Tech Digest daily roundup: Apple ditches lightning port, will stop using leather

Apple has confirmed its new iPhone will not feature its proprietary lightning charging port, after the EU forced the change. The tech giant said that the iPhone 15, unveiled at its annual event on Tuesday, would use a USB-C cable as the “universally accepted standard”. A new Apple Watch series was also unveiled with a more advanced chip. But one analyst said a lack of “headline-grabbing” updates from Apple this year would disappoint some. “It isn’t a surprise given the maturity of the iPhone and Watch,” said Ben Wood from CCS Insight. BBC

Apple will stop using leather across all of its accessories in an effort to “protect the planet” and meet its net zero targets by 2030.  The US tech giant said it would stop using leather in its watch straps and phone cases and replace it with a material called “FineWoven”, which is made using 68pc recycled textiles and other artificial fibres. Lisa Jackson, Apple vice president for environment, said: “Leather is a popular material for accessories, but it has a significant carbon footprint, especially at Apple’s scale.” Telegraph 

The watershed antitrust trial pitting the US government against Google began on Tuesday in a Washington district court, as the government started to argue its case that the tech giant illegally abused its power to monopolize internet search. The case is the biggest test of antitrust law in decades and the first such case against Google to go to trial in the US. Big tech companies and regulators are closely watching the trial, which could force a shift in how the industry is allowed to operate. Guardian

China can offer a bitter medicine for Europe’s bold electric vehicle pivot. Ditching combustion engines by 2035 in the region requires carmakers like Volkswagen or Stellantis to dramatically boost sales of battery rides. That’s tricky while high prices deter buyers from e-cars. Competition from more efficient Chinese players will help. Europe’s bold plan to eliminate CO2 emissions from new cars by 2035 has a long way to go. While the share of e-car registrations in the EU trebled to 12% of the total between 2019 and 2022, the monthly market share averaged around 13% this year in the seven months to July, data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association shows. Reuters 

ChatGPT helped a mother determine what was causing her son’s debilitating pain. Courtney told Today her son Alex started experiencing difficult symptoms when he was four years old during the Covid-19 lockdown…. Courtney’s family said they consulted 17 doctors, but they were left frustrated and without answers. After three years of doctors’ appointments, Courtney turned to ChatGPT for answers. “I went line by line of everything that was in his [MRI notes] and plugged it into ChatGPT,” Courtney said. Trying ChatGPT led Courtney to discover tethered cord syndrome, which is a complication of spina bifida. Independent 

Vaping adverts that appeared on TikTok despite breaking the platform’s own rules have been banned by the UK regulator. The app‘s community guidelines prohibit the promotion of tobacco products, including vapes and e-cigarettes. But videos marketing Zovoo, Innofly HK, Vapes Bars, and The Disposable Vape Store all appeared in recent months. In one for the latter, a man stood in front of shelves of e-cigarettes and said “these are new SKE Amare Crystal” and they were “looking really good”. Sky News