Apple Advanced AI Features Likely Opt-In; Samsung Foldables Leak; Twice is Twitching Subscription Pricing Up; Musk Diverting Tesla GPUs to His Other Companies
Posted: June 5, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: business, Elon Musk, News, technology, Tesla Leave a commentJust a few days until next Monday’s Apple WWDC keynote, and Bloomberg is reporting that the advanced AI features in iOS 18 will most likely be an opt-in service. As we have reported here, Apple has been working with OpenAI for over a year to incorporate its ChatGPT tech into iOS 18. The partnership will be fleshed out for us at the keynote. Meanwhile, Apple has also been hedging their bets, talking to Google about utilizing its Gemini in Apple operating systems. Apple has been working on their own large language model, but apparently felt they were behind the curve enough that they needed to partner with a competitor. It is expected that Apple’s own LLM will be limited to new Siri features, and that they will work on device. the more advanced AI will rely on cloud servers.
Design info has been leaked about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 and they’re more ‘chonky’ as the saying goes. According to androidpolice.com, the handsets will adapt a boxy design much like the Galaxy S24 Ultra. When they are shown off in about a month, expect new AI features like live translator, circle to search and more. They also will have upgraded camera features and will run on Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 silicon. One widely anticipated change…both phones will have a less visible crease! The Z Flip 6 may get an upgraded 50 MP rear cam, too.
Apparently, ’Tis the Season…we just reported on Spotify jacking up prices, and now here comes Twitch, joining Spotify, Peacock, Max, and others in increasing prices. Engadget.com says starting July 11th, Twitch Tier 1 subscriptions will go up a buck from $4.99 to $5.99. In Twitch’s defense, this is the first increase of monthly subscriptions to US users. Twitch already goosed prices up on Canada, Australia, the UK, and Turkey.
Again, Elon Musk is being accused of diverting Tesla resources to his other privately owned companies. CNBC reports that…according to emails from Nvidia staffers…he’s redirected some 12,0000 GPUs to his social media platform X. Musk told investors in April that Tesla had spent about a billion dollars on GPUs the first quarter of this year…nearly as much as the car maker dropped on R & D, despite being desperate for new models to add to what is now an old and very limited product lineup that is suffering rapidly declining sales in the US and China. Tesla has been working on its own in-house supercomputer for AI, named Dojo. Musk was accused of diverting Tesla resources previously to his other companies…back in 2022. Senator Elizabeth Warren noted in a letter to Tesla that this could violate what are called ‘anti-tunneling rules’ that are in place to prevent corporate insiders from extracting resources from their firms.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
New Intel Processors Coming; Threads Adds Swipe Left & Right Feature; Open AI & Google DeepMind Alums Warn of Serious Risk’ and Lack of Oversight in AI; Apple May Add ‘Respiration Tracking’ to Vision Pro
Posted: June 4, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, dating, iPad, iPhone, technology Leave a commentIntel is putting its foot on the gas with the new Lunar Lake chip. Theverge.com reports that the new system-on-a-chip design triples the size and more that quadruples the performance of its AI accelerator, while promising a 14% faster CPU at the same clock speed. Intel also brags about 50% more graphics performance and up to 60% better battery life than last year’s model. A really big change…no separate memory sticks or chips. Lunar Lake has either 16 or 32GB of memory right in the package itself. The downside? No ability to add more RAM. The move does cut power consumption by 40% though. Intel says for those needing more memory, they will roll out the Arrow Lake chip family later this year.
Threads has made some recent revisions to its interface, and now they have added swiping right to like a post, or left to indicate you aren’t interested. The movements echo those of Tinder, where you can swipe to like or ignore potential people. According to mashable.com, Threads and Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said “We’ll use those signals to show you more posts like the ones you swipe right on and fewer of those you swipe left on. I hope this helps you find more posts that you’re interested in.” The feature can be a little confusing as you can only swipe left or right when scrolling through your feed (thankfully, a little heart or crossed out eye icon shows up to let you know what’s up when you start swiping). If you’re looking at a single post on Threads, you won’t be able to swipe left, and swiping right will bring you back to feed view.
There has been plenty of noise about AI developer firms playing fast and loose, and now comes an open letter from a number of former and current OpenAI employees describing concerns about the artificial intelligence industry’s rapid advancement despite a lack of oversight and an absence of whistleblower protections for those who wish to speak up. Cnbc quotes the letter as saying “AI companies have strong financial incentives to avoid effective oversight, and we do not believe bespoke structures of corporate governance are sufficient to change this.” The letter goes on to say “We also understand the serious risks posed by these technologies,” they wrote, adding that the companies “currently have only weak obligations to share some of this information with governments, and none with civil society. We do not think they can all be relied upon to share it voluntarily.” Besides the OpenAI employees and alums, the letter was signed by a couple Google DeepMind people.
