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☆ 'Android's now better than iOS': Instagram boss weighs in on the age-old iPhone vs. Android debate
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Haley Tenore | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Instagram head Adam Mosseri said Android is "now better" than Apple's iOS. Which is better: iPhone or Android? "Android's now better than iOS," Mosseri posted on Threads in response to tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee, aka MKBHD, who had asked for people's best tech "hot takes." Both Android and iOS have been wildly successful since the introduction of the first iPhone and Android phones in 2007 and 2008, respectively. As of the first quarter of 2023, Apple held an estimated 52% US smartphone market share, with Samsung the runner-up with a 27% share.

Persons: Adam Mosseri, YouTuber Marques Brownlee, reigniting, Android's, Mosseri, Marques Brownlee, MKBHD, Apple hasn't, Sameer Samat Organizations: Android, Morning, iOS, Meta, Counterpoint Research, Apple, Samsung, Google, Lenovo

☆ Meta's Threads swiftly signs up 30 million users, in clear threat to Musk-owned Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Aditya Soni | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Mastodon, another Twitter-like app, has 1.7 million monthly active users, according to its website, while Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey-backed Bluesky has about 265,000 users. Twitter had 229 million monthly active users in May 2022, according to a statement made before Musk's buyout. THREADS HAS CERTAIN LIMITATIONSMeta's Threads app logo is seen in this illustration taken July 4, 2023. Threads does not have hashtags and keyword search functions, which means users cannot follow real-time events like on Twitter. Currently there are no ads on the Threads app and Zuckerberg said the company would only think about monetization once there was a clear path to 1 billion users.

Persons: Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter's, Jasmine Enberg, Twitter, Meta, Niklas Myhr, Jack Dorsey, Bluesky, Dado Ruvic, hasn't, Marques Brownlee, Linda Yaccarino, Musk, Pinar Yildirim, Aditya Soni, Yuvraj Malik, Bansari Mayur, Akash Sriram, Shounak Dasgupta Organizations: Meta, Twitter, Intelligence, Chapman University, REUTERS, Facebook, University of Pennsylvania's Wharton, Thomson Locations: Las Vegas, Bengaluru

☆ Meta's Threads is a serious threat to Musk-owned Twitter, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Aditya Soni | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

While Threads is a standalone app, users can log in using their Instagram credentials, which makes it an easy addition for Instagram's more than 2 billion monthly active users. Twitter, by comparison, had 229 million monthly active users in May 2022, according to a statement made before Musk's buyout of the social media platform. Mastodon, another Twitter-like app, has 1.7 million monthly active users, according to its website, while Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey-backed Bluesky has about 265,000 users. Threads does not have hashtags and keyword search functions, which means users cannot follow real-time events like on Twitter. Overall, analysts said Threads was a strong competitor to Twitter, which has been rocked by abrupt decisions by Musk.

Persons: Elon Musk, Kim Kardashian, Gordon Ramsay, Niklas Myhr, Mark Zuckerberg, Pinar Yildirim, Jack Dorsey, Bluesky, Zuckerberg, Musk, Jasmine Enberg, Marques Brownlee, hasn't, Aditya Soni, Yuvraj Malik, Bansari, Shounak Dasgupta Organizations: Twitter, Chapman University, Facebook, University of Pennsylvania's Wharton, Intelligence, Bloomberg News, Union, Thomson Locations: Las Vegas, Bengaluru

☆ Apple didn't let the media take photos or videos when trying the $3,499 Vision Pro headset – and journalists could only test the tech in a private room
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Apple's $3,499 Vision Pro headset was the main focus of its Monday event. The Apple Vision Pro headset was the biggest announcement at its Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, but there's nothing beyond official ads that show people actually using the $3,499 device. If you want to see the Vision Pro in use, you'll have to wait a bit longer to see anything that isn't curated by the people selling it. Apple execs also declined to speak on the record about the headset, Wired reported. Despite this, the Vision Pro is getting pretty good reviews, and you'd hope so given its huge price tag.

