Apple's next iPhone will have a bigger screen, sources tell Reuters.

JPMorgan faces FBI probe as shareholders sue the company and CEO Jamie Dimon over $2B loss.

Time Warner Cable and Viacom settle iPad dispute.

Air Pacific returns to Fiji Airways branding.

Ben Silverman's Electus details programming for YouTube's new food-centric Hungry channel.

Chevron benefits from Japan's shift away from nuclear.

Comcast launches Skype in select U.S. markets.Continue reading...

Ancestry.com acquires Archives.com for $100 million.

Anheuser-Busch warns UFC about fighters' inappropriate comments.

Apple now gets one-fourth of its revenue from China as CEO emerges from Jobs's shadow.

Bausch & Lomb shifts focus from contact lenses.

Bottega Veneta launches personalized fashion.

Burberry passes New York Times critique of designer lines for kids.

Burger King faces higher costs after decision to go cage-free.

Chrysler quadruples first-quarter profits and slow-walks investment in China.Continue reading...

Skype went for the funny bone with its "Skype for String" April Fool's Day prank. But it's not aiming for chuckles with its current marketing push: a multi-channel $12 million campaign in the U.S. and the U.K. with the tagline "It's time for Skype."

Created by Pereira & O'Dell in San Francisco, "It's time for Skype" takes on competitive social media platforms with lines like the Facebook-dissing "Upgrade from a wall post to a first class conversation" and (in a swipe at Twitter) "140 characters doesn't equal staying in touch."

"It's rare that a campaign gives you the opportunity to address very relevant, timely cultural issues. Skype isn't solving the world's problems, but it has a point of view. This is more than just a marketing message with provocative headlines — our message is to help people truly connect in a genuine way," said Justin Cox, Pereira & O'Dell's senior strategic planner-mobile.

With an outdoor push including posters and wraps in the London Bank Subway, on the London Torch, electronic billboards on the Canary Wharf, digital posters on bus shelters and in the Eurostar departure terminal in London Heathrow Terminal, the tagline defines a campaign focused on social connections for family relationships and business travelers and posits that Skype puts humanity back in communication.Continue reading...

AFA Foods files for bankruptcy after pink-slime hit.

Apple faces UK inquiry on advertising, while stock price projections soar.

BSkyB sees resignation of James Murdoch as chairman.

Carl's Jr. and Hardee's ride the zeitgeist with Kate Upton, also in DirecTV spot.

Chrysler invests to boost quality.

Dropbox faces time to come through on hype.

ESPN reaches out to Hispanics with Spanish-language ad for SportsCenter.

Express Scripts and Medco win U.S. merger approval.Continue reading...

In a bid to outdo last year's April Fool's Day jokes, a few April Foolin' Around branded fake gags today include:

• Richard Branson's next adventure, Virgin Volcanic, will take the intrepid billionaire to the center of the earth with Tom Hanks;

• in addition to really advanced search and Google TV Click, perennial prankster Google brings its self-driving car to NASCAR racing (above) and, below, announces Morse Code-based Gmail Tap (double your typing speed!) with LL Cool J, plus 8-bit Google Maps for the neglected Nintendo Entertainment System, and more:Continue reading...

America's online video portals — AOL, Google and YouTube, Hulu, Microsoft Advertising including MSN, and Yahoo! — are once again locking arms to muscle in on the U.S. TV upfront marketplace by touting their web video programming in a collaborative series of presentations orchestrated by Digitas.

The brands are taking turns in a roundrobin pitch to ad agencies, media buyers and brand marketers during the fourth annual Digital Content NewFronts, taking place in New York over two weeks, from April 19th to May 2nd.

The objective: woo a bigger slice of marketing dollars from TV to their respective online video and digital content hubs.Continue reading...

Netflix abruptly abandons plans to rent DVDs and kills Qwikster brand before it launches.

Disney CEO Bob Iger announces he will step down in 2015.

American Apparel finds new fans in Europe.

Apple iPhone pre-sale orders sell out, while overall iPhone sales may not be so rosy.

Chrysler plans to pare minivan offerings as part of brand rationalization and product-portfolio streamlining  as the company winds up talks with UAW.

Conde Nast to develop video and online content.Continue reading...

America and the world grieve and reflect on tenth anniversary of 9/11 on Sunday.

Amazon gets one-year sales-tax reprieve from California legislature; displaces Apple in brand loyalty survey; and may be working on a Netflix for books.

AOL and Yahoo struggle for identity.

AT&T revamps stores for tablet push.

Coca-Cola brings PlantBottle packaging to the UK.

Facebook, Skype and YouTube head "breakaway brands" report.Continue reading...