A patent has turned up that indicates Apple may be going to add respiration tracking to the Vision Pro headset. Zdnet.com reports that the patent filing doesn’t really specify precisely what the respiration tracking would do for you, but code for it shows up under the Mindfulness app, so that’s a clue. Perhaps a personalized breathing exercise routine to reduce stress or such. It also isn’t clear when the feature might be released, but we may learn more after next Monday’s WWDC keynote. We will cover the World Wide Developers Conference keynote Monday for you with a recap you can scan or view…so no need to sit through the hype and Apple ‘reality distortion field.’
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Microsoft Concerned About OpenAI Helping Apple to Fix Siri; Amazon Gets FAA Permission to Fly Delivery Drones Further; Mining Lithium from Fracking Wastewater; Stem Cell Treatment Appears to Cure Type 2 Diabetes
Posted: May 30, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Artificial Intelligence, diabetes, insulin, technology Leave a commentAs we have reported, OpenAI is working with Apple to make Siri work better…which Siri sorely needs. Reports have come out saying that Apple has been negotiating with OpenAI for a year. Now, 9to5mac.com reports that Microsoft is concerned about this partnership and how it might affect their own deal with OpenAI. Apparently, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman met recently with Microsoft CEO Nadella to discuss their reservations about the Apple deal. As Microsoft’s deal for a cut of OpenAI profits…which they got after investing $13 billion in the startup…means they will make money on an Apple-OpenAI deal, the downside for Microsoft is that Apple’s AI capabilities will directly compete with Microsoft’s. Hey, I thought in capitalism, competition was supposed to be good!
Amazon has gotten Federal Aviation Administration permission to fly delivery drones beyond the visual sight line. According to engadget.com, this will allow the online giant to fly further and expand delivery drone service. Amazon says this will allow them to get deliveries to customers more quickly and with a larger selection of items. The breakthrough for flying beyond the ground based operators or spotters’ line of sight comes from Amazon’s new “onboard detect-and-avoid technology.” Amazon has discontinued drone shipments around Lockeford, California, but is expanding around College Station, Texas….and has now added deliveries to the West Valley area in the Phoenix metro.
In an amazing discovery, researchers from the National Energy Technology Laboratory have found that wastewater produced by fracking wells found in the Marcellus Shale area in Pennsylvania may hold enough lithium to cover 38-40% of the current domestic consumption! Arstechnica.com says that right now, the US relies on imports from Argentina, Chile, and China to fully handle its lithium needs. Lithium, of course, is a crucial element for lithium-ion batteries like those used in electronic devices and especially in electric vehicles. A key will be the economic feasibility of extracting lithium from wastewater at the scale needed. Another issue is that the wastewater would still be highly toxic…with salts, metals, and radioactive elements.
Doctors in Shanghai, China have apparently successfully cured a 59 year old patient’s type 2 diabetes. Bgr.com reports that they used stem cells from the patients blood to ‘kickstart’ the pancreas into producing its own insulin. The patient was taken off insulin at 11 weeks, and they later reduced oral drugs. The pancreas continues to produce. The patient is still free of insulin now for 33 months! Last year, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a similar stem cell treatment from a Chicago-based company for type 1 diabetes. It may be a while before this sees mainstream medicine, so Apple and Samsung are full speed ahead on incorporating blood sugar measurements via their watches.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Google May Partner with TSMC on Pixel 10 Chips; Musks Raises $6 Billion for his xAI; All AI is Beta-Apple May Admit It; Bioprocessor from Human Brain Tissue-Uses Million Times Less Power
Posted: May 28, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Android, Google, News, technology Leave a commentSome sleuthing has uncovered evidence that Google may be planning to use Tensor chips made for them by Taiwan Semiconductor, the same firm that furnishes chips to Apple for their mobile devices and M series computers. Androidpolice.com reports that the TSMC chips will be showing up in the Pixel 10 phones next year. The Pixel 9 phones will be out this fall, still powered by Tensor G4 chips from Samsung. Expect the Pixel 9 phones to emphasize more AI features.
Over the weekend, it was announced that Elon Musk has raised an additional $6 billion for his xAI startup…and its Grok chatbot, that Musk says is an edgier version of ChatGPT. According to theverge.com, the big cash came from Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, and a Saudi prince. Musk has said he would “prefer to build products outside of Tesla” when it comes to AI and robotics unless he gets more control. Tesla shareholders will start voting this week on whether to restore Musk’s $56 billion pay package ahead of its annual meeting on June 13th. A substantial surge from the shareholders, led in some cases by some major holders that together have more stock than Elon, is opposing giving him $56 billion after big losses from a sales decrease first quarter.
