Apple is Trolling the EU

Summary

The transcript covers Apple's compliance with EU digital regulations, allowing third-party app stores and payment systems in Europe. However, Apple imposes restrictions like review processes and fees that take a large commission, making the deal seem self-serving. The transcript also touches on topics like Microsoft Teams outages, a Florida bill banning social media for kids, and innovative AI-generated video and VR demos from Google and Meta.

Takeaways

• 😮‍💨 Apple announced iOS support for third-party app stores and payment systems, but with many catches.
• 😠 Apple's new terms include an annual $50 fee once an app hits 1M installs.
• 😁 Game streaming services can now submit one iOS app for their whole catalog.
• 😡 Epic Games calls the rules 'horror show' and 'hot garbage'.
• 😱 Beeper users found Apple blocking iMessage on their Macs too.
• 😫 Microsoft Teams had a major outage affecting thousands.
• 😈 Florida may ban under 16s from addictive social media.
• 🌠 Google's new AI video generation tool Lumiere looks very impressive.
• 👻 Meta's Reality Labs made a VR system that can manipulate real objects.
• 😳 The metaverse nude minion attack sounds concerning.

Q & A

What new features is Apple announcing for iOS in the EU?

Apple is announcing that iOS will support third-party app stores called 'marketplaces', third party payment systems, and browser engines other than WebKit in the EU.

Will iOS allow sideloading of apps like Android does?

No, iOS will not allow sideloading of standalone app packages outside of any app store, unlike Android, Windows, Linux, and Mac OS.

What are the new business terms Apple is requiring for alternative app distribution?

Developers must pay Apple a 10% cut or 17% for digital goods, plus an extra 3% for using Apple's payment system. Once an app hits 1 million installs, devs must also pay a $50 "core technology fee" for each new user annually.

Why is Apple framing these new rules negatively?

Apple claims the new features are dangerous and the App Store's restrictions have blocked billions in fraudulent transactions, so they are only making these concessions in the EU due to legal requirements.

What new game streaming options will iOS allow?

Game streaming platforms like Nvidia GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming can now submit a single iOS app to stream their entire catalog of games, instead of separate apps for each game.

Will Epic Games bring Fortnite back to iOS?

Epic says it plans to launch the Epic Games Store and Fortnite on iOS depending on whether Apple approves their upcoming third-party app marketplace.

Why were some iMessage users banned from Apple services?

Users of Beeper's iMessage cloud sync service were banned for 'spam' since Beeper was routing iMessages to Android, but Apple unbanned them after media coverage.

What Microsoft service had a major outage this week?

Microsoft Teams had a major outage on February 1st, 2023, with around 15,000 reported issues preventing access.

What new AI video generation tool did Google unveil?

Google showcased 'Lumiere', an AI model that can generate surprisingly realistic text-to-video and video-to-video translations with smooth output.

How can VR users interact with real objects using Meta's new technology?

Meta Reality Labs created a way for VR users to seem to manipulate real objects by generating a virtual double and hiding the original object.

Outlines

00:00

😒Apple's App Store changes are actually restrictive

Paragraph 1 summarizes Apple's announcement about allowing third-party app stores and payment systems in the EU to comply with DMA rules. However, the changes come with many restrictions like requiring developer approval, additional fees after 1 million installs, and warnings about security risks to dissuade adoption.

05:02

😀Manscaped sponsors quick bits of tech news

Paragraph 2 contains promotions for Manscaped and their Lawnmower 5.0 grooming product followed by brief mentions of various tech news stories including Apple blocking some iMessage users, a Microsoft Teams outage, a Florida bill to restrict social media for kids, and Meta's new way to manipulate real objects in VR.

Keywords

💡EU Digital Markets Act

The EU's set of new regulations aimed at curbing anti-competitive behavior from major tech companies like Apple. The rules require companies to open up their platforms, allowing for things like third-party app stores. Apple's compliance plan enables some of these things but in a very limited and still restrictive way.

💡Third-party app stores

Alternative places to download apps besides the official iOS App Store. Apple will allow them but with major caveats like needing Apple's approval, all apps still needing to be reviewed, and extra fees charged.

💡Sideloading apps

Installing apps directly rather than through an app store. This is common on other platforms but Apple still refuses to allow it on iOS.

💡Payment systems

Ways for developers to process payments besides Apple's payment system. Apple will allow this but charge extra fees as an incentive to keep using their own system.

