All posts tagged: Apple

Apple partner Foxconn to invest $1.5 billion in India

Published by skeptic

Foxconn plans to invest $1.54 billion in India, the latest in its growing expansion plan, following a surge in revenues in the South Asian market. Foxconn said in a stock exchange filing that the investment will help it fulfil “operational needs.” The investment comes two months after the Taiwanese firm said it plans to double its workforce and investment in India by next year. Foxconn works with many firms including Apple and assembles their devices in plants in India as many tech giants look to shift part of their manufacturing base to India in a move that analysts describe as “China+1.” The investment from Foxconn, which is the largest EMS provider globally, into China climbed in 2001-2017 or over 15 years, and has slowed down since 2018, given the US-China trade tension. The company, which operates three manufacturing campuses in India, pulled out of a $19.5 billion chipmaking joint venture with Vedanta earlier this year, but said it remains “confident” about India’s ambitions. “Building fabs from scratch in a new geography is a challenge, but …

Sam Altman returns to OpenAI, Apple adopts RCS, and Binance’s CEO pleads guilty to charges

Published by skeptic

Hey, folks, welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular recap of the past few days in tech. The headlines have been dominated — nay, overwhelmed — by the drama unfolding at AI startup OpenAI, but plenty else happened in the half-week leading up to Thanksgiving. So much for a sleepy pre-holiday! In this edition of WiR, besides the OpenAI saga, we cover Apple finally bringing RCS to iPhones, a former Silicon Valley VC darling being convicted of investor fraud, Cruise co-founder Kyle Vogt resigning and Amazon selling cars online. Also on the agenda is Elon Musk’s lawsuit over claims of hateful ads on Twitter, Google’s secret deal with Spotify, Binance’s CEO pleading guilty to federal charges, and Signal detailing the cost of keeping its private messaging service online. It’s a lot to get to — so we shan’t delay. But first, a reminder to sign up here to receive WiR in your inbox every Saturday if you haven’t already done so. Most read Sam Altman returns to OpenAI: After a roller coaster of a weekend and …

Apple reportedly plans to release its Vision Pro headset in March 2024

Published by skeptic

Apple is planning to release its Vision Pro mixed-reality headset in March, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The tech giant was reportedly planning to release the headset in January, but is still preparing distribution plans and conducting final device testing. When Apple unveiled the $3,499 Vision Pro back in June, the company said it was going to release it in early 2024, so Apple is still technically on track in terms of its release timeline. The headset will launch in the United States first, and is expected to release in additional countries by the end of the year, including Canada and the United Kingdom. Since Apple typically holds its spring event in March, the tech giant will likely use the event to promote the Vision Pro. The software powering the Vision Pro is called visionOS, which Apple describes as “the first OS designed for the ground up for spatial computing.” The software’s three-dimensional interface frees apps from the boundaries of a traditional display. Apple has said the App Store for the Vision Pro headset will …

Apple, Disney, Comcast among X advertisers pausing spending after Musk endorsed antisemitic post

Published by skeptic

After X owner Elon Musk amplified antisemitic conspiracy theories on the platform, numerous high-profile advertisers have paused their spending on the platform formerly known as Twitter. Since Friday, per various news reports, the following advertisers have paused their spending on X advertisements: Apple Comcast/NBCUniversal Disney Warner Bros. Discovery IBM Paramount Global Lionsgate European Commission Per research from the Center for Countering Digital Hate, X has failed to moderate hate speech on its platform that promotes antisemitic conspiracies, praises Hitler and dehumanizes Muslims and Palestinians. But X isn’t just keeping these posts up; its owner, Elon Musk, is fanning the flames of such hatred. In a particularly egregious incident last week, Musk replied, “You have said the actual truth” to a post that echoed the same violent antisemitic conspiracy theory that was espoused by the killer from the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue attack. Media Matters for America, a left-leaning media watchdog, published a separate report last week, showing how ads from companies like Apple, IBM, Bravo, Oracle and Xfinity have appeared next to posts that praise …

Apple, Disney and IBM to pause ads on X after antisemitic Elon Musk tweet | Apple

Published by Sam

Apple will pause all its advertising on X, formerly Twitter, two days after owner Elon Musk tweeted his enthusiastic agreement with an antisemitic post, according to a report in Axios. Apple’s ads had run beside tweets praising Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, according to a report released earlier in the week. Film studio Lionsgate said it would also pause ads on X. IBM made a similar move the night prior. The New York Times reported Disney would be pausing spending on the social media platform as well. The billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX wrote Wednesday that a tweet accusing Jews of hating white people was “the actual truth”. The White House condemned Musk’s statements Friday morning, lambasting them as “abhorrent”. A coalition of more than 150 rabbis had called for Apple, Disney, Amazon, Oracle and others to stop advertising on the social network in response to Musk’s tweets. The iPhone maker had been one of the social network’s biggest advertisers, spending as much as $100m a year there as of November 2022 when Musk …