In his PowerOn Newsletter, Mark German says that Apple may choose to label its upcoming AI features iOS 18 as beta or preview. They also did this when they launched Siri years ago. Some might argue Siri is still beta…I certainly would! 9to5mac.com goes on to comment that truthfully, ALL AI should be categorized as beta. There are still numerous instances of what the industry euphemistically calls ‘hallucinatons’ by AI systems. In starker terms, it lies and makes stuff up. One outrageous example from earlier is the lawyer that wrote a brief with ChatGPT, and it included citations from cases it had made up…which the court and opposing counsel quickly pointed out. Another that was just taken down by Google was an AI overview of presidents. the AI said the US has had 42 presidents, and 17 of them have been white. It may be a while yet before AI takes over the world.
FinalSpark, a Swiss startup, says it has made the world’s first bioprocessor. Bgr.com reports that the device incorporates what they call 16 human brain ‘organoids.’ The claim it uses a million times less power than traditional processors. FinalSpark also says the bioprocessor is capable of learning and processing information. Anyone else getting the vibe of the humans used for batteries in the Matrix movies? They have dubbed the system ‘wetware,’ as it is a mix of biology, software, and hardware. The trick now will be seeing if they can scale it up to a large enough system to actually be marketable. AI and human tissue…yeah, I am definitely getting a Matrix vibe…hope Neo is out there somewhere to get us out of this jam.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Britain Already Scrutinizing Microsoft’s New AI Recall Feature; Amazon Alexa Getting Big AI Upgrade-But for a Fee; Spotify Rolling Out its Own Font; Humane for Sale After Smart Pin Flop
Posted: May 22, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Music, News, Spotify, technology Leave a commentMicrosoft just announced to great fanfare the new AI Recall feature that will be spotlighted in their new generation of tablets and laptops. According to gizmodo.com, Recall, uses AI to build a “photographic memory” of a user’s laptop activity that they can then search. In other words, Recall constantly takes screenshots of a user’s activity on the computer, whether they’re searching for new recipes online, watching videos, or using apps. This could be good or creepy…your choice…but now, the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office has told BBC it is reaching out to Microsoft for more info. An ICO spokesperson told the Beebe that companies must “rigorously assess and mitigate risks to peoples’ rights and freedoms” before launching new products, especially those that are potentially invasive. I’d say that a system that records every single thing you do on your computer probably qualifies as invasive!
Amazon is readying a big AI upgrade to Alexa. This will probably be nice to have, as all of the assistants need to get better….looking at you, Siri. If you can’t wait to try it, here’s a little fly in the ointment…Amazon is going to charge a separate subscription on top of the $139 it already whacks you for to be a Prime member. CNBC reports that Amazon has refused to comment on the additional fee so far. If you want to give it a test drive for free while it’s still being tested, you can tell your Echo unit “Alexa, let’s chat,’ and Amazon will notify you when you can access the preview. With Google already getting its Gemini AI assistant out, and Apple about to upgrade Siri with AI at WWDC in June, the race is on to get to smarter…or at least less stupid…assistants.
Spotify now has its own bespoke typeface…and it is rolling out today. The platform thinks Spotify Mix will improve the experience for your eyeballs. Why call a font ‘Mix?’ Well, theverge.com says Spotify is claiming the name is an homage to the “dynamic and evolving nature of audio culture over the years.” Spotify says “We subtly incorporated the shapes of sound waves to evoke a rhythmic feel. The combination of sharp angles and smooth curves gives the typeface a distinctive character that feels quintessentially Spotify.” Why do I feel like an ad agency wrote that? Although Apple used the Chicago font years ago, even mighty Apple has stooped to using fonts used by we mortal users.
You may recall the hype and fanfare around the AI Pin from startup Humane. It was a pin you could query and get answers via AI, and it even projected some on to your hand. The little jewel ran $700 plus $24 a month for a subscription. Well, TechCrunch.com notes that Humane has now put itself on the block for between $750 million and a billion. Not bad for a company that had raised $230 million from some big tech hitters, and got so much buzz…then laid a big ostrich-sized egg with the pin. Besides being pricy and in search of a market, the pin allegedly had overheating and battery life issues. Need a big write-off right now, and looking for a hip sounding company with a failed product…here’s your chance!
