News on the margin the week November 29 - December 5

OpenAI is preparing for a special promotional event during the New Year's holiday, ChatGPT may show ads for the free version, Apple is teaming up with China's Baidu on artificial intelligence, Intel's stock is rising after Pat Gelsinger's departure, Apple is using Amazon's AI chips in search services, and other exciting news in On the Sidelines...

New update for the phone gram application

A new update for the Phone Gram app, the new update brings the Summaries feature, this new feature targets those who do not read articles on a daily basis, or those who do not have time to read a long article and want to get a quick summary of the news. This feature has its own tab, and once you go to the Summaries tab, you will listen to the article summary in audio. You can put the app in the background and continue listening, and you can even hear article summaries via the headset and use headset shortcuts such as double-clicking to go to the next article. The feature also works well in cars, so if you want to hear a summary of useful articles while you are on your way to work, just launch the app and control the sound from the car.

iPhone Gram - Apple News in Arabic

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Developer	i4islam

Apple Launches iCloud Password Extension for Firefox

Apple launched New addition iCloud Passwords for Firefox allows users to access passwords and logins stored in the Passwords app or iCloud Keychain when using the browser on PC or Mac. The extension allows passwords stored in iCloud Keychain to be securely autofilled, and new passwords created in Firefox are saved so they are available across Apple devices.

This feature comes in conjunction with Apple's launch of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia 15, which introduced the Passwords app, which is dedicated to managing and facilitating access to passwords. The extension works with the Passwords app in macOS Sequoia and is also compatible with macOS Sonoma, where login information is stored in the Passwords section of the Settings app.

Tim Cook talks Apple's AI plans and Vision Pro glasses

In an interview with WIRED, Tim Cook spoke about Apple’s strategy in the field of artificial intelligence, stressing that the company is currently focused on practical applications that can impact users’ lives. He noted that artificial general intelligence (AGI) is still a long way off, and that the company will put in place the necessary “controls” to ensure its ethical use. He also confirmed that Apple Intelligence services will be free, and that he is interested in the impact of technology on user behavior, especially in terms of time spent browsing.

In another part of the interview, Cook talked about the Vision Pro glasses, considering them a product for users looking forward to future technology. He expressed his enthusiasm for the continued development of the field of augmented reality, noting that the glasses represent the most advanced technology developed by the company. He also hinted at Apple’s interest in medical technology, and confirmed his commitment to working at the company until he feels it is time to step down, expressing his deep love for the company where he spent most of his career.

iPad Pro M5 to enter mass production in late 2025

Apple is reportedly preparing to launch a new generation of iPad Pros powered by the M5 chip in the second half of next year, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The device is expected to be mass-produced by Chinese company BYD Electronics, and will be manufactured using TSMC’s 3nm process technology. Although Apple has decided not to use the 2nm process due to cost, the new chip will be a significant improvement over its predecessor, the M4.

No additional features have been revealed yet, except for the possibility of the Apple logo being positioned horizontally on the back. This comes after the current iPad Pro with OLED screen is set to launch in May 2024. Interestingly, Apple has already started ordering M5 chips from TSMC, indicating serious progress in the development process.

Apple is using Amazon's AI chips in search services

Benoit Dupin, Apple’s director of machine learning and artificial intelligence, revealed that the company is using Amazon’s custom AI chips (Inferentia and Graviton) for search services. Dupin confirmed that these chips are reliable and capable of serving customers globally, pointing to the strong relationship between the two companies. Apple has already achieved an efficiency increase of up to 40% using these chips.

Apple is planning to test Amazon’s Trainium2 chip to train Apple Intelligence models, expecting to improve efficiency by 50%. The move comes at a time when companies like Amazon are looking to compete with Nvidia, the giant of AI training chips, by offering lower-cost options. Apple has been using Amazon Web Services (AWS) for more than a decade for services like Siri, Apple Maps, and Apple Music.

Employee Sues Apple Over Controversial Surveillance Policies

Amar Bhakta, an Apple employee, has filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging that it violates workers’ rights through its broad surveillance policies. Bhakta accuses Apple of preventing him from talking about his professional experience on a podcast, forcing him to remove information about his working conditions from his LinkedIn page, and imposing strict restrictions on employees from describing their professional responsibilities and accomplishments.

Bhakta, who was hired in July 2020 as chief digital and operations officer, described the workplace as a “prison” where employees are subject to “Apple’s watchful eye” at work and outside of work. He alleged that the company imposes pervasive electronic and video surveillance, and forces employees to use company tools and devices, including personal iCloud accounts for professional collaboration. Bhakta is seeking damages for violations of California labor law and injunctive relief to protect Apple employees from future violations.

