More tech events are going digital, stocks are recouping some of the past week’s losses and a high-profile hostile takeover attempt has been postponed amid the global coronavirus emergency.

Apple Inc. said today that this year’s installment of its Worldwide Developers Conference will take place in an online-only format this June. The iPhone maker will share updates about iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS, promising developers that they will still have an opportunity to “engage with Apple engineers” even though there won’t be any onsite sessions. 

Apple is expected to release a new version of iOS with enhanced augmented reality features. According to a recent leak, the iPhone maker is readying an AR app that will enable users to view information about items on store shelves and other objects by pointing their phone’s camera at them. 

“The current health situation has required that we create a new WWDC 2020 format that delivers a full program with an online keynote and sessions, offering a great learning experience for our entire developer community, all around the world,” Apple marketing head Phil Schiller said in a statement.

Apple isn’t the only tech giant that has had to adjust its conference plans in the past 24 hours. Microsoft Corp. on Thursday evening said that its own developer summit, Build, will be turned into a digital event as well.

Elsewhere in the tech industry, Xerox Holdings Corp. today temporarily suspended its attempted hostile takeover of HP Inc. “so we can focus our time and resources on protecting Xerox’s various stakeholders from the pandemic,” the company said in a statement. Xerox this month raised its bid for the printer and computer maker to $35 billion but was rebuffed again. The company said the recent volatility in HP’s stock does not affect its offer.

HP has seen its shares tumble as part of the broad selloff in public markets that on Thursday pushed the Dow Jones Industrial Average to its biggest point drop since 1987. The Dow recouped some of its losses today, as did the hard-hit S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite, in a gain that has been at least partially attributed to investor hopes about a potential fiscal stimulus from the U.S. government.

Apple’s stock rose almost 12% today and Microsoft has shot up more than 14%. Amazon.com Inc., Facebook Inc. and Google parent Alphabet Inc. all rose as well.

Overall, the Dow today gained 1,985 points, or 9.4%, jumping after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency in a press conference. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite both climbed more than 9%.

Photo: Apple