💡Webkit

The browser engine that powers Safari and all other iOS browsers. Apple will finally allow alternative browser engines, enabling more browser choice.

💡Game streaming

Services like Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce Now that let you stream and play games. Apple previously made these services list every single game individually but will finally allow single app streaming.

💡Beeper Cloud

A service that enabled iMessage on Android by routing through a connected Mac. Apple blocked and then unblocked users for "spam" likely to discourage this workaround.

💡Microsoft Teams outage

A major outage of Microsoft's workplace chat and collaboration platform, disrupting many businesses.

💡Social media ban

A proposed Florida law that would ban kids under 16 from platforms like Instagram and TikTok over concerns like addiction.

💡Lumeri

Google's new AI video generation model that creates realistic and smooth footage from text prompts, demonstrating rapid progress in this space.

Highlights

Apple announced iOS will support third-party app stores and payment systems.

Alternative app marketplaces must be authorized by Apple and apps reviewed.

iOS won't support sideloading like Android, Windows, Linux and Mac.

Developers must accept new terms including lower commissions and per-install fees.

Game streaming platforms can now submit one iOS app to stream full libraries.

Epic Games plans to launch the Epic Games Store on iPhone.

Apple blocked iMessage users of Beeper app and then suddenly unbanned them.

Microsoft Teams had a major outage impacting thousands of users.

Florida may ban under 16s from social media that tracks activity.

Google demoed impressive text-to-video tool Lumiere.

Meta created way for VR users to manipulate real objects.

Apple addressed EU's Digital Markets Act with malicious compliance.

New terms could see Apple taking 60% of some developers' revenue.

Microsoft blamed Teams outage on unspecified networking issue.

Lumiere has ability to take style from reference image.

