After taking a break for a week, there has somehow become a lot of news to talk about this week. These include highlights such as the remote control in the AirPods case, the New York Times lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft and Apple's acquisition of Peloton. A foldable iPhone or iPad – which may already be in the pipeline – is also discussed in this episode.
For people who don't like to listen and prefer to read, we have prepared the individual topics in bullet points further down on this page.
At this point you will also find all the show notes, sources and comments that we have put together for the individual topics below.
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Note: The summaries here were created using ChatGPT, but in our podcast we talk without artificial intelligence. So if you would like background information and good entertainment about the news, then please listen to us!
Latest iOS 17.3 Beta 2 sends some iPhones into the boot loop
- Recommendation: Users who have not yet installed the new software update should refrain from doing so for now
- Reports: Users on the MacRumors forum, Twitter and Mastodon are reporting that their iPhones are stuck in a boot loop with a black screen after the update
- Solution: Rolling back to the previous iOS 17.3 version or to the iOS 17.2.1 release software seems to resolve the issue
- Backup: Users without a backup may have trouble restoring
- Not all iPhone users affected: Some iPhones were successfully updated to iOS 17.3 Beta 2
- No comment from Apple yet, but it is expected that the second beta of iOS 17.3 will be withdrawn soon until the issue is resolved
Source:
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/01/03/ios-17-3-beta-2-bricking-some-iphones/
Apple, Amazon, Adobe and other tech giants protested against planned surveillance law in the United Kingdom
- Apple and other technology companies are putting pressure on the British government to make changes to a proposed surveillance law, the Investigatory Powers Act.
- The law would require companies to make content of communications services available at the request of security authorities, which could require breaking end-to-end encryption.
- The British industry association TechUK, which includes many well-known tech companies, is calling for a discussion with the government about the new law.
- Implementing the law could force companies to violate the national laws of their home countries.
- If the law is passed as planned, it could lead to companies like Apple reducing their investments in the UK.
Starlink is sending the first 5G satellites into space that allow calls via T-Mobile and other providers
- SpaceX launched the first six Starlink satellites on January 3, 2024, intended to provide cellular transmissions to customers of T-Mobile and other providers.
- A total of 21 satellites were launched, including the first six with “direct to cell” capabilities.
- These satellites enable mobile operators worldwide to provide seamless global access to text messaging, calling and browsing without requiring any hardware or firmware changes.
- The improved Starlink satellites feature an advanced modem that acts as a cell tower in space and eliminates dead spots.
- In addition to T-Mobile in the US, several providers in other countries have signed up to use the direct-to-mobile satellites, including Rogers in Canada, KDDI in Japan, Optus in Australia, One NZ in New Zealand, Salt in Switzerland and Entel in Chile and Peru.
- According to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, the satellites only support about 7 Mb per beam and the beams are very large, meaning they do not pose serious competition to existing terrestrial cellular networks.
- The Starlink direct-to-mobile service will initially only offer text messaging starting in 2024, with voice and data services to follow in 2025.
- Starlink's low-flying satellites will work with standard LTE phones.
- T-Mobile plans to begin field testing of Starlink satellites with the T-Mobile network “soon.”
- It was initially announced that beta testing of the service could begin before the end of 2023, but it became clear that this will not be possible until 2024.
Japan wants to force Apple to sideload following the EU model
- Japanese Fair Trade Commission plans antitrust legislation against Apple and Google to enable app sideloading and alternative payment methods.
- Goal: Reduce market dominance in app stores, app payments, app searches, browsers and operating systems.
- Planned measures: Enabling alternative app stores and sideloading on iPhones and iPads.
- Possible penalties: Up to 6% of revenue from “problematic activities”.
- Japanese legislation is similar to the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA), which will force sideloading at Apple from March 2024.
- The law is scheduled to be passed in the Japanese parliament in 2024.
Source:
https://www.macrumors.com/2023/12/27/japan-preparing-eu-style-law/
Less service revenue at Apple due to sideloading and antitrust rulings
- Apple faces potential financial challenges in its services division.
