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Home Depot, Target, Cisco, Deere, Walmart, and More Stocks to Watch This Week
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Tag: Consumer electronics
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Nvidia’s stock drops below key uptrend tracker, snapping longest streak above it in 6 years
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Nvidia Corp.’s stock chart now shows that the stunning uptrend investors in the semiconductor maker have enjoyed this year amid all the artificial-intelligence hype may have ended.
But as history suggests, after a long uptrend, rather than a new downtrend, investors may have to endure some whipsaw action within a relatively static trading range over the next several months before the uptrend resumes.
The stock
NVDA,
-0.72%
slumped 4.7% on Wednesday to close at $425.54, which was 10.4% below the July 18 record close of $474.94, following a downbeat earnings report from Super Micro Computer Inc.
SMCI,
+3.47% ,
which counts Nvidia as a key supplier.Many on Wall Street believe a correction is defined by a decline of at least 10% to up to 20% from a significant recent peak. A drop of 20% or more is thought of as a bear market.
But perhaps more important for chart followers, the stock closed below the widely followed 50-day moving average for the first time since Jan. 6, 2023. The 50-DMA had extended to $429.03 on Wednesday.
FactSet, MarketWatch
On Thursday, the stock bounced 0.5% in morning trading but held below the 50-DMA, which extended to $429.68, according to FactSet. Despite the recent correction, the stock was still up 192.6% year to date, while the PHLX Semiconductor Index
SOX
has climbed 43.7% and the S&P 500
SPX
has advanced 17.2%.Read: Nvidia is ‘domination’ and could unlock $300 billion in AI revenue by 2027, analyst says.
The 50-DMA is used by many chart watchers as a short-term trend tracker. If the stock is above that line, it is viewed as being in an uptrend. The most time spent above that line, the stronger the uptrend.
Until Wednesday, Nvidia’s stock closed above the 50-DMA for 146 consecutive trading sessions, according to FactSet data, which is the second-longest stretch since it went public in January 1999.
The record stretch above the 50-DMA was 255 sessions, a streak that ended on Feb. 23, 2017, while the second-longest stretch of 143 sessions ended on Oct. 28, 2020.
After the stock snapped the super-50-DMA streak in 2020, it waffled around the line and was little changed for the next several months before resuming the uptrend with a big spike.
As an uptrend takes a several-month pause after the 50-DMA breaks, the 200-DMA becomes strong support.
FactSet, MarketWatch
As the chart above shows, after the 50-DMA broke, investors set their sights on the 200-DMA, which many view as a dividing line between longer-term uptrends and downtrends. In this case, despite a one-day dip below the 200-DMA in mid-March 2021, the line acted as strong support.
And after the record super-50-DMA streak, the stock seesawed around the line, while having a slightly negative bias for the next few months, before the uptrend resumed in force.
After the 50-DMA break, the 200-DMA was never threatened.
FactSet, MarketWatch
This time, the stock never really threatened the 200-DMA.
In the current technical situation, one of the downside levels to keep an eye on is the bear-market threshold of 20% below the July closing high, which comes in at $379.95. Another level to watch is the 200-DMA, which currently extends to $269.63 and has been rising by $1.65 a day over the past 10 days.
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The long-simmering rumor of Apple buying Disney is resurfacing as Bob Iger looks to sell assets
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Analysts got to the point early and often during a conference call late Wednesday: What are Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger’s M&A plans, particularly following reports that former Disney executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, now co-CEOs of Blackstone-backed Candle Media, have been retained in a “consulting capacity” to decide ESPN’s fate?
There is even the unthinkable, unsinkable decades-old rumor floating about again: Could Apple Inc.
AAPL,
-0.90%
acquire Disney
DIS,
-0.73% ,
as one Hollywood executive floated to the Hollywood Reporter?The prospect of an Apple-Disney combo seems far-fetched in a heated regulatory climate, where the Federal Trade Commission is attempting to crack down on Big Tech acquisitions, but it could happen should Disney sell off assets and Apple gobbles up Disney’s direct-to-consumer business that includes streaming service Disney+, some media analysts speculate. Apple could conceivably even buy ABC, which reportedly is on the block. But the path is long and circuitous.
Yet the rumors persist, dating back to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs’ reverence for the Disney brand, and the increasingly overlapping businesses of both companies over the years.
When pressed by analysts during a conference call late Wednesday, Iger declined to discuss the future of Disney’s structure or possible asset sales. When asked if Disney might “plausibly” be snapped up by one company — read Apple — an exasperated Iger said he would not “speculate” on the sale of Disney to a technology company or anyone else, given the current global stance of regulators. The FTC has aggressively challenged mergers from the likes of Microsoft Corp.
MSFT,
-1.17%
and Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc.
META,
-2.38% ,
with limited success.Since Iger hinted at the potential sale of Disney’s assets in an interview with CNBC last month, rumors have swirled around ESPN.
ESPN and related properties likely could command at least one-third of Disney’s current depressed market cap of about $150 billion, say some media watchers, though Iger has denied ESPN is for sale. He has acknowledged “the sports leader” is seeking “strategic partners” — possibly with the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL — to generate revenue. Late Tuesday, ESPN stuck up a deal with Penn Entertainment Inc.
PENN,
+9.10%
to create ESPN Bet, a digital sportsbook to launch in the fall in 16 states.Read more: Penn dumps Barstool for ESPN-branded sports-gambling service
Another possible property being dangled is ABC. But with rights to the NBA Finals and two Super Bowls in the next eight years, it is unclear who would acquire the network and how Disney would replace lucrative sports revenue.
Other properties on the block include cable channels Freeform and Disney Channel, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
“If an asset sale happens, will the proceeds be deployed into fortifying its balance sheet or beefing up its remaining operations?” Rick Munarriz, senior media analyst at The Motley Fool, said in an email.
Disney, which is in the midst of a $5.5 billion cost-cutting campaign, is exploring several avenues to prop up sales as linear TV ads shrink, Disney+ subscriptions decline and attendance at Walt Disney World wanes.
Read more: Disney posts smaller streaming loss amid cost-cutting moves, stock slips
Shares of Disney are trading at half their highs from a few years ago, in large part because of dwindling sales and profits at ESPN and Disney’s other cable networks.
Enter Mayer, who previously ran Disney’s strategic planning group for years and engineered a trifecta of mega deals: The acquisition of the aforementioned Pixar Animation Studios from Steve Jobs for $7.4 billion in 2006, the purchase of Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion in 2009, and the acquisition of Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion in 2012. Mayer also led the $71.3 billion acquisition of 20th Century Fox’s entertainment assets in 2019, which has drawn mixed reviews.
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Pence qualifies for first Republican debate: Here’s who else will be on stage.
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Former Vice President Mike Pence has become the eighth, and perhaps final, candidate to qualify for the first Republican presidential primary debate, setting up a possible prime-time clash with Donald Trump.
That face-off with Trump is not certain, however, because the former president has not yet confirmed whether he will take part in the event.
Several other GOP hopefuls, meanwhile, have also qualified for the debate. Here’s a look at details including who’ll be on stage and when and where the debate will be held.
When and where is the debate?
The first debate of the GOP primary season will be held Aug. 23 in Milwaukee, the same city that will host the party’s 2024 convention. The two-hour debate is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. Eastern time and is being hosted by Fox News.
Fox News parent Fox Corp.
FOX,
+5.56% FOXA,
+5.59%
and News Corp
NWS,
+0.73% NWSA,
+0.84% ,
parent of MarketWatch publisher Dow Jones, share common ownership.Besides Pence, who has qualified?
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Trump have all met the debate requirements.
Other GOP hopefuls including former Rep. Will Hurd of Texas and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez have not yet made the cut.
Now read: Here are the Republicans running for president in 2024, before their first debate later this month
Also read: Mike Pence says inflation is 16%, but CPI is 3%. This is his logic.
What are the requirements for the Milwaukee debate?
For the first debate, a candidate needs to have at least 1% support in three high-quality national polls or in a mix of state and national polls and must have secured at least 40,000 unique donors.
Getting on stage for the second debate will be tougher. That contest, scheduled for Sept. 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California, will require candidates to have at least 3% support in two national polls, or in one national poll as well as two polls from four of the early-voting states. Candidates must also have at least 50,000 unique donors, as the Associated Press has reported.
Now read: Republican Party raising qualification bar for second presidential primary debate
What has Trump said about attending the debate?
Playing his cards close to the vest, the former president is asking his supporters whether he should be in Milwaukee on Aug. 23. In an email on Saturday, Trump said he thinks it’s “sort of foolish” for him to attend, given his outsized polling lead.
“Hopefully, former President Trump has the courage to show up,” Pence’s communications adviser Devin O’Malley said in a statement on Tuesday.
Read next: Pence, Trump attorney offer conflicting claims over what Trump said ahead of Jan. 6
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Palantir announces $1 billion buyback program, stock rises after earnings
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Palantir Technologies Inc. matched expectations with its latest quarterly results Monday while announcing a new $1 billion buyback authorization.
The software company posted its third quarter in a row of GAAP profitability, recording second-quarter net income of $28 million, or 1 cent a share, whereas Palantir
PLTR,
-1.15%
racked up a net loss of $179.3 million, or 9 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. Analysts tracked by FactSet were modeling GAAP earnings per share of 1 cent.Palantir logged adjusted earnings per share of 5 cents, in line with the FactSet consensus.
Revenue rose to $533 million from $473 million and also met the FactSet consensus. The company notched $232 million in commercial revenue, up 10% from a year before, along with $302 million of government revenue, up 15%.
After initially falling following the report, Palantir shares rose 2.6% in after-hours trading.
“We continue to see unprecedented demand,” Chief Revenue Officer Ryan Taylor told MarketWatch. That includes both “top-of-funnel” conversations with new customers and others expanding their use of Palantir software, as momentum builds for the company’s artificial-intelligence offerings.
Taylor added that Palantir’s U.S. government work has “never been stronger.”
See also: Palantir is ‘the Messi of AI,’ says analyst who thinks its stock can jump 45%
Palantir also announced that its board of directors has approved a stock-buyback program of up to $1 billion. The move comes as the company posted $285 million in adjusted free cash flow during the first half of the year and finished the second quarter with $3.1 billion in cash and equivalents on its balance sheet.
“Our cash flow, balance sheet and the authorization of a billion-dollar buyback show what we believe in for the future of this company,” Chief Financial Officer David Glazer told MarketWatch. The belief is that “AI is a massive opportunity.”
Added Chief Executive Alex Karp in a shareholder letter: “The scale of the opportunity that lies ahead has increased significantly in recent months. And we intend to capture it.”
He noted that the company is in talks with more than 300 additional enterprises about using Palantir’s AI platform, “all of which are searching for an effective and secure means of adapting the latest large language models for use on their internal systems and proprietary data.”
For the third quarter, Palantir expects $553 million to $557 million in revenue, along with GAAP profitability. Analysts tracked by FactSet were modeling $553 million,
Palantir also expects to report GAAP net income for its fourth quarter. It further models upwards of $2.212 billion in full-year revenue, while analysts were looking for $2.210 billion.
Shares of Palantir are up 180% so far this year.
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Palantir announces $1 billion buyback program, stock rises after earnings
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Palantir Technologies Inc. matched expectations with its latest quarterly results Monday while announcing a new $1 billion buyback authorization.
The software company posted its third quarter in a row of GAAP profitability, recording second-quarter net income of $28 million, or 1 cent a share, whereas Palantir
PLTR,
-1.15%
racked up a net loss of $179.3 million, or 9 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. Analysts tracked by FactSet were modeling GAAP earnings per share of 1 cent.Palantir logged adjusted earnings per share of 5 cents, in line with the FactSet consensus.
Revenue rose to $533 million from $473 million and also met the FactSet consensus. The company notched $232 million in commercial revenue, up 10% from a year before, along with $302 million of government revenue, up 15%.
After initially falling following the report, Palantir shares rose 2.6% in after-hours trading.
“We continue to see unprecedented demand,” Chief Revenue Officer Ryan Taylor told MarketWatch. That includes both “top-of-funnel” conversations with new customers and others expanding their use of Palantir software, as momentum builds for the company’s artificial-intelligence offerings.
Taylor added that Palantir’s U.S. government work has “never been stronger.”
See also: Palantir is ‘the Messi of AI,’ says analyst who thinks its stock can jump 45%
Palantir also announced that its board of directors has approved a stock-buyback program of up to $1 billion. The move comes as the company posted $285 million in adjusted free cash flow during the first half of the year and finished the second quarter with $3.1 billion in cash and equivalents on its balance sheet.
“Our cash flow, balance sheet and the authorization of a billion-dollar buyback show what we believe in for the future of this company,” Chief Financial Officer David Glazer told MarketWatch. The belief is that “AI is a massive opportunity.”
Added Chief Executive Alex Karp in a shareholder letter: “The scale of the opportunity that lies ahead has increased significantly in recent months. And we intend to capture it.”
He noted that the company is in talks with more than 300 additional enterprises about using Palantir’s AI platform, “all of which are searching for an effective and secure means of adapting the latest large language models for use on their internal systems and proprietary data.”
For the third quarter, Palantir expects $553 million to $557 million in revenue, along with GAAP profitability. Analysts tracked by FactSet were modeling $553 million,
Palantir also expects to report GAAP net income for its fourth quarter. It further models upwards of $2.212 billion in full-year revenue, while analysts were looking for $2.210 billion.
Shares of Palantir are up 180% so far this year.
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Apple sees sales decline for third quarter in a row — and says performance could be similar this quarter
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Apple Inc. saw revenue fall slightly in the latest quarter, and its management expects similar performance in the current period.
The tech giant on Thursday posted sales of $81.80 billion for the fiscal third quarter, matching the FactSet consensus but marking a decline from the $82.96 billion seen a year before. Apple logged $39.67 billion in revenue for its iPhone business, down from $40.67 billion a year before and below the FactSet consensus, which was for $40.24 billion.
Read: Apple dubbed the most ‘boring’ buy-rated stock — and that’s actually a good thing
Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri expects Apple’s
AAPL,
-0.73%
overall September-quarter revenue performance to be similar to what was seen in the June quarter. He anticipates that year-over-year iPhone and services revenue will accelerate from the June quarter, while the Mac and iPad businesses could post double-digit declines relative to a year earlier due to tough comparisons to that period.Shares of Apple fell 2% in after-hours action. The latest quarter marked the third in a row of revenue declines.
Apple recorded $5.79 billion in June-quarter iPad revenue, down from $7.22 billion a year before and below the FactSet consensus, which called for $6.44 billion. Mac revenue came in at $6.8 billion, down from $7.38 billion a year earlier but ahead of the consensus view: Analysts were modeling $6.26 billion in Mac revenue.
The company saw $8.28 billion in revenue within its wearables, home and accessories business. That compared with a year-before total of $8.08 billion. The FactSet consensus was for $8.31 billion.
Services revenue increased to $21.21 billion from $19.60 billion, while analysts were projecting $20.73 billion.
See more: Apple savings account racks up $10 billion in deposits since April debut
Despite “a challenging smartphone market in the U.S. currently,” Chief Executive Tim Cook said on the earnings call that Apple was seeing “some really good signs in most places in the world.”
He called out strength in emerging markets, where Apple did “exceptionally well” in the latest quarter. In China, the company swung to 8% revenue growth after logging a 3% decline in revenue during the March quarter.
Apple also disclosed a June-quarter revenue record in India, where it recently opened its first retail stores.
While Cook is “pleased” with Apple’s India growth, he also noted that the company’s current market share in the country is “very, very modest.”
“So I think that it’s a huge opportunity for us, and we’re putting all of our energies in making that occur,” he said.
The tech giant booked fiscal third-quarter net income of $19.88 billion, or $1.26 a share, compared with $19.44 billion, or $1.20 a share, in the year-prior period. Apple beat the FactSet consensus, which was for $1.20 in earnings per share.
Don’t miss: Apple has a juicy $40 billion opportunity ahead of it
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Shopify makes progress on free cash flow, but stock moves lower after earnings
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Shopify Inc. easily topped adjusted profit expectations for its latest quarter, though shares of the e-commerce marketplace were headed lower in Wednesday’s after-hours action.
The e-commerce company reported a comprehensive loss of $1.30 billion, or $1.02 a share, whereas it logged a loss of $1.21 billion, or 95 cents a share, in the year-earlier period.
On an adjusted basis, Shopify
SHOP,
-7.44%
earned 14 cents a share, whereas analysts tracked by FactSet were anticipating 6 cents a share.Don’t miss: Mastercard earnings bring latest signal of healthy spending
Revenue jumped to $1.69 billion from $1.30 billion a year prior, while the FactSet consensus was for $1.63 billion.
Gross merchandise volume, or the dollar value of orders facilitated through Shopify’s platform, came in at $53.5 billion. Analysts had been modeling $55.0 billion. The company also posted $31.7 billion in gross payments volume.
See also: Apple appears to be making rapid inroads in buy-now-pay-later
For the third quarter, Shopify anticipates a revenue growth percentage in the low-20s on a year-over-year basis. The company also expects free cash flow in the third quarter to exceed the first-half total.
Shopify generated $97 million in free cash flow during the second quarter, beating the $27 million FactSet consensus and bringing its first-half haul to $183 million. Analysts were expecting $96 million in free cash flow for the third quarter.
“We’re not just shipping products faster, but we are also expanding our global merchant base, all while improving our ability to generate greater free cash flow,” President Harley Finkelstein said in a release.
More from MarketWatch: PayPal’s stock falls as earnings beat, but a margin metric misses
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iPhone users will soon have to adjust to this small but significant change | CNN Business
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CNN
—
Get your thumb ready for next month. Apple
(AAPL) is making a subtle change to the iPhone’s software that will likely mess with your muscle memory: The big red “end call” button is moving.The iPhone’s phone app will get a series of updates coming to iOS 17, including an updated design that repositions the hang up button to the bottom right of the screen, next to other functions. The button currently sits separately at the bottom middle of the phone app, underneath the buttons to mute, access the keypad or add a call.
The new call screen, which is already available for download in a beta version for developers, sparked some strong reactions among iOS users on social media: “iOS 17 has the FaceTime button where the end call button used to be,” tweeted one user. “Muscle memory be damned.”
The change is likely to streamline the look of the phone app and put all functions in one place. Apple did not respond to a request for comment.
At its annual Worldwide Developer Conference in May, the company showed off a slew of new tools coming to iOS 17 that make calling and messaging others more personalized and customized. iPhone users, for example, will be able to design contact “posters,” a custom image to appear when they call someone or receive their call.
Meanwhile, a new feature called Live Voicemail will transcribe a caller’s message in real time, so users can decide whether to ignore or take the call, and a tool called NameDrop will let users share their contact information by holding two iPhones close together. In addition, FaceTime will support the ability to leave video messages when someone isn’t available to chat.
Other changes coming to iOS 17 include a more accurate autocorrect, improved dictation in iMessage, and a more responsive Siri. Apple typically launches its latest mobile operating system in September, following its annual iPhone event.
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What to expect from Apple’s iPhone 15 reveal | CNN Business
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CNN
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Apple is expected to debut its iPhone 15 lineup Tuesday at the company’s annual September keynote event, and it could introduce the biggest change to the phone’s design in 11 years.
The press event, which Apple teased with a “wonderlust” tagline, will take place at the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, and will be livestreamed on its website, starting at 10 a.m. local time.
Although the annual iPhone event has become formulaic over the years, announcing incremental changes to battery life, camera system and displays, this year Apple is expected to introduce USB-C charging to its smartphones for the first time. The change could ultimately streamline the charging process across various devices and brands.
But the company will have to show off more than just a new charging system to get users to upgrade. Last month, Apple’s sales fell for the third consecutive quarter. iPhone revenue came in at $39.7 billion for the quarter, marking an approximately 2% year-over-year decline.
Here’s more of what to expect:
Apple has previously switched its iPads and MacBooks to USB-C charging, but now may be the time for the company to finally make the change on iPhones. The move would come less than a year after the European Union voted to approve legislation to require smartphones, tablets, digital cameras, portable speakers and other small devices to support USB-C charging by 2024. The first-of-its-kind law aims to pare down the number of chargers and cables consumers must contend with when they purchase a new device and to allow users to mix and match devices and chargers even if they were produced by different manufacturers.