Apple to pause advertising on X after Musk praises antisemitic conspiracy theory

Published by skeptic

One of X’s key advertisers, Apple, will pause its advertising on the platform, according to a report from Axios. Apple follows in the footsteps of advertisers like IBM and the European Commission, who have suspended ads on X amid increased on-platform antisemitism. Per research from the Center for Countering Digital Hate, X has failed to moderate hate speech on its platform that promotes antisemitic conspiracies, praises Hitler and dehumanizes Muslims and Palestinians. But X isn’t just keeping these posts up; its owner, Elon Musk, is fanning the flames of such hatred. In a particularly egregious incident this week, Musk replied, “You have said the actual truth” to a post that echoed the same violent antisemitic conspiracy theory that was espoused by the killer from the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue attack. Media Matters for America, a left-leaning media watchdog, published a separate report this week, showing how ads from companies like Apple, IBM, Bravo, Oracle and Xfinity have appeared next to posts that praise Nazi ideology. Linda Yaccarino, X’s new CEO and former advertising executive …

Apple agrees to improve texting between iPhones and Androids | Apple

Published by Sam

Apple plans to adopt a messaging standard that will allow for a smoother texting experience between iPhones and Android devices, long a point of contention with rival Google. For years, Apple has refused to make its products play nice with devices not designed under its roof, a dynamic exemplified in the green background that is the hallmark of iPhone-to-Android chats. The background is likely to stay, but Apple’s use of rich communication services (RCS) starting next year could enable read receipts between the two operating systems, as well as other features. iMessage will remain exclusive to iPhones and other Apple devices. “Later next year, we will be adding support for RCS Universal Profile, the standard as currently published by the GSM Association. We believe RCS Universal Profile will offer a better interoperability experience when compared to SMS or MMS,” Apple said in a statement first reported by 9to5Mac. Apple has been pushing back on opting into the RCS standard for years, even as Alphabet’s Google and others have pressured the iPhone maker to adopt the …

Apple to finally bring RCS to iPhones

Published by skeptic

Apple plans to add support for the RCS standard on iOS next year, the iPhone-maker said Thursday in a major reversal that would resolve the widespread issue of compatibility in text messaging between iPhones and Android devices, a concern affecting millions worldwide known colloquially as the “green bubble” dread. In an abrupt announcement, Apple said it believes “RCS Universal Profile will offer a better interoperability experience when compared to SMS or MMS.” The company added: “This will work alongside iMessage, which will continue to be the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users.” Apple’s longstanding unwillingness to support RCS has perpetuated fragmentation in messaging ecosystems, particularly affecting Android users, critics have argued over the years.  Apple’s stance, often seen as maintaining ecosystem exclusivity, stirred debate in the tech community over interoperability and user convenience. The company hasn’t also been shy about its feeling on RCS. Responding to a query about Apple’s plans to adopt RCS, Apple chief Tim Cook told an individual to, “Buy your mom an iPhone.” More to follow. Source link

TikTok’s newest feature lets you save favorite songs directly to Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music

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TikTok is teaming up with streaming music services, including Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Music on a new feature that will allow users to save the songs they hear in TikTok videos directly to their preferred streaming music app. The addition comes at a time when TikTok’s influence is increasingly a factor in music’s top charts and the discovery of new artists. Its impact can also be felt in Spotify’s TikTok-inspired redesign of its app earlier this year, which revamped the app with short-form discovery feeds for music and podcasts. Now, TikTok’s new “Add to Music app” feature will begin to appear as a button that says “Add Song” next to a track name at the bottom of a TikTok video in the For You Feed, allowing users to save the song to their streaming music app. The first time users tap this button, they’ll be able to set which music service they prefer as their default. Apple Music was not disclosed in TikTok’s press release about the feature, but is visible in the screenshots …

The Selfie Camera Has Gotten Too Good

Published by skeptic

This past spring, I participated in the sacred tradition that comes around once every few years: I got a new iPhone. The speaker on my old one had broken, forcing my hand. But let’s be clear. I didn’t care about the speaker. The real reason you upgrade an iPhone, of course, is to get a better camera. Within a couple of weeks of unboxing my new iPhone 14 Pro, however, I noticed something odd happening. I’d take a selfie, think I looked great, and lock my phone, satisfied. Later, I’d open my camera roll to find that the same photo was different than I remembered. My skin no longer looked smooth, the way it had on my old phone, and even in the preview on my new one before I snapped the photo. Instead, every selfie seemed to intensify my imperfections. I could see the budding wrinkles on my 30-something forehead and the faint red glow of the eczema patches around my eyes. Startled, I began questioning my appearance. Then I began questioning my device. …