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| Here’s a look at today's tech briefing: - Apple Store workers in Maryland vote to authorize strike.
- Permira to buy Squarespace for $6.6B.
- Apple to sell Vision Pro outside of the U.S.
- Amazon and Microsoft invest in France.
- OpenAI announces latest AI model.
Beth
p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | Workers at Apple's first unionized store in Towson, Maryland, voted to authorize a strike. The workers said they're seeking higher wages that better align with the local cost of living, along with changes to "unpredictable scheduling" affecting their personal lives. More: - The workers voted last Saturday to authorize the first strike against Apple's retail operations.
- The union said it engaged in "over a year of negotiations with Apple management that yielded unsatisfactory outcomes."
- In response, Apple said it it "proud" to offer its team members "industry-leading compensation and exceptional benefits."
- No date has been set yet for the work stoppage.
Zoom out: - Apple's Towson store, along with one in Oklahoma City, are the two U.S. locations that have successfully unionized.
- On Saturday, an Apple store in New Jersey voted against unionization.
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| 2 | | Private equity firm Permira will buy website builder Squarespace for $6.6B in cash. Permira agreed to pay Squarespace shareholders $44 per share, a 29% premium over the stock's 90-day weighted average. More: - Squarespace began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021, though its shares have remained mostly flat since the debut.
- The website development firm said going private will give it increased flexibility and resources.
- CEO Anthony Casalena, along with major investors Accel and General Atlantic, have approved the Permira buyout.
- Casalena will remain one of the largest shareholders and continue as CEO and board chairman after the deal closes.
Zoom out: - Squarespace, founded in 2004, offers a no-code platform for small and medium businesses (SMEs) and freelancers to create websites, blogs, and online stores.
- Nearly half of U.S. SMEs use Squarespace for online sales and operations, with about 28% considering it their primary platform, according to a PYMNTS Intelligence and Enigma report.
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| 3 | | Apple will start selling its mixed-reality headset outside of the U.S. The company has flown hundreds of international store employees to Cupertino, California, to train them how to demonstrate the $3,499 Vision Pro to customers. More: - Employees from Apple stores in Australia, China, Germany, France, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore are participating in the training sessions.
- Apple hasn't specified which international markets will get the Vision Pro.
- In March, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the headset would be available in mainland China sometime this year.
Zoom out: - The company first launched the mixed-reality device in the U.S. on Feb. 2.
- Launching the Vision Pro overseas could significantly boost its sales, which have been underperforming.
- While Apple doesn't specify exact headset sales, its Wearables, Home & Accessories segment saw a 9.7% YoY drop in revenue last quarter, the first quarter to include the Vision Pro purchases.
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| 4 | | Amazon and Microsoft announced separate multibillion-dollar investments in France's cloud and AI sectors. The investments were unveiled at today's Choose France Summit, a pro-business event created by French President Emmanuel Macron. Microsoft: - Microsoft will invest 4 billion euros ($4.3B) in France to expand and build new data centers, cloud, and AI infrastructure.
- The company plans to bring 25,000 advanced GPUs to the country by the end of 2025
- Microsoft also will train 1 million people in AI and support 2,500 AI startups by 2027.
Amazon: - Separately, Amazon said it would invest 1.2 billion euros ($1.3B) in France to expand its AI offerings and logistics network to speed up deliveries.
- The investment will boost AWS cloud infrastructure around Paris and logistics infrastructure in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
- The plan will create 3,000 permanent jobs in France, it said.
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| 5 | | OpenAI announced GPT-4o, the latest AI model to power its ChatGPT chatbot. GPT-4o, with an "o" for "Omni," surpasses its predecessor GPT-4 in real-time processing of text, audio, and video. More: - GPT-4o offers a similar level of intelligence as GPT-4 but operates more quickly.
- In addition to text, the system can reply with audio and images.
- It also features enhanced personality and conversational abilities compared to previous versions.
Zoom out: - In demos, OpenAI showed GPT-4o translating speech in real-time, solving math equations, and attempting to detect human emotion from selfies.
- The updated model will be accessible to all ChatGPT users, including those on the free version. A voice version will also become available "in the coming weeks."
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| 6 | | Apple plans to upgrade Siri with generative AI technology. The upgrade is expected to make the voice assistant "more conversational and versatile." More: - Apple plans to enhance Siri by adding features like text summarization and more interactive chatting.
- The upgrade is expected to improve Siri's task management, such as setting timers and creating reminders.
- The generative AI processing will occur on the device itself, rather than in the cloud.
Zoom out: - The effort arose after two Apple executives, after testing ChatGPT for weeks, concluded that Siri fell short in comparison.
- Apple is expected to reveal more about the AI developments at its WWDC conference in June.
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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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