Innehållsförteckning för #682 från AppleMagazine

If you’re tired of memorizing passwords, then give passkeys a try. You might have noticed that many online services are now offering the option of using passkeys, a digital authentication method touted as an easier and more secure way to log in. The passkey push started gaining major momentum after Google started accepting them about 18 months ago. Passkeys are seen as eventual replacements for passwords, but if you’re still not sure what they’re all about, read on: WHAT ARE PASSKEYS? AND HOW DO THEY WORK? Forget about memorizing an optimized 14 character password consisting of letters, numbers and symbols. Passkeys do away with that because you never need to see them. Instead you are using existing biometrics like your face or fingerprints, digital patterns or PINs to access your…

The U.S. government’s automobile safety ratings will get a major update starting with the 2026 model year when regulators add new driver-assistance technologies and tests for protecting pedestrians. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said this week that it has finalized the changes, which were required by Congress under the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law. In addition to the five-star ratings for crash tests, the agency will add four new technologies including pedestrian automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, blind spot warning, and intervention if a driver tries to move toward a vehicle in a blind spot. The new rule also strengthens test procedures and performance standards for technology that’s already included in the ratings such as automatic emergency braking. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, whose department includes NHTSA, said the previous ratings,…

When Hector Xu was learning to fly a helicopter in college, he recalled having a few “nasty experiences” while trying to navigate at night. The heart-stopping flights led to his research of unmanned aircraft systems while getting his doctorate degree in aerospace engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Then, he formed Rotor Technologies in 2021 to develop unmanned helicopters. Rotor has built two autonomous Sprayhawks and aims to have as many as 20 ready for market next year. The company also is developing helicopters that would carry cargo in disaster zones and to offshore oil rigs. The helicopter could also be used to fight wildfires. For now, Rotor is focused on the agriculture sector, which has embraced automation with drones but sees unmanned helicopters as a better way to spray…

Comcast will spin off many of its cable television networks that were once at the heart of the entertainment giant, with people increasingly swapping out their cable TV subscriptions for streaming platforms. Those one-time stars for Comcast’s NBCUniversal cable television networks include USA, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel, as well as CNBC and MSNBC. Movie ticketing platform Fandango and the Rotten Tomatoes movie rating site would also become part of the new company. Comcast telegraphed the potential shift last month as it released quarterly earnings. Peacock will remain with Comcast, as will Bravo, which provides significant content for the Peacock streaming service. Mark Lazarus, current chairman of NBCUniversal Media Group, will serve as the new entity’s chief executive officer. Anand Kini, the current chief financial officer of NBCUniversal, will…

Spirit Airlines, the largest budget carrier in the U.S., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week. The airline said customers should not see any disruption to their travel plans while the process unfolds. The filing followed years of struggles for the Florida-based airline, which is known for its no-frills, low-cost flights. Spirit failed to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic, largely due to rising operating expenses and stiffer competition. The airline has lost more than $2.5 billion since the beginning of 2020 while also racking up mounting debt. The bankruptcy proceedings are aimed at restructuring the company and shoring up its finances. Still, unease around the bankruptcy petition may have some travelers looking elsewhere for flights ahead of the busy holiday travel season. Here’s what you need to know.…

Building the current crop of artificial intelligence chatbots has relied on specialized computer chips pioneered by Nvidia, which dominates the market and made itself the poster child of the AI boom. But the same qualities that make those graphics processor chips, or GPUs, so effective at creating powerful AI systems from scratch make them less efficient at putting AI products to work. That’s opened up the AI chip industry to rivals who think they can compete with Nvidia in selling so-called AI inference chips that are more attuned to the day-to-day running of AI tools and designed to reduce some of the huge computing costs of generative AI. “These companies are seeing opportunity for that kind of specialized hardware,” said Jacob Feldgoise, an analyst at Georgetown University’s Center for Security…

After months of teasers and testing, Apple has officially launched Apple Intelligence, marking a significant milestone in computing with the introduction of advanced AI features on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The service introduces a suite of features powered by Apple silicon to enhance productivity, creativity, and user experience while prioritizing privacy. THE POWER OF APPLE SILICON As Apple continues to lead in hardware-software integration, the debut of Apple Intelligence reinforces its commitment to offering an AI experience unique to its ecosystem, one that aligns with the company’s ethos of privacy and ease of use. Apple Intelligence brings many powerful tools, from advanced writing aids and notification summaries to a more interactive Siri and a newly intelligent Photos app. Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, describes Apple Intelligence as “generative AI in a…

