given that Nvidia isn’t in the business of designing large language models  — powered by its in-house AI chips — uhoh.

And on Monday stateside, Meta, a potential kingmaker, appeared to signal that it is considering not just leasing Google’s custom AI chips, but also using them for its own data centers. It seemed like Nvidia felt the need to address some of those rumblings.

The chipmaker said on the social media platform X that its technology is more powerful and versatile than other types of AI chips, including the so-called ASIC chips, such as Google’s TPUs. Separately, Nvidia issued a private memo to Wall Street that disputed Burry’s allegations.

Power, whether in politics or semiconductors, requires a delicate balance.

Remaining silent may shroud those in power in a cloak of untouchability, projecting confidence in their authority — but also aloofness. Deigning to address unrest can soothe uncertainty, but also, paradoxically, signal insecurity.

For now, the crown is Nvidia’s to wear — and the weight of it is, too.

What you need to know today

And finally…

Lights on in skyscrapers and commercial buildings on the skyline of the City of London, UK, on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. U.K. business chiefs urged Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves to ease energy costs and avoid raising the tax burden on corporate Britain as she prepares this year’s budget.

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

The UK’s Autumn Budget is coming

The run-up to this year’s U.K. Autumn Budget has been different from the norm because so many different tax proposals have been floated, flagged, leaked and retracted in the weeks and months leading up to Wednesday’s statement.

It has also made it harder to gauge what we’re actually going to get when Finance Minister Rachel Reeves finally unveils her spending and taxation plans for the year ahead.

— Holly Ellyatt

Continue Reading

Technology

Workday stock slips on light quarterly margin guidance

Published

on

By

Workday stock slips on light quarterly margin guidance

Workday CEO Carl Eschenbach, right, walks to the morning session during the Allen & Co. Media and Technology Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, on July 11, 2025.

David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Workday shares slid more than 5% in extended trading Tuesday after the finance and human resources software maker issued quarterly margin guidance that came in below Wall Street projections.

Here’s how the company did in comparison with LSEG consensus:

  • Earnings per share: $2.32 adjusted vs. $2.18 expected
  • Revenue: $2.43 billion vs. $2.42 billion expected

The company forecast a fourth-quarter adjusted operating margin of at least 28.5% and $2.355 billion in subscription revenue, according to a statement. The StreetAccount consensus was a 28.7% margin and $2.35 billion in subscription revenue.

Workday’s revenue grew about 13% year over year in the quarter, which ended on Oct. 31. Net income of $252 million, or 94 cents per share, was up from $193 million, or 72 cents per share, in the same quarter a year ago.

Subscription revenue in the third quarter totaled $2.24 billion, with an adjusted operating margin of 28.5%. Analysts polled by StreetAccount had anticipated $2.24 billion in subscription revenue and a 28.1% margin.

During the fiscal third quarter, Workday announced artificial intelligence agents for analyzing employee performance testing financial health, and the company revealed plans to buy AI and learning software startup Sana for $1.1 billion. Also, activist investor Elliott Management said it had built a Workday stake worth over $2 billion.

Workday has seen its stock decline this year as pundits discuss the risk of generative AI tools threatening the growth prospects for cloud software incumbents. Company shares have fallen 9% so far in 2025, while the Nasdaq Composite index has gained 19%.

WATCH: Workday CEO Carl Eschenbach: There’s a narrative that AI is eating into software, that is false

Workday CEO Carl Eschenbach: There's a narrative that AI is eating into software, that is false

Continue Reading

Trending