“This is arguably the biggest disruption to iPhone design for several years, but in reality, it is hardly a dramatic move,” said Ben Wood, an analyst at CCS Insight.
Last year, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Greg Joswiak, publicly stressed the value and ubiquity of the Lightning charger, which is designed for faster device charging, but noted “obviously we will have to comply” with the EU mandate. The Lightning charger was introduced in 2012.
The change to USB-C would also likely usher in a wave of charging accessories, potentially in various colors. It’s possible iPhone users will also pay up for a USB-C wall adapter because it will be a different size connector.
The entire iPhone 15 lineup is rumored to get the “Dynamic Island” feature — an interactive home for alerts, notifications and various controls — that replaces the notch on top of the screen. The tool launched on the higher-end iPhone 14 Pro models last year.
Although there are few other rumors circulating about its entry-level iPhone models, the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max models are expected to get a handful of new features, according to a Bloomberg report. This may include a rear-facing periscope lens, which allows for more optical zoom, and a titanium casing to make the device up to 15% lighter and thinner. The Pro models are also expected to get Apple’s latest A17 chip – the first with 3 nanometer technology, which could deliver faster processing and a longer-lasting battery.
The lineup is also expected to come in various new colors, as hinted at in the Apple logo featured in the event’s invitation, including navy and updated shades of gray, white and silver.
In June, Apple introduced the Vision Pro, a mixed reality headset that the company says will usher in a new era of “spatial computing.” Yoram Wurmser, an analyst at Insider Intelligence, believes the company will tease “some new features and deeper collaborations” to drum up excitement ahead of its 2024 launch. (It’s also possible Apple could announce a launch date). The headset blends both virtual reality and augmented reality, a technology that overlays virtual images on live video of the real world. The headset is Apple’s biggest, and riskiest, product launch in years.
New AirPods, Apple Watches and software release dates
The company typically unveils its latest Apple Watches alongside the iPhone each year, so it’s likely we’ll see the debut of the Apple Watch Series 9 and possibly its next-generation Ultra 2 smartwatch, its more rugged wearable for serious sports enthusiasts. According to Bloomberg, Apple is working on a full revamp of its smartwatch for next year’s Apple Watch Series 10, so this year’s updates will be relatively minor.
In addition, Apple is expected to show off its next-generation AirPods with a new charging case that will work with USB-C cables. It’s also likely to announce launch dates for its next-generation operating systems for the iPhone, iPads, Mac computers and Apple Watch.
In May, for example, Apple showed off a slew of new tools coming to iOS 17, such as a more accurate autocorrect, a new feature called Live Voicemail that will transcribe a caller’s message in real time, and a NameDrop tool that lets users share their contact information by holding two iPhones close together. The iPhone’s phone app will also reposition the hang up button to the bottom right of the screen, next to other functions.
With the new iPhone expected to take center stage, many analysts don’t anticipate Apple will release new iPads or Mac computers until October. And despite rivals Samsung and Google doubling down on foldable devices, Apple is still not expected to unveil a similar version this fall.
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Apple just killed the iPhone Lightning connector. What to do with your old chargers | CNN Business
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Editor’s Note: A version of this story appeared in CNN Business’ Nightcap newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free, here.
New York
CNN
—
At long last, Apple is killing its proprietary Lightning port in the iPhone 15 and embracing a charging cable that’s compatible with non-Apple products. That’s one less extra cord cluttering your nightstand. One less thing to forget when packing for a weekend getaway.
But the move, hastened by a European regulatory mandate passed last year, is a largely symbolic measure that comes years after most other gadgets switched to USB-C. And it won’t do much to shrink the mountains of e-waste piling up around the globe.
“I would classify the EU law and Apple as an evolution, not a revolution,” says Marian Chertow, a professor of industrial environmental management at the Yale School of the Environment.
When the European Commission passed the directive last year, it cited two motivations: First, everyone agrees that it’s super annoying to have so many cables lying around. Second, having a common charger across devices — whether they’re made by Apple or Samsung or Garmin or whoever — would “significantly reduce electronic waste.”
Apple initially pushed back, of course, partly because selling extra Lightning cables made it lots of money. But it also said the waste argument was misguided, and that the promise of wireless charging would make the cable issue moot. (Still, the company ultimately said it would comply with the common cable rules.)
Retiring the Lightning cable could even generate, in the short term, a surge of e-waste as iPhone users toss their useless Lightning cables in a drawer. (Which, to be clear, isn’t recommended. Apple says it has a “robust” recycling program where you can bring in used chargers and cables. You can also look for a local e-waste recycling center or Best Buy store for environmentally friendly options.)
Big-picture, though, the impact on the mountains of global e-waste will likely be minimal.
There are about 66 million tons of electronic waste generated each year, says Ruediger Kuehr, head of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research in Bonn, Germany. Charging cables, he said account for “a few hundred thousand tons.”
“When we look to the pure numbers, it’s close to nothing,” Kuehr said. “But we nevertheless think it’s a very important step in order to make people … aware of the issue we are facing.”
E-waste is a growing problem that has yet to enter the mainstream consciousness. Most of it ends up where it shouldn’t — in our closets and junk drawers — which means more materials such as copper, gold and platinum have to be mined to produce new products.
“You can make money out of it, but you have to really do a lot of steps,” Kuehr says. “This is not understandable for the consumer in comparison to all the other waste streams.”
Nearly 80% of all e-waste generated around the globe is not properly treated, he said.
Whether the EU rule actually reduces waste is beside the point if it can push Apple and other manufacturers to help close the loop by making it easier to refurbish and recycle old products.
And to Apple’s credit, the company has been “a leader in scraping off rare earth metals from its reuse pile to recover these expensive materials,” Chertow says, noting that last year Apple said it was reusing more than two-thirds of the aluminum it needed. “These days, waste experts find that “reuse” is most often a better path than recycling as more can be recovered.”
—CNN’s Samantha Murphy Kelly contributed to this article.
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Apple Watch’s new gesture control feature will have everyone tapping the air | CNN Business
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CNN
—
You’re about to see people in public tapping two fingers together in the air.
Over the past few days, I’ve been taking phone calls, playing music and scrolling through widgets on the new Apple Watch Series 9 without ever touching the device. I’ve used it to silence my watch’s alarm in the morning, stop timers and open a notification while carrying too many bags.
It may sound like a gimmick — and it most certainly feels strange to do it in public — but considering the small size of the Apple Watch screen, the tool offers an effective hands-free way to interact with the device.
Apple’s latest lineup of smartwatches, the Watch Series 9 and high-end Ultra 2, feature a new gesture tool called Double Tap, allowing users to tap their index finger and thumb together twice, to control the device. It can also scroll through widgets, much like turning the digital crown.
