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The Weekly Authority: 📅 Google I/O 2023 date confirmed

Plus, the engineer who broke Twitter, Meta Quest price cuts, why the floppy disk won't die, and more top tech news.
By

Published onMarch 11, 2023

Google IO 2023
Google

⚡ Welcome to The Weekly Authority, the Android Authority newsletter that breaks down the top Android and tech news from the week. The 235th edition here with a Google I/O 2023 date, a first (unofficial) look at the Xiaomi Mi Band 8, the engineer who broke Twitter, Meta Quest price cuts, and more of this week’s top tech news.

⛄ It’s currently snowing in Scotland, but I’m feeling rather smug as I have no need to leave the house today and am spending the day writing and editing, with a mug of hot chocolate. Pretty nice!

Popular news this week

Samsung:

Apple:

Motorola:

Microsoft:

Movies/TV

free guy

Gaming: 

Oculus Quest 2
Adam Sinicki / Android Authority

Reviews

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra family photo
Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority

Features

Android 14 logo stock photo 7
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

Weekly Wonder

Today’s Weekly Wonder is inspired by Wired (and h/t to The Hustle), who wrote this great piece on why the floppy disk just won’t die. It also reminded me of this joke about the kid who thought a floppy disk was a real-life version of the save icon.

Despite the last major manufacturer ceasing production in 2010, floppy disks are still alive and kicking across many industries, being used in a surprising amount of tech.

  • According to Wired, floppies are still used across the airline industry to update planes, including some Boeing 747-200s, newer 747 and 767 variants, Airbus A320s, and some business jets.
  • The Pentagon used computers with floppy disk drives for its nuclear weapons system until 2019.
  • Floppy disks are also widely used in embroidery machines and CNC tools designed for cutting metal and wood.
  • Recently we saw a video of Chuck E. Cheese’s animatronics using floppy disks.
  • San Francisco’s subway also uses 5-inch floppies for its train control system.
  • Until last year, the disks were even used for official government procedures in Japan.

Now that they’re no longer being made, floppy disk supplies are dwindling and could run out in the near future. There’s already been a price hike: Tom Persky, owner of Floppydisk.com, sells 3.5-inch floppies from his California warehouse at $1/disk. Meanwhile, 8-inch floppies are close to extinction, selling for $5 per disk in boxes of 10.

This makes me feel old. Who else remembers using a computer with a floppy disk drive in their youth?

Tech Calendar

  • March 15: Samsung event (TBC, could see Galaxy A34 and A54)?
  • March 16: Microsoft “Future of Work” AI event
  • March 17: Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon lands (Nintendo Switch)
  • March 22: Nothing Ear 2 launch event @ 10 AM ET
  • May 5: Hogwarts Legacy lands on PS4 and Xbox
  • May 10: Google I/O 2023

Tech Tweet of the Week

The Netflix “Schmunguss category” is an all-timer for fake corporate product pranks pic.twitter.com/muvdN6e3X2
— Trung Phan (@TrungTPhan) March 7, 2023

Something extra: Enjoy reminiscing about the worst video game voiceovers ever (Stop it! Don’t open. That. Door!)? Then you’ll love this archive of bad video game voice-overs.

Have a great week!

Paula Beaton, Copy Editor.

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