ICYMI: The 8 biggest tech stories of the week with Apple being sued over Android 15 updates
It’s been another busy week in the tech world.
Apple’s legal battle continued with new monopoly accusations from the US Department of Justice and several states, Amazon’s Big Spring Sale gave us some heavy discounts, and the first trailer for Star Wars: The Acolyte appeared.
We know it can be a challenge to keep up to date, so to help out we’ve rounded up eight of the most important stories here, so you can get back up to date in just a few minutes.
8. Apple was accused of being a monopoly in the US
The U.S. Department of Justice and several attorneys general have filed a sweeping lawsuit against Apple, accusing the company of running a monopoly iPhone company, one that crushes the competition by squeezing them in countless ways.
Apple plans to take up the fight and calls the accusations unfounded.
It will be months before a solution is found, but in the meantime, you can think about whether you chose the iPhone because you love it or because you thought you had no other choice. Guess it all depends on who you believe.
7. There were some big deals during Amazon’s Big Spring Sale
The Amazon Spring Sale has been live in the US and UK this week with thousands of deals on TVs, laptops, appliances, phones, tablets, smart home technology and much more. It wasn’t as extensive and the discounts weren’t as strong as those we see during Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday, but there are still several bargains to be had this week.
We’ve scoured the sale and picked the best ones we recommend, so check out our full coverage of all our top picks before the sale ends on March 25.
6. OLED burn-in is a thing of the past (maybe)
Thanks to research from the University of Cambridge, we could see the beginning of the end of OLED burn-in, and OLED TVs that last longer and are more efficient.
The crux of this lies in blue OLED diodes that emit light along the narrowband spectrum. Without getting into science, this can suppress the unwanted energy transfer that affects current OLED panels. And better energy transfer could make for OLED TVs that are more energy efficient and have a longer lifespan.
It may be a few more years before we see this research deliver a new generation of OLED TVs and displays. Still, it’s a promising step in the effort to completely address OLED burn-in concerns.
5. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 experienced some folding issues
This hasn’t been a great week for Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 owners, with a growing number of reports pointing to a possible issue with the display’s hinge design.
While it’s not yet clear how widespread the problem is, a series of complaints on X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit suggest it’s more than a few isolated cases. Unfortunately, the issue has prevented some Z Fold 4 owners from fully opening the phone’s screen, which is a pretty big problem for a foldable phone.
We’re still waiting for official comment from Samsung on the reports, but it could also affect the Z Fold 3 and Z Fold 5. Owning a foldable device could still come with headaches for early adopters, it seems .
If you haven’t downloaded the latest Meta Quest 3 update – Meta Quest 3 update v62 – yet, don’t. That’s the advice of some users who have been plagued for weeks by an annoying pop-up after downloading the update – which continually warns them that there’s a problem with their USB-C port, even though it’s fine.
Meta is aware of the issue and has been able to replicate it, but has not yet said when a fix will be available – much to the chagrin of the unfortunate Quest 3 owners affected by the bug.
Our best advice (aside from dodging update v62) is to only use the official Meta Quest 3 cables and not play any VR experiences with your headset plugged in, as some users have reported that this seemed to be causing their problems.
3. A new Android 15 developer preview has emerged, teasing major updates
We’re one step closer to the release of Android 15, as Google launches the second developer preview of its mobile operating system for app makers to test. Although it is still in its early stages, there are already some notable features that are catching our attention.
The continued improvements to satellite communications support in the Android 15 update suggest that the Google Pixel 9 launching later this year could boast the feature seen on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15. Plus, there are new loudness controls, so you should notice programs being more consistent with their volume as you switch between them, and there are new tools that should make it easier for apps to take advantage of the small cover screens seen on foldable phones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5.
If you want, you can check out the update yourself, but we don’t recommend it unless you’re a developer or have a spare Android device lying around, as these ongoing builds suffer from stability issues.
2. The first trailer for The Acolyte showed us a new kind of Star Wars story
It’s almost time to forget everything you thought you knew about the Jedi and the Sith. Star Wars: The Acolyte, the next big Star Wars show coming to Disney Plus, will boldly go where no other Lucasfilm film or TV series has gone before. Indeed, it aims to explore the era of the High Republic in a live-action form for the first time – and it will subvert your expectations of the iconic galaxy far, far away when it does so.
We don’t have to wait much longer to see what Russian doll showrunner and self-proclaimed Star Wars nerd Leslye Headland also has something in store for us. This week, The acolyteThe Disney Plus release date was finally revealed, with the highly anticipated series arriving in early June. We’ve also received a first trailer, teasing an ominous disturbance in the Force ahead of its Disney Plus debut. Color us extremely excited.
1. IKEA made affordable fast chargers for us
Need a spare USB-C charger for your phone, tablet or laptop? This week, IKEA took a break from Billy bookcases and gave us two new impulse buys with its impressively cheap Sjöss chargers.
The Sjöss 30W single-port USB-C charger ($7.99 / £5) is designed for phones and tablets, while the more powerful Sjöss 45W dual-port version ($14.99 / £10) charges laptops or two smaller devices at once can charge with a power of 22 W. current.
Both support the latest PD 3.0 fast charging standard and also undercut the prices of rival chargers from the likes of Apple, Google and even Anker. You can buy the chargers in the US now, but they won’t be available for purchase in Britain until July.