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| The tech industry's accessibility report card for 2021 Posted: 31 Dec 2021 01:00 PM PST In spite of all the advancements we've seen in tech, the industry as a whole has consistently neglected people with disabilities. There have been some improvements, including video call apps like FaceTime, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts and more adding better support for sign language interpreters and closed captioning. And, this year, Instagram and TikTok finally added stickers that enable automated captioning for speech in videos, too. But major organizations continued to make decisions that exclude people with disabilities. The organizer of E3 2021, for example, failed its deaf and hard of hearing viewers during its live streamed show. There are too many individual transgressions and improvements to exhaustively detail here. Due to their sheer size, though, tech's largest companies wield the greatest influence over what the rest of the industry does. By holding them accountable, we have a better chance of seeing widespread change in the way tech thinks about inclusive design. Here's how Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta (formerly Facebook) and more did to improve the accessibility of their products and services in 2021. AppleApple has led the way in inclusive design for years, and in 2021 the company continued to launch new features that made its products easier for those with disabilities to use. In addition to updating its screen reader, VoiceOver, to enable better descriptions of images for the visually impaired, Apple also launched several new products. In May, it rolled out a service called SignTime, which allowed customers to engage sign language interpreters on demand when communicating with customer service representatives (via their browsers at least). The feature is available in the US, UK and France and supports American, British or French sign languages in their respective countries. Apple also introduced Assistive Touch for the Watch this year, allowing for touch-free interaction with its wearable. The idea is that users can clench their fists or pinch their fingers together to navigate the smartwatch. In practice, Assistive Touch took some learning, and it still may not be feasible for those who don't have the dexterity or strength to clench their fists to trigger the "double clench" action. But it's a start, and one that few other smartwatches offer. For those with very limited range of motion, this year also saw the launch of the first medically certified eye-controlled iPad by Tobii Dynavox. Called the TD Pilot, it's a case for iPads as large as the 12.9-inch Pro model and comes with Tobii's powerful eye-tracking sensor, large speakers, additional batteries and a wheelchair mount. Together with iPadOS 15, this will allow those with cerebral palsy, for example, to interact not only with the tablet, but also communicate with others more easily. A window on the other side of the case can display words to show what the user is saying. Apple also added improvements for hearing aid users with iPhones this year, allowing for bi-directional communication. This means that those who connect compatible hearing aids to their iPhones no longer have to use their handset's mic to be heard by their callers — the hearing aid can pick up the speaker's voice, too. So far, Starkey and ReSound have released compatible "made for iPhone" devices. On macOS, Apple also made it possible to customize the outline and fill color of the cursor so those with visual impairments can more easily tell when the mouse moves or changes shape. The company also expanded its keyboard shortcuts to allow users to control everything on a Mac with a keyboard (no need for a mouse or trackpad). Finally, Apple added tools for developers using SwiftUI to make their apps more accessible. With this simplified workflow, there are now fewer obstacles in the way when trying to make more inclusive products. Unfortunately, when Apple released iOS 15, it removed some features from Siri that were "used by many individuals for accessibility purposes," according to Clark Rachfal. He's the director of advocacy and governmental affairs for the American Council of the Blind. Rachfal told Engadget that users "could no longer access their calling history, voicemails, emails and messages through Siri" when the OS was updated. The council and its members alerted Apple of these issues, he said, adding that the company said it's working on "restoring this functionality to Siri." Google continued to add tools for people with disabilities across its broad portfolio of products and services in 2021. One highlight was the launch of Project Relate, an Android app that would generate custom voice recognition models for people with severe speech impairments. Then, the app can transcribe, display and read out what the user said. Project Relate is currently in beta, with Google inviting those with atypical speech to sign up as testers. The company did plenty to improve its existing products, too. In February, it revamped its Talkback screen reader to offer new gestures and voice commands. In March, it announced that the Chrome browser could transcribe audio from the web for users who are deaf or hard of hearing. That transcription would be performed on-device, meaning you could get your captions without worrying about connecting to the cloud. Later in the year, Google also added 10 languages to its auto-generated image descriptions tool, brought more natural-sounding voices to the "Select to speak" feature in Chromebooks and