Tesla's comeback, Zuckerberg's Threads vs. Musk's X, and Apple AirPod cameras: Tech news roundup
Tesla stock pops because Elon Musk’s EV maker sold more cars than expected
Tesla on Tuesday reported stronger than expected deliveries for the second quarter of 2024 after Wall Street lowered its expectations.
Austin, Texas-based Tesla said it sold 422,405 Model 3 compact cars and Model Y SUVs between April and June, and 21,551 other EVs. Although the automaker does not provide a breakout for those deliveries, they include the Model X crossover SUV, Model S sedan, and the Cybertruck, an electric pickup released for delivery by Tesla last November.
Volvo’s disastrous new EV software is now leading to returns and full refunds
The Volvo EX30 is a very fun, very reasonably priced little electric crossover. It’s also delayed in the U.S. thanks to new tariffs on Chinese-built cars, and it seems the problems get worse from there: Volvo has halted sales on the model abroad after a wave of software issue reports from customers.
Mark Zuckerberg’s Threads is catching up to Elon Musk’s X
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Wednesday that his Twitter copycat Instagram Threads has reached 175 million monthly active users — making another case for the platform to overtake Elon Musk’s X (formally Twitter).
Apple might add cameras to AirPods because it still believes in virtual reality
Apple still believes in its Vision Pro mixed reality headsets even though sales have sputtered. CEO Tim Cook put Apple’s Vision Pro updates front and center at the beginning of his keynote address during the Worldwide Developers Conference on June 10.
Apple briefly outpaced Google and Huawei in China’s smartphone market, analysts say
Apple has finally reversed its iPhone sales slump in China. According to Jefferies analysts, Apple’s new iPhone discounts have helped the company turn around its underperformance in the Chinese smartphone market, and its iPhone sales outperformed Google and Huawei devices during an annual Chinese shopping festival.
Driving range for EVs shrinks in extreme heat as much as in extreme cold
The energy efficiency of electric vehicles is widely touted by experts as a vital step to mitigate climate change. However, EVs aren’t well-equipped to endure the hellscape environment they are projected to avert. The consequences of cold-weather EV ownership on battery function are well-known, but high temperatures have a similar impact. Heatmap took a peek under the hood to explore how extreme heat can cut the range on an electric vehicle.
Tesla stock keeps rallying after it sold more cars than expected
Tesla’s stock continued to rally after the electric vehicle-maker reported better-than-expected deliveries for the second quarter of 2024.
The company’s shares were up around 2.3% during pre-market trading Wednesday morning. The EV-maker’s stock was previously up 10% after beating analyst expectations with its production and delivery numbers.
First Apple and Microsoft. Now Meta is in Europe’s antitrust hot seat
The European Union said Monday that Meta’s “pay or consent” advertising model violates its new digital competition law, which both Apple and Microsoft have also been nailed for.