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Apple upgrades iPhone SE and iPad Air, launches Mac Studio

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(Last Updated On: March 9, 2022)

Apple Inc (AAPL.O) on Tuesday launched a low cost 5G iPhone SE, the cheapest of its kind, that would directly compete with rivals in the mid-range smartphone market and give the world’s most valuable company a chance to woo consumers on a budget.

At the event, titled “Peek Performance”, Apple also introduced its fastest chipset, a brand new high-performance computer and brought nearly all of its devices on the 5G bandwagon.

iPHONE SE – FASTER, BETTER, CHEAPER

It is the first update to iPhone SE since 2020 and it will now come with 5G and a faster A15 Bionic chip.

The $429 phone gives Apple a better chance to compete with industry leaders Samsung, Xiaomi and others in the mid-range smartphone market and bring more users looking for faster connectivity on the Apple ecosystem.

In comparison, iPhone 13 with 5G, which was launched last year, starts at $799. The previous iPhone SE had a $399 price tag.

The new iPhone SE will start shipping from March 18.

IPAD REFRESH

The iPad Air gets its first refresh in two years with a new design, 5G connectivity and a faster M1 chipset found in MacBooks.

The advanced chip would make the device two times faster than the best-selling laptop in its range, Apple claimed. The iPad is priced at $599 and will be available from March 18.

“MONSTER” CHIP

Apple launched a new in-house chip, M1 Ultra, made by fusing two M1 Max chips, previously Apple’s most powerful chip for MacBooks. The chip is twice as fast and will be loaded in the newly launched Mac Studio.

BRAND NEW MAC STUDIO

Apple launched “Mac Studio,” a powerful high performance computer for musicians, video editors and filmmakers.

Mac Studio uses the M1 Max chip, which is 3.4 times faster than iMac, while the one with M1 Ultra is 80% faster than Apple’s top Mac Pro.

With the 27-inch, 5-K retina display “Studio Display,” the MacStudio looks similar to the MacMini, and can be tucked under the display.

Mac Studio, a first of its kind, is priced at $1,999 for the version with the M1 chip and costs as high as $3,999 for the M1 Ultra loaded computer. Studio Display is priced at $1,599.

Science & Technology

UN adopts first global artificial intelligence resolution

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(Last Updated On: March 22, 2024)

The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday unanimously adopted the first global resolution on artificial intelligence that encourages countries to safeguard human rights, protect personal data, and monitor AI for risks, Reuters reported.

The nonbinding resolution, proposed by the United States and co-sponsored by China and over 120 other nations, also advocates the strengthening of privacy policies.

“Today, all 193 members of the United Nations General Assembly have spoken in one voice, and together, chosen to govern artificial intelligence rather than let it govern us,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.

The resolution is the latest in a series of initiatives – few of which carry teeth – by governments around the world to shape AI’s development, amid fears it could be used to disrupt democratic processes, turbocharge fraud or lead to dramatic job losses, among other harms.

“The improper or malicious design, development, deployment and use of artificial intelligence systems … pose risks that could … undercut the protection, promotion and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms,” the measure says. In November, the U.S., Britain and more than a dozen other countries unveiled the first detailed international agreement on how to keep artificial intelligence safe from rogue actors, pushing for companies to create AI systems that are “secure by design.”

Europe is ahead of the United States, with EU lawmakers adopting a provisional agreement this month to oversee the technology. The Biden administration has been pressing lawmakers for AI regulation, but a polarized U.S. Congress has made little headway, read the report.

In the meantime, the White House sought to reduce AI risks to consumers, workers, and minorities while bolstering national security with a new executive order in October.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said it took nearly four months to negotiate the resolution, but that it gave the world “a baseline set of principles to guide next steps in AI’s development and use.”

Asked on Wednesday whether negotiators faced resistance from Russia or China, senior administration officials said there were “lots of heated conversations,” but the administration actively engaged with countries with which it has different views.

Like governments around the world, Chinese and Russian officials are eagerly exploring the use of AI tools for a variety of purposes. Last month, Microsoft said it had caught hackers from both countries using Microsoft-backed OpenAI software to hone their espionage skills.

In response to the Microsoft report, China has said it opposes what it called groundless accusations while Russia did not respond to a request for comment, Reuters reported.

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Turkey moves against Meta over Threads-Instagram data sharing

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(Last Updated On: March 18, 2024)

Turkey’s competition authority on Monday imposed an interim measure on Meta Platforms Inc meant to hinder data sharing between the Instagram and Threads platforms as it investigates possible abuse of the company’s dominant market position.

In December the authority launched an investigation into Facebook parent Meta (META.O), opens new tab over a possible violation of competition law by linking its social media platforms Instagram and the newer Threads.

The authority said the interim measure would remain in place until a final decision is made, since the data obtained and merged through these two apps could “violate competition law and cause irreparable damage” in the market.

Separately, the Turkish authority fined Meta 4.8 million lira ($148,000) daily as part of a separate investigation over a notification message that the company sends users about the sharing of data.

The notification about data sharing between the company’s Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp services did not provide sufficient information and was not sufficiently transparent, it said.

The notification was also designed to guide users to approve data sharing, which was not deemed sufficient to address anti-competition concerns, it added.

A Meta spokesperson said that the company is considering the decision and will have more to say in due course. – Reuters

 

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Musk’s SpaceX building spy satellite network for US intelligence agency

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(Last Updated On: March 17, 2024)

SpaceX is building a network of hundreds of spy satellites under a classified contract with a U.S. intelligence agency, five sources familiar with the program said, demonstrating deepening ties between billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s space company and national security agencies.

The network is being built by SpaceX’s Starshield business unit under a $1.8 billion contract signed in 2021 with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), an intelligence agency that manages spy satellites, sources told Reuters.

The plans show the extent of SpaceX’s involvement in U.S. intelligence and military projects and illustrate a deeper Pentagon investment into vast, low-Earth orbiting satellite systems aimed at supporting ground forces.

If successful, the sources said the program would significantly advance the ability of the U.S. government and military to quickly spot potential targets almost anywhere on the globe.

The contract signals growing trust by the intelligence establishment of a company whose owner has clashed with the Biden administration and sparked controversy.

The satellites can track targets on the ground and share that data with U.S. intelligence and military officials, the sources said.

In principle, that would enable the U.S. government to quickly capture continuous imagery of activities on the ground nearly anywhere on the globe, aiding intelligence and military operations, they added.

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