made it easier to interact with Android devices using facial expressions. In addition to improving its existing products, Google also explored accessible experiences that could produce learnings for the industry at large. It teamed up with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and The Guardian on Auditorial, which it describes as an experiment in storytelling that "adapts to suit the reader." It's a fully customizable experience that Google said will "offer those with visual disabilities an experience that is as comfortable, rich and creative as any other reader." According to the company, Auditorial "is intended to pose a question about how much more accessible the world's information could be, if you could simply tailor every website to suit your personal sensory needs and preferences." The hope is that this triggers a discussion on how the web could become more inclusive instead of "a one-size-fits-all approach." Google published its findings in an "Auditorial Accessibility Notebook," in order to help other publishers learn tips on how to "open up online storytelling to millions of blind and low vision users." Google also launched a browser-based game this year called SignTown, which uses your camera to teach you sign language and assess your progress. The game is just "one component of a broader effort to push the boundaries of technology for sign language and Deaf culture." The company said it's also exploring building "a more comprehensive dictionary across more sign and written languages, as well as collaborating with the Google Search team on surfacing these results to improve search quality for sign languages." MicrosoftIn 2021, Microsoft surprised us by releasing Windows 11, which it called the "most inclusively designed version of Windows yet." The new OS brings nicer-looking dark and high contrast themes, plus updated sounds that are more soothing and can be heard by more users. The company also renamed its "Ease of Access" section to "Accessibility" to make assistive tools easier to find. Windows Voice Typing also makes it easier to dictate your messages. Prior to launching Windows 11, though, Microsoft announced a five-year commitment to "help bridge the 'Disability Divide'." It focuses on hiring and educating people with disabilities, as well as building more accessible products. That includes using AI in Word to detect and convert heading styles for blind and low-vision readers, a new navigation pane in Excel for screen readers and expanding Immersive Reader to better convey what's on PowerPoint slides and notes. It added a new accessibility checker that works in the background and prompts users to fix issues across Microsoft Office apps and Outlook. The company not only expanded live captioning and transcription capabilities in Teams, but also rolled out support for CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) captions, as well as the ability to pin and spotlight multiple presenters. Auto-captioning is also available for LinkedIn Live broadcasts. To make its hardware easier to use, the company launched a new Surface Adaptive Kit in September. The bundle includes tags, labels, keycaps and more to make PC parts and important buttons more identifiable. Like Apple, Microsoft also added sign language support (specifically ASL) to its Stores to assist deaf shoppers. Unlike Apple, however, Microsoft doesn't appear to offer this for after-sales support yet. Microsoft is one of few companies in tech that's transparent about its efforts to improve training and hiring processes for people with disabilities. It made investments via its Urban Airband initiative "to provide affordable broadband, hardware and software to people with disabilities starting in Los Angeles and New York." Following a pilot at the University of Illinois, Microsoft said it's expanding to additional tertiary education institutes to "increase graduation rates of students with disabilities in STEM education." It's also working to "create best-in-class Universal Design Learning (UDL) environments in STEM education." To connect people with disabilities to employers, Microsoft announced that it's adding new accessibility resources and features to LinkedIn, including a LinkedIn Learning course focusing on "accessibility in the modern workplace." There were also LinkedIn Coaches events specifically aiming to help job seekers with disabilities find employment opportunities. The company also partnered with Be My Eyes, an app that connects blind and low vision users with sighted volunteers, to make LinkedIn staff available for visual assistance on video calls. Microsoft also launched an AI for AccessibilityLow-Cost Assistive Technology Fund to make assistive technology reachable to those who can't afford it. Considering how expensive assistive technology currently is, this is a promising step towards getting people the gear they need. Though it's still limited in its reach, the Fund is at least an acknowledgement of the high price that people with disabilities continue to have to pay to be part of the world able-bodied people take for granted. AmazonAmazon's accessibility efforts aren't just aimed at people with disabilities. The company says it pays attention to aging individuals and helping them feel more confident living independently. This year, it introduced two programs as part of its Alexa Smart Properties service that enable administrators to offer voice-assisted experiences in places like senior living facilities and hospitals. The company also launched Alexa Together to keep caregivers and elderly individuals connected via an Alexa-enabled device. It