Tech Digest daily roundup: Google and Microsoft announce record profits

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Google’s parent company Alphabet has powered to record profits as a post-pandemic resurgence in advertising demand brought in billions more dollars for the search giant. Microsoft also revealed record figures, and predicted that rising inflation fears around the world would force more employers to spend on technology and automation. Alphabet, which owns Google and a host of loss-making side projects from driverless cars to delivery drones, revealed that revenues in the third quarter of the year had climbed by 41pc to $65bn (£47bn), with growing sales both from its profit-spinning search engine and the YouTube video site. Quarterly profits rose 68pc, from $11.2bn to $18.9bn, despite the company embarking on a hiring spree that means it now employs more than 150,000 people. Telegraph 

Apple has finally introduced SharePlay, one of the flagship featues in its new iPhone operating system, in its latest update. The feature allows people to watch content such as films or even workouts together, in a FaceTime call. It was announced in the summer, but Apple said in August that it would be delayed. Now it has arrived in iOS 15.1, which is newly available to download for iPhones and iPads. Devices with the new update can start a FaceTime call and then watch films or TV or listen to music together. It can also be used with Apple’s Fitness+ to do workouts together remotely. Third-party apps can also integrate the feature. The update was released at the same time as the new MacOS, named Monterey. That also includes support for SharePlay. Independent 

It appears the next iPhone SE will retain the iPhone 8 ‘s base of a 4.7-inch LCD but add 5G when it arrives in early 2022. This report comes from industry insider Ross Young and seemingly disproves the recent report that the next iPhone SE will adopt the iPhone XR design and LCD size. Adding 5G to the next SE will provide the current fastest network speeds to the cheapest iPhone line and will most likely be popular with Apple consumers. The iPhone SE is expected to outgrow its diminutive 4.7-inch size in 2024 with a 5.7-6.1-inch LCD with a punch hole, instead of a notch. 

Another Apple Glasses rumor suggests the upcoming smart headset, or its successor, could project a screen directly onto your eyeballs, skipping traditional displays entirely.  That’s according to a new patent, which calls the tech a ‘direct retinal projector’ – like AppleInsider (who first noticed the patent), we’ll take the high road and avoid the obvious ‘retina display’ jokes.  The ‘direct retinal projector’ also tracks where you’re looking so that it can use mirrors to accurately reflect a light field – aka the content that would be displayed on a traditional screen – right into the wearer’s pupils. Yes, this sounds as intense to us as it does to you. Tech Radar 

YouTube briefly deleted the account of Novara Media, a left-wing independent media outlet whose journalists have appeared on the BBC and other broadcast networks. Novara said it had been deleted “without warning or explanation”. But YouTube told BBC News it had made a “wrong call”. Earlier this month, a video of David Davis MP arguing against Covid passports was also removed and reinstated by the video-streaming site. YouTube said: “Novara Media’s channel was briefly removed, after it was flagged – but upon review, it was then immediately reinstated”. BBC

A new update is coming to allow Xbox players to stream on Twitch directly from the Guide menu. Xbox Insiders from the Alpha Skip-Ahead ring will be able to test a new system update with a couple of new features. Insiders can now live stream by navigating to the “Capture and Share” tab of the menu and choosing “Live Streaming”. Once a Twitch account is linked, the “Go live now” button can be selected to stream gameplay to Twitch. Previously, Xbox owners needed to download the Twitch app to stream. Now the function has been integrated into the Xbox firmware. Eurogamer

Chris Price
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