News on the sidelines, week 18 - 24 April

OpenAI wants to buy Google Chrome, Grok adds vision and voice features to iPhone, Writing tools not working in Meta apps, images of the Vision Air power cable, iPhone shipments down 9% in China in Q2025 17, iPhone 17 Pro in Sky Blue, new video shows off the ultra-thin design of the iPhone XNUMX Air, and other exciting news on the sidelines…

Meta Ray-Ban sunglasses offer instant translation for all users, and live AI is coming soon.

Meta announced the launch of its instant translation feature for all Ray-Ban users, after it was only available to early adopters in the beta version. The new feature supports four languages: English, French, Italian, and Spanish, allowing users to translate between them instantly during conversations after pre-installing the language pack and without the need for an internet connection. When someone speaks in one of these languages, the user hears the translation through the glasses in their preferred language, while the other party can see the translated text on their connected phone.

In the near future, Meta plans to launch a "Live AI" feature that will allow the glasses to see what the user sees through the built-in camera, enabling real-time AI conversations to help with food preparation, exploration, and more, without requiring a wake-up call. These glasses are important for iPhone users because they offer a glimpse of what we might see from Apple in the future, as rumors suggest Apple is considering developing similar smart glasses equipped with AI, microphones, and cameras, but without augmented reality capabilities.

Apple is working on supporting the Godot game engine in visionOS.

Apple engineers have offered to contribute to adding support for Godot, a free and open-source game engine available to game developers as an alternative to Unity and Unreal Engines, to the Vision Pro. Godot currently supports PC, mobile, web, and other platforms, but with Apple's contributions, games created using it can run natively on the Vision Pro.

On GitHub, a member of the visionOS engineering team explained that Apple wants to help add Vision Pro support to Godot, with the goal of developing a VR plugin. Apple engineers have already begun contributing to the project and have pledged to continue development. This is an important step given the poor sales of Vision Pro and the waning interest in it due to its high cost and lack of content. By providing free tools that allow Godot developers to create immersive visionOS experiences, Apple could increase the number of games on the platform, benefiting the long-term future of the headset as the company works on future versions.

Apple faces a €500 million fine over the EU's Digital Markets Act.

The European Commission has imposed fines of €500 million (approximately $570 million) on Apple and €200 million (approximately $230 million) on Meta for violating the EU's new Digital Markets Act. Apple was penalized for preventing app developers from informing users of other payment methods outside its App Store, limiting developers' ability to offer consumers cheaper options. The Commission ordered Apple to remove these restrictions and stop such practices in the future. The Commission also closed another investigation after Apple allowed iPhone users to delete pre-installed apps, giving them more options.

Meta's fine stems from its "consent or pay" model, introduced in November 2023, which forced European users to choose between allowing their personal data to be used for targeted advertising or paying a monthly subscription to use Facebook and Instagram without ads. The Commission deemed this model to be insufficient for users to truly choose. Meta introduced changes to its advertising model in November 2024, which are currently under review. Both companies have 60 days to comply or face additional fines. Apple and Meta intend to appeal the decision, arguing that the fines are unfair and negatively impact user privacy and their services.

Grok app adds vision and audio features to iPhone

xAI has launched a new feature called "Grok Vision" in its Grok iOS app, allowing users to interact with the world through their phone's camera. iPhone users can now point the camera at any object and ask Grok, "What am I looking at?" It will respond with clear audio and accurate information based on what it sees. This feature is currently available on the iOS app, with Android users awaiting its release soon. Grok has also added a multilingual voice feature, allowing users to converse with it in different languages, as well as instant search, which provides up-to-date answers instantly.

Last week, xAI added a memory feature to Grok, allowing it to remember previous conversations and user preferences to provide more personalized responses. The company also released Studio, a workspace for creating documents and code. Similar to ChatGPT's Canvas, it opens in a separate window to provide a comfortable environment for creativity. The Grok app is available for free download from the App Store on iPhone.

