Apple May 7th Event; Android 15-Battling Sensitive Info Leaks; GM Pins Hopes on $35K EV Equinox; FTC Bans Noncompete Clauses

Apple has teased an event for May 7th with “Let Loose” as the theme. This will be an online only event, and will start at 7 AM Pacific, instead of the usual 10 AM start time. It is widely expected to be for the new iPad line, and the Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard. In a post, CEO Tim Cook used a pencil emoji, so that seems like a sure thing to get upgraded…a Pencil 3. One rumor has it getting a ‘Squeeze’ gesture of some type, and others mention Find My integration…which would be great…and magnetically swappable tips for different writing and drawing. New iPad Pros should get OLED displays and a slight size increase. The Air will get a 12.9 inch screen size, and might have a Mini-LED display. We’ll have the details May 7th. 

Android is taking steps in Android 15 to stop you from leaking sensitive content while screen sharing. Androidpolice.com reports that not only will they remind you not to share a screen in a meeting or live stream with sensitive info. Android has long let third party apps capture the contents of the display via the MediaProjection API. In version 15, the OS will ask if you want to continue this action, and also will show a persistent recording indicator in the status bar. This will at least give a heads up if a malicious app is trying to record your screen and steal info.  

With the fabled $25,000 Tesla being moved up a year, General Motors is hustling to pick up some market share with a vehicle near the sweet spot for most buyers with their entry level $35,000 electric Chevy Equinox. Electrek.co says GM lost some market share first quarter. The Ultium based vehicles were up 36%, but total EV sales were down 20% after the phase out of the entry level Chevy Bolt EV. GM is projecting that they will build 200,000 to 300,000 EVs this year…a big number, but down from the original 400,000 projection.

In a ruling just out, the FTC has banned noncompete clauses. This will have a big effect in the tech sector, but also elsewhere in the business world. Arstechnica.com notes that Employers will be “banned from entering into or attempting to enforce any new noncompetes, even if they involve senior executives.” Big business has vowed to fight the ban all the way to the Supreme Court. It is worth pointing out that nondisclosure agreements are still ok, so trade secrets and proprietary information can still be protected. The Chair of the FTC Lina Khan said “Noncompete clauses keep wages low, suppress new ideas, and rob the American economy of dynamism, including from the more than 8,500 new startups that would be created a year once noncompetes are banned.” She continued:  “The FTC’s final rule to ban noncompetes will ensure Americans have the freedom to pursue a new job, start a new business, or bring a new idea to market.”

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.