April Tech News Overview

Do you know what the world’s giants did in April 2021? Apple, SpaceX, Moderna, Zoom, and Clubhouse charged the public with energy and strength. They’re so confident about the technological future: launching rockets, introducing new products, and improving vaccines are only a tiny part of their plans. No matter what, these geniuses continue working hard on their development for the sake of humanity.

Irrepressible Elon launches 60 more Starlink satellites

On Star Wars Day, May 4, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched a full array of 60 Starlink satellites into orbit. “And liftoff! May the force be with us!” – with these words, the commentator began the broadcast, and after 9 minutes, the first stage missiles successfully landed for the ninth time.

That is already the 24th launch, which equals 1,500 spacecraft, of which 1,438 are still in operation. The company strives to maintain coverage of its low Earth orbit broadband Internet network. In addition, this year saw the opening of the Starlink service availability, which seems so far limited to the receiving terminal.

Is Zoom’s future doomed in the light of the unicorn Clubhouse?

The rising star Clubhouse is estimated at $ 4 billion and has around 10 million users. But can this social network absorb the world’s powerful platforms?

2020 was also crowned with a win for Zoom, which overcame stiff competition from Microsoft Teams, Skype, and Google Hangouts. If initially, its shares valued at $ 568, then in April 2021, their price dropped to $ 308.

The Clubhouse includes three types of conference spaces: open, closed, and social, in which online conversations take place, and users participate in them adhering to certain conditions. On the other hand, Zoom resembles an office where you and your colleagues discuss work issues. Of course, it’s clear that at the moment, the Clubhouse is significantly superior to Zoom. Still, the brilliance of both applications lies in the perfect difference in concepts – the stage and everyday life, a wide audience of listeners, and a few colleagues.

Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine

Biotech company Moderna is investing $ 3 billion in the production of an mRNA vaccine against coronavirus. The money comes from the company’s balance of assets, which is about $ 5.25 billion. So by the end of the year, it produced more than 800 million doses. The new composition must be stable at average refrigeration temperatures for three months.

Multicolor iMacs, new iPad Pro, purple iPhone 12, and more at Latest Apple Event

Incredible blue, orange, yellow, and other rainbow color designs are finally back! The new iMacs are eating up the tech world with 50% faster graphics processing. Moreover, the device can run iPhone and iPad apps. Two Thunderbolt ports, a magnetically attached power connector, redesigned keyboard, Facetime HD 1080p camera, touchpad, studio-quality triple microphone array, and six speakers are some of the laptop’s features. With an M1 chip and a 24-inch 4.5K display, the junior model offers performance and starts at $ 1,299. The second one, with an Intel processor, 27-inch 5K display, and broader port selection, is priced at over $ 1,799.

Tim Cook has announced new iPad Pro models: the 11-inch for $ 799 and the 12.9-inch for $ 1,099. The differences from iPad Pro 2020 are M1″ microcircuit, 8GB or 16GB RAM, Storage configurations up to 2TB, Thunderbolt / USB 4 port, ƒ/2.4 12MP TrueDepth camera with Ultra Wide camera, 2x optical zoom out, and Center Stage, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X controllers support.

iPhone 12 is now available in purple. The 5.4-inch smartphone starts at $ 699, but the 6.1-inch will be $ 200 more expensive. As the corporation is steadily heading towards the sustainability trend, the kit doesn’t include a power adapter and EarPods. There is a USB-C – Lightning for fast charging.

The Apple TV 4K streaming media player fits with an updated processing chip with HDR and higher frame rates. The peculiarity of the device is the ability to set the color balance from your iPhone for a more accurate image. The remote is equipped with an improved touch panel. It’s priced at $ 179 for an Apple TV 4K with 32GB of storage and $ 199 for 64GB.

At the presentation, Tim Cook noted that updates to the Podcasts application should be expected soon. The subscription brings several additional features, including ad-free audio listening.

The same event has not been without getting a lot of buzz around a new but so bloody familiar product from Apple called AirTag.

That is a tiny keychain that helps you find and track personal items and accessories using the Find My app. The last one is a crowdsourced network that detects the transmitted Bluetooth signals. At the beginning of 2021, the number of consumers worldwide on this platform reached 1 billion. The device also features an integrated U1 chip utilizing Ultra-Wideband technology, enabling Precision Finding for iPhone 11 and 12. It supports the ultra-wideband function and determines the accurate distance to the device.

That has become a cause for concern as the gadget can be used as an illegal tracking of unwitting victims. Even if the AirTag is out of Bluetooth range, the Find My network can help you track the user on a map. iOS / iPadOS must warn that someone else’s device intentionally wants to be with you to prevent this.

If AirTag is out of range of any Apple device for more than three days, it’ll emit a warning tone. The press release reported that if someone else’s device is found, the user can turn it off by touching the iPhone or any other NFC-enabled smartphone. Some write that it’s not yet clear how loud this sound is; someone is completely frightened by the surveillance of mass consumption

Conclusion

April 2021 was crowned with excitement and progress. So SpaceX worked hard to launch satellites, and finally, on the day of the Star Wars, it did it. Apple also keeps pace and has already launched an active sale of its improved products. Clubhouse versus Zoom – is it worth comparing them at all? Finally, the Moderna vaccine, which may be less effective in a year, will be improved and released in 2022. Read more in the following May issue!

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