Innehållsförteckning för #604 från AppleMagazine

Stepping up a feud with Washington over technology and security, China’s government told users of computer equipment deemed sensitive to stop buying products from the biggest U.S. memory chipmaker, Micron Technology Inc. Micron products have unspecified “serious network security risks” that pose hazards to China’s information infrastructure and affect national security, the Cyberspace Administration of China said on its website. Its six-sentence statement gave no details. “Operators of critical information infrastructure in China should stop purchasing products from Micron Co.,” the agency said. The United States, Europe and Japan are reducing Chinese access to advanced chipmaking and other technology they say might be used in weapons at a time when President Xi Jinping’s government has threatened to attack Taiwan and is increasingly assertive toward Japan and other neighbors. Chinese officials…

Netflix on Tuesday outlined how it intends to crack down on the rampant sharing of account passwords in the U.S., its latest bid to reel in more subscribers to its video streaming service as its growth slows. To combat password sharing, Netflix said it will limit U.S. viewership of its programming to people living in the same household. Those who subscribe to Netflix’s standard or premium plans — which cost $15.50 to $20 per month — will be able to allow another person living outside their household to use their password for an additional $8 per month, a $2 discount from the company’s basic plan. Without providing details how it authenticates subscriber identities or accounts, Netflix assured that everyone living in the same household of a U.S. customer will still…

The U.S. surgeon general is warning there is not enough evidence to show that social media is safe for children and teens — and is calling on tech companies, parents and caregivers to take “immediate action to protect kids now.” With young people’s social media use “near universal” but its true impact on mental health not fully understood, Dr. Vivek Murthy is asking tech companies to share data and increase transparency with researchers and the public and prioritize users’ health and safety when designing their products. “I recognize technology companies have taken steps to try to make their platforms healthier and safer, but it’s simply not enough,” Murthy told in an interview. “You can just look at the age requirements, where platforms have said 13 is the age at which…

Attorneys general across the U.S. joined in a lawsuit against a telecommunications company accused of making more than 7.5 billion robocalls to people on the national Do Not Call Registry. The 141-page lawsuit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Phoenix against Avid Telecom, its owner Michael D. Lansky and company vice president Stacey S. Reeves. It seeks a jury trial to determine damages. The lawsuit arises from the nationwide, bipartisan Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force of 51 attorneys general and the District of Columbia. It was formed last year to investigate and take legal action against telecommunications companies routing volumes of robocall traffic. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said nearly 197 million of the robocalls were made to Arizona phone numbers between December 2018 and January 2023. “Every…

The White House this week announced new efforts to guide federally backed research on artificial intelligence as the Biden administration looks to get a firmer grip on understanding the risks and opportunities of the rapidly evolving technology. Among the moves unveiled by the administration was a tweak to the United States’ strategic plan on artificial intelligence research, which was last updated in 2019, to add greater emphasis on international collaboration with allies. White House officials on Tuesday were also hosting a listening session with workers on their firsthand experiences with employers’ use of automated technologies for surveillance, monitoring, evaluation, and management. And the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology issued a report focused on the risks and opportunities related to AI in education. “The report recognizes that AI…

Apple TV+ has quietly but steadily emerged as a formidable competitor in the streaming race With a sharp focus on producing top-notch content and assembling a talented lineup of actors, directors, and creators, Apple TV+ is now the home of premium entertainment, setting itself apart from Disney+ and Netflix to set a new standard for at-home entertainment. REDEFINING QUALITY Apple TV+ has been relentless in its pursuit of excellence, emphasizing quality in content creation. From exceptional scripts to outstanding production values, the platform’s commitment to delivering topnotch entertainment experiences is evident. The roster of acclaimed shows and movies exemplifies Apple TV+’s dedication to offering high-quality storytelling and compelling narratives. Apple TV+’s original programming has garnered critical acclaim and enthusiastic viewer reception. The hit series “Ted Lasso” has captured hearts worldwide…

Fully automated self-driving cars are still a thing of the future. But you can get a taste of what they’ll be like if your vehicle has what’s commonly described as hands-free driving capability. A vehicle so equipped can automatically accelerate, brake and steer for the driver without the driver needing to keep hands on the steering wheel. It can seem like a neat feature, but there’s more that car shoppers should know before making a purchasing decision. First off, only a few automakers offer hands-free driving currently, and each gives its own system a different name. Additionally, there are a lot of limitations on what each system can do. Most will only work on certain highways, and other criteria must be met before the system can operate hands-free. The driver…

