YouTube-A Bit Easier to Make $$; Twitter CEO First Employee Email; Toyota Claims Future EVs Getting 600 Miles Per Charge; FTC Files to Block Microsoft Activision Takeover

YouTube has announced that it will ease getting into monetization a bit. It still takes a lot, but every little bit helps. Techcrunch.com reports that the new conditions of the YouTube Partner Program include having 500 subscribers, 3 public uploads in the last 90 days, and either 3000 watch hours in the past year, or 3 million Shorts views in the last 90 days. This is a bit less of a hill to climb than before. Previously you had to have at least 1000 subscribers, and 4000 watch hours the past year or 10 million Shorts views in the last 90 days. If you make the grade you can apply to get tipping tools like  Super Thanks, Super Chat, and Super Stickers, subscription tools like channel memberships, and the ability to promote merch with YouTube Shopping.

Newly minted Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino has sent her first employee memo, called “Building Twitter 2.0 Together,” in which she echos her boss Elon Musk’s stated goal for the company to be the “global town square.” Theverge.com notes that she goes on to say “From space exploration to electric vehicles, Elon knew these industries needed transformation, so he did it,” she wrote. “More recently it has become increasingly clear that the global town square needs transformation—to drive civilization forward through the unfiltered exchange of information and open dialogue about the things that matter most to us.” In fact, it is the ‘unfiltered’ part that has sent over half the advertisers running for the exits, along with a substantial chunk of the user base. Always good to brownnose the owner, but it will be a tough turn around for Twitter.

Toyota, which was an early pioneer of the hybrid market, has announced that they are developing new tech that will allow a range for EVs of 621 miles. Engadget.com says According to Toyota, it will achieve this goal through the “integration of next-generation batteries and sonic technology” and plans to launch a full EV lineup by 2026.  It already offers the bZ4X all-electric SUV, which can go about 270 miles on one charge and starts at $42,000. Plus, it plans to release a “next-generation” EV for Lexus, its luxury brand, in the same timeframe. Meanwhile, Toyota continues to work on hydrogen vehicles, as is the case with a number of other makers…but the challenges are a bit greater right now than with EVs.

The Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Geekwire.com reports that previously, the UK had issued a final decision to block the deal, saying it would give Microsoft unfair dominance in the still-developing cloud market. Microsoft is appealing that, and will fight the FTC injunction over here as well. 

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

Netflix Gets Increase from Password Crackdown; Apple Plans Cheaper Vision Headset; Google Pixel 8 Cam Leak; Mercedes 1st With Level 3 Self-Driving

Running counter to what you would have thought was going to happen, Netflix says that after cracking down on password sharing, they got the largest number of new account sign ups in two days since April and May 2020 during the pandemic. Mashable.com reports they got over 100,000 daily sign ups on both May 26th and 27th. It’s too early to tell if this is a solid trend, but it sure flies in the face of what most people…including this reporter…expected to happen.

In his latest Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg says Apple is working on a ‘more affordable’ mixed reality headset to come out in 2025. This comes on the heels of the reveal of the Vision Pro last week at WWDC for an eye-watering $3500. Gurman thinks the cheaper version will be called just Apple Vision or Apple Vision One. He speculates that with less powerful chips, lower quality screens, and less cameras and sensors…and maybe the removal of the spatial audio speakers that Cupertino could shave several hundred dollars off the price. He doesn’t believe that Apple will compromise quality much more than that. Since we are speculating on vapor ware, here’s my two cents: unless Apple can come out with a headset for more like $1500, they will never have mass market level sales that can replace the iPhone line. Not with other headsets…admittedly not near as good…going for $400 to $800. Apple’s rolling out a cheaper model for $3000 won’t move the needle. A number of tech reporters also think 2025 is super optimistic as far as the time line goes. 

New details have leaked about Google’s Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, and they include big camera upgrades. 9to5google.com says that the primary sensor for both phones will be a 50 megapixel one. There will also be more support for 8K video recording. Both phones will get an upgraded ultra wide cam, too…going to 64 megapixels…a hell of a jump from the 12MP ultra wide they have now. The telephoto and selfie cams will stay the same, according to the leak which was first picked up by Android Authority.

It had been rumored and we reported earlier that Mercedes-Benz had been the first car maker to ask for California’s permission to put Level 3 self-driving tech on the roads. Now, California has granted that permit. Level 3 is hands off and eyes off. According to engadget.com, the Mercedes Drive Pilot lets drivers to takes their eyes off the road and hands off the wheel, then do other non-driving activities like watching videos and texting. If the rules for use are followed, Mercedes (and not the driver) will be legally responsible for any accident that happens. The Mercedes cars are still not using the advanced systems of Waymo and Cruise vehicles, which are being allowed full self driving with no human driver aboard…but Stuttgart leapfrogs Tesla and their so-called ‘Full Self Driving’ system, which is still just Level 2. Elon Musk has said Tesla will skip Level 3 and go right to Level 4…but he has made wild promises for years, that have yet to materialize.

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

Amazon Launching Prime Video Plan With Ads; Twitch Rolls Back Ad Rules Policy; Apple-New Music, Podcast & Maps Features; Meta Will Act on Instagram Child Exploitation Network

Amazon is planning to launch an ad-supported tier for Prime Video, joining every other streaming service in running ads. According to cnet.com, no details have been leaked about how much a Prime Video plan with ads might cost, or what you would get with a more expensive ad free version. Up to now, Prime Video has just been a freebie included with your $139 a year Prime membership. It seems likely that Amazon will start running ads in the included plan with your Prime membership, and then charge extra for the ad-free version. Most other streamers charge between $5 and $10 a month for ad free…so it’s likely Amazon will have a fee in that range for theirs. 

Twitch announced new roles for how streamers could display ads…which caused a large and immediate uproar from streamers and content creators. Now, theverge.com reports they have rolled back those changes. Twitch apologized for the rollout, explaining that it would rewrite the rules for greater clarity. Now it seems that rewrite has turned into a full rescinding of the rules totally. The new rules would have been potentially devastating for creators, charities, esports broadcasts, and brands. Now, what seemed like another attempt to take a portion of streamer earnings has backfired.

As Apple’s WWDC continues, more new features get announced. Appleinsider.com says Apple Music will get a Collaborative Playlist feature that lets family and friends create mixtapes together. for Apple Cash, users will be able to set up regular payments. For example, parents can set a regular allowance for kids, or friends can pay one another back for regular payments like a share of the rent. A real plus in Apple Maps for electric vehicle users…Maps will be able to show “real-time charging station availability filtered by charging network, plug type, and more.”  Users will also be able to specify which charging network they prefer. Apple Maps will now be available offline. While still online, there will be an option to “easily select an area,” and then download it with a tap.

Meta has established a task force after the press and researchers found its systems in Instagram helped “connect and promote a vast network of accounts devoted to underage-sex content.” Instagram not only hosts such activities but promotes them via its algorithms. The company acknowledged enforcement problems and has taken actions including restricting its systems from recommending searches associated with sex abuse. Meta claims to have taken down 27 pedophile networks in the last 2 years, and is working to remove more. The Wall Street Journal said in an article that it is disturbing. Meta’s “former security chief Alex Stamos said That a team of three academics with limited access could find such a huge network should set off alarms at Meta.” 

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

Samsung Confirms Next Unpacked; Apple Acquires Lightweight Headset Startup; FBI Warns of Increasing AI-Generated Deepfakes; Google Workspace Users-Login Without Passwords

Samsung has announced the next Unpacked event, and there is an interesting wrinkle…it will be in Seoul, capitol of their home country of South Korea for the first time. Unpacked will happen in late July, with rumors giving the date as July 26th. 9to5google.com reports that we should see updates to the Galaxy Fold and Flip, and also an updated Galaxy Tab, watch and earbuds. 

Just a day after Apple introduced its Vision Pro headset…and even though they forbid it being called that…Cupertino announced that they have acquired Mira, a startup that is building lightweight AR hardware. According to techcrunch.com, the firm was started in LA in 2016, and they make AR headsets for Universal Studios for attractions at its Nintendo World theme parks, as well as the US Air Force and Navy. As a clue regarding how Mira’s tech might fit in with the Vision Pro line, Jony Ive, former Apple design guru, was an advisor to Mira for a while.

As if we didn’t have enough scary news about artificial intelligence, now the FBI is warning about increasing use of AI-generated deepfakes in so-called ’sextortion’ cases. Arstecnhica.com says the fakes are being used to harass minors and non-consenting adults OR to coerce them into paying ransoms. In an alert posted by the Bureau, they write that “The FBI continues to receive reports from victims, including minor children and non-consenting adults, whose photos or videos were altered into explicit content,” officials wrote. “The photos or videos are then publicly circulated on social media or pornographic websites for the purpose of harassing victims or sextortion schemes.” People who have received sextortion threats should retain all evidence available, particularly any screenshots, texts, tape recordings, emails that document usernames, email addresses, websites or names of platforms used for communication, and IP addresses. They can immediately report sextortion to:

After rolling out passkey support for consumer accounts in May, Google has now opened things up to Google Workspace accounts…albeit in ‘Open Beta.’ Google is saying this will allow “more than 9 million organizations can allow their users to sign in to Google Workspace and Google Cloud accounts using passkeys instead of passwords.” Passkeys are a new password replacement, with backing from Google, Apple, and Microsoft. Instead of presenting a password text box when logging in, passkey support—which needs to be built into your browser and OS—would have your machine swap public-private keypairs with the website using the “WebAuthn” standard, and you’re logged in. I, for one, applaud the demise of passwords…modern biometrics work well, and unless someone does the sort of thing only seen in spy movies…hacks off your finger or pulls out an eyeball…it is quite secure. Face ID won’t even work with a sleeping person..let alone one who has passed away. 

