| Here are today's top tech stories: - Apple Watch sales have resumed after pause on import ban.
- Xiaomi unveiled its first electric vehicle.
- Researchers developed "eSoil" to help plants grow.
- Zulily announced it is shutting down.
Beth
p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | Apple has resumed online sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 following an import ban. On Wednesday, a U.S. appeals court temporarily lifted the ban on Apple's latest smartwatches, allowing the sales to continue for now. More: - As of Thursday, the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 are back on Apple's U.S. website and its retail stores.
- The company can temporarily sell the watches until U.S. Customs and Border Protection rules on Apple's proposed changes to the watches on Jan. 12.
- The changes could include redeveloped software Apple has submitted to the federal agency.
- The software would allow Apple to sell non-infringing versions of the watches while it appeals the import ban.
Zoom out: - Apple originally halted sales of the watches in late December due to a patent lawsuit it lost in October.
- The U.S. International Trade Commission ordered the import ban after finding Apple infringed on another company's patents for a blood oxygen feature.
- On Wednesday, a federal appeals court temporarily stopped the enforcement of the import ban, pending Apple's appeal.
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| 2 | | Xiaomi, the Chinese consumer electronics giant, unveiled its first electric vehicle on Thursday. The SU7 marks Xiaomi's debut in the electric vehicle market, expanding from smartphones, home appliances, and internet services. China's fifth-largest smartphone maker is diversifying into EVs as it responds to declining smartphone demand. 
Details: The SU7 is now in trial production and set to launch domestically in the coming months. During a presentation on Thursday, Xiaomi's CEO Lei Jun highlighted what he described as the EV's superior acceleration and performance compared to Porsche's Taycan and Tesla's Model S. The SU7 will integrate with Xiaomi's smart devices and be compatible with Apple's iPhone, iPad, CarPlay, and AirPlay, he said. Still: The car's debut coincides with a challenging period in China's EV market, marked by oversaturation, excess capacity, slowing demand, and intense price competition. | | | |
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| 3 | | Scientists have developed an electrically conductive soil that boosts plant growth. In experiments, barley plants in the new soil grew 50% larger in 15 days compared to those without the electrical root stimulation. More: - Scientists at Linköping University in Sweden developed the "soil," which is a mix of cellulose and a conductive polymer called PEDOT.
- The material, dubbed eSoil, is designed specifically for hydroponic farming, or growing plants in a water-based nutrient solution.
- While previous research has used high voltage for root stimulation, the eSoil offers the benefits of low energy consumption without high voltage risks.
- "In this way, we can get seedlings to grow faster with less resources," said Professor Eleni Starvrinidou, first author of the study.
Zoom out: - Starvrinidou acknowledged that the researchers are unsure of the process and its underlying biological mechanisms.
- However, she expects the findings to spur more research in hydroponic cultivation, particularly for growing in regions with scarce arable land and harsh environments.
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| 4 | | Seattle-based e-commerce giant Zulily announced it is shutting down. The online retailer said the "orderly wind-down" will allow it to "maximize value for the companies' creditors." More: - Ryan C. Baker, VP at management consultant Douglas Wilson Companies, which is handling Zulily's receivership, cited a "challenging business environment" and "corresponding financial instability."
- Founded in 2010 in Seattle, Zulily has primarily focused on children's and women's clothing and household products.
- The company, a fixture of Seattle's tech landscape, went public in 2013. At its peak, it reached a market value of around $9B.
- Over the past year, Zulily has faced hundreds of layoffs and was sold by Qurate Retail Group to private equity firm Regent.
- The company said it will complete most of its pending orders in the next two weeks.
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| 5 | | Steam released its list of the best-performing video games of 2023. Apex Legends, Baldur's Gate 3, and Starfield were among the platform's top-grossing games. More: - Other top sellers included Hogwarts Legacy, Lost Ark, Cyberpunk 2077, Dota 2, PUBG: Battlegrounds, Destiny 2, and Counter-Strike 2.
- Meanwhile, games like Goose Goose Duck, Sons of the Forest, and Hogwarts Legacy drew the most players.
- Top new releases included Street Fighter 6, Starfield, Cities: Skylines II, Remnant II, and Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon.
Zoom out: - The list also covered the top games for the Steam Deck, Valve's portable handheld gaming device. These included Elden Ring, Dave the Diver, Hogwarts Legacy, and The Witcher III: Wild Hunt.
- The top grossing VR-exclusive games were Boneworks, Blade & Sorcery, Bonelab, Beat Saber, and Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted 2, among others.
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| 6 | | Microsoft's AI-powered Copilot assistant is now available as a dedicated Android app. Through the app, users can access OpenAI's GPT-4 model for free. More: - Copilot uses OpenAI's most recent models, GPT-4 and DALL-E 3, for text and image generation, respectively.
- GPT-4 is available on the web version of ChatGPT but is limited to 40 messages every three hours unless a user subscribes to its premium version.
- The Copilot mobile app is free to download on the Google Play Store, with no Microsoft account needed to log in.
- Microsoft hasn't said if it will release an iOS version.
Zoom out: - Microsoft rebranded Bing Chat as Copilot last month.
- The company recently launched Copilot in Windows 10 after bringing it to Windows 11, Edge, and Microsoft 365 products.
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 | AI and technology writer | | Beth is a contributing editor and writer of Inside's AI and Tech newsletters. She has written for notable publications like USA Today and the Arizona Business Gazette. During her time as a public policy reporter at The Arizona Republic, she received recognition with a Pulitzer Prize nomination and a First Amendment Award for her collaborative reporting on pension cost increases. Beth also authored a book on the solar photovoltaic industry in 2016. You can reach her at Beth.Duckett@yahoo.com. | | This newsletter was edited by Eduardo Garcia | |
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