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| Here’s a look at today's tech briefing: - China orders telecoms to replace foreign chips, hurting AMD and Intel.
- Microsoft testing ads in Windows 11 Start menu.
- Anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim X accounts gain followers.
- Apple to bring AI to Macs with M4 chip.
- Google One to phase out VPN.
Beth
p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | China ordered its major telecoms to replace foreign chips, delivering a blow to U.S.-based Intel and AMD. Beijing has been pushing to switch from Western to domestic technologies amid U.S.-China tensions and tighter U.S. tech export rules. More: - Chinese officials have ordered major state-owned carriers like China Mobile to replace foreign chips with local ones, per the WSJ.
- Beijing has also blocked Intel and AMD microprocessors from its government PCs and servers.
- Chinese governments must also replace Microsoft Windows and foreign database software with domestic alternatives.
Zoom out: - Telecom carriers in China have already been adopting local chips as their quality and performance improve.
- Still, the changes potentially jeopardize billions in sales for the U.S. companies.
- China accounted for 27% of Intel's $54B in revenue last year, making it its biggest market.
- AMD generated 15% of its revenue from China last year, per the WSJ.
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| 2 | | Microsoft confirmed that it's testing ads in the Windows 11 Start menu. The test is limited to previewers in the U.S. Microsoft introduced Start menu ad promos with Windows 10 but excluded them from Windows 11 until now. More: - Microsoft will now suggest apps from the Microsoft Store in the Start menu's "Recommended" section, which shows file recommendations.
- The ads will only appear for Windows Insiders, who preview new features in the OS, in the U.S. beta channel.
- The ads will not appear for commercial devices, Microsoft said.
- The default ads can be turned off in Windows 11 Settings.
Zoom out: - The Verge notes Microsoft is gathering feedback and could remove the ads from Windows 11 development builds if it's too negative.
- For over a decade, Microsoft has been exploring ads within Windows. Last year, it experimented with ads in the File Explorer of Windows 11 but removed them in beta versions.
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| 3 | | A new report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) shows a sharp increase in followers for X accounts posting anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim hate speech. The follower numbers jumped after the start of the Israel-Gaza conflict on October 7. 
What the numbers show: In the four months after October 7, 10 major hate speech accounts collectively gained 4 million followers — a four-fold jump from the previous four months, according to the CCDH, which studies hate speech online. Example: Jackson Hinkle, a U.S. conservative influencer, experienced an 8.3x increase in followers, gaining over 2 million followers after October 7. What it means: The CCDH argues the accounts have expanded their reach on X by posting hate speech about the Gaza conflict. X profits by displaying ads from major brands alongside the hate speech, the group says. Hinkle and others have also received payments through X via ad revenue sharing and subscriptions. Meanwhile, X owner Elon Musk has said he would protect all forms of free speech on X. Context: Musk and the CCDH have a history of animosity. Since acquiring Twitter, now X, Musk has revoked bans on legacy accounts, including those of white supremacists and neo-Nazis. Last month, a judge dismissed X's lawsuit against the CCDH, which has published research saying X is "toxic" and has allowed racist and homophobic posts. X claimed the CCDH led a "scare campaign" that drove away advertisers and led to a loss of millions of dollars in revenue. But the judge ruled that X's goal with the suit was "about punishing" CCDH. The group claims X fails to take action against most hate posts from its paid subscribers and has algorithmically boosted toxic tweets. | | | |
| 4 | | Apple plans to update its entire Mac line with new M4 processors focused on AI capabilities. Apple is expected to launch the updated computers starting late this year through early next year. More: - Apple is "nearing production" on the M4 chip, which boasts advanced AI-processing capabilities.
- The chip could arrive in new iMacs, Mac minis, high-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, and a low-end 14-inch MacBook Pro.
- It would be available in three tiers: the entry-level Donan, mid-tier Brava, and high-performance Hidra chip.
Zoom out: - Amid slowing PC sales, manufacturers are pivoting to "AI PCs," a new category of laptops and desktops optimized to run AI applications locally instead of in the cloud.
- Chinese tech giant Huawei just announced its first AI-powered PC using Intel's latest chipset.
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| 5 | | Google said it will phase out its VPN service in Google One later this year due to low usage. Instead, Google will direct cloud users to alternative third-party virtual private networks, such as NordVPN and ExpressVPN. More: - Launched in 2020, Google One's VPN has been available on Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows.
- Google says it's ending the privacy service because "people simply weren't using it."
- The company will now shift resources toward "more in-demand features" for Google One, its subscription cloud storage service.
- The company recently rolled out a $20 AI tier for One featuring its advanced chatbot in Gmail, Docs, Slides, Sheets, and more.
Zoom out: - The service joins the "Google Graveyard," alongside products like Google Podcasts and DropCam.
- Meanwhile, VPN usage has been on the rise. In Texas, searches for "VPN" surged over four times after Pornhub blocked access there last month over a new state verification law.
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| 6 | | Google will remove links to California news websites for a small number of users. The move comes as the state considers a bill that would require tech giants to pay news outlets for content. The California Journalism Competition and Preservation Act is pending in the state legislature. More: - Under the bill, Google and Facebook would have to pay for linking Californians to news stories.
- Google said it's now temporarily restricting access to local news content for some state residents.
- The short-term test impacts "a small percentage of California users."
- "We have long said that this is the wrong approach to supporting journalism," Jaffer Zaidi, a Google news VP, wrote in a blog post.
- The tech giant is also halting publisher payments in the state across its News Showcase, Google News Initiative, and other services.
Zoom out: - Bill supporters argue it would help publishers get a fairer share of profits and offer a much-needed boost to the struggling journalism industry.
- Google counters that the company already boosts publisher traffic and claims the law could harm local newspapers while benefiting big media.
- The bill echoes laws in Australia and Canada that led Meta to remove news content there. The links were reinstated in Australia but remain blocked in Canada.
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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 publications including USA Today, the Arizona Business Gazette, and The Arizona Republic, where she received recognition with a Pulitzer Prize nomination and a First Amendment Award for collaborative reporting on state pension cost increases. You can reach her at Beth.Duckett@yahoo.com. | | This newsletter was edited by Beth Duckett | |
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