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Biggest Announcements from Microsoft Build; Apple COO in Taiwan Locking Down NexGen Chips;Scarlett Johansson Slams OpenAI for Mimicking Her Voice; Porsche Invests in Startup For Better Cold Weather Battery Performance
Posted: May 21, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Apple, Artificial Intelligence, Microsoft, technology Leave a commentMicrosoft just held a special event leading into Build 2024, and announced updates of Surface devices, and also teased some major developments in AI. Theverge.com reports that Microsoft CEO Nadella announced a new category of computers called Copilot Plus. The new units will run Arm based Snapdragon X Elite and Plus processors from Qualcomm, and down the road will run Intel and AMD chips. Microsoft claims Copilot Plus PCs will be 58% faster than the M3 MacBook Air. Besides Microsoft’s own Surface line, Copilot Plus devices are coming from Lenovo, Dell, Acer, Asus, and HP. One of the major AI features available within Copilot Plus PCs is Recall. The new tool runs locally on your device and logs everything you do on your computer, allowing you to search for and retrieve the content you’ve interacted with. That makes it possible to uncover a conversation you’ve had in apps like Discord, or even a specific PowerPoint slide you were working on. Copilot is getting OpenAI’s new GPT-4o model, which lets the AI answer questions based on what you see on your screen. So how much? The 13 inch Surface Pro starts at $999.99, and comes in blue, black, beige, and platinum. A new Surface Laptop 6 has 13.8 and 15 inch display options, and the lowball price model is also $999.99, with the same color choices as the Surface Pro.
Apple COO Jeff Williams has reportedly been to Taiwan, working to lock down a supply of the upcoming 2 nanometer chips from Taiwan Semiconductor. According to macrumors.com, the COO and the president of TSMC discussed custom AI chips built on the chipmaker’s 2nm process…due to go into production next year. The iPhone 15 Pro runs on the A17 Pro chip, which is a 3nm chip from TSMC. The smaller footprint allows more transistors to be packed into less space, increasing both efficiency and performance. Even the latest Apple M4 chip is using the 3nm process. TSMC projects a 10 to 15% performance gain and power consumption reductions of up the 30% with the upcoming 2nm chips compared to the latest 3nm ones.
Last fall, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI called Scarlett Johansson and pitched her on being the voice of the ChatGPT 4.0 system. The actress says she declined the offer after “much consideration and for personal reasons,” but when OpenAI demoed GPT-4o, the company’s latest large language model last week, “my friends, family, and the general public all noted how much the newest system named ’Sky’ sounded like me.” Engadget.com says that apparently Altman had called her 2 days before the debut and asked if she would reconsider…then put out the product before she could respond. The net is, Johansson hired an attorney, and now OpenAI is ‘pausing’ the use of “Sky”, the voice that sounds like Scarlett. Apparently it isn’t a clone of her voice, but another voice actor…and OpenAI claims it doesn’t mimic her voice. This is why SAG-AFTRA fought so hard in the strike last year for clauses it won that give actors, voice artists, and broadcasters under the new contracts the right to refuse a voice cloning, and if one is agreed to, a reasonable payment for the use of a person’s voice.
It is pretty widely known that EV battery packs drop pretty dramatically in performance in very cold or very hot weather. Now, Porsche has invested in a startup that claims their tech will make cold weather charging and performance more reliable. TechCrunch.com reports that South 8 Technologies has developed a method of filling batteries with pressurized, liquified gas electrolyte instead of a liquid one. The cold weather issue occurs because the low temperature makes the liquid electrolyte thicken. This should avoid that issue, and as a bonus, South 8 says they think it wall cut the cost of lithium ion batteries by some 30%! That’s huge, because with EV’s, the battery costs about a third of the entire vehicle! The South 8 Tech also reduces the size of the battery pack. Porsche is mainly excited about the cold weather improvements at this point. Lots of improvements are in the pipeline for EV batteries, and they can’t get here too soon!
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Apple-Accessibility Eye Tracking for Recent iPhones & iPads; Google Opens Smart Home to Everyone; OpenA Chief Scientist Leaves; FTC Warns Car Makers About Selling User Data
Posted: May 15, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Artificial Intelligence, Google, News, technology Leave a commentApple has announced new accessibility features. The biggie is built in eye tracking for iPhones and iPads. Engadget.com reports that devices with the A12 chip or later will gain the ability to use the front facing camera to navigate software without additional hardware or accessories. When enabled, people can look at their screen to move through elements like apps and menus…then linger on an item to select it. Another thing they are adding is vocal shortcuts. AI on the device creates personalized voice commands. You could maybe use Yo, and Siri will…or may…understand and then perform the shortcut or task you associated with the shortcut word. Voice control and color filters are coming to the interface for vehicles, making it easier to control apps by talking and for those with visual impairments to see menus or alerts. To that end, CarPlay is also getting bold and large text support, as well as sound recognition for noises like sirens or honks.