Persons: Tim Cook, Mark Gurman, Cook hadn't, Mark Zuckerberg, Zoe Kleinman, Joanna Stern, Marques Brownlee —, Apple execs Organizations: Apple, Worldwide, Bloomberg, Twitter, Vision, Wall Street Journal, Wired, Vision Pro

☆ People who were whisked away in golf carts to try out Apple's $3,500 headset are calling it 'magic' that is 'still searching for a purpose'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Following the announcement of Apple's Vision Pro headset at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, some attendees were whisked away in golf carts to a location on the company's campus to try out the new headset. Many noted the device's display screens were impressive (each have a more-than 4K resolution) and its hand-eye scrolling and tapping functions were responsive and worked mostly smoothly. YouTuber Brownlee said the most impressive thing about the headset was the device's internal eye-tracking technology, calling the experience "telepathic." The Verge's Patel was impressed by the device's display, which he said was "easily the highest-resolution VR display I have ever seen," and its "video passthrough" technology — the device's display adjusting to show a person who is talking to you in-person or your surroundings. "The most perfect headset demo reel of all time is still just a headset demo reel — whether Apple's famed developer community can generate a killer app for the Vision Pro is still up in the air," The Verge's Patel wrote.

Persons: YouTuber Marques Brownlee, Nilay Patel, —, YouTuber Brownlee, Brownlee, I've, Patel, Robin Roberts, Roberts, Joanna Stern, Stern Organizations: Apple, Developers, Apple's, Developers Conference, Vision

The initial reviews were mixed and skeptics questioned whether even Apple could make virtual reality anything more than a niche technology. But boosters say that if any company can make it mainstream, it’s Apple with its ecosystem of two billion iPhone, iPad and Mac users. “We believe Apple Vision Pro is a revolutionary product,” Tim Cook told developers and journalists on Monday. It certainly looks like an Apple product: Unlike other virtual reality headsets, an external display shows your eyes to others, and the device is controlled using hand gestures, eye movements and your voice. “The most perfect headset demo reel of all time is still just a headset demo reel,” wrote Nilay Patel of The Verge.

Persons: Tim Cook, ”, Joanna Stern, I’ve, Marques Brownlee, “, Nilay Patel, lockdowns Organizations: Apple, Apple Vision, The, Street, Investors

☆ Video Shows Google's 'Magic Window' for Meetings in Action
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

YouTuber Marques Brownlee filmed what it's like to use Google's 3D video chat device. Google unveiled the tech, dubbed "Project Starline," back in 2021 with pictures showing the "magic window" for meetings. Brownlee's video actually shows what it's like to use Google's latest prototype for the technology. The video by Brownlee actually shows what it's like to use the technology — Google has previously shown images and animations. "The magic of this is twofold — it's the display and the computing happening," he said in the video.

☆ Google Bard is already behind in the AI wars with OpenAI and Microsoft
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Google Bard, the search firm's answer to ChatGPT, has underwhelmed early testers. Users in the US and UK trying out the AI chatbot find it pales in comparison to OpenAI's tech. The makers of the Twofer Goofer word puzzle found ChatGPT was much better at solving the brainteasers than Google's Bard. It's possible that the company does have a super impressive AI tool up its sleeve. Insider's Hugh Langley reported earlier in March that Google employees are testing a more intelligent version of Bard, nicknamed "Big Bard."

☆ There's one big problem with Tesla's plan to open its exclusive Supercharger network: The cords aren't long enough for other EVs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Tesla opened up some of its exclusive Supercharging stations to rival electric vehicles. But the cords are designed for Teslas, meaning that owners of some other cars need to use two spaces. Early this month, Tesla opened a handful of its roughly 1,700 US charging stations to non-Tesla vehicles. (Tesla designed its own charging connector, while the rest of the industry uses a different standard.) Tesla owners sometimes experience long lines at charging stations, particularly during popular travel times.

☆ A YouTuber charged a non-Tesla EV at a Supercharger and it 'descended into chaos'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Marques Brownlee took his Rivian R1T to a Supercharger that had just been opened to non-Teslas. He said non-Tesla EVs sometimes took up multiple parking spots due to their charging port locations. The YouTuber said the charging station makes his Rivian a better car, but cuts into Tesla's advantage. Youtuber Marques Brownlee took his Rivian R1T to a Tesla Supercharger in rural New York last week and he said on Twitter that the visit "descended into chaos" when other non-Tesla drivers showed up as well. The billionaire agreed to begin opening up some of the electric-car maker's Superchargers to non-Tesla owners earlier this year.

