Even $900 phones are not perfect...

I was right! Yes, I was! Remember I published an article mentioning Microsoft might come out with some new hardware and probably affordable ones? Recall, I introduced a laptop called Surface SE? Yes, Microsoft last week announced their line of Chromebook competitors. The Surface SE starts at a minimal price tag of $250 and is uniquely crafted for students who want essential features to get the work done. The laptop packs a custom version of Windows, Windows 11 SE, along with Microsoft Education 365 and, is ideal for the K-12 environment because of security features and easy deployment for IT admins. Microsoft also advertises a 16-hour battery! But, in real-life usage, it will probably be 8 hours, which is still staggering! I believe this is the case because the laptop features a tiny 11.6-inch display with not a power-hungry processor, the Intel Celeron. What’s surprising is that Microsoft packs some great quality mics along with a 720p camera in the system. For context, the $999 MacBook Air also has a 720p camera. That is surprising, isn't it?

Anyway, leaning over to other things that happened in the tech domain this week. Every year Google releases its Pixel line-up and, every year the pixels are shipped with some grave issues! Sometimes it is the battery or the display itself. Google has never failed to disappoint. But, everyone thought that this year was different. Google finally changed its camera hardware, brought its custom made chip to its phones and blew the competition out of the water! But a couple of days ago, people started reporting a sluggish experience with the fingerprint scanner of the Pixel 6. People earlier suggested that this might be a hardware issue because Google utilises an optical fingerprint scanner instead of an ultrasonic one. However, OnePlus phones do just fine with the same technology. Google officially wrote an article addressing this issue. But guess what? It was useless! No help whatsoever! They replied by saying that we use advanced algorithms to make your phone secure, and it may be why your fingerprint scanner does not always give you the desired result every time. But users on Reddit explained how this is a software issue and can be fixed with a software patch. Let’s wait and watch now. I guess Google will address this issue. But this does not concern our Indian audience because Google is not launching its flagships in India anymore 🥲

The most significant change this week was by YouTube. YouTube now hides the dislike count on YouTube videos for the public! I mean, everyone over the internet is creating a tremendous fuss over it, but if you ask me, it does not make a difference. The company justifies why they took this step. The statement they issued said that it was to promote respectful interactions between creators and viewers. I mean, it just makes sense! Creators will still be able to view this metric privately. All this does is protect the YouTubers from public shaming! Twitter lost it over this issue but, my comments stand, “It is the right step, in the right direction!” If you look at the subject from a small creator’s point of view, it makes sense. Every creator is startled and reluctant when they start. Personally, when I started this newsletter, I was worried too! I was not sure how people would react to this or whether this would end becoming a meme in my school. But eventually, when I started, I disabled all the statics from public view because that was more assuring that people would not make fun of me. And hiding metrics doesn’t do any harm to the creators or the consumers of the content. So why create such a fuss then? Google’s survey showed that this metric hiding prevented smaller creators from being attacked and, this makes perfect sense! Anyway, I am always here to listen to your views. Feel free to send me a DM over Twitter to discuss your viewpoint.

Now, for some less controversial headlines, Apple is rolling out a feature that lets you choose a legacy contact if something happens to you. The legacy contact will have access to all your iCloud data and will be able to disable activation locks with a verified death certificate. I mean such a minute feature but, it creates such a huge impact. It is these things that make Apple what it is. How cool is that?

Okay, so my dad told me no one has the time to read 800 words to I am just going to cut the newsletter here and listen to him. I know the ending is abrupt but, you need to listen to brown dads. Plus, I can't think of a new way to end every time I do this. So, make sure to update your devices, feel free to reach out to me for tech help, don't forget to share this with your family and friends and, I'll catch you next time.