Technology grows at a rapid pace, and technology weaves itself into the fabric of the daily news cycle at an even faster rate. Sometimes it helps us tell the story faster, tell it better with video and photography, and sometimes technology itself is the story.
Here's a sample of some of the biggest tech stories Spectrum News has covered in 2016:
iPhone Loses Headphone Jack
The tech world went into a tizzy after this year’s iPhone 7 release confirmed Apple was removing the 3.5 mm headphone jack. For personal listening enjoyment, Apple hopes you’ll drop a further $159 and invest in their new, Bluetooth-equipped “AirPods.”
Galaxy Note 7 Goes Boom and Bust
Seven was a decidedly unlucky number for Samsung, whose Galaxy Note 7 smartphone turned into a massive headache for the company. A recall was issued after a number of batteries overheated and in some cases exploded. The devices were soon banned from all airlines and taken off the market completely.
Samsung closes out 2016 with a software update permanently disabling any remaining Note 7 devices, and begins the new year with a hit in profits and a reputation to rebuild.
Snapchat is In, Vine is Out
The death knell tolled for Vine, Twitter’s micro-video service. Six-second videos came out of vogue for the beleaguered Twitter, which also spent much of the year courting – and failing to find – a buyer.
Snapchat, meanwhile, came into its own, and in late September took on a new corporate brand, Snap Inc., and unveiled plans for new tech-wear: “Spectacles,” which have an embedded camera capable of recording and posting longer (10 seconds) video to social media.
Uber, Lyft Hitch Pull Up Austin Stakes
Austin City Hall drew a line in the sand this year, requiring a fingerprint background check for drivers of rideshare cabs. The ordinance is expected to be in full effect by February 2017. In response, two of the biggest companies, Uber and Lyft, promptly ceased operations in the capital city. In the months since, other services including Fare, Fasten, and Ride Austin have taken up where Uber and Lyft left off.
Fake News
Fake news stories have always been part of Internet culture, but primarily in clearly satirical means such as with The Onion. Serious-looking stories, however, have caused confusion among readers, even being pointed at as being a contributing factor to the results of the 2016 presidential election.
However, it was “Pizzagate,” a false conspiracy story about a DC-area pizza shop being a hub of child predators and the inclusion of a Clinton campaign staffer’s name within, that led to harassment of the shop’s owners and a man armed with a gun walking in, determined to “self-investigate,” and causing fake news to be one of the biggest social problems of the year in social media.
Hacks and Leaks and the Election
“Malicious cyber activity” dotted headlines throughout the year – a denial-of-service web attack here, a shutdown of services there – but a post-election claim that Russian hackers had attempted to meddle in the polls prompted an order from outgoing President Obama to investigate.
The election was also notable for the amount of time candidates had to spend deflecting attacks from either side after leaks of information. For Clinton, it was a series of emails leaked to Wikileaks. Many Democrats believe the hackings benefited Republican Donald Trump's bid.
Trump was the target of his own leaks – albeit domestically, as video of an “Access Hollywood” outtake captured Trump making vulgar comments about women to then-host Billy Bush. Bush, for his part, was fired from NBC after the release of the tape, while Trump made a quick online apology and continued on with his campaign.
Autonomous cars
It’s the ultimate dream – driving places and not actually having to steer the wheel. And in 2016, we’ve come closer than ever to making that a reality. There are actually self-driving cars on the road now, but we are still early in the planning, research and implementation phases. In fact, Austin is one of a handful of cities chosen for further research in this new field.
Powerball, Prince and Pokemon – Oh, My
Google put out their annual list of the most searched-for terms on their website.
Among the top searches – celebrity deaths, of which it seemed there were a large number in 2016, a mobile app that got people up and about while catching pocket monsters, and – hey, did you know there was an Olympics this summer?