Good morning! This is your daily ☕️ Techpresso.
In today's Techpresso:
🍎 Apple's AI features will be late, report claims
📉 Amazon paid $1B for Twitch 10 years ago, it's still unprofitable
🧠 Neuralink-rival integrates ChatGPT into brain implant
🏴☠️ Hackers bypass Google Workspace authentication to expose thousands of accounts
🚗 Carmakers are still selling drivers' location and speed data
🎙️ Podcasting struggles as big names dominate
🎁 + 8 other news you might like
🔮 + 1 handpicked research papers and tools
🍎 Apple's AI features will be late, report claimsLINK
Apple's AI features, including an improved Siri and ChatGPT integration, are expected to launch with iOS 18.1 in October, not with the initial release of iOS 18 in September.
These artificial intelligence improvements were first introduced at the Worldwide Developer Conference in June and might not be available immediately for new iPhone 16 devices at launch.
Some features will be available in developer betas starting this week, allowing testing before public release, but full functionality for certain enhancements may not be seen until spring 2025.
📉 Amazon paid $1B for Twitch 10 years ago, it's still unprofitableLINK
Twitch, acquired by Amazon for nearly $1 billion in 2014, remains unprofitable despite experiencing periods of significant popularity, according to employees and financial insiders.
Documents and data reviewed by the Wall Street Journal reveal that Twitch's highest-paying users are spending less, and new user growth and engagement have slowed, contributing to its financial struggles.
Following layoffs and operational changes, insiders worry Twitch may become a sidelined "zombie brand" at Amazon, while CEO Dan Clancy admitted the platform is not profitable and recently increased subscription prices.
🧠 Neuralink-rival integrates ChatGPT into brain implantLINK
Synchron, a competitor to Neuralink, has integrated OpenAI's ChatGPT into its brain-computer interface (BCI) to help people with paralysis more easily control digital devices.
The AI addition assists users like Mark, an ALS patient, by predicting and suggesting responses during communication, which they can select using brain signals.
The company's CEO, Tom Oxley, highlighted the potential of ChatGPT to enhance BCI capabilities, while the cost of Synchron's implant is estimated to be between $50,000 and $100,000, similar to other medical implants.
🏴☠️ Hackers bypass Google Workspace authentication to expose thousands of accountsLINK
Google Workspace had an authentication weakness that allowed hackers to impersonate other companies and log into third-party services using the "Sign in with Google" option, as discovered by security experts.
The vulnerability was found in the email verification process for new Google Workspace accounts, enabling bad actors to bypass it using a specifically constructed request and a different email address for token verification.
Google engineers confirmed the flaw was exploited over several weeks, affecting a few thousand accounts before being fixed within 72 hours; some victims suggest the issue existed for at least two months prior to its resolution.
🚗 Carmakers are still selling drivers' location and speed dataLINK
Senators Ron Wyden and Edward Markey have urged the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether auto companies like GM, Hyundai, and Honda are improperly collecting and selling consumer data, as mentioned in their letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan.
The senators highlighted that GM and other car manufacturers gather telemetric data through vehicle sensors and sell this information to third-party brokers, often without informed consumer consent and using manipulative tactics known as dark patterns.
Wyden and Markey stated that despite GM's commitment to end its relationship with LexisNexis, there are still undisclosed third-party partnerships, raising concerns about data privacy and potential violations of laws in states like Louisiana and Montana.
🎙️ Podcasting struggles as big names dominateLINK
Podcasting is becoming more challenging for newcomers as a recent report reveals that a few prominent individuals are receiving the majority of revenue and listeners.
Data indicates that the top 25 podcasts captivate almost half of US weekly listeners, and the top 100 shows reach over 60% of the podcast audience.
Big names with lucrative deals dominate the industry, but not all agreements are successful, exemplified by Spotify's $20M loss on the Archetypes podcast with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Other news you might like
Open-source AI narrows gap with proprietary leaders, new benchmark reveals.LINK
Apple patents way to replace car mirrors with cameras, with windshield projection.LINK
Google apologizes after 15 million Chrome users lost access to their passwords.LINK
The new Apple Maps website is missing a lot vs. Google Maps.LINK
New memory tech unveiled that reduces AI processing energy requirements by 1,000 times or more.LINK
Open source AI helped China catch up to the world, researchers reckon.LINK
How a Ferrari executive foiled a multi-million dollar deepfake scam.LINK
From Meta CTO to climate tech investor: Mike Schroepfer on his big pivot.LINK
Latest research and tools
Vdm: a tool providing an alternative to Git submodules for managing external dependencies in any type of project, making it easier to specify, retrieve, and integrate remote development resources without relying on language-native methods.LINK
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