Microsoft has announced that it's holding an event on March 21 that will focus on its upcoming generative AI devices and features. The event entitled "Advancing the new era of work with Copilot" will start at 9AM Pacific/12PM Eastern time that date. Microsoft promises to unveil "the latest in scaling AI in your environment with Copilot, Windows and Surface," but it has shared no other details on what its announcements could be. 

As Windows Central had previously reported, the company is expected to launch the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 on March 21. They're apparently slated to be Microsoft's first AI PCs that will be equipped with the new Intel Core Ultra or Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processors. Both models have neural processing units (NPUs) that boost AI capabilities, which is why the upcoming Surfaces will most likely be the first to support the new AI features coming to Windows 11. 

Those new AI features could include real-time live captions and translations, upscaling for games and frame rate smoothing. Microsoft is also reportedly working on a feature called AI Explorer that will give users a way to conduct searches across apps, documents, web pages, images and chats using natural language. Windows Central said AI Explorer might have the capability to understand context and suggest actions based on what's on the screen. It could also create a history of the tasks a user does on their computer to make them searchable later on. We'll know for sure if Microsoft truly is launching new Surface devices and new AI features a couple of weeks from now — we will, of course, keep you updated on what the company reveals. 

The European Union has entered the latest clash between Apple and Epic Games. Bloomberg reports that regulators will question Apple over its choice to ban Epic's developer account. The Fortnite creator claims this action prevents it from launching the Epic Games Store in Europe. 

This escalation began when Epic CEO Tim Sweeney shared a post on X in January claiming that Apple was trying to thwart complying with the Digital Market Act (DMA) and calling much of its latest policy announcement "hot garbage." Apple's rules include meeting the company's Notarization requirements, paying a Core Technology fee (about 54 cents per install annually) after hitting the millionth download and showing proof of $1.1 million in credit that could be used for financial disputes. Supreme 

A month after Sweeney's post, Apple sent a letter stating, "In plain, unqualified terms, please tell us why we should trust Epic this time." Sweeney responded that the company was "acting in good faith and will comply." 

Apple seemingly had no trust in Epic and would not allow it to have a developer account. "Epic's egregious breach of its contractual obligations to Apple led courts to determine that Apple has the right to terminate 'any or all of Epic Games' wholly owned subsidiaries, affiliates, and/or other entities under Epic Games' control at any time and at Apple's sole discretion.' In light of Epic's past and ongoing behavior, Apple chose to exercise that right," the company said in a statement.   

Sweeney's response was visual, to say the least, stating, "This is the medieval feudal lord, mounting the skulls of their former enemies on their castle walls," CNBC reports. 

This disagreement is the latest in nearly half a decade of issues between the two companies — you could throw a dart at a board filled with fights in the tech industry (of which there are many) and still have a good chance of hitting an Epic Games and Apple face-off. The friction between the pair started in 2020 when a Fortnite update allowed gamers to buy digital coins through a direct payment feature, thus going around Apple's rule that iOS games use in-app purchases (giving them a 30 percent cut). Epic sued Apple, with California's Ninth Circuit Court ruling in favor of the game developer. The Supreme Court declined to take up the case, in which both Apple and Epic appealed the ruling (Epic claimed there were "legal errors" and that Apple had violated federal antitrust laws).

The EU's decision comes just as the DMA finally goes into effect. The new law states that "gatekeepers," such as Apple, Microsoft and Meta, can't favor their own systems or prohibit third party developers from interoperating with them. Apple could be forced to pay ten percent of its annual worldwide revenue if found in violation of the DMA and 20 percent if it's a repeat offender. Apple recently received its first fine from the EU, a €1.8 billion ($1.96 billion) charge for restricting competitors' music streaming apps.

The European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) limits the power of big platform holders, but it may have also created a new revenue stream (and some drama) for those same big names. Google has followed Apple’s lead in imposing extra charges on developers who want to circumvent its own app storefront. Companies luring users outside the Play Store will need to pay Google a cut of in-app purchases and subscriptions. I’m sure everyone will treat this as rationally as when Apple announced it too.