would offer features like fall detection and remote assist to give loved ones peace of mind. Amazon also updated the Alexa app to offer light and dark modes, as well as text scaling. It rolled out a new option to give people more time to finish speaking before Alexa gives a response, which it said is designed to help people with certain speech impediments. The company also included cards with braille text in the boxes for the Echo Frames 2nd gen, guiding users to a website with screen-reader-friendly setup instructions. On the Kindle app for iOS, Amazon launched a dictionary audio feature to read out individual selected words and help those with learning disabilities or foreign language speakers better understand pronunciations. This year, the company introduced a new home robot called Astro that follows you around your home and provides easy access to helpful info via its display. It works with Alexa Together to help caregivers look out for loved ones remotely and keeps an eye on your home while you're away. The robot features similar accessibility features to the Echo Show smart displays and has been trained "to work for customers who use wheelchairs, walkers or canes." It will also play specialized driving sounds to stop it becoming a tripping hazard. Cognixion Amazon also invests in several accessibility-minded projects through its Alexa Fund, including Labrador Systems, which makes home robots to help people with limited mobility live more independently. The company has also worked with neural interface startup Cognixion to add Alexa support to its brain-computer interface headsets for easier smart home device control. Amazon and Voiceitt also released a new speech recognition app this year to help users with atypical speech converse with Alexa and other people. Though its Alexa-focused products have received many updates to improve accessibility, Amazon's Prime content appears to have been neglected. According to Rachfal, though Prime TV offers audio descriptions on a large amount of content, many titles use text to speech with synthetic voices. Rachfal added that these "lack the quality of human narrated audio description and the overall quality of the content suffers, making it less enjoyable for blind and low vision consumers." To Rachfal, this is an example of something that's done for people with disabilities "without input, feedback and collaboration with the disability community." Meta / FacebookAmid all the drama surrounding Facebook, its whistleblower and its rebrand this year, it's easy to overlook the company's accessibility-related updates. At the start of 2021, the company updated its Automatic Alt Text (AAT) system to recognize over 1,200 objects and concepts in photos on Instagram and Facebook. According to Meta, this represented a 10x increase since AAT's debut in 2016. It also rolled out additional features to Facebook on iOS that provided more detailed descriptions like positions of objects in a picture and their relative sizes. Unfortunately, as it pushed out these updates, Facebook may have broken some accessibility features along the way. Rachfal said that when the company turned off its facial recognition system this year, it led to less-informative descriptions for users who are blind or have low-vision. Rachfal said this change "was done due to privacy concerns," and he believes these decisions were made without considering accessibility and the disability community. "Nor were they given the same weight and consideration as privacy concerns," Rachfal added. Facebook published a post addressing this issue in November. In it, the company's vice president of artificial intelligence Jerome Pesenti wrote, "We need to weigh the positive use cases for facial recognition against growing societal concerns, especially as regulators have yet to provide clear rules." Meta In the post, Pesenti acknowledges the critical role face recognition plays in AAT to help blind and low-vision users identify their friends in pictures. But while some facial recognition tools, like identity verification, will remain, for the most part features like alerting users to photos potentially including them or automatically labeling their friends are going away. That's for both sighted and visually impaired users. "We know the approach we've chosen involves some difficult tradeoffs," Pesenti wrote, adding that "we will continue engaging in that conversation and working with the civil society groups and regulators who are leading this discussion." Elsewhere in Meta's family of products, the company added an Accessibility tab to the Oculus Settings menu to make assistive features easier to find. It also brought Color Correction and Raise View tools to offer more legible palettes and enable a standing perspective for seated users respectively. Meta said it's still iterating on Raise View, working with the Oculus community to improve the feature and will permanently add it to the Accessibility menu when ready. Meta also collaborated with ZP Better Together, a company that makes technology for deaf and hard-of-hearing users, to bring sign language interpreters into video calls on Portal devices. As of December, people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can also apply on ZP's website to get free Portals which will come with the ZP apps. Handout . / reuters Facebook launched Clubhouse-like audio rooms in the US this year and, notably, did so with live captioning included from the start. It also included a visual cue to indicate who's speaking, and offers captions for other audio products like Soundbites and Podcasts on iOS and Android. Let's not