Every day we wake up, drink a cup of coffee, and get ready for work. Following are a handful of stories from around the tech world condensed to fit into one single cup of coffee. These are the things you need to know before you step foot out of your door (or in front of a webcam) and into the real world this morning.
So sit back, grab a cup, and start your morning off right with a few “Quick Bytes” from Innovation & Tech Today.
GM Announces Hybrid Corvette for 2023
America’s most popular sports car is getting a major tech and environmental upgrade. GM announced Monday that an electrified AWD Corvette is in production. The electrified version of the classic model will be available sometime in 2023, according to GM president Mark Reuss in the announcement of the rollout on Linkedin.
A fully electric Corvette will be coming at a later, unspecified date. Until then, we can look forward to a hybrid version of the model and a plethora of EV models from other prominent vehicle manufacturers.
Netflix to Add Commercials After Losing Subscribers for the First Time in Its History
Neflix is losing subscribers fast. In the flagship streaming service’s Q1 earnings report, it stated a loss of 200,000 customers globally. The company also expects to lose another 2 million subscribers in the second quarter. Reasons for the decline in subscribers include competition from rival streaming platforms and the sharing of accounts between friends and family.
On Tuesday Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings said that ads will soon be incorporated into the service, according to Deadline. The introduction of ads and new pay tiers on the platform is an attempt to recoup some of the revenue lost during the first quarter of 2022.
First All-Private ISS Mission Lands Off Florida Coast
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying Ax-1 crew splashed down on the east coast of Florida Monday. The astronauts aboard the Endeavor were the first all-private space crew to board the International Space station (ISS). Each crew member paid $55 million for their ride to the space station and accommodations there.
After 17 days outside the Earth’s atmosphere, it’s likely the astronauts were ready to return to the safety of Earth. The crew was originally scheduled to spend eight days docked to the space station, but the mission was eventually extended a week by poor weather in Dragon’s landing zones around Florida.
spent 17 days in space following their launch on April 8. The crew was originally scheduled to spend eight days docked to the space station, but the mission was eventually extended a week by poor weather in Dragon’s landing zones around Florida.
Meta to Open First Store
Meta Platforms Inc. will open its first physical retail store May 9. The “Meta Store” is located in Burlingame, California, close to the headquarters for Meta’s Reality Labs division. The store will showcase the company’s VR headsets, Ray-Ban Stories glasses, and Portal devices, and will offer interactive demos for shoppers, Meta said in a statement Monday.
The 1,550-square feet Meta Store shows how much stock the company puts in the metaverse project it has been creating for several years. Most of the gadgets available are tools to further aid in the virtual experience.
Earlier this month, Meta Platforms sakid it would start testing tools for selling digital assets and experiences within its virtual reality platform Horizon Worlds, a VR platform Meta launched late last year, according to the New York Post.
