BATTERYFORPC BLOG
Apple Reports iPhone 13 and Mac Sales Strong, But COVID-19 and Chip Shortages Remain
Apple says COVID-19 disruptions and silicon shortages are hitting its business, though seemingly not as much as some other tech giants. At nearly 15 years old, Apple's iPhone is one of the most popular consumer products of all time. During the holidays, it helped Apple ring up record revenues and profits. And even now, with war overseas and nagging inflation at home, Apple's fortunes are still la ... Read more
2022-04-28 19:59:08
Amazon posts loss as online sales falter
A drop in online sales and rising costs have helped to push Amazon to its first loss since 2015. Online sales at the e-commerce giant slipped 3% in the first three months of the year, as the boom to its business from the pandemic starts to fade, the firm said Thursday. Growth in other parts of its business, including cloud computing and advertising, remained strong. But it is wrestling with the ... Read more
2022-04-28 19:57:43
Meta AI Finds New Concrete Recipes to Cut Meta's Carbon Footprint
Concrete accounts for 8% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions, but Meta is using AI to try to find new recipes that are less of a problem for climate change. The company, formerly named Facebook, used an artificial intelligence algorithm to try to come up with new concrete recipes that release less carbon dioxide. In tests at a new data center it's building in DeKalb, Illinois, Meta found that ... Read more
2022-04-27 19:17:31
Apple's iPad and M1 Mac Sales May Signal Whether the Chip Shortage Is Finally Ending
The tech giant is set to release quarterly earnings on Thursday, offering the latest sign of how COVID-19 is impacting tech. Two years ago, Apple was one of the first companies to warn that the COVID-19 pandemic was seriously impacting its manufacturing. Now, the tech giant may offer the first signs that things are improving. Apple will announce its earnings for its second fiscal quarter after m ... Read more
2022-04-27 19:17:09
Amazon's Astro Raises Questions About Privacy in the Home
Amazon's Astro home robot probes deeper into our lives than the e-commerce giant's existing technology, like its Ring security cameras and Alexa voice assistants. Astro's array of features, including cameras, sensors and onboard AI, raise privacy concerns, especially because the robot is designed to make us love and trust it. Unlike stationary home security cameras, Astro can rove from room to r ... Read more
2022-04-27 19:16:36
Daily Facebook users up again after first-ever decline
Facebook stopped losing users as 2022 got under way, even as its owner reported its slowest revenue growth in a decade. The number of daily active Facebook users grew to 1.96 billion in the first three months of the year, parent company Meta reported on Wednesday. That marked a turnaround from last year, when the social network reported a decline in users for the first time. The drop wiped bill ... Read more
2022-04-27 19:15:35
Chinese drone firm DJI pauses operations in Russia and Ukraine
The world's largest commercial drone-maker DJI has suspended all business activities in Russia and Ukraine. Since the start of the war, Ukraine has urged the company to take steps to stop its drones being used by Russia. The Chinese firm said the decision was not a statement about any country, and its drones are not for military use. But Taras Troiak, chairman of the Ukrainian Federation of UAV ... Read more
2022-04-27 19:15:09
Google Play Now Shows How Apps Will Use Your Data
Google launched a "Data safety" section in its Play app store on Tuesday. The feature is meant to show people safety and privacy guidelines before they download an app, such as how data is collected, protected and used. "We heard from users and app developers that displaying the data an app collects, without additional context, is not enough," Google said in a post. "That ... Read more
2022-04-26 21:32:47
Google Misses Earnings Expectations Amid Light Revenue
Google parent Alphabet posted first-quarter earnings that missed analyst expectations as the search giant's revenue came in softer than anticipated. For the quarter ended March 31, Alphabet reported $68 billion in sales, slightly below the $68.1 billion forecast by analysts surveyed by Yahoo Finance. Earnings per share totaled $24.62, below the $25.94 forecast. The weaker than expected results c ... Read more
2022-04-26 21:32:28
‘Vampire devices’ cost UK households £147 a year
UK households could save an average of £147 per year by switching off so-called vampire devices. Vampire devices are electronics that drain a surprising amount of power even when they are on standby. British Gas research indicates households in the UK are spending £2.2bn annually just for the privilege of leaving vampire devices on standby. This equates to £147 a year for the average household ... Read more
2022-04-26 21:31:32