The Biden administration has canceled plans to award a $200 million grant to a U.S. battery manufacturer amid criticism from Republican lawmakers over the company’s alleged ties to China. Texas-based Microvast was one of 20 companies to win preliminary grants totaling $2.8 billion to boost domestic manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles. The company is building a battery plant in Tennessee and was in talks with the Energy Department for a $200 million grant funded through the 2021 infrastructure law. A spokeswoman for Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm confirmed that negotiations with Microvast were canceled, but did not offer a specific reason. The Energy Department said in a statement that it “maintains a rigorous review process prior to the release of any awarded funds, and it is not uncommon for entities…

As it marks its 25th anniversary this week, the European Central Bank is readying a proposed design for a digital version of the euro, responding to pressure from developing technology that could change how money is used over the bank’s next decades. ECB President Christine Lagarde says a digital euro could offer a way for people to buy things without depending on payment service providers controlled by non-European companies. Those could include Mastercard, Visa, Apple Pay and Google Pay. The European Union’s executive Commission is expected to come up with proposed legislation on the idea in the next several weeks, ECB officials say, while the central bank will publish a detailed proposal for the design of a digital currency in October. Central banks worldwide, including the U.S. Federal Reserve, are…

A lawyer for Twitter owner Elon Musk accused Microsoft of misusing the service’s data and demanded an audit from the software giant. The letter primarily addresses a seemingly narrow set of alleged infractions by Microsoft in drawing information from Twitter’s database of tweets. But the move could foreshadow more serious developments. Musk has previously accused Microsoft and its partner OpenAI in a tweet of “illegally” using Twitter data to develop sophisticated AI systems such as ChatGPT. “ Lawsuit time,” Musk wrote in that April tweet. But the letter, signed by Musk lawyer Alex Spiro, tiptoed around that concern. It noted that Microsoft’s agreement with Twitter barred it from overuse of the service’s data such as exceeding “reasonable request volume” or “excessive or abusive usage.” Spiro then noted that “despite these…

As the acclaimed Apple TV+ Original series, Ted Lasso, continues to reel in an impassioned following, Apple is poised to make the most of the show’s popularity by entering the official merchandise arena. In his “Power On” newsletter for Bloomberg, distinguished tech journalist Mark Gurman reveals that Apple is partnering with Nike to offer a selection of Ted Lasso merchandise through its online storefront. With the third season of Ted Lasso in full swing, the Cupertino-based tech behemoth is set to take a slice of the merchandising pie. This move aims to streamline the shopping process for fans wanting to flaunt their allegiance to the series. Currently, Ted Lasso merchandise is available via Nike’s online store. But with this newfound collaboration, Apple is ready to sell these goods directly through…

Self-driving car pioneer Waymo is teaming up with ride-hailing leader Uber in the Phoenix area to transport passengers and deliver food in robotic cars that triggered a bitter technological dispute between the two companies. The partnership announced this week provides Waymo with another avenue to expand a robotaxi service that it has been running in the Phoenix area since late 2020 while competing to attract passengers from Uber cars that still depend on humans who receive portion of the fares. Phoenix so far is the only major metropolitan area where a robotaxi operates throughout most of the city, although Waymo and General Motors subsidiary Cruise are vying to run similar autonomous services in San Francisco. Waymo is making its driverless vehicles available to Uber in Phoenix five years after the…

It’s not Rob Marshall’s fault that Disney’s latest live-action retread doesn’t really sing. “The Little Mermaid,” a somewhat drab undertaking with sparks of bioluminescence, suffers from the same fundamental issues that plagued “The Lion King,”“Aladdin” and “Beauty and the Beast.” Halle Bailey might be a lovely presence and possesses a superb voice that is distinctly different from Jodi Benson’s, but photorealistic fins, animals and environments do not make Disney fairy tales more enchanting on their own. The essential problem is that the live-action films have prioritized nostalgia and familiarity over compelling visual storytelling. They try to recreate beats and shots from their animated predecessors, defiantly ignoring the possibility that certain musical sequences and choices were enchanting and vibrant because they were animated, not in spite of it. There was, in…

The European Union slapped Meta with a record $1.3 billion privacy fine this week and ordered it to stop transferring users’ personal information across the Atlantic by October, the latest salvo in a decadelong case sparked by U.S. cybersnooping fears. The penalty of 1.2 billion euros is the biggest since the EU’s strict data privacy regime took effect five years ago, surpassing Amazon’s 746 million euro fine in 2021 for data protection violations. Meta, which had previously warned that services for its users in Europe could be cut off, vowed to appeal and ask courts to immediately put the decision on hold. The company said “there is no immediate disruption to Facebook in Europe.” The decision applies to user data like names, email and IP addresses, messages, viewing history, geolocation…