Apple’s AI Search Ambitions Signal a Post-Google Future #1820



Apple is preparing for a future without its $20 billion annual deal with Google, which pays to be the default search engine in Safari. While losing this revenue stream would be a blow to Apple, it could be devastating for Google, which shares 36% of its Safari search ad revenue with Apple. In court, Apple executive Eddy Cue hinted at plans to pivot toward AI-powered search solutions by enhancing its existing Applebot and Spotlight infrastructure or partnering with emerging AI players like Perplexity or Anthropic. Although Apple’s search services may not rival Google’s effectiveness, its strong ecosystem, advertising capabilities, and willingness to innovate with generative AI could help cushion the financial impact. Apple’s exploration of AI-based search threatens Google’s dominance and signals a strategic shift toward greater control over its user experience and data.

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Palworld Developer Says Pokémon Lawsuit Will Prompt More ‘Disappointing’ Changes



Palworld developer Pocketpair has released a statement regarding changes to its monster catching survival game which were made due to its ongoing Pokémon lawsuit, Eurogamer  reported. 

Nintendo announced it was suing Pocketpair for infringement of “multiple” patents toward the end of last year. It was later confirmed the lawsuit was targeting three patents in particular. Then, as part of a winter update, Pocketpair subsequently removed the ability to summon creatures by throwing Pokéball-style Pal Spheres.

Writing on social media platform X earlier today, Pocketpair expressed disappointment that such actions were required back then, before stating it was not having to make “yet another compromise” due to the lawsuit. 

The developer said it understood this would be “disappointing for many”, just as it is for the Palworld team. However, it said the changes are “necessary in order to prevent further disruptions” to the game’s development, and it remains “committed to delivering exciting new content for players.

Video Games Chronicle reported: Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a lawsuit against Pocketpair Company filed a lawsuit in Japan last year, alleging that Palworld infringes on three patents that are related to the monster catching gameplay, all of which were initially filed by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company between February and July of last year. Palworld was released on January 19, 2024.

On Thursday, Pocketpair confirmed it had previously patched out the ability to summon Pals via ‘Pal Spheres’ due to legal action, and confirmed that further changes were coming in order to avoid disrupting future development and releases.

“On November 30th, 2024, we released Patch v03.11 for Palworld,” it said. “This patch removed the ability to summon Pals by throwing Pal Spheres and instead changed into a static summon next to the player.

“Several other game mechanics were also changed in this patch. As many have speculated, these changes were indeed a result of ongoing litigation. Everyone here at Pocketpair was disappointed that this adjustment had to be made, and we fully understand many players feel the same frustration.

“Unfortunately, as the alternative would have led to an even greater deterioration of the gameplay experience for players, it was determined that this change was necessary.”

PCGamer reported: Today, Palworld received a new patch. Update v0.5.5. doesn’t add any new features, Pals, or environments. It doesn’t fix any bugs or offer any optimization improvements. Instead, the accompanying Steam news post from developer Pocketpair only includes patch notes.

Mechanics Adjustment: The mechanics for gliding with a Pal have been changed. Until now, you could use certain Pals as a glider, however, from this patch you will only be able to glide using a glider. Glider Pals will now provide a new passive partner skill effect while gliding, but the player must have a glider equipped to actually glide.

Pocketpair offered additional context for the update in a post on X, explaining that the adjustment to Pal gliding was “another compromise” made in response to Nintendo’s ongoing lawsuit, which alleges that Pocketpair infringed on a series of patents protecting Pokémon game mechanics.

 

 


Microsoft Wins Appeal In FTC Challenge To $69 Billion Activision Blizzard Deal



A federal appeals court on Wednesday rejected a legal challenge by the Federal Trade Commission to Microsoft’s $69 billion purchase of “Call of Duty” maker Activision Blizzard, Reuters reported.

The San Francisco-based 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower judges order that said the FTC was not entitled to a preliminary injunction blocking the deal, which closed in 2023.

A three-judge panel unanimously ruled that the lower judge had applied the correct standards and said the FTC had not shown it was likely to succeed on its claims that the merger would restrict competition.

