**Tech News Roundup: Alphabet Overtakes Apple, T-Mobile Wins 4G Speeds, and Hulu’s Future with Time Warner**
On February 2nd, 2016, a significant shift occurred in the tech industry as Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, overtook Apple to become the most valuable company in the world. This milestone marks the end of Apple's four-year reign at the top. Alphabet, which operates under its original name Google alongside other divisions like Google Capital, Google Fiber, and Nest Labs, released its earnings statement late the previous day, exceeding fourth-quarter projections. This strong financial performance sent its stock prices soaring, resulting in a combined share value of $554 billion. This figure surpasses Apple's current valuation by $20 billion.
The narrative surrounding this achievement is not just about Alphabet’s rise but also highlights the decline in Apple’s market value. Just one year prior, Apple had been valued at around $760 billion, underscoring the rapid changes in the tech landscape. As these two titans duke it out for supremacy, another major player in the industry—T-Mobile—has tied Verizon as the fastest 4G LTE carrier in the United States. According to ratings from Open Signal, a crowd-sourced mobile data company, T-Mobile’s network is not only achieving impressive speeds but also expanding its nationwide coverage. This growth is positioning T-Mobile closer to AT&T in terms of signal accessibility across the nation.
T-Mobile, self-described as "the uncarrier," has carved out a niche by focusing on customer satisfaction and innovation. One such initiative is their controversial "Binge On" program, which allows users to stream unlimited video from services like Netflix without affecting their data plans. This feature caters to cord-cutters who rely on streaming platforms for entertainment, offering them the flexibility they desire.
Speaking of streaming services, Hulu’s future may be at a crossroads. Time Warner Inc., not to be confused with Time Warner Cable, has reportedly made a bid to acquire a 25% stake in Hulu. If successful, Time Warner would join existing major shareholders NBC Universal, Fox, and Disney ABC as co-owners of the popular streaming platform. However, this move could have significant implications for Hulu’s content offerings. Time Warner appears intent on restricting the availability of current-season TV shows on Hulu the day after their network airings, a decision aimed at preserving the traditional pay-TV model they rely on.
This potential change could threaten what has made Hulu so appealing to cord-cutters—its extensive library of current-season episodes. If Time Warner’s proposal is implemented, it may push Hulu towards relying more heavily on its original content, which currently lacks the depth needed to sustain its popularity. This shift could redefine the streaming landscape and further alter the dynamics between traditional TV models and digital platforms.
For those interested in delving deeper into these stories and other breaking tech news, be sure to check out Digital Trends for comprehensive coverage. Stay tuned for more updates from DC Daily as we continue to bring you the latest in technology and business.
*That’s it for today’s DC Daily. I’m Greg Nibbler. We’ll see you tomorrow!*
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enit's February 2nd 2016 and alphabet just overtook Apple as the most valuable company in the world the organization formerly known as Google which now operates as the parent companies at Google along with other divisions like Google Capital Google Fiber and nest labs knocked apple off the perch it's been sitting on for four years alphabet released its earnings statement late yesterday showing it beat out fourth-quarter projections and that sent its stock soaring as of now alphabets combined share value is pegged at 554 billion dollars topping Apple's combined share value by 20 billion the story is as much about the decline of Apple's value as it is the rise of alphabets remember that just one year ago Apple was up around the 760 billion dollar mark speaking of big companies duking it out for the pole position t-mobile has tied Verizon as the fastest 4G LTE carrier in the US the ratings come from a crowd-sourced mobile data company called open signal show that t-mobile's network is not just getting fast but growing in nationwide coverage too closing in on AT&T in terms of how accessible its signal is across the nation self-described as the uncarrier t-mobile has positioned itself as the mobile company that cares about its customers and is willing to do whatever it takes to make them happy that includes the controversial binge on program that lets t-mobile users stream as much video as they want from services like Netflix without a single bite of it hitting their data plan if you're a newfound cord cutter you probably rely on streaming services like Netflix and Hulu to keep you entertained with Internet delivered to TV and movies but if Time Warner Inc has its way Hulu may no longer be the treasure trove of current season TV shows that cord cutters have come to count on a report from The Wall Street Journal indicates Time Warner Inc not Time Warner Cable mind you has a bid in to score a 25% share of Hulu if it does it will join NBC Universal Fox and Disney ABC as part owner of one of the most popular streaming services available and then it will start throwing its weight around Time Warner apparently wants to keep current season television shows from appearing on Hulu the day after they air because that threatens the traditional pay TV model it banks on all four owners make a lot of the TV shows that appear on Hulu they giveth and they take it away ironically the very thing that made Hulu popular could be going away and we don't think who's got enough original content to keep it afloat if that happens there's a lot more to this story so be sure to check out the full article on this and other breaking tech news at digital trends calm that's it for DC daily today i'm greg nibbler we'll see you again tomorrowit's February 2nd 2016 and alphabet just overtook Apple as the most valuable company in the world the organization formerly known as Google which now operates as the parent companies at Google along with other divisions like Google Capital Google Fiber and nest labs knocked apple off the perch it's been sitting on for four years alphabet released its earnings statement late yesterday showing it beat out fourth-quarter projections and that sent its stock soaring as of now alphabets combined share value is pegged at 554 billion dollars topping Apple's combined share value by 20 billion the story is as much about the decline of Apple's value as it is the rise of alphabets remember that just one year ago Apple was up around the 760 billion dollar mark speaking of big companies duking it out for the pole position t-mobile has tied Verizon as the fastest 4G LTE carrier in the US the ratings come from a crowd-sourced mobile data company called open signal show that t-mobile's network is not just getting fast but growing in nationwide coverage too closing in on AT&T in terms of how accessible its signal is across the nation self-described as the uncarrier t-mobile has positioned itself as the mobile company that cares about its customers and is willing to do whatever it takes to make them happy that includes the controversial binge on program that lets t-mobile users stream as much video as they want from services like Netflix without a single bite of it hitting their data plan if you're a newfound cord cutter you probably rely on streaming services like Netflix and Hulu to keep you entertained with Internet delivered to TV and movies but if Time Warner Inc has its way Hulu may no longer be the treasure trove of current season TV shows that cord cutters have come to count on a report from The Wall Street Journal indicates Time Warner Inc not Time Warner Cable mind you has a bid in to score a 25% share of Hulu if it does it will join NBC Universal Fox and Disney ABC as part owner of one of the most popular streaming services available and then it will start throwing its weight around Time Warner apparently wants to keep current season television shows from appearing on Hulu the day after they air because that threatens the traditional pay TV model it banks on all four owners make a lot of the TV shows that appear on Hulu they giveth and they take it away ironically the very thing that made Hulu popular could be going away and we don't think who's got enough original content to keep it afloat if that happens there's a lot more to this story so be sure to check out the full article on this and other breaking tech news at digital trends calm that's it for DC daily today i'm greg nibbler we'll see you again tomorrow\n"