The feature isn’t entirely new; the previous generation of Apple Watch Ultra was capable of similar pinch-and-clench gestures via its Assistive Touch accessibility tool. But Apple’s decision to bring a feature like this to the forefront hints at an increasingly touch-free future. It also comes three months after the company unveiled the Vision Pro mixed reality headset, which will launch next year, with a similar finger tap control.
Double Tap works in combination with the latest Apple Watch accelerometer, gyroscope and optical heart rate sensor, which looks for disruptions in the blood flow when the fingers are pressed together. That data is processed by a new machine learning algorithm and runs on a faster neural engine, specialized hardware that handles AI and machine learning tasks.
While the concept is similar, gesture controls are different on the Vision Pro, which will track users’ eyes and hand movements. Apple told CNN it added gesture control to the headset because it needed a different, seamless interface for users to interact with, whereas Double Tap is more about simplifying the Apple Watch experience.
When the Apple Watch’s display is turned on, the device automatically knows to respond when it senses the fingers are touched together. It essentially works as a “yes” or “accept” button; that means if a call comes through, you can Double Tap to accept it (covering the watch with your full hand, however, will silence it quickly). If a song is playing, you can pause it by double tapping, and then again to start it.
Although you can subtly flick on the display and do the gesture close to your body, trying to conceal the movement when around other people, I found it works much better when it’s raised a bit higher. This, however, makes the action more obvious — and it’s something that will take a little getting used to seeing in person.
“This is also about social acceptance. At the moment, I find the idea of people making this gesture more often than not in public a bit funny. But time will tell if users find it acceptable,” said Annette Zimmerman, an analyst at Gartner Research. “I think Apple is very use-case driven and focuses on user feedback on things they could improve.”
Similarly, it took a while for people to get used to the design of Apple’s AirPods when they were announced in 2016; many criticized how they looked dangling out of users’ ears. Now they’ve become part of modern culture.
Other learning curves exist with the Double Tap feature. Because I am right handed and wear an Apple Watch on my left hand, tapping my left fingers together to trigger the control takes an extra second or two of mental coordination.
The future of hands-free devices
Apple isn’t the only tech company developing gesture controls like this. Samsung TVs, some smartphones and Microsoft’s mixed reality headset all incorporate some hand gesture functionality. But this is Apple’s biggest push to date, and adding it to a flagship device like the Apple Watch will soon put all eyes on the concept of hand gestures.
“It’s a great move by Apple as it differentiates the company from other brands when it comes to innovation and ease of usability. It also shows Apple’s commitment in the fields of artificial intelligence,” said Sachin Mehta, senior analyst at tech intelligence firm ABI Research. “The new double tap gesture is not a surprise as Apple keeps on developing a unified and intuitive user experience across its product line up. It will cement the Apple Watch as the smartwatch to have.”
It works differently on the Vision Pro, which will track a user’s eyes and hand movements to make punching and swiping controls. The headset needed a different user interface for users to interact with it, and gestures give that control even when a face is covered by the hardware.
Further showing how Apple is thinking about gesture control long term, it recently filed for patents focused on gesture controls, including for the Apple TV. That said, Mehta believes there’s no question “we expect more gesture features in Apple’s product lineup in the future.”
In addition to Double Tap, the Apple Watch Series 9 features Apple’s powerful new in-house silicon chip and ultrawideband connectivity. It will let users log health data with their voice, use “name drop” to share contact information by touching another Apple Watch and raise their wrist to automatically brighten the display. The Series 9 will come in colors such as pink, navy, red, gold, silver and graphite.
Apple also showed off the second iteration of its rugged Ultra smartwatch line, featuring the updated S9 custom chip and a new ultrawideband chip which uses radio waves to communicate. It also features more information on the display for more intensive tracking.
The Apple Watch Series 9 will start at $399 and the Ultra is priced at $799. Although they start shipping on Friday, September 22, the Double Tap feature will launch via a software update next month.
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Did your cell phone make a screeching noise today? Here’s why | CNN Business
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New York
CNN
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Today was the day for the US government’s big emergency alert drill, which sent a test message to every TV, radio and cell phone in the nation.
Starting at approximately 2:20 pm ET on Wednesday, the federal government began conducting a nationwide test of its Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts. The EAS portion of the test sent an emergency alert to all radios and televisions, while the WEA portion of the drill sent an alert to all consumer cell phones.
The test was being conducted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in coordination with the Federal Communication Commission. Its purpose was to ensure that the systems in place continue to be an effective means of warning the public about emergencies at a national level.
Essentially, what this means is that hundreds of millions of cell phones around the country made a screeching alert noise at approximately the same time today, beginning around 2:20 pm ET. Radio and TV stations also blared a test alert at around the same time. But there was no action required from you after receiving the free message — it was just a test.
Here are answers to all of your burning questions about today’s emergency alert test.
While some recent models of mobile phones may include a setting to opt-out of tests and alerts, none of these settings will affect the 2023 national test, FEMA has said.
That means if your mobile phone was on and receiving service from a participating wireless provider, you will likely received the national Wireless Emergency Alert test, the agency added.
There are, however, three conditions which would prevent the cell phone alert from getting delivered to a device. If your phone is turned off, has airplane mode switched on, or is not connected or associated with a cell tower, then it did not receive the message.
Survivors of domestic violence and people in abusive relationships often have a secret or emergency phone that they don’t want their partner or others to know about. On a call with reporters Tuesday, a senior FEMA official said the agency was aware of these concerns stemming from survivors of domestic violence and their allies. The official recommended that people who do not want a secret phone to be revealed to turn their phone completely off ahead of the 2:20 pm ET test — and not to turn it back on for thirty minutes, or until after 2:50 pm ET.
If you wanted to be cautious, you could also wait until you are in a safe place before turning your phone back on.
Educators are braced themselves for some disruption this afternoon, as the test impacting cell phones occurred during school hours for most of the country.
On the call with reporters, the senior FEMA official recommended that educators, as much as possible, try to use this as a teaching opportunity about federal emergency management and preparedness initiatives.
The national test cannot be used to monitor, locate or lock your phone, FEMA has said. The test is also using broadcast technology and does not collect any of your data.
All cell phones should have received an alert and an accompanying text message that reads: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
The free text message was sent in either English or Spanish, depending on the language settings of your device. The text was accompanied by a unique tone and vibration that is meant to make the alert accessible to the entire public, including people with disabilities, FEMA has said.
The test was broadcast by cell towers for approximately 30 minutes beginning at 2:20 pm ET, FEMA said. During this time, all compatible wireless phones that were switched on, within range of an active cell tower, and whose wireless providers participates in WEA tests should have received the text message.
Although the test will be transmitting for approximately 30 minutes, you should only have received the alert message once.
Meanwhile, all radios and televisions also broadcast a test emergency alert at the same time as part of the broader test. This message, which ran for approximately one minute, stated: “This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, covering the United States from 14:20 to 14:50 hours ET. This is only a test. No action is required by the public.”
