Tech Digest daily roundup: VW developing sub-£17,000 ID1 EV
Volkswagen is “full steam ahead” with the development of a sub-£17,000 electric ‘ID 1’ hatch that will arrive in the next five years as part of a renewed push by car firms to produce affordable electric models. The new EV will serve as a spiritual successor to the e-Up city car and is set to offer a similar combination of compact packaging and back-to-basics technology. Using a new bespoke electric platform..the ID 1 will sit below the production version of the recently revealed ID 2all concept, which VW is aiming to sell for around £22,500. Autocar
Two New York lawyers have been fined after submitting a legal brief with fake case citations generated by ChatGPT. Steven Schwartz, of law firm Levidow, Levidow & Oberman, admitted using the chatbot to research the brief in a client’s personal injury case against airline Avianca. He had used it to find legal precedents supporting the case, but lawyers representing the Colombian carrier told the court they could not find some examples cited – understandable, given they were almost entirely fictitious. Sky News
Now that the Apple Vision Pro has been officially revealed, more people are getting to try it – and that means more people are discovering the reality of Apple’s AR/VR headset, both good and bad. And you can put this one in the “bad” column: multiple users are saying that the headset is too heavy and becomes distinctly uncomfortable over longer sessions. Apple’s reported solution is typically Apple: find a fix and then charge extra for it. The fix is an extra strap that helps shift the weight a bit, and that won’t be in the box alongside Apple’s $3.5K computer hat. T3.com
Entrepreneur John Donald sells robotic falcons around the world but still can’t believe that he fell victim to cyber-crime during the pandemic. The tech-savvy grandfather said he was he was targeted by fraudsters when his family business was struggling to cope with a 95% fall in its turnover. The 72-year-old was deeply suspicious but eventually caved in to their demands and transferred nearly £100,000 to a fake bank account. New figures released by Police Scotland show there has been a 68% increase in fraud since 2018, with 17,000 cases recorded last year – the vast majority online. BBC
In a move that might foreshadow changes in the UK and beyond, Netflix, the global streaming titan, has terminated its low-cost ‘Basic’ tier in Canada. This somewhat unexpected move has piqued the curiosity of consumers and industry experts alike, as they ponder what this could signify for the future of Netflix’s global strategy. For UK consumers, this potential change could redefine their Netflix streaming experience. If the company decides to follow the same pattern as in Canada, the economical ‘Basic’ tier may vanish. Cordbusters
Dropping from under its mothership, the tiny silhouette of VSS Unity fell for a few seconds before its rocket engines kicked in, boosting the spaceship to three times the speed of sound. Within minutes, it was on the very edge of earth’s atmosphere. “We have reached space,” Virgin Galactic, the company behind the rocket, declared. May’s successful test mission, Unity 25, which carried six staff and crew to 54 miles above the earth, had less of the fanfare that accompanied Sir Richard Branson’s last launch, almost two years ago. The flight was not live-streamed or broadcast by Virgin, although space enthusiasts filmed the mission from down on earth. Telegraph
