📱 Apple’s App Store Ruling, Meta Glasses Privacy Alert, Chinese Cyber Ambitions

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📱 Apple’s App Store Ruling, Meta Glasses Privacy Alert, Chinese Cyber Ambitions

Plus: Google CEO Optimistic About Gemini Integration with Apple; China's EV Battle.

Jose Montes de Oca

May 01, 2025

Transcript

Good morning. It’s Thursday, May 01. Today we are covering:

A judge just blew up Apple's control of the App Store
If you own Ray-Ban Meta glasses, you should double-check your privacy settings
Chinese Hacking Competitions Fuel the Country's Broad Cyber Ambitions
Google CEO 'hopeful' Gemini will be part of Apple Intelligence this year
Chinese EV industry pits battery swapping technology against ultra-fast charging

Let’s dive in

A judge just blew up Apple's control of the App Store

By Jay Peters via The Verge

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Apple can no longer charge commissions or restrict developers from linking to external payment options outside the App Store, citing ongoing anticompetitive behavior.
The judge referred Apple for potential criminal contempt after determining it had willfully ignored a 2021 injunction, with internal emails revealing CEO Tim Cook overruled compliance advice from App Store chief Phil Schiller.
Epic Games declared victory, with CEO Tim Sweeney announcing Fortnite's return to the US App Store and offering to drop all litigation if Apple applies the ruling globally.

𝕏: the judge in Epic v. Apple has just put Apple on blast over its anticompetitive behavior. Apple is no longer allowed to collect fees on purchases made outside apps, and Apple might face possible criminal contempt proceedings - Tom Warren (@tomwarren)

If you own Ray-Ban Meta glasses, you should double-check your privacy settings

By Amanda Silberling via TechCrunch

Meta has updated the privacy policy for its Ray-Ban Meta glasses, enabling AI features by default and allowing the company to store user voice recordings and analyze photos/videos to train its AI models.
Users cannot opt out of voice data collection unless they manually delete recordings from the companion app; only voice commands issued after the “Hey Meta” wake word are stored, for up to one year.
These changes echo Amazon’s Echo policy shift and reflect a broader industry push to use consumer-generated data—often without clear user understanding—to fuel AI development at the expense of privacy.

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Chinese Hacking Competitions Fuel the Country's Broad Cyber Ambitions

By Jamie Tarabay via Bloomberg

Chinese hacking competitions require participants to hand over their cybersecurity findings to the government, feeding into the country's broader cyber capabilities and strategic ambitions.
A standout example involved a Chinese team exploiting a fully secured Windows workstation simply by entering an IP address—showcasing elite-level skill with minimal interaction.
These competitions double as state-backed talent pipelines, bolstering China’s offensive and defensive cyber operations on the global stage.

Google CEO 'hopeful' Gemini will be part of Apple Intelligence this year

By Ryan Christoffel via 9to5Mac

Google CEO Sundar Pichai expressed optimism that Gemini, Google's AI service, will be integrated into Apple Intelligence on iPhones by mid-2025.
Pichai revealed that he had discussions with Apple CEO Tim Cook throughout 2024 and hopes to finalize the deal before WWDC 2025, where iOS 19 will be unveiled.
If successful, Gemini could be added as a new AI option alongside ChatGPT, working similarly by allowing users to interact via Siri.

Chinese EV industry pits battery swapping technology against ultra-fast charging

By Daniel Ren via South China Morning Post

China’s EV sector is split between battery swapping, pioneered by Nio, and ultra-fast charging, championed by BYD, as competing solutions to range anxiety—each with distinct advantages in speed and cost.
Battery swapping enables a full exchange in 100 seconds and can cut EV ownership costs by up to 40%, or ¥40,000–¥50,000 (US$6,876), while fast charging offers 400km of range in just five minutes.
Nio operates over 3,000 swap stations and partners with Geely and CATL, which aims to build 1,000 stations in 2025; meanwhile, BYD’s Super e-Platform delivers 1MW peak charging power and underpins its new Han L and Tang L models.

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