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OpenELM
News

Guessing The AI ​​Capabilities of Apple’s iPhone

Morrissey Technology – Apple has tended to hide the generative AI they are working on for the iPhone. But now they have released OpenELM, a lightweight AI model that will probably run locally on their devices. OpenELM stands for Open-source Efficient Language Models. And, there are four language models released by Apple researchers, all based on Hugging Face.

According to Apple, Hugging Face operates very efficiently for text-based tasks, for example writing emails. This model is open source and available for use by developers. OpenELM is divided into four types based on the number of parameters. For your information, parameters refer to how many variables this language model understands to determine “decisions” from its training dataset. Namely 270 million, 450 million, 1.1 billion, and 3 billion parameters FOR4D.

Microsoft and Google have also previously showcased other language models for devices such as laptops and cellphones, namely Phi-3 (supports 3.8 billion parameters) and Gemma (supports 2 billion parameters).

Previously, Apple CEO Tim Cook also promised that generative AI would be featured in Apple’s newest devices. He said that Apple had spent enormous time and effort developing generative AI. They have previously released other AI models, but they have not released an AI model that can be a foundation for commercial purposes like those released by their competitors.

Last December, Apple also released MLX, a machine learning framework that makes AI models easier to run on Apple Silicon. They also released an AI model for image processing called MGIE, whose function is to process photos using text commands. There is also Ferret-UI FOR4D, which can be used to navigate on the cellphone.

iOS 18
News

iOS 18 Leaks, Apple Brings AI Assistant to Safari Browser?

Morrissey Technology – iOS 18 will reportedly include a number of new artificial intelligence (AI) features spread across the operating system. A new rumor today suggests that one of those features may be a “Safari browsing assistant.” However, it is still unclear what the actual function of this feature is. Reported by 9to5Mac, in a post on social media today, code examiner Nicolás Álvarez shared two new features that are being worked on at Apple, namely:

– Safari browsing assistant

– Encrypted visual search

According to Álvarez, both of these features use Apple’s Private Relay infrastructure to send data back to Apple. Álvarez speculates that this is a privacy-preserving practice on Apple’s part, so that Apple does not learn users’ IP addresses. Please note, iCloud Private Relay is currently only available to iCloud+ customers FOR4D. Apple already offers different visual search style features, integrated into Spotlight and the Photos app. It’s not explicitly clear whether “encrypted visual search” is just a more secure version of an existing feature or something entirely new.

What’s more interesting here is the “Safari browsing assistant” feature. Based on the name alone, this feature will likely bring AI features to Safari, similar to what other browsers already offer. Microsoft’s Edge browser, for example, has a different built-in AI Copilot feature. Arc from The Browser Company also combines various AI features with web browsing.

Bloomberg reports that Apple will likely work with companies like Google to support some of its new AI features. iOS 18 is expected to be announced at WWDC, which kicks off on June 10, and any announcement regarding AI collaboration on iOS 18 likely won’t happen before that event. Álvarez also reports that iOS 18 will bring two new features to Apple Maps on iPhone, including custom route creation and new topographic maps FOR4D.

Apple Spyware
News

Apple Distributes Warning: Beware of Paid Spyware Attacks

Morrissey Technology – Apple is warning its users in India and 91 other countries about a dangerous spyware mercenary attack. Users in India and 91 countries targeted by the spyware attack were warned via email by Apple. In the email, Apple explained that the perpetrator was trying to hack into the iPhone remotely. Spyware attacks of this kind, according to Apple’s explanation in the email, are rare and much more sophisticated than common cyber attacks, such as malware.

Apple is known to have sent this kind of warning to iPhone users since 2021. Since then, Apple has sent warnings to iPhone users in more than 150 countries. Initially, Apple sent this kind of warning to warn users who were victims of the Pegasus spyware made by the NSO Group at the end of 2021. Apart from sending warnings to users, iPhone also sued NSO because of this action.

iPhone users who fall victim to Pegasus by exploiting the ForcedEntry loophole will be notified by Apple. Apple itself has actually patched the zero click exploit, but according to Apple there are still a small number of users whose devices have already been compromised by Pegasus.

This exploit problem made Apple file a lawsuit against the NSO Group, because they were thought to be breaking into iPhones using Pegasus. Regarding spyware, Apple and India, Apple previously accused the Indian government of attempting to hack devices used by a number of journalists from India and opposition party politicians in that country.

As a result of these accusations, the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi immediately summoned Apple representatives. They were asked to reduce the political impact of warnings sent by Apple. The Indian government also summoned Apple security experts from outside India to meet Indian government representatives in New Delhi FOR4D. Apple was asked to provide an alternative explanation for the warning to its users.

