Apple Execs Cautious Over Mixed Reality Headset; Some YouTube Videos Will Get Unstoppable Ads; OpenAI Releases iPhone Version of ChatGPT; Montana’s TikTok ‘Ban’

According to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, of Power On newsletter fame, Apple’s top execs are tiptoeing around the introduction of the long-awaited Mixed Reality headset expected at WWDC in June. Apple is still working on the fabled pair of unobtrusive glasses that can be worn all day, but the system due out next month will be more like what’s been leaked…looking like pair of ski goggles. Apple is hopeful that third party apps like games will help power sales of the AR/VR product. Originally, Cupertino had toyed with selling the units below cost to get more initial sales, but now they are expected to sell the rigs for wholesale…still thought to be around $3000. Apple had hoped to sell 3 million the first year, but now is dropping expectations down to about 900,000. Their internal projections still see the AR/VR headset or glasses category as becoming as big as the Apple Watch or iPad. 

You’ve been asking for them…demanding them, begging for them…and now you will have them…unstoppable 30 second ads on top performing YouTube content on TVs. Of course no one alive except toe people at Google who will profit from this and advertisers who want access to your eyeballs really want this. Variety reports that YouTube will also be testing out ‘Pause Experiences’ on TV screens, showing an ad when viewers pause a video…much like the pause ads Hulu rolled out 4 years ago. The new 30-second unskippable ads will be available in YouTube Select, the top 5% of its most-viewed and most-engaging content on the service…so at least for now, we don’t have to deal with the pesky things on every video we watch. The back to back two 15 second ads YouTube has had for a while will continue to show up, though. 

A free version of ChatGPT is now available from Apple’s App Store, and it runs natively on iPhones and iPads. Axios.com says it works largely like the web version, but adds speech input support using Whisper, OpenAI’s open-source speech recognition system. The availability is US only now, but will expand to other countries in the coming weeks, according to maker OpenAI. The company says an Android version will be coming soon, too. 

In a foolish move of ‘harrumphing, Montana has passed a law banning TikTok in the state starting next year. The law carries a $10,000 daily fine for app stores for violating the law…although no fines or punishments for users. Engadget.com notes that legal challenges may delay the implementation, but the reality is that kids already know how to use VPNs, and can easily side load the app and use a VPN to go undetected by Montana’s TikTok police. OK, I made that up…they really don’t have separate TikTok police…but no police or others will be able to enforce this law, should it survive the legal challenges. More crazy grandstanding by politicians…just what we need.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.