Files from Tom Li
Elon Musk is now the largest Twitter shareholder after his latest stock purchase, a new EU policy brings replaceable batteries back on the table, and the Windows 11 update is slowing down.
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now, welcome to Hashtag Trending. It’s Tuesday, April 5, and I’m your host, Samira Balsara.
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Elon Musk became Twitter’s largest shareholder after purchasing 74 million Twitter shares for $3 billion, raising his stake ownership to 10 per cent. Musk has had a standoffish relationship with Twitter, sometimes questioning the platform’s policy on free speech. The Seattle Times reported that with his newly-acquired shares, Musk now has four times more stake than Twitter’s former CEO Jack Dorsey. It’s not clear when Musk bought the shares or what he plans to do with it. Some believe that Musk sees Twitter as a growing investment opportunity, but others think that he may use his position as a large shareholder to bend the rules on the platform.
It seems like new policies in the EU will have profound effects on electronics design. For example, one new proposed bill would see the return of replaceable batteries in smartphones. Replaceable batteries have been a casualty in modern smartphone design. Manufacturers have explained its removal with every reason from safety to convenience, but many users believe that swappable batteries extend the device’s reliability and serviceable lifespan. Additionally, they’re easier to recycle. If passed, the EU’s new battery regulation would require all batteries to be easily removable, replaceable, and recyclable. Beyond smartphones, the rule would apply to a plethora of other consumer appliances, like e-bikes and e-scooters.
It seems like Windows users are in no hurry to upgrade to Windows 11. According to AdDuplex, adoption of Microsoft’s Windows revamp is already beginning to plateau. In March 2022, Windows 11 adoption increased by just 0.1 per cent in market share. The new operating system, which brought a new user interface and plenty of neat features, now accounts for 20 per cent of Windows users. But that’s completely dwarfed by Windows 10, which is clearly still the favoured majority with 80 per cent of Windows users still sticking to it. Although Windows 10 will no longer receive big feature updates, it will still be supported until 2025.
You’d sometimes hear complaints of a centralized internet from freedom advocates, but it’s not often you hear it from someone as prolific as Jack Dorsey. The Twitter founder expressed his regret in contributing to building a centralized internet on Twitter (where else?) In his Tweet, Dorsey stated that “centralizing discovery and identity into corporations really damaged the internet” and that he’s “partially to blame, and regret it.” In recent years, information has been consolidated to a handful of social media platforms. Their convenience and the immense potential for sharing have fuelled rampant misinformation and disinformation campaigns.
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 Samira Balsara.