“They (the Indian government) are really angry,” said an unnamed source.

There were more than 20 people who received warnings from Apple at the end of last October, and all of them were people who often criticize Modi and Gautam Adani, the infrastructure and energy industry tycoon in India.

Apple CEO
News

Apple Boss Praises China Amid Sluggish iPhone Sales

Morrissey Technology – Apple CEO Tim Cook is on a short tour of China on the occasion of the opening of the new Apple Store in Shanghai. During this trip, Cook met and praised a number of Apple suppliers

According to Chinese media reports, Cook held an information sharing session with three Apple suppliers BYD, Lens Technology and Everwin Precision Technology — at Apple’s office located in Shanghai.

“There is no supply chain in the world more important to Apple than China,” Cook told reporters in China.

Cook also met with Wang Chuanfu, founder and chairman of Chinese electric car giant BYD, during the session, according to a video posted on Cook’s Weibo account. The bespectacled man enthusiastically praised suppliers in China for having the most advanced manufacturing in the world.

According to his Weibo post, Cook also visited a film production studio, discussed with mobile game developers, and took photos with visitors and staff at Apple’s new store in Shanghai’s Jing’an district.

Cook has visited China three times this year. This visit was carried out amidst sluggish iPhone sales in the Bamboo Curtain country since early 2024. According to a Counterpoint Research report, throughout the first six weeks of 2024 iPhone sales fell 24% compared to the previous year. On the other hand, Huawei cellphone sales skyrocketed by 64%.

Apple and Cook continue to emphasize China’s important role for their companies. Not long ago, Apple announced that it would expand its research center in Shanghai to support all of its product lines, and revealed plans to open a new research laboratory in Shenzhen.

If you look at the opening of the Apple Store in Jing’an a few days ago, it seems that Apple’s charm in China has not faded. According to reports by a number of Chinese media, there were hundreds of Apple fanboys who queued overnight to be the first to visit the store or look for the opportunity to take a photo with Cook.

The Apple Store in Jing’an is the largest Apple store in China. This new store worth USD 11.6 million is the second largest store after Apple’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue FOR4D, New York. Now Apple has eight stores in Shanghai, China’s financial center. Currently there are 47 Apple Stores, the largest of which are in 24 cities in mainland China.

Apple Monopoly Market
News

United States Sues Apple Regarding Alleged Illegal Monopoly

Morrissey Technology – The United States Department of Justice sued Apple for allegedly carrying out an illegal monopoly in the smartphone market. The US Department of Justice, along with 16 state and district attorneys general, accused Apple of raising prices for consumers and developers by making users more dependent on its phones. This complaint was filed with the US District Court for the District of New Jersey, reported The Verge.

Attorneys general from New Jersey, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Vermont, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia joined the US Department of Justice in the complaint.

“Apple uses its monopoly power to get more money from consumers, developers, content creators, artists, publishers, small businesses and merchants, among others,” wrote the US Department of Justice, Friday (22/3).

According to the US Department of Justice, Apple has so far responded to the threat of competition by implementing a series of ‘Whac-A-Mole’ contract regulations and restrictions which have apparently harmed other parties.

“For years, Apple responded to competitive threats by implementing a series of ‘Whac-A-Mole’ rules and contract restrictions that allowed Apple to extract higher prices from consumers, impose higher costs on developers and creators, and limit the competitive alternatives of consumers and rival technology,” said Jonathan Kanter, Chief of the Antitrust Division, US Department of Justice.

Law enforcers are therefore asking the court to stop Apple from using its control over app distribution to undermine cross-platform technologies such as cloud streaming apps, then messaging, smartwatches and digital wallets.

Additionally, in a press conference on Thursday (21/3) announcing the lawsuit, US Department of Justice Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said Apple had maintained control over competition by strangling entire industries through its shift to revolutionizing the smartphone market.

In a statement, Apple spokesman Fred Sainz said the lawsuit threatens and hinders them from innovating in technology.

“These allegations threaten us and the principles that differentiate Apple products in a highly competitive market. If successful, these allegations will hinder our ability to create the type of technology that users expect from Apple,” said Fred, reported by The Verge.

“Where hardware, software and services will intersect. This would also set a dangerous precedent, as it empowers the government to take an outsized role in designing society’s technology. We believe this lawsuit is wrong on the facts and the law, and we “I will defend myself with all my might,” he added.

