ShinyShiny snippets: Not enough women working in tech, says Apple boss

Above: Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook

Apple’s chief executive has said there were “no good excuses” for the lack of women at the world’s tech firms. Tim Cook admitted there are still “not enough women at the table” and warned that technology “will not achieve nearly what it could achieve” without a more diverse workforce. According to a PWC “women in tech” report, just 23 per cent of the people working in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) roles across the UK are female. Only five per cent of leadership positions in the technology industry are held by women. The report also found 78 per cent of students couldn’t name a famous female working in tech. Evening Standard 

Apple says it has started making its iPhone 14 in India as it diversifies its supply chains away from China. The company makes most of its phones in China but has shifted some production outside the country as tensions rise between Washington and Beijing. China’s ‘zero-Covid’ policies, which have triggered widespread lockdowns, have also caused major disruptions for businesses during the pandemic. The technology giant unveiled its latest iPhone earlier this month. “The new iPhone 14 line-up introduces groundbreaking new technologies and important safety capabilities. We’re excited to be manufacturing iPhone 14 in India,” Apple said in a statement. BBC 

Ericsson is continuing to supply mobile phone equipment to Russia despite pledging to halt operations in the country after Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The Swedish telecoms company applied for a dozen exemptions from local export controls on “dual use” products, according to Swedish Radio, the country’s state broadcaster. Dual-use products are those which can be used for military purposes as well as civilian ones. Examples might include advanced radios or GPS equipment. Ericsson is one of two Western companies producing cutting-edge 5G network equipment, the other being Nokia. Last year Ericsson partnered with Russian telco MTS to launch a “private” 5G network for a gold mining company. Telegraph 


Drivers who want to make the switch to an electric car can save hundreds of pounds a year if they choose the most efficient models on the market – and there’s now an ‘E-Rating’ system that tells you which could pocket you over £1,300 in charging bills alone. The E-Rating has been created by the expert team at Electrifying.com. So far, 50 electric cars sold in Britain have been given E-Ratings, with just two sitting in the highest A++ band: the £53,480 BMW i4 and Tesla’s £57,490 Model 3 Long Range. While both are among the priciest electric family cars on the market, Electrifying.com says owners can save as much as £675 a year in domestic charging costs if they drive one instead of the lowest ‘E’-ranked EV. ThisisMoney 

NASA has successfully smashed a spacecraft into an asteroid seven million miles from Earth. The last image from the “vending machine-sized” collider showed the surface of the asteroid Dimorphos seconds before impact. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) is the first-ever trial of a “planetary defence system”. If the orbit of an asteroid can be changed by an object sent into space, humanity may have a chance at protecting itself from the kind of disaster that did it for the dinosaurs. Sky News 

Chris Price