- In Europe, it is unclear how the required opening of the App Store will affect Apple's revenue.
- In the US, Apple is at risk of losing payments from Google for being the default search engine on Apple devices.
- Google paid Apple a total of $2021 billion in 26,3 for status as the default search engine.
- A US court is examining an antitrust lawsuit against Google, which also concerns the search engine agreement with Apple.
- A decision in this case is expected in the summer; Closing arguments are expected to be presented in May.
- The possibility of “sideloading” in Europe could also cause Apple financial losses.
Source:
https://www.ifun.de/apple-muss-um-seine-service-einnahmen-bangen-225084/
Is Apple working on a foldable iPhone?
- Apple may be working on a foldable iPhone to compete with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.
- In 2018, the Royole Flexpai from Samsung and Huawei - with a curved middle - only came onto the market in China
- Samsung Galaxy Fold was launched in 2019 and had massive technical problems
- Three manufacturers, New Nikko, Zhaoli and Fusia, are competing to supply bearings for the device.
- Fusida and Zhaoli have experience in mass production of bearings, while New Nikko has experience in manufacturing AirPods and MacBook cases.
- The winner of this competition could see a significant increase in business should the foldable iPhone come to market.
- Apple is currently testing the possibilities and feasibility of producing such a device.
- There is no confirmation yet that the foldable iPhone will actually launch.
- Apple is also researching a 20-inch foldable device that could be a mix between a MacBook and an iPad.
- Although Apple is working with Samsung to supply screens for the device, it is unclear what the final product line will look like.
Apple is expected to acquire Peloton
- Deepwater Asset Management predicts Apple will acquire Peloton in 2024
- Deepwater, led by former tech analyst Gene Munster, correctly predicted 8,5 out of 10 forecasts last year
- Through the acquisition, Apple could expand its workout segment and add fitness devices
- Peloton has a loyal subscriber base of about 3 million users, which could add about $1,7 billion to Apple's subscription revenue
- Peloton is estimated to be worth between $12 billion and $15 billion
- Peloton had a sales boom during the pandemic, but is struggling post-Covid with declining stock values (23% decline in 2023 and 96% decline from 2021 highs)
- It's unclear whether Apple would take over a company that hasn't shown growth for almost three years
- Speculation about the future of Peloton subscribers in a possible acquisition by Apple
Source:
https://connectthewatts.com/2024/01/03/deepwater-predicts-apple-acquisition-of-peloton/
eBay and Co. now collect user data and send it to the tax authorities annually
- Since January 1st, digital platforms have been collecting data about the income earned by their users and sending it annually to the responsible tax authority.
- The report for 2023 must be submitted by January 31, 2024. This does not apply if it is less than per year and platform 30 sales are and at most 2.000 Euros Revenue arises.
- The aim is to automatically record private sales and services generated via apps.
- 38 member states of the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) are affected, including the USA, Canada and a large number of European countries, including Germany.
- The aim of the regulation is to record undeclared additional income and to check tax liability.
- In many countries, privately purchased items can be sold privately and tax-free, up to a certain limit.
- Income in excess of this limit is subject to tax.
- According to the British tax authority, the new rules are intended to help online sellers pay their taxes correctly.
- The aim is to create a level playing field for all taxpayers.
- The countries concerned can be viewed on the OECD website.
Apple Watch sales stop temporarily suspended
- Legal dispute between Apple and Masimo over patent infringement on Apple Watch.
- US Trade Commission bans sales of Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2.
- The appeal court provisionally suspended the ban until January 10, 2024.
- Apple Watch revenue: $17 billion annually; Total Apple revenue in 2023: $383,3 billion.
- Masimo shares fell as much as 6,3% after the ban was suspended.
- Apple stopped online sales on December 21st; Retail sales ended on Christmas Eve.
- Apple plans software update to alleviate patent issues, decision expected on January 12th.