Google has announced it is opening API access to its Google Home Smart home platform. Now, according to theverge.com, any app maker, whether smart home related or not, can access the more than 600 million devices connected to Google Home and tap into the Google Home automation engine to make what they are calling smart solutions for users. Any device that uses the Matter protocol or which says Works with Google Home will be accessible.
Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI co-founder and long time chief scientist has left the building…and company. Techcrunch.com says that CEO Sam Altman posted on X about the departure last night. Altman called it a very sad day, and praised Ilya as having easily one of the greatest minds of our generation, a guiding light of our field,” and he also called him “a dear friend.” The big brained chief scientist is reportedly planning on working on something he called ‘personally meaningful.’ Ilya did say in a statement that he is leaving OpenAI with the “belief the company will build artificial general intelligence — AI capable of accomplishing any task a human can — that’s “both safe and beneficial.”
A warning has come out for automakers that sell connected cars…that’s virtually all of them these days. It’s from the Office of Technology of the FTC, and they said in a statement that Companies that offer such products “do not have the free license to monetize people’s information beyond purposes needed to provide their requested product or service.” Arstechnica.com notes that the FTC went on to say Just because executives and investors want recurring revenue streams, that does not “outweigh the need for meaningful privacy safeguards.” This sounds like a shot over the bow to car makers that the feds will be coming after them if they don’t stop peddling car owners’ data to all sorts of data brokers and other third parties.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Chrome Looking to Add AI Features; Disney+, Hulu, & Max Bundle May Cut into Netflix; Apple Vision Pro Used for Keyhole Surgery; Dell Reveals Big Data Breach
Posted: May 9, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Tech, technology, vision-pro, VR Leave a commentAI continues to be the buzzy area of tech that seems to be drowning out all other advancements at the moment. Now, 9to5google.com reports that Google Chrome…which already has 3 generative AI features out in the wild…is planning to bring the tech into Chrome even more. They are touting it as being able to make ‘typical actions you do every day—using tabs, using Search, writing in forms, reading webpages—a little easier.’ A spokesperson didn’t elaborate on the using search or reading webpages, which is a bit tantalizing…or maybe scary…depending on how accurate the AI turns out to be. Of course, there is ‘Help Me Write,’ which every single platform is pushing right now. If this appeals to you, great. If you have writer’s block, all the better. For now, some of us…myself included…know what we want to write and how we want it to come out on the page, and further, over audio and video.
Here’s a bundle that may give Netflix something of a run for its money in streaming. Disney and Warner Brothers Discovery have announced a Disney Plus, Hulu, and Max streaming bundle. According to bgr.com the package that will be available for purchase from any of those platforms’ individual websites, and in both ad-free and ad-supported versions. This will give cord cutters a huge selection of great entertainment channels all in one place: ABC, CNN, DC, Discovery, Disney, Food Network, FX, HBO, HGTV, Hulu, Marvel, Pixar, Searchlight, and Warner Bros. I would say the lede is buried in this announcement, but actually it isn’t IN the announcement…what’s the price? Well, they haven’t disclosed that yet…and that will be key to the success of this massive bundle.
When it was first rolled out, I noted in one of these reports that I really thought Apple would be happy with the Vision Pro headsets if just early adopters and industry bought the devices. Now, a truly pro use indicates that we may be seeing more of that. It isn’t remotely a mass market, but Apple has so much money and such a range of devices, they can afford to wait for the mass market…probably until a lower price Vision Pro comes out. Appleinsider.com says that the headset is being adopted by surgeons now to perform operations on patients. In India, the headset has been used to perform more than 30 procedure so far. The doctors are using it to perform laparoscopic surgeries…sometimes called ‘Keyhole’ surgeries. Instead of watching a camera inserted into the patient, the docs see it on the Vision Pro. They are saying the response time is instantaneous. More and more pro use of the $3500 Vision Pro will just help drive users to want to buy whatever Apple calls the cheaper version, which I expect to see within a couple years.
It seems like these have gotten to be so frequent as to make us numb, but people have to stay concerned and vigilant. Yes, it’s another data breach. Dell has just disclosed one that is more creepy than most. TechCrunch.com reports that this breach includes customers’ names and physical addresses! It also includes “Dell hardware and order information, including service tag, item description, date of order and related warranty information.” If it is a consolation, at least there weren’t any email addresses, phone numbers, or financial or payment info. Dell doesn’t believe this is a ‘significant risk’ to customers. Well, only physical safety…I guess to computer companies, that seems peripheral compared to electric information.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
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