💼 Apple's EU Settlement, Silicon Valley's Contract Woes, SCOTUS Decision Impacts Tech
Good morning. It’s Thursday, July 11. Today we are covering:
Apple Avoids EU Antitrust Threat With Tap-and-Pay Probe Settlement
Silicon Valley Wins Few Government Contracts
The aftermath of the SCOTUS NetChoice ruling
Apple now makes it easier to switch from Google Photos to iCloud Photos
Starlink Mini Now Widely Available in US, With Roam Download Speeds of 50Mbps
Let’s dive in
Apple Avoids EU Antitrust Threat With Tap-and-Pay Probe Settlement
By Samuel Stolton via Bloomberg
Apple Inc. has settled an EU antitrust investigation by pledging to open its mobile wallet technology to competitors for ten years, avoiding potential fines.
The agreement ends the EU probe into Apple's payment technology, which had been criticized for abusing market power by restricting access.
Despite this settlement, Apple continues to face significant antitrust scrutiny from the EU in other areas.
𝕏: It is safe and convenient to pay with your phone. @Apple has committed to allow rivals to access the 'tap and go’ technology of iPhones. Today’s decision makes Apple’ commitments binding. It opens up competition in this crucial sector. - Margrethe Vestager (@vestager)
Silicon Valley Wins Few Government Contracts
By Heather Somerville via WSJ
The U.S. federal government has allocated $22 billion to technology from the top 100 national security startups, which is a small fraction of its overall contract spending and less than half the investment these companies received from venture capitalists.
There is a significant disparity between the high levels of venture capital flowing into defense technology and the relatively modest government spending on contracts with these startups.
This information was highlighted in a report by the Silicon Valley Defense Group, a nonprofit aimed at integrating more startup innovation into the Defense Department.
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The aftermath of the SCOTUS NetChoice ruling
By Lauren Feiner via The Verge
The Supreme Court's NetChoice decision affirms that tech platforms' content curation decisions are protected under the First Amendment, impacting a range of legislation aimed at regulating social media algorithms.
Justice Elena Kagan highlighted that platforms’ decisions about content display and organization are expressive choices, reinforcing platforms' rights against restrictive state laws like Texas's content discrimination laws.
The ruling casts doubt on the enforceability of laws like New York's SAFE Act and potentially affects federal initiatives like the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which are designed to regulate algorithmic content curation for minors' safety online.
Apple now makes it easier to switch from Google Photos to iCloud Photos
By Chance Miller via 9to5Mac
Apple and Google have collaborated to launch a new tool under the Data Transfer Project, allowing users to transfer their photo and video collections directly from Google Photos to iCloud Photos.
This data portability tool, part of a broader initiative for seamless data transfer between platforms, ensures that transferred content is not deleted from Google Photos and does not require downloading before transfer.
The service, which will roll out globally in over 240 countries, excludes child and Managed Apple ID accounts and cannot be used while Advanced Data Protection is active on iCloud.
Starlink Mini Now Widely Available in US, With Roam Download Speeds of 50Mbps
By Kate Irwin via PCMag
The Starlink Mini, a compact satellite dish for internet connectivity, is now broadly available in the U.S. for $599, offering a 30-day trial without requiring long-term contracts.
It offers two subscription plans: the Regional plan at $150 per month for unlimited mobile data (extra costs for ocean or in-motion use) and the Mini Roam plan at $50 per month with a 50 GB data cap, including in-motion use.
The Mini Roam plan provides typical download speeds from 5 to 50Mbps, with latency varying between 30ms in the continental U.S. and up to 90ms abroad, showcasing its potential for users needing connectivity on the go.
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