Apple launches partnerships with major publishing houses to train AI
- Goal: Using news content to train generative AI systems.
- Publishers addressed: Condé Nast, NBC News, IAC (including Vogue, Wired, The New Yorker).
- Proposed deals: At least $50 million for news archive licensing.
- Some publishers reacted cautiously to Apple's offer.
- Apple internally tests “AppleGPT” and plans AI features for iOS 18.
- Apple wants to integrate generative AI features into its app offerings, possibly including Apple News.
Source:
https://www.macrumors.com/2023/12/22/apple-ai-major-publisher-deals/
The New York Times is suing OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement
- Accusation: Millions of Times articles used to develop the large language models of ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot
- Claim: Models can reproduce Times content verbatim, summarize and imitate their expressive style
- Impact: Damage to relationships with readers and loss of revenue (subscriptions, royalties, advertising)
- Warning: Threat to quality journalism by making it harder to protect and monetize content
- Issue: Use of Times content without permission or payment to develop substitute products
- Financial aspect: Publishing the models is very lucrative for Microsoft and OpenAI
- Failed Negotiations: Times tried for months to negotiate fair value for use of its content
- OpenAI Statement: Respects rights of content creators, strives for constructive conversations
- The lawsuit demands billions of dollars in damages, a ban on the use of Times content to train the models, and the removal of Times content from the data sets
- Reaction from other media: Some block OpenAI's web crawlers, others like Axel Springer enter into agreements with OpenAI
Donald Trump's ex-lawyer cites non-existent judgments from Google's Bard AI
- Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former lawyer, admitted to giving his own lawyer fake court citations generated by AI Google Bard.
- Cohen's attorney, David Schwartz, used the fake quotes in a court filing without verification.
- Fictional cases: Two were fictitious cocaine dealers and the other was a fictional tax evader.
- The fake citations referenced three nonexistent cases to show that defendants were allowed early termination of supervised release.
- A judge found that the cases mentioned never occurred, after which Schwartz apologized for the omission and shifted responsibility to his client.
- Cohen himself stated that he mistakenly thought Google Bard was an advanced search engine and did not realize that it could generate non-existent cases.
- Cohen was disbarred about five years ago.
- The incident is reminiscent of a similar case in the same court, in which two lawyers and their firm were fined $5.000 for using ChatGPT to create court documents based on six nonexistent cases.
iPhone chief designer now works on AI devices for Jony Ive and Sam Altman
- Tang Tan, former Apple design chief, will work on AI devices with Jony Ive and Sam Altman
- Tan joins Ive's design firm LoveFrom and will work on a new AI hardware project
- The project will start in February, after Tan's departure from Apple
- Goal: Develop devices with the latest AI capabilities
- Jony Ive left Apple in 2019 to found LoveFrom
- LoveFrom already has clients such as Airbnb Inc., Ferrari NV and Moncler SpA
- Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, plans to deliver the software base for the project
- Development of the project is still at an early stage
- Concept phase includes devices for the home
- OpenAI refers questions to LoveFrom that do not comment
- With Tan, Apple is losing another important designer from the Jony Ive era
Apple wants to run language models locally without the Internet
- Apple plans to run advanced language models, similar to ChatGPT, directly on iPhones - without connecting to the Internet
- Goal: Improve Siri's functionality and intelligence
- Apple research team describes technical implementation in a paper
- Technology uses iPhone flash memory to store AI data
- Use of special optimization techniques and efficient code management
- “Windowing” and “Row-Column-Bundling” as data processing techniques
- AI models can match up to twice the iPhone's available storage capacity
- Speed increase on standard processors (CPUs) by 4x to 5x and on graphics processing units (GPUs) by 20x to 25x
- Potential impact: More complex request processing and more precise responses from Siri
Source:
https://www.sir-apfelot.de/apple-plant-chatgpt-artige-siri-ki-lokal-laufen-zu-lassen-56440/
Countries are again calling for compulsory filters to protect minors
- Reform of the State Treaty on the Protection of Minors in the Media: Countries are calling for compulsory filters in all operating systems
- Main requirement: Install filters against adult content at a basic level on PCs, laptops and smartphones
- Planned 6th Media Amendment State Treaty: Amendment to the Youth Media Protection State Treaty (JMStV) proposed
- New paragraph 12 JMStV: Operating system providers should ensure child protection devices that are easy to activate and adapt
- Current paragraph 5 JMStV: Age rating for content that could impair the development of children and young people
- Extended Paragraph 12: Apps should have age levels that can be read by the operating system
- Extended Paragraph 5c JMStV: Telemedia providers must indicate age ratings on websites and subpages
- IT and media associations as well as the voluntary self-regulation of multimedia service providers (FSM) have concerns about the draft
- Criticism of the labeling requirement for unproblematic content and potential conflicts with higher-level specifications
- Similar proposals were already resisted in the summer of 2021
- Suggested filtering measures could lead to a “deceptive feeling of security” and make parental education more difficult.
