Top 10 in Tech – November 2022

Apple’s mixed reality headset reportedly uses iris scanning for payments and sign-ins

Apple has been working on an AR/VR headset and many are curious about its features. The headset will allow signing in and making payments by using iris scanning, according to sources, although this is not yet confirmed by Apple. Other features might include an increased number of cameras to track the user’s legs, enhanced resolution displays, and expression tracking. More developments on the launch are expected to take place in 2023.

Source: Engadget

Digital Workers Find Higher Pay, Job Satisfaction, Security

Employees who have more digital skills make more money, are happier in their jobs, and report having higher job security, according to a study done by Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Gallup between August 2 and 23, 2022, and conducted with more than 30,000 workers and 3,000 hiring managers in 19 countries. Among the respondents, those who use intermediate or advanced digital skills on the job report earning 40% and 65% greater pay than workers at the other extreme who do not use a computer at work.  According to the survey, learning digital skills more frequently occurs through self-directed learning, informal training, and employer-provided training than through traditional schooling; 98% of workers who have taken digital skills training in the last year report at least one positive career benefit. For the report, click here.

Source: GALLUP

Mercedes-Benz and Microsoft collaborate on supply chain data platform

Mercedes-Benz and Microsoft announced a partnership where the carmaker will use Microsoft Cloud for a data platform, called MO360. The platform, which is already available in Europe, aims to improve production efficiency at more than 30 passenger car plants throughout the world. With the platform, data from across the production process, such as components, logistics, and the assembly line, will be collected to create a virtual replica. This replica will allow the teams to identify potential supply chain bottlenecks more quickly. Mercedes-Benz highlighted that the project is expected to increase vehicle production efficiency by 20% between 2022 and 2025.

Source: Reuters

SpaceX will provide internet services to planes with Starlink Aviation

Starlink, the satellite internet constellation operated by SpaceX, will start to provide internet services to airplanes after the launch of “Starlink Aviation”. The service speed will be up to 350 Mbps for each plane that uses their services. Considering the usual rates vary between 30 Mbps to 100mbps per plane, what Starlink plans to do is well above the average.

Source: The Verge

Meta’s new headset is unveiled

Meta confirmed its new mixed reality headset, called Quest Pro on October 11, and launched the headset on October 25. The process was called “Project Cambria”. Meta invested $10.2 Billion in 2021 and has lost around $6 Billion so far this year for their metaverse vision.

Unlike its ancestor Quest 2, Quest Pro can track the eye movements of the users, focuses on AR more by being able to create a digital layer on the physical world, and has its battery behind. Moving the battery to the back makes the headset more balanced by distributing the weight evenly, rather than only collecting everything on the front.

Source: Reuters

Google’s revenue continues to grow as its profits are still shrinking

Google released its earnings report for Q3 on the 25th of October. The company’s revenue grew from $65.1 billion during Q3 of 2021 to $69 billion this quarter. On the other hand, its profits shrank from $18.9 billion during Q3 of 2021 to $13.9 billion this quarter. Looking at specific divisions, advertising and Google Cloud appeared to grow, albeit with increased losses on cloud; “other bets” category is reported increased losses from $1.3 billion last year to $1.6 billion this year; revenue received from YouTube ads and Google Network also reported slight losses.

During the earnings call, the CEO Sundar Pichai and CFO Ruth Porat pointed to a move towards increased focus on certain products and priorities, as well as the changing economic conditions and their effect on the company’s hiring pace.

Source: The Verge

WATI, a CRM tool built for WhatsApp, raises $23M led by Tiger Global

WATI, a business based in Hong Kong and Malaysia, announced that it has raised $23 million in Series B investment to expand its staff and product. Sequoia Capital India & Southeast Asia, a returning investor, and new investors DST Global Partners and Shopify also took part in the round, which was led by Tiger Global. With this transaction, Shopify made its first venture investment in a Southeast Asian firm. WATI’s customer engagement software allows clients to send customized notifications and to collaborate through a team inbox. The platform includes various features such as smart routing, canned responses, data tagging and analytics. It also enables automated interactions with customers and connections to e-commerce platforms and CRMs.

The founders announced that they will use the funding for hiring and investing in low-code automation. It also has plans to expand to Latin America and Southeast Asia.

Source: TechCrunch

Spotify Boosts Subscribers and Revenue, Says 2023 Price Increases Likely

For the third quarter, Spotify outperformed its revenue and subscriber predictions, but it warned that price increases may be coming in 2023.

456 million monthly active users and 195 paying subscribers were the third quarter’s published numbers, which represent significant growth for the company. Revenue increased by 21% from 2021 to $3 billion. However, the Swedish audio-streaming media giant witnessed a nearly 6% decline in share price.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Cybersecurity Tops the CIO Agenda as Threats Continue to Escalate

As the world becomes more digital and connected, the number and extent of cyber risks also increase. Many CIOs have turned to cyber security and information since 2020 as a top priority in their agenda, and more seem to follow suit. Other priority items include business intelligence and analytics, cloud computing, modernizing applications, and AI.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Elon Musk Completes $44bn Twitter Takeover

Elon Musk has completed his $44 billion takeover of Twitter. The acquisition was followed by a series of statements by Musk to advertisers, signaling an increased focus on advertising, as well as several position changes at the top levels of company’s management.

Source: BBC