Tag: Elon Musk

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Tesla’s $50 ‘Cyberwhistle’ is already sold out

Similar to The Boring Company’s Flamethrower, Tesla CEO Elon Musk stealth revealed a $50 (roughly $64 CAD) ‘Cyberwhistle’ that’s already sold out.

Why did Tesla launch a Cybertruck-shaped whistle? We’ll likely never know.

The pricey whistle’s description states that it is “Inspired by [the] Cybertruck’ and that the “Cyberwhistle is a premium collectible made from medical-grade stainless steel with a polished finish. The whistle includes an integrated attachment feature for added versatility.”

As expected, this is a limited-edition accessory that you likely already can’t get your hands on unless you’re willing to dive into the reseller market because it’s entirely sold out. Musk even compared the Cyberwhistle to Apple’s $35 cleaning cloth, suggesting that those who like expensive products should “buy our whistle instead.”

While the actual Cybertruck has over a million reservations, it’s unclear when the anticipated and oddly designed electric vehicle (EV) will actually release. Tesla most recently delayed the Cybertruck until 2022.

Source: @elonmusk 

Image credit: Tesla

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Users report Starlink delivery delays post updating service location

Several customers who pre-ordered SpaceX’s Starlink broadband are complaining that making minor alterations to their service location on the Starlink website map caused their delivery dates to be pushed back by a year or more, as first reported first by Ars Technica.

“I moved it from the end of my driveway to my house this morning and just looked back, and it had changed to 2022-2023. Bullshit! Damn it! I’ve been waiting since Feb,” commented ‘BrdwyBabe13’ on a cautioning Reddit post about the issue.

Judging by the complaints, it appears as though people pinpointing their house with the newly visible map tool available to those who pre-ordered the service, are being pushed way back in line.

“I moved the dot a few feet last night and wham! Went from late 2021 to sometime in 2023!😭😭😭 I didn’t sleep all night! Why? Why did I do it? I just can’t believe I’ve screwed us out of internet for two more years! Omg I suck,” wrote ‘3-HUGGER’ in the same Reddit thread.

This kind of pre-order delay with Starlink isn’t a new problem. The fact that the location map is now more prominently visible is causing more people to experiment with it, and they end up at the back of the queue with the slightest of change to the pinned location.

SpaceX hasn’t done much to alleviate the confusion. Several users have reported the issue to Starlink to no avail.

Via: Ars Technica

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Mobile Syrup

Tesla increases price of Model Y in Canada with delayed expected delivery

Tesla, like other automakers, is experiencing a shortage of semiconductors, which has resulted in a price hike for its vehicles in the United States. That cost hike is now hitting Canadian buyers with the recent increase in Tesla Model Y pricing.

The Model Y Long Range now starts at $74,990, up from $70,990 two weeks ago. The high cost of the car also makes it ineligible for any provincial or federal electric vehicle tax rebates in Canada.

The exact vehicle was priced at $69,990 in mid-August 2021. See images below for reference:

Further, compared to last year’s prices, Tesla has increased the cost of other models, including:

  • Model S Long Range — Mid 2020 price: $105,990 — Current price: $121,990 — Expected delivery: June
  • Model X Long Range — Mid 2020 price: $112,990 — Current price: $132,990 — Expected delivery: September
  • Model 3 Standard Range Plus — Mid 2020 price: $52,990 — Current price: $54,990 — Expected delivery: June

While the semiconductor shortage is one of the primary reasons behind the price increase, the growing demand for Tesla vehicles is a contributing factor too. The Model Y Long Range was sold out in Canada in August, with expected delivery dates for January. A quick peek on Tesla’s website now indicates that the EV will be delivered in May, five months after what Tesla initially promised. Further, bugs plaguing Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software aren’t helping the company either.

On the other hand, Tesla has finally started shipping new Model X vehicles with yoke steering wheels, with Canadian deliveries expected soon.

Source: Tesla

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Mobile Syrup

Tesla’s latest Full Self-Driving update reverted due to software bugs

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Twitter that the company has temporarily withdrawn its latest version of Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta software, which was released less than a day ago.

Update 10.3 was meant to introduce driver profiles with the ability to switch between different characteristics for following distance, rolling stops, and exiting passing lanes. It’s also claimed to better identify other cars’ brake lights, turn signals, and hazard lights while eliminating unnecessary slowdowns. However, Musk says that Tesla is “seeing some issues with 10.3, so rolling back to 10.2 temporarily.”