OpenAI wants to buy Google Chrome 

Nick Turley, OpenAI's ChatGPT product manager, announced that the company might consider acquiring Google's Chrome browser if Google is forced to sell it due to its anti-competitive search practices. The statement came during a court hearing discussing the penalties Google will face after losing a lawsuit last year, in which the court ruled that Google has an illegal monopoly in search. The US Department of Justice is demanding that Google sell Chrome, and appropriate penalties are now being determined.

The Justice Department argues that Google's control over search has harmed companies like OpenAI, which has asked Google for access to search data to improve its SearchGPT product, but Google has refused. In addition to potentially selling Chrome, Google could be forced to share search data with its competitors, helping OpenAI develop better products more quickly. Google could also be barred from making deals with companies like Apple, which receives billions of dollars annually to make Google the default search engine in Safari. The department has also proposed selling Android if other sanctions don't prevent Google from unfairly exploiting the system.

Apple restructures Siri management team after AI features lag

Apple is reorganizing its Siri leadership team under the new leadership of Mike Rockwell, with the goal of accelerating development of Apple Intelligence features. After these features, showcased at WWDC 2024, failed to launch as planned, Rockwell, who previously worked on the Vision Pro software, decided to replace or demote some of the previous Siri directors. John Giannandrea, the former director of Siri, was appointed to AI research, while Rockwell now leads a new team of Vision Pro experts to improve Siri's user experience, performance, and core technology.

Ranjit Desai, a veteran engineer from the Vision Pro team, is leading Siri engineering, while Olivier Gutknecht is leading user experience design, and Nate Bigman and Tom Duffy are working on Siri's core architecture. The goal of these changes is to leverage Apple's best software talent to achieve Siri's development goals. Rockwell is also overseeing VisionOS development, while Jeff Stahl is managing the teams previously led by the newly transitioned Siri managers. Apple is redesigning Siri with advanced AI, with plans to collaborate with third-party app developers to better integrate Siri with apps and ensure timely release of features.

New video shows off the ultra-thin design of the iPhone 17 Air.

Apple is preparing to launch the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air this year, alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. In a new video, Unbox Therapy's Louis Hilsenteger revealed mockups demonstrating the iPhone 17 Air's slimness, measuring approximately 5.5mm thick with a thicker camera bezel, making it the thinnest iPhone yet. By comparison, the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to be 8.725mm thick, highlighting the significant design difference.

The iPhone 17 Air features a titanium and aluminum body for strength and to prevent bending, especially after the "bendgate" issue that plagued the iPhone 6 Plus in 2014. Apple opted for a 6.6-inch display instead of a 6.9-inch one to reduce the risk of bending. Hilsenteger also questioned battery life due to the thinness, but Apple is working to improve battery efficiency by using its own C1 modem and reducing some features, such as additional camera lenses, to ensure a battery life similar to current models.

The iPhone 17 Pro may come in a sky blue color inspired by the MacBook Air.

Apple is planning to launch the iPhone 17 Pro in a new color called "Sky Blue," the same color featured on the M4-powered MacBook Air models launched in March, according to leakster Majin Bu. Bu says sources close to the supply chain have confirmed that iPhone 17 Pro prototypes have been tested in various colors, with Sky Blue currently topping the list. This color is described as more attractive than the popular "Sierra Blue" color on the iPhone 13 Pro, with a distinct luster and elegance.

The sky blue color on the MacBook Air isn't very saturated and appears different depending on the lighting. Apple describes it as a "light metallic blue that creates a dynamic gradient when light is reflected." Apple has traditionally chosen muted colors for its titanium iPhone Pro models, such as the "desert titanium" color on the iPhone 16 Pro. Magen Po previously accurately predicted the iPhone 16 Pro color before its launch, but was wrong in other leaks. This is the first information about the iPhone 17 colors, and we'll see if it pans out.

iPhone shipments in China fell 9% in the first quarter of 2025.

iPhone shipments in China fell 9% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025, with Apple being the only major manufacturer to record a decline, according to data from research firm IDC. iPhone shipments fell to 9.8 million units, reducing Apple's market share to 13.7%, compared to 17.4% in the previous quarter, marking seven consecutive quarters of decline.