forget the company's renaming to Meta this year and its new focus on the metaverse. According to head of accessibility Mike Shebanek, "we're already working to bring the metaverse to life and are excited to explore the breakthrough possibilities it presents to make the digital world even more accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities." We'll have to wait and see if and how that comes true, but in the meantime, Meta must continue to engage with the accessibility community to make sure that its expansion of the metaverse is inclusive from the start. Twitter only set up its two accessibility teams last year, after an embarrassing launch of Voice Tweets that excluded its deaf and hard of hearing users due to a lack of captions. Since then, though, the company has shown noteworthy improvement. In 2021, Twitter introduced captions for voice tweets, added captions and accessibility labels in Spaces and brought automatic video captions. That last one is "available globally in most languages," according to the company and supported on Android, iOS and the web.
Though this may seem like a small set of updates compared to the rest of the companies in this roundup, Twitter also has a smaller portfolio of products. Still, it has managed to make significant changes. Rachfal praised Twitter as being "the first social media platform to conspicuously prompt users to include alt text with images," though he did note that filling out the field is still optional. Other noteworthy developments in tech this yearAlt text and captioning continue to be tricky accessibility features for the industry. They're labor-intensive processes that companies tend to delegate to AI, which can result in garbled, inaccurate results. This was especially evident at this year's virtual E3 gaming convention, where illegible closed captions sometimes made the show incomprehensible for those who relied on subtitles to understand the announcements. There are also large parts of the online world that are in dire need of accessibility-related upgrades. According to a February 2021 study by WebAIM (Web Accessibility In Mind), for example, a whopping 97.4 percent of websites had mistakes that failed the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2). The most common errors included missing alt text, low contrast text, missing form input labels and more. It's not just websites that need work: Other media formats also need to be more inclusively designed. The National Association of the Deaf (NAD), for example, filed a lawsuit with Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) this year against three major podcast providers: SiriusXM, Stitcher and Pandora. Spotify According to the NAD, because the three defendants "do not make transcripts or captions available for any of the podcasts offered on their platforms, more than 48 million deaf and hard of hearing Americans are denied full and equal enjoyment of the content they offer their hearing users." Meanwhile, Spotify announced this year that it will start offering automatically generated transcripts for podcasts, and Amazon Music launched synchronized transcripts in November. Then there are entire industries that could use accessibility improvements. Rachfal notes that healthcare is a continually problematic area for people who are blind or have visual impairments. "This is still an entire sector that we hear about far too often from our members," he said. Given that we are currently in the mires of the third wave of COVID-19, it's inexcusable to continue excluding people with disabilities when it comes to things like scheduling vaccination or testing appointments. In November this year, the Justice Department announced it had reached a settlement with Rite Aid to make COVID-19 testing and vaccination websites accessible. Rite Aid's vaccine registration portal was not compatible with some screen readers and was not accessible to "those who have a hard time using a mouse." The calendar on its website, for example, "did not show screen reader users any available appointment times," while people relying on keyboard-based navigation instead of a mouse could not use the tab key to complete a consent form required to schedule an appointment. The ACB also worked with CVS to offer accessible prescription information in all locations in the country. This includes a Spoken RX feature that would read out prescription labels via the CVS Pharmacy app. Though there have been many transgressions in the past year, we also saw many promising developments in ensuring technology is inclusive. The FCC, for example, proposed rules in December to make emergency alerts more useful and informative for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. KAREN BLEIER via Getty Images Meanwhile, HBO Max launched 1,500 hours of audio-described content starting in March 2021 and committed to including the descriptions to all newly produced original content as well as adding more to its back catalog. Also, in collaboration with the Coalition for Inclusive Fitness, Planet Fitness said it will buy and install accessible exercise equipment in its stores across the country. I've only scratched the surface in this roundup of updates. What's most encouraging, though, is the increasing willingness of companies to work with disability rights groups and advocates at the earliest stages of product design. Lizzie Sorkin, director of engagement for the NAD, said it's "seeing more and more companies reach out to us in the beginning phases for input rather than late in the process." Rachfal also noted a "growing commitment to accessible media and content" that's "born out of the advocacy work of ACB and the Audio description Project through collaborative discussions with industry." |