Delay in reviewing applications during the holiday season

Apple has issued a warning to developers that the App Store review process may take longer as Christmas approaches. The company is urging developers to prepare their apps and games early and submit them for review in good time, especially during the period of December 20 to 26, when the company expects a large volume of review requests.

Unlike in the past when Apple shut down the App Store entirely during Christmas week, reviews will continue this year. This comes at a time when developers tend to offer special deals and new content during December, in preparation for the new devices and gift cards that users receive during the holiday season.

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger departs amid company's decline

Intel has announced the resignation of CEO Pat Gelsinger after a career spanning more than 40 years, and his departure comes amid significant challenges facing the company in its competition with Apple and other chip companies. Gelsinger joined Intel in 2021 to address the challenges arising after Apple abandoned Intel processors in favor of its own M1 chips, which significantly outperformed the company’s products.

During his tenure, Gelsinger has faced a sharp decline in the company’s performance, with its stock price down 50% by 2024, while companies like Nvidia and Apple continued to grow. His attempts to restore the company’s position by building new manufacturing facilities and competing in artificial intelligence have had limited success. Intel is expected to post its first annual net loss since 1986, and its stock price rose 5% after Gelsinger’s resignation was announced, reflecting investors’ expectations for a radical change in the company’s management.

Apple may keep titanium body for iPhone 17 Pro 

The popular leaker “Instant Digital” revealed on Weibo that the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will keep the titanium frame, defying previous reports that Apple might return to using aluminum. The leaker believes that titanium is one of the marketing highlights of the premium versions of the phone, and that abandoning it would make no business sense.

In contrast, previous reports from Wayne Ma of The Information suggested that Apple is planning to switch back to aluminum with a new design that includes a rectangular camera module. While the leaker has a mixed record, he has made some correct predictions in the past, including a yellow iPhone color and spatial video. The iPhone 17 series is expected to launch in September 2025 with new features like ProMotion displays and an ultra-thin iPhone model.

Apple partners with Baidu on AI in China amid privacy controversy

Apple is looking to bring its Apple Intelligence features to the Chinese market by 2025 through a partnership with Baidu, but the project faces significant technical and privacy challenges. Engineers from both companies are reportedly working quickly to adapt Baidu’s large language models for iPhone users, but they have struggled to understand commands and provide accurate responses.

The biggest challenge is that Baidu wants to keep iPhone users’ data, which is completely against Apple Intelligence’s privacy principles. Although Apple has had to make concessions to enter the Chinese market, compromising user privacy seems to be a red line. Apple will pay Baidu a fee to use the “Ernie 4.0” model and adapt it to the iPhone, in an attempt to keep the iPhone competitive in its third-largest market globally.

ChatGPT may display ads for the free version.

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar revealed that the company is seriously considering running ads on the free version of ChatGPT in the future, to cover the high costs of running the AI ​​servers. Despite the company spending $5 billion this year on training, it is cautiously looking to find additional revenue streams without compromising the user experience.

The company appears to be carefully considering this option, having brought in marketing experts from companies like Meta and Google. At the same time, CEO Sam Altman has indicated that he views ads as a “last resort,” but the company wants to keep ChatGPT free for users while covering its operating costs. This comes in conjunction with a partnership with Apple to integrate ChatGPT into Siri in the upcoming iOS 18.2 update.

Miscellaneous news

◉ Apple has released the fourth beta of the upcoming VisionOS 2.2 update to developers for testing purposes.

◉ OpenAI is gearing up for a special promotional event during the New Year’s holidays, as CEO Sam Altman announced “12 Days of OpenAI” starting tomorrow, December 5, 2024. The event will include daily live broadcasts during business days, including various demos. There are speculations circulating among users about the content of these announcements, such as the possibility of launching the Sora video tool, or improvements to DALL-E, or the development of an advanced voice mode for ChatGPT, with the possibility of this coinciding with the release of Apple’s iOS 18.2 candidate that includes ChatGPT integration.

◉ Apple has stopped signing iOS 18.1, which means users can no longer downgrade or restore to this version. 

◉ A recent report by Display Supply Chain Consultants indicates that foldable phone sales are slowing, with device sales expected to decline by 4% in 2025 after previous annual growth of more than 40%. However, there is hope that Apple will make a radical change with its expected entry into the foldable phone market in the second half of 2026, which could push the market towards growth of more than 30% that year, with continued growth expected to reach 20% in the following two years.

◉ Indonesia is seeking a $16 billion investment from Apple to lift a ban on iPhone 40 sales, after it was banned from selling it locally for failing to meet local content requirements that require 10% of the phone’s components to be manufactured in the country. Negotiations began with an initial offer from Apple of $100 million, which it increased to $XNUMX million in November, but Indonesia rejected the offers and insists on a $XNUMX billion investment as a condition for lifting the ban.

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