Apple and Google Push Back Against EU’s Digital Markets Act #1808

March 20, 2025PodcastKirk

Apple and Google are rebelling against the EU’s Digital Markets Act, claiming new interoperability and openness rules hurt consumers and innovation. The European Commission says these tech giants are abusing market dominance, with Google facing potential fines for favoring its services and restricting developer freedom. Apple is under pressure to make iOS more compatible with third-party devices. The tech giants argue the rules compromise security and user experience, highlighting growing tensions between US firms and European regulators.

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Vision Pro Creator Mike Rockwell Will Take Over Siri

March 20, 2025AppleJenThorpe

Mike Rockwell, the Apple Vision Pro chief, has replaced John Giannandrea as the executive in charge of Siri, in an executive shakeup to try and rescue Apple’s flailing AI efforts, AppleInsider reported.

The glacial rollout of Apple Intelligence and the lack of progress on Siri has not been a good look for Apple over the last year. Now, Apple is making a big change to get things back on track.

In an announcement to Apple employees due this week, AI lead John Giannandrea is being shifted out of his position, reports Bloomberg on Thursday. CEO Tim Cook has apparently lost confidence in Giannandrea’s ability to execute on Siri’s product development, so he is being replaced.

That replacement will be Mike Rockwell, who his known as the head of the Apple Vision Pro project. In his new role, he will be reporting software chief Craig Federighi, with Giannandrea not having anything to do with Siri anymore.

MacRumors reported: Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman today said that Vision Pro chief Mike Rockwell will be taking over the Siri team at Apple, which until now was led by Apple’s artificial intelligence chief John Giannandrea. Apple CEO Tim Cook has apparently “lost confidence” in Giannandrea’s ability to “execute on product development,” but he will remain at the company for now to oversee artificial intelligence research and development in general.

Vision Pro hardware engineer Paul Meade will be succeeding Rockwell as the head of Apple’s spatial computing efforts, allowing Rockwell to focus entirely on Siri, according to the report. In his new role overseeing the Siri team, Rockwell will report to Apple’s software engineering chief Craig Federighi, the report added.

Apple has been facing a lot of criticism after delaying its more personalized version of Siri, with some people upset that the company chose to preview new features that were merely conceptual, rather than fully functional. It is a widely held belief that Apple is lagging behind competitors like OpenAI in the generative artificial intelligence space, and it looks like Apple is attempting to right the ship with this executive shakeup.

TechCrunch reported: As Apple’s Siri comes under attack for failing at the most basic queries, the company is shaking up leadership in charge of Apple’s AI features for Siri. According to Bloomberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook is installing Mike Rockwell, the current VP of the Vision Products Group (the team behind the Vision Pro), to head up the Siri team.

Siri hasn’t been able to hold up against modern-day AI, leaving Apple to integrate third-party AI services like ChatGPT, into its software just to keep up with AI’s rapid development and consumer expectations.

In recent tests, Siri users pointed out that Apple Intelligence-powered Siri couldn’t answer simple questions like “who won the Super Bowl?”correctly. This month, Apple also announced it was delaying the rollout of the more “personalized” Siri until sometime next year.

Brussels Takes Action Against Google And Apple Despite Trump Threat

March 19, 2025Apple, googleAppleJenThorpe

Brussels is pressing ahead with regulatory action against Apple and Google under landmark legislation designed to expose the groups to new competition, despite tensions with President Donald Trump over the EU’s tough regulations of US big tech, Financial Times reported.

The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, on Wednesday charged Google’s parent company Alphabet with breaking the Digital Markets Act.

In preliminary findings, regulators said they were worried that Google’s search engine preferred its own services over rivals, despite a series of changes to Google Search, as well as whether the company was stifling competition by making it difficult for developers to “steer” consumers to offers outside of its app store.

Companies found in breach of the DMA face fines of up to 10 per cent of global revenue, doubled to 20 per cent for repeat offenders.

Google said the commission’s decision “will hurt European businesses and consumers, hinder innovation, weaken security, and degrade product quality”, It added that the required changes for Google Search will “make it harder for people to find what they are looking for and reduce traffic to European businesses.”

The commission on Wednesday also ordered Apple to open up it operating systems more to connected devices, such as smartwatches or headphones from other brands. The decision could further force open the iPhone maker’s iOS operating system in Europe, despite a number of concessions Apple has already made to Brussels designed to head off regulatory action.

The European Commission posted a press release: Today, the European Commission adopted two decisions under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) specifying the measures that Apple has to take to comply with certain aspects of its interoperability obligation.

