Tentatively dubbed Apple Neural Engine (ANE), this hypothetical chip fits well with Apple’s tradition of designing hardware for its software, following Alan Kay’s edict: “People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware.”
Couple Apple’s AR and ML announcements with the putative ANE chip and we have an integrated whole that sounds very much like the Apple culture and silicon muscle we’ve already witnessed, a package that would further strengthen the company’s moat, its structural competitive advantage.
Despite this, Apple might still tread lightly when it comes to enforcing these policies in China. The Chinese government regularly punishes foreign companies it considers a threat to domestic players, using a mixture of arbitrary law enforcement and bad press. And recent run-ins between Apple and the government suggest that Beijing may well consider Apple a threat—to Chinese smartphone companies, and perhaps even to Tencent.
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Policy is one thing, enforcement is another. And with sales slowing and political pressure mounting, Apple will face a choice—give Tencent a free pass and appear toothless, or crack down on them and run further afoul in the eyes of the government. Neither option is a good one.
My thesis is we are just at the beginning of a massive cleansing of the advertising ecosystem that will have far-reaching consequences.
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We'll see scores of publishers finally settling for the most reliable part of the news publishing business model and proposing ad-free subscriptions.
Global Delight introduces Boom 3D, the new version of its volume booster and equalizer app (previously titled Boom 2) that now delivers immersive a 3D virtual surround audio experience that’s ideal for use with headphones.
While each ink-free peel and stick print stands on its own, the app lets you view an augmented reality video with each picture printed on its paper. The Prynt app automatically records a quick video linked to the photo and stores it in the cloud, so that when you point a smartphone at the print through the app, it plays back the embedded video via augmented reality, animating the photo on-screen, Harry Potter style.
The company made the announcement on its Taiwan website, while Tim Cook also teased the new location in a tweet this afternoon, calling the store Apple Taipei 101.
I've too little sleep last night. As a result, for this entire day so far, I have been cranky and irritable. Just like a baby that didn't get her afternoon nap.
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Thanks for reading.