Federal administration relies on iPhones and iPads because of high security standards
- Federal administration invests in iPhones and iPads
- Total budget: up to 774 million euros
- Date of tender opening: December 19th
- Three segments of the investment package: hardware, accessories, AppleCare OS support
- Budget for hardware, setup, administration: up to 500 million euros
- Budget for accessory products: 270 million euros
- Start of the framework agreements: April 2024
- Planned purchase: a total of 300.000 iPhones and iPads
- No purchase of Macs in this tender package
- Security classification by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI): iOS and iPadOS classified as secure enough for classified information at the lowest level “For official use only” (VS-NfD).
- Collaboration between BSI and Apple, particularly for the Indigo configuration profile
- “iOS Native Devices in Government Operations” = Indigo configuration profile → Management of devices via Mobile Device Management (MDM) with customized default settings and increased security measures.
Source:
https://www.mactechnews.de/news/article/Bundesverwaltung-setzt-auf-iPhones-und-iPads-183976.html
Beeper Mini wants to jailbreak old iPhones so that Beeper works again
- Beeper Mini: iMessage for Android app
- New attempt to integrate Apple's blue bubbles
- Beeper Mini recognizes iMessage conversations and converts them for Android users
- Android users used to be able to register their phone numbers with Beeper Mini, but Apple blocked this
- Beeper Mini now only works with Apple ID email addresses
- Android users need a Mac with Beeper Cloud to generate iMessage registration data
- Latest development: Beeper suggests using an old iPhone for iMessage registration on Android
- The iPhone must be jailbroken and kept connected to power and Wi-Fi at all times
- If users don't have an old iPhone to jailbreak, Beeper offers an iPhone rental option
- Service will start in the new year if there is enough interest
- Apple plans to adopt RCS next year to bring many iMessage features to Android users
- Beeper Mini originally launched with a reverse-engineered version of iMessage
- Apple considers Beeper Mini a security risk and does not allow the use of iMessage
Source:
https://www.macrumors.com/2023/12/21/beeper-mini-jailbroken-iphones-rescue-imessage/
Company Hyperloop One closes the doors or tubes
- Hyperloop One closes: High-speed train company suspends operations
- Based on an idea by Elon Musk, previously supported by Richard Branson
- The company will close later this month
- Hyperloop One aimed to drastically reduce travel times
- Using magnetic levitation (maglev) technology in a vacuum tube to reduce friction and air resistance
- Planned cruise speed: 700 mph (1,127 km/h)
- Promise of greener, high-speed transportation
- Prototypes built in the Nevada desert, but project stalled
- Experts expressed doubts about the technical challenges
- It would require the construction of huge tubes in the landscape and within cities
- Problem with curves: tubes should be straight
- The first successful passenger flight with Hyperloop technology took place in 2020: Pod reached 107 mph (172 km/h) on a 500-meter-long test track
- Strategy change in 2022: Focus on freight transport instead of passenger transport
- Announcing over 100 job losses in 2022, followed by more layoffs
- Richard Branson retired at the end of the year and Virgin support was withdrawn
- Company experienced scandals: former director imprisoned in Russia for embezzlement, an investor left the company after allegations of sexual misconduct
Source:
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67801235
An injection of “smart” insulin regulates blood sugar for a week
- Studies on animals show that the material works similarly to the body's own system
- Designed for Type I diabetes patients who need to inject insulin several times a day
- Research at Zhejiang University in China
- No human studies, so far only tests on animals: mice and mini pigs
- Single subcutaneous injection regulated blood glucose levels in diabetic mice and minipigs for one week
