Technology

The European Commission has approved Apple's commitments to open its "tap to pay" iPhone payment system to rivals, avoiding a potentially hefty fine. The Guardian reports: Regulators had accused Apple in 2022 of abusing its dominant position by limiting access to its mobile payment technology. Apple responded by proposing in January to allow third-party mobile wallet and payment service providers access to the contactless payment function in its iOS operating system. After Apple tweaked its proposals following testing and feedback, the commission said those "final commitments" would address its competition concerns. "Today's commitments end our Apple Pay investigation," Margrethe Vestager, the commission's executive vice-president for competition policy, told a press briefing in Brussels. "The commitments bring important changes to how Apple operates in Europe to the benefit of competitors and customers." Apple said in a prepared statement that it is "providing developers in the European Economic Area with an option to enable NFC [near-field communication] contactless payments and contactless transactions" for uses like car keys, corporate badges, hotel keys and concert tickets. [...] Apple must open up its payment system in the EU's 27 countries plus Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein by July 25. "As of this date, developers will be able to offer a mobile wallet on the iPhone with the same 'tap-and-go' experience that so far has been reserved for Apple Pay," Vestager said. The changes will remain in force for a decade and will be monitored by a trustee. Breaches of EU competition law can draw fines worth up to 10% of a company's annual global revenue, which in Apple's case could have amounted to tens of billions of euros.

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An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Taiwan's TSMC scaled a record high on Thursday after posting strong second-quarter revenue on booming demand for AI applications, cementing its position as Asia's most valuable company. TSMC also topped a trillion dollar market value this week. The AI frenzy has sparked a rally in chipmaker stocks across the globe. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world's largest contract chipmaker, whose customers include AI poster child Nvidia, has especially benefited from the soaring demand for AI-capable chips. Foreign investors have poured $4.8 billion so far this year into Taiwan's stock market, which is dominated by TSMC. Asian funds, however, according to HSBC, still remain underweight on Taiwan, suggesting there could be room for further inflow. Shares of TSMC, whose customers also include Apple, have jumped nearly 80% this year, widely outperforming the benchmark Taiwan SE Weighted Index, which is up 35%. On Thursday, TSMC's Taipei-listed shares rose more than 2% to a record T$1,080, taking the company's market value to T$28 trillion ($861 billion) and making it Asia's most valuable publicly listed company.

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Job growth in the UK's digital industry hit its lowest in a decade, prompting the incoming Labour government to pledge to revive the sector as it seeks to stimulate growth. From a report: The number of jobs in the sector grew by just 0.3% last year -- the lowest since a decline of 0.1% in 2013, according to Office for National Statistics data released on Thursday. Wider employment across the whole UK economy grew more than twice as fast, the data showed. The figures may stoke concerns of a stagnation in the UK tech sector, as employment and earnings stalled in the sector. Digital sector employees -- including programmers and tech consultants -- saw their hourly pay rise by just over 1% between 2022 and 2023, equating to a pay fall in real terms, the data showed. Nevertheless, the UK's new Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle, promised to revitalize the sector.

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The world risks missing a goal to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 as the current growth rate is inadequate, a report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) showed on Thursday. From a report: A U.N. climate change conference in Dubai last year set a goal of tripling renewable energy capacity worldwide by 2030 to more than 11 terawatts (TW). Countries have to submit new or updated climate target commitments every five years after 2020 so next year they have to include revised ambitions for 2030. About 473 gigawatts (GW) of capacity was added last year, representing a 14% increase from the year before and the largest annual growth since 2000, IRENA said in a report. To meet the target, the world will have to add renewables capacity at a minimum 16.4% rate annually to 2030. However, if last year's 14% increase rate continues, the 11 TW target will be 1.5 TW short. Further reading: World Will Miss Target of Tripling Renewable Electricity Generation By 2030, IEA Says.

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Speaking of Xbox, the Xbox 360 Store and Marketplace are coming to a close later this month. From a report: Microsoft announced this last year and put an official end date of July 29, according to its official FAQ page. In case you didn't notice, the end of July is fast approaching. All of the games, DLC and any gaming tidbits for Microsoft's second generation console won't be available to purchase or download on the Xbox 360 console. Your games and movie purchases are still safe, however, if you've got any throwback titles on your Xbox One or Series X/S console. You can also still watch your purchased movies and shows on Windows 10 and 11 devices.

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Apple's biggest new product in years is not expected to shake off its slow sales start until the release of a cheaper model next year. From a report: The $3,500 Vision Pro mixed-reality headset has yet to sell 100,000 units in a quarter since its launch in the US in February, and it faces a 75% drop in domestic sales in the current quarter, according to market tracker IDC. The gadget's international launch at the end of June will offset weakness in the US. A more affordable edition -- which IDC estimates would cost roughly half as much -- should rekindle interest in 2025, but sales may not rise meaningfully over the coming year, IDC said. "The Vision Pro's success, regardless of its price, will ultimately depend on the available content," said Francisco Jeronimo, vice president at IDC. "As Apple expands the product to international markets, it's crucial that local content is also made available."

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DVD kiosk-rental business Redbox is all set to close the shutter. LowPass: The judge overseeing the bankruptcy case of Redbox's corporate parent Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment granted the debtors request to convert it from a Chapter 11 bankruptcy to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, effectively paving the way for shutting down the company and liquidating its assets. Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment's CEO Bart Schwartz, who had only joined the company two weeks ago, stepped down this morning for unrelated reasons, according to the attorney representing the debtors in the case. Companies use Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases to reorganize, allowing them to continue to operate while they rid themselves of debt, while a Chapter 7 bankruptcy generally results in a trustee selling off company assets to pay creditors, and winding down the company. "There is no means to continue to pay employees, pay any bills, otherwise finance this case. It is hopelessly insolvent," United States bankruptcy judge Thomas Horan determined during a hearing Wednesday, adding: "Given the fact that there may also be at least the possibility of misappropriation of funds that were held in trust for employees, there is more than ample reason why this case should be converted. So I am going to grant the motion." The firm operates a network of 24,000 DVD rental kiosks.

