Hello, Apple and goodbye, Russia
The new iPad Air now has an M1 chip. Source: Apple
Apple launches its new “breakthrough” products, more big tech corporations pull out of Russia, and Putin doesn’t give a damn about anything except his propaganda.
Hello, new Apple products
Apple just wrapped up Peek Performance, its much-awaited first product launch of the year. In a YouTube live stream that had over 150,000 online viewers—half the number of viewers during the iPhone 13 launch—before the show started, Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled the tech company’s stellar lineup.
Highlights included a major upgrade on the wallet-friendly iPhone SE which, ironically, waxed nostalgic with its vintage bezel vibes and smaller size. Also on the roster were the new iPad Air with the M1 chip, iOS 15.4 (with face mask-friendly Face ID, Tap to Pay, and more), a new colorway for the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro, the Mac Studio and Studio Display, a desktop system aimed at creative professionals and lets them “build the studio of their dreams,” and Apple’s most powerful chip to date, the M1 Ultra.
So while the world scrambles to get their hands on Apple’s latest offerings, no new iPhone for you, Russia.
Bye-bye, Russia
While more than a million people have fled Ukraine to seek refuge in neighboring countries, a different type of exodus is happening in Russia.
As economic sanctions continue to crack down on Russia and more global corporations have pulled out, the world's five leading tech giants, Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft, have started to impose significant—and voluntary—sanctions on Russia as part of the global protest against Putin’s actions.
The decisions to halt production and stop sales and services in Russia were brought about after Ukraine appealed to these global companies in the same way it sought assistance from the European Union, NATO, and the US government. While the financial impact on these tech giants is modest, the burden on Russia is likely to be significant as they rely heavily on US-made tech products.
This is proof that in today’s tech-dependent world, the Big Five are major players on the geopolitical stage and deciding which “side” to support is based on a stakeholder perspective, rather than a legislated one. The reality is stakeholders’ views remain the chief driver of big tech’s response to ethical issues, even when these companies have their own ethical issues to deal with.
"F off, world"
In true evil madman fashion, Putin doesn’t really seem to give a f**k. In a move similar to China’s lockdown on internet freedom, Russia has started to limit and block access to Western technology platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, cutting itself and its citizens off from the rest of the world. Roskomnadzor, Russia's tech and communications regulator, claimed discrimination, an old cry the rest of the world knows is BS.
This drastic move will make it extremely difficult for Russians to track the horrors unfolding in Ukraine. And on an even larger scale, it’s a step closer to the day when Russia’s online networks turn inward, and their global connections cut off entirely. The Iron Curtain is soon coming down on Russia again, this time it’s digital.