| CES 2022 will end one day early amid COVID-19 surge Posted: 31 Dec 2021 12:30 PM PST After several companies cancelled on-site plans entirely for CES next week, the organization that runs the show announced today that the event will close one day early. The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) said CES 2022 will now run January 5th-7th "as an additional safety measure to the current health protocols that have been put in place." January 3rd and 4th are media-only days when press conferences and keynotes take place. Protocols include masks and proof of vaccination to attend in-person events. The CTA also recently announced that it would provide Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 tests at badge pickup. The association has asked attendees to complete a rapid test 24 hours before entering a CES venue. If someone experiences symptoms while in a CES venue, the CTA has advised them to report to a first aid station for testing. The organization says it will also provide PCR tests for any attendees who are required to have one by their destination prior to departure from Las Vegas. In the last week, high-profile exhibitors like Amazon, Google, Intel, Lenovo, Meta and more have cancelled in-person plans for CES 2022. As part of today's announcement, the CTA explained that over 2,200 companies will still show off their goods on the ground in Vegas, noting that it has added 143 more in the last two weeks. CTA CEO Gary Shapiro has defended the decision to keep the show an in-person event as the omicron variant causes COVID-19 case numbers to surge in several parts of the world. "As the world's most influential technology event, CES is steadfast in its pledge to be the gathering place to showcase products and discuss ideas that will ultimately make our lives better," said Shapiro. "We are shortening the show to three days and have put in place comprehensive health measures for the safety of all attendees and participants." Shapiro has pointed to the smaller companies that rely on the event as a potential springboard for products as a key reason for not cancelling the event. CES 2021 was entirely virtual. "We will all be taking risks," he said in a recent op-ed for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "But without risk there is no innovation." |
| Premier League games will stay on Peacock as NBC Sports Network shuts down Posted: 31 Dec 2021 11:30 AM PST When the clock strikes midnight to ring in 2022 on the east coast, NBC Sports Network will shut down. NBCUniversal will shift much of its sports coverage, including Premier League matches, over to the USA Network. Assuming more games aren't suspended due to teams having too many COVID-19 cases, Premier League coverage will get off to a flying start on USA Network with three matches on New Year's Day. Arsenal will square off against league leaders Manchester City at 7:30AM ET before Watford host Tottenham and Crystal Palace take on West Ham. Sunday brings a match between Everton and Brighton, before Chelsea host Liverpool in a clash between title contenders. The shift to USA Network shouldn't change much for Peacock users, though. Overflow games and streaming-only matches will remain on that platform, including three matches that are scheduled to stream on Peacock Premium on Sunday. Some of the bigger games will still air on the main NBC network, and NBCU will continue to broadcast every Premier League match across its multitude of platforms. It's not clear as yet whether there are plans to broadcast overflow games on other NBCU networks. On the last day of the 2020-21 season, when all 10 matches kicked off at the same time, USA Network, CNBC and the Golf Channel each aired one game. |
| This is a shiatsu hand massager for gamers Posted: 31 Dec 2021 09:30 AM PST Many of us know at least one person who plays games for hours on end, perhaps tiring their hands out in the process. To help soothe their weary mitts, Japanese company Bauhutte has created a hand massager for gamers. The MSG-01H-BK hand massager, which works on either hand, has a 15-layer airbag for each finger and a shiatsu plate for the palm. There are two main options: a Shiatsu mode for the entire hand, and one that focuses on stretching fingers. Bauhutte There are a few intensity settings, as well as an optional hand warmer that's said to improve circulation. You'll need to slide in your hand sideways to massage your thumb. The hand massager automatically shuts off after 10 minutes. Bauhutte suggests using the device before gaming sessions to warm up your hands, when taking breaks and afterward to cool down. While some might scoff at a hand massager for gamers, it's not too ridiculous of an idea. Many esports competitors use hand warmers between rounds to absorb moisture, keep their fingers toasty and improve circulation. Some esports organizations employ a masseuse to keep players in top condition. Other companies have made hand massagers, though it makes sense that Bauhutte is marketing its version to gamers. It caught attention last year for its gaming bed, and the company sells a wide range of furniture and accessories with gamers in mind, such as a portable foot massager. Bauhutte's hand massager is only available in Japan for now and it costs around $150. As Kotaku notes, the company has an English-language site, so it might offer the device elsewhere too. |
