Innholdsfortegnelse for #582 i Techlife News

2022 has been another record year for Apple, with both hardware and software making solid gains. It’s clear why: Apple has bolstered the iPhone with features like Dynamic Island and made headway with the M2, making its phones, tablets, and laptops even more compelling. A BUMPER START TO THE YEAR There’s no denying that 2022 has been a quieter year for Apple than 2021, which saw the launch of several new Macs under the company’s transition to the M1 chip. But Tim Cook and co still managed to start the year strong with the first event, where it introduced a 5G iPad Air and a 5G iPhone SE. Introducing 5G connectivity to the iPad Air made the device even more attractive, offering many of the same features as the iPad…

The surprise deal by Senate Democrats on a slimmed-down bill to support families, boost infrastructure and fight climate change also is likely to jump-start sales of electric vehicles. The measure agreed to by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and holdout Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia would give EV buyers a $7,500 tax credit starting next year, through the end of 2032. There’s also a new $4,000 credit for those buying used EVs, a move to help the middle class go electric. But as things often go in Washington, there are a bunch of strings and asterisks. To be eligible, the electric vehicle has to be assembled in North America, and there are limits on annual income for buyers. There also are caps on the sticker prices of new EVs…

The race is on to produce more lithium in the United States. The U.S. will need far more lithium to achieve its clean energy goals — and the industry that mines, extracts and processes the chemical element is poised to grow. But it also faces a host of challenges from environmentalists, Indigenous groups and government regulators. Although lithium reserves are distributed widely across the globe, the U.S. is home to just one active lithium mine, in Nevada. The element is critical to development of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that are seen as key to reducing climate-changing carbon emissions created by cars and other forms of transportation. Worldwide demand for lithium was about 350,000 tons (317,517 metric tons) in 2020, but industry estimates project demand will be up to six times greater…

This summer has been a breakthrough for streaming, with the time viewers spent watching services like Netflix and Hulu outpacing broadcast and cable television networks in July for the first month ever. Viewers spent 35% of their time with streamers, 34% on cable networks and 22% watching broadcast television last month, the Nielsen company said. Video on demand or DVD playback accounted for much of the other time. July is an unusual month — broadcast TV is essentially on vacation with little live sports or scripted programming and a prime-time schedule clogged with game shows — but it’s a clear indication of how rapidly the business is changing. “It was inevitable,” said David Bianculli, professor of television studies at Rowan University and critic on NPR’s “Fresh Air.”“I knew it had…

The world is getting hotter and more crowded and the two issues are connected, but not quite as much as people might think, experts say. On Tuesday somewhere a baby will be born that will be the globe’s 8 billionth person, according to a projection by the United Nations and other experts. The Earth has warmed almost 0.9 degrees Celsius (1.6 degrees Fahrenheit) since the world hit the 4 billion mark in 1974. Climate and population is a touchy subject for scientists and officials. While more people consuming energy, mostly from the burning of fossil fuels, is warming the planet, the key issue isn’t the number of people as much as how a small fraction of those people are causing way more than their share of carbon pollution, several climate…

It’s no secret Apple is working on several exciting products at Apple Campus, from virtual reality headsets to self-driving cars. Before too long, we expect to hear Tim Cook say “one more thing” and lift the lid on another significant innovation from the Cupertino company. APPLE REALITY ONE: AN AR/VR EXPERIENCE In what’s perhaps one of the worst-kept secrets in Silicon Valley, Apple is believed to have been working on several augmented and virtual reality headsets for release in the coming year. The new mixed-reality product will allow consumers to interact with apps that combine virtual and augmented reality and serve as the next big thing - the spiritual successor to the iPhone and the App Store, pushing technology in yet another direction. It’s all but confirmed that the devices…

American Airlines has agreed to buy up to 20 supersonic jets and put down a non-refundable deposit on the planes that are still on the drawing board and years away from flying. Neither American nor the manufacturer Boom Supersonic would provide financial details Tuesday, including the amount of American’s deposit. American, which also took options for 40 more Boom Overture planes, becomes the second U.S. customer for Boom after a similar announcement last year from United Airlines for 15 jets. It has been nearly 20 years since the last supersonic passenger flight by Concorde, the British-French plane that failed to catch on because of the high cost — both for passengers and airlines. Boom CEO Blake Scholl insists his company’s plane will be different when it debuts in 2029, with…

As Apple continues its expansion of TV+, a $4.99 per month streaming service, the company is reportedly considering investing in live sports content to attract an entirely new audience. Now reports suggest that live music could also play a role in the future of TV+, giving subscribers even more value for money and helping Apple differentiate in a crowded market. EXPANDING INTO LIVE SPORT Both serious Apple investors and casual fans can agree that Apple TV+ has been a mixed bag thus far. Despite investing billions of dollars into original programming, Apple is yet to compete with the likes of Disney+, Amazon Prime, and Netflix, offering just a handful of original TV shows and movies compared to their catalogs of thousands of shows. And Apple knew it: until recently, the…

Congress held its first hearing in half a century on unidentified flying objects. And no, there is still no government confirmation of extraterrestrial life. Testifying before a House Intelligence subcommittee, Pentagon officials did not disclose additional information from their ongoing investigation of hundreds of unexplained sightings in the sky. But they said they had picked a director for a new task force to coordinate data collection efforts on what the government has officially labeled “unidentified aerial phenomena.” Ronald Moultrie, the undersecretary of defense for intelligence, said the Pentagon was also trying to destigmatize the issue and encourage pilots and other military personnel to report anything unusual they see. “We want to know what’s out there as much as you want to know what’s out there,” Moultrie told lawmakers, adding that…

Apple’s smart home platform, HomeKit, is designed to allow consumers to control a whole host of internet-enabled devices from the comfort of their Apple Watch or HomePod, from their thermostats to CCTV cameras. As new technologies continue to innovate in the space, Apple must also keep up and create tools and platforms that push the world further forward. HOMEKIT CHALLENGES Whilst companies like Amazon and Google have taken the lead when it comes to smart home technology, with the launch of products like Eero WiFi routers, Blink home surveillance cameras, and the Google Nest range of doorbells, fire alarms, and smart speakers, Apple has taken a slightly different approach. Though the firm now finally appears to be doubling down on the HomePod with the launch of a mini variant and…

Kentucky reached another stage in developing an electric vehicle battery sector, with groundbreaking for a $2 billion plant by a Japanese company that will create 2,000 full-time jobs. The Envision AESC factory at Bowling Green in south-central Kentucky will produce battery cells and modules that will power electric vehicles produced by multiple automakers. “The EV batteries will be in vehicles all around the world, and we’re pretty proud they’re going to be made right here in Kentucky,” Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear said at the groundbreaking event with state and local officials. Envision AESC U.S. Managing Director Jeff Deaton said the state and local support reflects a “shared ambition to be national leaders in the e-mobility transformation in the United States.” The Bowling Green operation is expected to power up to…

Your internet browser is perhaps the most important piece of software on your Mac, allowing you to surf the web, access social media and emails, and conduct your day-to-day affairs. But with so many internet browsers on the market claiming to be the fastest and most secure, it can be tough to know where to start; the battle of the browser is truly heating up. CHOOSING THE RIGHT BROWSER FOR MACOS With consumers and professionals conducting more of their business online than ever before, it is vital that you choose the right web browser for your needs. Indeed, the average American spends an eye-watering 413 minutes on a browser every single day - that’s just under seven hours - but with so many competing products, how can you choose the…

Stephanie Terrell bought a used Nissan Leaf this fall and was excited to join the wave of drivers adopting electric vehicles to save on gas money and reduce her carbon footprint. But Terrell quickly encountered a bump in the road on her journey to clean driving: As a renter, she doesn’t have a private garage where she can power up overnight, and the public charging stations near her are often in use, with long wait times. On a recent day, the 23-year-old nearly ran out of power on the freeway because a public charging station she was counting on was busy. “It was really scary and I was really worried I wasn’t going to make it, but luckily I made it here. Now I have to wait a couple hours…