Apple Executive Talks At Code Conference, Other Tech Stories JPMorgan Is Watching This Morning

In a report published Thursday, JPMorgan analyst Rod Hall detailed four tech related stories he is following.

's Operations Chief Jeff Williams recently spoke at the Code Conference. The executive described Apple Watch demand as "fantastic" and confirmed the company will release at the start of the WWDC event a develop kit that will allow companies to write apps for the Watch. Williams also hinted that Apple has an interest in the automotive market. Specifically, he said "the car is the ultimate mobile device" and added "we're exploring a lot of different markets." According to Hall, this event has a "neutral impact" for Apple.

Hall noted that the European Commission is proposing mandatory rules that would force companies pay taxes to all the countries in which they generate a profit. The commission is considering the introduction of a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base that would force companies to consolidate their P&L across the European Union. "We view this as a combination of the tax investigation involving Apple," Hall wrote. "The fact that this is now an EU wide overhaul may not eliminate the ongoing investigation of Apple's Irish tax structure in our opinion." According to Hall, this event has a "slight negative impact" for Apple and a "negative impact" for

.

Hall cited ISH Technology who noted that the overall pay TV market continues to face strong headwinds. US cable companies improved on normal quarter losses in the first quarter, losing only 132,900 subscribers since the fourth quarter 2014. Many pay TV operators have already "seized" the initiative to attract non-pay TV households with the launch of

's Sling TV and customizable packages from