BBC iPlayer to end downloads for PCs/Macs, Tesla winning EV charging wars

The BBC's iPlayer streaming service is to end downloads for users who watch on desktop or laptop computers. Programmes will still be available to download on tablets and phones via the mobile iPlayer app. Currently viewers on PCs and Macs can save programmes via the iPlayer Downloads app, but that will be closed. The changes…

Half of young people using AI to write messages for Valentine’s Day

  This Valentine’s Day, over half of young people (52%) aged 18-28 are planning to or considering using artificial intelligence to pen a love message, card or poem, according to research from cybersecurity company McAfee. McAfee’s second annual “Modern Love” study surveyed 7,000 people in seven countries worldwide and discovered that a fifth (20%) of…

Robocalls banned by the FCC, Did The Simpsons predict Apple Vision Pro too?

The federal agency that regulates communication in the US has made robocalls that use AI-generated voices illegal. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the move on Thursday, saying it will take effect immediately. It gives the state power to prosecute any bad actors behind these calls, the FCC said. It comes amid a rise in…

Apple shares slump, Meta shares soar on Wall Street

Apple shares slumped in after-hours trading - driven by disappointing iPhone sales in China and a warning that future revenues will fall well short of expectations on Wall Street. The gloomy market reaction overshadowed an otherwise strong financial performance in Apple's first fiscal quarter. In the three months to 30 December, the tech giant reported…

Mark Zuckerberg accused of ‘blood on his hands’, Taylor Swift pulled from TikTok

Mark Zuckerberg was one of several social media bosses accused of having "blood on [their] hands" at a hearing where companies were criticised for not doing enough to protect children from being exploited on their platforms. Mr Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, faced a sea of people who held pictures…

Elon Musk’s Neuralink implants brain chip, Amazon/iRobot merger abandoned

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has claimed his Neuralink company has successfully implanted one of its wireless brain chips in a human. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, he said "promising" brain activity had been detected after the procedure and the patient was "recovering well". The company's goal is to connect human brains to computers…

10 mistakes that can kill your podcast

Michael Olatunji, co-founder of podcast and video production studio Outset Studio, identifies 10 mistakes that can kill your podcast... Over 21 million people in the UK listen to podcasts on a regular basis. They range from celebrity gossip to niche discussions on the mining industry. Creating a podcast is also a fantastic way of promoting…

Microsoft becomes $3 trillion company, Apple Mac turns 40

Microsoft became the second-ever company to exceed a $3 trillion (£2.4 trillion) valuation on Wednesday, after its focus on artificial intelligence (AI) drove an investor rally. The valuation follows Apple hitting the milestone in June last year. Microsoft’s shares rose by more than 1.45pc during trading on Wednesday in New York, on a day when…