According to a recent study, up to 71% of mobile phone users have not used contract tracing apps, nor trust them because of privacy reasons. Apps developed were also poorly reviewed. Leo says the problem is, that the tech companies focus on privacy first, largely was counter productive to the whole idea of contact tracing. And maybe rightfully so.
Up in Massachusetts, users of Android phones discovered this week that Google had installed the Massachusetts State app without their knowledge or permission. The app is designed to provide citizens with the latest Covid-19 information, as well as a QR code if you have been vaccinated. Leo says it's not a good thing to force an app, and how easy would it be to forge a QR code anyway? People have always sought to "game" the system, and it's even more so in the age of the Internet.
According to the metadata for Apple's WWDC Presentation on Tuesday, Apple may have been poised to announce new M1X MacBooks, and an M1X Mac Pro tower, but may have decided not to at the last minute. The tags had listings for both inserted into the metadata of the keynote on YouTube and at Apple.com. But Leo says that according to The Supply Chain, production won't begin until Q2, making both ready for the Holiday shopping season. So look for announcements this Fall.
Apple was subpoenaed by the Trump Department of Justice to provide information on several key government figures and then was issued a gag order not to talk about it until late May of this year. True to Apple's commitment to privacy, they only provided metadata and no actual personal data.
Software development and the use of computers in today's cars have contributed to the rise in car prices over the last few years. Leo says that up to 40% of a price of a car can be attributed to the development of car computers and software that operates them. Add to that, Leo says that the worldwide chip shortage, and not only are cars more expensive, but car manufacturers are making fewer of them.
With five bills before the House, Congress is poised to reign in Big Tech, and a breakup may be required for Big Tech to continue to do business in the United States. The Big Nine - Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Apple, Google, and IBM, plus Ali Baba, Tencent/TikTok, and Babu are so dominant in our society, that Congress is starting to be concerned that Big Tech has too much power, and they may require some of those firms to break up into smaller companies.
Reversing the stance that Windows 10 would be the last operating system you'll have own for your PC, Microsoft will soon announce Windows 11 (codenamed Sun Valley) this week with a completely redesigned app store. But Leo doesn't think that the new operating system would be anything too different from what users have now. And the app store? Well, YAWN. Leo also says it will be aimed primarily at consumers since businesses are traditionally reticent to move to a new platform.
Going before the Supreme Court, the decades-long Computer Fraud and Abuse Act has been narrowed in its application on constitutional grounds. Leo says that the act is only really used to prosecute when no other law applies, and the particular case was regarding a police officer who was prosecuted for improperly accessing a driver's license database.
Microsoft is believed to be introducing a new version of Windows during their Microsoft event on June 24th. Leo thinks this is interesting since Nadella stated unequivocally that Windows 10 would be the last Windows Microsoft will ever release. But a recent tweet by a Windows executive stated that a new version, Windows 11 (also code named Sun Valley), will be out on the 24th. So what does it mean? Leo thinks it's likely a home-based OS revamp that could be just a huge update.
Amazon Sidewalk will begin operating on June 8th, and it's got the media sounding what Leo calls a scare tactic. What Amazon Sidewalk is, will be a wireless network for things like location tracking of tagged animals and devices and the white paper indicates Sidewalk will be private and secure. It uses Amazon Echo and Alexa to create a neighborhood-wide mesh network for being able to locate your devices.
