Tech News Roundup: January 31, 2025

Tech News Roundup: January 31, 2025Friday, January 31st, 2025 saw a flurry of significant tech news. Let's recap the major events from last night and this morning

Tech News Roundup: January 31, 2025

Friday, January 31st, 2025 saw a flurry of significant tech news. Let's recap the major events from last night and this morning.

I. iPhone Storage Upgrades Falter, Cloud Services Rise?

CIRP, a market research firm, released a report on January 29th indicating that a growing number of iPhone users in the US are opting for entry-level storage paired with cloud services instead of purchasing larger storage capacities. This trend suggests consumers are increasingly relying on the cloud for data storage, potentially significantly impacting one of Apple's most profitable value-added services storage upgrades. This phenomenon warrants attention, reflecting the maturation and widespread adoption of cloud storage technology and a shift in consumer habits. Whether Apple will adjust its product strategy in response remains a key area to watch. This might also foreshadow a shift in the balance between hardware configurations and software services for future phone manufacturers, with cloud services becoming increasingly important. Continued market research and data analysis will help us better understand the long-term impact of this trend. It's noteworthy that this trend is currently limited to the US market; the situation in other regions may differ and requires further investigation.

II. AMD RX 9070 XT Poised to Challenge NVIDIA RTX 5080: A Price-Performance King in the Making?

The YouTube channel Moore's Law Is Dead recently suggested that AMD's next-generation Radeon RX 9070 XT graphics card will strongly challenge NVIDIA's newly launched GeForce RTX 5080. If true, this signifies intensified competition in the high-end GPU market, offering consumers more choices. The RX 9070 XT's actual gaming performance and price will determine whether it becomes the "price-performance king." Expect a surge in reviews and comparisons of these two cards in the coming period, allowing consumers to choose based on their needs and budget. This competition also highlights the continuous advancement of GPU technology, delivering enhanced graphical processing power to gamers. However, ultimate market performance will depend on actual sales data and user feedback.

III. Meizu Smartphone System Services Suffer Outage, Emergency Repairs Underway

On January 30th, a large number of Meizu users reported that their phone system applications were inaccessible, with built-in apps failing to load, and the issue persisting even after restarts. Meizu officially responded that they are working hard on repairs, but the specific cause and repair time remain unclear. This incident severely impacted the user experience and exposed system stability issues. Meizu needs to promptly release updates on the incident and solutions to regain user trust. This event also serves as a reminder for other phone manufacturers to prioritize system stability and strengthen software testing and risk control. In the future, Meizu needs to conduct a comprehensive system review and improvement to prevent similar incidents.

IV. 2025 Lunar New Year Box Office Breaks 2.6 Billion Yuan, Setting New Record for Viewership

As of 8:56 AM on January 30th, the total box office for the 2025 Lunar New Year film season (January 28th-February 4th) exceeded 2.6 billion Yuan, setting a new record for viewership. "The Wrong Turn 3" topped the charts in terms of audience numbers, while "Nezha: Rebirth" led in box office revenue. This indicates continued prosperity in the Chinese film market, with the Lunar New Year period remaining a crucial part of the industry. The diversity of film genres and the continuous production of high-quality films are key factors in this box office success. The future trends of the film market are worth monitoring, with innovation in film production and distribution further driving market development.

V. China's Smartphone Market in 2024: Huawei Takes the Lead, Apple and Others Decline

A CounterPoint Research report released on January 28th showed that China's smartphone sales grew by 1.5% year-on-year in 2024. Huawei led the market with a strong 36% year-on-year growth, followed by Xiaomi and Vivo with 10% and 6% growth respectively. However, Apple, OPPO, and Honor saw sales decline by 13%, 9%, and 3% respectively. This data reflects a significant shift in the competitive landscape of the Chinese smartphone market. Huawei's strong comeback and the differentiated performance of other brands warrant in-depth analysis. Increased market competition will further drive technological innovation and product upgrades among smartphone manufacturers.

VI. NetEase Cloud Music Launches Customizable Bottom Navigation Bar

NetEase Cloud Music officially announced the introduction of a customizable bottom navigation bar for its app, allowing users to hide unnecessary features for a more personalized experience. This update demonstrates NetEase Cloud Music's commitment to user experience and responds to the growing demand for personalized customization. In the future, more apps may introduce similar personalized features to meet diverse user needs. Continuous software iteration and user feedback will contribute to improving user experience and increasing user retention.

VII. Apple FY25Q1 Revenue Hits Record, but Greater China Revenue Declines Year-on-Year

Apple announced its financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2025, reporting total revenue of $124.3 billion, a 4% year-on-year increase, setting a new record. However, Greater China revenue declined by 11% year-on-year, a matter that requires Apple's attention and in-depth analysis. While global market performance was strong, the decline in Greater China revenue highlights Apple's challenges in the Chinese market. Apple needs to develop more effective strategies for the Chinese market to address market competition and changing consumer demands.

VIII. Morris Chang Reveals Why Apple Chose TSMC

Morris Chang revealed that Apple chose TSMC over Intel in 2011 because Intel didn't truly understand the foundry business. Cook made the decision in just two months. This showcases TSMC's leading advantage in the foundry sector and Apple's efficiency in decision-making. This event also serves as a warning to other chip manufacturers to continuously invest in foundry capabilities and technological innovation.

IX. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D/5080 Graphics Cards Launch

NVIDIA's RTX 5080/5090 (D) graphics cards, announced at CES 2025, have begun selling. The RTX 5080 Founders Edition is available on JD.com, while the RTX 5090 (D) is not yet listed. The RTX 5080 is priced at 8299 Yuan, and the RTX 5090 (D) at 16499 Yuan. Competition in the high-end graphics card market will intensify, providing consumers with more options.

X. Musk Discusses Challenges of Bringing Tesla FSD to China

Musk mentioned that one of the challenges Tesla faces in bringing its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system to China is the "bus lane," which can only be simulated through online video training. This reflects the challenges of autonomous driving technology in complex traffic environments. Tesla needs to further refine its autonomous driving technology to adapt to China's complex traffic conditions.

XI. Apple iPhone SE 4 May Feature a Notch Display

According to Ross Young, the upcoming iPhone SE 4 will reportedly feature a 6.1-inch display with a notch, rather than the Dynamic Island, and will be powered by the A17 Pro chip. This indicates that Apple is employing different strategies across its product lines at various price points. Consumers will need to choose based on their needs and budget.

XII. Microsoft Optimizes DeepSeek-R1 Model, Enhancing Win11 AI Inference Capabilities

Microsoft announced optimization of the DeepSeek-R1 model for Windows 11 users to enable localized AI inference for Copilot+PC. This will enhance the AI experience for Windows 11 users and provide developers with more powerful tools. The continued development of AI technology will bring more convenience and possibilities to users.

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