Interoperability enables a deeper and more seamless integration of third-party products with Apple’s ecosystem. Interoperability is therefore key to opening up new possibilities for third parties to develop innovative products and services on Apple’s gatekeeper platforms. As a result, a wider choice if of products will be available to consumers in Europe which are compatible with their Apple devices.

The Commission is assisting Apple in its compliance by detailing the measures needed for enabling interoperability with iOS for third-party connected devices and by streamlining the process put in place by Apple to handle future requests for interoperability with iPhone and iPad devices.

Reuters reported: Apple was ordered by EU antitrust regulators on Wednesday to open up its closed ecosystem to rivals, with the latter spelling out the details on how to go about it in line with the bloc’s landmark rules and where non-compliance could lead to an investigation and fines.

The move by the European Commission came six months after it opened so-called specification proceedings to ensure that the iPhone maker complies with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) which seeks to reign in the power of Big Tech.

Google Acquires Cybersecurity Firm Wiz For $32 Billion

March 18, 2025googleJenThorpe

Google’s parent company, Alphabet, has announced its largest-ever acquisition, entering into a deal to buy New York-based cybersecurity firm Wiz, making it a part of its Google Cloud division. This is the company’s second attempt to buy Wiz after talks stalled last year at a lower $23 billion evaluation. The Verge reported.

Wiz is a fast-growing Israeli-founded startup that works with companies like Microsoft and Amazon to provide cloud-based cybersecurity solutions. The company was valued at $12 billion in May 2024, which reportedly climbed to $16 billion later in the year in an equity offering to employees, and has been working towards an initial public offering (IPO) in the months since the previous acquisition fell through.

Should the deal receive regulatory approval, it will easily outsize the $12.5 billion paid by Google for Motorola Mobility in 2012.

“We expect this change to enable us to execute and innovate even faster,” said Wiz cofounder and CEO Assaf Rappaport in a blog post. “Becoming part of Google Cloud is effectively strapping a rocket to our backs: it will accelerate our rate of innovation after than what we could achieve as a standalone company.”

TechCrunch reported: Tuesday’s big news that Google is acquiring security startup Wiz for a record-breaking $32 billion comes with a big qualifier. Google says it will position Wiz as a “multicloud” offering, meaning Wiz will not be a Google-only shop.

The reality is that Google had no choice but to do this, and a close look at the reasons behind the decision also highlights Google’s weak spots in the months ahead.

Wiz brings a massive customer list to Google. As of today, the startup has already reached an annual revenue rate of $700 million. Before the news broke on Tuesday, it was on track for that to grow to $1 billion.

“Before the news broke” is the operative phrase here. Google and Wiz surely hope the acquisition will create an interesting new funnel of customers and revenue, but first and foremost, both will need to ensure they keep the existing customers from shopping around for another security provider.

CNBC reported: Google on Tuesday signed an “definitive agreement” to acquire Wiz, a New York-based cloud security startup, for $32 billion in an all cash deal.

The deal, Google’s largest ever, will bolster the company’s security technology in a world of advancing artificial intelligence and cybersecurity threats. Wiz will become a part of the company’s cloud business, and Google said it expects the deal to close in 2026.

“Google Cloud is a leader in cloud infrastructure, with deep AI expertise and a track record of industry-leading security innovation,” Google said in a release. “Bringing all this to Wiz will help make their solutions even better and more scalable, benefiting customers and partners across all major clouds.”

US Astronauts Return Home After Nine-Month Stranded Stay on ISS #1807

March 18, 2025PodcastKirk

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, stranded on the ISS for nine months due to a Boeing Starliner malfunction, will return to Earth on Tuesday aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon. Initially planned as a short trip, their extended stay required extra supplies. Their journey home, alongside two other crew members, will be broadcast live.

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Rippling Sues Deel, Deel Denies “All Legal Wrongdoing”

March 17, 2025InformationJenThorpe

It’s gloves off in one of the more tense rivalries in the world of Startups. HR company Rippling Monday morning announced a lawsuit against Deel, another big player in the same space.

The dramatic 50-page complaint alleges racketeering, misappropriation of trade secrets, tortious interference, unfair competition, and adding and abetting a breach of fiduciary duty. The lawsuit is largely centered on an employee whom Rippling claims was working as a spy for Deel. TechCrunch reported.

Deel has denied the allegations in a statement to TechCrunch in an equally florid way, setting the stage for the airing of yet more dirty laundry.

“Weeks after Rippling is accused of violating sanctions law in Russia and seeding falsehoods about Deel, Rippling is trying to shift the narrative with these sensationalized claims,” a spokesperson said in a statement provided to TechCrunch. “We deny all legal wrongdoing and look forward to asserting our counterclaims.

The HR technology space is highly competitive, featuring not only major incumbents —SAP, ADP, Workday among them — but also numerous startups targeting the many different aspects of HR, such as payroll, recruitment, training, compensation benefits management and onboarding. Companies like Deel and Rippling aim to prove an all-in-one platform for these services.

Boing Boing reported: HR firm Rippling has filed a lawsuit against rival Deel, alleging they planted a spy in their Dublin office.

This filing is packed with action and excitement, Jason Weisberger at Boing Boing reported. Rippling alleges Deel planted a spy in their office. They employed a honey pot trap to catch the spy and then tracked the employee’s activities. Things got extra silly when Rippling attempted to nab the guy.

“The bag only contained a notebook. It held no mobile device,” the lawsuit says.

The spy then went into the bathroom and locked the door, “despite the independence solicitor’s repeated warnings that these actions were in violation of the court order,” the lawsuit says.

The employee “then stormed out of the office and fled the scene,” the lawsuit says.

The San Francisco Standard reported: HR platforms Rippling and Deel are known for automating the mind-numbing work of payroll and compliance. Now, one San Francisco company is suing the other for alleged corporate espionage— and the details read like a spy thriller.

In a lawsuit filed Monday, in federal court in San Francisco, Rippling accused its top competitor of “a brazen act of corporate theft.” Rippling claims that Deel placed within its ranks a spy, identified in the complaint as D.S., who orchestrated a long-running theft of company secrets. Rippling said it uncovered the operation by placing a “honeypot” trap to lure D.S. into revealing himself on Slack.

A representative of Deal did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement, a Deel spokesperson denied the claims and accused Rippling of trying to “shift the narrative” after it was accused of violation sanctions law in Russia.

Apple Considered Making The Rumored iPhone 17 Air “Completely Port Free”

March 16, 2025AppleJenThorpe

The so-called iPhone 17 Air, which is rumored to be coming this fall, is said to be Apple’s thinnest iPhone ever. But, if the company had gone through some of its earlier plans for the device, slimness may not have been the most talked-about element, Engadget reported.

In the Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman writes that Apple at one time planned to ditch the USB-C port “to make the air device Apple’s first completely port free iPhone.”

The company reportedly shelved the idea to avoid sparking fresh problems with EU regulators. According to Gurman, however, Apple is still holding onto it for future slim iPhones depending on the success of the iPhone 17 Air.

Apple is expected to release four iPhones this year, in line with its strategy on the success of the iPhone 17 Air. Apple is expected to release four iPhones this year, in line with its strategy of the last few years, with the one currently named the iPhone 17 Air being roughy 2 millimeters thinner than the rest.

The Verge reported: A set of iPhone 17 dummies appeared last night in a new leak from Sonny Dickson, who has a long history of reliability leaking the nonfunctional versions of iPhones that case and accessory makers use to prepare for the next year’s crop of handsets.

The images look very much like the render’s we’ve seen in recent weeks, down to the phone-spanning camera bump that Apple is expected to add to all but the standard iPhone 17.

The dummies appear to back up rumors that the iPhone 17 Air will be a 6.3-inch iPhone 16 Pro and 6.9-inch phone, positioning it in between the 6.3-inch iPhone 16 Pro and 6.9-inch 16 Pro Max of this year.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reiterates the it’s going to have a 6.6-inch screen in today’s Power On newsletter. Apple had considered making it 6.9 inches, he writes, but “pulled the plug on that over fears that a thin device with a giant screen would be susceptible to bending.”

The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be as thin as 5.5mm, with a single camera on the back like the iPhone16E. Gurman writes that the phone will get a mix of high-end features, like a 120Hz ProMotion display and low-end ones, like an Apple A19 chip instead of an A19 Pro.

Apple Insider reported: Apple had originally planned to make the iPhone 17 Air the first completely wireless model, but has apparently changed its mind on that front.

A new report claims that Apple considered making one of it future iPhones completely port free. The thinner model, for now called the iPhone 17 Air, could have gone without a USB-C port— but Apple has since backed off the idea.

Ultimately, Apple is said to have decided to include a USB-C port for charging after all. This is said to have been done to appease potential concerns from European Union regulators.