Thu. 06/13 – The Excel World Championships

Mark Gurman says Apple is going to go all in on making the thinnest and lightest devices in the industry. Though the Apple Watch is probably going to get a bigger screen. McDonalds pumps the breaks on AI in the drive through. And two contradictory anecdotal stories about what happens when AI comes for your job.Sponsors:ArcticWolf.com/techmemeMiro.comLinks:Apple’s Slow Rollout of Intelligence Features Will Stretch Into 2025 (Bloomberg)Kuo: Apple Watch Series 10 to Get Larger Screen and Thinner Design (MacRumors)Privacy app maker Proton transitions to non-profit foundation structure (TechCrunch)McDonald's is ending its drive-thru AI test (Restaurant Business Online)AI took their jobs. Now they get paid to make it sound human (BBC)AI in finance is like ‘moving from typewriters to word processors’ (Financial Times)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The recall of some Microsoft AI products continues as literally Recall gets delayed. Another deep dive into how Apple’s AI actually works. Dream Machine is an open source AI video generator you can use this weekend. And in the Weekend Longreads Suggestions, the people who have found everyday use cases for the Apple Vision Pro.Links:Microsoft’s all-knowing Recall AI feature is being delayed (The Verge)Here’s how Apple’s AI model tries to keep your data private (The Verge)Luma AI debuts ‘Dream Machine’ for realistic video generation, heating up AI media race (VentureBeat)As streaming becomes more expensive, Tubi cashes in on the value of free (Los Angeles Times)Weekend Longreads Suggestions:I Know What the Apple Vision Pro Is For (Intelligencer)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Apple isn’t paying OpenAI anything for their partnership. Guess they’ll make it up on volume. More details on how much money OpenAI IS making. The surprise Galaxy Watch FE. And do you think you’d have the skills to compete in the Excel World Championships?Links:Apple to ‘Pay’ OpenAI for ChatGPT Through Distribution, Not Cash (Bloomberg)OpenAI’s Annualized Revenue Doubles to $3.4 Billion Since Late 2023 (The Information)Perplexity was planning revenue-sharing deals with publishers when it came under media fire (Semafor)You’ll soon be able to join Discord calls directly from your PS5 (The Verge)Nintendo Switch Update 18.1.0 Pulls X/Twitter Support, Bringing It In-Line With PlayStation and Xbox (IGN)Samsung’s Galaxy Watch FE is its new entry-level smartwatch (The Verge)Spreadsheet Superstars (The Verge)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Elon Musk has withdrawn his lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI. I guess Wall Street likes Apple’s AI strategy. But why is Microsoft already putting the brakes on some of its AI features? BeReal gets acquired. What does the word “slop” mean when it comes to AI? And what happens when you add modern technology to the humble walkie talkie?Links:Elon Musk drops suit against OpenAI and Sam Altman (CNBC)X is officially making likes (mostly) private for everyone (Engadget)Apple quietly improves Mac virtualization in macOS 15 Sequoia (ArsTechnica)Microsoft is killing off GPT Builder in Copilot Pro for consumers, just three months after broad availability (XDA Developers)OpenAI ex-employees worry about company’s control over their millions of dollars in shares (CNBC)Photo-sharing app BeReal acquired by Voodoo for €500mn (FT)First Came ‘Spam.’ Now, With A.I., We’ve Got ‘Slop’ (NYTimes)Raleigh smart walkie-talkie startup Relay raises $35M from investors (Axios)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

All of the drips and drabs details from yesterday’s WWDC keynote. Spotify is about to announce a higher tier of membership with some perks. Mistral raises a big new round. The Raspberry Pi IPO is a success. And what if AI could actually make every stoplight in the country more intelligent in real time?Sponsors:Vanta.com/rideLumen.me/rideLinks:Apple’s AI promise: “Your data is never stored or made accessible to Apple” (ArsTechnica)How will Apple’s new AI change your phone? I asked Tim Cook. (Washington Post)Thoughts on #WWDC24 (Chris Messina)Apple’s Push to Infuse Devices With AI Will Take Years to Pay Off (Bloomberg)Spotify to Introduce More Expensive Subscription Tier for Music Lovers (Bloomberg)Mistral secures €600mn funding as valuation soars to almost €6bn (Financial Times)Raspberry Pi shares jump more than a third on first day of trading (Financial Times)The Smart, Cheap Fix for Slow, Dumb Traffic Lights (WSJ)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

All the headlines from WWDC. All the AI goodness, even if Apple spent half the time not even mentioning the words Artificial Intelligence. Also, what if the audio quality of cell phones didn’t have to suck? And what if AI could actually make every stoplight in the country more intelligent in real time?Sponsors:Miro.comShopify.com/rideSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Get observability for your LLM application at TraceLoop.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As we prep for WWDC on Monday, word of a completely new Passwords app from Apple. Also, it’s a day of backlashes. The backlash against Adobe’s terms of service. The backlash against Windows Recall. The new social media app that is riding the backlash against AI. And, of course, the Weekend Longread Suggestions.Sponsors:get.StoryBlok.com/ridehomeLinks:Here’s Everything Apple Plans to Show at Its AI-Focused WWDC Event (Bloomberg)Apple to Debut Passwords App in Challenge to 1Password, LastPass (Bloomberg)Adobe responds to vocal uproar over new Terms of Service language (VentureBeat)Adobe terms clarified: Will never own your work, or use it for AI training (9to5Mac)A PR disaster: Microsoft has lost trust with its users, and Windows Recall is the straw that broke the camel's back (WindowsCentral)A social app for creatives, Cara grew from 40k to 650k users in a week because artists are fed up with Meta’s AI policies (TechCrunch)Weekend Longreads Suggestions:Behind ‘Suicide Squad,’ the Year’s Biggest Video-Game Flop (Bloomberg)The Unistellar Odyssey smart telescope made me question what stargazing means (ArsTechnica)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nvidia hits $3T. US regulators aren’t sleeping on the AI market, including Nvidia itself. Humane tells users of the AI Pin to stop using the charging case “immediately.” Google is gonna store your Maps data on device. And would you take a job at Ikea... but in the Metaverse?Sponsors:get.StoryBlok.com/ridehomeKolide.com/rideLinks:U.S. Clears Way for Antitrust Inquiries of Nvidia, Microsoft and OpenAI (NYTimes)FTC Opens Antitrust Probe of Microsoft AI Deal (WSJ)US antitrust enforcer says ‘urgent’ scrutiny needed over Big Tech’s control of AI (Financial Times)Humane warns AI Pin owners to ‘immediately’ stop using its charging case (The Verge)‘This Is Going to Be Painful’: How a Bold A.I. Device Flopped (NYTimes)Google Maps is making a big privacy change to protect your location history (The Verge)Stability AI releases a sound generator (TechCrunch)Ikea Is Hiring Roblox Players To Run Its Virtual Store (The Gamer)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As I said on that bonus episode with Alex Kantrowitz, the research side of OpenAI isn’t happy, and they’re starting to speak out. More details on AI at WWDC next week. More price hikes in digital media. Palmer Luckey can’t stop; won’t stop. And how CoreWeave became one of the biggest winners of the AI era.Links:OpenAI Insiders Warn of a ‘Reckless’ Race for Dominance (NYTimes)Apple Made Once-Unlikely Deal With Sam Altman to Catch Up in AI (Bloomberg)Twitch is raising US subscription prices for the first time (Engadget)Quest v66 Update "Significantly" Reduces Quest 3 Passthrough Distortion & Warping (UploadVR)How an upstart is using its Nvidia ties to challenge cloud computing giants (Financial Times)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.