Top 10 in Tech – August 2022

Apple is coming for a seat in the auto industry!

The tech giant announced its car software CarPlay’s next generation in June. Integrated with the user’s iPhone, CarPlay creates in-car experiences for users by digitalizing gas gauges and speed dials.

Apple is using iPhone’s popularity to expand CarPlay’s coverage and suggests CarPlay helps automakers sell vehicles. Yet, automakers are skeptical about shifting all the car experience from the automakers to Apple.

The car software market is growing at a faster rate than the automotive industry as a whole. It is expected to grow by 9% per year through 2030.

Source: cnbc

Look up! A ferry might be flying around

Cutting carbon emissions from ferries is important for a city that is surrounded by water. Stockholm’s existing fleet of 60 ferries emits 40,000 tons of CO2 annually, making up 8 percent of total shipping emissions in Sweden. This air pollution is raising public health concerns, particularly in cities

Candela is already manufacturing leisure versions of its electric flying boats, the P-12 hasn’t yet been built. Candela CEO Gustav Hasselskog said the boat is in “manufacturing design” prior to its launch in November and will be tested next year. The goal is to have the flying ferry become a part of Stockholm’s public transport system and reduce carbon emission.

Source: wired

Google will test its AR glasses in public again

The new glasses aren’t currently available to the public, but Google wants to test apps like real-time translation and displaying directions inside glasses lenses, especially in busy intersections.

Google is trying to get ahead of the kind of privacy concerns that helped sink Google Glass, one of the first augmented reality devices almost a decade ago, by announcing plans to test in public.

Source: CNBC

NASA’s Webb Delivers Deepest Infrared Image of Universe Yet

The James Webb Space Telescope has delivered the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe so far. Webb’s First Deep Field is a galaxy cluster located in the SMACS 0723 galaxy cluster. It contains thousands of galaxies, including the faintest objects ever observed in the infrared.

This image shows the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago. It shows many more galaxies in front of and behind the cluster. More information about this cluster will be revealed as researchers study Webb’s data. This field was imaged by Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), which observes mid-infrared light.

The image allows astronomers to infer the distance, age, and composition of the galaxies photographed and make predictions about our galaxy and space.

Source: nasa

Twitter is promising to fight after Elon Musk pulled out of a $44 billion deal

Elon Musk said he was canceling his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter because the social media company violated several terms of the merger agreement.

Twitter’s chairman, Bret Taylor, said on the social media platform that the board plans to pursue legal action to enforce the merger agreement.

The decision by Elon Musk to take Tesla private is likely to lead to a protracted legal battle between the billionaire and the 16-year-old San Francisco-based company.

Source: reuters

Samsung plans to invest $200 billion in 11 new chip plants in the US over the next few years

Samsung Electronics has floated the idea of investing nearly $200 billion in 11 new chip plants in the US over the next two decades. The plants would help to bolster the US economy and help to create more jobs.

In March, Samsung urged Washington to give foreign chipmakers an equal chance to compete for state incentives under the act to expand production capacity and address a continuing chip shortage.

Samsung has been manufacturing products in the United States for more than four decades and employs over 20,000 American workers. The CHIPS Act is designed to help boost US chip manufacturing capacity and capabilities, as well as strengthen supply chains. This will help restore America’s manufacturing prowess.

Source: dailypioneer

Mark Zuckerberg thinks a billion people will join him in the metaverse

Mark Zuckerberg has predicted that a billion people will join his virtual reality platform, generating hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue through his newly announced metaverse wallet.

The metaverse has recently been named one of the top five emerging trends of 2022, with global spending expected to increase from $12 billion in 2020 to $72.8 billion in 2024. Microsoft, Roblox, and Epic Games have all made substantial investments in the technology, but mainstream interest remains muted..

Meta Pay will enable people to secure their identity and purchase digital items and experiences, such as VR concerts and events, in the metaverse.

Source: yahoofinance

IBM acquires Databand.ai

IBM announced on Wednesday that it has acquired Databand.ai, an Israeli-based data observability software provider that helps organisations fix issues with their data. The company’s undisclosed sum was reportedly paid in cash.

Databand.ai’s approach of being open and extensible allows data engineering teams to easily integrate and gain visibility into their data infrastructure.

Enterprises will be able to run Databand.ai in a variety of ways, including as a SaaS or self-hosted service.

Arvind Krishna has led IBM to acquire 25 companies since he became CEO in April of 2020.

Source: dailypioneer

Two European satellite companies are merging in a $3.4 billion deal to challenge SpaceX, founded by entrepreneur Elon Musk

OneWeb plans to partner with European rival Eutelsat in order to compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

Shareholders of OneWeb and Eutelsat will have a 50% stake in the combined firm. The deal values ​​OneWeb at $3.4 billion. The merged entity is expected to generate 1.2 billion euros in revenues in the 2022-23 fiscal year.

The deal is subject to various approvals, including a stringent national security clearance process in the UK. Expected to be completed in the first half of 2023

This collaboration may create a competitor for Elon Musk’s SpaceX company in the future.

Source: cnbc

Apple is rumored to launch a second affordable AR headset in 2025

Apple is likely to launch another AR device in 2025 that will be more affordable than the one it is set to launch next year, which will join the metaverse race.

The second-generation Apple AR/MR is expected to have a range of high-end and more affordable models.

Apple is expected to release a virtual reality headset in January next year, as the buzz around metaverse continues to grow. The tech giant is also said to be planning to launch a RealityOS for its headset.

Source: dailypioneer