Here is the top trending news from the world of technology. News that we feel every tech enthusiast must keep a tab on.
1)
Apple may rollout ‘several’ Macs at WWDC Event
If you’re a die-hard Mac fan and then you have every reason to look forward to this year’s Apple WWDC event. If rumours are to be believed then Apple might announce several new Macs at the upcoming WWDC 2023. This might include a new 15-inch MacBook Air with the M2 chip, a Mac mini with the M2 chip and all-new Mac Pro with the M3 chip. Additionally, there is every possibility that the tech giant could launch new Macs such as a new iMac or a new MacBook Pro. We’ll obviously have to wait for the ‘D’ day and find out if there is any truth to this rumour.
2)
Amazon to pay $30 Mn Penalty to settle Privacy Violation Case
Ecommerce giant Amazon has agreed to pay $30 Mn fine to settle a privacy violation case filed by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission or FTC. FTC had alleged that Amazon’s two leading products, its voice assistant Alexa and doorbell camera Ring collected personal data from its users without their prior consent. Amazon Alexa was particularly accused of violating child privacy by collecting kids’ personal data without securing proper consent from their parents. The data included audio recordings, video recordings, and location data. Even though Amazon has agreed to pay the fine, it has flatly denied FTC’s allegations.
3)
Elon Musk kickstarts his China visit
Tech billionaire Elon Musk kickstarted his China visit on Wednesday, his first visit to the country since the Covid pandemic. On first day of his visit, Musk met some of the top Chinese government officials including Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Commerce Minister Wang Wentao. However, Musk’s primary focus would be on its EV car company Tesla. China’s financial capital Shanghai is home to Tesla’s manufacturing plant outside the U.S. China is its largest market outside the U.S. In 2022, Tesla reportedly sold over 700,000 vehicles in China, accounting for more than half of its global sales.
4)
Baidu launches $145 million Venture Capital AI fund
Chinese search engine giant Baidu has created a $145 million venture capital to take bet on the generative AI startups. The fund, called the Baidu AI Fund, will primarily focus on early-stage AI startups in China. Many startups that will be selected under this fund may even be incubated to work on Baidu’s very own AI chatbot Ernie, which was recently launched as an alternative to ChatGPT. The Baidu AI Fund is expected to make its first investments in the next few months. The fund is expected to invest in a wide range of AI startups, including startups that are developing AI-powered products for healthcare, education, and finance.
5)
Google has officially stopped supporting the first-gen Chromecast
If you are still using a first-gen Chromecast, you should consider upgrading to a newer or higher model. That’s because Google has officially stopped supporting the first-gen Chromecast. This means that going forward the device will no longer receive security updates or new features. The first-gen Chromecast was first released in 2013. Considered as a major breakthrough in the streaming media market, it allowed users to easily stream content from their phones, tablets, and computers to their Televisions. Google has warned that if customers don’t upgrade to newer model then they might notice a degradation in performance.