Techmeme
October 25, 2023, 2:00 PM

Top News

Joe Rossignol / MacRumors:
Apple increases the monthly price of Apple TV+ from $6.99 to $9.99, News+ from $9.99 to $12.99, Arcade from $4.99 to $6.99, and Apple One from $16.95 to $19.95  —  Apple today announced that it is increasing the prices of some of its subscription-based services, including Apple TV+ …
Chris Welch / The Verge:
Amazon launches a generative AI tool for advertisers to create “lifestyle imagery” backgrounds or scenes for their products in beta  —  Amazon is beta testing AI image generation tools for its advertisers, offering an easy way to create backgrounds or scenes around whatever product ad buyers are hoping to sell.
Bloomberg:
Sam Bankman Fried's lawyers say SBF plans to testify in his own trial when they start their case later this week, after damaging testimony from his inner circle  —  - Former crypto mogul fighting portrayal as criminal mastermind  — Decides to go for risky move often avoided in criminal cases
Steven Church / Bloomberg:
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: one year after lending Elon Musk $13B to acquire Twitter, seven US banks still hold the debt and expect to take a 15%+, or ~$2B, hit when they sell  —  Banks have begun preparations to try to unload at least some of the $13 billion of debt they underwrote, at a steep discount
Jordan Middler / Video Games Chronicle:
Sony's new PS5 Slim disc drive requires an internet connection to pair with the console for the first time, likely due to the DMCA's rules to prevent piracy  —  THE ONLINE REQUIREMENT HAS RAISED PRESERVATION CONCERNS  —  The upcoming optional disc drive for the PlayStation 5 will require …
Bloomberg:
How telecoms and media giant Altice, led by billionaire Patrick Drahi, became weighed down by scandals and debt-fueled acquisitions from a low-interest-rate era  —  He built his telecoms empire in an era of low interest rates.  Now, with soaring debt costs and a corruption case in the corporate suite …
Rania Aniftos / Billboard:
TikTok announces TikTok in The Mix, its first live global music event, set for December 10 in Mesa, Arizona, with Cardi B, Niall Horan, Anitta, and Charlie Puth  —  The event will take place on Dec. 10 at Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz.  —  TikTok is continuing its foray into the music world …
Dan Milmo / The Guardian:
The Internet Watch Foundation warns that generative AI is being used to create new types of CSAM, and finds nearly 3,000 AI-made abuse images that break UK law  —  Internet Watch Foundation finds 3,000 AI-made abuse images breaking UK law  —  The “worst nightmares” about artificial …
Bloomberg:
China says its Foxconn probe is “normal law enforcement” activity and urges Taiwanese firms to “play a more active role” in promoting peaceful cross-strait ties  —  - Beijing makes its first comment on inquiry into Apple partner  — China denies it is intervening in Taiwan's presidential race
Wayne Ma / The Information:
Sources: Apple employees have discussed using Vision Pro to diagnose and treat mental health issues; eye-tracking and cameras could measure a person's “affect”  —  So far, Apple has pitched its upcoming Vision Pro mixed-reality headset as a tool for working and enjoying various forms of entertainment.
Kif Leswing / CNBC:
At a White House event, Apple says the company sees “real value” in a nationwide right-to-repair law requiring offering iPhone parts and tools to customers  —  - Apple supports nationwide right-to-repair regulation that would make iPhone parts and tools available to customers.
Supantha Mukherjee / Reuters:
AWS plans to launch a sovereign cloud in Europe for governments and customers in regulated industries, storing data on EU servers and launching first in Germany  —  Amazon (AMZN.O) Web Services (AWS) said on Wednesday it will launch a sovereign cloud in Europe for government and customers in highly regulated industries.
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:
Experts: an EU proposal requiring messaging services to scan for CSAM is the wrong response to a multifaceted problem and a direct threat to democratic values  —  A controversial child sexual abuse material (CSAM)-scanning proposal that's under discussion by lawmakers in Europe …
South China Morning Post:
Sources: Hong Kong crypto exchange HKVAEX, founded in December 2022, shares resources with Binance, which set up HKVAEX to pursue a crypto license in the city  —  - HKVAEX, founded last December, shares technical and other resources with Binance, which has routinely participated in public events with the exchange this year
Chris Welch / The Verge:
Qualcomm unveils the S7 and S7 Pro chips with increased compute, memory, AI capabilities, and more, for earbuds, headphones, and speakers coming in early 2024  —  Any flagship pair of headphones or earbuds you buy nowadays is going to be very, very good.  Noise cancellation has grown …
Andrew Throuvalas / Decrypt:
BlockFi says the lending platform has emerged from bankruptcy and can begin the process of repaying its creditors according to the terms of its bankruptcy plan  —  Fallen crypto lending firm BlockFi announced on Tuesday that it has “emerged” from bankruptcy, making its bankruptcy recovery plan effective as of October 24.
Dr. Ian Cutress / More Than Moore:
RISC-V chip designer SiFive, which has raised $365M, lays off ~20% of its employees, or 120 to 130 people, “across all different business groups and levels”  —  A quick one for you.  I have received reports, now from multiple sources, that the major torch bearer of the RISC-V platform …

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Joseph Cox / 404 Media:
Joe Rossignol / MacRumors:
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Microsoft:
Lauren Feiner / CNBC: