X is raising price of its Premium+ subscription without ads from $16 to $22

Here is the top trending news from the world of technology and AI. News that every tech enthusiast should keep a tab on.

1)

X is raising price of its Premium+ subscription without ads from $16 to $22

Elon Musk’s social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has announced a significant price increase for its Premium+ subscription service. Effective from December 21, 2024, the monthly fee for this ad-free tier has risen from $16 to $22, marking a 37.5% increase. The annual subscription fee has also increased from $168 to $229. Existing subscribers will continue to pay the previous rates until their next billing cycle after January 20, 2025. New subscribers will immediately incur the higher fees. X has also increased the price of its Premium+ subscription in other regions, including Europe and Canada. in Canada, the price will rise from $20 to $29 whereas in European countries, it will increase from €16 to €21.

2)

OpenAI’s next flagship model GPT-5 likely to get delayed

OpenAI’s next flagship model, GPT-5, codenamed Orion, is facing significant delays. The delays have been attributed to challenges with scarce availability of high-quality data and huge cost associated with the data development. Initially, GPT-5 was supposed to release by mid-2024. Reports indicate that OpenAI had conducted at least two major training runs over the past 18 months, but these have not yielded the expected improvements. These raised concerns about the model’s readiness and overall quality. GPT-5’s launch delay could come as a setback for OpenAI, especially in the wake of ever-increasing competition in the generative AI space.

3)  

WhatsApp will stop working on older Android phones starting from January, 2025

WhatsApp will discontinue support for older Android smartphones starting from January 1, 2025. This change affects devices running on Android KitKat or older versions, which were released nearly a decade ago. WhatsApp claims that this move is necessitated primarily due to the need for newer hardware to run advanced features, including those related to AI and enhanced security measures. Samsung’s Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 2 and LG’s Optimus G and Nexus and Motorola’s Moto G (1st Gen) and Razr HD are some of the old Android models that won’t be able to run WhatsApp.

4)

Japan could accuse Google of breaking antitrust laws    

Google is facing serious antitrust allegations in Japan, where the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) has issued a cease-and-desist order against the company. The JFTC has  accused Google of engaging in anti-competitive practices by compelling smartphone manufacturers to pre-install its search app and prioritize it in default screen placements. This order marks the first time Japan’s antitrust authorities have targeted a major U.S. tech company in this manner. This is likely to increase anti-trust woes for Google, which is already facing intense scrutiny in the US market over its alleged ant-competitive behaviour.