Tech titan Apple had a slow start in February as the Ministry of Economy confirmed that 88,700 iPhone 6S handsets had to be recalled due to a battery defect. Apple assured its customers that only a small number of handsets had unexpectedly shut down.
LinkedIn offered some career advice with a ‘what’s what’ of what not to write on a profile. The professional networking platform collected an analysis of millions of UAE profiles, in particular the Summary section and revealed a top 10 list of the most generic and overused words that could put potential employers off.
Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority showed its ambitious side as it unveiled plans to make airborne passenger drones, in other words flying cars, public by mid-2017. The RTA gave away some specifications, such as it would have a range of 4-50km and flying time of 30 minutes.
Whilst futuristic tech was making headlines, phone vendor Nokia confirmed it was reviving the classic Nokia 3310. During Mobile World Congress, Nokia offered a nostalgic feel when it showcased the handset that features similar specifications, such as Snake.
Tesla’s chief executive Elon Musk came to Dubai in February to launch a dedicated website for online sales of its Model S and Model X. Additionally Dubai’s RTA signed an agreement with Tesla to buy 200 electric vehicles fitted with autonomous driving technology. This move marked the region’s effort to be part of the Dubai Smart Autonomous Mobility Strategy aimed at transforming 25% of total journeys in Dubai into autonomous journeys by 2030.
February also saw the introduction of Dubai’s plans to be ten years ahead of other cities as His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the 10x initiative.
At the time, Sheikh Mohammed said: “The future will not be as patient with us as the present. The future belongs to those who affect radical changes, not those who make minor, gradual improvements. Today, I am calling on all government leaders and employees to embrace disruptive innovation and find new, creative and truly disruptive approaches and technologies to delivering their mission rather than incremental and minor improvements. We are a young and energetic government who want to be leaders in disruptive innovation and technology.”
Facebook began its journey of mimicking certain features from Snapchat, by copying its ‘Status’ tool on its WhatsApp platform. As the year goes on, Facebook continues to embed certain Snapchat features into all of its products.
To end the month on the high, ITP Media Group held its annual Network Middle East Innovation Awards 2017. The event celebrated implementations, projects and personal achievements across the industry.