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

More From Apple’s WWDC Keynote; SEC Sues Binance; AI Driven Carbon Tracker Exposes Greenwashing; Microsoft Fabric Takes Aim at Amazon & Google Clouds

The ‘one more thing’ at the opening of Apple’s WWDC yesterday completely overshadowed everything else, so here’s a quick recap of some of the other updates that were announced. 

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Clark Reid, back with today’s tech headlines. Please give us a ‘like’ if you enjoy the reports, by mashing the ‘like’ button. You can also subscribe, so you’ll know when a new report is posted.  The hat is in support of our SAG-AFTRA colleagues who are negotiating with the big movie, TV, and streaming companies right now for a fair deal.

MacBook Air…new 15.3 inch display and Apple M2 chip. It has a claimed 18 hours of battery life, is thinner and lighter than a 16 inch MacBook Pro…less powerful and less ports, too of course….and starts at $1299. It’s on sale now, and ships next week. 

Mac Studio and Mac Pro get powerful new Apple Silicon. The Mac Pro gets a crazy double M2 Ultra chip and supports 192 gigs of memory. You get 6 PCIe slots, and you can still get it as either a tower or rack mount version. It starts at $6999. The studio gets the Blazing M2 Ultra chip and is $1999. 

iOS 17 Custom Lock Screens and interactive widgets are new. New call, FaceTime, and Messages features have been added Namedrop lets you share your number and email seamlessly. Siri is allegedly better. Oh, and there is a new Sensitive Content feature that helps adults avoid unsolicited nude photos and videos. You can either decline or reveal the pics. No, it’s not all guys sending pics of their equipment, surprisingly. I’ve even gotten a couple…and from women I know. Ya looked just fine, ladies! 

MacOS will now have Floating widgets, and Safari improvements including to private browsing,  A new Profiles feature is baked in to separate work and home accounts. 

Watch OS 10 You can have a picture for watch face, but then by scrolling the crown, you see widgets that show you info you want to see. New watch faces, including one with an animated Snoopy and Woodstock. 

The SEC has sued Binance, citing its evasion of US laws with what they call ‘an extensive web of deception.’ According to arstechnica.com, the SEC alleges that Binance and its CEO have “blatant disregard” of federal law “enriched themselves by billions of US dollars while placing investors’ assets at significant risk.” The SEC is seeking fines, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains with interest, and injunctions. The lawsuit alleged that under Zhao’s control, Binance and affiliated entities “have unlawfully offered three essential securities market functions—exchange, broker-dealer, and clearing agency—on the Binance Platforms without registering with the SEC. Stay tuned…this ought to be a protracted battle. 

An entrepreneur from Bulgaria through her company, Plan A, has developed an algorithm that gathers up to 20 million data points each month and automatically prescribes a list of actions a company must take to reduce its footprint. These actions include improving energy efficiency, sourcing goods from more sustainable suppliers, and, particularly for financial institutions, making climate-friendly investments. Thenextweb.com says that Lubomila Jordanova’s Plan A is focused on battling corporate greenwashing. Thus far, Plan A has been adapted by BMW, Deutsche Bank, and the European Commission. So far, they haven’t been able to bring on board any coal or oil and gas firms. Plan A notes that besides corporate greenwashing, their system helps companies that want to decarbonize accurately calculate their carbon footprint. Just another step in trying to save the world from…and for…humanity. 

Microsoft has previewed a new data and analytics platform that looks to give it an edge over Amazon and Google in the cloud market. Venturebeat.com reports that the platform is called Microsoft Fabric, and it is ‘a comprehensive suite of tools that allows enterprise customers to store, manage and analyze the data that drives their most important applications. It also integrates products that cater to all of a company’s data users, from engineers who handle the technical aspects of data processing to analysts who want to derive insights and make decisions from the data.’ It is in public preview mode right now. Some analysts think it may let Microsoft surpass Google and Amazon when it comes to serving large enterprise companies. That would depend on them sitting still, however…which seems unlikely.

