This week, the tech industry saw a few new exciting product launches leading up to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas beginning on January 5. Among them were two new soundbars from LG engineered for an immersive, hi-tech listening, the SC9 and SC6,
On the app side, TikTok was officially banned on devices issued by the U.S. House of Representatives, following up on the recently proposed trillion-dollar omnibus spending bill. Amazon, meanwhile, is reportedly working on a new standalone app dedicated to streaming live sporting events.
Following the pattern of the past few weeks, all eyes were on Elon Musk at Twitter. Fidelity shared the company’s latest valuation report, which estimated a 56% drop in value between October and November.
Below, HYPEBEAST has rounded up the top tech stories of the week so you can stay up to date on trends in the industry.
LG Unveiled Its New Line of Soundbars for 2023
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LG is looking to the future of superior sound quality with its new line of soundbars, the SC9 and SC6. Set to be demonstrated for the first time at the at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the soundbars are designed to hone in on an immersive at-home listening experience through Dolby Atmos and wireless TV connectivity capabilities.
Both soundbars feature LG’S AI Sound Pro feature, automatically adapting volume to best suit a given form of audio. Prices for the SC9 and SC6 have yet to be shared.
Apple Reportedly Scrapped the iPhone 14 Pro’s Next-Gen Chip Due to “Unprecedented” Mistake
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Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro could have utilized an entirely different chip, The Information reported. Developers allegedly aimed to launch an advanced GPU that supports ray tracing on the device but ultimately halted plans due to an “unprecented mistake” and opted for an A16 Bionic chip.
Apple’s silicon team was reportedly overly ambitious in their goal to integrate new features in the chip, leading to them overlooking major design flaws, such as the GPU requiring too much power. The mistake was caught so late in the development process that Apple had no choice but switch out the GPU for the A16.
TikTok Has Been Banned on Devices Issued by the U.S. House of Representatives
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U.S. representatives will no longer be allowed to use TikTok on government-owned devices. The passing of the No TikTok on Government Devices Act will now require lawmakers and staff to delete the app from government devices by mid-February and prohibits future downloads of the app.
The House’s Chief Administrative Officer said that TikTok poses a “high risk due to a number of security issues” in an email to officials and staff, impl7ing that the app poses security risks due to the potential of tracking and distributing user data.
Fidelity Lowered its Twitter Valuation by 56% In New Report
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The latest report from Fidelity Investments paints a dire picture for Twitter post-Elon Musk’s takeover. Over the course of just one month, Fidelity lowered Twitter’s value from $19.66 million USD at the end of October to $8.63 million USD at the end of November, a 56% drop. The report seemingly takes into account a lack of faith in the platform under Musk’s leadership but that could change once the entrepreneur brings on a new CEO as promised.
Amazon Reportedly Has Plans To Launch a Standalone Sports App
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Amazon is reportedly working on a standalone app for streaming sports content, according to a new report from The Information. Although live sports are included in the Amazon Prime Video subscription, which currently goes for $14.99 USD a month, the move would relegate sports content to its own platform and perhaps even require a separate subscription.
CEO Andy Jassy recently said that Amazon would continue to invest in sports coverage, despite making cuts in other areas. Over the past few years, the company has inked deals with the NFL, MLB and WBNA.
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