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| Welcome to Inside Tech! Here are today's top stories: - The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear Texas and Florida social media cases.
- Netflix is mailing out its last DVD today.
- OpenAI and former Apple designer Jony Ive are seeking to create the "iPhone of AI."
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p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to rule on the constitutionality of Texas and Florida's laws that restrict social media content moderation. The case carries significant implications for online speech and the battle between Republican-led states and Big Tech over what they consider as "censorship." More: - Texas and Florida passed the laws in 2021 following the ban of former President Donald Trump from Twitter due to his inflammatory posts related to the 2020 election results and Capitol riots.
- While Republican lawmakers said the laws help safeguard conservative viewpoints, tech companies and groups like NetChoice and CCIA argue that they violate their free speech rights.
- The Supreme Court will decide whether the laws can limit social media companies from removing specific political posts or accounts.
- The Biden administration has also asked the Court to consider if these laws violate the tech companies' First Amendment rights.
- After oral arguments, Justices are expected to deliver a decision by spring 2024.
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| 2 | | France is set to lift its iPhone 12 sales ban after approving Apple's radiation-reducing iOS update. While the iPhone 12 is no longer sold as new on Apple's website, the ban has impacted second-hand sales. More: - Earlier this month, France banned iPhone 12 sales due to higher-than-permitted electromagnetic radiation detected from the devices.
- While Apple argued that the phone had passed international radiation safety standards, the company agreed to develop a software update to address the government's concerns.
- After testing the iPhone 12's specific absorption rate (radio wave emissions) following the update, France's L'Agence Nationale des Fréquences, or ANFR, confirmed that the phone now complies with the country's standards.
- Apple hasn't said when the update will become available.
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| 3 | | Netflix is discontinuing its DVD rental service and will mail out its last DVD today. Since sending out its inaugural DVD, "Beetlejuice," in 1998, Netflix has delivered 5.2 billion DVDs to more than 40 million customers. However, the number of DVD subscribers has declined significantly over the years. As of December 31, 2019, Netflix had about 2.15 million DVD subscribers in the U.S., a sharp drop from 11.17 million in 2011. 
Details: Netflix co-founders Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings, who came up with the DVD-by-mail concept in 1997, acknowledged that they always knew DVDs would eventually become obsolete due to streaming technology. DVD rentals paved the path for Netflix to launch streaming on-demand in 2007, and by 2009, it had become the company's flagship service. What the numbers show: Netflix's decision to discontinue DVD rentals is due to the shrinking demand for physical media. The company's DVD business accounted for only 0.6% of its revenue in 2021. Promos: As a parting gift for DVD subscribers, Netflix will let members keep any discs they still have, and some customers may receive up to 10 extra red envelopes from their queue as part of a "finale surprise" promo. While there will be no charges for unreturned discs, Netflix will accept DVD returns until October 27. Q: Do you have any memorable experiences or stories related to Netflix's DVD rental service? Be a part of the discussion here. | | | |
| 4 | | Former Apple designer Jony Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are said to be exploring an AI-powered smartphone with over $1B in backing from Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son, per the Financial Times. Ive's design agency, LoveFrom, would develop the "iPhone of artificial intelligence," with the goal of creating "a more natural and intuitive user experience for interacting with AI." More: - To develop the phone, Son, Altman, and Ive are considering creating a joint venture that would use talent and technology from their companies.
- SoftBank is reportedly committing over $1B to the project, with Son actively participating in the talks.
- He also proposed a key role for Arm, the chip designer in which SoftBank holds a 90% stake.
- While no deal is confirmed, the discussions are said to be "serious."
Zoom out: - As reported by Gizmodo, an AI-focused smartphone could help with the consumer fatigue caused by new phones with only minor upgrades over the last few years.
- 2023 is on track to be the weakest year for worldwide smartphone shipments in a decade, according to preliminary figures from Counterpoint Research.
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| 5 | | Google will announce its latest Pixel devices during its hardware event on October 4. The "Made By Google" event takes place in New York City and will be livestreamed starting at 7 a.m. PT on YouTube and the Google Store site. More: - Google's event is expected to introduce the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro flagship models, along with the updated Pixel Watch 2.
- Leaks indicate that the Pixel 8 Pro will feature a 6.7-inch screen, matching the Pixel 7 Pro.
- The base Pixel 8 is expected to sport a 6.17-inch screen, smaller than the previous 6.3-inch model.
- A spec sheet hints at both smartphones running on Google's new Tensor G3 chip with 8GB of RAM.
- The models will likely have upgraded cameras, staggered HDR, and AI-powered features like Magic Editor.
- According to 9to5Google, the Pixel 8 is expected to cost $699, up from the $599 of the Pixel 7, while the Pixel 8 Pro will come with a $999 price tag, up from $899.
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| 6 | | Amazon Bedrock, the company's suite of generative AI tools, is now generally available for businesses to build their own AI applications. The toolkit features foundation models for text and images from AI21 Labs, Anthropic, Stability AI, and other third parties, along with Amazon's own Titan large language models. More: - Bedrock offers access to pre-trained machine learning models from top AI companies through a single API.
- AWS customers can use the toolkit to build apps on the cloud-hosted models and customize them using their own data.
- Examples include AI agents for tasks like travel booking and inventory management.
- Amazon Bedrock will also add access to Meta's Llama 2, specifically the 13 billion and 70 billion parameter models, in the coming weeks.
Zoom out: - Amazon first introduced a limited Bedrock preview in April to select AWS customers, including C3.ai, Accenture, Deloitte, and Pegasystems.
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 | AI and technology writer | | Beth is an editor and writer of Inside's AI and Tech newsletters, with a career spanning journalism since 2007. She has written for publications including The Arizona Republic and USA Today and authored a book on the solar industry in 2016. Reach her at Beth.Duckett@yahoo.com. | | This newsletter was edited by Eduardo Garcia | |
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