| And the biggest losers in tech in 2021 are... Posted: 31 Dec 2021 07:30 AM PST It feels like forever since we all were able to look back on the last 12 months and not say "good riddance, you garbage fire hellscape of a year." 2021 kicked off with riots at the Capitol and though things seemed to quiet down a little after, all was not well in tech. There are companies that are obvious additions to this list, like Meta (formerly Facebook) with its repeated transgressions this year. Activision Blizzard faces multiple lawsuits and investigations over allegations of sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the workplace, revealing that despite all the growth we hoped we'd made in the last few years, the gaming industry remains toxic. But there are other businesses that made the lives of workers and consumers miserable on a daily basis, too. And all major companies in Big Tech have to share in the blame. When we put together this roundup of the worst players in tech this year, it's clear that we're overdue a reckoning. Let's hope that in the years to come, the people with the most influence learn how to treat people better. Carlos Barria / reuters Meta / FacebookFor the company now known as Meta, 2021 went sideways from the very beginning. For all its talk about safeguarding the 2020 presidential election, Facebook was ill-prepared for the insurrection that followed on January 6th. The company failed to recognize the danger posed by the "Stop the Steal" movement until after a violent mob stormed the Capitol. Then COO Sheryl Sandberg downplayed the role Facebook had played in the insurrection, only to be promptly proven wrong. In the end, the events of January 6th ultimately forced the platform to do something it had studiously avoided for most of the Trump presidency: Enforce its rules for his account. (Sort of. Trump's Facebook ban isn't permanent.) Elsewhere, the arrival of coronavirus vaccines only highlighted Facebook's poor track record at combating vaccine misinformation, which surged throughout the pandemic. After years of dragging its feet, the company finally banned misleading or inaccurate vaccine content. But enough damage had already been done. The US Surgeon General said viral health misinformation was an "urgent threat" to public health. President Joe Biden went a step further: saying that Facebook was "killing people." This year was also the first time the Oversight Board, created so Facebook could outsource its thorny content moderation decisions, was operational. The body has pushed the social network to change some policies and has repeatedly criticized the company for a lack of transparency and ability to enforce its rules evenly. POOL New / reuters Then came Frances Haugen, the former employee turned whistleblower who left the company with thousands of pages of internal research and other documents that have since become known as the "Facebook Papers." Her disclosures paint a picture of a company that is unwilling or unable to adequately tackle some of its biggest problems, particularly outside the United States and Europe. She also revealed internal research about the effect of Instagram on teens, which was immediately seized on by lawmakers in Congress. Amid all that, Zuckerberg announced not an overhaul of the company's policies, nor a review of its internal research, but… a new name: Meta. It's meant to symbolize the company's newfound commitment to a metaverse that no one can fully explain. Will the company change its content moderation policies when it comes to the metaverse? Will it invest more in safety for non-western countries? How will it address hate speech in the metaverse? Facebook, er Meta, has yet to meaningfully address any of those questions. But if recent history is a guide, we all have a lot to worry about. — Karissa Bell Truth SocialYou'd be forgiven if, amidst the news of actual importance in 2021, you forgot about TRUTH Social — the upcoming site built by disgraced former president Donald J. Trump. Trump spent most of his presidency fear-mongering and spouting lies on Twitter and other social platforms, which finally resulted in him being banned from Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and most other services of note. While Trump is wrongfully convinced that this is an unlawful witch hunt, he's also decided to say "who needs 'em?" and launch his own. TRUTH was announced in October, with a limited beta planned for November before a full public launch in 2022. Immediately, dedicated internet pranksters found a test version of the site in the open and signed up for a slew of high-profile accounts (including, naturally, donaldjtrump and mikepence). (The donaldjtrump account had a profile picture of a defecating pig, for good measure.) The test was quickly shut down, but not before it was revealed to be basically a Twitter clone running on the open-source software Mastodon. But since TRUTH Social didn't properly cite its usage and didn't share the source code with users, the site was in violation of Mastadon's open-source license agreement. TRUTH'S terms of service were also revealed, and we learned that it was essentially hoping to be protected by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which currently states that services like Twitter and even TRUTH aren't responsible for what their users post. This shields companies from liability for the awful things those users might share. We blissfully haven't heard much about TRUTH Social since its disastrous first few days in the public spotlight; the company missed the November beta launch date and there's no update on when the promised full launch might happen. Based on these early struggles, it's easy to call TRUTH Social a loser of 2021 – but the