Fry’s Electronics says goodbye, the U.S. and its allies are reportedly looking to build a China-free tech supply chain, and new USPS trucks are coming soon to replace the ones that are old and a fire-risk.
It’s all the tech news that’s popular right now. Welcome to Hashtag Trending! It’s Thursday, February 25, and I’m your host Baneet Braich.
It’s the end of an era for Fry’s Electronics as the tech retail giant confirms it’s going out of business and closing all of its stores nationwide. The company has also completely shut down its online store and replaced it with a tearful goodbye message. After 36 years, Fry’s Electronics says the closure is a result of changes in the retail industry and the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic according to 9-5Mac. As a family-owned business, Fry’s was a core retail space for tech with huge stores filled with all the tech you can imagine. But like many, it had struggled to compete with Amazon and Best Buy as the pandemic continued.
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The U.S. and its allies are reportedly seeking to break from China to build a China-free’ tech supply chain. President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order to ramp up efforts in building supply chains for chips and other products in partnership with Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. New products will focus on semiconductors, electric-vehicle batteries, rare-earth metals and medical products, according to a draft obtained by Nikkei. The initiative comes after a chip shortage this year that hit automakers particularly hard.
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The United States Postal Service (USPS) is showing off its new mail truck after a lengthy RFP. The new truck will be built by Wisconsin-based defense contractor Oshkosh and can be fitted with both gasoline and electric drivetrains. However, the trucks won’t be on the road until 2023. The need for new trucks has been urgent for USPS since 2015. The current ones are out of date, don’t have AC, and are a major fire risk outstaying there 24-year life expectancy.
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home daily briefing. Make sure to sign up for our Daily IT Wire Newsletter to get all the news that matters directly in your mailbox every day. I’m Baneet Braich, thanks for listening!