📱 Samsung Chooses Google Messages, Apple Cuts Spending, Delta's Cyber Outage

Good morning. It’s Monday, July 22. Today we are covering:

• Samsung going all in on Google Messages in US, stops pre-installing Samsung Messages on Galaxy phones

• Apple Tries to Rein In Hollywood Spending After Years of Losses

• Delta Air Lines grapples with flight cancelations after tech outage

• Blue Screens Everywhere Are Latest Tech Woe for Microsoft

• Ethiopians are struggling to keep up with the new 'EV or nothing' policy

Let’s dive in

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Samsung going all in on Google Messages in US, stops pre-installing Samsung Messages on Galaxy phones

By Ben Schoon via 9to5Google 

• Samsung stops pre-installing Samsung Messages on Galaxy phones in favor of Google Messages, starting with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6.

• The shift aligns with Google's push for RCS, as Google Messages better supports RCS, though Samsung Messages also supports it.

• Samsung Messages can still be downloaded from the Galaxy Store, but with some features excluded.

𝕏: Samsung Messages is no longer pre-loaded! Google Messages (with RCS enabled by default) only - Max Weinbach (@MaxWinebach)

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Apple Tries to Rein In Hollywood Spending After Years of Losses

By Lucas Shaw via Bloomberg

• Apple is exerting more control over its Hollywood production partners to curb spending after years of losses.

• Netflix added eight million customers last quarter, increasing its total to 277.7 million subscribers and significantly boosting its profit.

• Despite its success, Netflix still accounts for only about 8% of TV viewership in the US, behind YouTube and several competitors when including broadcasting and cable.

𝕏: The final nail in the coffin for the streaming wars. After spending $20B on shows and movies since the launch of Apple TV+ to generate less views in a month than Netflix does in a day, Apple plans to cut back on TV spending. It was fun while it lasted. - Dare Obasanjo (@Carnage4Life)

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Delta Air Lines grapples with flight cancelations after tech outage

By  David Shepardson via Reuters

• Delta Air Lines canceled over 5,000 flights since Friday, including 1,250 on Sunday, due to a global cyber outage affecting its crew tracking system.

• Thousands of Delta travelers are stranded across the U.S., with many renting cars or facing days-long waits for new flights.

• Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has reminded Delta of its responsibilities to customers, emphasizing enforcement of passenger protections amidst hundreds of complaints.

𝕏: As with many other airline tech outages before #CrowdStrike, it wasn’t the outage itself that sunk the airline. It was Delta’s own systems being unable to cope with the high number of cancellations and track its crews to staff flights once the initial outage was resolved. - Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer)

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Blue Screens Everywhere Are Latest Tech Woe for Microsoft

By Tom Dotan via Wall Street Journal

• Millions of computers around the world experienced the blue screen of death on Friday, showcasing Microsoft's ongoing ubiquity and vulnerability.

• The outage highlights Microsoft's decades-old design choices and the impact of a software patch from a little-known company, CrowdStrike.

• Security professionals criticize Microsoft for not taking the vulnerability of its software seriously enough.

𝕏: also, a Microsoft spokesperson would not have to make this point if the reporters did their jobs. - Frank X. Shaw (@fxshaw)

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Ethiopians are struggling to keep up with the new 'EV or nothing' policy

By Sarah Assefa via Rest of World

• Ethiopia's ban on non-electric vehicle imports has led to significant challenges for EV owners, including a lack of charging infrastructure and difficulties in vehicle maintenance.

• Local mechanics are unfamiliar with electric vehicles, and spare parts are scarce, forcing owners to rely on YouTube for repairs and to import charging equipment themselves.

• Government efforts to support the transition to EVs are ongoing, but electricity shortages and inadequate power supply remain major obstacles, causing some Ethiopians to consider switching back to hybrid or fossil-fueled vehicles.

𝕏: ethiopia is the first country to completely ban the importation of fossil-powered vehicles, but it has close to nothing to supporting the idea my latest report for @restofworld looks into how Ethiopians are struggling with this “forced” policy - dámiláre dòsùnmú (@tarykuh)

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• Japan’s copyright rules draw AI groups — and alarm from creators

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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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