Can the emergency alert impact my body?
In short: No. There are a number of false claims circulating online with regard to the test alert, including some conspiracy theories that incorrectly allege the sound emitted as part of the national test can impact your body at the cellular level. This is false.
“FEMA is not aware of any adverse health effects caused by the audio signal,” the agency has stated.
And while this is a national test, it uses the same technology and infrastructure that state and local authorities rely on to send localized Amber Alerts or extreme weather warnings, a senior FEMA official emphasized to reporters on Tuesday. In a frequently asked question sheet released by FEMA ahead of Wednesday’s test, the agency stated: “The audio signal that will be used in the National Test is the same combination of audio tones that has been used since 1963 in the original Emergency Broadcast System.”
If you have a mobile phone that was switched on, not on airplane mode, within range of an active cell tower and on a network where wireless providers participate in Wireless Emergency Alerts then you should have received the test message on Wednesday afternoon by 2:50 pm ET.
If you are trying to figure out why you did not receive an alert when you should have, or have any other feedback on the test, members of the public can write to the email address: FEMA-National-Test@fema.dhs.gov.
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Google’s antitrust showdown: What’s at stake for the internet search titan | CNN Business
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Google will face off in court Tuesday against government officials who have accused the company of antitrust violations in its massive search business, kicking off a long-anticipated legal showdown that could reshape one of the internet’s most dominant platforms.
The trial beginning this week in Washington before a federal judge marks the culmination of two ongoing lawsuits against Google that started during the Trump administration. Legal experts describe the actions as the country’s biggest monopolization case since the US government took on Microsoft in the 1990s.
In separate complaints, the Justice Department and dozens of states accused Google in 2020 of abusing its dominance in online search by allegedly harming competition through deals with wireless carriers and smartphone makers that made Google Search the default or exclusive option on products used by millions of consumers. The complaints eventually consolidated into a single case.
Google has maintained that it competes on the merits and that consumers prefer its tools because they are the best, not because it has moved to illegally restrict competition. Google’s search business provides more than half of the $283 billion in revenue and $76 billion in net income Google’s parent company, Alphabet, recorded in 2022. Search has fueled the company’s growth to a more than $1.7 trillion market capitalization.
Now, the company is set to defend itself in a multiweek trial that could upend the way Google distributes its search engine to users. The case is expected to feature testimony from high-profile witnesses including former employees of Google and Samsung, along with executives from Apple, including senior vice president Eddy Cue. It is the first case to go to trial in a series of court challenges targeting Google’s far-reaching economic power, testing the willingness of courts to clamp down on large tech platforms.
“This is a backwards-looking case at a time of unprecedented innovation,” said Google President of Global Affairs Kent Walker, “including breakthroughs in AI, new apps and new services, all of which are creating more competition and more options for people than ever before. People don’t use Google because they have to — they use it because they want to. It’s easy to switch your default search engine — we’re long past the era of dial-up internet and CD-ROMs.”
The trial may also be a bellwether for the more assertive antitrust agenda of the Biden administration.
In its initial complaint, the US government alleged in part that Google pays billions of dollars a year to device manufacturers including Apple, LG, Motorola and Samsung — and browser developers like Mozilla and Opera — to be their default search engine and in many cases to prohibit them from dealing with Google’s competitors.
As a result, the complaint alleges, “Google effectively owns or controls search distribution channels accounting for roughly 80 percent of the general search queries in the United States.”
The lawsuit also alleges that Google’s Android operating system deals with device makers are anticompetitive, because they require smartphone companies to pre-install other Google-owned apps, such as Gmail, Chrome or Maps.
At the time the lawsuit was first filed, US antitrust officials did not rule out the possibility of a Google breakup, warning that Google’s behavior could threaten future innovation or the rise of a Google successor.
Separately, a group of states, led by Colorado, made additional allegations against Google, claiming that the way Google structures its search results page harms competition by prioritizing the company’s own apps and services over web pages, links, reviews and content from other third-party sites.
But the judge overseeing the case, Judge Amit Mehta in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, tossed out those claims in a ruling last month, narrowing the scope of allegations Google must defend and saying the states had not done enough to show a trial was necessary to determine whether Google’s search results rankings were anticompetitive.
Despite that ruling, the trial represents the US government’s furthest progress in challenging Google to date. Mehta has said Google’s pole position among search engines on browsers and smartphones “is a hotly disputed issue” and that the trial will determine “whether, as a matter of actual market reality, Google’s position as the default search engine across multiple browsers is a form of exclusionary Conduct.”
In January, meanwhile, the Biden administration launched another antitrust suit against Google in opposition to the company’s advertising technology business, accusing it of maintaining an illegal monopoly. That case remains in its early stages at the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
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iPhone 15 hits shelves around the world. Here’s what you need to know | CNN Business
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CNN
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Apple’s iPhone 15 lineup hit stores Friday as people waited in long lines across China, Europe and the US to be among the first to get their hands on one of the company’s next-generation smartphones.
Leading up to launch day, analysts at firms such as Wedbush Securities have reported iPhone 15 pre-orders tracking much stronger than originally expected, with a heavy demand on its premium iPhone 15 Pro offerings, especially the Pro Max. Delivery and shipment times have moved to late October through mid-November for various Pro models.
The new iPhones come as Apple’s sales fell for the third consecutive quarter last month. iPhone revenue came in at $39.7 billion for the quarter, marking an approximately 2% year-over-year decline, as people update their devices less often.
According to Wedbush estimates, about 250 million iPhones have not been upgraded in more than four years. Advancements made to the processor and camera system, along with discounts from mobile carriers, could be more than enough reason for people to finally upgrade this year.
The iPhone 15 Pro starts at $1,099, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at $1,199. Apple’s entry level iPhones, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, cost $799 and $899, respectively.
Here’s a closer look at what’s new:
The latest iPhones are packed with subtle but significant design changes. To start, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max now feature a titanium casing, allowing the design to be slimmer and thinner than before.
Other design changes on the premium models include a more-advanced 48 megapixel main camera with a larger sensor and a new telephoto lens for 5x optical zoom camera, exclusively on iPhone 15 Pro Max. The new Pro models’ design also features contoured edges and a customizable Action button, which gives the ring/silence button additional controls, from starting a voice memo to writing a note. The Pro line comes in four colors: white, black, natural and blue.
Meanwhile, the basic iPhone 15 phones now include updated image stabilization for taking photos and videos, 2x optimization and updated portraits with richer color and better low-light performance. They will also come with the “Dynamic Island” tool — home to alerts, notifications and other controls, in place of the notch — which were previously only available on the iPhone 14 Pro.
The iPhone 15 lineup also includes an Ultra-Wideband chip to power a handful of new features, including one that makes it easier to find friends who share their location in crowded areas.