Transcripts

sometimes you choose the tech news and

sometimes the tech news barges into your

room and throws you into an unmarked SUV

and today was the second one for me

Apple finally addressed the question of

what its compliance with the eu's

digital markets act rules will look like

and the answer is malicious I was hoping

it would be delicious but we close I

mean it sounds good at first Apple

announced that iOS will support

third-party app stores they call them

marketplaces as well as third party

payment systems and browser engines

other than webkit so you can actually

use a browser that isn't just Safari

covered in chrome spray paint but then

you realize these delicious treats are

only coming to the EU because they're

actually really dangerous and you're not

sure you want them anymore anyways

because you think you saw Apple spit on

them before handing them out alternative

app marketplaces must be authorized by

Apple and all the apps that they host

must be notorized

a perfectly dystopian sounding appal ISM

for reviewed by Bots and humans prepare

to be notorized while many are repeating

claims that iOS will support side

loading installing Standalone app

packages outside of any app store like

you can do on Android Windows Linux and

Mac OS it won't support that and it only

gets Wilder in order for developers to

distribute their apps on alternative app

marketplaces or even use third-party

payment processes they need to accept

the new business terms this is the new

business now get used to it that

includes paying a lower 10% cut of the

App Store revenue or 177% for digital

goods and services plus an extra 3% to

use Apple's own payment system which

will also spare users from the popup

warning them that they may be about to

hand over their savings to a Nigerian

prince if they don't use the right one

but the new terms also include Apple's

own version of unity's scandalous per

install fee from last year once an app

Hits 1 million installs its devs will

have to pay a core technology fee or CTF

of50 for every new user who installs it

annually as in the app can be

reinstalled by the same user for no

charge for 12 months for some devs this

could see apple taking something like a

60% cut of their app Revenue now if you

think crossing your fingers and hoping

that your app doesn't get too popular

sounds kind of stressful developers can

always stick with the current business

terms and swear off the cool new stuff

they could also Target iPad OS where

first installs won't trigger the CTF

apparently developers of app

marketplaces however will have to pay

the CTF every time the Marketplace app

is installed including the first million

they'll also have to get a letter of

credit from an a-rated financial

institution of a million EUR altogether

the deal doesn't sound too too good and

in their explainers apple is making it

clear that's by Design the company

explained that it's only making the new

features available in the EU because

they're actually super dangerous and in

the EU they can take that weird we're

soft and vulnerable I mean the app

store's harsh protections blocked $2

billion worth of fraudulent transactions

in 2022 the same amount that Google

blocked in the same year on the far less

restrictive Play Store but there's way

more Android phones in the world and

they're way harder to use for babies the

argument is confusing but Apple did

announce one thing that appears to be

just straight up good news game

streaming platforms like nvidia's

GeForce now and Xbox cloud gaming can

now submit a single IOS app with the

capability to stream their entire

library of games which is again how

things already worked on other operating

systems but not on the minimalist Fisher

Price of phone os's your minimalist baby

will love it Apple previously wanted

Nvidia and Microsoft to create an app

store listing for every individual game

in their streaming cataloges a request

the two Tech Giants responded to

with interestingly GeForce now was the

only way to play fortnite on iOS since

epic games removed it in 2020 when it

started its whole App Store mud fight

with apple but now that iOS will support

thirdparty app stores epic games plans

to finally launch the epic game store

and fortnite on iPhone even though epic

boss Tim Sweeney thinks the new rules

are quote hot garbage whether they

actually go through with that launch

also depends on whether Apple authorizes

their upcoming app Marketplace which I

have a feeling is somewhat unlikely as

long as Sweeney keeps characterizing

Apple's announcements as a quote horror

show Tim Cook expects some level of

decorum here I do not suffer impudence

from WI Jing verman

guards now it's time for quick bits

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off and free shipping Okay I uh I think

all the Apple news has left by now I we

we can we can do the quick P oh God

there's there's one more in the corner

it's standing there the whole time what

you know that's kind of creepy right I'm

still here users of beeper Cloud the

service that lets you route iMessages to

your Android phone through your Mac

computer reported earlier this week that

Apple was blocking them from using

iMessage even on their Macs which were

flagged for spam because while Apple

values the user experience above all

their other core tenant is nauy children

must be

punished after the New York Times

reported on the issue and reached out to

Apple Apple did not respond to the New

York Times but suddenly started

unbanning these users for now beeper has

disabled beeper Cloud functionality

anyways while they apparently try to

find yet another workaround I don't know

if Apple's compliance with the dma is

any indication you might just have to

get your mom and iPhone I just thousands

of users reported that Microsoft teams

was down today including many users from

our own office tragically blocking us

from posting in the companywide short

joke group chat that is our com system

like a kebler out I swear we're a real

company down detector reported nearly 15

,000 outages as of noon Pacific Time

Microsoft gave a vague statement on

Twitter acknowledging the problem and

blaming it on a nonspecific networking

issue rats got into the pipes notably

this outage comes less than a week after

Microsoft disclosed an attack from a

Russian sponsored hacker and underrated

My Little Pony character midnight

blizzard they shelved him in the first

season he was just not it's a it's a boy

Florida's House of Representatives had

has passed a bill that if passed by the

Senate and then signed by the governor

will ban children under 16 from social

media platforms that track users

activity and use that information to

provide targeted content a primary

concern is social media's potentially

addictive nature with one state

representative comparing it to a kind of

digital fenel the bill has excluded

platforms mainly used for messaging

non-user generated entertainment and

professional networks so if you're for

in Florida maybe now's the time to

become a LinkedIn influencer it's it's

going to be the hot new thing business

Google has released a research paper and

a demo video for lumere something

they're calling a space-time diffusion

model which sounds like a teleporter

that turns users into a fine Mist but is

actually an impressive text to video and

imageo video generation tool the output

is surprisingly realistic and smooth

compared to past attempts at AI video

generation and just look at these

animals with the correct number of eyes

and limbs wow and these raccoons reading

hovering books try it out be your guest

Lumiere even has the ability to take the

style from a reference image and

incorporate it in a new video as well as

alter existing footage like this

horrifying woman flower homunculus the

future is bright and meta's reality Labs

has created a way of allowing VR users

as well as virtual characters and

experiences to appear to manipulate

realworld objects they demonstrated this

concept in a video where a thankfully

fake hidious monkey peanut monster thing

grabs a very real drink cart and throws

it down the stairs before escaping

Justice by taking the elevator the user

in that scenario was moving real slow

they could have gotone it now in reality

the VR program creates a virtual double

of the object and simultaneously erases

the original from sight it's super cool

though it's feels like maybe they should

be working on other things like how to

get the quest 3's pass through mode to

work on a plane or even when you just

decide to stand up or go downstairs The

Vision Pro can do it meta Honestly

though check the video out for yourself

just be prepared for the nude minions

streaking through the frame at 3 minutes

and 45 seconds I just if you're not into

that maybe avoid and don't break your

streak ha come back on Monday for more

Tech nudes

no news

they're not nudes no