Here is today’s top tech news from the world of technology. News that every tech enthusiast should keep a tab on.
1)
Apple’s infamous ‘walled garden’ faces its biggest legal challenge
The antitrust fight against the big tech companies witnessed a big step forward on Thursday after the American Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple. 16 other US states have also joined lawsuit. The lawsuit accuses Apple of creating an illegal monopoly in the smartphone market through its unpopular “walled garden” strategy. iPhone’s parent company’s walled garden strategy has often been accused of making its hardware and software products largely inaccessible to competitors. Besides, it has been accused of making difficult for customers to switch to other companies’ products. Overall, the latest antitrust lawsuit against Apple has the potential to significantly impact the tech industry and app development.
2)
Copilot gets a dedicated key on Microsoft’s new Surface Laptops
Microsoft is integrating its AI assistant Copilot even more deeply into their new Surface devices. The company’s new Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 are being marketed as the company’s first “AI PCs.” These business-oriented laptops will come with a dedicated Copilot key. Pressing this key gives you instant access to Copilot’s features, designed to help with several tasks, information retrieval, and data analysis. This dedicated key highlights Microsoft’s push towards AI integration in their devices. Whether a physical AI button becomes the norm remains to be seen but it signifies a significant focus on Copilot within the Surface lineup.
3)
Competing with Google is boring, claims OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently made a rather bold statement about its arch rival Google in one of its public meetings. Altman said that competing with Google is actually very boring. Clearing the air about his controversial statement, the OpenAI CEO clarified that rather than just creating a better search engine than Google, we need to create a new effective way that will help people to find, understand, and use information. He emphasized that his company’s AI powered tool ChatGPT is one such tool. By giving this explanation, Altman almost admitted that dethroning Google in search market is difficult, if not impossible.
4)
Spotify, at last, launches Miniplayer for Desktop Users
Spotify has finally added a long-requested feature of ‘desktop miniplayer’ to its desktop app. This resizable mini window will let users to control music playback without switching back and forth from the main Spotify app. They can change tracks, pick playlists, and adjust volume directly from the Miniplayer while working in other programs. Currently, it’s rolling out to Spotify Premium subscribers first, but it might eventually reach free tier users as well. Look for a small square icon appear in the bottom right corner of the desktop app to see if you have access yet. Overall, this new feature will prove immensely handy especially for those Spotify users who are used to multitasking.
5)
Reddit makes a stellar debut on NYSE
Defying the public expectation, Reddit made a rather stellar debut in the public market. Reddit shares jumped over 48% on their first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock opened at $47 per share, well above the initial public offering price of $34. This strong debut could signal renewed investor confidence in the social media sector after a dry spell for IPOs. It’s interesting to see how Reddit’s stock price performs in the coming weeks. If the stock is able to maintain this momentum then it could pave way for more IPOs by the social media companies in the coming months.