BMW and Toyota partner up to develop fuel cell cars
BMW and Toyota’s long-term partnership will soon result in the pair’s first jointly-produced hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The plan is to launch them as soon as 2025. BMW already has a hydrogen-powered X5 concept in the pipeline with plans to start small-scale production this year. This isn’t the first time the pair have teamed up. You might’ve heard of the BMW Z4 or the Toyota Supra. The German-Japanese partnership developed both. BMW and Toyota are exploring another renewable energy source, as more manufacturers pivot towards electric vehicles.
The main advantage of fuel cell vehicles over EVs is that they are quicker and easier to refuel. But actually building the infrastructure required to refuel those types of vehicles is costly and even more limited than EV recharging stations. Not to mention the requirements of storing and handling hydrogen. It might seem like a step backwards for BMW to focus on such a niche and limited technology. But we’re sure some people thought the same about EVs before they were making headlines every other day. With the price of Lithium increasing by 382% year-on-year in March, hydrogen fuel cells could be a promising alternative.
Source: Autoblog
iPhones could get ads soon
Apple might be a loud advocate of shielding its users’ info from advertisers, but what happens when the call is coming from inside the house? Mark Gurman, in his weekly newsletter, reported that Apple is likely to expand its ad revenue stream to include more apps that come pre-installed on your iPhone. Currently, ads on Apple’s platform show up in the News and Stocks app as well as in the Play Store and on Apple TV+. Developers can pay to promote their app so that it shows up first when you search for a related term. Ads on Maps would presumably work in the same way. Gurman believes Apple is also likely to extend search ads into the Podcasts and Books apps.
This push to expand its advertising business might seem a little hypocritical for Apple. Not so long ago it implemented its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) policy that allows users to opt-out of being tracked across apps. That move apparently cost many companies, like Meta Platforms, a lot of advertising money. This shouldn’t be a problem for Apple because, according to the company, it “does not follow you across apps and websites owned by other companies.” The only other problem might be that its userbase, who have come to expect a certain standard of clean interface and their information handled with care, might not like seeing more ads in their apps. Imagine paying over R20k for a phone that comes with ads preinstalled. But will those users switch to a different ecosystem? Probably not.
Source: Bloomberg
LG’s 20in OLED panel is set to debut this year
LG is the world’s leading manufacturer of OLED panels in several device categories like smartwatches, phones and TVs. But the smallest OLED panel the company currently makes is for its 42in TVs. Now, the South Korean electronics giant plans to produce a smaller 20in panel as soon as this year. This is according to The Elec, a South Korean news publication reporting on a speech by LG Display Vice President Kang Won-seok. Although he indicated that the smaller displays would be ready this year, it’s unlikely that they will be ready for consumer purchase. We’ll have to wait a little longer for that 24in LG OLED gaming monitor. But at least we know it’s (probably) on its way.
In addition to a 20in OLED panel, Kang also said the company was developing displays for mixed reality, a new 77in transparent OLED and bendable OLED displays with a user-adjustable bend. While its other projects sound exciting, we’re most looking forward to the OLED gaming monitors that will almost certainly turn up at some point.
Source: The Elec
Hogwarts Legacy is delayed to early 2023
Hogwarts Legacy, developed by Avalanche Software, has been pushed back by publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WB). But at least it now has a concrete release date. The game will launch on PC, PS 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X/S on 10 February 2023. The official Hogwarts Legacy Twitter account tweeted “The team is excited for you to play, but we need a little more time to deliver the best possible game experience.” That sounds like a valid reason as any. But it’s probably not the only reason.
The game was announced in late 2020 and was expected to launch in 2021. Then, WB pushed it back to 2022’s holiday season but didn’t give a specific date. Now, it’s been pushed back by another few months to Feb ‘23. We think this might have something to do with God of War Ragnarok releasing this holiday season. It is one of if not the most anticipated game of this year so it’s no wonder other games are diving out of its way. If you need to refresh your memory of Hogwarts Legacy you could always re-watch the announcement trailer.
Source: Engadget