TecQ: Tech Thai Cave Rescue, New MacBook & WhatsApp Forwards
TecQ is The Quint’s roundup of the top tech news of the week.
TecQ is our weekly roundup of the top technology stories.
iPhones in India May Stop Working if Apple-TRAI Tussle Drags on
The ongoing saga between the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India or TRAI and Apple is entering a new dimension. The regulatory body has clearly stated in its new regulations that if Apple doesn’t adhere to its instructions, then telecom networks will very soon stop working on iPhones in the country.
This strong message has been sent as TRAI looks to curb the menace of pesky promotional calls and messages that have angered mobile users in the country for a while. The DND app, which is already available on Android, has found it hard to launch on iOS. This is because Apple clearly believes in a user’s data privacy, while the app seeks permissions to access call logs and message records.
The Cupertino-based giant has repeatedly shown its commitment to user data privacy and this is another example of it sticking to its stand.
TRAI and Apple have been stuck in a tussle, in which no party wants to back down from its stance. Interestingly, both the entities have a common goal in sight, i.e. safety of users and their data.
Read the full story here.
Why WhatsApp Piloting Forward Messages in India is not Enough
We know it already, and we didn’t need WhatsApp to tell us that Indians send more forwards – messages, photos and videos – than people anywhere else in the world.
With that in mind, and the Fake News and misinformation mess that it has allowed to fester in India, WhatsApp is launching a test to limit the forwarding of messages, which it will be introducing in its beta build.
Read more about the story here.
How Technology Played a Pivotal Role in the Thai Cave Rescue
Almost like a scene straight out of a Hollywood movie, the Thai cave rescue made headlines around the world, highlighting how the concerted efforts of people from around the globe saved the lives of 13 people.
But, amidst all the faces and the effort that went into the rescue, the technology and equipment used also had a big role to play in aiding this rescue mission.
The most surprising bit was that it wasn’t just the high-tech gizmos, but also rudimentary technology like homemade radios which helped rescue the boys.
Here’s a look at the ‘techie side’ of this rescue mission.
Apple Introduces New MacBook Pro With Up to 4TB Storage & 32GB RAM
Apple Inc on Thursday announced new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops as the most advanced Mac notebooks ever with faster performance and new pro features. These new notebooks can also compile code faster and run multiple virtual machines and test environments easier than before.
The new MacBook Pro models have 8th-generation Intel Core processors, with a 6-core processor on the 15-inch model for up to 70 per cent faster performance and quad-core on the 13-inch model for up to two times faster performance. Apple claims up to 10 hours of battery life.
Read more about the new MacBooks here.
Five Reasons Why HTC Phones Never Made it Big in India
When the news broke about HTC looking to fold its business in India, asking its senior executives to leave, it didn’t cause a lot of alarm. In fact, many had already seen this coming.
You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to dissect its demise – considering the direction the Taiwanese brand has taken in the country. In a market like India, where the pricing of a product is the foremost criterion for a brand’s success, HTC didn’t really stand a chance.
Also, when Google announced that it was acquiring the mobile division of HTC, in order to set up its shop for Pixel, everybody saw the end of HTC coming.
Read the full story here.
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