Technology

Major Shifts in Consumer Tech News (Oct 21-Oct 25): Apple Rethinks Vision Pro Headset Production, Netflix's Gaming Strategy Takes a Hit!

2024-10-27

Author: Jia

In a series of significant developments in the world of consumer technology, major companies are making bold moves that could reshape the industry landscape. Notably, Rupert Murdoch's Dow Jones and the New York Post have launched legal actions against the AI firm Perplexity, backed by Jeff Bezos, claiming unauthorized content usage and redirection of users to its own platforms.

In a surprising twist, The Walt Disney Company has stopped permitting subscribers to access Hulu and Disney+ through Apple’s App Store, a decision aimed at circumventing the hefty in-app purchase fees imposed by the iPhone maker. This move underscores a growing tension between media conglomerates and tech giants over revenue sharing models.

Netflix, facing mounting competition in the gaming realm, has taken the drastic step of closing its Southern California AAA game studio, Team Blue. This pivot marks a stark transition in Netflix's gaming ambitions as the streaming service refocuses its efforts, perhaps even indicating a reassessment of its previous strategies in the gaming sector.

On the gaming front, as excitement builds for the upcoming release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Microsoft’s Activision has rolled out a new anti-cheat initiative that claims to have the capability to eliminate cheaters within just one hour of gameplay. Meanwhile, Insomniac Games has dashed fan hopes for additional downloadable content for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, confirming no further story expansions will arrive.

Looking ahead, Tencent Holdings is gearing up to launch the global open beta of Delta Force: Hawk Ops on PC starting December 5th, promising thrills for fans of tactical gameplay. Also, Naughty Dog has introduced significant updates for beloved titles The Last of Us Part 1 and Part 2 Remastered on PlayStation 5.

On the tech side, QUALCOMM has announced its latest high-end smartphone chip, the Snapdragon 8 Elite, featuring the cutting-edge Oryon CPU and enhanced AI functionalities. However, the semiconductor giant faces pressure from Arm Holdings, which has threatened to revoke its chip design license, setting a 60-day ultimatum.

In another tech highlight, NVIDIA has stealthily launched a new AI model, Llama-3.1-Nemotron-70B-Instruct, which has surpassed its rivals in benchmark assessments. This comes as Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani engaged in a fascinating discussion with NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang during the Nvidia AI Summit in Mumbai, highlighting India's booming tech industry, which has seen 200,000 IT professionals upskilled for AI roles over recent years.

In a controversial incident, ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has dismissed an intern for allegedly interfering with the training of one of its AI models.

Amid these developments, Apple is reportedly scaling back its production plans for the much-anticipated $3,500 Vision Pro headset, as it shifts focus towards developing a more budget-friendly model expected to launch in 2025. This recalibration could greatly influence the competitive dynamics in the VR headset market.

In the realm of artificial intelligence, OpenAI rival Anthropic has introduced exciting upgrades, including the Claude 3.5 Sonnet model which features human-like interactions with computers. Salesforce's CEO Marc Benioff has expressed concerns on social media regarding Microsoft's recent rebranding of Copilot as "agents," highlighting an ongoing debate about AI branding and features.

In light of a recent tragedy, Character.AI has publicly apologized following the suicide of a 14-year-old boy who had interacted with their chatbot, pledging to enhance safety measures to prevent similar incidents.

These events underscore the rapidly changing landscape of consumer tech and the challenges giants face as they navigate innovation, competition, and responsibility in a digital age. Stay tuned as more updates unfold in this dynamic sector!