Apple Unveils New iPhone Built For Artificial Intelligence

Apple on Monday announced a new iPhone built for generative artificial intelligence as it seeks to boost sales and show it is keeping up in the technology race.

The tech giant has a lot riding on what would be the iPhone 16 and will hope that customers are enticed to buy the latest models, attracted by new AI powers.

"We are thrilled to introduce the first iPhones designed from the ground up for Apple Intelligence and its breakthrough capabilities," Apple chief executive Tim Cook said at an event at the iPhone-maker's Silicon Valley headquarters.

With $39 billion in sales last quarter, the iPhone counts for roughly 60 percent of Apple's revenue, and remains the main entryway to the company's services, such as the App Store or Apple TV, which are becoming a growing part of its business.

Apple is only just coming out of a long sales slump as users increasingly stick with older models longer.

"This iPhone 16 release is all about Apple Intelligence and the unleashing of the consumer AI Revolution through Cupertino," Wedbust analyst Dan Ives said in a note to investors, referring to Apple's home city.

"In essence Cupertino will be the gatekeeper of the consumer AI Revolution."

"Apple Intelligence" is a new suite of software features for all devices that was announced in June at the company's annual developers conference, where it also announced a partnership with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.

"For years, artificial intelligence and machine learning have been essential in delivering so many of the features and experiences you love," Cook said.

"In June, we launched Apple Intelligence, our powerful new personal intelligence system, which will have an incredible impact."

In the short-term, these include AI-infused image editing, translation, and small, creative touches in messaging, but not more ambitious breakthroughs promised by other AI players, such as OpenAI or Google.

Ives expects software makers to begin cranking out apps and services tuned with generative AI capabilities, fueling sales of iPhones.

Apple is expected to tailor new AirPod ear buds and smart watches to take advantage of AI capabilities and Siri digital assistant.

The company announced new models of Apple Watch and AirPods at the event.

By adding AI capabilities, Apple is looking to "shake that expectation" that iPhone launches are "just steady improvements in hardware and software," said Techsponential analyst Avi Greengart.

Longer term, Apple could dramatically change the iPhone experience with a "super-powered Siri" working across all the apps, Greengart said.

Pixel power

Apple's announcement closely follows Google, which last month unveiled AI-infused Pixel 9 smartphones, its challenge to the iPhone.

Pixels account for a tiny sliver of the global smartphone market dominated by Samsung and Apple, but Google argued its new line is a chance to answer what -- after all the hype -- AI can actually do for customers.

"There have been so many promises, so many 'coming soons,' and not enough real world helpfulness when it comes to AI -- which is why today we're getting real," Google senior vice president of devices Rick Osterloh said at the Pixel 9 launch.

Samsung has also showcased AI across a range of its consumer electronic products as it looks to extend its leadership in global smartphone sales.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/Nvt4SgW
via IFTTT

Apple AirPods 4 With ANC and These Other Features: Check Price

Apple took the wraps off the AirPods 4 at the “Its Glowtime” event on Monday. Its latest wearable audio product brings enhancements to the listening experience, in addition to the introduction of active noise cancellation (ANC) on the base AirPods. They also get features which leverage machine learning and gesture control. Along with the debut of the AirPods 4 at Apple Park, the Cupertino-based tech giant has also made the switch over to USB Type-C on the AirPods Max, which replaces the proprietary lightning port on the headphone.

AirPods 4 Price

AirPods 4 are available in two variants; with and without ANC. AirPods 4 (without ANC) start at $129 (roughly Rs. 11,000) in the US, while the AirPods 4 with ANC costs $179 (roughly Rs. 15,000). Apple's newest audio product is available for pre-order starting today, and its sale will commence on September 20.

AirPods 4 Specifications

AirPods 4 now come with active noise cancellation (ANC), in addition to a dedicated transparency mode - features that were previously limited to the AirPods Pro (2nd generation) and AirPods Max. They are powered by a new Apple H2 chip and feature a new acoustic architecture which is claimed to improve the sound quality. AirPods 4 also offer personalised spatial audio, adaptive audio, and conversational awareness.

Apple's latest base TWS earbuds also come with machine learning, which allows the user to leverage gestures such as nodding to take a call. They also offer voice isolation and force sensors, similar to the flagship AirPods Pro (2nd generation). The company has introduced a new USB Type-C charging case which offers a total playtime of 30 hours. Additionally, AirPods 4 now also support wireless charging capability.

Other Announcements

In addition to AirPods 4, Apple has also introduced new colourways for the AirPods Max - its over-the-head headphones. They are now available in Blue, Midnight, and Starlight colourways and offer personalised spatial audio.

The tech giant has also updated its AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with new health-centric features. They now come with an in-built hearing test feature which lets the wearer test their hearing. AirPods Pro (2nd generation) also support hearing aid capability with the introduction of a new Noise app and personalised hearing profile options.

