ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech stories from Apple's iPhone AI payout to Google's all-new Fitbit

4 hours ago 6
Star Fox next to the new Google Fitbit band and the Google I/O 2024 logo (Image credit: Nintendo / Google)

This week, Apple announced it's set to pay out millions to iPhone users over its Siri AI promises, and Google unveiled a different kind of Fitbit.

To catch up on all that and more, scroll down to read our recap of the week's seven biggest tech news stories.

Before you catch up with this week’s tech news, why not test yourself on last week’s eight biggest stories to see how well you were paying attention? Take the quiz below.

7. Google’s $3 ChromeOS USB sold out

A hand putting a ChromeOS Flex USB stick into a laptop, next to a hand holding the USB stick

(Image credit: Back Market)

Last month, Google and Back Market announced a USB stick that could convert many old laptops into a basic Chromebook in a matter of minutes.

This week, the drive sold out, though a fresh batch of ChromeOS converters should be available soon.

The reason you might want to switch is ChromeOS is much less demanding than Windows and macOS. Sure, it has some limitations when it comes to app selection, but if it means you can use your aged laptop instead of needing to buy a new one, that’s a major win.

So if you’re looking to revamp your old machine, take a look at ChromeOS Flex.

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6. Third time's the charm for Star Fox?

Star Fox

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Japanese gaming giant Nintendo shocked us all with the sudden reveal of a new Star Fox for Switch 2... kind of. Simply titled Star Fox, the upcoming game is actually a remake of Star Fox 64, which originally released for Nintendo 64 back in 1997.

That game was already remade for both Nintendo 3DS (as Star Fox 64 3D) and Wii U (with Star Fox Zero), and many fans were expecting a wholly new entry to come next.

Still, it looks impressive with cutting-edge graphics, new character designs, and an exclusive competitive online battle mode. That's on top of support for a wealth of Switch 2 features like GameShare and GameChat, not to mention Joy-Con 2 mouse controls.

5. Google I/O-themed Android Show announced

Google I/O 2024

(Image credit: Google)

Ahead of Google I/O — the company’s annual developer conference — we’ll be getting The Android Show: I/O Edition, which should give us a good look at what’s in store for Android 17.

Last year, for reference, the Android Show included a look at Google’s Material 3 Expressive interface redesign, along with Gemini Live, Gemini across new devices like watches and TVs, and new safety and security tools.

This year, we’re expecting The Android Show to showcase features such as a new Liquid Glass-like look, App Lock, and a motion assist feature to help cut down your motion sickness.

4. Vine came back?!

Three smartphones showing the revamped Vine app

(Image credit: Divine / iOS App Store)

Vine spearheaded short-form video content in the 2010s, and it’s coming back as a new platform called Divine, which is being funded by the co-founder of Twitter, Jack Dorsey — the same guy who killed it in 2017.

As well as hosting a nostalgic catalog of over 500,000 of some of its most famous six-second videos, Divine won’t rely on a singular algorithm and will allow you to select how content reaches you through four options: Home feed, Discovery, Trending, and Hashtag feed.

But nostalgia is just one of the platform’s aims, and it’s also taking a stance against AI-generated content by implementing a series of measures, including a user reporting system, machine-learning detection, and human-in-the-loop (HITL) techniques to ensure that you only view content created by humans.

Divine is invite-only for now, but the platform has plans for a wider expansion in the coming months.

3. We reviewed the LG C6 OLED TV

LG C6 OLED TV with Battlefield V and Game Optimiser dashboard on screen

(Image credit: Future)

We released our LG C6 review, and the TV earned the full five stars. Not only does it carry across everything we loved about its predecessor, the LG C5, but it delivers some great upgrades. The C6 comes with a new, faster processor, the Alpha 11 AI Gen 3, which is also used in the flagship LG G6 OLED. The C6 also delivers better color accuracy and has received a nice brightness boost compared to the C5.

Its overall picture quality is excellent, it's a phenomenal gaming TV, and its webOS smart TV is one of the best around. The C6 has easily set the benchmark for OLED TVs in 2026. Our review was for the 65-inch model, which uses the standard WOLED panel. We’re hoping to review one of the Primary RGB Tandem OLED models (the 48, 77, and 83-inch models) later this year.

2. Google Fitbit Air flew in

Google Fitbit Air

(Image credit: Google)

We've got a new Fitbit! The much-teased Google Fitbit Air has broken cover, and it's a cheap screenless Fitbit to challenge the likes of Whoop in the "focus wearable" space. It's pretty simple, as trackers go — a straightforward data collection PPG sensor with a gyroscope, temperature sensor, and so on, with a choice of bands and all the information available in-app.

But it's the app that makes this interesting: Fitbit is rebranding as Google Health, and the Fitbit Premium subscription has morphed into a comprehensive AI fitness coach. This is a mandatory change, even for existing Premium users, with the update rolling out over the next few weeks.

1. Apple paid for its AI troubles

iPhone 16 Pro

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple’s delayed Siri features have caused plenty of headaches for iPhone owners, and now Apple is set to pay for its AI issues, literally. That’s because this week we heard details of a class action lawsuit it had settled in December, in which it has agreed to pay customers a portion of $250 million — and you could be owed up to $95 per device.

The case claimed that Apple had promoted “AI capabilities that did not exist at the time, do not exist now, and will not exist for two or more years.” It also alleged that Apple’s Siri advertisements “saturated the internet, television, and other airwaves to cultivate a clear and reasonable consumer expectation that these transformative features would be available upon the iPhone's release.”

To make a claim, you’ll need to be able to prove you bought a qualifying device once Apple starts inviting claims (which should happen within 45 days of May 5).

Hamish is a Senior Staff Writer for TechRadar and you’ll see his name appearing on articles across nearly every topic on the site from smart home deals to speaker reviews to graphics card news and everything in between. He uses his broad range of knowledge to help explain the latest gadgets and if they’re a must-buy or a fad fueled by hype. Though his specialty is writing about everything going on in the world of virtual reality and augmented reality.

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