citizens of the internet who didn't have to deal with the ugly reality of a Trump-backed social network are all undoubtedly winners. — Nathan Ingraham Wolfgang Rattay / reuters Global chip supplyThe rise in demand for PCs, gadgets and cars couldn't keep up with the slowing production in global chip supply. That's why it's still tough to find a PlayStation 5 a year after its launch, and why used car prices have gone absolutely bonkers. This is our new reality for the next few years, at least until chip suppliers can ramp up production and start spinning up new fabrication plants. Basically, be prepared to use all of your gear for a bit longer without upgrading. — Devindra Hardawar Activision BlizzardThere are far too many stories of sexual harassment and discrimination in the video game industry. Over the past few years, reports of systemic misogyny and abuse have poured out of Riot Games, Ubisoft and many other studios large and small, and the problems date back decades. Among all this trash, Activision Blizzard stands out as one of the worst. Activision Blizzard was accused of fostering a culture of sexual harassment by California's fair-employment agency in July, and multiple organizations have since launched investigations into the studio, uncovering years of mismanagement in the process. According to the California lawsuit, leaders at the studio cultivated a frat house-style environment where sexual harassment was commonplace and gender discrimination was systemic. The fair employment agency found that all of Activision Blizzard's top leadership positions were held by white men, just 20 percent of all employees identified as women and reports of harassment were routinely ignored. In December, an employee named Christine went public with her experience at Blizzard, saying she was inappropriately touched by male coworkers, propositioned for sex by her superiors and subjected to crude comments about her body. After reporting the abuse to management, she said she was demoted and told to "get over it." Allen J. Schaben via Getty Images Activision Blizzard's response to these accusations has been tragic. Back in July, CEO Bobby Kotick sent an email to employees dismissing the California lawsuit, but he signed a female employee's name to it. The response was roundly and loudly criticized, with employees calling it "insulting" and "abhorrent." Kotick let Frances Townsend, one of the few women executives at Activision Blizzard, take the heat for that letter for months, losing her spot on the studio's women's network in the process. Publicly, Kotick called the email "tone-deaf." Blizzard head J. Allen Brack lost his job shortly after the lawsuit was filed, and Kotick offered a co-leadership role to Mike Ybarra and Jennifer Oneal, who became the first woman to hold a president title since the studio's founding in 1979. Oneal left the company shortly after this promotion, reportedly because she was being paid less than Ybarra, and she felt "tokenized, marginalized and discriminated against" at the studio. Activision Blizzard employees have walked out multiple times this year, calling for a culture shift. Major business partners, including PlayStation and Xbox, have said they're reevaluating their relationships with the studio. Shareholders and media outlets alike are calling for Kotick to resign. At this point, investors, employees, analysts, major gaming companies and multiple government agencies agree that Activision Blizzard is a hotbed of discrimination and sexual harassment, and it's in urgent need of restructuring. In his 30 years as CEO of Activision Blizzard, this is the closest Kotick has come to actually being ousted from his position of power. From that angle, it almost feels like a good year for the company. Almost. — Jessica Conditt Miquel Benitez via Getty Images 5GI'm so disappointed with 5G. If, like me, you've watched the networking standard since at least 2014, you'll likely agree. The promises about downloading feature films in seconds were really mostly advantages of mmWave technology, which as of today still hasn't broadly rolled out. The sub-6 network that's more widely available today on carriers like T-Mobile and AT&T offer a barely noticeable speed boost, and the reported latency improvements it was supposed to bring haven't been delivered in the real world. Yes, the telecom industry did meet its target launch date of 2020 for an initial rollout of the new standard. But 5G is still too confusing for the average consumer. Any time a company says in a briefing that a new product is 5G-ready, a guaranteed follow-up question is "Does that mean sub-6 or mmWave?" And with the recent addition of mid-band spectrum to the mix, the layers of compatibility are only going to make things more tedious. I've been more than forgiving in the last couple of years, but it's been difficult to ignore the complete mess that is the state of 5G in the US today. Sure, we've had more pressing issues to deal with, but if consumers are going to embrace the new standards (and be convinced to spend money for the privilege of 5G on their devices), the industry needs to get its act together and either commit to a more coherent message or more consistent rollout. — Cherlynn Low Workers and big techFor a long time, working at a tech giant like Google or Apple was an enviable position. But 2021 pulled back the curtain a bit on some of these companies, exposing deep-rooted issues with how employees are treated. While not everyone at these massive organizations may be dealing with sexual harassment or poor working conditions (to name just a few issues), the many employees