As of February 2022, nearly 30% US households with Wi-Fi had an Amazon Fire TV device. More than 20% owned an Echo smart speaker, Fire tablet, or both.
Intel presses pause on PC chip hires: Rising inflation, surging competition, and a shrinking PC market force Intel to evaluate PC chipsets. Its austerity measures could resonate across the industry.
AppTrackingTransparency faces mounting legal pressure: A UK antitrust watchdog highlighted the policy as potentially anticompetitive, but good for privacy.
Meta shifts focus away from hardware: It canceled its smartwatch, pivoted its Portal line to enterprise, and is pitching its AR glasses as developer-only tools as it shifts away from poorly selling consumer tech.
Though video gaming has been around for decades, it was the entertainment of choice for many during the pandemic.
Meta on the ropes: Meta shares have dropped, but metaverse adoption is expected to be a $13 trillion industry by 2030 as more players build competing immersive VR experiences.
Smartphones will gain a few competitors in the next several years. As metaverse tools and wearables like virtual reality (VR) headsets become more commonplace, they will cause growth to slow for everyday devices like smartphones.
Usage timers reveal teens are spending hours on TikTok: The platform added features to limit time spent as criticisms of social media reignite.
Meta thinks users need stepping stones to the metaverse: Its Crayta announcement suggests many consumers need to be pushed along the “immersion continuum.”
EU agreement could push USB-C standard: For holdouts like Apple, this means the end of proprietary charging cables. For consumers, it means more convenient cross-device charging and substantial savings.
ew York right-to-repair state of mind: Passed in the New York Senate (49 to 14) and in the Assembly (145 to 1), the right-to-repair bill will compel manufacturers to enable affordable fixes.
All eyes on Apple: As expectations mount for AR/VR product plans, Apple doubles down on iPhone, Mac, and iPad—a move that might indicate its metaverse ambitions are on hold.
Advertising feels the economic squeeze: The industry lost 2,400 jobs last month despite an overall employment increase and record digital spending.
Super apps in Asia, such as WeChat, Alipay, and mobile messaging app Line, have dominated ecommerce and online services in the region for years. Now, some Western apps are trying to build their own super apps by creating marketplaces next to their core financial, social, or delivery services. Most of these apps use a combination of monetization methods, including commissions and ad serving.
Tech’s reshuffling makes spending tough for marketers: The industry is refocusing on advertising, which is still shaky from a year of changes.
China’s economic woes squeeze smartphone growth: The largest market and producer of smartphones, rocked by monthslong lockdowns, is holding back global production and sales for the remainder of the year.
Right-to-repair bill blocked in California: Will the setback ignite renewed consumer pressure to be able to fix their own devices or embolden manufacturers to block attempts at regulation?
Twitter is back at square one after shelving new projects: Newsletters, podcasts, and more are taking a back seat to user growth and personalization.
Sheryl Sandberg is leaving Meta at a crossroads: Departure of No. 2 exec comes as company faces major business challenges.
Tech wrestles with an era of uncertainty: As 2022 hits the halfway point, we look at how various technology companies navigate expected and unexpected challenges that could alter the business landscape.