FTC & 17 States Sue Amazon; iPhone 16 Pro Getting Tetraprism Telephoto Like Max; CIA Builds Own AI Tool; Google Podcasts Will Sunset-Moving to YouTube

The Federal Trade Commission and 17 states are suing Amazon for allegedly maintaining monopoly power that stifles competition. According to geekwire.com, The complaint alleges that Amazon uses “anticompetitive and unfair strategies” that “stop rivals and sellers from lowering prices, degrade quality for shoppers, overcharge sellers, stifle innovation, and prevent rivals from fairly competing” against the e-commerce giant. The long-awaited lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, is a test for FTC Chair Lina Khan and those who have targeted Amazon for years over its business practices. Amazon put out a statement denying this, and saying that the government and states were ‘wrong on the facts and the law.’ Stay tuned for a long, intense court battle.

Not surprisingly, the iPhone 16 Pro will join the Pro Max next year in getting the tetraprism telephoto camera. Appleinsider.com reports that the tip comes from well-respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo says the supply chain has been bulking up fast, because demand for the 15 Pro Max with the tetraprism ‘exceeds expectations’, and they are playing catch up. He says the tetraprism camera will grow by around 110% in 2024, amounting to between 70 million and 80 million units. 

I apologize in advance for another scary AI story so soon, but the CIA has developed its own ChatGPT type tool to pore over public information. Bloomberg says the CIA’s Open-Source Enterprise division will be releasing the AI tool to US intelligence agencies soon. The tool will allow users to see the original source of the info they are using. The Agency claims with such a flood of data as is available on the net, the tool is needed. They claim the Agency will closely follow US privacy laws. 

Google Podcasts app will be sunsetted next year…who knew they even had it? I didn’t. It has been around since 2018 apparently. Engadget.com notes that for those who have used it, the content will be folded into YouTube and YouTube Music. YouTube…which presumably you DID know had podcasts, has 23% of all podcast listeners in the US. Google says podcasters that are on the Google Podcast service will get a ‘simple migration tool’ to move to YouTube Music. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.


Leave a comment