Microsoft Targeted Messages; Apple WWDC & Mixed Reality Headset; Nissan Joins Solid State Battery Sweepstakes; Meta Turns to Qualcomm for Smart Glasses Chips

Here’s something no one asked for, that is apparently coming from Microsoft. Zdnet.com reports that they are planning to let IT administrators send targeted messages to Windows 11 desktops, right above the the taskbar! Yes, your boss and IT department can already feel your unbridled joy about this! No need to open the company email app or chat app now…you can be reached right from your desktop before you even so much as start opening apps or the browser to start your day. So…don’t forget to take that online corporate training that’s due in 2 weeks, ok? 

**A friend who is a retired engineer from IBM points out that they were doing this with messages on mainframes over 30 years ago.

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Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference will be virtual for the third year in a row starting on June 6th. Expect major iOS and watchOS upgrades, and perhaps some new Macs. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman notes that Apple originally had big plans to use WWDC 2022 as the launch event for its long-in-the-works mixed-reality headset. Apple will likely  announce that product at the end of this year or next year. Apparently, the beta versions of iOS 16 are jammed with references to the mixed reality headset. Apple will allow a limited number of people on campus for parts of the presentation, but the keynote and all the important presentations will again be prerecorded. 

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Nissan has unveiled a prototype production facility for solid-state batteries, a critical step in the automaker’s bid to develop and deliver an EV powered by the next-generation battery technology by 2028. According to techcrunch.com,  Nissan is aiming to incorporate all-solid-state batteries in pickup trucks and other vehicles by 2030. Solid state battery tech look to make EVs as affordable as gasoline-powered vehicles by the end of the decade. General Motors, Stellantis, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, VW, and Toyota are all working on solid state batteries. 

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Meta’s plan to make its own chips for its Ray Ban smart glasses has been put on ice. The Information says that the company had decided to go with an alternative chip from Qualcomm, according to two people familiar with the matter. The custom chip would power a variety of functions, such as taking high-quality photos and videos, on the glasses. Meta’s augmented reality chief, Alex Himel, decided using it could delay the glasses’ launch, originally expected for next year.