Latest news with #iPhoneLaunch
The South African
13 hours ago
- Business
- The South African
Elon Musk is coming for your hashtags on X
South Africa-born Elon Musk, billionaire CEO of X (formerly Twitter), has made another bold move in his ongoing campaign to reinvent the platform – this time by banning hashtags in adverts , effective TODAY . Calling them an 'esthetic nightmare,' Musk says the decision is part of a broader push for cleaner, sleeker ad visuals on the platform. The announcement marks yet another step away from the traditional elements that have defined social media for nearly two decades. Once the cornerstone of online engagement, hashtags have helped users discover trends, rally around causes, and boost visibility for content since their birth in 2007. Campaigns like #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo became global movements because of them. But Musk believes those days are over. In his view, hashtags clutter ads and disrupt the user experience. 'They're ugly. AI can do better,' he previously tweeted in late 2024. That's a reference to Grok, the AI-driven recommendation engine Musk launched to replace hashtags as the backbone of trend detection and content discovery. According to Musk, Grok is now smart enough to understand context, intent, and virality without needing hashtags. He claims the platform doesn't require them anymore to group related posts or spotlight popular conversations. Not surprisingly, reactions have been mixed. Some users welcomed the minimalist aesthetic, but others were quick to point out the platform's more pressing flaws: 'Fix the bots first.' 'Scrolling bugs make the app unusable.' 'Hashtags at least helped me find stuff I care about.' Meanwhile, advertisers are left scrambling. Many brands rely on hashtags to tie their campaigns to broader conversations – think #SuperBowlAds or #iPhoneLaunch . Without them, real-time engagement strategies may need a complete rethink. This isn't just a design decision – it's a philosophical shift. Musk's vision for X is increasingly driven by AI. He sees hashtags as outdated relics of the pre-AI internet, no longer necessary in a world where machine learning can detect trends, group topics, and serve recommendations automatically. The risk? Losing the user agency that hashtags provide. Hashtags allowed individuals – not algorithms – to define what was important. Now, it may be up to Grok to decide. For now, the ban only applies to paid advertisements, but many suspect a wider purge is on the horizon. If hashtags are officially deprecated across the platform, it could mark the end of an era. The irony? The backlash is already trending – and yes, it includes posts with #SaveTheHashtag . Whether or not the hashtag survives, the move signals another chapter in Elon Musk's reimagining of social media – one where AI, not people, shapes how conversations are discovered and connected. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Apple Is Moving Away From Its Fall-Only iPhone Launch Schedule, Report Says
Apple has consistently released a new iPhone each fall since the launch of the iPhone 4S a decade and a half ago. But it appears the company may be shifting its release strategy in the coming years. According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, along with a report from The Information, Apple plans to launch its lower-cost iPhones in the first half of the year and reserve its higher-end Pro models for later in the year. Kuo noted online that the next iPhone 17 lineup will launch as expected this fall, but future iterations, including the iPhone 18 and iPhone 19, will debut in two waves through 2027. Apple will launch its more affordable iPhones in the early months of the year, likely in March or April, with Pro models arriving in the fall. This means you'll see different versions of the iPhone 18 and iPhone 19 released in both halves of the same year, Kuo said. For example, the base-level iPhone 18 and iPhone 18E will likely hit in the spring, while the iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max, iPhone 18 "Air" (or "Slim") and Apple's first foldable model would launch in the fall. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The iPhone maker has announced new phones outside its typical September window. The lower-end iPhone 16E, for instance, debuted in February. But it was following on from the main iPhone 16 launch five months earlier with the higher-end models. The change that Kuo describes would rejigger that order, putting all of a new lineups releases in the same calendar year. The speculation is that this change in strategy would allow Apple to optimize manufacturing and marketing efforts, particularly in China, a key market for the company. Also, leading rival Samsung announces its new Galaxy phones in January. "Competitors typically release new models in [the first half of the year]," Kuo wrote. "By launching new iPhones in [the first half, Apple could close the marketing gap." He added: "Due to intense competition, Apple needs to offer more iPhone models. Launching them all in (the second half) risks diluting marketing efforts." Kuo also said the growing shipment ratio of the Pro series is overshadowing budget models. In the near term, Apple is expected to launch a much thinner iPhone this year, potentially named the iPhone 17 Air or iPhone 17 Slim. The 6.6-inch device is rumored to be just 5.5 millimeters thin and priced between $900 and $1,000. At the same time, Kuo noted that Apple is also developing a next-generation version with a larger screen, expected to arrive in the latter half of 2027.