In contrast, domestic companies fared well, with shipments from market leader Xiaomi increasing by 40% to 13.3 million units, while overall market shipments rose by 3.3%. IDC noted that Apple's high prices prevented it from benefiting from a new government subsidy that began in 2025, which offers a 15% discount on electronics priced under 6000 yuan (about $820). The standard iPhone 16 starts at 5999 yuan, making it barely eligible for this subsidy.

Images of the Vision Air power cable appear online.

A leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami" has shared new images of a redesigned power cable allegedly for the future Vision Air. He claims it will feature a slimmer design, with titanium used for the battery housing and some internal structures to reduce weight, while the aluminum exterior will remain in a dark "Midnight" blue color, unlike the current Vision Pro, which is only available in silver.

New images of the power cable show an anodized aluminum connector in a distinctive midnight color. The connector is similar in design to the Lightning connector, but has 8 pins instead of the 12 found on the Vision Pro, indicating a significant redesign, particularly for the external battery. The audio band connector appears to be identical to the Vision Pro design. Apple is expected to launch the second-generation Vision Pro with the M5 processor between fall 2025 and spring 2026, but there are reports it is working on a less expensive device, possibly the Vision Air. Although Kosutami has a mixed track record with Apple leaks, he accurately predicted changes such as the Modern Buckle replacement for the FineWoven band in 2023.

Miscellaneous news

◉ Apple is currently testing iOS 18.5, and it is expected to be released in mid-May. The update focuses on significant bug fixes and security improvements with no significant new features, as Apple prepares to unveil iOS 19 at its Worldwide Developers Conference.

◉ Apple stopped signing iOS 18.4 after the release of the 18.4.1 update, meaning users cannot downgrade to an earlier version. This practice is common to protect devices from vulnerabilities and secure them with the latest updates, especially since 18.4.1 contains important fixes, including a CarPlay issue and vital security updates.

◉ Apple removed the phrase "Available Now" from its Apple Intelligence page following a recommendation from a US regulatory authority (NAD), which believed the phrase could mislead users into believing that all the features listed were available immediately, even though some were not yet released or had not yet been released. Although Apple disagreed with this assessment, it respected the recommendation and made the change to avoid any controversy or regulatory scrutiny.

◉ On Earth Day, Apple is celebrating by strengthening its plan to become carbon neutral by 2030, having reduced its emissions by more than 60%. It's also offering a 10% discount on select accessories for recycling old devices. It's also launched a special fitness challenge for Apple Watch users and enabled Clean Charging on iPhone and iPad in its stores.

◉ Apple shared a funny ad highlighting the "Clean Up" feature in the Photos app, which allows you to easily remove elements from the background of a photo. The ad shows a man taking a picture of himself in front of a mirror, then using the feature to remove a woman who accidentally appeared in the background. The feature is only available on the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPhone 16 series, and debuted in the iOS 18.1 update.

◉ Apple has added a new feature to the Apple Sports app that allows users to share game cards via iMessage and social media, whether the game is upcoming, live, or finished. The feature covers leagues such as the NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, and Formula 1, without requiring an app update. The app displays match scores and statistics and is currently available on iPhone in the US, Canada, and the UK.

◉ Apple's AI "Writing Tools" feature, which allows proofreading, rephrasing, and summarizing text, does not work within Meta apps like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads. Meta appears to have chosen not to enable this feature in its apps, despite its availability in most writing platforms on iOS 18. The strained relationship between Apple and Meta, and Apple's previous refusal to integrate Meta's AI model for privacy reasons, may be one reason for this exclusion.

Sources:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10| 11| 12| 13| 14| 15 | 16 | 17