🍏 Apple's Shift, Substack Expands, Tech Embraces Nuclear

Good morning. It’s Monday, October 07. Today we are covering:

• Apple Slowly Moves Away From Its Annual Product Release Strategy

• Substack wants to do more than just newsletters  

• Big Tech has cozied up to nuclear energy 

• Police seldom disclose use of facial recognition despite false arrests

• Samsung Electronics says it is not interested in spinning off foundry business

Let’s dive in

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Apple Slowly Moves Away From Its Annual Product Release Strategy 

By Mark Gurman via Bloomberg

• Apple is shifting away from its traditional annual product release cycle, potentially leading to more frequent updates and fewer significant delays.

• The company is preparing to unveil new products soon, including Apple Intelligence.

• Recent comparisons highlight that Apple may be falling behind competitors like Meta in innovative technology.

𝕏: Custom configurations of all MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac mini models are showing shipment delays until the end of October. I’ve reported several times that new versions are coming this fall. MacBook Airs seeing some configuration delays as well — but too soon for a refresh there. - Mark Gurman (@markgurman)

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Substack wants to do more than just newsletters 

By Max Tani via Semafor 

• Substack is expanding its services beyond newsletters, aiming to become a central payment platform for all types of creators, moving away from being primarily a journalism platform.

• The platform's recommendation network drives substantial growth, contributing to 50% of all subscriptions and 30% of paid subscriptions, showcasing its effectiveness over competitors like Ghost and Beehiiv.

• Substack faces challenges as it transitions, including competition with Patreon and the need to improve its video and audio tools to better support creators in these mediums.

𝕏: .@maxwelltani mustread on what is going on with Substack, which seems to have won its lane — newsletters — but needs to move into others to succeed as a business and sell to ... Stripe? - Ben Smith (@semaforben)

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Big Tech has cozied up to nuclear energy 

By Justine Calma via The Verge

• Big Tech companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google are increasingly turning to nuclear energy to power their data centers, seeking stable and carbon-free electricity sources.

• The shift towards nuclear energy includes exploring new technologies like small modular reactors to meet the growing power demands of AI and other intensive data processes.

• Despite potential benefits, the nuclear energy strategy faces challenges including regulatory hurdles, community opposition, and logistical issues in deploying new reactor technologies.

𝕏: AI can be impactful/terrifying without being genius, but low-key hilarious the tech industry is spending billions & renting nuclear reactors to make AI that, while insanely good at a few things, doesn't match an average human's collective intelligence. - Jack Jenkins (@jackmjenkins)

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Police seldom disclose use of facial recognition despite false arrests

By Douglas MacMillan via Washington Post

• Facial recognition software is frequently used by police in criminal investigations, but departments often do not disclose its use, denying defendants the opportunity to contest potentially erroneous results.

• The technology has led to wrongful arrests, including cases where suspects were falsely identified, but not informed of the AI's role in their identification, complicating legal defenses.

• Despite the challenges and errors associated with facial recognition, law enforcement agencies continue to shield its use from public and legal scrutiny, posing serious questions about transparency and accountability.

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Samsung Electronics says it is not interested in spinning off foundry business

By Neil Jerome Morales via Reuters

• Samsung Electronics has decided against spinning off its foundry and logic chip design businesses, despite facing annual losses in the billions, as part of its strategy to diversify beyond its mainstay memory chips.

• Chairperson Jay Y. Lee reaffirmed the company's commitment to expanding these sectors, aiming to surpass Taiwan's TSMC as the world's top contract chip manufacturer by 2030.

• Challenges persist for Samsung in scaling up its new chip manufacturing facilities, including a delay in the production schedule of its Taylor, Texas plant, influenced by fluctuating circumstances and U.S. political dynamics.

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Trending in AI

• AI expert Gary Marcus thinks OpenAI will be the 'most Orwellian company of all time'

• AWS CEO Matt Garman on generative AI, open source, and closing services

• Google’s Grip on Search Slips as TikTok and AI Startup Mount Challenge

• Stanford just released its annual AI Index report. Here's what it reveals

• Artist appeals copyright denial for prize-winning AI-generated work

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Thanks for reading to the bottom and soaking in our Newslit Daily fueled with highlights for your morning.

I hope you found it interesting and, needless to say, if you have any questions or feedback let me know by hitting reply.

Take care and see you tomorrow!

— Jose Montes de Oca

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