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Business Standard
02-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Tech Wrap May 2: ASUS ROG laptops, Google Voice, Microsoft passkey support
ASUS ROG gaming laptops launched. Google Voice adds three-way calling. Microsoft new accounts are password-free by default. Spotify to roll out iOS app update. Google expands AI Mode in Search Tech Wrap May 2 BS Tech New Delhi Listen to This Article ASUS launches new ROG Strix, Zephyrus, Flow line gaming laptops ASUS, the Taiwanese electronics brand, has introduced its latest lineup of gaming laptops in India, featuring refreshed models from the ROG Strix, Zephyrus, and Flow series. These new laptops come equipped with Intel Core Ultra 9 and AMD Ryzen AI Max processors and are currently open for pre-orders in the Indian market. Google has rolled out an update for its Voice app, bringing a redesigned call interface and support for three-way conference calls. The enhancements are being gradually deployed and are accessible to select Google Workspace users. According to the official blog post, the updated call screen consolidates essential call controls into a single row. Microsoft is pushing further into a passwordless future. As of May 1, new Microsoft accounts will be set up without traditional passwords by default. Instead, users will be guided to adopt passkeys, which utilize face recognition, fingerprint scans, or PINs for secure authentication. Following a recent ruling in the Apple vs Epic legal battle, Spotify has submitted an iOS app update to Apple, enabling the app to display pricing and link users to its website for subscription transactions. The change reflects a shift in Apple's policies, which now prevent it from mandating exclusive use of its in-app purchase system. After a successful initial trial, Google is broadening the rollout of its AI Mode in Search. Initially introduced earlier this year, the feature is now available across the US via Search Labs, with no waitlist. Additionally, a dedicated AI Mode tab will be introduced in the coming weeks for select users of the Google app. Samsung is reportedly gearing up to unveil the ultra-slim Galaxy S25 Edge smartphone later this month. According to 9To5Google, several key specs — including its battery and camera — have emerged online. The device is anticipated to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, aligning it with the rest of the Galaxy S25 series. In the wake of its legal victory over Apple, Epic Games plans to enable developers to launch their own webshops through the Epic Games Store. These shops will allow players to make purchases outside of the Apple and Google app ecosystems. As Epic stated in a blog post: 'In June 2025, we are releasing a new feature enabling developers to launch their own webshops hosted by the Epic Games Store. These webshops can offer players out-of-app purchases, as a more cost-effective alternative to in-app purchases, where Apple, Google, and others charge exorbitant fees.' Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas posted on X that their WhatsApp bot is operational again after a short suspension caused by a dramatic increase in user activity. Previously, Srinivas had shared that the number of incoming queries "is far beyond anything we anticipated," prompting a temporary pause to allow scaling of backend infrastructure. Roughly three hours later, he confirmed the bot was back online. Samsung to use Exynos for Galaxy Z Flip 7, Snapdragon for Fold 7 Samsung is expected to use its proprietary Exynos 2500 system-on-chip (SoC) for the Galaxy Z Flip 7, while the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will likely feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset. The South Korean tech giant is anticipated to showcase its 2025 foldable lineup during the Galaxy Unpacked event, which is expected to take place in July. A rare public disagreement unfolded on Thursday between Nvidia and Anthropic, an AI startup backed by Amazon, regarding US semiconductor export rules. New restrictions on AI chips are set to be implemented soon. An Nvidia spokesperson, speaking to CNBC, stated: 'American firms should focus on innovation and rise to the challenge, rather than tell tall tales that large, heavy, and sensitive electronics are somehow smuggled in 'baby bumps' or 'alongside live lobsters.'' Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed that the company now sources half of the iPhones for the US market from India, citing lower tariffs compared to China. Speaking to CNBC after Apple's quarterly earnings, Cook also mentioned that Vietnam is now a key sourcing hub for other Apple products aimed at the US market. Still, he added that the company continues to produce the 'vast majority' of its devices for other regions in China. As part of its broader strategy to diversify its supply chain, Apple aims to procure more than $19 billion worth of chips from the US this year. CEO Tim Cook noted that Apple is increasingly relying on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., which is expanding operations in Arizona with plans for multiple facilities. Cook also reiterated that in the near future, Apple expects to manufacture the majority of its US-bound iPhones in India, amid escalating trade tensions and tariff threats from the US towards China.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Epic Games CEO calls Apple and Google 'gangster-style' businesses in need of competition
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, whose company makes Fortnite and tools for other developers, including Unreal Engine, called out Apple and Google as "gangster-style businesses" engaged in illegal practices while speaking at a Y Combinator event on Wednesday. The executive also emphasized how the big tech companies' practices directly affected his own business by scaring away users from installing Epic's Games Store software and preventing Epic from attracting developers to its offerings. Notably, Epic Games has played a big role in the fight against big tech monopolies over the past several years. The company sued both Apple and Google for monopolistic practices over their respective app stores. Epic won its case with Google but not with Apple. However, the court did require Apple to open up to more competition by forcing a change to its App Store rules. The court said app developers should now be able to link to other purchasing mechanisms besides Apple's own. (Unfortunately for app developers, Epic is still battling with Apple in the courts over this change, as it alleges that Apple violated the court order by allowing developers to process their own payments, but only with a small, 3% reduction in commission, which doesn't make it worth their while.) Onstage, Sweeney again called out the big tech companies for their practices and their "malicious compliance" with the courts' decisions. "The sad truth is that Apple and Google are no longer good-faith, law-abiding companies," Sweeney said. "They're run, in many ways, as gangster-style businesses that will do anything they think they can get away with. If they think that the fine is going to be cheaper than the lost revenue from an illegal practice, they always continue the illegal practice and pay the fine." The gaming executive pointed to how the tech companies' practices hurt his business. For instance, when users on Android try to install the Epic Games Store on their smartphone, Google warns them that the software is from an "unknown source" and might harm their device. This "scare screen," as Sweeney calls it, is meant to warn users about the dangers of installing non-Play Store apps. But he says the screen results in 50-60% of users abandoning their attempt to install the software. A similar drop-off rate is found on iOS. In Europe, the Epic Games Store is allowed thanks to new regulations, but Apple displays a warning to users who try to install it. Again, this leads to drop-off rates of 50-60%, Sweeney said. He calls the use of these screens "textbook self-preferencing," noting that the companies are "getting away with it." "Crime pays for big tech companies," he said. "Obviously, we shouldn't expect that to change until enforcement becomes much, much more vigorous," he told the audience. In addition, the Fortnite exec said that because of the friction and the associated fees with third-party app stores on iOS, no major game developer has been willing to distribute games through the Epic Game Store. Instead of its usual 30% fee, Apple reduces the fee but collects a "core technology fee" of 50 cents per install per year for any app with more than 1 million downloads. "Unless your app is enormously high grossing per user, any free-to-play game is largely dissuaded from that," Sweeney explained. "It's too expensive for them. Apple would bankrupt them if they did that." He did note that the Epic Games Store on iOS has managed to attract some back-catalog games. Meanwhile, the store will open up to developer submissions later this year, which Sweeney hopes will boost the catalog further on both Android and iOS. This article originally appeared on TechCrunch at Sign in to access your portfolio