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/ZiBvQrz
via IFTTT

Apple Watch Series 10 Launched With Sleep Apnea Detection, Larger Display

Apple Watch Series 10 was launched globally at Apple's “Its Glowtime” event held at Apple Park, California, on Monday. The Cupertino-based tech giant unveiled its latest smartwatch lineup in two variants. Apple's newest smartwatches sport a slimmer design to its predecessor, larger display, while still offering the digital crown and the physical button on the right side of the watch. They also boast of a new chipset with Apple Intelligence features. With the Watch Series 10, Apple has expanded the Depth app to include all standard models. The company has also unveiled a new Black Satin colourway of the Apple Watch Ultra 2.

Apple Watch Series 10, Watch Ultra 2 Price

Apple Watch Series 10 price starts at $399 (roughly Rs. 33,000) in the US. It is available in two variants: GPS and LTE, with the latter priced at $499. Pre-orders will begin today and it will go on sale starting September 20.

In addition to Apple Watch Series 10, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 in Black Satin colourway will be available for purchase at $799 (roughly Rs. 67,000). Its pre-orders will commence today and will be available for purchase starting September 20.

Apple Watch Series 10 Specifications

According to Apple, the Watch Series 10 is equipped with a new wide-angle OLED display and rounded corners, which makes it easier to type messages and passcodes. It boasts the company's largest-ever display on the standard Apple Watch lineup, which is now said to be 40 percent brighter than its predecessor. At just 9.7mm, Apple says the Watch Series 10 is also its thinnest-ever Apple Watch. It sports a polished aluminium frame made using Silicone nanoparticles. The company has also unveiled a titanium variant of the Apple Watch Series 10 that is said to weigh less than the stainless steel Apple Watch Series 9. 

Under the hood, the Apple Watch Series 10 is powered by a new S10 chipset with a four-core neural engine which is claimed to be 30 percent smaller. Users can also now play music and podcasts directly on their smartwatch using the inbuilt speaker. The smartwatch offers up to 50m water resistance. Apple says Watch Series 10 is its fastest charging smartwatch yet, with up to 80 percent of charge achieved with just 30 minutes of charging.

Another notable upgrade this year is the inclusion of a sleep apnea detection feature. Apple Watch Series 10's accelerometer can measure breathing disturbances. Additionally, the smartwatch also checks restfulness in sleep. Using machine learning, Apple analyses this data every 30 days and shows this data to the user, informing them of any irregularities in their sleep cycle. This feature is said to be available in 150 countries.

Apple Watch Series 10 also carries features offered by its predecessor such as medications reminder and Atrial fibrillation (AFib) alerts.

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/PMQRbkA
via IFTTT

Watch: Pant Sneaks Into Opponent Team's Huddle, Leaves Fans In Splits

A hilarious moment was captured on Day 4 of the Duleep Trophy match between India A and India B in Bengaluru. Before the start of the final day's play, India B star Rishabh Pant decided to poke fun at the India A players with a hilarious act. As India A captain Shubman Gill was giving a speech to the players, Pant sneaked his way into the team huddle. While Gill and some of the players were unfazed by Pant's shenanigans, pacer Avesh Khan decided to have a conversation with the India B star.

Look who was there in the India A huddle before the start of the day's play #DuleepTrophy| @IDFCFIRSTBank

Follow the match https://t.co/Oke5l0BJpq pic.twitter.com/MxL8Pv05dV

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 8, 2024

Here's how internet reacted:

— The Pullshot (@The_pullshot) September 8, 2024

Agent Rishabh Pant

— Adi (@playerof11) September 8, 2024

Real imposter

— Rohit.Bishnoi (@The_Kafir_boy) September 8, 2024

Meanwhile, India B were closing in on a victory after reducing India A to 132/6 at Tea. KL Rahul was batting on 50 while Kuldeep Yadav was also not out on a score of 6.

Yash Dayal made early inroads with the ball after India B were bowled out for 184 in the second innings. Dayal claimed the wickets of Mayank Agarwal, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel to put India A on the backfoot.

On Day 3, a counter-attacking 61 by wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, where he showed glimpses of his best self with the bat, helped India B extend their lead to 240 runs against India A at stumps.

On a day on which 14 wickets fell, Navdeep Saini and Mukesh Kumar led the way for India B to take a first-innings lead of 90 after bowling out India A for 231 in 72.4 overs. In their second innings, India B lost three wickets quickly - two of which were taken by Akash Deep.

Under pressure, Pant stitched a stand of 72 runs off 55 balls for the fourth wicket with Sarfaraz Khan (46 off 36 balls) and went to get his first fifty on return to red-ball cricket. But with him and Nitish Kumar Reddy falling in the last 30 minutes meant India A got something to smile, even though India B have a big lead in hand now.

