Apple pays out over ‘slowing down iPhones’ admission, Rolls-Royce EV helps boost sales
Apple has begun making payments in a long-running class action lawsuit over claims it deliberately slowed down certain iPhones in the US. Complainants will receive a cut of a $500m (£394m) settlement which works out to around $92 per claim. Apple agreed to settle the lawsuit in 2020, stating at the time it denied any wrongdoing but was concerned with the cost of continuing litigation. A similar case underway in the UK is seeking £1.6bn in compensation. The US case dates back to December 2017, when Apple confirmed a long-held suspicion among phone owners by admitting it had deliberately slowed down some iPhones as they got older. BBC
The maker of ChatGPT has warned that a ban on using news and books to train chatbots would doom the development of artificial intelligence. OpenAI has told peers that it would be “impossible” to create services such as ChatGPT if it were prevented from relying on copyrighted works, as it seeks to influence potential laws on the topic. It comes as the company, which is reportedly in investment talks that could value it at $100bn (£79bn), prepares to fight lawsuits from book publishers and the New York Times over claims that it has illegally used their content to “train” ChatGPT. Telegraph
Besides its Neo QLED and OLED TVs, Samsung also unveiled Micro LED TVs at its event ahead of the CES 2024 expo. During its AI For All event, Samsung unveiled its next-generation Micro LED TV lineup, and the new technology offers a transparent panel that is see-through. This new Micro LED technology and the TVs that use this tech will be showcased at CES 2024 in Las Vegas, USA. The new Micro LED display technology from Samsung offers a see-through design, letting you see what’s on the display’s rear. SamMobile
Oppo’s latest flagship, the Find X7 Ultra, is the first smartphone to include two periscope cameras, the company announced today as it launched the device in China. One offers a 3x zoom and uses a 1/1.56-inch sensor that Oppo says is “the biggest telephoto sensor in any smartphone.” Large sensors typically make for better low-light photographs, which can be an issue for some phones’ secondary cameras. The second periscope lens offers a 6x optical zoom with a 1/2.51-inch sensor. The Verge
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has reported another year of record sales, bolstered by a recovery in China and the launch of its new all-electric Spectre model. The Goodwood-based firm, which is owned by BMW, said 6,032 vehicles were delivered to customers in 2023 – a slight uptick on the previous 12 months. The performance was driven, the company said, by demand for its existing Cullinan, Ghost and Phantom marques, with buyers all securing a degree of individuality for their cars under its growing Bespoke programme. Sky News
Apple sales in China declined, and the trend will continue in 2024, according to Jefferies analysts, quoted by Bloomberg. The iPhone 15 series saw an unusually sluggish start, which resulted in a 30% year-on-year decline. In contrast Huawei posted impressive growth numbers, thanks to the Mate 60 lineup that has proven to be extremely successful at home. The iPhone 15 launch happened just two weeks after a surprise announcement of the Mate 60 Pro. Analysts claimed that patriotism drove people to the Huawei flagship with its new Made-in-China processor. GSM Arena
A new era of commercial missions to the moon launched today as NASA gambles on a ride on an untested private lunar lander – alongside human remains and a marketing stunt by a sports drink manufacturer. Peregrine Mission-1 – which took off at 7.18am UK time – is the first US spacecraft due to land on the moon’s surface since Apollo 17 in 1972 and appeared to lift off into space as planned. But the robotic lander, which is the size of a garden shed, is under the control of the American company Astrobotic. Sky News
