Tech News Roundup: 12 Top Stories from Last Night and This Morning

Tech News Roundup: 12 Top Stories from Last Night and This MorningThursday, November 21, 2024 saw a flurry of exciting news in the tech world. From a student-built rocket breaking altitude records to Huawei MateX6 pre-orders opening, the Android 16 developer preview launch, and major manufacturers announcing strategic plans and product updates, the tech wave continues its relentless surge

Tech News Roundup: 12 Top Stories from Last Night and This Morning

Thursday, November 21, 2024 saw a flurry of exciting news in the tech world. From a student-built rocket breaking altitude records to Huawei MateX6 pre-orders opening, the Android 16 developer preview launch, and major manufacturers announcing strategic plans and product updates, the tech wave continues its relentless surge. Below are 12 of today's most noteworthy tech stories.

1. Student-Built Rocket Soars to 143km, Shattering Amateur Aviation Altitude Record

The University of Southern California Rocket Propulsion Lab (USCRPL)'s amateur rocket, "Aftershock II," achieved a remarkable feat, reaching an altitude of 470,000 feet (approximately 143.26 kilometers). This not only easily surpassed the Krmn line (the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space) at 100km, but also exceeded Blue Origin's space tourism flight altitude of 105.4km, setting a new international record for amateur aviation. This achievement showcases the innovation and technological prowess of young people, setting a new benchmark for the amateur rocketry field and inspiring more to pursue aerospace and the exploration of space.

2. Huawei's New Foldable Flagship, MateX6, Opens for Pre-Order: Five Colors, Up to 16GB+1TB

Huawei's highly anticipated new foldable flagship phone, the MateX6, officially launched on November 20th and pre-orders opened simultaneously. The phone is available in five colors, encompassing standard and collector's editions, with the highest configuration boasting an impressive 16GB+1TB storage. The MateX6's release will undoubtedly intensify competition in the high-end foldable phone market, offering consumers more choices. Its powerful performance and extensive features signify the maturing technology of foldable phones and their increasing accessibility to the mass market.

3. Android 16's First Developer Preview Released, Official Launch a Quarter Ahead of Schedule Next Year

Google officially released the first developer preview of Android 16 on November 18th. Even more surprising, the official Android 16 release is scheduled for Q2 2025, a full quarter earlier than usual. Google aims to achieve the platform stability milestone by the end of Q1 2025, delivering the final SDK/NDK APIs, as well as the final internal APIs and application-facing system behaviors. This demonstrates Google's increased speed in Android system iteration, offering faster updates for developers and users.

4. Xiaomi's Lu Weibing: Slim Profit Margins on Air Conditioners, High Prices from Competitors

Xiaomi Group President Lu Weibing recently revealed that Xiaomi's white goods business is shifting from its previous ecosystem or ODM model to a self-research model. Xiaomi's top-blowing air conditioners and dual-zone washing machines are all self-developed, and Xiaomi will further develop upstream core components in the future. He also pointed out that the profit margin for Xiaomi's air conditioners is only in the teens, while competitors sell products costing only 3,000 yuan for 20,000 yuan. This comparison highlights Xiaomi's competitive pricing strategy and reflects the intense competition in the home appliance market.

5. Apple's Self-Developed 5G Modem Debuts, iPhone SE4 Rumored for March Release Next Year

Tech media outlet MacRumors reported, citing Barclays Bank analysts' supply chain research, that Apple will release the iPhone SE4 in March 2025, which will be the first iPhone to feature Apple's self-developed 5G modem. This marks a significant breakthrough for Apple in 5G modem technology, further enhancing its competitiveness in the mobile phone sector and reducing reliance on third-party suppliers.

6. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Phone Model Leaks, Featuring Rounder Edges

A model of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has been leaked, showing a camera module layout consistent with the Galaxy S24 Ultra, but with added concentric circle design elements echoing the design language of the Galaxy Z Fold6. Additionally, the phone's edges feature more rounded corners, suggesting a more comfortable grip. These design improvements indicate Samsung's ongoing innovation and optimization in phone design.

7. Zhong Shanshan Demands Removal of Defamatory Content from Toutiao and Douyin, Awaiting Apology

Nongfu Spring chairman Zhong Shanshan recently publicly demanded that Toutiao and Douyin remove content that he claims is damaging and defamatory, and he is awaiting an apology. He emphasized the importance of media impartiality in upholding the values of civilized online discourse, directly addressing ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming and urging him to take responsibility for upholding civilized rules on his platforms. This incident has once again brought attention to the online public opinion environment and calls for platforms to strengthen regulation and maintain a fair and just online environment.

8. Counterpoint: Apple iPhone Sales in China Drop Double Digits During Double 11

According to Reuters and Counterpoint Research, Apple's phone sales in China during this year's Double 11 shopping festival fell by a double-digit percentage year-on-year. This is primarily due to the impact of competitors launching new products. This data shows that Apple is facing increasing competitive pressure in the Chinese market and its market share is under challenge.

9. Li Bin: NIO Aims for Profitability in 2026

NIO's chairman and CEO, Li Bin, announced during the November 20th earnings call that the company aims to achieve profitability in 2026, planning for 100% sales growth in 2025, reaching approximately 450,000 units sold annually. This target reflects NIO's confidence in its future development and outlines its future strategic direction.

10. $1,410 Upgrade for 0.6-Second Faster 0-60mph: Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD Performance Upgrade Available

Tesla has launched a performance upgrade package for the Model 3 Long Range All-Wheel Drive, priced at 14,100 yuan, reducing the 0-60mph time from 4.4 seconds to 3.8 seconds. This upgrade offers consumers a way to enhance their vehicle's performance and demonstrates Tesla's ongoing investment in technology upgrades.

11. Taobao Launches "Negotiate Price" Feature, Encouraging User-Merchant Chat for Discounts

The Taobao app has launched a "Negotiate Price" feature, located on the checkout page for items in the shopping cart, aiming to help users communicate with merchants to obtain better prices or gifts. This feature adds a new way for consumers to interact with merchants and provides merchants with more flexible pricing strategies.

12. Geely Auto: Avoid Completely Depleting Electric Vehicle Batteries to Maintain Battery Health

Geely Galaxy New Energy advises users to avoid regularly depleting electric vehicle batteries to 0%, suggesting that reducing deep discharges is beneficial for battery health. This advice aims to help users better maintain their electric vehicle batteries and extend their lifespan.

That's all for today's tech news. See you tomorrow!