Education on technology

Music streaming service Spotify, along with other media firms such as Deezer, urged the European Commission to take action against Apple for anticompetitive and unfair practices, in a joint industry letter on Wednesday. The letter, addressed to the European Union antitrust regulator's Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, demanded the Commission to act fast for the welfare of European consumers. Spotify has for years accused Apple of abusing its market position using its App Store rules to stifle competition. It has previously submitted antitrust complaints against Apple in various countries, alleging the 30 percent charge Apple requires developers to pay on its App Store has forced Spotify to "artificially inflate" its own prices. "We are writing to you to call for swift and decisive action by the European Commission against anticompetitive and unfair practices by certain global digital gatekeepers, and Apple in particular," read the letter, which...

The government will not permit social media platforms to host any information that it identifies as false, according to a draft proposal of new IT rules released this week. This is the latest in a slew of measures by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government that are being seen as efforts to rein in big tech firms. Any information identified as "fake or false" by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), or by any other agency authorised for fact-checking by the government or "by its department in which such business is transacted", would be prohibited under the draft. Once information was identified as such, social media platforms or other "online intermediaries" would have to "make reasonable efforts" to ensure users do not "host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, store, update or share" such information, it added. In October, the government announced a panel would be set up to hear complaints from users regarding content ...

Coinbase on Wednesday announced that it has halted its operations in Japan. Crypto lenders and exchanges, struggling to emerge victorious of the ongoing crypto slump, are faced with drastic decisions to ensure that their businesses remain operational amid the ongoing crypto winter. Citing the ongoing challenges with the crypto market, Coinbase has given its users in Japan up to February 16 to withdraw holdings from their respective accounts. Not too long ago, popular crypto exchange Kraken , faced with similar market pressure, also exited the Japanese market. “Due to market conditions, our company has made the difficult decision to halt operations in Japan and to conduct a complete review of our business in the country,” the multi-national crypto exchange said in its official statement . Coinbase Japan will no longer allow fiat deposits starting from January 20. After February 16, all of the holdings left in possession of Coinbase Japan will be converted to the Japanese Yen (JPY) a...

iQoo Neo 7 5G has been confirmed for its India launch months after it was launched in China as part of the iQoo 7 series in October 2022. The smartphone will launch in India on February 16. Before the launch, a few details about the Indian variant has come to light. Reportedly the company said that the iQOO Neo 7 5G will come with a 3D cooling system for heat dissipation and will support 120W flash charging technology. The Indian variant was also reportedly spotted on Geekbench with the model number I2214, which is the same model as was listed on BIS and Bluetooth SIG websites earlier. According to a GizmoChina report , iQoo confirmed that the Indian variant of Neo 7 5G will be equipped with a 3D cooling system for heat dissipation and will support fast charging with 120W flash charge technology. The Chinese variant also comes with flash charging and a 5,000mAh battery. According to a 91mobiles report , the iQoo Neo 7 5G Indian variant was spotted on Geekbench with the model number ...

More than a dozen of Apple's Chinese suppliers are receiving initial clearance by India to expand in the country, helping the tech giant's efforts to diversify its assembly network beyond China. AirPods and iPhone assembler Luxshare Precision and a unit of lensmaker Sunny Optical are among the companies gaining approval, people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be named because the permits aren't public. The clearances from key Indian ministries are a step toward full approval for expansion in India, and the companies will still likely to be required to find local Indian joint venture partners, the people said. Apple and other US electronics brands are seeking to reduce their reliance on China after trade restrictions and COVID-related production disruptions laid bare the risks of too much concentration in one country. The clearances signal that India is allowing more Chinese companies in to build out its tech manufacturing sector, even as political tensions...

Apple will reportedly feature M3 Pro and ‌M3‌ Max chips built on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSMC) 3-nanometer process in its 2024 MacBook Pro lineup. According to an Apple analyst, MacBook Pro models powered by the M3 Pro and M3 Max chips will be mass-produced during the first half of 2024. In late December, the Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer started mass production of next-generation 3-nanometer chips. When compared to existing chips produced on a 5-nanometer process, using 3nm technology should provide improved performance and power efficiency. In a series of tweets , TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the new MacBook Pro models will use M3 Pro or M3 Max processors made by 3nm chips, likely TSMC's N3P or N3S, and are expected to go into production in the first half of 2024. “I expect the next new MacBook Pro models, which will adopt M3 Pro/M3 Max processors made by 3nm (likely TSMC's N3P or N3S), will go to mass production in 1H24,” t...

Microsoft is set to lay off thousands of employees today. Citing Sky News, Reuters reported that thousands of roles would be cut, with the software giant looking to cut around 5 percent of its workforce or about 11,000 roles. Thousands of job cuts are expected in human resources and engineering divisions on Wednesday. The layoffs would be the latest in the US technology sector, where companies including Amazon  and Meta  have announced retrenchment exercises in response to slowing demand and a worsening global economic outlook. The company had 221,000 full-time employees, including 122,000 in the US and 99,000 internationally, as of June 30, according to filings. Microsoft is under pressure to maintain growth rates at its cloud unit Azure , after several quarters of the downturn in the personal computer market hurt Windows and devices sales, reported Reuters. It had said in July last year that a small number of roles had been eliminated. In October, news site Axios repor...