The new RCS messaging standard makes encryption universal, and even Apple is getting on the bandwagon. OpenAI calls for a US ban of DeepSeek. Is Apple about to turn your AirPods into the Universal Translator from Star Trek? And, of course, The Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

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Links:

• Apple will soon support encrypted RCS messaging with Android users (The Verge)
• OpenAI calls DeepSeek ‘state-controlled,’ calls for bans on ‘PRC-produced’ models (TechCrunch)
• Apple Plans AirPods Feature That Can Live-Translate Conversations (Bloomberg)
• Gemini can now personalize its answers based on your search history (The Verge)
• Sony’s new RGB backlight tech absolutely smokes regular Mini LED TVs (The Verge)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• ‘Ne Zha 2’s $2B+ Box Office Run: How It Happened And What Does Blockbuster Behemoth Mean For China & Hollywood Ahead (Deadline)
• The End Of Children (The New Yorker)

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Intel has a new boss and they seem to want to double down on the Foundry strategy. Meta is testing community notes. Sonos is abandoning its big streaming video hardware project. Is Adobe falling behind in AI? Is Oracle the leader to take over TikTok US? And why is John Gruber so mad at Apple?

Sponsors:

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Links:

• Intel appoints chip industry veteran Lip-Bu Tan as CEO (Reuters)
• Intel CEO Signals That He’ll Stick With Contentious Foundry Plan (Bloomberg)
• Meta unveils new community notes program; will not apply distribution penalties nor limit flow of information (Fox News)
• Sonos has canceled its streaming video player (The Verge)
• Microsoft’s new Xbox Copilot will act as an AI gaming coach (The Verge)
• Adobe shares drop 13% as concerns about AI growth overshadow better-than-expected results (CNBC)
• Oracle Is Leading Contender to Help Run TikTok in New Deal (The Information)
• Something Is Rotten in the State of Cupertino (Daring Fireball)

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Niantic officially sells to that Saudi-owned game developer. iRobot says it might not be alive in about 12 months time. Sam Altman believes he has an AI that can write believable fiction. Is the cavalry coming to save Intel? And why can’t we create a true AI Einstein in a data center?

Sponsors:

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Links:

• Pokémon Go developer Niantic to sell gaming business to Saudi group (The Verge)
• Saudi-owned Scopely buys Pokémon Go in $3.5bn gaming deal (FT)
• One-Time Amazon Takeover Target iRobot Warns Doubt on Future (Bloomberg)
• Google calls Gemma 3 the most powerful AI model you can run on one GPU (TheVerge)
• Sam Altman says OpenAI has trained a fiction writing AI model that’s actually decent (SiliconAngle)
• Google changes Chrome extension policies following the Honey link scandal (TheVerge)
• Exclusive: TSMC pitched Intel foundry JV to Nvidia, AMD and Broadcom, sources say (Reuters)
• Hugging Face’s chief science officer worries AI is becoming ‘yes-men on servers’ (TheVerge)

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Are we about to get the biggest overhaul of iOS since 2013? Is inference the way that everybody is going to eat Nvidia’s lunch? Exactly how much to AI search engines get it wrong? Why is the global smartwatch market shrinking? And apparently the new Mac Studios are the thing you want to get, if you can afford it!

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Links:

• Apple Readies Dramatic Software Overhaul for iPhone, iPad and Mac (Bloomberg)
• Exclusive: Meta begins testing its first in-house AI training chip (Reuters)
• How ‘inference’ is driving competition to Nvidia’s AI chip dominance (FT)
• Sony is experimenting with AI-powered PlayStation characters (The Verge)
• AI Search Has A Citation Problem (CJR)
• Global Smartwatch Shipments in 2024: Market Declines for First Time, China Leads for First Time (Counterpoint Research)
• Apple Mac Studio (Early 2025) Review: Renewed vigor with M4 Max and M3 Ultra (Tom's Hardware)
• Apple Mac Studio (M3 Ultra) first look: a weekend with an $8,000 powerhouse (The Verge)

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Well, do we have another DeepSeek moment on our hands? I tell you about Manus, which had some people losing their minds over the weekend. Now do we have the first signs of the AI M&A I’ve been looking for? Absolutely everybody wants to get in on the Stablecoin business. And the AI crisis at Apple delayed a product we might have seen this month.

Sponsors:

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Links:

• China’s Autonomous Agent, Manus, Changes Everything (Forbes)
• Manus probably isn’t China’s second ‘DeepSeek moment’ (TechCrunch)
• Undocumented commands found in Bluetooth chip used by a billion devices (BleepingComputer)
• ServiceNow Nears Deal to Buy AI Assistant Maker Moveworks (Bloomberg)
• Banks and fintechs join ‘stablecoin gold rush’ (Financial Times)
• Apple Clears the Decks With Rare Early-Year Product Frenzy (Bloomberg)

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(Omnibus) Week Of 03/03/2025

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Will Apple have to allow side loading in Brazil? The US Strategic Crypto Reserve becomes a reality. Larry Page has a new startup. The concept of a startup being nothing more than an “AI Wrapper” is no longer a pejorative. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.

Sponsors:

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Links:

• Brazilian court gives Apple 90 days to allow sideloading on iOS (9to5Mac)
• Donald Trump signs executive order for Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (CoinTelegraph)
• Drone Defense Startup Shield AI Lands $5.3 Billion Valuation (Bloomberg)
• Larry Page Has a New AI Startup (The Information)
• The Hottest AI Companies Right Now Are ‘Apps’ (Bloomberg)

Weekend Longreads Suggestions:

• McDonald’s Gives Its Restaurants an AI Makeover (WSJ)
• YouTube at 20: How the Video Colossus Launched the Creator Economy and Turned From Hollywood Foe to Friend (Variety)

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More signs the tech IPO logjam is breaking. Another cheap new AI model from China. Would you pay 20 THOUSAND dollars a month to use an OpenAI agent? The umpteenth foldable iPhone rumor, though this time with dates. And let me introduce you to YouTube Premium Lite.

Sponsors:

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Links:

• Klarna to File for $1 Billion-Plus IPO as Soon as Next Week (Bloomberg)
• Discord in Early Talks With Bankers for Potential I.P.O. (NYTimes)
• Alibaba’s new open source model QwQ-32B matches DeepSeek-R1 with way smaller compute requirements (VentureBeat)
• OpenAI Plots Charging $20,000 a Month For PhD-Level Agents (The Information)
• Google Search’s new ‘AI Mode’ lets users ask complex, multi-part questions (TechCrunch)
• Kuo: Apple's First Foldable iPhone to Feature Book-Style Design, Sell for Over $2,000 (MacRumors)
• New M4 MacBook Air fixes the line's biggest problem (Apple Insider)
• YouTube launches a $7.99 per month, ad-free Premium Lite subscription (TechCrunch)
• YouTube Music hits 125 million subscribers, adding 2m subs per month on average over the past year (Music Business Worldwide)

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