Today’s Tech Sightings:
FILE – A man is silhouetted against a video screen poses with a Nokia Lumia 820 smartphone in this photo illustration taken in Zenica, Bosnia. Microsoft recently sold its Nokia acquisition to iPhone manufacturer, Foxconn.
Microsoft Retreats in Smartphone Battle, 1,850 Jobs Could Go
Microsoft’s foray into the mobile smartphone market appears to be at an end. The tech giant’s smartphone business has been in its death throes in recent months. And now, Microsoft just announced it will cut about 1,850 jobs, mostly in Finland, and write down $950 million from the business. The move would put an end to the development of new phones.
iPhone Manufacturer Foxconn Replaces Over Half of Workers in One Factory With Robots
Up to 60,000 Foxconn factory workers have been replaced by robots, according to the South China Morning Post. Quoting a government official, the newspaper said Foxconn’s Kunshan factory reduced its human workforce from 110,000 to 50,000 to cut costs. A related survey of 100 manufacturers revealed that up to 600 major industrial companies in China’s Jiangsu province will replace human labor with robots in the next five years.
Dear Mr. Zuckerberg: Thanks for ‘Free Basics’ in Africa, But We’re Not Totally Convinced
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s ‘Free Basics program, which just launched in Nigeria, is still facing challenges. The service, part of Zuckerberg’s Internet.org initiative, is devised to provide internet access to billions of people in developing countries. But it has been criticized for providing a limited version of the Internet, highly controlled by Facebook.
More:
- The Future of Technology in the Education Sector
- BSA: Unlicensed Software Use Still Rampant in Asia
- A Robot’s First Day at Work Offers a Glimpse Into the Future
- Microsoft Is Using ‘Malware Tactics’ to Trick People Into Upgrading to Windows 10
- New Windows 10 Update Will Change Hardware Requirements for the First Time Since 2009
- Report: Apple Will Open Siri to Third-party Apps
- Will This Augmented Reality Machine Really Replace Your PC?
- Bionic Suit Helps Dad Fulfill Dream of Walking Daughter Down the Aisle
- Corporate America Chases the Mythical Millennial
