Remote work is reshaping industries, allowing for greater employee work-life balance and flexibility while also enabling companies to consider a geographically borderless pool of talent.

The "Computer & IT" category was the top career category for fully remote jobs in 2022, with fully remote listings growing 24% year-over-year, according to job search site FlexJobs.

Employers like Twilio, HubSpot, and AnywhereWorks are a few examples of IT companies that have increased hiring for remote jobs, according to a FlexJobs spokesperson. 

Online job search site Indeed recently published a list of the “best” remote jobs available now. That list included technical support engineer, application developer, and software engineer positions.

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The Irish Data Protection Commission announced Wednesday that it would fine Meta Ireland a total of $413 million for breaches of the EU’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) related to the company’s handling of personal information on Facebook and Instagram.

Under the GDPR, companies looking to process users’ personal information must do so under one of six identified legal bases, which include the consent of the user, necessity to the performance of a contract, and necessity to comply with a legal obligation. Meta, in response to the original user complaints filed under the GPDR in 2018, stated that it would rely on the “contract” justification, rather than the “consent” prong, as it had previously done. (The complaints argued that, by requiring users to agree to Meta’s use of personal information for ad targeting purposes, the company wasn’t offering users any real choice in the matter.)

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Apple is serious about sustainability, which is important if you want billions of smartphone users to move to wireless charging. That likely explains why it has put its MagSafe tech forward as a standard for use by others via the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC).

Wireless chargers use more energy (up to 39% more) than wired chargers to pump power into phones. Granted, phones don’t consume vast quantities of power on a per unit basis, but when you multiply billions of phones by 39% wasted power, you’re looking at a significant amount of squandered electricity.

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In a renewed effort to challenge search giant Google, Microsoft is planning to integrate the AI engine behind the popular ChatGPT3 chatbot from OpenAI into its Bing search engine, according to reports from The Information and Bloomberg.

Microsoft is betting on the rising popularity of ChatGPT3, as it showcases a new way to search the internet and responding to queries using conversational language — different from what Google offers currently in the way of links, Bloomberg cited a company source as saying.  

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Working together sure isn't what it used to be.

These days, you don't have to be in the same conference room — or, heck, even time zone — to work side by side with co-workers. Thanks to the variety of top-notch collaboration tools for our ever-connected devices, you can edit, organize, and communicate with anyone as if you were sitting right next to them, no matter where your corporeal form resides.

And you don't even have to be perched at a computer for that to hold true: With the right set of Android apps, you can put the power of collaboration into your pocket — ready to jump into action anytime, anywhere.

These are the best Android apps for effective and efficient collaboration, broken down by what they'll help you do.

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So, you’re ready to buy a new Windows computer to replace that old laptop you’ve been using for years — the one with the worn-out keyboard and cracked monitor — and you’re trying to figure out where to get it. The short answer: it depends. Do you prefer to try out keyboards before you buy? Do you like to peruse technology in a store dedicated to one brand, or compare various computers side by side? Or maybe you prefer to compare options online and build exactly what you want.

With Windows 11 now offered on most systems, there are certain minimum specifications to keep in mind. The hard drive and RAM, for example, can be difficult to upgrade later on — especially on some laptops. These days, with the ability to move data online or onto USB flash drives, getting a larger main drive isn’t as critical as it used to be. I rarely see Windows laptops sold now with less than 256GB of storage, but that may be enough for most users. And typically, to support Windows 11’s minimum processor requirements, you’ll need an Intel Core i7 or Core i9 processor.

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So you're back to work after the long holiday break? As we dive into 2023, these slices of Apple-related news should prep you for the year ahead as we wait to see what Apple achieves in 2023.

Across the season, the following tidbits of speculation began to circulate:

• The iPhone 15 rumors envision this year's smartphones with cutting-edge A17 3nm chips for better performance and much lengthier battery life, a slight improvement in performance, 48MP rear cameras across the entire range, haptic buttons and titanium frame. In related news, Apple may cancel or delay plans for iPhone SE4.
• The first 3nm chips should arrive in Macs this year, possibly with new M2-branded processors, according to 9-5Mac.
• TSMC has commenced production of 3nm chips in Taiwan. Apple currently relies on chips produced using the foundry's 5nm process.
• Apple is working on a new version of iPad mini equipped with a new processor for launch this year. It may eventually launch a foldable tablet, but not before 2025.
• Apple is reportedly working on AirPods Lite, a lower-cost version of its earbuds designed to compete with all those inexpensive AirPod-like sets you see around.
• The company is planning a new 27-in. 120Hz display with Mini-LED.
• Perhaps the most interesting snippet relates to Apple’s new Apple Pencil patent. This describes a device that can sample real world colors and textures to use on an iPad.

