Consumer Tech News (Sept 15-Sept 21): Russian Cyber-Influence Operations Targeting Harris–Walz campaign, Apple Raises Price For Battery Replacement & More

Zinger Key Points
  • ChatGPT-parent OpenAI has acknowledged that its latest model, known as “o1,” could potentially be misused for creating biological weapons.
  • Apple announced a price increase for its battery replacement service for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed three bills on Tuesday aimed at curbing the use of artificial intelligence in creating misleading images or videos in political advertisements.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleges “big tech” makes little effort to inform social media users of privacy danger or allow them to opt out of data collection.

In its bid to create a domestic competitor to rival NVIDIA Corporation NVDA in the artificial intelligence (AI) chip market, China is reportedly facing significant challenges due to U.S. sanctions and technological gaps.

Gaming

Rockstar Games may delay GTA 6's anticipated 2025 release to 2026, according to former technical director Obbe Vermeij's insight. He suggests that a decision on whether to push back the release could be made by mid-2025, mirroring past delays.

Electronic Arts Inc. EA stated that FC 25 early access starts on September 20, with a global release on September 27 for all major consoles and PC.

In an Investor Day event, Electronic Arts said it expects sustained growth in EA SPORTS and outlined plans for new business opportunities beyond gaming, including the EA SPORTS App. It described the EA SPORTS App as socially driven with sports content, live sports data, interactivity and gaming centered on global football

Sony Group Corporation SONY is set to bid farewell to 10 titles from its PlayStation Plus subscription service this month, with LittleBigPlanet 3 leading the pack.

Sony has introduced a special 30th Anniversary Collection to mark three decades of PlayStation.

Flappy Bird is making a comeback through the Flappy Bird Foundation, with plans to release a new version by 2025 across multiple platforms. The game’s original creator, Dong Nguyen, distances himself from the project, stating he has no involvement.

Blizzard's Diablo 4 has reportedly generated $150 million from in-game microtransactions since its release in June 2023.

Read: Larry Ellison’s Daughter’s Gaming Company Hit By Wave Of Mass Resignation: Staff Walkout Amid Spinoff Failure

Smartphones

Apple Inc. AAPL announced a price increase for its battery replacement service for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Apple is experiencing lower-than-anticipated demand for its iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max models during the first weekend of pre-orders, according to top analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Related: No ‘Razzle-Dazzle’ With Latest iPhone, But Apple Wowed With These 2 ‘Glowtime’ Announcements, Says Gurman

Apple stated that iPhone production in India would hit 20% -25% by 2027, improving margins over time. AirPods and Apple Watch production outside China to exceed 50% by 2024 and 2027, respectively.

The upcoming trifold smartphone from Huawei Technologies, China's top smartphone maker, is being listed for over $7,000 on online marketplaces, more than double its list price, even before its official release.

Technology

Microsoft Corporation MSFT has reported that Russian cyber-influence operations are now targeting the Kamala HarrisTim Walz campaign in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election.

Alibaba Group Holding Limited BABA announced the launch of more than 100 new open-source AI models and introduced a text-to-video generation tool.

ByeDance-owned TikTok, the widely-used social media platform for creating and sharing short-form videos, has encountered a doubtful panel of judges.

Also Read: JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon Thinks Social Media Platforms Like TikTok And Facebook Are ‘A Total Stupid Waste Of Time’

Billionaire entrepreneur and "Shark Tank" star , Mark Cuban has shared a new patent that allows social media platforms and user profiles to sell advertisements of any media type.

Elon Musk

Elon Musk has agreed with NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang's prediction of a future where individuals will have personal digital agents akin to Star Wars' R2-D2 or C-3PO.

Read: Nvidia Rival AMD’s CEO Says ‘There’s No One Size Fits All’ As AI Chip Race Heats Up

Musk's social media platform, X, formerly Twitter, had managed to temporarily bypass a ban in Brazil with the help of an automatic update of its software.

Mark Cuban said he would be interested in acquiring Rupert Murdoch's Fox News and Elon Musk's X, formerly Twitter, but there are certain hurdles involved.

Also Read: Elon Musk Reacts After Mark Cuban Says He Would Buy X ‘In A Heartbeat’

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

ChatGPT-parent OpenAI has acknowledged that its latest model, known as "o1," could potentially be misused for creating biological weapons.

OpenAI has announced an independent board oversight committee focused on safety and security. It was established in response to ongoing security process controversies.

Speaking at an Oracle Corporation ORCL financial analysts meeting, co-founder and CTO of the tech giant, Larry Ellison predicted that artificial intelligence will eventually power extensive law enforcement surveillance systems.

Microsoft’s LinkedIn, the professional networking giant, has come under scrutiny for reportedly using user data for AI training before updating its terms of service.

Also Read: Billionaire Tech CEO Says Not To ‘BS’ Employees, They Are ‘Too Smart’ To Believe AI Will Not Impact Their Jobs: ‘If You Think You’re Going To Try To Game This…’

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