Netflix loses fewer subscribers than expected, Snapchat comes to the desktop, and Apple settles a class action lawsuit over the MacBook keyboard.
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That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now, welcome to Hashtag Trending. It’s Wednesday, July 20, and I’m your host, Tom Li.
The numbers are in at Netflix HQ and it didn’t look pretty. At its Q2 earnings call on Tuesday, the company disclosed that it had lost an additional 970,000 subscribers. Although it’s bad news, it’s actually well below what Netflix had originally braced for. The streaming platform had said earlier this year that it anticipated losing up to 2 million subscribers. Moreover, the company remains optimistic about Q3 when it predicts that its subscriber base will once again rise. Netflix is also trying different ways to pad its bottom line, including the planned introduction of an ad-supported tier, which won’t give users access to all of the platform’s content at launch.
Snapchat has finally arrived on the desktop. The new feature, called Snapchat for Web, will let users make calls or chat right from their computers. Initially, the feature will only be locked to users with a Snapchat+ subscription, which costs $4 a month for access to premium features. The feature isn’t ready for prime time just yet, but Snap promises that it will arrive in the US., U.K., and Canada soon. Interestingly, this feature will be released to all Snapchat users in Australia and New Zealand without a subscription as well.
Source: Seeking Alpha
Apple has settled a class action lawsuit over its butterfly keyboards on older MacBook laptops for $50 million. The suit claimed that Apple knew about the keyboard’s reliability issues but decided to install them on devices anyway. While the thin switch shaved off a few millimetres from the laptop’s thickness, it was notoriously delicate and prone to jamming. The keyboard was mostly used on MacBooks sold between 2015 to 2019. Despite Apple’s efforts to bolster its reliability, the company finally gave up and switched to the new Magic Keyboard in 2020. Affected users could be eligible for a payout ranging between $50 to $395.
Source: Wired
As electric cars continue to gain traction, the industry is now eyeing aviation. Rolls-Royce and Hyundai are partnering to make an electric propulsion system for aircrafts. The joint project hopes to have a functional demo by 2025. Rolls-Royce has been making aircraft engines since 1915, and Hyundai has designated air mobility as a significant area of investment for the company in the coming years. Their motivation to transform air travel is matched by other transportation companies like Honda, Toyota and General Motors.
Source: TechCrunch
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash briefings or your Google Home daily briefing. Make sure to sign up for our Daily IT Wire newsletter to get all the news that matters directly in your inbox every day. Also, catch the next episode of Hashtag Tendances, our weekly Hashtag Trending episode in French, which drops every Thursday morning. If you have a suggestion or a tip, drop us a line in the comments or via email. Thank you for listening, I’m Tom Li.