At the same time, Apple has once again suspended Epic Games’ developer access, concerned the games giant isn’t going to play by its rules. The iPhone maker pointed to tweets made by (Epic CEO) Tim Sweeney, suggesting a lack of faith in the company’s rules. Apple more or less said out loud it couldn’t trust Epic, especially given its track record of agreeing to work within Apple’s rules and then very publicly breaking those rules.

— Dan Cooper

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FDA approves the first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor

You can buy one without a prescription in the summer.

The FDA has approved Dexcom’s Stelo Glucose Biosensor as the first wearable continuous glucose monitor to be sold over the counter. Sales of the device will begin this summer to help people who aren’t using insulin to manage their diabetes and also for more general use. I was surprised to learn these weren’t available to buy already since, in the UK, a startup called Zoe has been selling implantable monitors as part of its weight loss program for ages.

Continue Reading.

Microsoft engineer who raised concerns about Copilot image creator pens letter to the FTC

Shane Jones has blown the whistle on AI images before.

Microsoft’s rush to incorporate AI into so many user-facing products has driven whistleblower Shane Jones to the FTC. They wrote to the body, saying Copilot Designer can be used to create inappropriate images and should be removed until better safeguards are in place. The Windows giant and OpenAI have both previously said robust tools exist to steer the model away from creating some of the gruesome images Jones has alleged to have generated.

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Nikon has announced it is buying RED, the high-end cinema camera company, for an undisclosed sum. In a statement, the camera giant, which has suffered along with most of the imaging industry in recent years, said RED will become a wholly-owned subsidiary, as found by The Verge. RED currently has about 220 employees, and no layoff plans have been made public in response to the sale. 

RED was founded in 2005 and has since had its cameras used in popular productions, including Squid Game, Peaky Blinders and Captain Marvel — a market Nikon plans to expand into with this acquisition. Nikon has withdrawn from less profitable areas of the camera market in recent years, including ending development on new DSLRs

The move could benefit both parties, as RED's president Jarred Lang shared on Facebook: "This strategic partnership brings together Nikon's extensive history and expertise in product development, know-how in image processing, as well as optical technology and user interface with RED's revolutionary digital cinema cameras and award-winning technologies." RED's 2018 attempt to expand on its own (into smartphones, no less) didn't last long, and the products soon were discontinued. 

Interestingly, RED sued its new owner in 2022, claiming that Nikon knowingly used RED's patented data compression technology in its Z9 camera. Nikon, in turn, argued the legitimacy of RED's patents before the two companies agreed to a dismissal. 

Yesterday Google outlined the changes it will make to comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) that goes into effect starting today. One important detail it left out, however, was whether it would charge developers who directed users outside the Play Store to sideload apps — and if so, how much. 

Now, Google has revealed that it will indeed charge developers even if they don't use the Play Store, just like Apple did with the App Store. Per new details found in the Play Console help section, the company will charge two new fees: 

1. An initial acquisition fee of 10% for in-app purchases or 5% for subscriptions for two years. This represents the value Play provided in facilitating initial user acquisition.

2. An ongoing services fee of 17% for in-app purchases or 7% for subscriptions. This covers ongoing Play services like parental controls, security, fraud prevention, and app updates.

Developers can opt out of ongoing fees after two years if users agree, but ongoing Play services will no longer apply. "Since users acquired the app through Play with the expectation of services such as parental controls, security scanning, fraud prevention, and continuous app updates, discontinuation of services requires user consent as well," Google stated.

Google included the following chart to show how the fees will apply to a hypothetical "Fantastiq App": 

Google

With this, Google is taking a similar approach to Apple, which reduced App Store commissions but introduced new fees. Namely, Apple tacked on on a new 3 percent “payment processing” fee for transactions that go through its store. And a new “core technology fee” will charge a flat €0.50 fee for all app downloads, regardless of whether they come from the App Store or a third-party website, after the first 1 million installations.

Google is justifying the fees by touting the value it provides in the Android ecosystem: "Play's fees support our investment in Android and Google Play and reflect the value provided by Android and Play, including enabling us to distribute Android for free and provide the continuously growing suite of tools and services that help developers build successful businesses, all while keeping our platforms safe and secure for billions of users worldwide."

