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The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Factbox-Here is everything Apple announced at its annual developer conference
Apple's Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi speaks during Apple's annual World Wide Developers Conference at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California, U.S., June 9, 2025. REUTERS/Laure Andrillon (Reuters) -Apple unveiled upgrades to operating systems across its devices on Monday, including overhauled visual elements, a fresh naming system for software updates and new features in its Apple Intelligence suite. At its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, the company also said it would open up the underlying technology it uses for Apple Intelligence to developers. These are some of the key announcements from the event: "LIQUID GLASS" Apple is rolling out a new "Liquid Glass" design language across its software, bringing sleek translucence and a glass-like shine to app interfaces. Inspired by visionOS on the Vision Pro augmented reality device, the design adapts to light and dark modes and reacts dynamically to movement using real-time rendering. The new design will be implemented in buttons, sliders, media controls and larger elements such as tab bars and sidebars, along with matching redesigned toolbars and navigation. Apple is releasing updated Application Programming Interfaces so that developers can begin adapting their apps ahead of the new design rollout later this year. OPERATING SYSTEMS This year's major iOS release would have originally been called iOS 19, following the usual sequence after iOS 18. However, Apple is now changing its naming convention: future iOS versions will be numbered based on the year following their release—similar to how car manufacturers name new models. Several parts of the operating systems are getting a major visual overhaul as part of the redesign. The Phone app now includes call screening, allowing it to answer calls or wait on hold for you. The Messages app is also getting updates that include customizable chat backgrounds. Apple also said it would add generative AI to its Xcode coding tools that can help developers write code, test it and resolve errors. The company said it would add other coding models such as ChatGPT to Xcode. APPLE INTELLIGENCE New additions to the operating system include Live Translation, which uses on-device AI models to translate conversations in real time, in text messages, phone calls or FaceTime. Apple Pay is also getting Apple Intelligence integration, enabling it to track orders even for purchases made outside Apple Pay. Meanwhile, Image Playground is getting a boost with a new feature that allows users to generate images with the help of OpenAI's ChatGPT. Apple will now allow developers to tap into its on-device foundational model for their own apps. Through the new Foundation Models framework, developers can build intelligent, privacy-focused experiences that work offline too. VISUAL INTELLIGENCE Apple will also let users learn more about what's on their iPhone screens via Visual Intelligence. Users can search across Google, Etsy and other supported apps to find visually similar images or products. If the tool detects that you're viewing an event, iOS 26 will suggest adding it to your calendar. This feature will be accessible using the same button combination used to take a screenshot on an iPhone. (Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai)
Ya Libnan
25-04-2025
- Automotive
- Ya Libnan
Waymo may offer robotaxis for personal ownership in future, Alphabet says
People take pictures of a Waymo driverless taxi passing by in San Francisco, California, U.S., September 28, 2024. REUTERS/Laure Andrillon/File Photo SAN FRANCISCO- Alphabet's Waymo self-driving taxis may be available for people to own in the future, CEO Sundar Pichai said on Thursday, just as electric vehicle maker Tesla gears up to roll out robotaxis this year in the United States. Waymo, which started as a small self-driving project in 2009 and spun out of Google seven years later, has expanded slowly but steadily in a tricky autonomous vehicle market that has witnessed several casualties due to soaring investment, tight regulatory requirements and tough technological hurdles. With more than 700 vehicles in its fleet – 300 of which operate in San Francisco – Waymo is the only U.S. firm that runs uncrewed robotaxis that collect fares. Pichai, on a post-earnings conference call, did not provide a timeline or any detail on how it plans to sell Waymo vehicles, beyond saying 'there is future optionality for personal ownership.' Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently commented on the higher cost of Waymo cars compared with Tesla's. Waymo's vehicles use a combination of cameras and expensive sensors such as lidar to create a three-dimensional map of the road, adding redundancy to increase safety. In contrast, Tesla depends only on camera vision and artificial intelligence, which allows it to keep costs in check. 'Teslas probably cost a quarter, 20%, of what a Waymo costs and made in very high volume,' Musk said after Tesla earnings on Tuesday. 