Hot Spot Capable Chromebook; Shopify Cuts Staff 10%; VW Starts EV Production in Tennessee

A lot of laptops have the feature, and now it appears that Google is getting ready to add support to Chromebooks for Wi-Fi hotspot use. According to Android Central, a number of Chromebook already ship with native SIM capability. Once the feature starts rolling out, it should work like Wi-Fi hotspot connectivity on your Android phone…you’ll be able to set a network name and password up. Google will probably be testing this for a little while yet before it is released in an update. 

Shopify is laying off around 10% of its staff worldwide, about 1,000 people. Reuters.com reports that the stock dipped 16% on the news. The company said in a memo that they misjudged how long the pandemic-fueled e-commerce boom would last. The cuts will mainly apply to recruiting, support, and sales roles. Like with other e-commerce companies, Shopify has found that consumers have moved at least partially back to pre-pandemic shopping habits. 

Volkswagen has fired up production on its ID.4 electric crossover SUV in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It’s their first EV to be built in the US. More importantly, theverge.com notes that VW is claiming it will start to usher in an era of cheaper EVs. Presently, the ID.4 starts at $41,230. VW had planned to sell the UU made models for around $35,000…which will drop to $27,500 with the federal tax credit. As pricing hasn’t yet been announced, we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see if they can meet that sweet spot pricing figure.