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney already blasted Google's post about DMA compliance yesterday, before the new fees were even made public. "Google announced its malicious compliance plans for the European DMA law... it looks like their illegal anti-steering policy will be replaced by a new Google Tax on web transactions. We'll likely soon learn how he and other developers react to the new fees. 

Meta is revamping how Facebook recommends videos across Reels, Groups, and the main Facebook Feed, by using AI to power its video recommendation algorithm, Facebook head Tom Alison revealed on Wednesday. The world's largest social network has already switched Reels, its TikTok competitor, to the new engine, and plans to use it in all places within Facebook that show video — the main Facebook feed and Groups — as part of a "technology roadmap" through 2026, Alison said at a Morgan Stanley tech conference in San Francisco.

Meta has made competing with TikTok a top priority ever since the app, which serves up vertical video clips and is known for its powerful recommendation engine that seems to know exactly what will keep users hooked, started exploding in popularity in the US in the last few years. When Facebook tested the new AI-powered recommendation engine with Reels, watch time went up by roughly 8 to 10 percent, Alison revealed. “So what that told us was this new model architecture is learning from the data much more efficiently than the previous generation,” Alison said. “So that was like a good sign that says, OK, we’re on the right track.”

So far, Facebook used different video recommendation engines for Reels, Groups, and the Facebook feed. But after seeing success with Reels, the company plans to use the same AI-powered engine across all these products.

“Instead of just powering Reels, we’re working on a project to power our entire video ecosystem with this single model, and then can we add our Feed recommendation product to also be served by this model,” Alison said. “If we get this right, not only will the recommendations be kind of more engaging and more relevant, but we think the responsiveness of them can improve as well.”

The move is a part of Meta’s strategy to infuse AI into all its products after the technology exploded with the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT at the end of 2022. The company is spending billions of dollars to buy up hundreds of thousands of pricey NVIDIA GPUs used to train and power AI models, Zuckerberg said in a video earlier this year.

After a decade of rumors and speculation, the Apple Car is dead. Last week, Bloomberg reported that the multibillion-dollar project had finally been scrapped. Reports about the electric vehicle never quite seemed real, but now we have many new details about the car that never was thanks to an excellent post-mortem from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

The story includes many astonishing details about various Apple executives’ plans for the car, and why the project ultimately failed. But some of the best details are the descriptions of what the vehicle was supposed to look like.

At one point, Apple’s leaders were adamant that the autonomous “microbus” should not include a steering wheel or pedals. It would have “club seating like a private plane” and curved sides and a glass roof. Famed Apple designer Jony Ive thought the interior should be “covered in stainless steel, wood and white fabric,” and that it should only come in one color: white.

Since any actual mock-ups of the car, which Gurman says was sometimes referred to as the “Bread Loaf,” are presumably locked deep inside a well-guarded Apple office, I did the next best thing and asked AI. The results are, actually, kind of cute?

A former Google engineer was arrested in California on Wednesday for stealing more than 500 files containing artificial intelligence trade secrets from the company and using the information to benefit rival tech companies in China.

In an indictment that was unsealed in a federal California court, prosecutors accused Linwei Ding, a 38-year-old Chinese national who started working at Google in 2019, of uploading trade secrets from his Google-issued laptop to personal cloud storage accounts. The documents that Ding stole involved “building blocks” of Google’s AI infrastructure, according to the indictment. He uploaded them to his personal accounts over a period of one year from May 2022 to May 2023.

Ding was arrested in Newark, California, and charged with four counts of theft of trade secrets. If convicted, he can be sentenced up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for each count.

“We have strict safeguards to prevent the theft of our confidential commercial information and trade secrets,” Google spokesperson José Castañeda told Engadget. “After an investigation, we found that this employee stole numerous documents, and we quickly referred the case to law enforcement. We are grateful to the FBI for helping protect our information and will continue cooperating with them closely.”

