Apple Inc. customers waiting for the company to revolutionize live television as it did for music and phone service will have to keep waiting, at least until next year.
The company wanted to introduce this year a live TV service delivered via the Internet, but it is now aiming for 2016, said people familiar with Apple's plans.
Talks to license programming from TV networks such as those owned by CBS Corp. and 21st Century Fox Inc. are progressing slowly, some of the people said. Apple also doesn't have the computer network capacity in place to ensure a good viewing experience, said some of the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private.
Without enough content deals in place, Apple has scrapped plans to announce the service at a Sept. 9 event in San Francisco, which would have coincided with the beginning of the new network TV season, the people said.
The Cupertino, Calif.-based company still plans to introduce a more powerful version of its Apple TV set-top box at the event, said the people, but customers -- for now, at least -- will need a cable or satellite TV subscription or an antenna to watch live network television.
The main stumbling block is the price of content. Just as Apple once persuaded music labels to sell songs for 99 cents, it wants to offer a package of popular channels for $40 a month, the people said. That's roughly half of the average cable bill in the U.S.
Google laptop tailored for corporate use
SAN FRANCISCO -- Google's latest Chromebook laptop will be specially designed for corporate customers in an effort to get more workers off machines powered by Microsoft's Windows software.
The Chromebook unveiled last week will be made by Dell and will go on sale Sept. 17. Prices will range from $400 to $900, a step up from a line of Chromebooks that have been selling for as low as $150 since Google teamed up with Hisense and Haier to make those devices.
The cheap Chromebooks have been popular in classrooms, but they haven't made many inroads in offices.
Google Inc. is trying to win over corporate customers with the Dell Chromebook 13, which offers more flexibility to run a variety of apps that haven't been easily accessible on previous Chromebooks. The laptops also offer more controls for corporate administrators to limit access and set restrictions for how workers can use them.
Various PC manufacturers have been working with Google to design lightweight laptops running on the Chrome operating system since 2011. The new machine from Dell joins Google's lineup of business-focused devices that includes the Asus Chromebook Flip and Chromebook Pixel.
-- The Associated Press
Uber workers arrested in Hong Kong raid
Hong Kong police have released three Uber Technologies Inc. employees on bail after raiding the company's offices and detaining them in an investigation into drivers operating without proper permits.
Documents, computers and phones were taken away from two Uber offices last week, police said in an emailed statement. In addition, five drivers were released on bail, accused of operating without proper licenses and insurance, police said.
Cab drivers in Hong Kong have protested against Uber and other companies offering car-booking applications. Police arrested the five Hong Kong Uber drivers in a sting operation last week after receiving complaints, it said.
"We stand by our driver-partners 100 percent and welcome the opportunity to work closely with the authorities toward updated regulations that put the safety and interests of riders and drivers first," Harold Li, a spokesman for Uber in Hong Kong, said in an emailed statement. "Uber ensures that all rides are covered by insurance, and all drivers on the platform undergo an extensive background check."
Groups urge China to double solar goal
China is being encouraged by three industry groups to double the nation's solar power goal for 2020 to fill a gap forecast to emerge because nuclear and hydropower are due to fall short of targets.
The world's biggest solar market needs 200 gigawatts of such capacity by then, according to a document seen by Bloomberg News.
The China Photovoltaic Industry Association, Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association and China Renewable Energy Society, which act as conduits between the government and industry, jointly wrote the document and advised the energy authority in the State Council.
The advice, if accepted, would boost solar installations sixfold, spurring demand for manufacturers including Trina Solar Ltd. and Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. China had about 33 gigawatts of solar power at the end of 2014, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance data.
The nation intends to get 15 percent of all energy from renewables and nuclear power by 2020, up from 11 percent last year. For 2015, China plans to add about 18 gigawatts of solar power capacity, almost equal to the generating capacity available in the U.S. at the end of 2014.
Samsung rolling out larger smartphones
NEW YORK -- Samsung has unveiled two new Android smartphones with jumbo screens as it seeks to recapture some of the sales lost to Apple after larger iPhones were released last year.
Samsung said the new Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge Plus will start shipping Friday. Usually, Note phones don't come out until well after Apple's new iPhone models in September.
The timing reflects a changing smartphone landscape. IDC analyst Ramon Llamas said Samsung needed to beat Apple to the punch or risk seeing its products drowned out by all the attention on the iPhone.
The Samsung phones have screens measuring 5.7 inches diagonally, the same as last year's Note 4, but both new models are lighter and thinner. They are comparable to Apple's 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus, the larger of the two new iPhones. Samsung's Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge phones, which are closer in size to the regular iPhone 6, came out in April.
Samsung Electronics Co. also said its Samsung Pay mobile payment service will debut in South Korea this month. Testing in the U.S. will begin then, with a formal launch in September.
-- The Associated Press
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