As the world of technology continues to evolve, consumer phone usability becomes increasingly affected by decisions in class-action lawsuits, bans on popular platforms, and music streaming subscription rates. Meanwhile, global warming concurrently escalates as we teeter on the cusp of a climate emergency.
Six years after the so-called ‘Batterygate’ scandal, Apple is reportedly on the cusp of paying out up to $500 million to affected customers who experienced battery-related performance issues on older iPhone models. 3 million claimants in this lawsuit can anticipate anywhere between $65 and $90 each. This fiasco, embroiling iPhone 6, 6S, 7, and the original SE models, revolved around allegations that Apple deliberately reduced device performance following certain software updates. Despite the public uproar, Apple maintains its innocence, positioning the intentional slowing down of phones as a safeguard to stave off automatic shutdowns when batteries level off.
While Apple users may be anticipating some compensation soon, the American TikTok community frets about impending app bans. In a climate of international tension with China, the threat of a TikTok ban mainly stems from US lawmakers’ concerns of potential misuse of user data by the app’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or their fears that the app could serve as a gateway to Chinese spyware. While pundits and members of Congress present the prospective ban as an effort to shield privacy, most realise the issue is deeply rooted in intercontinental tensions.
The path to an outright ban on US soil would be steeped in controversy and prove highly challenging due to potential circumvention strategies, like Virtual Private Networks that allow users to manipulate location appearances or simply downloading the app in a different state. Montana grapples with these complexities, preparing for a TikTok blackout slated for 2024.
Adding to consumers’ tech woes are an overall trend in streaming service subscription hikes. Amazon’s music streaming service recently revealed on an FAQ page a minor price increase from $9 to $10. This price change targets Amazon Prime members with Unlimited Music plans and family plans, signifying another streaming service easing a tighter grip on users wallets. Recent comparable increases from giants like Spotify, Hulu, Netflix and Disney+ reflect this streaming industry trend, as each service attempts to maximize value from its platform amid stiff competition.
Conversely, the Earth’s weather system experiences its trends. The planet continues to endure drastic heat waves, ocean warming, and intensifying wildfires brought on by anthropogenic climate alterations. As humans persist in their abuse of natural resources, accelerating climate change consequences unleash an unstable, hotter, and formidable world.
Final thoughts? It seems our high-tech digital universe and our vulnerable physical world are sharing a turbulent transformational journey together. A rising tide of uncertainties in both spheres left users grappling with their phones and their rapidly warming home planet simultaneously. One thing remains clear in all this murkiness: expect more change. Change in global temperatures, streaming subscription costs, phone functionalities, and the protocols of app use. This is the world, it seems, we’ve engineered.
