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alistair fairweatherlatest news & developments
While dating apps frighten some people into apocalyptic predictions

Dating apps have not killed dating

We are sexually omnivorous and not programmed for monogamy. But most of us prefer choosing one special somebody over an endless stream of nobodies.

Ma’s wealth shot up to $39-billion as his large stake in Ant Financial, operator of the world’s largest money market fund and a mobile payment Goliath, saw its valuation rise. (Reuters)

Alibaba and the $40-billion squeeze

The Chinese government tried to take on thriving online marketplace Alibaba, but owner Jack Ma beat the regulators at their own game.

The United Nations special rapporteur on data and privacy protection says South Africa is dragging its feet behind other countries when it comes to implementing legislation that is supposed to safeguard the personal information of citizens.

Precocious privacy warriors

The encryption genie is out of its bottle to give people back their privacy, but this is frightening world governments, writes Alistair Fairweather.

No more fun and games

Women gamers are receiving harsh threats online for "poking deftly into the subculture’s most sensitive nerve", writes Alistair Fairweather.

Amazon had 1.54 million employees worldwide at the end of September, excluding seasonal workers. (Reuters)

War of words as Amazon defends its pricing of e-books

The online retail giant’s battle with the publisher Hachette goes to the very heart of the massive changes that pummel the publishing industry.

Their idea was simple – a line of high-quality headphones

Dr Dre: Straight out of Cupertino

Dr Dre’s Beats has caught Apple’s eye for $3-billion and the rapper and high school drop-out is laughing all the way to the bank.

Former 5FM DJ Gareth Cliff now owns CliffCentral.com

Gareth Cliff: How the internet thrilled the radio star

Some think the former 5FM DJ’s switch from FM radio to online radio was a big mistake. But Alistair Fairweather begs to differ.

Regardless of whether Google+ fails as a product

Goodbye Vic and thanks for all the plusses

Not many people have heard of Vic Gundotra. Yet millions of us have used one or more of the products he championed during his eight years at Google.

Vodacom chief executive Shameel Joosub.

Vodacom and MTN put profits before people

Icasa’s new rules would effectively give mobile customers lower rates, and firms’ complaints against them show greed, says Alistair Fairweather.

Move with the times and you’ll defeat inequality

Move with the times and you’ll defeat inequality

Technology has exacerbated inequality. But we should prepare ourselves for an increasingly tech-driven world, an act that could eradicate the problem.

Viruses have mutated well beyond disruptive nuisances into relentless plagues that can kill or cripple entire computer networks and the businesses that rely on them.

Alistair Fairweather: Computer viruses are no longer for amateurs

When Fred Cohen coined the term "computer virus", he probably had no idea how apt it would prove nearly 30 years later, as virus makers get serious.

Samsung’s Pranav Mistry believes the South Korean electronics giant’s Galaxy Gear watch will lead a new trend in smart mobile communications.

We are the future / wear the future

After a lull in new devices, 2014 promises happy geeks plugging into radical technology.

Many international newspapers have closed the space for anonymous comments.

Cybercrime: Private criminals, public questions

The capture of Silk Road’s alleged creator shows that governments and their policing bodies need to look at cybersecurity differently.

A Twitter Music app will be launched for iOS devices later this month

Buy, buy birdie: Twitter finally lists

With its revenue nearly tripling between 2011 and 2012, it was about time the micro-blogging site filed its S-1 form, writes Alistair Fairweather.

Sony has been at the leading edge of consumer electronics.

Will the Sony story end in tragedy?

Alistair Fairweather ponders how to reconcile a company capable of making a TV like the 4K Bravia with one struggling to financially stay above water.

The key drivers of price growth in July were food and non-alcoholic beverages (up 5.7% and contributing 1.0 percentage points). Photo: Supplied

Online shopping in South Africa has (finally) come of age

South African websites have only just begun to tap into the huge demand there is for online shopping, writes Alistair Fairweather.

A US judge has denied Apple’s request for a permanent injunction against Samsung’s smartphones.

Is Apple ARMing for war against Intel?

Two of the world’s biggest technology companies may be heading for a divorce as rumours circulate that Apple may abandon Intel chips.

South Africans are clearly in love with the iPad

Is the age of the personal computer over?

The first decline in personal computer sales in a decade has prompted analysts to ask whether tablets will kill the PC, writes Alistair Fairweather.

Nokia has since dived headlong into change – and is yet to surface.

Tech Factor: Microsoft readies the lifeboats

Software giant plans to morph into a services company, writes Alistair Fairweather.

Apple Inc has acknowledged that personal data can be extracted from iPhones through previously unpublicised techniques by employees.

The iPhone 5 and the fallacy of innovation

It’s the naysayers vs the sales figures, features vs functionality and everyone else vs Apple. Alistair Fairweather unpacks the new iPhone 5.