Data Shows Waymo Safer Than Human

Daily Tech Newsletter Podcast

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Data Shows Waymo Safer Than Human

Tom Merritt

Dec 19, 2024

Transcript

Happy Thursday, all,

Welcome to the free edition of the Daily Tech Newsletter.

The big story today is Apple and Meta's spat over interoperability in the EU. But there's another interesting story in here with some hard data about Waymo's safety.

And some end-of-year reports with interesting tidbits about app spending and smartwatch popularity.

Enjoy!
Tom

Big Story

Apple complains Meta requests risk privacy in spat over EU efforts to widen access to iPhone tech

Apple pushed hard by EU to make iOS and iPadOS more interoperable - The Verge

EU Escalates Pressure on Apple (AAPL) to Open Up Its Features to Rivals - Bloomberg

Apple and Meta are beefing over the DMA’s mandated interoperability requests

The European Commission has drawn up guidelines for Apple's compliance with the Digital Markets Act's interoperability requirements. Apple is already required to answer requests for interoperability under the DMA, but in response to complaints, the EC has been examining Apple's processes and is making recommendations to bring them more in line with the law. The proposals cover multiple services and devices, like AirDrop, Airplay, WiFi sharing, and more. It also covers things like automatic audio switching, maintaining Bluetooth and network connections, and notifications to connected devices like watches. In other words, here's what Apple needs to do to make third-party stuff work as well as Apple's own stuff.

Apple says it is “concerned that some companies — with data practices that do not meet the high standards of data protection law held by the EU and supported by Apple — may attempt to abuse the DMA’s interoperability provisions to access sensitive user data.” And claimed that Meta had made 15 requests for access to Apple tech that would let its products access a user's "messages and emails, see every phone call they make or receive, track every app that they use, scan all of their photos, look at their files and calendar events, log all of their passwords.” In other words, if we give other companies the same interoperability as our own stuff, that's no guarantee that they'll treat user data with the same respect that we do, and we mean you Meta.

Meta said, "Every time Apple is called out for anticompetitive behavior, they defend themselves on privacy grounds that have no basis in reality.” In other words, "You are."

Of course, there is a remedy to third parties abusing their access, called the GDPR and other EU regulations.

Anyway, the actual proposal from the EC calls for Apple to create a request-based process. A dedicated contact should be set up to handle requests from companies for interoperation and give updates and feedback, and there should be a “fair and impartial conciliation" process when there are disagreements. The public has until January 9th to comment on the EC proposal, and the EC will take those into account when it makes the final legally binding guidelines in March.

Sony has officially acquired 10% of Kadokawa, the parent company of game maker FromSoftware. That makes Sony the largest shareholder in Kadokawa. In addition to the investment, the two companies have formed a "Strategic Capital and Business Alliance." The agreement includes adapting Kadokawa's IP into films, TV, and anime. Elden Ring movie, anyone? Earlier reporting indicated Sony might acquire all of Kadokawa, but Sony is not willing to spend that much cash on buyouts right now.

An Android phone maker just topped Apple in wearables (and it's not Samsung) - Android Authority

IDC reports that Huawei passed Apple to become the global leader in wrist-worn smart devices like watches and fitness bands. Shipments of those devices dipped 1% on the year overall, but Huawei raised its share 44.3%. Smartwatches fell 3.8% while fitness trackers rose 12.8%. Huawei now has 16.9% of the worldwide market ahead of Apple's 16.2%. They are followed by Xiaomi, Samsung, and BBK (the parent company of OPPO, OnePlus, and Vivo).

App downloads decline 2.3% in 2024, but consumer spending grows to $127B | TechCrunch
Global Spending in Apps Rises 15.7% as Amid Subscriptions Push

People are downloading fewer smartphone apps but spending more on them. Estimates from AppFigures say global app downloads fell 2.3% on the year, but spending on apps rose 15.7%. Breaking it down by store tells a different story. Apple iOS downloads fell 1.1% while Google Play downloads fell 2.6%. Spending on Apple rose 24% on the year, while Google Play fell 1.5%. The fastest market for consumer spending on apps was Brazil, up 73% on the year. And it was subscriptions that drove spending, with apps that offered subscriptions accounting for 48% of app revenue worldwide. The most downloaded app worldwide was Instagram, while in the US, it was Temu. The app with the most spending by consumers worldwide was TikTok.

