HeyWhatsNew: Social Media Is Getting a Revamp from a New AI-Based Platform, and Elon Musk Calls Out Bill Gates on X
What’s good, Heyuppers? As the weather gets hotter, so do the tech news headlines. Let’s explore what went down in the first week of July, beginning 01/07/2024.
Threads Reaches the 175 Million Mark Ahead of One Year Anniversary
July 5th marks one year since Meta launched Threads as a rival to the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. Despite these numbers, the platform faces challenges with engagement and growth.
Threads saw immense growth in its first week, attracting 100 million users who migrated over from Instagram. Business Today reports how Sensor Tower data shows that last month, users spent an average of three sessions and seven minutes per day on the app. This marks a 79% drop in sessions and a 65% drop in time spent compared to July of last year.
New Social App “Noplace” Hits Number One on the App Store
A new app called noplace has quickly topped the App Store charts after launching out of invite-only mode on Wednesday. Targeted at younger users and anyone wanting to connect with friends or shared interests, noplace offers colorful, customizable profiles similar to Myspace.
Unlike traditional social media platforms that use algorithms, noplace employs AI to provide suggestions and curate content. The app doesn’t edit your feed but uses AI to summarize what you’ve missed. It’s currently available as a free download on iOS and in read-only mode on the web.
Elon Musk Warns Investors, Including Bill Gates, Not to Bet Against Tesla
In a recent post on X, Tesla CEO Elon Musk warned Bill Gates and others betting against Tesla. Musk said in the post that once Tesla perfects its self-driving technology and starts mass-producing its Optimus robots, anyone betting against the company will lose a lot of money.
The billionaire, who is also the CEO of SpaceX, claims that these robots will make Tesla worth $20 to $25 trillion. Short sellers think Tesla is about to fail financially.
The Vision Pro Competitor, Meta Quest, Now Supports up to 6 Windows
In a continued attempt to build a headset to compete with Apple’s Vision Pro, Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg showcased an upgraded Meta Quest headset with three fixed-position windows and three freely-moveable ones.
Previously, 9to5 Mac noted that Vision Pro allows flexible window placement, while Meta Quest offers a more limited experience. They also mentioned that the visual quality of the Meta Quest isn’t nearly as good as Vision Pro, and the content in most windows has very low frame rates.
Samsung Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 Specs Leaked
Samsung is set to launch the Galaxy Z Fold6, Galaxy Z Flip6, the Galaxy Watch7 series, and the new Galaxy Ring on July 10. Reliable reports suggest that the Galaxy Z Fold6 will likely feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset worldwide, and the Ultra version will reportedly be thinner, lighter, and have an improved camera.
GSMArena reports that early renders show it looking similar to the Galaxy Z Fold5 but with flatter, sharper edges.
Photographers Outraged by “Made with AI” Label, Which Will Now Be Changed to “AI Info”
In May, Meta began tagging photos with a “Made with AI” label, leading to complaints from photographers that real photos were being mislabeled when basic editing tools were used.
Meta acknowledged that the original tag was unclear, as it implied that the image was entirely created with AI rather than simply edited with AI-powered tools. Due to user feedback and confusion about the extent of AI use in photos, Meta is updating the tag to “AI info” across all its apps.
That’s all the tech news updates for this week. Subscribe to HeyUp to receive news and updates as they come.
