PATTERN RECOGNITION: Technically, an annus horribilis
Good bye to 2016, a tumultuous time for the Internet; hello to signs of hope and progress for 2017
In a year of fake news, Russian hacking aimed at a US presidential election, exploding Samsung phones, self-driving cars and mega tech acquisitions, Candace Payne was my Internet celebrity of 2016. "Chewbacca Mom", as she’s been called for her unbridled joy at buying herself a mask of the Star Wars character Chewbacca and livestreaming it via Facebook, became an instant hit as her uproarious laughter was viewed 184m times. It was a rare moment of humour in what could easily be called an annus horribilis for tech firms. Apple fought court challenges against the FBI, which wanted to decrypt an iPhone used in a terror attack, while also dealing with its first decrease in iPhone sales in 13 years, troubles in China and a resultant plunge in market sentiment. The dropping of the headphone jack in this year’s iPhone 7 was a storm in a teacup, in retrospect. It wasn’t as bad as the troubles of its arch rival. Samsung’s Note7 began catching fire, was temporarily recalled, then returned to s...
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