Apple Reportedly Stopped Work on iPhone Subscription Service
Apple (AAPL) Halts Effort to Build iPhone Hardware Subscription Service - Bloomberg

One subscription service that won't be coming to Apple hardware. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says his sources indicate Apple has stopped working on a service that would let you subscribe to hardware without going through the hoops of loan approvals and payment plans as you do now. Gurman says the team has been disbanded, likely because it would have competed with plans from mobile carriers.

OpenAI makes ChatGPT available for phone chats

OpenAI has created a toll-free number you can call to talk to ChatGPT's advanced voice mode for up to 15 minutes a month per number. OpenAI said it will not use calls to train its models. The number is 1-800-CHATGPT (1-800-242-8478) in the US or by accessing that number's WhatsApp account internationally.

Waymo still doing better than humans at preventing injuries and property damage - The Verge

Waymo commissioned insurance company Swiss Re to analyze liability claims related to collisions from 25.3 million fully autonomous miles driven by Waymo in four cities: Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin. Swiss Re then compared that data to human driver baselines from more than 500,000 claims and 200 billion miles of human driving. Swiss Re found that Waymo's autonomous cars were involved in 88% fewer property damage claims and 92% fewer bodily injury claims than human-driven cars. Across all 25.3 million miles Waymo cars have traveled, there were nine property damage claims and two bodily injury claims. The average number of claims related to human-driven cars in that same amount of distance driven would be 78 property damage claims and 26 bodily injury claims.

Of course, Waymo vehicles are equipped with the latest safety mechanisms, where my 13-year-old sedan is not. So Swiss Re controlled for that and compared Waymo's numbers to human-driven vehicles with the latest safety tech like lane-assist, automatic emergency braking, and blind spot detection. Even then, Waymo had 86% fewer property damage claims and 90% fewer bodily injury claims. The study has been submitted to a scientific journal for peer review.

DJI evades US ban but has one year to prove its products aren't a national security threat
DJI escapes US drone ban — but may get banned automatically unless Trump steps in - The Verge

The US National Defense Authorization Act includes a clause that gives makers of certain sensitive products like drones that are made in China one year to prove to an "appropriate national security agency" that its products don't pose a national security risk. If any company from China that makes such products fails to do so - think DJI - then the FCC is instructed to place it on the covered list for 2026 which would prohibit US retailers from selling the company's products. For DJI that would apply to its cameras like the Osmo as well as its drones. The FCC would also prohibit users from connecting to networks with those products. Basically, DJI got a one-year reprieve but the burden is on it to figure out how to prove it is not a risk.

Starlink launches nationwide satellite texting service in New Zealand - The Verge

Starlink has reached nationwide coverage in New Zealand, and One NZ is using it to become the first telco in the world to offer nationwide satellite texting service over Starlink. The service works if you have the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, or OPPO Find X8 Pro. It's free for existing customers on paid plans.

A new, uncensored AI video model may spark a new AI hobbyist movement - Ars Technica

Ars Technica has an excellent story about a lightweight free video generation model that outperforms most of the new ones like Sora, Veo, and Pika. It's from Tencent and it's called HunyuanVideo. The neural network weights are openly distributed and can be run locally under the right circumstances. Ars notes that “Chinese companies have been at the forefront of AI video, and some experts speculate that the reason is less reticence to train on copyrighted materials, use images and names of famous celebrities, and incorporate some uncensored video sources. As we saw with Stable Diffusion 3's mangled release, including nudity or pornography in training data may allow these models to achieve better results by providing more information about human bodies. HunyuanVideo notably allows uncensored outputs.” Ars put the model through its paces to good effect.