Apple’s challenges with manufacturing in China have been well documented, but a change in the national approach to COVID-19 mitigation seems to have enabled its manufacturing partners to return to more normal production, albeit at significant cost.

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If Mainframe were an athlete, it would have multiple MVP titles. So would Cloud. Now, this sounds like the beginning of a championship team. But just as great players alone don’t bring home the pennant (or trophy, depending on your sport), neither do great technologies. You’ve got to bring those “players” on your IT roster together and integrate them into a cohesive unit that allows each one to shine. That’s what makes a championship team.

Now, in sports, players get an off-season and time to rest. In the world of business — and the technology that runs it — there is no off-season. Your IT stack needs to be ready 24x7x365. That means every one of the platforms on your IT roster needs to know its position and be able to perform at its best and work seamlessly with the rest of the squad.

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With the competition just a click away, customer experience is everything. Consumers have unprecedented access to new digital services like never before. They are enjoying easier, faster, seamless, and personalized experiences. Looking forward, providers of these services must capitalize on embedded opportunities as the key to differentiating themselves and outcompeting in their markets. 

Embedded opportunities are everywhere, across most, if not all, industries. In finance, embedded payments can make life easier for all parties with a single touch — removing the need to swipe, insert, or even tap a card. Customers automatically pay through an app at the end of their buying journey. Think of your ordering and pick-up experience through your favorite coffee shop app — a quick, accurate, and ultimately delightful start to your day, as you didn’t have to wait too long, of course.

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After going on a hiring spree during the pandemic, tech companies are now laying off staff in job cuts that sometimes involve thousands of employees. While the layoffs may be necessary to help boost sagging profit margins, proponents of diversity in the tech sector are concerned that the job cuts may disproportionally affect underrepresented groups.

According to Layoffs.fyi, the online tracker keeping tabs on job losses in the technology sector, 152,542 employees from 993 global tech companies were laid off in 2022.

While the COVID-19 pandemic had a huge financial hit on industries such as events and hospitality, organizations operating in the technology sector experienced a period of hypergrowth, rapidly expanding to meet the perceived needs of customers who were becoming totally reliant on technology.

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In recent years, employee productivity apps have become all the rage. Collaborative tools like Slack, Trello, and Microsoft Teams are even more useful when workers use the mobile versions to contribute from wherever they are.

Now several alternatives are making a splash in the workplace, bringing ever more business capabilities to employees’ phones. This article will look at some of the most useful mobile apps that support the modern workforce.

These up-and-coming apps are great resources for employees who work at home, in an office, or out in the world. By using cutting-edge software, you can boost your team’s productivity and job satisfaction, better manage costs, and enhance your customer service.

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Real life comes at you fast. Fake life comes even faster.

Content creators, marketers, company bloggers, and others are rushing to take advantage of the new synthetic media trend.

You can see why. Art created with artificial intelligence (AI) enables a more flexible and original alternative to stale old stock photography. And AI content generators, most especially ChatGPT, can literally write decent quality blog posts, advertisements and marketing content in seconds.

The year 2022 turns out to have been the year synthetic media tools went mainstream.

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At mobility services company Bolt, there’s a saying: “If you aren’t on Slack, you aren’t working.”

Founded in 2013 in Estonia, the company—which offers ridesharing, scooter and bike rental, and food and grocery delivery services in 45 countries—now boasts more than 3,000 employees, all of whom communicate exclusively through Slack. 

Speaking at Slack’s Frontier event in London earlier this year, Mathis Bogens, head of internal communications at Bolt, explained that the messaging platform is so ingrained within Bolt’s company culture that the organization has essentially eliminated internal emails.  

