News
China isn’t happy with Apple amid Hong Kong protests
You can never please everyone
China and Hong Kong are in a stand-off and Apple is stuck in the crossfire.
For months the people of Hong Kong have been protesting against the rising influence of Mainland China. The city is technically an autonomous region with its own government and a recent extradition agreement has received fierce resistance from the citizens.
Earlier, Apple got some flak when the developer of HKmap.live tweeted that it had been rejected for inclusion in the App Store over concerns it would promote illegal behavior during the protests. On the flip side, Apple carries apps that allow users to keep tabs on police or speed cameras elsewhere. The Cupertino-based giant reversed its decision soon.
Now, the app is topping charts in Hong Kong under the “travel” category. This decision was welcomed by pro-Democracy supporters, however, the Chinese government wasn’t too pleased with it.
China’s state media published an article on October 9, slamming the American tech giant for its approval of an app that has been “allowing the rioters in Hong Kong to go on violent acts.”
The article then cautioned: “The map app is just the tip of the iceberg”. It alleged that a song advocating “Hong Kong independence” had appeared on the “Apple Music Store” in the southern Chinese city, then issued an ominous warning.
It’s clear, Apple can never please both sides. In a bid to take a stand, the company ended up pissing-off people anyway. Unfortunately, it doesn’t end here.
Apple has also removed the Taiwanese flag emoji from some iPhones, in a bid to balance the company’s relation with China. In doing so, it undermines its position on pro-Democracy followers since Taiwan and China have been involved in a decades-long struggle for ownership.
For Apple, China plays a very crucial role because its market share is neglible in the country. Most importantly, the majority of iPhones are assembled in China thanks to a partnership with Foxconn.
Apps
Canva teams up with SB19 to turn A’TIN’s passion into creativity
Campaign lets fans access assets, editable templates, more
Canva Philippines has joined forces with SB19 and Sony Music Entertainment to launch the “Kaya sa Canva” campaign.
This first-of-its-kind initiative is aimed at transforming the popular Filipino boy band’s fanbase into creators by giving them access to official design assets, exclusive templates, and powerful creative tools.
That’s of course as fans have a way of creating artwork, banners, and more outputs to honor their idols.
As such, the partnership enables the A’TIN (SB19’s fanbase) to access the Canva-exclusive SB19’s Creative Hub.
This dedicated space lets fans access assets, including SB19-inspired sticker packs, custom typography, and editable templates inspired by the group.
Fans around the world will initially have access to templates for photo-booth strips, wallpapers, posters, and videos.
The campaign will then expand with Canva-exclusive assets celebrating the group’s New Era, as well as their latest single, “Lawless”.
Meanwhile, the original song “KAYA” is accompanied with an upbeat music video, doubling as a love letter to A’TIN and a masterclass in Canva’s tools.
Every visual and animation is fan-inspired, a celebration of the creativity, passion, and dedication that’s defined in the community from day one.
News
The iPhone 18 might sell out for an unexpected reason
The ongoing shortage might play a part in the phone selling out earlier than expected.
An iPhone selling out is not news. Because of how popular the phones are, it’s within the realm of probability that Apple runs out of stock at some point. According to a new report, this year won’t be any different… but it’s for an entirely different reason.
First reported by analyst Tim Culpan, Apple is reportedly struggling to meet its demand for semiconductors for the iPhone 18 and the foldable iPhone. The ongoing memory shortage is cutting off Apple’s ability to deliver the required supply of smartphones in a timely fashion. The report even claims that TSMC, which helps produce the iPhone, is sitting on a shipment of processors, worth US$ 1 billion, that don’t have memory chips.
Now, Apple is still confident that it can weather the launch. However, if the shortage persists, the iPhone 18 generation will likely sell out much more quickly than expected.
It’s an interesting time for Apple to experience such a shortage. It’s been heavily rumored that the company will launch its very first foldable phone next month, creating a new market for the brand. Apple definitely wants this attempt to succeed after the tepid response to its last new product, the Vision Pro.
SEE ALSO: Did Tim Cook just confirm that iPhone prices are going up?
News
These “smart” glasses just sold out in under a week
DuckDuckGo touts that these glasses have zero AI, zero cameras, and an infinite battery life.
Smart glasses are in a weird place right now. While a chunk of the population views them as cool and innovative, another significant chunk sees them as a privacy nightmare. If you’re in the latter group but want to see what life is like on the former, DuckDuckGo has a new product: a pair of anti-surveillance glasses with no camera or AI, otherwise known as just normal sunglasses.
If it’s not obvious, yes, it’s a troll product. DuckDuckGo is a search engine famously known for pushing privacy as a priority, opposing Google’s penchant for advertising and AI. Now, the search engine is taking on the smart glasses market.
Partnering with Knockaround, DuckDuckGo released the Paso Robles, a pair of sunglasses touted as having zero cameras, an always-offline mode, and a battery life of infinity.
It’s a statement piece. The rims have a logo mark, similar to the Meta’s glasses. The packaging also states that the glasses are “designed to block the sun, not send data to the cloud.”
Now, if you want a pair, they cost only US$ 35, as opposed to Meta’s US$ 299 price tag, but they are already sold out.
Which says quite a bit about today’s sentiment against AI and for privacy. Of course, to be fair, DuckDuckGo’s supply is certainly less than Meta’s stock for their smart glasses. It does, however, prove that the sentiment is there.
As of now, the world is slowly realizing that unimpeded smart glasses aren’t such a good idea, leading to people concerned about their privacy. In fact, some states have already started banning the technology in certain public spaces.
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