Techmeme
October 25, 2023, 4:30 PM

Top News

Joe Rossignol / MacRumors:
Apple raises the monthly US 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+ …
Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple plans to overhaul its AirPods lineup: AirPods Max and two redesigned fourth gen AirPods with USB-C in 2024, and redesigned AirPods Pro in 2025  —  - Company readies updates to entry-level, Pro and Max models  — After initial skepticism, AirPods are now a critical category
Chris Welch / The Verge:
Amazon launches a generative AI tool in beta that lets advertisers create “lifestyle imagery” backgrounds or scenes around the products they are hoping to sell  —  Amazon is beta testing AI image generation tools for its advertisers, offering an easy way to create backgrounds …
Dan Goodin / Ars Technica:
Researchers reveal an attack forcing iOS and macOS WebKit browsers to divulge secrets, like passwords and email content, of users who visit a malicious website  —  iLeakage is practical and requires minimal resources.  A patch isn't (yet) available.  —  Researchers have devised an attack …
Jordan Middler / Video Games Chronicle:
Sony's optional PS5 Slim disc drive requires an internet connection to pair with the console for the first time, likely due to the DMCA's piracy prevention rule  —  THE ONLINE REQUIREMENT HAS RAISED PRESERVATION CONCERNS  —  The upcoming optional disc drive for the PlayStation 5 will require …
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
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
Victoria Song / The Verge:
A look at Apple's double tap gesture rolling out with watchOS 10.1, letting Series 9 and Ultra 2 users interact with their watch without using its touchscreen  —  Swipes and buttons are the norm, but Apple's double tap gesture opens a future where your smartwatch could be even less dependent on your phone.
Washington Post:
Sources: a Biden EO on AI is expected on October 30, requiring assessments of AI models before federal worker use, easing highly skilled immigration, and more  —  Tackling immigration and safety, the order would require advanced AI models to undergo assessments before they can be used …
Jon Porter / The Verge:
Google rolls out “About this image”, a tool that provides background information and context about images in Google Search, to English-language users globally  —  Google is starting to roll out its new “About this image” tool, which aims to provide essential background information and context about images in Google Search.
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 …
Financial Times:
Microsoft, OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic pick Brookings' Chris Meserole to run their new Frontier Model Forum, which plans to commit $10M to an AI safety fund  —  Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic and Google pick a US think-tank expert to head up their joint forum
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 …
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.
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
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 …
Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
Toronto-based CentML, which offers tools to cut the cost of deploying ML models, raised a $27M seed from Nvidia and others, taking its total funding to $30.5M  —  Contrary to what you might've heard, the era of large seed rounds isn't over — at least in the AI sector.

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Earlier Picks

Joseph Cox / 404 Media:
Chris Welch / The Verge:
Andrew Throuvalas / Decrypt:
Kif Leswing / CNBC:
Lauren Feiner / CNBC:
Dr. Ian Cutress / More Than Moore: