THE NEWS WRAP: Uber exec apologises after suggesting the company should dig up dirt on journalists

Uber senior vice president Emil Michael has apologised for suggesting the company should consider hiring a team of researchers to investigate the personal lives of its critics in the media, Buzzfeed reports.

Michael made the comments in a conversation he later said he believed was off the record. He suggested the notion of spending “a million dollars” to hire four top opposition researchers and four journalists. That team could, he said, help Uber fight back against the press – they’d look into “your personal lives, your families” and give the media a taste of its own medicine.

“The remarks attributed to me at a private dinner – borne out of frustration during an informal debate over what I feel is sensationalistic media coverage of the company I am proud to work for – do not reflect my actual views and have no relation to the company’s views or approach. They were wrong no matter the circumstance and I apologise,” Michael said through an Uber spokesperson.

Intel to combine PC and Mobile CPU groups

Intel will combine its PC and mobile processor divisions, reflecting a changing market in which the line between tablets and laptops has blurred, PC World reports.

The chip maker will form a new division at the start of next year called the Client Computing Group, which will include the teams that develop its Core processors for desktops and laptops, as well as those that develop its Atom chips for smartphones and tablets.

Apple to open up its Lightning port

At Apple’s yearly briefing for accessory makers in its Made-for-iPhone/iPad licensing program, the company unveiled new Lightning connectors and specs that will soon be available for implementation in those accessories, according to 9to5mac.

The new Lightning receptacles, scheduled to ship next year, will allow accessory makers to build new types of accessories that include a port for Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector, previously reserved for its own iOS devices.

Overnight

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 40.07 to 17,687.82. The Australian dollar is currently trading at US87 cents.

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