Apple unveiled its brand new iPhone 14 lineup at a press event tagged "Far Out" on Wednesday, along with three new Apple Watch models, an update to its popular AirPods product line, and a feature that could save lives when cell service isn't available. At a closely-watched event from its headquarters in Cupertino, California, Apple showcased off four new smartphones, including a larger 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus model and an updated iPhone 14 Pro that rethinks the much-maligned notch. In typical Apple fashion, the devices also offer better battery life and camera features than the year prior. Apple however reserved its biggest changes for its iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models. The new standout feature: The iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max each lack a notch. In its place is a small pill-shaped screen cutout that houses a revamped TrueDepth camera unit for Face ID, selfies, and video calls. Rather than ignore the cutout, Apple built a system of moving alerts and notifications called 'Dynamic Island' that utilizes the black space around it. The feature is compelling and looks cool.
Twitter Introduces Edit Tweet Feature
Twitter users has seemingly conquered the challenge of not being able to make correction on any of their tweets after posting, through the introduction of a new sought-after feature in the bird application. This new feature is known as the Edit Tweet button. It is said that the new feature has been launched and its presently being test run by the California-based social networking internal team. They further noted that the test will be expanded to Twitter Blue subscribers in the coming weeks. Twitter Blue is an opt-in paid monthly subscription that offers exclusive access to premium features that let you customize your Twitter experience. This means to have access to the Edit tweet feature, you’ll need to be a Twitter Blue subscriber which currently costs $4.99/per month.
Twitter Legal Battle: Elon Musk Subpoenas Former CEO Jack Dorsey
The legal team of Elon Musk has subpoenaed former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, on Monday as the Tesla CEO prepares to battle the social media company in court later this year. Twitter is suing Musk to force him to buy the company for $44 billion after attempting to walk away from the purchase in July. Musk has since countersued the company. The subpoena follows a pair filed Friday for Kayvon Beykpour, former head of consumer product at Twitter, and Bruce Falck, formerly in charge of revenue product. The billionaire is rapidly marshaling documents and data to show that Twitter understated how much of its customer base is made up of spam and robot accounts. Since the world's richest person retreated from the purchase, dozens of people, banks, and funds have been subpoenaed by both sides in the legal fight playing out in Delaware. The push to gather information and interview important figures in the deal comes ahead of an expedited schedule for the trial, slated to begin on Oct. 17 and last five days.
Elon Musk Sells Tesla Shares Worth $6.9bn
Billionaire founder of Tesla Inc., Elon Musk has sold $6.9 billion shares of Tesla stock ahead of Twitter’s court case, taking advantage of a recent rise in the electric vehicle maker’s stock price. He now owns 155.04 million shares in Tesla. Last year the billionaire sold more than 15 million Tesla shares. As speculation mounted over the reason for the disposal, Musk responded in a series of late-night tweets, saying he wanted to avert an emergency sale of stock. When followers asked him if he had finished selling Tesla shares and would buy the stock again if the deal does not close, Musk responded: “Yes.” Musk and Twitter are locked in a legal battle over the former's effort to walk away from the April agreement to buy the company.
MTN Launches 5G Trial In Nigeria
MTN Nigeria says it has kicked off an open 5G pilot ahead of commercial launch in seven cities of Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Kano, Owerri, and Maiduguri. Customers with certain enabled devices will be allowed to connect with and try out the new service where coverage is available. To access the 5G network and enjoy its benefits, customers will need compatible devices, such as routers and mobile phones, which can be pre-ordered from designated MTN walk-in stores and online via the MTN Nigeria website and e-marketplace. Commenting on the pilot test, Adia Sowho, chief marketing officer, MTN Nigeria, said the company will extend the reach and capacity of its data network and enable much faster speeds and lower latency.
Facebook Slowly Losing Grip As 'Top 10' App In US
Facebook this year has been struggling to maintain its position as a "Top 10" app this year as BeReal, and TikTok continues to gain popularity. This is as younger consumers shift to newer social networking experiences like TikTok and now BeReal, the tech giant's big blue app has lost traction in the App Store's Top Charts. TechCrunch reports that Facebook has dropped out of the Top 10 free iPhone apps in the U.S. 97 times this year, according to an analysis of iPhone App store data by Sensor Tower. For instance, last year, Facebook only fell out of the Top 10 free iPhone apps in the U.S. seven times. However, in 2022, that figure has already climbed to 97, an indication that Facebook may be losing ground as new apps push their way into the App Store's top rankings.
WhatsApp New Feature Will Allow Users Exit Groups Silently
Meta's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Zuckerberg, has announced exciting new privacy features for Whatsapp users this month. According to the CEO users will now be able to exit groups without everyone in the group knowing. This is part of new privacy features introduced by the social media platform. With the "Leave Groups Silently" feature, instead of notifying the full group when leaving, only the admins will be notified. Zuckerberg, who made this known in a Facebook post said WhatsApp users can also prevent people from doing a screenshot of messages tagged as 'view once'.