The development comes at a time of heightened tensions between the United States and China over the explosion of artificial intelligence. Last year, the Biden administration banned the export of advanced AI chips designed by American companies like NVIDIA to China to stop the country from using AI to strengthen its military. “Today’s charges are the latest illustration of the lengths affiliates of companies based in the People’s Republic of China are wiling to go to steal American innovation,” said FBI director Christopher Wray in a statement. “The theft of innovative technology and trade secrets from American companies can cost jobs and have devastating economic and national security consequences.”

The indictment revealed all kinds of details about the nature of the crime. Ding allegedly copied information from Google’s files into Apple Notes on his laptop first, and then converted them to PDF files that he uploaded to his personal Google account to evade detection by Google’s data loss prevention systems. He also gave his Google badge to another Google employee in California to make it seem like he was working from Google’s offices in the state while actually working for rival companies in China. Prosecutors said that Ding helped in raising capital for one of the Chinese companies he worked with as its chief technology officer. Last year, he also founded another AI company in China and served as its CEO.

This isn’t the first time that the US has arrested a Chinese national for stealing trade secrets from American companies. In the last few years, the US attorney’s office in San Francisco has charged three former Apple employees for stealing trade secrets related to the Apple Car, a project the company recently canceled, and siphoning them off to companies in China. Last month, one of those engineers was sentenced to six months in prison and asked to pay nearly $150,000 in fines. 

Microsoft and Atlus said today that the Expansion Pass for Persona 3 Reload will be available on March 12. The bundle will include the story’s final chapter DLC, Episode Aigis -The Answer-, which arrives in September. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can get the Expansion Pass for free with their membership.

In the original Persona 3, the epilogue was called The Answer in the English version and Episode Aegis in the Japanese version, leading to the combined title in the remake’s DLC. Like the base game, the DLC will transform the original story with “cutting-edge graphics, modernized quality-of-life features and all the upgrades that came with Persona 3 Reload.”

The DLC’s story begins in a Groundhog Day-style time loop. “After unravelling the mysteries of the Dark Hour, fighting epic battles through Tartarus, and all the unforgettable events of Persona 3 Reload, the S.E.E.S. members find themselves trapped in a never-ending March 31st,” Xbox communication manager Michael Carven wrote. You’ll play as Aigis, a human-like android with Persona-summoning abilities.

“Persona 3 Reload would not be complete without Episode Aigis –The Answer-,” General Producer Kazuhisa Wada wrote. “The epilogue is sure to satisfy both those who have played the original Persona 3 FES and those who are just starting out.”

The Expansion Pass will also add new music and costumes. The updated tracks will include remixes and “fan-favorite tracks from previous Persona titles.”

Microsoft says Persona 3 Reload is developer Atlus’ fast-selling title, surpassing a million sales in its first week.

At long last, Square Enix has revealed the proper release date for Final Fantasy 14 on Xbox Series X/S. The MMO, which is currently in open beta on the consoles, will officially arrive on the systems on March 21. PlayStation and PC players have been enjoying Final Fantasy 14 since 2013, so the Xbox release has been a long time coming.

The Xbox open beta is available only to new Square Enix accounts. It includes everything that's available in the free trial (more on that in a second) and progress will roll over into the full game.

Microsoft is offering Game Pass Ultimate subscribers the option to claim the game's Starter Edition at no extra cost between March 21 and April 19. That too has the same content as the free trial. You'll get the base game and the first two expansions, Heavensward and Stormblood.

There are some limits for both options, though. The free trial caps out when you reach level 70, though you can continue playing indefinitely. Other limitations include the amount of in-game currency you can carry and not being able to trade items with other players.

Opt for the Starter Edition and you can exceed the free trial's level cap and other restrictions, but you'll have to start paying the game's subscription fee after 30 days (that's on top of the Game Pass Core or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription you'll need to pay to play the game on Xbox). If you prefer not to rush through the base game and first two expansions, it might be better to stick with the trial until you've finished those.

It's worth bearing those quirks in mind as you prepare to set foot in Eorzea for the first time (or you're perhaps starting over after playing Final Fantasy 14 on another platform). In any case, given its capacity to bring people closer together, it might be worth checking out the game with your friends and family if you haven't already done so.