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| Here's a look at today's Tech briefing: - GTA 6 trailer sets YouTube record after early release.
- Hackers access profiles of 6.9 million 23andMe customers.
- Apple seeks exemption from India's USB-C charging rules for older phones.
- Meta to end Instagram and Facebook cross messaging.
Beth
p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | The first trailer for "Grand Theft Auto VI," released early due to a leak, set a new record for most views on a non-music YouTube video in 24 hours. Rockstar Games surprised fans by releasing the GTA 6 trailer on Monday, a day earlier than expected. The developer also revealed a 2025 release window for the game. More: - The trailer was first leaked from the @Gta6trailerleak account on X, which has since suspended that account.
- Rockstar Games, a subsidiary of publisher Take-Two Interactive Software, released the trailer on YouTube shortly after.
- The footage showed the game set in a contemporary version of Florida, with the series' first playable female character named Lucia.
- The trailer could also break the single-day YouTube viewership record for all videos, which is held by BTS for their 2020 "Dynamite" video, which garnered 101 million views in 24 hours.
Zoom out: - The early reveal reportedly disappointed some investors hoping for an earlier launch of the game. Shares of Take-Two fell 2% on Tuesday
- When it does release, GTA 6 is expected to significantly boost Take Two's revenue.
- Its predecessor, Grand Theft Auto V, is the second best-selling video game, with over 190 million copies sold to date.
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| 2 | | 23andMe says hackers compromised the personal data of 6.9 million profiles, higher than initially reported. Following the October breach, personal data such as ancestry reports and DNA information appeared for sale on an online hacking forum. More: - Initially, hackers reused old usernames and passwords from other sites to access the personal information of around 14,000 profiles, or 0.1% of all 23andMe accounts.
- On Monday, 23andMe revealed that the breach allowed hackers to further access the personal data of 6.9 million more profiles via a feature called DNA Relatives, which connects users with genetic relatives.
- Users had the option to participate in DNA Relatives and share specific information with potential close matches.
- Hackers accessed data from 5.5 million DNA Relatives profiles, as well as the Family Tree profile information of another 1.4 million customers taking part in DNA Relatives.
- Altogether, it represents about half of 23andMe's 14 million profiles.
Zoom out: - 23andMe is now notifying all affected customers and requiring all users to change their passwords and set up two-step verification.
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| 3 | Apple is asking India to grant exemptions for older iPhones from a rule that will require universal USB-C charging ports. India's rule will require all smartphones sold in the country to have USB-C by June 2025. More: - While Apple now offers USB-C in its latest iPhone 15, India's regulation could potentially require Apple to adopt USB-C for older iPhone models.
- According to Reuters, Apple has told the Indian government that the rule could hinder its ability to meet local production targets outlined in India's production-linked incentive (PLI) program.
- Apple reportedly told India that it cannot modify the design of the older phones to include the port.
- Unless it gains the exception, Apple has said it would need 18 months to comply.
Zoom out: - Indian consumers tend to choose older iPhone models like the iPhone 12 and 13, which Apple manufactures in India to comply with the PLI scheme.
- With the new rule, India follows in the footsteps of the European Union, which will require all smartphones sold within the bloc to have a USB-C port by late December 2024.
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| 4 | | Meta is ending the cross-platform integration of Instagram and Facebook's messaging service. From mid-December, users will no longer be able to chat with Facebook accounts on Instagram. More: - Meta introduced the feature in 2020, adding a Messenger experience in Instagram DMs for people to message and call a Facebook account from an Instagram account and vice versa.
- Once it's discontinued, Instagram users will not be able to start new chats or calls with Facebook friends.
- Existing chats will stay in one app and won't transfer to the other.
- People will still be able to message and call contacts on Facebook, Instagram, or Messenger, a spokesperson noted.
Zoom out: - According to 9to5Google, the move could be a response to the EU's new Digital Markets Act (DMA), which requires big tech platforms to make their messaging platforms interoperable with other outside messaging platforms.
- Meta could also be shifting its focus away from Messenger, though this seems unlikely considering its status as the most used messenger brand in the U.S.
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| 5 | | IBM revealed a new quantum computing chip and a quantum computer that could serve as foundations for bigger and more powerful systems in the coming years. The computer, called Quantum System Two, is made up of several of the new processors, known as "Heron." More: - Quantum System Two, IBM's first modular quantum computer, in now operational in Yorktown Heights, New York, supporting control electronics.
- It uses three cryogenically cooled Heron chips, each containing 133 qubits, representing a 3-5x improvement in performance compared to IBM's current 127-qubit Eagle processors.
- According to IBM, the devices represent new chip-to-chip and machine-to-machine connection methods.
- When combined with a new error-correction code, they could result in more robust quantum machines by 2033.
Zoom out: - Two years ago, IBM unveiled the Eagle, its largest quantum processor at the time, with 127 qubits.
- Information in quantum computers is represented by quantum bits or qubits that are "entangled" with others in the processor.
- In classical computers, bits must be either 1 or 0, but qubits can be both at the same time, giving them vastly more power.
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| 6 | | Google has delayed the launch of its AI model Gemini to early 2024, according to The Information. The GPT-4 competitor, originally scheduled to launch next week, has faced issues with non-English queries, forcing CEO Sundar Pichai to delay its debut, the publication reported. More: - Launch events in New York, Washington, and California have been silently rescheduled to early 2024 due to concerns about Gemini's responses to non-English prompts.
- Gemini, built on DeepMind's AlphaGo AI system, is multimodal and capable of generating both images and text in multiple languages.
- According to Google, Gemini will be available in different sizes and capabilities.
- Other Google products, like Bard, Assistant, and Docs, are expected to benefit from Gemini's AI capabilities.
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| 7 | | QUICK HITS - The Kubernetes Cookbook is your comprehensive companion equipping you with the knowledge and techniques to harness the full potential of Kubernetes.*
- The accounts of some PlayStation Network users were restored as of Tuesday after being permanently suspended, with no explanation from Sony.
- Bitcoin surged past $43,000 on Tuesday, hitting its highest level since April 2022.
- Drugmaker AstraZeneca has signed an up to $247M deal with AI biologics firm Absci to design a new antibody to fight cancer.
- Ecosia, the largest non-profit search engine, launched a "green filter" search chatbot that offers "more sustainable" answers and results.
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 | AI and technology writer | | Beth is a contributing editor and writer of Inside's AI and Tech newsletters. She has written for notable publications like USA Today and the Arizona Business Gazette. During her time as a public policy reporter at The Arizona Republic, she received recognition with a Pulitzer Prize nomination and a First Amendment Award for her collaborative reporting on pension cost increases. Beth also authored a book on the solar photovoltaic industry in 2016. You can reach her at Beth.Duckett@yahoo.com. | | This newsletter was edited by Eduardo Garcia | |
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