Currently, Apple is also trying to stop this case. One of the developers of applications for iOS, Spotify, they have complained for years about the platform’s closed and often opaque market. Spotify, which runs a paid subscription service on iOS, requires a 15 to 30 percent cut from Apple to offer on its platform.

Europe, which has previously moved ahead of the US in its efforts to control technology under the law, has succeeded in fining Apple.
Earlier this month, the European Commission fined Apple €1.84 billion (about $2 billion) in connection with complaints from Spotify about its restrictive app store practices.

The European Union (EU) said its investigation found that Apple indeed prohibited music streaming service developers from providing complete information to iOS users.

“Apple prohibits music streaming application developers from providing complete information to iOS users about alternative and cheaper music subscription services available outside the application,” wrote the European Union (EU) as reported by The Verge FOR4D.

iPhone 17 Series
News

iPhone 17 Will Have an Anti-Reflective Screen and Be More Scratch Resistant

Morrissey Technology – The iPhone 17 series looks like it will get a display upgrade that matches the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. The upgrade is in the form of a display that is more scratch-resistant and anti-reflective. Tipster Instant Digital in a post on Weibo claims that the outer glass on the iPhone 17 display will have an anti-coating that is more scratch resistant. The layer is also made anti-reflective so that the screen does not glare and can still be seen under the hot sun.

The equipment to produce this coating has been handed over to Apple’s supply chain in China. But this technology is not ready to be used on the iPhone 16 series, and will only be available for the iPhone 17 series next year.

Currently, the iPhone 15 series has a display protected by a glass-ceramic layer called Ceramic Shield, which is the result of a collaboration between Apple and Corning. Ceramic Shield was first introduced in 2020 with the iPhone 12 series.

When it was first launched, Apple said the Ceramic Shield was four times more durable than the glass on the iPhone 11. Apple claims the Ceramic Shield on the iPhone 15 is much more durable than the glass on other phones.

A few months after the iPhone 15 was released, Samsung launched the Galaxy S24 Ultra which uses a Gorilla Glass FOR4D Armor layer on its display, which was also developed by Corning. Gorilla Glass Armor can reduce light reflections by up to 75% compared to ordinary glass surfaces and is four times more scratch resistant than competitive protective glass.

It is not yet known whether Apple will use Gorilla Glass Armor for the iPhone 17, but the description matches tipster Instant Digital’s claims. Maybe Apple will use similar technology but with a different name.

Apple and Corning themselves have been collaborating for a long time, and many Apple products use Gorilla Glass. In 2021, Apple invested USD 495 million in capital to support Corning’s research and development, which later resulted in Ceramic Shield technology.

Apple Vision Pro
News

Danger to Eyes, Users Complain About Comfort Using Apple Vision Pro

Morrissey Technology – A number of Vision Pro consumers chose to return (refund) this new device from Apple because they admitted that they were uncomfortable when using the Virtual Reality (VR) device. Apple Vision Pro received the world’s spotlight after it was officially released in the United States (US) in early February 2024 with a price tag of US$3,499 or the equivalent of Rp. 55 million. Its appearance received high enthusiasm from lovers of Apple products.

However, that enthusiasm did not last long. Only two weeks after its release, users decided to return the product. Some users have complained about discomfort when using the Apple Vision Pro. They felt dizzy, nauseous and strained in the eyes shortly after using Vision Pro.

“While it was as amazing to wear as I had hoped, it was too uncomfortable to wear, even for short periods, due to its weight and the design of the strap. “I want to use it, but I’m afraid to wear it,” said one Vision Pro user, Parker Ortolani, quoting The Verge.

According to Arvind Saini, spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, what Vision Pro users conveyed was apparently just a general complaint from users. He emphasized that there was nothing to worry about regarding this matter.

“Despite what many people believe, sitting too close to the TV does not damage the eyes. “Glass screens can damage the eyes, which is another myth,” he said.

Red eyes and irritation occur because users usually blink less when using the device. Eye strain can also be caused by something called vergence-accommodation conflict (a case when the brain sends signals when there is a mismatch between reality and the object being viewed). Meanwhile, regarding the symptoms of dizziness and nausea, according to Arvind, this occurs because the user sees moving images, so signals are sent to the brain to create a moving atmosphere, even though the user is still.

“While these symptoms can sometimes feel uncomfortable, there is no scientific evidence to suggest that any digital screen, including devices such as VR devices, is harmful to eye health,” he explained.

Even though it has not been scientifically proven regarding the negative impacts of using AR and VR, users are still required to use this technology in moderation. On its help page, Apple recommends Vision Pro users use the device sparingly and take breaks every 20-30 minutes.