Attorneys for Amazon and Elon Musk’s SpaceX argued in a federal appeals court Monday that the National Labor Relations Board’s structure is unconstitutional, advancing a legal fight that may last into the Trump administration where Musk is expected to oversee bureaucratic cost-cutting. A panel of three judges at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans heard separate oral arguments in the SpaceX and Amazon lawsuits, which the two companies initiated after the labor agency filed complaints against them in disputes about workers’ rights and union organizing. A ruling in favor of the companies could immensely diminish – or paralyze - the nearly century-old agency, which is tasked with enforcing labor laws and settling labor-related complaints workers lodge against their employers. The issue may eventually reach the U.S.…

About one in five Americans – and a virtually identical share of Republicans and Democrats – regularly get their news from digital influencers who are more likely to be found on the social media platform X, according to a report released this week by the Pew Research Center. The findings, drawn from a survey of more than 10,000 U.S. adults and an analysis of social media posts posted this summer by influencers, provide an indication of how Americans consumed the news during the height of the U.S. presidential campaign that President-elect Donald Trump ultimately won. The study examined accounts run by people who post and talk regularly about current events - including through podcasts and newsletters - and have more than 100,000 followers on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or TikTok.…

Ford Motor Co. says it will reduce its workforce by 4,000 in Europe and the U.K. by the end of 2027, citing headwinds from the economy and pressure from increased competition and weaker than expected sales of electric cars. Ford said Wednesday most of the job cuts would come in Germany and would be carried out in consultation with employee representatives. Of the total, 2,900 jobs would be lost in Germany, 800 in Britain and 300 in other European Union countries. Ford has 28,000 employees in Europe, and 174,000 worldwide. “The global auto industry continues to be in a period of significant disruption as it shifts to electrified mobility,” the company said in a statement. “The transformation is particularly intense in Europe where automakers face significant competitive and economic headwinds…

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told customers at a conference in Chicago this week that the company is teaching a new set of artificial intelligence tools how to “act on our behalf across our work and life.” AI developers are increasingly pitching the next wave of generative AI chatbots as AI “agents” that can do more useful things on people’s behalf. But the cost of building and running AI tools is so high that more investors are questioning whether the technology’s promise is overblown. Microsoft said last month that it’s preparing for a world where “every organization will have a constellation of agents — ranging from simple prompt-and-response to fully autonomous.” Microsoft elaborated in a blog post that such autonomous agents “can operate around the clock to review and approve customer…

The chief executive of Delta Air Lines says the incoming Trump administration will be a “breath of fresh air” for airlines after what he called government “overreach” under President Joe Biden. The airline industry has chafed under consumer-protection regulations imposed by the Biden administration. And Delta is facing a federal investigation into its slow recovery from a global technology outage this summer. Delta CEO Ed Bastian made the comment as he and fellow Delta executives prepared to host Wall Street analysts at an investor day Wednesday in Atlanta. Bastian noted that President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on a pledge to reform the federal government and reduce its size. The airline executive said Trump promised “to take a fresh look at the regulatory environment, the bureaucracy that exists in government, the level…

The Pentagon’s latest report on UFOs has revealed hundreds of new reports of unidentified and unexplained aerial phenomena but no indications suggesting an extraterrestrial origin. The review includes hundreds of cases of misidentified balloons, birds and satellites as well as some that defy easy explanation, such as a near-miss between a commercial airliner and a mysterious object off the coast of New York. While it isn’t likely to settle any debates over the existence of alien life, the report reflects heightened public interest in the topic and the government’s efforts to provide some answers. Its publication comes a day after House lawmakers called for greater government transparency during a hearing on unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs — the government’s term for UFOs. Federal efforts to study and identify UAPs have…

Australia’s communications minister said this week the government won’t force social media users to hand over their personal information to tech companies, as children younger than 16 are set to be banned from the platforms. Michelle Rowland plans to introduce into Parliament the world-first legislation that would make X, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram responsible for excluding Australian children younger than 16 from the platforms. After the bill becomes law, the platforms would have one year to work out how to implement the ban on younger children before they face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic breaches. How the platforms will be able to determine the ages of account holders is not yet known. Rowland told Parliament that the legislation will contain “robust provisions” to…