speaking out across the industry are indicative of an underlying trend that need to be confronted by tech's most powerful leaders. Mike Blake / reuters Amazon's poor treatment of its warehouse workers is well-known, and reports persisted in 2021. At the same time, the company pushed back hard against unionization efforts in Alabama. While the union drive was defeated in a vote, a regional office of the National Labor Relations Board recently ordered a new election, effectively invalidating the results of the earlier one. The union had filed a formal objection right after the election, and while there's no word on when a new election will take place, it's clear that Amazon will be under intense scrutiny when it does. The same should hold if New York City Amazon workers hold a union vote; reports have indicated that could happen soon. Apple workers also exposed issues within the company this year. In late August, a call went out for current and former employees to share stories of discrimination, harassment and retaliation that they had experienced. This led to the start of the #AppleToo website, where these stories are regularly published. As Jess already explained in detail above, employees at Activision Blizzard spoke up about a misogynistic culture rife with sexual harassment, as well. Reports indicated male executives groped female colleagues while other employees joked about rape or ignored women for promotions. The revelations have been so damning a lawsuit was filed by California's Department of Fair Employment, though somehow Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick still has his job. Google isn't free from sin, either – employees led a massive walkout back in 2018 around how it dealt with sexual harassment (among other concerns). It hasn't dealt with things on the same scale as other companies this year, but Google's recent decision that it wasn't raising pay to match inflation has certainly rankled workers. These are just a few high-profile examples, but together they paint a dark picture of the environment at some of tech's biggest corporations. Perhaps the only upside here is that these hopefully put pressure on those in charge to clean house and improve things as quickly as possible. — N.I. Oculus Meta didn't even give Oculus a proper funeral. Instead of a celebratory news announcement, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth pushed out a quick post to announce that the Oculus brand was being retired. What a sad fate for a company directly tied to the rise of consumer VR. (But perhaps this was the best way for Meta to separate itself from the legacy of Oculus's controversial founder Palmer Luckey.) — D.H. Joe Skipper / reuters Blue Origin2021 was a massive year for the burgeoning private spacelift industry. Firsts were made, records were achieved and billions of dollars worth of government contracts were awarded. It should have been a surefire win for all three of the industry's leading companies — SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and Blue Origin — but then one of them managed to repeatedly shoot itself in the proverbial landing strut more than the other two combined. Now, that's not to say Blue Origin didn't enjoy its share of success this year. CEO Jeff Bezos put his money where his oversized stetson is and made a historic trip out to the Karman line along with both the oldest (at least at that point) and youngest people to ever venture into space. This past November, the company even won financial backing from NASA to help build out its bonkers Orbital Reef commercial space station design. However, those achievements were often overshadowed by the company's public pettiness and truculence. For example, ahead of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic making its own historic first successful flight into space this past July, Blue Origin took to Twitter to talk a little trash. This is a little rich from the company that has reportedly become a toxic workplace. More embarrassing still was Bezos' repeated, and ultimately unsuccessful, attempts to secure Blue Origin a lucrative NASA contract. See, back in April, NASA awarded SpaceX a $2.9 billion (yes, with a B) Artemis lunar lander contract. Blue Origin immediately protested to the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) over NASA's "fundamentally unfair" decision against it, bringing work on the lunar program to a standstill until July, when the GAO kindly told Blue Origin to take its $2 billion and get out. Blue Origin did not. Instead, the space lift company doubled down, suing NASA in open federal court, "in an attempt to remedy the flaws in the acquisition process found in NASA's Human Landing System," per a Blue Origin representative in August. The court was not at all convinced and ruled against the plaintiffs, proving SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's jab true. Blue Origin really can't sue its way to the Moon. — Andrew Tarantola Microsoft EdgeMicrosoft finally managed to make its Edge web browser a solid competitor to Chrome, Safari and Firefox by integrating the Chromium open source framework. And then, inexplicably, it began to pile on bloat, like a predatory "buy now pay later" feature and cringey anti-Chrome warnings. All of a sudden, Edge seems more like a way to trap and commodify its users, instead of delivering a solid web experience. It's as if Microsoft made it harder to change your default browser in Windows 11 on purpose (thankfully, it's testing out a simpler method, following plenty of industry criticism). — D.H. |
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