Tesla notched its first full year of profitability and said it delivered nearly 500,000 cars, but right now, I’m going to talk about that steering wheel. As previously seen on prototypes for the Cybertruck and Roadster, Tesla is rolling out a “steering yoke” in the interiors of its refreshed Model X and Model S. Adorned with touch controls for the lights, signals, horn and wipers, it looks like something out of an aircraft or F1 car.
While that style of control might work in limited situations, I’m curious whether drivers will miss the top part of the steering wheel when they’re trying to navigate a crowded parking lot while managing backseat arguments.
The oddly shaped wheel is almost enough to obscure a new infotainment system that Tesla says has 10 teraflops of power and will be able to run Cyberpunk 2077 — although how well the game runs may depend on which patches roll out before the new EVs start shipping in the spring.
— Richard Lawler
The controversial subreddit is struggling under an influx of new users.
Discord has banned the server for subreddit WallStreetBets, citing hate speech issues. The subreddit, which dates back to 2012, has been credited with pushing GameStop’s stock to record highs in a move that has cost hedge funds billions. In a statement, Discord added: “To be clear, we did not ban this server due to financial fraud related to GameStop or other stocks.”
There’s been huge debate about the legality of what’s gone on in r/WallStreetBets and what, if anything, regulators should do about it. The SEC put out a statement saying it was “actively monitoring the ongoing market volatility.”
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The threat of new regulation could hurt its business.
Business has boomed for Facebook during the coronavirus pandemic, but 2021 might prove more difficult. In its latest earnings report, the company said that new privacy features in Apple’s iOS 14 update could contribute to a slowdown in advertising revenue.
Facebook CFO Dave Wehner warned of “the impact of platform changes, notably iOS 14.” He also expected some pandemic trends, such as massive growth in online shopping that has benefited Facebook, to subside in the near future. The company reported $28 billion in revenue for the quarter and grew to 1.84 billion daily active users and 2.8 billion monthly active users.
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Apple had a record earnings quarter.
Apple’s earning report claims a total of $111.4 billion in revenue this quarter, marking growth of more than 20 percent year-over-year and an all-time high for the company. It wasn’t just thanks to new iPhones (all four of them), but included growth in iPad and Mac sales. Apple saw growth in its subscription services — Fitness+, TV+, Music and the rest — and now has more than 620 million paid subscriptions on the books.
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It looks a lot more like a train.
Virgin Hyperloop has released a new concept video, explaining how would-be passengers will travel in its proposed system of vacuum tubes. Passengers board at a subway-esque platform, called a podbay. All the capsules are in a vacuum, reducing the need to airlock every capsule before it begins moving. An overhead bogie collects the pod and pulls it into the main tube with several other pods — almost like a set of train carriages.
The capsule’s cabin, too, looks a lot like a train carriage, with its rows of seating in a 2–1 layout — and an in-capsule bathroom. The capacity in this render is 17, although the company has designed the pods to seat up to 28.
Virgin Hyperloop made the world’s first crewed Hyperloop journey late last year, but expect traditional passenger services to take a while to come to fruition: The company is aiming for 2030.
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This article is auto-generated by Algorithm Source: www.engadget.com
