Twitter “No Longer Exists”; Google Pixel Fold; iPhone 15 Won’t Get Solid State Buttons; GM Spends $50 Million on Lithium

The name may still show up on the app, but Twitter as a company no longer exists, as Elon Musk has merged it into his X Corporation. Arstechnica.com notes that the word really got out when employees…those still working at the platform…got notice that they would be eligible for stock in X Corp, not Twitter. Neither Musk nor his attorney had comments, but Elon did Tweet out simply ‘X’ after word leaked out. Musk wants to make a so-called ‘everything’ app rather like China’s WeChat, where people can send payments, shop, message each other, all on one platform. Musk still claims Twitter…or X…or whatever it becomes, will be worth $250 billion. It looks like Musk will be trying to bring all his companies….Twitter, Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and The Boring Company under the X Corp holding company…not unlike what Alphabet is to Google and the rest, or Meta is to Facebook, Instagram, & WhatsApp.

There are breadcrumbs that seem to point to Google cooking up a Pixel Fold phone, which could complement the Pixel 7. According to androidpolice.com, details are sketchy, but we do know there have been several experimental models, with code names ranging from Passport to Logbook, to Jumbojack. One rumor has Google wanting to differentiate their device from Samsung’s Fold and Flip by branding it something like Pixel Notepad. What we do know is the form factor seems to be similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold. It seems unlikely right now that it will be out in the next 6 months.

It may be a letdown, or might be a ‘so what’ for you, but it looks like Apple has shelved their plans for solid state buttons on the upcoming iPhone 15 models. Macrumors.com reports that Cupertino has apparently run into what are being termed ‘unresolved technical issues. I’m sure you are as crushed as I am not to be getting solid state buttons that work with haptic feedback, but we will all manage to pull through somehow! Apple may go to a single long rocker switch instead of two separate volume buttons at this point, since that’s the setup they had for the solid state buttons, and many manufacturers are already making cases, and the like for the new models. 

General Motors is leading a $50 million investment into lithium extraction and refining at startup Energy X. Techcrunch.com says the General is set on locking in all the lithium it will need to build battery packs for the increasing number of electric vehicles it will be making in the next several years. EnergyX mining operations are in North and South America, so GM avoids any issues with China shutting off or throttling lithium supplies. GM will not be getting 100% of EnergyX lithium, but the amount…as well as other investors…haven’t been released yet. EnergyX is based in Austin, Texas and San Juan, Puerto Rico. 

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