A spokesperson for the FTC declined to comment. Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The decision came in an antitrust lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission in 2022 against Xbox maker Microsoft. 

The FTC, which enforces antitrust law, separately challenged the merger in an internal administrative action. That proceeding was placed on hold in 2023 during President Biden’s administration, pending the 9th Circuit’s decision.

The Activision Blizzard transaction marked the largest-ever acquisition in the video gaming market. The deal closed in late 2023 after competition experts in the UK approved it. The purchase also faced regulatory scrutiny in other international markets. 

The FTC’s lawsuit sought an order freezing the Activision transaction while the agency pursued its administrative challenge.

The agency claimed that the Microsoft-Activision tie-up would allow the merged company to fend off competitors to the Xbox console and to its subscription and cloud based gaming business.

XboxEra  reported: A federal court today has rendered a verdict on an appeal the FTC filed requesting an injunction against the Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

The 9th U.S. Court of San Francisco has upheld the ruling of a lower court judge that stated the FTC was not entered to a preliminary injunction. The FTC was attempting to stop Microsoft from Acquiring Activision Blizzard King. The deal was finalized back in 2023, showing how long the wheels of justice can take to our turn in America.

After nearly 2 years of regulatory back and forth between Microsoft, Activision, Sony, and several other gaming companies and government agencies, Microsoft announced today that they have officially acquire Activision-Blizzard-King.

With ABK now under Microsoft, the company is the proprietor of a bounty of valuable IP, including Call of Duty and Diablo. Comments by CEO of Microsoft Gaming Phil Spenser suggest interest in reviving dormant IP in the Activision-Blizzard vault as well.

These comments suggest the company may look to extract as much value as possible from their recently approved purchase that will undoubtedly help the growth of their gaming subscription Game Pass.


Apple’s Legal Battle with Epic Games Escalates #1819



Apple has appealed to overturn a court ruling in its legal battle with Epic Games. The ruling barred the company from charging developers fees on purchases made outside the App Store. The verdict followed accusations that Apple defied a prior injunction and misused legal privilege to delay the case. The judge also referred Apple’s VP of Finance for a potential criminal investigation due to false testimony. The ruling could reshape Apple’s fee structure and App Store control if upheld.

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FCC Targets Chinese Testing Labs Over Security Concerns in US Electronics #1818



The Federal Communications Commission is gearing up for a crucial vote on May 22 that could reshape how electronics enter the U.S. market. At the center of the decision is a proposal to ban specific Chinese testing labs from certifying devices like smartphones, game consoles, and cameras—products that must meet safety and technical standards before being sold in the U.S. FCC Chair Brendan Carr warns that some of these labs are controlled by foreign entities deemed national security threats, creating a loophole that could expose Americans to compromised tech. If passed, the new rule would prohibit such labs from participating in the FCC’s equipment authorization process, tightening oversight and potentially escalating existing tensions with China.

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Philips Clothes Steamer Gets the Wrinkles Out



While the office dress code has become more relaxed since the pandemic, I still have to wear a shirt that’s wrinkle-free at the beginning of the day. While my office-wear is supposed to be “non-iron”, the shirts do tend to need ironing to look their best after they’ve been through the wash. Interestingly, a colleague (shout out to Craig) suggested using a steamer rather than an iron to quickly get the creases out, so I thought I’d investigate further.

I purchased a Philips Handheld Steamer 3000 series (STH3000/26) from an online retailer and at the time, I paid a little over UK£30, though it’s currently available at a slightly lower price of £29.99 (April 25). There are other handheld ranges (5000 series, 7000 series) but they are more expensive and have more features. I thought I’d stick to the basics and this particular model comes in an inoffensive blue-green colour. Unusually, the colour goes all the way from the steamer and down the cable to the plug. It’s blue-green all over.

As you’ll see from the pictures, there’s nothing particular fancy here. There’s a folding handle below the main body with a detachable water reservoir on one end and steam jets on the other. The handle incorporates a sliding on/off switch at the bottom with a trigger higher up to produce steam. It’s very easy to operate – fill the reservoir with water, click it on the back, turn on the steamer, wait about 30s for the light on top to go out and then pull the trigger. Steam comes out after a wee gurgle. Easy-peasy. Although I don’t think the weight will bother anyone, the steamer has a bit of heft to it at a little under a kilogram once the water is added.

