BBK’s OnePlus, Oppo, Realme Becoming Separate Brands
China’s tech behemoth BBK Electronics has decided to make handset makers OnePlus, Oppo and Realme separate entities in India, in an attempt to de-risk its India business, says a report by Economic Times. The three smartphone OEMs will have sales accounted for in their own books. Previously, Oppo Mobiles India was handling the distribution and sales of all three handset makers.
The aim behind BBK Eletronics’ move to separate the three businesses is to de-risk from the current and future government actions, the report added, citing three senior industry executives. Oppo and Vivo have been under the scanner of Indian tax authorities since last year over alleged tax issues. Vivo and iQoo are also owned by BBK Electronics through a separate entity Vivo Mobile India.
‘Hey Siri’ Is Now Just ‘Siri’
As suggested by previous reports, Apple has brought a big change to its voice assistant Siri that can be now triggered by just saying “Siri” instead of “Hey Siri”. Announced on June 5, on the first day of the annual WWDC conference, this is similar to what retail giant Amazon has done with its virtual assistant Alexa, which can be triggered simply by beginning a command with “Alexa”.
The smarter and smaller “Siri” command will be supported by all iPhones and iPads that can run iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, the tech giant mentioned. For the Mac and AirPods, however, the company says the feature will be limited to Macs with Apple silicon and the second-gen AirPods Pro.
Linda Yaccarino Logs First Day As Twitter CEO
Linda Yaccarino, the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of Twitter, has officially assumed her position at the popular social media platform. In a recent tweet on Monday, she excitedly announced her first day on the job, following her appointment by Elon Musk approximately one month ago. Yaccarino’s tweet was brief but filled with enthusiasm, as she exclaimed, “It happened — first day in the books!”
Despite the limited information provided, her tweet hinted at the excitement and anticipation surrounding her new role.
Xiaomi Pad 6 India Launch Confirmed
In a bid to heat up the Android tablet market in India, Chinese handset maker Xiaomi is set to officially launch the Xiaomi Pad 6 in India next week. Xiaomi took to Twitter to officially tease the launch date of the Xiaomi Pad 6 in India. However, it is not clear if the Xiaomi Pad 6 pro will also make its way into India alongside the Xiaomi Pad 6.
“Discover the epitome of performance, style, & versatility – all packed into one extraordinary tablet. Introducing the #𝐗𝐢𝐚𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐏𝐚𝐝𝟔, launching on 𝟭𝟯.𝟬𝟲.𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯. Take your tablet game to a whole new level & #𝐃𝐨𝐈𝐭𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫! Know more: http://bit.ly/XIAOMIPAD6,” Xiaomi India posted on Twitter.
WWDC 2023: Apple’s 15-Inch MacBook Air Is Here
As expected, Apple’s long-rumoured 15-inch MacBook Air laptop was announced on the first day of the WWDC 2023 annual conference on June 5. Pretty similar to the redesigned 13-inch version that Apple announced at WWDC 2022, the 15-inch MacBook Air is a bit bigger. This is the first time that Apple has released a laptop with a 15-inch screen that is not part of its “Pro” lineup of devices.
MacBook Air comes in four finishes: midnight, starlight, space gray, and silver at a starting price of Rs 134,900 and Rs 124,900 for education.
WWDC 2023: iOS 17 Announced With Updates To FaceTime, Messages And Phone
As widely expected and carrying on with its tradition of announcing a new iteration of iOS at the annual WWDC conference, Apple on June 5 announced iOS 17, a major release that upgrades the communications experience across Phone, FaceTime, and Messages. iOS 17 also introduces new experiences with Journal, an app that makes it easy for people to practice gratitude, and StandBy, a new way to view glanceable information when iPhone is set down and is charging.
WWDC 2023: Vision Pro Is Apple’s Long-Awaited MR Headset
At the WWDC 2023 on Monday, Apple announced its Apple Vision Pro that has all the apps you’d need for work. It is the company’s long-awaited VR/AR headset with two 4K displays. What sets it apart from other VR headsets is the fact that Apple Vision Pro does not rely on a controller. Apple’s first MR headset instead makes use of the wearer’s eyes, voice and hands to navigate the interface. The device’s price will start at $3,499 and launch in early 2024, starting in the US market with more countries to follow.
Over 3,000 Lost Their Jobs To AI In May
A recent report from the US-based consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas has revealed that the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) has resulted in a significant loss of jobs in the United States. In the month of May alone, approximately 3,900 individuals were laid off due to AI, accounting for roughly 4.9 per cent of the total job cuts that took place during that period. The number of job cuts announced by US employers in May reached 80,089, marking a substantial 20 per cent increase compared to the previous month’s figure of 66,995. Furthermore, this number represents a staggering 287 per cent surge when compared to the 20,712 cuts announced in May of the previous year.