Apple and Search: Daily Crunch Report
Apple is potentially developing a rival to Google, Audible is expanding its podcast library, and an advertising measurement firm has secured $350 million in funding. This is your Daily Crunch for October 28, 2020.
Key development: Apple demonstrates increasing focus on search capabilities
Reports from The Financial Times indicate Apple is showing heightened interest in search technology and may be creating a product designed to compete directly with Google.
A noticeable shift is Apple’s presentation of its own search results when users enter queries directly on the iOS 14 home screen. Furthermore, there appears to be increased activity originating from Apple’s web crawling system.
An opportunity may be emerging due to the U.S. Justice Department’s lawsuit against Google, alleging anticompetitive practices related to search. However, this doesn’t automatically signify an imminent head-to-head competition between Apple and Google; it could simply reflect growing search query volume for Apple’s Siri voice assistant.
Major technology companies
The controversy surrounding Joe Rogan, Alex Jones, and Spotify’s perceived impartiality — Spotify is receiving scrutiny following Joe Rogan’s decision to feature Alex Jones of InfoWars on his program.
Audible significantly broadens its podcast offerings — Audible is incorporating roughly 100,000 additional podcasts into its platform.
Apple targets a younger audience with an enhanced version of Clips — The update introduces essential support for vertical video formats, enabling seamless sharing on TikTok and similar “Stories” features across various social media platforms.
Startups, investment, and venture capital
DoubleVerify, a company specializing in brand protection, ad fraud prevention, and ad quality assurance, secures $350M in funding — DoubleVerify’s technology is capable of identifying fraudulent activity, assessing viewability, and ensuring brand safety.
Outrider obtains $65M to advance its autonomous technology for distribution centers — The company has developed a comprehensive system comprising an autonomous electric yard truck, operational management software, and necessary site infrastructure.
Lunchbox raises $20M to empower restaurants to create customized ordering systems — CEO Nabeel Alamgir explains that enabling restaurants to manage more online orders directly (instead of solely relying on delivery applications) will increase profitability and strengthen relationships with their most valued customers.
Insights and analysis from Extra Crunch
Examining the state of venture debt as venture capital recovers — While venture capital is experiencing a resurgence and achieving record levels, its related field of venture debt may not replicate the successes of recent years.
Exploring current and future trends in mobile growth within Latin America — Latin America represents one of the world’s fastest-expanding mobile markets.
Dear Sophie: Options for E-2 visa holders seeking new employment — A new installment of Sophie Alcorn’s column addressing immigration-related questions for individuals working in the technology sector.
(Please remember: Extra Crunch is our subscription service dedicated to providing accessible information about startups. You can find subscription details here.)
Other news
Qualtrics CEO Ryan Smith is acquiring a majority ownership stake in the Utah Jazz for $1.6B — Smith previously sold Qualtrics to SAP for $8 billion in 2018.
Projected U.S. online holiday sales to reach $189B this year, a 33% increase from 2019 — This forecast is based on new data from Adobe Analytics.
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