In today’s Bulldog wrapup of technology and life science news:

  • Rumors heat up that Pfizer wants GSK
  • Apple reports big increase in hiring of women and minorities
  • Dell’s new Chromebooks
  • EMC, NetApp rival Pure Storage eyes IPO
  • Tesla aims to raise $500 million

The details:

  • Pfizer-GSK rumors heat up

Biospace reports that rumors Pfizer may seek to buy GlaxoSmithKline continue to heat up.

“The speculation over a Pfizer-GSK deal centers around diversifying Pfizer’s vaccine and consumer portfolios, taking advantage of a tax inversion by shifting its domicile to a more tax-friend country, and dramatically increasing its revenue base for the vaccine and consumer areas,” the news site reports.

WTW has noted several recent reports where Pfizer rumors continue to bubble up.

Read the latest talk at:

http://www.biospace.com/News/rumors-heat-up-again-that-pfizer-will-buy/388009?intcid=homepage-seekercarousel-featurednews-navindex3

  • Apple more than doubles hiring of women and minorities

Apple says it more than doubled the numbers of women, blacks and Hispanic workers hired in the last year, although that moved the needle only slightly in terms of improving the overall diversity of its workforce.

Like other major tech companies, Apple has been under public pressure to increase the number of women and minorities in a workforce that is overwhelmingly white or Asian males. Apple says 35 percent of its new hires worldwide last year were women, while 24 percent of U.S. hires were black or Hispanic.

As a result, Apple’s global workforce of 110,000 is now 31 percent women, up from 30 percent last year. Its U.S. workforce is 19 percent black or Hispanic, up from 18 percent. That includes non-technical jobs including retail workers in Apple stores.

  • Dell to sell Google Chromebook tailored for corporate users

Google’s latest Chromebook laptop will be specially designed for corporate customers in an effort to get more workers off machines powered by Microsoft’s dominant Windows software.

The Chromebook unveiled Thursday will be made by Dell and will go on sale Sept. 17. Prices will range from $400 to $900, a step up from a line of bare-bones Chromebooks that have been selling for as low as $150 since Google teamed up with Hisense and Haier to make those devices.

The cheap Chromebooks have helped make the laptops popular in classrooms, but they haven’t made many inroads in offices.

Google is trying to win over corporate customers with the Dell Chromebook 13, which offers more flexibility to run a variety of apps that haven’t been easily accessible on previous Chromebooks.

  • Pure Storage aims for IPO

Pure Storage, a rival to EMC and NetApp which have big RTP operations, is gearing up for an IPO

Reuters reports that the company filed plans earlier this week. It’s already raised $470 million in venture capital.

The firm focuses on flash storage which “typically” is much faster than hard disk-based devices, Reuters notes.

  • Tesla raising $500 million

Tesla Motors hopes to raise around $500 million in a new stock offering that comes as the electric car maker prepares to roll out a new SUV. Tesla says it will offer 2.1 million shares and expects net proceeds of about $490 million. Tesla could make up to $570 million if the underwriters exercise their option to buy additional shares.