Bringing you the compilation of the 5 biggest breaking news from the world of technology and AI.
1)
Threads is testing Ephemeral posts that will vanish after 24 hours
Since its launch last year, Threads has been on a roll in testing new feature in an attempt to make it more competitive with its rival X (formerly known as Twitter). Now it has come to light that Meta’s microblogging platform is testing a feature that will allow its users to create posts that will disappear after 24 hours, such posts are popularly known as disappearing or ephemeral posts. It is sort of similar to ‘stories,’ which as we all know remains active only for 24 hours. Even Twitter, when it was still not bought by Elon Musk, used to offer a similar feature to its users, known as ‘Fleets,’ which allowed users to upload short videos with 24 hours expiration timer. This feature was discontinued in 2022 due to its low traction.
2)
Meta has shelved its plan to launch a high -end mixed reality headset
Meta was tentatively planning to launch its most advanced mixed-reality headset in 2027 to take on Apple’s Vision Pro headset. However, this ambitious plan has been indefinitely put on hold, according to a report by The Information. As per this report, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who personally inspected the headset in a product review meeting, has asked the Reality Lab employees to stop working on the device. The company’s inability to control the cost of the device, aiming to keep it below $1,000, proved to be contentious factor. Another critical factor was that Meta itself was unsure about market’s appetite for a advanced mixed reality headset, especially after Apple Vision Pro is witnessing a sluggish demand.
3)
Apple likely to unveil Apple 16 & much more in September
After the WWDC event in June, Apple is reportedly planning to conduct its next big event in September, when it is likely to launch couple of new products. This includes iPhone 16 that will come inclusive with large screen on pro models and brand-new button solely designed for taking photos. The iPhone 16 is likely to incorporate the Apple Intelligence, the company’s suite of advanced AI features that was first unveiled in this year’s WWDC event. Alongside the company could announce Apple Watch Series 10, which could be thinner than all its predecessors and may also flaunt a large screen. New AirPods with noise cancellation features could also be unveiled at this event.
4)
Telegram Founder Pavel Durov reportedly detained in France
Pavel Durov, founder & CEO of popular messaging app Telegram, was reportedly arrested on Saturday by French authorities at France’s Bourget Airport. However, neither Telegram nor France’s law enforcement agency has confirmed this news. As per the preliminary reports, Telegram’s lack of content moderation could have led to Durov’s arrest, with French police holding him culpable for drug trafficking, money laundering and child pornography spread via its app. If this is indeed true then this could trigger a debate about to what extent should messaging apps held accountable for the unethical activities of its users.
5)
Grok-2 gets a major speed upgrade
Grok-2, which was launched by Elon Musk’s xAI last week with image generation capabilities, will now respond to your queries and generate images much faster. This after Grok-2 along with Grok-2 Mini got a major speed bump up, the latter being a smaller yet faster version of Grok 2. xAI and its developers have confirmed this news on their respective X handles. They have also confirmed that both models will also become slightly more accurate in their responses though this has to be independently verified. Grok-2 is currently available to X users at $8 dollars monthly subscription.