(This article originally appeared in Forbes)
Here are five things in technology that happened this past week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?
1 -Apple is turning your iPhone into a fintech service to take on PayPal, Affirm, and more.
Apple announced this past week plans to add new features to the iPhone’s Wallet app. One of the biggest new features-called Apple Pay Later-is a buy now, pay later capability that will directly compete with other fintech companies such as PayPal and Affirm. Apple will also roll out a new payments system in a few weeks that lets users pay somebody by simply tapping iPhones together. (Source: CNBC)
Why this is important for your business:
Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) has exploded in popularity over the past year or so, thanks to younger consumers’ desire to purchase items and pay for them over time (3–6 months, on average) without having to use their credit cards. Now Apple is looking to cash in on this trend. Many of my clients are now accepting BNPL services and you should consider doing the same.
2 — The NSA and FBI are warning that hackers are using these flaws to target VPNs and network devices.
The NSA, FBI and CISA recently listed 16 flaws most often used by hackers in China to manipulate networks in the U.S. The flaws exist in network device software from well-known brands such as Citrix, Pulse Secure, MikroTik, Netgear, Fortinet, and Cisco. The warning highlights attacks that impact small business routers, enterprise VPNs, and network attached storage devices. (Source: ZDNet)
Why this is important for your business:
Have your IT firm read the ZDNet piece and make sure your devices are updated and secure.
3 -You can now pin three posts or reels to your Instagram profiles.
Instagram users now have the capability to pin three reels or posts to the tops of their profiles. Similar to pinned posts on Twitter and TikTok, pins will stay at the front of a user’s Instagram grid regardless of when they were originally posted. Users simply need to pick one of their existing reels or posts, select the three dots in the upper right-hand corner, and pick pin to profile. (Source: The Verge)
Why this is important for your business:
Many who read this column are freelancers, influencers marketers and other businesses that rely on Instagram to build their audience and sell products. This new feature can expand your capabilities for showing off your products, your strengths or even your personality.
4 — You’ll soon be able to use your iPhone as a next-gen webcam for Macs.
Mac users will soon be able to use their iPhones in place of traditional webcams thanks to a new macOS Venture feature. The new feature, called the Continuity Camera, takes video feed from an iPhone’s rear camera, and includes features that improve the quality of videos. These features include Center Stage, blurred backgrounds, and Portrait Mode. With the feature, users will be able to clip iPhones to their Macs and use them as wireless webcams. (Source: Tech Radar)
Why this is important for your business:
I’ve been doing a lot of video projects lately and have learned something that most experts already know: a smartphone’s camera is usually even more powerful than a laptop’s webcam. Apple is going to allow its iPhone customers to step up the quality of their videos by better connecting these phones to devices.
5- The Dell Inspiron 15 Intel Core i7 laptop has hit a record low price of $749.
Dell’s Inspiron 15 Intel Core i7 laptop is now available for the record-low cost of $749. The laptop-which usually costs $979-has a 15.6-inch display, 16GB of RAM, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 512GB SSD 3.4-GHz Intel Core i7–11390H quad-core CPU and is considered one of the best laptops for business professionals and college students. (Source: Laptop Mag)
Why this is important for your business:
I use an older model Inspiron and by coincidence am looking to replace it this year. Seems like I might want to take advantage of this deal. You?