Using the steamer takes a little bit of getting used to. First of all you have to find somewhere to do the steaming. The clothes ought to be vertical, rather than being laid on an ironing board, so I tended to put the hangar over a door. It’s a bit unsatisfactory but that’s not the Philips steamer’s fault and I’d be very tempted to get something like this to make life easier – a garment overdoor steamer pad. It kind of replaces the ironing board as somewhere to do the work.

In practise, the steamer works and it works pretty well. Pull the trigger and gently move the steamer over the clothes to let the steam do its stuff and release those wrinkles. It’s fairly quick too, and with a bit of practice you begin to develop a technique so that you’re not going over the same area multiple times and you know how to tense the fabric to help pull it flat. If you are worried about scalding your fingers, don’t be as the steam gets absorbed by the fabric so it never really escapes. Clearly you can scald your fingers if you try hard enough but steam safely and it’s fine.

My only real gripe is the size of the water reservoir (100ml) as I found it only lasted a few shirts and then I’d need to refill. If you are serious about taking up steaming, look for a bigger water reservoir.

Obviously the big question is whether it’s faster than ironing….yes and no. It’s definitely faster for shirts because much of the time is taken up with undoing and doing up the buttons. With the steamer you can simply take the drying shirt and steam it on the hangar. For something like a t-shirt that has no buttons and you are likely to fold at the end, I think I’d stick with the traditional iron. Overall, I’m going to continue to use the Philips steamer and if it sticks for the long term, I might look to upgrade.

There’s more in my video below.


Microsoft President Brad Smith Says The Company Will Take US To Court



Microsoft said Wednesday it will retain the option to sue if it is ordered to suspend European cloud operations amid concerns that these services could get caught up in a transatlantic trade war, Politico reported.

During an event in Brussels, Microsoft President Brad Smith addressed growing European concerns that using U.S. cloud services is a risk. Some have suggested that the Trump administration could order U.S. companies to pause operations for EU customers, as retaliation in the trade war or if the EU continues to enforce its tech regulation.

Such an event is “exceedingly unlikely” to happen, Smith said, but the company acknowledges it’s “a real concern of people across Europe.” 

The company will add a binding clause to its contracts with European governments and the European Commission stating that it would keep the option open to go to court in the event other governments ordered it to suspend or cease cloud operations, it said in a blog post. 

Microsoft reported: Forty-two years ago, Microsoft released the very first version of Microsoft Word. It was a major milestone in the company’s journey to enhance people’s productivity through innovation. It also marked the young and growing company’s first big step in Europe with the first Microsoft product localized in multiple European languages, starting with German and French. 

Since then, our economic reliance on Europe has always run deep. We recognize that our business is critically dependent on sustaining the trust of customers, countries, and governments across Europe. We respect European values, comply with European laws, and actively defend Europe’s cybersecurity. Our support for Europe has always been-and always will be-steadfast. 

In a time of geopolitical volatility, we are committed to providing digital stability. That is why today Microsoft is announcing five digital commitments to Europe. These start with an expansion of our cloud and AI infrastructure in Europe, aimed at enabling every country to fully use these technologies to strengthen their economic competitiveness. And they include a promise to uphold Europe’s digital resilience regardless of geopolitical and trade volatility.

CNBC reported: Microsoft President Brad Smith says the U.S. tech giant is committed to respecting European laws — even though it may not always agree with them.

“Like every citizen and company, we don’t always agree with every policy of every government. But even when we’ve lost cases in European courts, Microsoft has long respected and complied with European laws,” Smith said in a blog post Wednesday.

Smith’s comments are part of a charm offensive Microsoft is making with Europe this week, after tensions between the United States and European Union ratchet up in recent weeks over U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. 

Trump’s trade ware with U.S. trading partners — including the European Union, China and others — has raised fears that the EU could use its regulatory crackdown on America’s technology giants as a tool to counter trade restrictions.