Here’s what happened in tech yesterday.
1. Apple’s new home devices: Canadian prices and dates
Apple announced its rebuilt home lineup. In Canada, HomeView and the new Apple TV 4K are $429 each, both available November 13, and the HomePod mini 2 is $199, available October 30, according to Apple’s Canadian newsroom. Siri AI is included in Canada, but in English only. Read the full story
Why it matters: Households that use Siri in French don’t get the headline upgrade yet.
2. Lightspeed cuts 250 roles
Montreal’s Lightspeed Commerce confirmed “organizational changes” affecting 250 roles, including vacant positions it’s closing, BetaKit reports. It follows about 100 job cuts earlier this year and a push to focus on North American retail and European hospitality. More details are due with its November 5 earnings.
Why it matters: Lightspeed was one of the stars of Canadian tech in 2021. Its shares now trade around $15, down from a peak of $159, and it’s still cutting to get to steady profit.
3. Canada added 103 EV charging stations in the third quarter
Canada added 103 fast-charging stations and 391 ports in Q3, bringing the national total to 2,740 stations and 9,615 fast-charging ports, according to a report by charging data firm Paren, MobileSyrup reports. Quebec added the most stations (49), followed by Ontario (22) and B.C. (18). Tesla’s share of fast-charging ports keeps shrinking and is now about 32%.
Why it matters: Charging is getting better outside the big three provinces, but not fast. Eight provinces and territories added at least one station, a record for one quarter.
4. A Quebec cop show drops iPhones
Radio-Canada’s police drama Antigang now uses only Android phones on screen, MobileSyrup reports, citing La Presse. Apple has rules about how iPhones appear on screen, including no phones in the hands of villains, though the show says it generally avoids commercial brands anyway.
Why it matters: It doesn’t, really, but it’s a fun look at how far brand rules reach into what we watch.
