🛑 I see fake people: The FTC is banning marketers from using fake reviews (including any written by AI), paying for reviews and using bots to boost follower counts. The new rules kick in sometime in mid-October. Will the penalties be stiff enough to keep companies honest? Nope.
Everything new coming to iOS 18
Apple.com
I’ve been testing the beta version of Apple’s latest operating system, iOS 18, to give you a preview of what’s to come. The final version drops on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, but I know you like to be tech-ahead and not tech-behind, so here’s a preview of the good stuff.
Apple Intelligence is the showstopper
It’s Apple’s take on artificial intelligence, and if the previews are anything close to reality, it’s going to be cool. The fancy AI features will be gradually rolled out when iOS 18 is released.
These include customized notifications, writing assistants, priority messages, audio summaries, custom emojis, and AI photo creation and editing. Finally, Siri will be truly useful and not a major annoyance.
🎣 The big catch here: Only the iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max and 16 models have access to Apple Intelligence.
An Apple fan walks into a bar …
… They order the same drink as yesterday but pay 20% more. I’m hoping that joke isn’t true this fall. In order to get iOS 18, you’ll need to have one of these phones:
- iPhone SE (2nd-gen or later), XR, XS, XS Max, and all models of the 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16
If you have an iPhone X, 8 series or anything older, you’re out of luck. Those phones run iOS 16, which still receives security updates. It’s safe to use; you just won’t get cool new features.
What else is coming?
Bye, snoops: Add Face ID and Touch ID to individual apps, like banking and dating. Sweet.
Control Center revamp: You’ll see more options (like Apple Music and translation) and layout controls. Even better, create multiple Control Center screens. Nerdy but super useful. I’ll do a whole how-to later!
Robo-dog built to defend against drones
The U.S. military is developing a gun-wielding robot dog to protect our forces from aerial drones. The doggo is equipped with an AR-15-type rifle, electro-optical targeting system, infrared/thermal vision and a laser aiming device.
51% increase
In daily users on Reddit during the second quarter. Compare that to 1.6% for X and 7% for Meta (paywall link). Why the jump? With AI everywhere, more folks are turning to Reddit as a search engine that includes info from real people.
New Google goodies: Big announcements at the Aug. 13 event include the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL (out Aug. 22) and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold (out Sept. 4). The lineup also contains two new AI apps — Pixel Screenshots for searching screenshot info (I want that on my iPhone!) and Pixel Studio for text-to-image generation. Ahem, soon you’ll be able to get a Pixel 8 model as cheap as they come.
🎮 Don’t buy a Switch: A new version of the handheld Nintendo console is rumored for early next year (paywall link). The 2017 model is the third-bestselling console of all time, behind the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS. Mario is mad at Peach; he caught her going through his Bowser history.
How to change an Airtag battery
A lot of people think once their Airtag dies, they have to throw it away. I am here to bust that myth with 3 simple steps to change your Airtag battery. *No tools required
Who is Kitboga?
Kitboga is one of the most popular scammer baiters out there. What’s a scammer baiter? Watch to find out.
🚨 China, Iran and Russia: Foreign TikTok accounts are spreading a ton of AI-generated voice clips and fake statements from both U.S. presidential candidates ahead of the election. About one-third of young Americans are getting their news on TikTok (paywall link). Def worth having a chat with them about what they think each side represents.
A whole new world: Starting in September, Disney+ is cracking down on password sharing outside your household. Rumor has it you can add paid sharing, but no word on the cost yet. Oh, and the price for Disney+ will increase in October; the ad-supported tier will go from $8 per month to $10 monthly, and the ad-free version will rise from $14 to $16 a month. Yup, Mickey needs the money.
Dog sets the house on fire
An indoor cam caught a dog chewing on a lithium-ion battery power bank, which then set the house on fire. The flames spread through the living room in minutes. The family (and all their pets) got out safely. Note to self: Keep power banks up high away from Abby.
Hacked Ring camera
Ausharee Mcleod says her 5 year old son’s Ring camera was hacked after he heard a voice whisper “hey” in the middle of the night.
293% increase
In email attacks, compared to last year. Email scams exploded in the first half of 2024, including increases in ransomware, malware and phishing attempts. AI might not be helping tech companies turn a profit yet, but it’s sure helping cyber crooks.
💸 Wads up? Cash App is paying out a $15 million settlement, up to $2,500 per person. You qualify if your account info was part of a data breach or if someone made fraudulent withdrawals or transfers between Aug. 23, 2018, and Aug. 20, 2024. Submit your claim form by Nov. 18, 2024.
The have’s and the have yachts
Billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, sporting a gold chain and Gen Z curly hair, knows everyone’s roasting him online. From being called a lizard to claims he doesn’t blink, he’s ok with it. At 40, he says from his 387-foot mega yacht, if you’re gonna joke, “At least make them good memes.”
50% of Apple stock
Offloaded for billionaire Warren Buffet. Berkshire Hathaway’s money moves always make the news. In the last quarter, they went from 790 million shares of Apple to 400 million shares. Wonder what he knows.
15,000 employees
Are getting laid off at Intel. After reporting $1.6 billion in quarterly losses, Intel is axing 15% of its workforce by the end of this year. So, what the heck is going on? Microsoft and Apple both ditched Intel chips in their newest laptops.
Ferrari exec spotted a scam
This is the type of next level thinking we should all have in the age of AI. If something doesn’t feel right, then it probably isn’t.
🗓️ Wait two weeks: Don’t buy any Google tech right now; they’re revealing a bunch of new tech at their Made by Google event on Aug. 13. That includes the Pixel 9 lineup, Pixel Buds Pro 2 and new Pixel Watch 3. Then comes the race to offload old inventory at cheaper prices …
AI + Chrome: Check out the new stuff rolling out with the latest Google Chrome update. Lens lets you select part of a page or tap on an object in an image to ask questions about it. Tab Compare gathers product data from your open tabs into one table. And you can search your browsing history using normal language, like “What’s the Mexican restaurant I ordered from last week?” Update your desktop app to get these features.