Microsoft Usurps Apple, 4090 Black Market, Vision Pro/Cons, + More! - TechLinked Feb 5, 2024

[JakobRush]

 

NEWS SOURCES:

 

GOING MICRO-HARD

Microsoft’s 3 trillion-dollar valuation seems to be sticking; beats Apple as most-valuable company

https://www.axios.com/2024/02/02/microsoft-tech-earnings-ai-apple-google-meta-amazon

https://www.statista.com/chart/16255/market-capitalization-apple-microsoft/

seemingly thanks to Satya Nadella’s 10-year run as CEO https://www.geekwire.com/2024/microsofts-resurgence-reflecting-on-satya-nadellas-leadership-a-decade-after-he-became-ceo/

he’s CNN Business’ CEO of the year https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/26/tech/satya-nadella-ceo-of-the-year/index.html

he went big on cloud https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/04/microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella-hits-10-year-anniversary.html

will going big on AI pay off?

Microsoft teaming up with Semafor on AI-assisted news

https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-is-teaming-up-with-semafor-on-ai-assisted-news-stories-124320277.html

https://www.semafor.com/article/02/05/2024/introducing-semafor-signals

-       Hopefully this will prevent fake news https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/its-another-ai-failure-for-microsoft-news-as-it-asks-users-to-vote-on-how-a-young-woman-died

 

 

BACK IN BLACK (MARKET)

Massive 4090 black market in China causing 4090 price to rise

https://www.tweaktown.com/news/96007/why-are-nvidia-rtx-4090-prices-so-high-china-reportedly-still-cant-get-enough-of-the-gpu/index.html

Asian regions are buying them in bulk https://wccftech.com/chinese-sellers-profiting-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4090-gpus-purchasing-pc-builds/

Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, etc https://lmg.gg/laBhE (WccfTech)

cards being stripped from prebuilds and smuggled in

https://videocardz.com/newz/geforce-rtx-4090-black-market-booms-in-china-profitable-resale-of-rtx-4090-gpus-from-full-prebuilt-systems

US sanctions strong, blocked A100s shipment FROM Chinese company to Australia https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/us-blocks-shipment-of-24-nvidia-ai-gpus-to-china-over-concerns-about-self-driving-truck-company

US feared they would make their way to China https://lmg.gg/Oeaw3

 

VISION: IMPOSSIBLE

Vision Pro roundup, reddit reviews are in, some disappointment

https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/3/24060419/reddit-vision-pro-user-reviews-launch

Poster disappointed in FOV and reflections in lenses https://lmg.gg/6SYJ3 (The Verge)

one commenter upset it doesn’t play 3D adult content https://lmg.gg/GKNvD

Comment now deleted but a reply says you can disable a hand in accessibility settings, so that’s nice https://lmg.gg/rVvnT (Reddit)

Using without light seal https://9to5mac.com/2024/02/04/apple-vision-pro-no-light-seal/

Feels like glasses, better FOV https://www.reddit.com/r/VisionPro/comments/1ai8s7x/take_the_light_seal_off_trust_me/

iFixit Vision Pro teardown https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVJPAYwY8Us

written form https://www.ifixit.com/News/90137/vision-pro-teardown-why-those-fake-eyes-look-so-weird

EyeSight feature is creepy AND a repair nightmare! Neat!

Some have pointed out – could get devs making more interesting AR apps (which could also benefit Meta) like this F1 concept https://twitter.com/thealexbanks/status/1749864936430276681

and the AR Vacuuming mini-game https://twitter.com/pushmatrix/status/1753055948459946193

 

QUICK BITS

 

WELL, SHOOT

Bambu removes A1 printer from sale, then recalls it

https://overclock3d.net/news/misc/bambu-lab-removes-their-a1-3d-printer-from-sale-due-to-heated-bed-safety-concerns/

https://www.pcmag.com/news/bambu-recalls-every-a1-3d-printer-due-to-electrical-problems

https://blog.bambulab.com/a1-recall-update/

 

EXPOSING BIG PICTURE

Samsung exec says “there is no such thing as a real picture” to defend AI tools

In interview with TechRadar https://www.techradar.com/phones/samsung-galaxy-phones/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-real-picture-samsung-defends-ai-photo-editing-on-galaxy-s24

Saying by nature of reproducing what you’re seeing with sensors, and if you use AI at all, “There is no real picture, full stop.” https://lmg.gg/y3n9u

Compares Generative Edit to Instagram filters https://lmg.gg/480OO (Tech Radar)

 

THE DEEPEST FAKE

Scammer deepfakes entire video call to net themselves $25mln from multinational company

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/02/deepfake-scammer-walks-off-with-25-million-in-first-of-its-kind-ai-heist/

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3250851/everyone-looked-real-multinational-firms-hong-kong-office-loses-hk200-million-after-scammers-stage

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/05/hong-kong-company-deepfake-video-conference-call-scam

 

REAL SLIM, SHADY

Update on Japan’s SLIM lander

https://newatlas.com/space/japans-moon-lander-maybe-final-sleep/

https://www.engadget.com/japans-moon-lander-took-this-eerie-photo-before-being-enveloped-by-lunar-night-221438290.html

https://www.space.com/slim-lunar-lander-technology-technology-future-missions

 

EXCELLENT

Someone made a CPU using Excel

https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/02/16_bit_cpu_excel/

https://youtu.be/5rg7xvTJ8SU

https://www.tweaktown.com/news/95880/someone-built-functioning-16-bit-cpu-inside-microsoft-excel-with-its-own-custom-launguage/index.html