Plus, electric vehicle maker Nikola files for bankruptcy. And Alphabet tells U.K. regulator that its pre-installs on Android devices are good for competition. Charlotte Gartenberg hosts.
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[00:00:32] TNB Tech Minute for Wednesday, February 19th. I'm Charlotte Gartenberg for The Wall Street Journal. Apple announced the iPhone 16e today. It's an update to a budget-friendly version of its flagship device. The most significant change is the addition of the company's first in-house cellular chip, called C1. This chip is a step forward in Apple's efforts to make more of its own technology and, in particular, end its dependence on cellular chip maker and rival Qualcomm.
[00:01:02] The new iPhone 16e will be available at the end of this month for $599. Electric vehicle maker Nikola has filed for bankruptcy. The former darling of green investment filed for Chapter 11 today, intending to conduct a court-supervised auction of its assets. It joins the ranks of other zero-emissions vehicle developers that did not manage to go the distance.
[00:01:25] Nikola enters Chapter 11 with around $47 million in cash on hand and said it will not be able to provide certain services and support to trucks in the field past next month. And, Alphabet says, its contracts with smartphone manufacturers, which ensure some Google products such as its Chrome browser are pre-installed on devices using its Android operating system, keep those devices safe and are good for competition.
[00:01:49] That's according to a regulatory filing the UK's Competition and Markets Authority published today. The CMA said in November that Google's design choices for its Chrome browser on smartphones, quote, make it more difficult for consumers to switch to regularly using another browser app. The filing says the company responded in a hearing that its deals, quote, ensure a high-quality, consistent, out-of-the-box experience controlled by device makers.
[00:02:16] For a deeper dive into what's happening in tech, check out tomorrow's Tech News Briefing podcast.