Techmeme
April 11, 2024, 3:00 PM

Top News

Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
Apple sends threat notifications to individuals in 92 countries, warning them that their iPhone may have been targeted by remote “mercenary spyware attacks”  —  Apple sent threat notifications to iPhone users in 92 countries on Wednesday, warning them that may have been targeted by mercenary spyware attacks.
Ashna Teresa Britto / Reuters:
Apple changed “state-sponsored” to “mercenary spyware” in threat notifications, a source says after pressure from India for linking breaches to state actors  —  Apple Inc (AAPL.O) has warned its users in India and 91 other countries that they were possible victims of a …
David Pierce / The Verge:
Humane AI Pin review: well-made and easier to access than a phone, but doesn't work half the time, really slow even when it does work, and lacks basic features  —  For $699 and $24 a month, this wearable computer promises to free you from your smartphone.  There's only one problem: it just doesn't work.
Chris Velazco / Washington Post:
Apple says owners of the iPhone 15 or newer will be able to fix broken devices with used parts, including screens, batteries, and cameras, starting in fall 2024  —  Starting this fall, you may be able to pay less for a fully functioning fix if you have an iPhone 15 or newer
Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple nears production of M4 chips with AI upgrades and memory improvements, coming to new MacBook Pros, Mac minis, and iMacs starting in late 2024  —  - Company working on rapid transition to the new processors  — Revamp will bring AI capabilities and memory improvements
Wall Street Journal:
In his annual shareholder letter, Andy Jassy says GenAI “may be the largest technology transformation since the cloud” and Amazon is committed to cost-cutting  —  In his letter to shareholders, Andy Jassy says generative AI could usher in the largest tech transformation since the Internet
Annie Palmer / CNBC:
Andy Jassy criticizes US and EU regulators over blocking mergers like the iRobot deal, saying they trust Chinese companies with maps of homes more than Amazon  —  WATCH NOW  —  Amazon CEO on abandoning iRobot deal due to regulatory hurdles: It's a sad story
Julie Jargon / Wall Street Journal:
Instagram plans to automatically detect and blur nude images DMed to teens, and show a pop-up to the sender and the recipient, rolling out in the coming months  —  Obscured photos and warnings will discourage users from exchanging nude photos with potential strangers
Matt Burgess / Wired:
DuckDuckGo launches Privacy Pro, a $9.99-per-month service offering a VPN, personal information removal, and identity theft restoration, available in the US  —  Privacy-focused company DuckDuckGo is launching a tool to remove data from people-search websites, a VPN, and an identity theft restoration service.
Brody Ford / Bloomberg:
Docs: Adobe offers its network of photographers $120 for videos of people engaged in everyday actions, or ~$2.62/minute to ~$7.25/minute on average, to train AI  —  - OpenAI's Sora has increased competitive pressure on Adobe  — Adobe has built AI models with stock library, procured media
Variety:
Taylor Swift's music returns to TikTok, ahead of her next album due out on April 19, after UMG pulled its catalog over an ongoing licensing dispute with TikTok  —  As of Thursday morning, multiple Swift songs — including “You Belong With Me,” “Lover,” “Cardigan,” “Mirrorball,” “Fearless …
Ben Thompson / Stratechery:
Q&A with Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian on why Google doesn't need to raise trillions to build a supercomputer, why AI offers a reset in competition, and more  —  This week's Stratechery Interview is with Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian.  Kurian joined Google to lead the company's cloud division in 2018 …
Bloomberg:
The UK CMA raises concerns after uncovering an “interconnected web” of 90+ AI deals and investments involving Google, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, and Nvidia  —  - Apple, Google and Microsoft AI deals seen as problematic  — CMA says stakes in startups could reduce competition
Bloomberg:
The US and Japan announce a $110M joint AI research university program funded by Nvidia, Arm, Amazon, Microsoft, Softbank, and nine other Japanese companies  —  - Leaders look to cooperate on developing emerging technology  — Kishida touts benefits of Japan's investments in the US

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