alao news in June: mobile plans get more expensive, Apple Vision Pro, Reddit communities on strike
Welcome to the very first mobile phone news from alao! From now on you can read the most important tech, provider and device news here every month. These are the news items that kept the tech world busy in June.
Reddit communities on strike: The end of third-party apps
Musk has led the way with Twitter and put access to the API behind a payment barrier. In itself, this is not a bad thing, but the costs for API access are so high that developers of third-party apps can no longer afford them. Reddit CEO Steve Huffmann, known to Reddit users as u/spez, seems to have taken a liking to the pricing model and has also made access to the Reddit API chargeable since 1 July. Even protests by the community, volunteer moderators and self-deactivations of popular Reddit apps such as Apollo or Reddit is Fun, which cannot afford the enormously high sums of US$20 million (according to Apollo developers), have not been able to prevent the API paywall. The consequence: the developers of third-party apps stop their work, users now have to use the official Reddit app.
WWDC 2023: Reactions to the new Apple headset
8 years after the last product launch, Apple has presented a new hardware product: The Apple Vision Pro. While consumers turn up their noses at the high price of 3500 US$, testers agree that the Apple Vision Pro has the potential to be the “next big thing”. For The Verge, it is the “best version of a VR headset“, TechCrunch speaks of a great leap forward in mixed reality, and YouTubers like Marques Brownlee are also impressed by the device. Stock market analysts, however, do not share this optimism and expect only 200,000 to 1 million units sold in the first year. By comparison, the first iPhone sold more than 1.4 million units in its first year. Read our article about WWDC 2023 to find out more about the features presented and the Vision Pro.
EU: No more glued batteries in smartphones
After charging cables, the EU is now also declaring war on glued batteries in smartphones: From 2027, these batteries must be “easily removable and replaceable by users themselves”. A resolution to this effect found an overwhelming majority of 587 to 9 votes, now the directive only has to pass the EU Council, where approval is considered assured. EU laws also have an impact far beyond the EU’s borders. Although only required in the EU, Apple will use USB-C instead of Lightning with the next iPhone – worldwide. We expect something similar with regard to exchangeable batteries.
More and more content disappears from streaming platforms
The “Golden Age of Television” is over: In the USA, unions are striking for better pay, more profit-sharing and rules on dealing with artificial intelligence. The increases in the base rate make “fast, cheap money” impossible, because so far the streaming boom has been financed mainly on credit. The media conglomerate Warner Bros Discovery, which owns HBO and CNN, among others, discovered a loophole in US tax law a few months ago and took non-successful titles off their platforms – in return it was allowed to deduct the losses for tax purposes. Westworld and The Nevers, among others, were removed from HBO Max. Of course, other streaming providers followed suit and also removed loss-making content. Disney+ removed Willow and Y: The Last Man, among others, and now Paramount+ has followed suit and removed Star Trek: Prodigy and the Grease reboot Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies among other titles from the platform. One thing is certain: In the future, one can no longer be sure whether a series will remain permanently viewable on the platforms.
Inflation is hitting mobile phone subscriptions – but not every provider is raising prices
Although the inflation rate did not reach the level seen in other European countries, it is nevertheless making itself felt in this country. Some providers such as Sunrise and its subsidiary Yallo increased subscription prices by up to 4 % or one franc, while other providers are launching subscriptions under new names. Salt and Swisscom, on the other hand, promised not to raise prices despite the VAT increase and inflation.
Tip: On alao you can easily benefit from new customer discounts and save up to CHF 57 per month on your mobile phone plans. You choose your perfect subscription and we do the rest. We conclude the contract with your new provider at the best conditions, cancel your old contract and port your number free of charge. If you have any questions, our support team will look after you 7 days a week, before and after you sign up.
Sunrise switches off 3G in 2025
After 2G (GSM) was already switched off at the beginning of this year, Sunrise wants to carry out the 3G switch-off (UMTS) by 2025 at the latest. Swisscom has also announced the end of the outdated radio standard for the end of 2025. In Germany, the 3G standard was already switched off in 2022, and the USA has parted with its 2G network. Swiss subscription holders will then only be able to use 4G (LTE) or 5G. The expansion of 5G has recently stalled in Switzerland due to the low radiation exposure limits. Due to the shorter range of 5G, more mobile phone antennas must be installed, but Sunrise is having problems finding property owners willing to make their property available for a mobile phone antenna, according to technology boss Elmar Grasser. Parliament has spoken out in favour of an accelerated expansion of the 5G standard, but without touching the limits for radiation exposure