☆ A couple took an electric car on a 1,500 mile road trip. They had to stop 12 times and forgo heat due to their range anxiety.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An Axios reporter took a Kia EV6 on a 1,500 mile road trip. She and her husband stopped to charge the car 12 times over the course of the trip from Michigan to Florida. Axios reporter Joann Muller said her husband took the electric car on a 1,500 mile road trip — she joined him part-way through — to see if the US is truly ready for mass EV adoption. While EV range continues to improve, charging infrastructure still poses a major hurdle for electric-vehicle adoption. Earlier this year, the Biden Administration rolled out a $5 billion funding plan to improve EV charging infrastructure.

☆ 12 AI tools that could transform the creator economy and influencer marketing, according to industry experts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AI tools could be helpful for content creators to streamline processes like copywriting and editing. Insider asked 16 creator-economy experts to highlight the most promising AI tools for creators. Ollie Forsyth, global community manager at VC fund Antler, put together a landscape of generative AI startups with his team. "Simply put, generative AI tools provide creators a magic wand to create enchanting content." Here are 12 AI startups that creator-economy experts recommended, listed in alphabetical order:

☆ 12 AI startups that could change how creators make content, according to industry experts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

☆ Tesla owners who just want a normal steering wheel on their Model S and Model X get their wish
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tesla's Model S/X owners will have the option to replace the yoke steering wheel with a round one. The move comes after Tesla car owners complained about the learning curve of the box wheel. Starting in March, Tesla owners can replace their current steering wheels for $700. Unlike a conventional wheel, the yoke wheel is rectangular with a tiny button for honking. The stalk — the part in conventional cars that controls core functions such as turn signals, headlights, and windshield wipers — was replaced with buttons on the steering yoke.

☆ As tech companies pull back on spending, big office holiday parties are on the chopping block
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Jordan Parker Erb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Apparently, some tech workers are also missing their companies' holiday festivities — but not because they're bopping around in the Mountain West. As tech companies pull back on spending, big office holiday parties are on the chopping block. Cost-cutting is coming for startups — and big office holiday parties are first on the list. For startup founders and venture capitalists, the office holiday party is a December tradition. But this year, holiday parties in startup-land look a little different.

☆ Unedited footage of a Tesla Full Self-Driving beta test shows just how stressful the software can be to use
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Marques Brownlee posted an unedited video of his commute to work using Tesla Full Self-Driving. The YouTuber said he's comfortable using FSD on the highway, but not everywhere. Marques Keith Brownlee, also known as MKBHD, posted an unedited video on YouTube of his trip to work using FSD last week. Brownlee is far from the first to post videos of Tesla FSD in action. During the video, the Tesla software repeatedly reminded Brownlee to touch the steering wheel.

☆ Elon Musk says he's getting rid of 'Twitter for iPhone' labels, which people used to catch Android brands and ambassadors tweeting from Apple devices
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk says Twitter will get rid of source labels indicating the device a tweet was sent from. Twitter says on its help center that the labels help users "determine how much you trust the content." Some on Twitter have used the labels to catch tweets promoting Android phones sent from iPhones. Twitter says that these source labels "help you better understand how a Tweet was posted." The feature has also been used to catch Android brand ambassadors tweeting from rival iPhones.

☆ Twitter's rollout of its new gray checkmark for 'official' accounts is off to a confusing start, with Elon Musk saying he 'killed it' and a product manager rushing to clarify it's still happening
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk told a YouTuber who noticed his new gray checkmark disappear that he had 'killed it." But a Twitter product manager clarified that the gray tag would still be rolling out. Not long after the new gray checkmarks started rolling out to many Twitter accounts on Wednesday, they began disappearing from some accounts. Elon Musk, Twitter's new owner, responded "I just killed it," to a tweet from Youtuber and tech reviewer Marques Brownlee, who had seen his own gray checkmark disappear. Musk has said that the new Twitter Blue would cost $7.99 per month, and include the blue checkmark and other features.

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