'I don't see anyone being able to compete with Tesla at present.' Musk has bet Tesla's future on robotaxis, and has said owners will eventually be able to make money by listing their vehicles on a ride-hailing app . The company aims to launch a robotaxi service in several U.S. states this year, a target that autonomy experts have called ambitious given the difficulty the technology has in responding to scenarios such as inclement weather, complex intersections and pedestrian behavior. Rival Cruise, a unit of General Motors , shut shop last year following a major accident that led to a federal investigation and a small criminal fine. Tesla has long blamed its customers for accidents involving the driver-assistance systems it calls Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD), noting that it warns Tesla owners to stay ready to take over driving. Its robotaxis would place crash liability squarely on Tesla. On Tuesday, Tesla stuck to its previously announced June timeline for launching a paid robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, where it faces minimal regulation . It also has plans to launch in California and some other U.S. states. GROWING THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS Waymo, which has tested its technology for years, is now focusing on growing its presence through partnerships with companies such as ride-hailing firm Uber , fleet operator Moove and automakers Hyundai , Zeekr and Jaguar. Waymo would likely offer personal ownership of its robotaxis through a partnership model, said David Heger, an analyst at Edward Jones. 'Google doesn't build its own automobiles and I certainly don't think they would try to get into that business,' he said. Though the unit accounts for only a fraction of Alphabet's valuation, Waymo has said it was running more than 250,000 fully autonomous paid rides a week. It operates in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Austin and plans to start in Atlanta, Miami and Washington, D.C. Pichai's comments were in response to an analyst's question about Waymo's future. 'This is probably the first question I've got on an earnings call on Waymo,' Pichai joked. 'It's a sign of its progress.' (Reuters)
The Star
25-04-2025
- Automotive
- The Star
Alphabet says Waymo may offer robotaxis for personal ownership in future
FILE PHOTO: People take pictures of a Waymo driverless taxi passing by in San Francisco, California, U.S., September 28, 2024. REUTERS/Laure Andrillon/File Photo SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -Alphabet's Waymo self-driving taxis may be available for people to own in the future, CEO Sundar Pichai said on Thursday, just as electric vehicle maker Tesla gears up to roll out robotaxis this year in the United States. Waymo, which started as a small self-driving project in 2009 and spun out of Google seven years later, has expanded slowly but steadily in a tricky autonomous vehicle market that has witnessed several casualties due to soaring investment, tight regulatory requirements and tough technological hurdles. With more than 700 vehicles in its fleet - 300 of which operate in San Francisco - Waymo is the only U.S. firm that runs uncrewed robotaxis that collect fares. Pichai, on a post-earnings conference call, did not provide a timeline or any detail on how it plans to sell Waymo vehicles, beyond saying "there is future optionality for personal ownership." Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently commented on the higher cost of Waymo cars compared with Tesla's. Waymo's vehicles use a combination of cameras and expensive sensors such as lidar to create a three-dimensional map of the road, adding redundancy to increase safety. In contrast, Tesla depends only on camera vision and artificial intelligence, which allows it to keep costs in check. "Teslas probably cost a quarter, 20%, of what a Waymo costs and made in very high volume," Musk said after Tesla earnings on Tuesday. "I don't see anyone being able to compete with Tesla at present." Musk has bet Tesla's future on robotaxis, and has said owners will eventually be able to make money by listing their vehicles on a ride-hailing app. The company aims to launch a robotaxi service in several U.S. states this year, a target that autonomy experts have called ambitious given the difficulty the technology has in responding to scenarios such as inclement weather, complex intersections and pedestrian behavior. Rival Cruise, a unit of General Motors, shut shop last year following a major accident that led to a federal investigation and a small criminal fine. Tesla has long blamed its customers for accidents involving the driver-assistance systems it calls Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD), noting that it warns Tesla owners to stay ready to take over driving. Its robotaxis would place crash liability squarely on Tesla. On Tuesday,Tesla stuck to its previously announced June timeline for launching a paid robotaxi service in Austin, Texas,where it faces minimal regulation. It also has plans to launch in California and some other U.S. states. GROWING THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS Waymo, which has tested its technology for years,is now focusing on growing its presence through partnerships with companies such as ride-hailing firm Uber, fleet operator Moove and automakers Hyundai, Zeekr and Jaguar. Waymo would likely offer personal ownership of its robotaxis through a partnership model, said David Heger, an analyst at Edward Jones. "Google doesn't build its own automobiles and I certainly don't think they would try to get into that business," he said. Though the unit accounts for only a fraction of Alphabet's valuation, Waymo has said it was running more than 250,000 fully autonomous paid rides a week. It operates in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Austin and plans to start in Atlanta, Miami and Washington, D.C. Pichai's comments were in response to an analyst's question about Waymo's future. "This is probably the first question I've got on an earnings call on Waymo," Pichai joked. "It's a sign of its progress." (Reporting by Abhirup Roy in San Francisco and Deborah Mary Sophia in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Kenrick Cai in San Francisco; Editing by Sayantani Ghosh and Jacqueline Wong)