The new version had already caused issues earlier in the weekend, with Tesla delaying its original release on Saturday. There was “regression in some left turns at traffic lights” discovered by internal quality inspectors, according to Musk. However, he said on Sunday that the firm has moved on with the rollout, stressing that it relies on the public for more information on driving conditions.

Post-release, hard braking events, forward collision alerts, and other system misfires were reported by users that were not present in previous versions of the beta software. Drivers also flocked to social media to express their dissatisfaction with issues like the disappearance of the Autosteer option, troubles with traffic-aware cruise control, and Autopilot panic. Musk did state that Tesla is “working on the issue,” however, he didn’t state when the next version of FSD would be released.

Source: Elon Musk (@elonmusk)

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Elon Musk uses Genshin Impact tweet replies to share Starlink news

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says talks are underway to see if airlines are interested in having Starlink satellite internet service installed on their commercial aircraft.

Musk dropped the announcement via a tweet on his personal Twitter account, as he often does for news relating to his companies.

In this case, that includes Starlink — SpaceX’s low-orbit satellite internet project, which is currently in its beta testing phase.

When asked via tweet if he had “any plans to make Starlink available on any airlines”, Musk replied: “Yes, we are talking to airlines about installing Starlink. Please let them know if you want it on your airliner. Low latency ~half gigabit connectivity in the air!”

No specific airlines or timelines are mentioned in the tweet, though it’s worth noting that SpaceX began seeking regulatory approval back in March 2021 to hook up trucks, shipping boats and aircraft with Starlink internet.

But while outlets such as Reuters did report on this update in Starlink’s ongoing quest to beam internet from space to moving vehicles, you’d be forgiven if you missed seeing the actual announcement on Twitter.

This is because the tweet itself was buried within in a thread about the popular JRPG Genshin Impact.

In fact, just two tweets below this major piece of news from the centimillionaire CEO who wants to colonize Mars, Musk also shares some of his favourite anime titles (Princess Mononoke felt a bit ironic, given the film’s core theme of nature fighting back against human greed and industry) and that he prefers the character of L over Light in Death Note.

On September 17th, Musk tweeted that Starlink should exit its beta phase sometime in October — i.e. this month.

Another tweet from Musk, this time on August 23rd, stated that SpaceX has so far shipped 100,000 Starlink terminals to countries across the globe.

Image credit: @elonmusk

Source: Reuters

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Musk delays Tesla Full Self-Driving beta release over ‘last minute concerns’

Earlier this week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Twitter that the company’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta would release to about 1,000 people. Musk has now backtracked, citing “last minute concerns about this build.”

Instead of releasing on Friday as expected, Musk tweeted Saturday morning that the FSD beta would roll out “likely on Sunday or Monday” instead.

Tesla’s FSD software was set to roll out to roughly 1,000 people who met the company’s safety requirements. The company determines drivers’ ‘safety score’ via data collected by sensors built into Tesla vehicles. Initially, the FSD beta would roll out to those with a perfect safety score (100 points out of 100 total), followed by a gradual rollout to those with scores of 99/100 and below.

Tesla launched the safety score system alongside the ability for vehicle owners to request FSD beta access. The idea appears to be that safe drivers — as determined by Tesla — will be able to better handle testing FSD, which requires driver supervision.

It’s worth noting that FSD does not make Tesla vehicles fully autonomous. Musk previously said that the feature-complete version will “likely” be able to drive someone from their home to work without intervention, and will still require supervision.

Musk did not elaborate on what the “concerns” were with the FSD beta build that delayed the rollout. Ultimately, I’m not surprised to see a delay.

Source: Elon Musk (Twitter) Via: The Verge

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Elon Musk says Tesla headquarter to move from California to Texas

At the Tesla’s shareholder meeting, Elon Musk announced that the self-driving electric-car company will move its headquarters to Texas from California. The move comes after increased tension between Musk and local politicians due to the company’s response to COVID-19.

In addition, California is also a difficult area for Tesla staff to find affordable housing, and Musk said, “There’s a limit to how big you can scale it in the Bay Area. In Austin, our factory is like five minutes from the airport, 15 minutes from downtown.”

According to CNBC, Musk relocating to Texas would also result in him paying less tax. The state has no personal income tax, whereas Calfornia, on the other hand, has some of the United States’ highest income tax rates. Additionally, California has stricter labour laws, whereas Texas is known for cheaper labour and laxer regulation.