- Smart Insulin is based on insulin modified with gluconic acid, which forms a compound with a polymer
- Glucose-responsible release: binding of glucose to the insulin-polymer complex
- Insulin release depends on glucose presence: low release between meals, higher release after meals
- Tests involved five mice and three mini-pigs, one of the pigs received a lower dose
- Long-term regulation of blood sugar and no significant immune response was found in the animals
- Limitations of the study: Small number of animals and possible differences in transferability to humans
- More research needed before the Smart Insulin system can be tested in human studies
Amazon plays advertising in Prime Video if you stop paying
- Commercials launch on Prime Video in the US at the end of January 2024
- Ability for US users to opt out of additional advertising for $2,99 per month
- In Germany, there have so far been no corresponding reports about advertising on Prime Video
- Possible delay in the introduction of advertising in Germany compared to the USA
- Tendency towards direct and indirect price increases in the streaming sector
- Price for Amazon Prime unchanged in 2024: 8,99 euros per month or 89,90 euros per year
- Prime membership includes benefits such as free shipping, exclusive special offers, online storage and access to media offerings such as Prime Video and Amazon Music
Source:
https://www.ifun.de/prime-video-werbespots-starten-in-den-usa-ende-januar-224755/
New Apple patent turns AirPod Case into a Vision Pro and Apple TV remote control
- Apple develops new AirPods charging case with “Touch UI” interface
- Patent for the charging case allows you to control sound, change songs and more without an iPhone
- Planned compatibility with Apple Vision Pro and TVs, particularly useful for AR applications and movie lovers
- PatentlyApple reports on specific use cases with the Apple Vision Pro, which is due to be released early next year
- Ability to adjust volume, control EQ and use custom widgets to change sound profile directly on the charging case
- Implementation of capacitive touch detection for individual control options
- Possible applications: Changing individual sound settings when watching TV without disturbing other viewers
- Attractive for accessibility because users with specific hearing needs can make individual settings
Apple Watch calls rescuers for student with carbon monoxide poisoning
- In the US, a Delaware student was saved from carbon monoxide poisoning after calling emergency services using her Apple Watch.
- The student was in her apartment when she suddenly felt exhausted and her vision blurred before she lost consciousness.
- Shortly before losing consciousness, she activated the emergency SOS function on her Apple Watch.
- The paramedics resuscitated the student with oxygen upon arrival.
- An investigation by the fire department revealed an extremely high concentration of carbon monoxide in the apartment, presumably due to a defective heating system.
- To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, it is recommended that you install a carbon monoxide detector.
- Emergency SOS on Apple Watch is activated by long pressing the side button, which calls emergency services and shares the location with emergency responders and emergency contacts.
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Jens has been running the blog since 2012. He acts as Sir Apfelot for his readers and helps them with technical problems. In his spare time he rides electric unicycles, takes photos (preferably with the iPhone, of course), climbs around in the Hessian mountains or hikes with the family. His articles deal with Apple products, news from the world of drones or solutions to current bugs.
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Just because of Samsung etc.? Who needs something like that? Half as big and twice as thick?
Well, if they can make the iPhone half as thin, then we could talk about the folding function. 😂
If the iPhone is half as thin, it will break if a fly lands on it😁
You then have to make it from new material from space research. 😂 But that shouldn’t be our problem.