| Here is a look at today's tech briefing: - High-speed transit firm Hyperloop One is shutting down.
- China unveils new rules for online gaming industry.
- End of Windows 10 support could lead to massive PC disposal.
Beth
p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | Hyperloop One, the high-speed cargo transport firm, is shutting down after failing to secure a contract for a working hyperloop system. Hyperloop One is selling its assets, including machinery and a test track, after laying off most of its staff. More: - The company will officially shut down by year's end, with its IP transferring to its main shareholder, Dubai port operator DP World.
- According to Bloomberg, Hyperloop has faced financial difficulties despite raised more than $400M, mostly from DP World and British billionaire Richard Branson.
- Originally called Hyperloop Technologies, the company was renamed Hyperloop One in 2016 and later became Virgin Hyperloop One after its acquisition by Branson's firm.
- Virgin removed its branding last year after the company shifted from passenger transport to developing a cargo service exclusively.
Zoom out: - A hyperloop system, which uses magnetic levitation inside a vacuum tube, allows travel at up to 700mph by reducing friction and air resistance
- It could reduce the time it takes to get from New York to Washington, D.C., to 30 minutes.
- In 2020, two Hyperloop employees successfully trialed a pod, reaching 107mph over a 500m test run, marking the first successful passenger ride.
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| 2 | | China unveiled new rules to restrict the online gaming industry further. The draft rules from the National Press and Publication Administration would limit players' time and spending on games and include additional content moderation guidelines. More: - The regulations would ban in-game features like daily login rewards that encourage excessive spending.
- Games would have to add spending limits and show warnings for "irrational consumption behavior."
- Companies would have to verify and limit access to minors.
- The proposals also call for more censorship targeting content that endangers national security or damages "national honor and interests."
Zoom out: - Following Friday's announcement of the new rules, shares of major Chinese tech firms, including Tencent, NetEase, and Bilibili, plunged in Hong Kong, erasing billions in value.
- Shares of Tencent, the largest gaming company in the world, plunged 12.4%, marking their steepest decline since October 2008 and erasing HK$367B ($47B) from Tencent's market value.
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| 3 | | Microsoft's end of Windows 10 support in 2025 could lead to the disposal of around 240 million PCs in landfills, according to Canalys Research. The tech market analyst firm estimates that the e-waste from these PCs would weigh 480 million kilograms, equivalent to about 320,000 cars. More: - Millions of PCs lack the necessary hardware for Microsoft's latest OS, Windows 11.
- Microsoft's official end-of-support date for Windows 10 is October 2025.
- The firm predicts that 20% of devices, or 240 million PCs, will become e-waste after that due to their incompatibility with Windows 11.
- While the company plans to offer Windows 10 security updates until October 2028, it will charge a fee.
- Canalys suggests that upgrading to newer PCs could be a cost-effective option for consumers.
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| 4 | | Apple is closing its Infinite Loop retail store in the Bay Area on January 20, 2024. The Apple-branded merchandise store at 1 Infinite Loop, originally named The Company Store, first opened to the public on March 13, 1993. More: - Apple's Infinite Loop campus was its headquarters from 1997 to 2017, when the company moved to nearby Apple Park.
- Infinite Loop, a popular attraction for Apple enthusiasts, has slowly been overshadowed by the Apple Park Visitor Center.
- Apple said it will give store employees the chance to stay with the company, and some may transfer to the nearby Visitor Center or Apple Valley Fair.
Zoom out: - Apple's Royal Hawaiian retail store in Honolulu, Hawaii, will also permanently close on January 20.
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| 5 | | Humane says its AI-powered wearable device, the AI Pin, will ship in March 2024. Designed to replace smartphones, the device lets users make calls, send texts, play music, and engage with its AI assistant via voice and gestures. More: - The square device weighs 55 grams and attaches magnetically to clothes.
- Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, the Pin has a built-in speaker and camera and flashes a "Trust Light" when either is turned on.
- It uses the camera, depth, and motion sensors to monitor and capture its environment. Its green laser projector can project information onto the user's hand and other surfaces.
- The Pin responds to voice queries using large language models and offers real-time translation between Spanish and English in spoken conversations.
- The pin starts at $699 and requires a $24 monthly data subscription to a Humane-branded version of T-Mobile's network, which includes access to OpenAI and Microsoft models.
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| 6 | | Anthropic, an AI startup competing with OpenAI, is in talks to secure $750M at a pre-funding valuation of $18.4B, Reuters reports. Google and Amazon have also each pledged multi-billion-dollar investments in the company in recent months, making it one of the top-funded AI startups. More: - The latest funding round, which has not been finalized, would be led by venture capital firm Menlo Ventures.
- Sources told Reuters that Anthropic's valuation before the funding round is $18.4B or more than four times its $4.1B valuation from March.
- Anthropic has declined to comment.
- In funding rounds in April and May, Anthropic raised a combined $750M. Later in the year, Amazon pledged up to $4B in Anthropic, and Google announced plans to invest as much as $2B.
Zoom out: - The startup, founded by former OpenAI staffers and siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei in 2021, developed a conversational AI chatbot, Claude 2, that competes against OpenAI's GPT series.
- Anthropic bills itself as focused on AI safety and is registered as a public-benefit corporation.
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- Spotify is withdrawing from two French music festivals in protest of France's new law, which taxes music streaming services 1.2% of their domestic revenue.
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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 Christopher Hachey | |
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