The iPhone 15 comes in 5 colors (white, black, pink, green and yellow) and in two sizes: A 6.1-inch screen for the iPhone 15 and 6.7 inches for iPhone 15 Pro.
Perhaps the biggest change coming to the iPhone 15 models is that they will now use a USB-C charging cord, ending an 11-year run with Apple’s proprietary Lightning charging cable.
Now Apple customers can use the same USB-C chargers to power their iPhones, iPads and Mac computers — no more scrambling to find the right charger for each device. Apple said a dedicated USB-C controller will allow for transfer speeds of up to 20 times faster than with USB-2 technology for the iPhone 15 Pro.
The switch comes less than a year after the European Union voted to approve legislation to require smartphones, tablets, digital cameras, portable speakers and other small devices to support USB-C charging by 2024. The first-of-its-kind law aims to pare down the number of chargers and cables consumers must contend with when they purchase a new device, and to allow users to mix and match devices and chargers even if they were produced by different manufacturers.
Apple is also selling a $29 USB-C Lightning adapter to let people connect their existing Lightning accessories to a USB-C-enabled iPhone or iPad to charge or share data.
The company told CNN that iPhone users can recycle their old Lightning chargers via its in-store recycling program.
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6 takeaways from Apple’s iPhone 15 event | CNN Business
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CNN
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Apple unveiled its iPhone 15 lineup along with other major updates during its September keynote event on Tuesday.
The company announced it will switch to USB-C charging from its proprietary Lightning charging cable with the iPhone 15, marking a milestone for the company by adopting universal charging. The change aims to ultimately streamline the charging process across various devices — and brands.
The company also showed off its Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches, with new colors and features including gesture control, and a new iteration of its AirPods Pro wireless earbuds, also with USB-C charging.
The iPhone charger update, along with changes to its design and camera system, comes as Apple looks to give consumers more reasons to upgrade their iPhones. Last month, Apple’s sales fell for the third consecutive quarter. iPhone revenue came in at $39.7 billion for the quarter, marking an approximately 2% year-over-year decline, as people update their devices less often.
Apple on Tuesday said it will not raise prices for the iPhone 15 lineup, which could further incentivize users to upgrade.
Here are the main takeaways from Apple’s Tuesday event:
The latest iPhones are packed with subtle but significant design changes. To start, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max now feature a titanium casing, allowing the design to be slimmer and thinner than before.
Other design changes on the premium models include a more-advanced 48 megapixel main camera with a larger sensor and a new telephoto lens for 5x optical zoom camera, exclusively on iPhone 15 Pro Max. The new Pro models’ design also features contoured edges and a customizable Action button, which gives the ring/silence button additional controls, from starting a voice memo to writing a note.
Meanwhile, the basic iPhone 15 phones now include updated image stabilization for taking photos and videos, 2x optimization and updated portraits with richer color and better low-light performance. They will also come with the “Dynamic Island” tool – home to alerts, notifications and other controls, in place of the notch – which were previously only available on the iPhone 14 Pro.
The iPhone 15 lineup also includes an Ultra-Wideband chip to power a handful of new features, including one that makes it easier to find friends who share their location in crowded areas.
The iPhone 15 comes in 5 colors (white, black, pink, green and yellow) and in two sizes: A 6.1-inch screen for the iPhone 15 and 6.7 inches for iPhone 15 Pro.
The iPhone 15 will start at $799, and iPhone 15 Pro will start at $999. The iPhone 15 models will be available for pre-order on Friday and for sale in stores on Friday, September 22.
Perhaps the biggest change coming to the iPhone 15 models is that they will now use a USB-C charging cord, ending an 11-year run with Apple’s proprietary Lightning charging cable.
Now Apple customers can use the same USB-C chargers to power their iPhones, iPads and Mac computers — no more scrambling to find the right charger for each device. Apple said a dedicated USB-C controller will allow for transfer speeds of up to 20 times faster than with USB-2 technology for the iPhone 15 Pro.
The switch would come less than a year after the European Union voted to approve legislation to require smartphones, tablets, digital cameras, portable speakers and other small devices to support USB-C charging by 2024. The first-of-its-kind law aims to pare down the number of chargers and cables consumers must contend with when they purchase a new device, and to allow users to mix and match devices and chargers even if they were produced by different manufacturers.
Apple will also sell a $29 USB-C Lightning adapter to let people connect their existing Lightning accessories to a USB-C-enabled iPhone or iPad to charge or share data.
The company told CNN that iPhone users can recycle their old Lightning chargers via its in-store recycling program.
Apple kicked off Tuesday’s event by announcing the new Apple Watch Series 9, which features Apple’s in-house silicon chip and ultrawideband connectivity. The updated Apple Watch will let users log health data with their voice, use “name drop” to share contact information by touching another Apple Watch and raise their wrist to automatically brighten the display. The Series 9 will come in colors such as pink, navy, red, gold, silver and graphite.
Apple also showed off the second iteration of its rugged Ultra smartwatch line, featuring the updated S9 custom chip and a new UWB chip. It also features more information on the display for more intensive tracking.
The Apple Watch Series 9 will start at $399 and the Ultra is priced at $799. Customers can place orders today and they will be available on September 22.
Apple is introducing an innovative and unique way to control its new lineup of smartwatches. The Watch Series 9 and high-end Ultra 2 watch will include a new gesture control called Double Tap, allowing allow users to tap their index finger and thumb together twice, to answer or end phone calls, play and pause music, or snooze alarms. The hand gesture can also scroll through widgets, much like turning the digital crown.
The company said Double Tap is enabled by an enhanced neural engine that processes data from sensors and machine learning, and by monitoring the change in blood flow when two fingers are tapped together. It is available starting next month.
A similar hand tap will be used to control the Vision Pro mixed reality headset when it launches next year.
Apple’s next-generation software for the iPhone will be available to download starting on Monday, September 18. In June, the company showed off a slew of new tools coming to iOS 17, such as a more accurate autocorrect, a new feature called Live Voicemail that will transcribe a caller’s message in real time, and a NameDrop tool that lets users share their contact information by holding two iPhones close together. The iPhone’s phone app will also reposition the hang up button to the bottom right of the screen, next to other functions.
The update will also bring adaptive audio to the AirPods Pro, which will adjust the noise cancellation and volume based on a user’s surroundings, and introduce conversation mode, which customizes the sound of what you’re listening to and softens when you start speaking to someone nearby.
Lisa Jackson, Apple’s VP of environment, policy and social initiatives, said that the company’s Watch Series 9 will be Apple’s “first-ever carbon-neutral product,” thanks to efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and to offset emissions with carbon buybacks. She said this has been certified by an independent third-party.
Doubling down on sustainability initiatives, Jackson also said the tech giant will no longer use leather in any new Apple product, including watch bands.
Instead of leather, Apple said it will begin using a new textile that it is calling “fine woven.”
