NewsBytes Briefing: TikTok US partners with Oracle, and more
Last night, multiple outlets reported that Chinese giant ByteDance has rejected Microsoft's purchase bid for TikTok and chosen Oracle as its 'technology partner' in the US. The move comes as part of the company's effort to dodge a ban in the country while also appeasing the Chinese government, which has opposed a forced-sale of TikTok. Here are other developments.
NVIDIA buying ARM for $40 billion
In another major development, renowned GPU manufacturer NVIDIA announced a $40 billion deal to acquire chip design giant Arm from SoftBank. As part of the agreement, Arm will operate as a UK-headquartered division of NVIDIA and "continue to operate its open-licensing model, while maintaining its global customer neutrality." SoftBank had bought the Arm back in 2016 for about $32 billion.
Samsung, Sony schedule new product events
Joining Apple, Samsung and Sony have also scheduled new product events. The Japanese giant has planned an event for September 16, where we expect the new PlayStation 5 to be showcased. Meanwhile, the Samsung 'Unpacked' event is on September 23, likely to mark the official unveiling of the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition.
US border protection seizes OnePlus Buds shipment
In a rather strange case, the US Customs and Border Protection seized a shipment of OnePlus Buds, considering them as 'counterfeit Apple AirPods.' The CBP claimed that as many as 2,000 boxes of the fake product were seized but the photos appeared to show OnePlus-branded boxes and OnePlus Buds rather than Apple AirPods or their copy.
Other important developments to note
Among other things, Japan announced the plan to send high-quality 8K cameras to capture images of Mars and its two moons. Google's all-new Android 11, meanwhile, is said to be creating problems with Android Auto and Instagram has patented a tech which suggests the company might charge a fee for allowing links in the captions of photos and videos.
Finally, some COVID-19-related updates
India on Sunday reported over 93,000 fresh coronavirus infections, which has pushed the nationwide tally to 48.45 lakh. The death toll neared 80,000 with over 1,100 fresh fatalities. Pfizer has said it will know whether its vaccine works by October-end and will begin distribution by year-end, while India's Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan recently claimed a vaccine will definitely become available by March 2021.
