Tech Digest daily roundup: Smart appliances could stop working after 2 years, claims Which?
Smart appliances could stop working properly after just two years because manufacturers are failing to provide tech updates, according to Which? Research by the consumer champion found products like expensive dishwashers, TVs, and washing machines – which might be expected to last more than a decade – are “being abandoned” by brands. A lack of software support from firms means devices do not get updated. The older they get, the risk of online hacking also increases, Which? says. It found that “hardly any brands even came close to matching their expected lifespan” with their smart update policies. BBC
Cyber attackers who have targeted Royal Mail are threatening to publish stolen information online. On Wednesday, the postal service warned customers of disruption due to a “cyber incident” affecting computer systems used to send items abroad. The company reportedly received a ransom note appearing to be from LockBit, a hacker group thought to have close links to Russia. According to multiple reports, a ransom note sent by the criminals to Royal Mail read: “Your data are stolen and encrypted.” In a statement following the incident, the Royal Mail said: “We have asked customers temporarily to stop submitting any export items into the network while we work hard to resolve the issue.” Independent
Steve Jobs may have hated the idea of a touchscreen MacBook, but it looks like Apple may finally be warming to the idea, and if true, I think this is a great move. A new report from Bloomberg suggests that Apple engineers are working on a project to finally bring touchscreens to Macs – possibly to a MacBook Pro sporting a new OLED display in either 2024 and 2025. Now, before I (or you) get too excited, this is all rumor at this point, and no release date is even mentioned in the report. Tech Radar
Tesla has announced it has slashed the price of its electric cars in the UK with immediate effect, which will be likely to spark outrage among existing customers – especially the 16,000 who took delivery of vehicles at the higher price just last month. The auto maker announced it has cut the price of both the Model 3 and Model Y as of today across Europe and the US. In the UK, prices have been lowered by as much as £9,100, with the company citing ‘normalisation of some of the cost of inflation’. Similar surprise price reductions announced in China earlier this week ignited anger among existing Tesla customers, hundreds of whom stormed showrooms across the country to vent their frustration at paying 24 per cent more for the same cars just weeks earlier. This is Money
If Britain is good at one thing, it is inventing a brilliant product, turning it into a great business, and then selling it to a foreign buyer before it has had a chance to reach its true potential. When it comes to letting our best companies and technology disappear abroad, and by extension the associated profits, intellectual property and tax base, the UK truly is a world-beater. Yet, in what may be something of a first, electric battery hopeful Britishvolt looks poised to skip the middle part entirely, offloading what is little more than a nice idea to an overseas investor without any of the success in the middle. A start-up that claimed to be worth nearly £800m this time last year is on the verge of being rescued by an obscure Indonesian outfit for just £32m. Telegraph
