(This column originally appeared in Forbes)
Here are five things in tech that happened this week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?
1 — Google Workspace gets new GenAI pricing options, vids app.
A new subscription option has been added to Google Workspace to access its AI tools. At $10/month you can use Google Meet’s enhanced video quality, noise cancellation, and real-time caption translations. Additionally, other features such as screenshare watermarking and automated notetaking will be added in the coming months. The other update is the new Workspace app, “Vids.” The AI assistant guides the user through simplified instructions to create and edit videos for Workspace collaborations such as training videos. (Source: Computerworld)
Why this is important for your business:
I share my thoughts here.
2 — Samsung’s new microSD cards promise transfer speeds that will make professionals jump for joy.
Later this year, Samsung will be releasing its ultra-fast microSD cards, ZDNet reported. The newest versions of EVO Select and Evo Plus will perform 23 percent faster — up to an impressive 160MB/s. “With the mobile and handheld gaming market on the rise, we sought to make data transfers on those devices even faster,” Samsung’s Senior Director of Memory Product Marketing, Jose Hernandez, stated in the press release. Available storage will be between 64GB and 512GB. The company is also announcing the first 1TB microSD cards. “We also heard the need for more space options for digital files like games…” Hernandez added. (Source: ZDNet)
Why this is important for your business:
Fun and games aside, these faster transfer speeds will help businesses with large sized data files like drawings, estimates, images and videos. Investing in this hardware will save time.
3 — Apple MacBook Air M3 review: the laptop to beat.
The latest in tech from Apple is its MacBook Air series. The “lean and mean” MacBook M3 will have premium performance with the M3 chip that was announced last October. Characterized as “groundbreaking technology” by Apple, the M3 chip is more efficient and twice as fast their M1 series. With a 13.6-inch LD screen, this super-light laptop can exceed 16-hour in battery life, can hold up to 2TB of storage, and is priced at $1,099. (Source: The Guardian)
Why this is important for your business:
I have many clients that standardize on Apple products and a $1,099 laptop with this kind of performance and quality is not to be overlooked.
4 — New US passport app removes friction amid business-leisure travel shifts.
For frequent travelers abroad, there’s good news on the logistical front. A new passport app called Mobile Passport Control (MPC) will expedite your return to the U.S. By downloading the app on a smartphone, “low-risk” travelers can use MPC as an alternative to the Global Entry program, which can entail a lengthy application processes (plus a $120 fee). The app is available on Google Play and the Apple Store. (Source: Pymnts)
Why this is important for your business:
With the usual credentials — photo, customs declaration, and passport — the app will speed up re-entry into the country and “reduce passport inspection time,” as stated by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. As travel is expected to increase this year, this tech convenience will attract both millennials and the Gen X demographic who combine business and leisure.
5 — Jamie Dimon says AI may be as impactful on humanity as printing press, electricity and computers.
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon made some premonitory statements about artificial intelligence (among other topics of concern). In an annual letter to shareholders, Dimon shared sweeping projections on how the technology will impact the banking system and beyond: “[It will be] possibly as transformational as some of the technological inventions of the past several hundred years. Think the printing press, the steam engine, electricity…” While Dimon has expressed concern about AI’s future, he was unequivocal in his comments. “We are completely convinced the consequences will be extraordinary.” (Source: CNBC)
Why this is important for your business:
Elon Musk and Andy Jassy of Amazon made similar comments this week. The impact of AI will be transformative. But when? And at what cost?
