Sir Apfelot newsreel week 10, 2023

Spring is slowly but surely appearing. But before you enjoy the slightly higher temperatures at the weekend, stay here a little longer and watch the new Sir Apfelot newsreel. This time I present you the Apple and tech news that particularly caught my eye in calendar week 10 of 2023. Below you will find these topics, among others: Dedicated app for the Deutschlandticket, faster deletion of sensitive photos on Facebook and Instagram, YouTube removes overlay advertising, radio waves on the dark side of the moon, Qualcomm announces iSIM, and more!

Deutschlandticket: Represented on the smartphone with its own app

Anyone who wants to buy the 49-euro ticket valid nationwide for local transport (also known as the "Deutschlandticket") from April and use it from May 1, 2023 can do so on their smartphone using their own app. "With the app you can not only buy and manage your Germany ticket, but also use the Germany-wide timetable information for local and long-distance traffic", says the official website https://www.dein-deutschlandticket.de. Anyone who is currently using the DB Navigator app may wonder why a separate app is needed for a single ticket. Well, I'm wondering that too. The app will be equally usable for iOS and Android.

Meta implements "Take it Down" service against sensitive photos of minors

Intimate recordings and nude pictures of minors are not only in the darknet or on adult sites, but also on social networks. The parent company Meta is now integrating the “Take it Down” service for Facebook and Instagram, such as the iPhone ticker at this point shows. In the US, this is run by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Further information is also available at https://takeitdown.ncmec.org/. The content reported there is not transmitted directly to Meta and other partners, but is compared in the form of hash values ​​with posted images and videos so that it can be deleted more securely. Further information can be found in the linked sources.

YouTube will stop overlay advertising starting in April

If you watch videos on the YouTube website on your computer, you will be annoyed with different forms of advertising without an ad blocker. The so-called overlay advertising is particularly annoying in videos with subtitles or other important image content at the bottom. This consists of advertising banners that are displayed above the video. This form of advertising, which has been used for ages, is soon to be completely removed from the advertising offer by YouTube, such as with heise online is reported. From April 6, 2023, the advertising banners over the YouTube videos should be over. At heise one refers to it to this support article. This post, intended for creators, states, among other things: “Starting April 6th, 2023, “Overlay ads” will no longer appear on YouTube videos or as an available ad format when you turn on ads in YouTube Studio."

New US law could ban TikTok

There is a bill in the US that could potentially lead to a ban on the TikTok app. The draft for the law called RESTRICT (Risk Information and Communications Technology Act) is not specifically aimed at this one app, but rather at all possible technologies, systems and programs that could endanger the data security of users. Since TikTok is an app from China and the data of the people using it could end up with the Chinese government, there have been negotiations between the US government and TikTok for several months. The new draft law is therefore seen as a means of exerting pressure. Further information in this source.

Race to the moon: will the dark side remain radiation-free?

The dark side of the moon is said to be a good place in the solar system to place radio telescopes and gather as-yet-unknown information about the beginnings of the universe. However, there is currently only one project dealing with the installation and use of such a measuring station. In connection with this, the question arises of how to keep the dark side of the moon away from interfering radio waves and the like. The complicated thing is not the restriction of other lunar technology to certain frequencies or their shielding against radiation emissions, but the international treaties that are needed for this. It would take a long time to develop them, but the race to the moon has already begun. Sounds interesting? There is more about that in this source.

Qualcomm announces iSIM: SIM card directly on the SoC

SIM cards were initially intended as calling cards for cell phones. The smaller versions of the plastic cards used in telephone booths became increasingly tiny over time - up to the current nano-SIM standard. In recent years, eSIM technology has also been used more and more. This brought permanently installed SIM card chips with easy-to-install tariffs from individually selectable providers into the devices. Qualcomm is now going one step further and announcing the iSIM (Integrated SIM). This should be installed directly on the SoC (System on Chip) - in addition to the CPU, GPU and Co. By 2027, 300 million devices with iSIM are expected to be in use worldwide. The technology should support SIM and eSIM, but not necessarily replace them. Details: Qualcomm press release.

Important update: GarageBand in version 10.4.8

Since this week there has been an app for the free app offered by Apple GarageBand an update to version 10.4.8. This brings fewer new instruments or other musical features with it, but above all a solution to a security gap. Apple is not currently giving out any specific information. In the appropriate Support document it just says: "This update provides important security fixes and is recommended for all users.“ – But only in the English version. At the time this article went to press, neither version 10.4.8 nor the security notice was noted in the German version of the document.

HomePod with a 7-inch display is scheduled for release in 2024

Apple is said to be working on a new HomePod model that has an integrated 7-inch display. This display is said to be from the manufacturer Tianma, as seen in a Message from Ming-Chi Kuo is called. The Apple analyst, who is often right, suspects that Apple wants to expand its range of products for the smart home with a combination of smart speaker and screen. Among other things, the iPhone manufacturer would thus expand its competition with Amazon. Because Echo devices with displays have been around for a long time. The first Echo Show was released in 2017, seven years earlier than Kuo's announced 7-inch HomePod.

Johannes Domke

After graduating from high school, Johannes completed an apprenticeship as a business assistant specializing in foreign languages. But then he decided to research and write, which resulted in his independence. For several years he has been working for Sir Apfelot, among others. His articles include product introductions, news, manuals, video games, consoles, and more. He follows Apple keynotes live via stream.