Back in 2017, Bolt had about 250 employees, all of whom were communicating on Skype. Back then, Skype was based in Estonia and had a team of homegrown developers working on developing the product, making it an obvious choice for Bolt at the time. However, as the company sought to expand, it soon became clear that Skype was unable to keep pace with Bolt’s workplace needs and an alternative collaboration platform was sought.

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In the face of an ongoing IT skills gap, technologies such as low-code and no-code platforms that can automate processes and empower workers to accomplish tasks are seeing significant growth, according to a recent study.

In each of the past four years, sales in low-code and no-code application platforms (LCAP) grew more $1 billion annually, from $3.47 billion in 2019 to a projected $8 billion this year.

Over the next two years, the LCAP market is projected to be the fastest-growing segment of the “hyperautomation” technologies market, as research firm Gartner calls it. LCAP is expected to grow 25% to roughly $10 billion in 2023 and to $12.3 billion in 2024, according to Gartner.

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Some computer scientists have small, humble projects they don’t expect to succeed; others set out to change the world. Whether what they developed was a diversion, a means to an end, or a goal unto itself, these innovators shaped and reshaped our world with their brilliance and persistence.

You may know their brands and products, from Nintendo and Tandy to assembly language and the GIF; today, we share the names and stories of the geniuses responsible. As the year comes to a close, Computerworld honors 12 inventors and entrepreneurs whom we lost in the past 12 months.

June 20, 1943 – December 6, 2021

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More than any other platform, Google's ChromeOS is in a constant state of evolution — and if you blink for a minute, you're bound to miss some promising new possibility or progression.

For those of us who rely on Chromebooks for work, that's fantastic. It means there's always something new to learn, uncover, and consider and always some intriguing new way to get stuff accomplished.

So behold: the most useful ChromeOS-related tips and tidbits from these Googley-scented quarters in recent months. Catch up while you can and make sure you're making the most of your work and/or personal technology for the coming year — and if you're still hungry for even more one-of-a-kind knowledge, come check out my Android Intelligence newsletter next to get three bonus tips this second and gooey Googley goodness in your inbox all year round.

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As the US-China trade war escalates, with President Joe Biden's administration issuing sweeping restrictions on exports of chip technology, enterprises in different economic sectors worldwide are bound to get caught in the crossfire between the world’s two largest economies.

The new trade rules come at a time when the US is getting increasingly worried about China's growing geopolitical power, and will affect not only computer equipment, but many consumer products built on the restricted semiconductor technology. They also signal the end of the era of ever-expanding globalization.

Enterprises of all stripes will have to analyze their supply chains to determine how they may be affected, experts say.

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“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” the philosopher George Santayana warned 120 years ago. An even better-known philosopher, former Yankee catcher Yogi Berra, put it more succinctly: “It’s déjà vu, all over again.”

I’m referring to the antitrust battle Microsoft is waging with the US government over the company’s $69 billion agreement to buy game-maker Activision Blizzard. More than 30 years ago, Microsoft fought the feds in another antitrust suit over whether the software maker was using Windows’ monopolistic market share to kill competitors.

That one didn’t go well for Microsoft. It consumed the company’s attention for so long that it set the company adrift, setting off what is called Microsoft’s lost decade; it fell behind Apple, Google, Amazon, Facebook, and its stock price plummeted to half its previous worth.

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The technology sector's vulnerability to the vagaries of geopolitics and the macroeconomy became clearer than ever in 2022, as IT giants laid off workers en masse, regulators cracked down on tech rule-breakers, nations negotiated data privacy, the EU-China chip war widened, and the Ukraine war disrupted business as usual. Through it all the classic tech themes—including innovation, constant change, and the fight to bolster cybersecurity—continued as ChatGPT was released, Broadcom sought to purchase VMWare, a Mac renaissance began to flower, and teen hackers brought major companies to their knees. Here are our editors' choices for the dozen stories that rocked the world of tech in 2022.

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Many businesses are looking to cut costs as economies face recession, but some enterprises may be ignoring one of the most effective ways to trim the fat while boosting productivity — by embracing remote working.

We know Macs, iPhones, and iPads have been seeing increased deployment across the enterprise. We also know (because IBM, SAP and so many companies tell us) that businesses that embrace Apple kit also see reduced overall cost of ownership and lower tech support costs. Employee choice delivers big benefits.

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