| Welcome to Monday's Inside Tech newsletter! Today's edition features our weekly question: How do you feel about the concentration of power in only a few tech giants? Here's a quick rundown of the top stories: - Sony and Microsoft sign 10-year deal to keep "Call of Duty" on PlayStation.
- Twitter is dealing with negative cash flow due to a drop in ad revenue.
- Tesla's first Cybertruck was built at Giga Texas.
- A 2007-era iPhone sold for a record amount at auction.
Stay tuned for more tech news and updates! Beth
p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | What happened: Microsoft and Sony inked a deal to keep "Call of Duty" on PlayStation consoles following Microsoft's $69B acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Details: Microsoft's purchase of Activision was recently cleared by a U.S. appeals court. Negotiations are taking place with the U.K.'s Markets and Competition Authority, the only remaining regulator opposing the mega-deal, and the Sony agreement could potentially help Microsoft clear that last regulatory hurdle. Microsoft and Activision want to complete the merger by their deadline of Tuesday, July 18. Why it matters: Regulators have been worried about Microsoft making Activision's games, like "Call of Duty," exclusive to Xbox. Sony, the top revenue earner in console gaming, initially opposed the merger but has now committed to the 10-year agreement with Microsoft, which already has similar deals with Nintendo and Nvidia. 
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| 2 | | Elon Musk, owner of Twitter, confirmed that the platform is still facing negative cash flow due to a 50% decline in ad revenue and significant debt. In a tweet, Musk said the company needs to achieve positive cash flow before addressing anything else. More: - Previously, Musk said most advertisers who had left the platform after his takeover had either returned or said they would do so.
- He didn't specify the timeframe for the 50% drop in ad revenue.
- He has previously said Twitter was on track to post $3B in revenue in 2023, down from $5.1B in 2021.
By the numbers: - Sensor Tower, a research firm, estimates that ad spending on Twitter dropped 89% to $7.6M over a two-month period.
- Before Musk acquired Twitter, the top 10 advertisers had spent $71M on ads between September and October.
- The company has annual interest payments of about $1.5B due to the debt incurred during Musk's privatization of Twitter for $44B.
Source: Insider Intelligence
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| 3 | | Tesla's first Cybertruck has finally been built and rolled off the assembly line at the company's Giga Texas factory. The all-electric pickup was first unveiled nearly four years ago and has undergone multiple production delays. More: - The Cybertruck was initially slated for production in 2020-21 but faced delays due to component shortages and the pandemic.
- Its stainless steel frame and next-generation battery have also been contributed to production bottlenecks.
- Full volume manufacturing is expected in 2024, though limited production could begin as early as this summer.
- Tesla has received more than 1.5 million pre-orders for the Cybertruck, and Elon Musk plans to produce up to a quarter-million per year, based on demand.
Source: Tesla | | | |
| 4 | | Apple's M3-powered Macs could debut as early as October, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He says that Apple's most advanced in-house silicon could be featured in new versions of the iMac, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro. More: - In September, Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 15 lineup along with new Apple Watches.
- Gurman predicts a second product launch focused on new Macs in October.
- The M3 silicon, built on TSMC's 3nm process, is anticipated to offer significant performance and power efficiency gains over the 5nm-based M2 chip
- While the first recipients of the M3 chip will likely be the next iMac, 13-inch MacBook Air, and a 13-inch MacBook Pro, higher-end MacBook Pros and desktops are expected to come later.
Zoom out: - New 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are expected in early 2024, featuring M3 Pro and M3 Max chips.
- Meanwhile, Apple's M3-powered iPad Pro with an OLED screen could arrive next year.
- Gurman previously reported that Apple is developing a 32-inch iMac that would not be released until 2024, at the earliest.
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| 5 | | An unopened original iPhone recently set a new record at auction, selling for $190,373. The 4GB model, considered extremely rare, was only available for a limited time. More: - LCG Auctions facilitated the sale, which received 28 bids and reached over 300 times its original price of $599.
- The final bid far exceeded the estimated range of $50,000 to $100,000.
- The seller, a member of the original Apple engineering team, added to the device's provenance.
- The 4GB model was discontinued shortly after its release in June 2007, making it highly sought after.
Zoom out: - The sale follows other high-value auctions of first-generation iPhones this year.
- In February, LCG Auctions sold an 8GB factory-sealed iPhone for $63,356.
- Another iPhone, put up for sale by RR Auction on behalf of an ex-Apple employee, went for $54,904 in March.
iPhone First Generation 8GB | | | |
| 6 | | Google has expanded its Bard AI chatbot to the European Union and Brazil, offering new features, including support for over 40 languages. Europe is one of the last regions to access Bard, Google's competitor to ChatGPT. More: - The delay was primarily caused by uncertainties surrounding compliance with the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), according to Google.
- Besides the wider rollout, Bard can now speak answers out loud to users, helping with things like word pronunciation, as well as responding to prompts of images.
- Users can also customize the tone and style of responses, pin and rename conversations, and share responses with friends.
Zoom out: - The expansion could boost Bard's name recognition and visibility, giving it a stronger edge in the competition against Microsoft-backed rival OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT.
- According to Vox Media and The Verge's latest Trust Survey, nearly 60% of people surveyed had used or heard of ChatGPT, versus only 38% for Bard.
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| 7 | | 
Community Corner Last week, we asked our tech community, "How comfortable/uncomfortable are you with the idea of AI being integrated into aspects of our daily lives?" Here are some highlighted responses we received: - Alan R Newton (p/alan-newton), COO / Co-Founder at virtual, answered: "Part of the broader concern with its now widespread proliferation is the amount of garbage content that is flooding the various channels we interact on. Now 'everyone' is a content producer and an 'expert'. Only they're not. Cutting through the noise will be more difficult than ever but it will reward the truly unique and innovative content producers."
- James Spurway (p/james-spurway), Co-Founder at Indochina Consulting, answered: "In my humble opinion, the visible or noticeable difference that AI will make to our daily lives will for now be felt in developed economies, and even then, it will likely be in certain industries and not across the board. I think the reality will start to hit home when for example AI becomes a part of our children's lives and even curriculum and activities at school. At some point, it becomes the new normal, and the anxiety level starts to subside. Until then, we are right to question whether there are dangers (negatives) that come with AI that we should be vigilant about."
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- Russia's trade ministry has barred government employees from using Apple devices for official work use. Other agencies have already introduced bans or are expected to soon.
- Ford has slashed the prices for all versions of its electric F-150 Lightning pickup. The cheapest model now starts at around $50,000, a price cut of about $10,000.
- Roblox is facing criticism from current and former employees for failed efforts in hiring and promoting women and people of color, according to Bloomberg. Internal metrics reveal a significant gender imbalance, with both executives and employees heavily favoring men.
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 | AI and technology writer | | Beth is a writer and editor at Inside.com covering artificial intelligence and daily technology news. She has written the Inside AI newsletter since 2019. You can reach her at Beth.Duckett@inside.com. | | This newsletter was edited by Eduardo Garcia | |
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