However, this move doesn’t mean that the Freemont, California factory will be closed. Musk stated that he expects to expand output from the California and Nevada plants by 50 percent. Musk himself relocated from California to Texas at the end of last year to work on Tesla’s new vehicle production factory there, in addition to the SpaceX launch site in  Texas’s southernmost edge in Boca Chica.
Watch the full shareholder meeting below:

Source: Tesla

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Anyone can request access to Tesla’ Full Self-Driving beta

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has created a button.

This new button allows any Tesla driver to request access to the company’s ‘Full Self-Driving’ (not technically full self-driving) beta. Musk says that new entries to the beta program will need to have their driving style assessed by the car for a week to ensure they’re not too aggressive.

I’m not sure what a driver’s aggression has to do with letting them sit and watch a car try to drive itself, but at least Telsa has added a way to keep people out of the beta, right? Well, not really. If you don’t make it in the beta the first time, you can still try to qualify again.

Some users have even reported that more aggressive driving in some instances has resulted in them receiving an overall higher safety score.

On the other hand, it could be helpful to have more people in the beta to feed a wider sample of data back to Tesla. Ideally, this would help refine the software faster. On the other hand, since cars are inherently dangerous, there’s still an argument to be made against just letting anyone test self-driving software on public roads.

It’s unclear if this button is coming to Canada, but judging by previous Full Self Driving beta updates, I don’t expect to see it here any time soon.

Source: @elonmusk Via: Engadget

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Juno-winning musician breaks up with guy who played Wario on SNL

After three years of dating and multiple public spats on Twitter, Elon Musk and Grimes are splitting.

The news — which we at MobileSyrup have decided just barely counts as a Canadian tech story — broke via a tweet from Page Six, the New York Post‘s tabloid gossip section.

Musk and Grimes have a son together, who they will reportedly continue to co-parent.

Grimes is the stage name of Claire Boucher, a Vancouver-born dream/synth pop musician whose latest studio release, Miss Anthropocene, made it onto Billboard, Exclaim!, Pitchfork, Spin, Stereogum, and Time Magazine‘s lists for the Top Albums of 2020.

Musk is CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, rich beyond comprehension, and regularly behaves in absurd ways that warrant absurd headlines, such as “Elon Musk doesn’t like App Store fees and reportedly wanted to be CEO of Apple” and “Elon Musk is sending a Canadian-made Dogecoin satellite to the moon.”

His appearance on Saturday Night Live last May — which featured Musk suited up as beloved Nintendo bad-boy Wario with Grimes making a special appearance as Princess Peach — was so poorly received that it crashed Dogecoin, a “joke” cryptocurrency that Musk loves to promote

Image source: Saturday Night Live

Source: Page Six

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Elon Musk tweets Starlink will exit beta ‘next month’

Elon Musk says Starlink will exit its beta phase “next month.”

As it so often goes with Musk, the CEO of Tesla and Space X made the announcement in a tweet with precious few other details. Someone asked Musk when Starlink will leave beta. Musk answered. That was all.

As a quick refresher, Starlink is a platform that uses low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites to beam internet to customers on the ground. Starlink has been available to a limited number of people as part of a beta period, which saw SpaceX build out its satellite array and stabilize connectivity. It’s not a perfect solution, with The Verge detailing how something as simple as a tree in the wrong place could disrupt service.

Despite issues and still being in beta, the service has so far proven popular in rural Canada, where people are tired of paying exorbitant prices to incumbent operators for service that doesn’t work particularly well.

In August, Ookla released data that showed Starlink offered slightly faster median download speeds in several provinces compared to fixed broadband. However, it’s important to note that people living in urban areas likely have access to high-speed broadband that performs better than Starlink. Still, it’s impressive to see Starlink outperform other internet offerings even in its beta stage.

Once Starlink exits the beta phase, it should be more accessible for people. There’s a steep upfront cost to get it up and running, but the monthly fee may be less than competitors with improved performance, depending on where you live. Those interested can read more about Starlink in Canada here.

However, Starlink’s success may inspire competitors. In August, the Canadian federal government invested $1.44 billion in Telesat, a Canadian satellite internet company aiming to connect 40,000 households with 5G and LTE.

Finally, Musk previously said that Starlink could provide mobile internet services, suggesting that people with RVs could use Starlink to get internet service wherever they are. While that capability isn’t officially available yet, some people have already mounted Starlink terminals to their cars.

Source: @ElonMusk Via: CNET