HWZ's year in review: Top news articles of 2024
Want to know which news articles were the most read on HWZ in 2024? Here are the pieces that our readers were most interested in. #hwzyir #yearinreview #hardwarezone
Note: This feature was first published on 20 December 2024.
HardwareZone takes a look at the movers and shakers of the consumer tech field, as seen through our top news articles. Photo: HWZ.
HWZ's top news articles in 2024
Yet another year has come and gone, all in the blink of an eye, so it’s time again for our annual throwback to HardwareZone’s top content of 2024.
In this article, we’re looking at the 10 news articles that were the most well-received this year. Thank you all for making HWZ the leading online technology portal in Asia Pacific, and for all the support we’ve received. Here’s our 2024 Year in review, as we bid goodbye to 2024 and welcome 2025.
1. Netflix hikes prices… again
Screenshot of Netflix's homepage. Photo: HWZ.
It was undoubtedly unwelcome news when Netflix announced that it would increase its Singapore prices immediately, especially since Premium tier subscribers were hit the hardest with a S$4 increase. Singaporeans are super price-sensitive in this current economy, and this piece was the best-performing news article on our website in 2024.
At least we can take solace in not following in Turkey’s footsteps, with two price hikes in just four months.
2. Singtel bundles plenty of goodies with their no-contract, SIM-only plans
Singtel now offers no-contract, SIM-only plans. Photo: Singtel.
Contract mobile plans are so 2000s. Many people nowadays are switching to no-contract, SIM-only plans because they do not want to be locked into a 12- or 24-month contract and can switch immediately to a value-for-money plan or one that offers better benefits.
Singtel clearly sees potential in this area as well. It is promoting its new no-contract, SIM-only plans, offering freebies like free overseas roaming data, caller ID, Disney+ subscription for 6 or 12 months, and more.
3. You can now finally take money back from YouTrip
You can now withdraw money from YouTrip to a bank account. Photo: YouTrip.
Ever come back from a holiday only to find that you’ve got plenty of excess cash in your YouTrip account but couldn’t withdraw it? Yeah, it was a hassle. Thankfully, YouTrip has finally started allowing fund transfers back to bank accounts.
As multi-currency wallets and cards have become more widespread in recent years, it’s clear that these convenient services are here to stay. They offer more bang-for-buck convenience than physically exchanging money, or putting up with hefty conversion fees.
4. Transparent fibre optic cables in every room for fast-wired internet? Yes, please
Promotional materials for Singtel FibreEverywhere. Photo: Singtel.
Everybody wants fast internet, and what quicker way than to have a fibre optic cable in your room? Singtel’s new partnership with Huawei to offer Singtel FibreEverywhere was announced earlier in 2024 and offered over 1Gbps Wi-Fi speeds in each room covered.
We might be nerds, but we still have a good sense of aesthetics since the biggest perk of this service is that the fibre optic cables are transparent and run along walls, door frames, and skirting to avoid unsightly trunking to hide the cables.
5. Even angmohs can shop on Taobao now
Screenshot of Taobao's English interface. Photo: HWZ.
Taobao’s Southeast Asian website has been around for over a decade. In the past, people who couldn’t read or write Mandarin had to use translation tools to find accurate listings of what they were looking for.
Well, that changed when Taobao launched its English interface. Now, more people (at least anybody who can read and write English) can shop easily on Taobao. A good portion of shoppers have been waiting for this change.
6. The U-turn unlike any other
A card exchange programme was offered, but later retracted after the U-turn. Photo: NETS.
At the beginning of 2024, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced that legacy stored-value cards, such as non-SimplyGo EZ-Link Adult Cards and the NETS FlashPay card, would no longer be accepted for public transport payment fares. This announcement caused quite a stir since those cards also offered the convenience of being accepted for motoring-related payments.
Within 13 days, the government walked back the decision and announced the existing adult card-based ticketing system would no longer be removed. While upgrading to new technology might be desirable, it shows that convenience and ease of use are still a priority for most people.
7. Please don’t bug (digitally or emotionally) your partners
Photo: Kaspersky.
Technology can be used for good or bad. A survey by Kaspersky revealed that 22% of Singaporean respondents admitted to tracking their significant others’ movements, while 42% admitted to installing stalkerware or monitoring tools on their partners’ phones. Sadly, the data doesn't explain if these were installed without consent, or if the partners share location data for each other's safety and awareness.
8. Google Pixel 9 series in Singapore
Google Pixel 9 Pro in Porcelain. Photo: Google.
This year, the Google Pixel 9 series garnered plenty of attention on our site. However, it’s not a big surprise since Google’s Pixel phones have always offered a good blend of software and aesthetics. Plenty of folks must be intrigued by Gemini AI, and the Pixel 9 series phones have the first processor that can run multimodal Gemini AI at 45 tokens per second.
Read the full story here, and check out our review for the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro XL, Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
9. McDonald’s Singapore’s exclusive Hello Kitty 50th Anniversary collection
Hello Kitty 50th Anniversary collection red packets. Photo: McDonalds.
There’s no doubt that we’re all tech enthusiasts here, but we have other interests outside of technology. Whether you were looking to get something for your kid, your partner or yourself, you helped our announcement of McDonald’s Singapore’s Hello Kitty 50th Anniversary collection get into the top 10 articles of 2024.
We’re looking forward to seeing what other interesting articles make our top 10 list for the years to come. Would it be Labubu? Pokémon? Who knows?
10. Mac computers are being used for longer
The percentage of Mac users who hold on their devices for three years or more increased from 40% in 2020 to 56% in 2023. Photo: Consumer Intelligence Research Partners
We’ve all heard of people who change their iPhones every year, but have you met someone who changed their Mac laptop every year? It’s getting harder since those folks are getting rarer, according to data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP).
The percentage of users who use their Macs only for one year has dropped from 19% to 13%, while the percentage of people who use their Macs for three years or more increased from 40% to 56%. This could be due to many factors, such as improvements in battery longevity and an increase in web-based or streaming apps and programmes.
Regardless, it’s good for the environment and users’ wallets if products are being used longer.
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