Fine woven will be made of 68% post-consumer recycled content, giving it a significantly lower carbon footprint than leather, Apple said.
“Beyond expected improved performance and incremental innovation embedded into Apple’s new products, it is great to see Apple communicate on sustainability as a new competitive advantage — especially with Apple’s first carbon neutral products,” Forrester Principal Analyst Thomas Husson said in emailed commentary following the event.
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Google unveils Pixel 8 built for ‘the generative AI era’ | CNN Business
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There’s nothing particularly new about Google’s latest-generation Pixel 8 smartphone hardware. That’s why the company is pushing hard to tout its AI-powered new software, which Google says was built specifically for the “first phone of the generative AI era.”
At a press event in New York City, Google
(GOOG) showed off the new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro devices, which largely look the same as the year prior, albeit with more rounded edges. But inside, its new G3 Tensor chip unlocks an AI-powered world aimed at simplifying your life, from asking the device to summarize news articles and websites to using Google
(GOOG) Assistant to field phone calls and tweaking photos to move or resize objects.The 6.3-inch Pixel 8 and the 6.7-inch Pixel 8 Pro comes with a brighter display, new camera system and longer-lasting battery life. The Pixel 8 is available in three colors – hazel, rose and obsidian – and starts at $699, about $100 less than the baseline iPhone 14 with the same amount of storage. (That’s about $100 more than last year’s Pixel 7).
Meanwhile, the Pixel 8 Pro – which touts a polished aluminum frame and a matte back glass this year – now has the ability to take better low-light photos and sharper selfies. It starts at $999 – the same price as the iPhone 15 Pro – and is available in three colors: bay, porcelain and obsidian.
Although these upgrades are mostly incremental, the AI enhancements and related features may appeal to tech enthusiasts who want the latest version of Android and an alternative to Apple or Samsung smartphones.
At the same time, Google’s Pixel line remains a niche product. Its global market share for smartphones remains about 1%, according to data from ABI Research. Google also limits sales to only a handful of countries, so keeping the volume low has been strategic as Google remains predominantly a software company with many partners running Android.
Reece Hayden, an analyst at ABI Research, said Google is looking to establish itself as an early market leader amid the “generative AI-related hysteria,” which kicked into high gear late last year with the introduction of ChatGPT. Generative AI refers to a type of artificial intelligence that can create new content, such as text and images, in response to user prompts.
“[Adding it to the Pixel] creates further product differentiation by leveraging internal capabilities that Apple may not have,” said Hayden.
He expects this announcement to be the first of many similar efforts coming to hardware over the next year, especially among brands who’ve already made investments in this area.
Here’s a closer look at what Google announced and some of the standout new AI features:
Google showed off a handful of photo features coming to its Pixel line, including Magic Editor which uses generative AI to reposition and resize a subject. Similarly, a new Audio Magic Eraser tool that lets users erase distracting sounds from videos.
Another tool called Best Take snaps a series of photos and then aggregates the faces into one shot so everyone looks their best. And a a new Zoom enhanced feature lets users pinch to zoom in about 30 times after a photo is taken to focus in on and edit a specific area.
The company said these efforts aim to “let you capture every moment just how you want to remember it.”
Although the tools intend to give users more control over their photos, some analysts like Thomas Husson at market research firm Forrester believe it will be harder to distinguish between what’s real and what’s not.
“The fact that Google refers to a ‘Magic Eraser’ will blur the distinction between real photos and heavily edited ones,” Husson said. But he warns an uptick in deepfake apps already makes it hard to decipher the authenticity of some shots. “You don’t really need Google AI for that.”
The company said Google Assistant will now sound more realistic when it engages with callers. Google’s screen call tool already lets Assistant field incoming calls, speak to callers and determine who’s on the line before pushing it through to the user. But its robotic voice will sound increasing more natural, the company said.
Google is also bringing the capabilities of its Bard AI chatbot to Google Assistant, so it will be able to do more than set an alarm or tell the weather. With its new generative AI capabilities, it will be able to review important emails in a user’s inbox or reveal more about a hotel that popped up on their Instagram feed. Assistant will also be able to understand user questions in voice, text and images.
“With generative AI on the scene, it’s really creating a lot of new opportunities to build an even more intuitive and intelligent and personalized digital assistant,” Sissie Hsiao, general manager for Google Assistant and Bard, told CNN.
In addition to making Assistant more useful, the tool will make it easier for more users to interact with Google’s six-month-old Bard on interfaces they may already frequently engage with. Last month, Google rolled out a major expansion of Bard, allowing users to link the tool to their Gmail and other Google Workspace tools and making it easier to fact check the AI’s responses.
Google launched Assistant with Bard to a small test group on Wednesday, and it will be more widely available to Android and iOS users in the coming months.
AI is also getting smarter on the Pixel Watch 2 ($349), its second-generation smartwatch. Users can use Bard capabilities via an upgraded Google Assistant watch app to ask it how they slept and get other health insights.
In addition, the Pixel 2 features a new heart rate sensor, which works alongside a new AI-driven heart rate algorithm, to provide a more accurate heart rate reading than before. But Hayden said he doesn’t think more AI will add too much more to its existing value proposition.
“Smart watches already include a fair amount of AI, and Pixel is no different,” he said.
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Apple to issue iPhone 12 update in France after sales halted over radiation levels | CNN Business
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Paris
CNN
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Apple plans to update iPhone12 software for users in France after the country’s regulators ordered a pause on sales of the 2020 model over radiation concerns.
“We will issue a software update for users in France to accommodate the protocol used by French regulators. We look forward to iPhone 12 continuing to be available in France,” an Apple (AAPL) spokesperson told CNN Friday.
France’s National Frequency Agency, the ANFR, ordered Tuesday an immediate withdrawal of the iPhone 12 from the French market, saying it exceeded European radiation exposure limits. The ANFR also ruled that for iPhone 12s already in use, Apple must adopt “all necessary corrective measures to bring the telephones into conformity as soon as possible” or it would have to recall the devices.
Apple told CNN Friday that the suspension of sales was related “to a specific testing protocol used by French regulators and not a safety concern.”
“Since it was introduced in 2020, iPhone 12 has been certified and recognized as meeting or exceeding all applicable SAR regulations and standards around the world,” Apple said.
SAR is a measure of the rate of energy absorption by the body from the source being measured, according to the French regulator. But experts and regulators generally say not to worry.
“After discussions and as requested by the ANFR, Apple has assured me that it will be rolling out an update for the iPhone 12 in the next few days,” France’s minister for the digital economy Jean-Noel Barrot posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Friday.
The French regulator is preparing to rapidly test this update, “which will eventually bring the model in line with the European standards applied in France” and subsequently allow Apple to resume sales, he added.
The sales suspension came on the same day Apple unveiled the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Pro, its newest iterations of the iconic product, at its annual keynote event in California.
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