In the morning, resuming from 134/2 in 35 overs, India B found early success as Yash Dayal strangled Riyan Parag down leg, with Pant moving across to his left to complete the catch. Saini came in to trap Dhruv Jurel lbw, followed by Washington Sundar getting some sharp dip and turning to castle a paddle-sweeping K.L Rahul.

Shivam Dube was in hit-and-miss mode during his stay at the crease, before edging to a second slip off Mukesh, who then trapped Kuldeep Yadav lbw. Tanush Kotian showed some fight, but an inside edge popping to the short leg off R Sai Kishore ended his resistance. After Mukesh had Akash caught at short leg, Kishore ended India A's innings in 72.4 overs by castling Khaleel Ahmed.

(With PTI Inputs)

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/5WoLv6z
via IFTTT

Governor Directs Mamata Banerjee To Replace Kolkata Top Cop: Report

In the wake of the people's uproar demanding justice for the deceased woman doctor, West Bengal Governor Dr CV Ananda Bose on Sunday directed CM Mamata Banerjee to hold an immediate emergency Cabinet meeting and discuss the issue, a Raj Bhavan source said.

Governor Bose has also stated that the state government should decide on the people's demand to replace Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal.

"Governor Bose has directed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to hold an emergency Cabinet meeting to discuss people's demand for justice for the deceased woman doctor," the source told PTI.

Governor Bose is on record that the government cannot evade responsibility and remain silent on the disturbing developments in the state, he said.

"According to the governor, the state should function within the Constitution and the rule of law. The ostrich-like attitude will not pay and the state must address the public demand to remove the Police Commissioner of Kolkata," the source said.

The body of an on-duty trainee doctor, who was raped and murdered, was found in the seminar room of state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, triggering nationwide outrage.

Protests were held by common people daily in Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/sc4bniA
via IFTTT

Inside Shilpa Shetty's Ganesh Chaturthi Festivities With Family

Shilpa Shetty documented moments from her Ganesh Chaturthi festivities at home and shared it on social media. She posted a video of herself along with husband Raj Kundra and daughter Samisha. Shilpa, dressed in her festive best, captioned the post, "Ganpati Bappa Morya. Opening our hearts and doors to welcome Bappa. Favorite time of the year. She added the hashtags #HappyGaneshChaturthi, #GanpatiBappaMorya, #Grateful and #Blessed to her post. Take a look at Shilpa Shetty's post here:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Shilpa Shetty Kundra (@theshilpashetty)

Shilpa Shetty loves to go big on festivals. On Janmashtami, she shared a video of her son Viaan and she captioned it, "Happy Janmashtami."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Shilpa Shetty Kundra (@theshilpashetty)

Sharing this clip, Shilpa captioned it, "Happy Raksha Bandhan, my heart and my soul." Check it out:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Shilpa Shetty Kundra (@theshilpashetty)

The actress was last seen in Rohit Shetty's Indian Police Force with Sidharth Malhotra and Vivek Oberoi. Before that she was seen in the film Sukhee, co-starring Kusha Kapila. She will also be seen in KD - The Devil.

On the work front, Shilpa Shetty was also seen in Sabbir Khan's Nikamma. She was also seen as one of the judges on the TV reality shows Super Dancer Chapter 4 and India's Got Talent 10. She stepped into Bollywood with the 1993 thriller Baazigar and is best-known for her performances in films such as Main Khiladi Tu Anari, Dhadkan, Life In A...Metro, Apne, to name a few.

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/6lt9UWa
via IFTTT

Is Covid Going Around Again? New Variant May Lead To Severe Surge: Report

As it spreads quickly throughout Europe, a recently discovered Covid-19 subvariant called XEC is drawing the attention of health authorities globally. XEC was first discovered in Germany, but reports of it have since spread to the Netherlands and other parts of Western Europe. Physicians and scientists are keeping a close eye on XEC, as it appears that it may eventually overtake the current dominant subvariant, KP.3.1.1. Right now in the US, this subvariant is the most common strain.

According to a California-based physician speaking to the Los Angeles Times, XEC is "just getting started" and may take several weeks to months before it begins to significantly impact global and domestic case numbers. While XEC is "definitely taking charge" and appears to be the next prominent variant, experts caution that it will likely be months before it reaches high levels of prevalence.

Also Read | Explained: What Are FLiRT Covid Variants, Are They More Dangerous?

According to the Los Angeles Times, while XEC has shown up in the United States, its prevalence is low, and it is not being individually tracked on the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention's variant tracker website. A lineage must be estimated to circulate above 1% nationally over a two-week period for it to be tracked.

The expected midyear wave began in May, when the winter's dominant subvariant, JN.1, gave way to a number of subvariants nicknamed FLiRT-a cheeky name based on the letters of two key mutations, F456L and R346T, Topol said.

Then, "the FLiRT eventually gave way to new variants that had even more growth advantage," Topol said.

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/4uPgDY7
via IFTTT