Link

Tim Cook Made Sure Apple Won in the US-China Trade War

Charlotte Henry ·

A new in-depth report on Politico revealed the full extent of Apple’s involvement in the U.S.-China trade dispute, And how it was it was successful. A key factor was that CEO Tim Cook remained one of the few tech-leaders who engaged directly with President Donald Trump after comment’s from the President’s caused others to stop doing so. Mr. Cook was also aided by having strong business connections in China.

In the U.S., Cook has made a point of directly engaging with Trump, even as the president’s immigration policies and remarks about minorities have scared off other executives from liberal-leaning Silicon Valley. And in China, Cook — who knows some Mandarin — has actively cultivated government and business leaders during his frequent visits to a country where Apple’s supply chain supports an estimated 3 million jobs. “Among the tech titans, he’s probably the one who is best placed to deal with both sides at the same time,” said James Lewis, a former State and Commerce department official who dealt with China trade issues and now directs the technology policy program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Link

NSA Spying Program Has Allegedly Ended

Andrew Orr ·

The NSA spying program that analyzed the calls and texts of American citizens has allegedly been shut down.

Christopher Augustine, an N.S.A. spokesman, told The New York Times in January that agency officials were “carefully evaluating all aspects” of the Freedom Act program, and were discussing its future. Mr. Augustine made clear that the White House would make the final call about whether to ask Congress to extend the Freedom Act.

I hope this is actually true. Now we need the GCHQ to not spy on us either.

Link

Lots of Arguments Against Cord Cutting Are Stupid

Charlotte Henry ·

Despite cord cutting getting ever more popular, lots of people continue to put up lots of arguments against it. The thing is, most of them just do not make sense. Fast Company helpfully compiled a list of 6 of the dumbest arguments against cord cutting. Something to deploy, perhaps, when friends and family tell you to renew the cable subscription.

By dropping cable or satellite TV for cheaper streaming services–or perhaps an over-the-air antenna–you can easily save hundreds of dollars every year. Yet we’re constantly being told by a parade of contrarian pundits that this is actually a bad idea–that the savings are illusory or that some future consequence will doom cord-cutting in the end. Most of these arguments collapse under scrutiny, which might explain why people are ignoring the naysayers and abandoning cable and satellite TV in record numbers.

Link

Apple Acquires Patents From Failed AI Powered Home Security Startup

Charlotte Henry ·

Apple acquired patent’s from Lighthouse AI in late 2018, it has emerged. Apple purchased 8 patents from the smart home security startup. They related to, amongst other things, computer-vision based security, visual authentication, and incident sharing. Lighthouse AI  closed down in December 2018. The purchases are another indication of the renewed seriousness with which Apple is approaching AI. 9to5Mac wondered if we could see the technology associated with the patents used to improve Face ID.

The patents in question (via Patently Apple) relate to technology used for computer-vision based security, visual authentication, and more. In total, Apple acquired eight patents and patent applications from Lighthouse. Lighthouse AI officially shut down in December of last year after it failed to achieve commercial success. Lighthouse focused on using augmented reality and 3D sensing to make it easier for users to understand and sort through security footage.

Link

Foldable Smartphone Displays are Plastic, but Glass is Coming Next

John Martellaro ·

Wired writes:

Foldable phones like Samsung’s Galaxy Fold and Huawei’s Mate X are coming, whether you’re ready or not. In fact, they’re coming whether they’re ready or not. The software remains untested or nonexistent. The prices are either astronomical or unannounced. But those potential issues can be fixed on the fly. The real thing you should hold out for? Glass.

Wired explores the technical prospects for real, foldable glass. It’s coming.