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

Apple WWDC-The New Vision Pro

The long-awaited One More Thing….Apple Vision Pro was previewed at WWDC. I was lucky to have one sent, so I could try it and show you right here. Ok, just kidding. As the keynote was 2 hours, we will just focus on the Vision Pro today. BTW, the new OS is called VisionOS. Controlled by hands, eyes, and voice. Spacial Computing. They are touting it as a fully 3D interface. Apps hover in front of you but you can see the room around you behind them. You can control the level of immersion in the view by dialing the digital crown. Looking at a person wearing the headset…you can see their eyes on the tinted glass…which is honestly kinda freaky. This only happens when someone is picked up in your field of view. If you are immersed, the display shows a multi-color view to others, letting them know that. 

There are no input devices like a mouse or multi touch needed…use hand gestures or voice commands. You can view multiple screen images that just float in front of you, with the room in the background. You can even use multiple apps which appear on multiple floating screens…oh, and if you want to type…you can put a virtual keyboard out in front of your screens below your windows. 

The Vision Pro will work with your Mac seamlessly, too. You can put your Mac screen right next to a screen from the headset. With FaceTime, you can chat with multiple people floating life size in front of you. You can resize your photos and zoom them. Panoramas become panoramic in your field of view automatically. The Vision Pro also has a claimed 3D camera for video. You press a button on the headset and it starts recording….btw, there is a light that shows those around that you are videoing. If you watch a movie, the Vision Pro will give you the effect of a 100 ft screen. 

They have partnered with Disney…even had Bob Iger as part of the presentation! Iger describes the headset as revolutionary…and he has used the platform. Disney+ will be available on day one for the Vision Pro. 

The Vision Pro will run all day plugged in, or for 2 hours on the separate battery pack…there will no doubt be nerd holsters for belts for the battery pack! The little screens have more pixels than a 4K TV for each eye. There are drop in lenses for correction if you wear glasses (and want to drop even more money.) Dual driver audio pods sit right by ears, and analyze the room around you like the Home Pod. The Vision Pro runs on an M2 chip, with a new R1 chip that processes from 12 cameras, 5 sensors, and 6 microphones. It has less lag time than the blink of an eye. 

Apple says most apps that are available on other Apple platforms will be available on the Vision Pro at launch, and they will run natively on the headset. It will have its own App Store. It uses new Optic ID to verify you and log you in. It is a retina scan, basically. 

The Vision Pro will be more than we even thought—an eye watering…sorry for the pun… $3499! It will be available early next year…that is 2024. 

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

https://www.apple.com/apple-vision-pro/

More Meta Quest 3 & Price Drop on Quest 2; Amazon Settles Ring & Alexa Privacy Suits; Top Reason Android Users Switch to iPhone; Google Wallet-Add Passes by Taking Photo

Meta will hold its Connect conference on September, 27th, and look for much more about the Quest 3. Meta dropped more info about the upcoming mixed reality headset today, including the price…$499. In a blog post on Instagram CEO Mark Zuckerberg called it “The first mainstream headset with high-res color mixed reality. 40% thinner and more comfortable.” With the Quest 3 on the way, Meta has cut the price of the Quest 2 back down to $299.99 for the 128 gig version. The 256 gig model will be $349.99. Those prices are effective June 4th. Meta also said they are working on a software update that will improve CPU and GPU performance for the Quest 2. 

Amazon has settled lawsuits for millions…pocket change for the online giant. According to techcrunch.com, they will cough up $25 million over violations to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. Amazon had been accused of keeping kids’ speech data basically forever, and had also kept geolocation information about kids. In addition, Amazon must pay $5.8 million to settle with the FTC over allegations that Ring gave employees and third-party contractors full access to every customer video until 2017. Someone, somewhere who is better at calculating than I am is already figuring how many MINUTES worth of profit this is costing Amazon!

The top reason cited for people switching from Android to iPhone is usually attributed to people…especially teens…wanting the ‘blue bubble’ in their texts, instead of green, which Apple assigns to non-iOS users of their text service. well, that’s not it, apparently. Computer Intelligence Research Partners did a study, and 15% of new iPhone buyers are conquest sales from Android. the top reason? An issue with the Android experience. Over 53% of respondents said they moved to iPhone because of problems with their Android smartphone. Specifics cited were “their old phone did not serve them, because it was aging, needed repair, or had some deficiency that affected their user experience.”The second most common reason to switch was for new features on iPhone like “a better camera, enhanced accessory options, or a more intuitive user interface.” Only 6% switched because of the iMessage blue bubble vs green one!

A cool new trick has been added to Google Wallet. It will now let you add passes by just taking a photo. Engadget.com reports that for example, if a store you frequent doesn’t have digital membership cards, you can take a photo, and add the card to your wallet. As long as there is a bar code or QR code, you will be good to go on your phone. Google is also matching Apple in supporting digital IDs. As of today, Maryland residents can add their driver’s licenses and ID cards to Wallet on any device using Android 8 or newer. Arizona, Colorado and Georgia residents will have the option in the months ahead. 

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