Meta will begin charging a 30% fee when advertisers pay to boost visibility of their posts in Facebook and Instagram iOS apps. Advertisers will start getting hit with the new ‘Apple Tax’ later this month. Theverge.com reports that it is in response to a move by Apple’s App Store in 2022 where Apple extended its typical 30 percent cut of digital purchases to boosted posts, which are essentially ads. The change particularly targeted Meta and other social apps that let people pay in app to increase the reach of their content. Meta notes in a statement that small business owners and influencers who want to purchase a boost on iOS will now be billed through Apple, “which retains a 30% service charge on the total ad payment, before any applicable taxes.” Meta says people can still purchase boosts from Instagram’s and Facebook’s websites on desktop or mobile to get around the Apple fee that is being passed on to iOS users.

More new territory that AI is claiming to conquer. So we know OpenAI can pass some bar exams without the need for law school. Now, according to Wired, a new OpenAI app called Sora is claimed to master cinema without going to film school. The app is being checked out by a few select creators and security experts right now. Google and a couple of startups have already revealed text-to-video AI projects, but OpenAI says that Sora is distinguished by its striking photorealism—something I haven’t seen in its competitors—and its ability to produce longer clips than the brief snippets other models typically do, up to one minute. It isn’t perfect…but has a reasonably realistic look to the video. When released, expect Sora to have similar restrictions as Dall-E 3…that is, no violence, no porn, no appropriating real people or the style of named artists. Also as with Dall-E 3, OpenAI will provide a way for viewers to identify the output as AI-created.

A new leak about upcoming Galaxy Fold 6 phones may also give a new clue about the rumored folding iPhone. Bgr.com says Samsung is incorporating new tech into the next generation of Fold phones, the Fold 6 that may be the same as what Apple has specified for its own upcoming folding iPhone. The key point is that Samsung will use thinner hinge parts on the Galaxy Fold 6, which will reduce weight and also improve durability and repairability. Also…and always a big deal to Apple…which seems to believe a device can never be too thin…it is expected to be about 11 mm thick, which is about the thickness of a regular, non-folding smartphone. Apple allegedly is planning a flip phone similar to the Galaxy Z Flip, and they want it to be as thin as current iPhones. At 11 mm, it would be about as thick as the original iPhone. That handset was 11.6 mm. The current ones are 8.25 mm. 

General Motors has announced a greatly expanded the area in which drivers can use Super Cruise. The General has added 750,000 miles of primarily rural roads and minor highways. Techcrunch.com reports that the upgrade should be complete by 2025. This will nearly double the 400,000 mile network presently available. Super Cruise has been around since 2017, and allows fully hands-free operation under the supervision of a driver, who must be ready to take control at any time. It uses highly accurate GPS, cameras, radar sensors and a driver attention system to ensure the operator is paying attention. Super Cruise is available on 15 different GM models. 

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