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The idea that night owls who don't go to bed until the early hours struggle to get anything done during the day may have to be revised. From a report: It turns out that staying up late could be good for our brain power as research suggests that people who identify as night owls could be sharper than those who go to bed early. Researchers led by academics at Imperial College London studied data from the UK Biobank study on more than 26,000 people who had completed intelligence, reasoning, reaction time and memory tests. They then examined how participants' sleep duration, quality, and chronotype (which determines what time of day we feel most alert and productive) affected brain performance. They found that those who stay up late and those classed as "intermediate" had "superior cognitive function," while morning larks had the lowest scores. Going to bed late is strongly associated with creative types.

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The video game industry is grappling with a severe financial downturn that's hitting independent developers particularly hard, as exemplified by Necrosoft Games' recent brush with bankruptcy while developing their upcoming title "Demonschool." Brandon Sheffield, the studio's director, managed to secure a temporary contract to keep the company afloat, but he acknowledges the precarious nature of their situation, telling Reuters, "It was the only way to survive, because nobody was funding anything. It's also better than what's happening to a lot of people, where they just have to fold," he told Wired. This struggle is emblematic of a broader trend in the industry, with experts cited by Wired in a story warning that 2024 could see numerous small studio closures as traditional funding avenues dry up and larger companies tighten their belts. The ripple effects of this contraction extend beyond immediate job losses, with industry veterans like Victoria Tran from Innersloth expressing concern that the challenging climate could deter new talent and stifle the creativity that often emerges from smaller, more experimental game projects.

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Alphabet unit Google's cloud subsidiary will look into other options in its fight against Microsoft's licensing practices, the head of Google Cloud head said on Wednesday. From a report: The comments by Amit Zavery came after Microsoft reached a deal with trade body CISPE to resolve the latter's antitrust complaint about its cloud licensing practices. "Many regulatory bodies have opened inquiries into Microsoft's licensing practices, and we are hopeful there will be remedies to protect the cloud market from Microsoft's anti-competitive behavior," he said. "We are exploring our options to continue to fight against Microsoftâ(TM)s anti-competitive licensing in order to promote choice, innovation, and the growth of the digital economy in Europe."

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The western United States is experiencing an unprecedented heat wave, with multiple states breaking temperature records in recent weeks. Palm Springs, California has been particularly affected, shattering its all-time high temperature record when it reached 124F (51.1C) last Friday. The National Weather Service reported that Palm Springs hit 122F (50C) on July 8, the highest temperature ever recorded for that date. This extreme heat is not isolated to Palm Springs, as Arizona, Oregon, and Nevada have also seen record-breaking temperatures. Climate scientists attribute this intensifying heat to human-caused climate change. The heat wave comes as global temperatures continue to rise. According to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service, the world has been at or above the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold for 12 straight months as of June, a key marker in climate change discussions.

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Despite soaring investment in AI hardware, most companies are struggling to turn the technology into profitable ventures, Goldman Sachs' latest AI adoption tracker reveals. Equity markets project a $330 billion boost to annual revenues for AI enablers by 2025, up from $250 billion forecast just last quarter, yet only 5% of US firms currently use AI in their production processes. The disconnect between sky-high investment and tepid adoption underscores the significant hurdles businesses face in implementing AI effectively. Industry surveys by Goldman indicate that while many small businesses are experimenting with the technology, most have yet to define clear use cases or establish comprehensive employee training programs. Data compatibility and privacy concerns remain substantial roadblocks, with many firms reporting their existing tech platforms are ill-equipped to support AI applications. The lack of in-house expertise and resources further compounds these challenges, leaving many companies unable to bridge the gap between AI's theoretical potential and practical implementation. Even among those organizations actively deploying AI, only 35% have a clearly defined vision for creating business value from the technology. This strategic uncertainty is particularly acute in consumer and retail sectors, where just 30% of executives believe they have adequately prioritized generative AI. The barriers to profitable AI use are not limited to technical and strategic issues. Legal and compliance risks loom large, with 64% of businesses expressing concerns about cybersecurity risks and roughly half worried about misinformation and reputational damage stemming from AI use. Despite these challenges, investment continues to pour into AI hardware, particularly in semiconductor and cloud computing sectors. Markets anticipate a 50% revenue growth for semiconductor companies by the end of 2025. However, this enthusiasm has yet to translate into widespread job displacement, with AI-related layoffs remaining muted and unemployment rates for AI-exposed jobs tracking closely with broader labor market trends.

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The federal government has spent $22 billion in recent years on technology from the top 100 national-security startups, a paltry portion of overall contract spending and less than half of what venture capitalists have invested in those same companies. WSJ: The gap underscores the discrepancy between the surge of venture capital funding for defense technology and the U.S. government's spending on substantial contracts to startups. The new numbers come from a report released Thursday by Silicon Valley Defense Group, a nonprofit that started a decade ago with the aim of bringing more startup innovation to the Defense Department. According to the report, the top 100 venture capital-backed national security startups have raised a combined $53 billion in private funding since their inception, $11 billion of which has come in the past 12 months. Those same startups have collectively earned $22 billion in revenue from federal awards, $6 billion of which came from the Defense Department. The organization ranked the startups based on head count growth, total capital raised and other factors.ÂTraditional defense contractors receive hundreds of billions in awards every year.

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An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: The German government and mobile phone carriers have agreed in principle on steps to phase components by Chinese technology companies out of the nation's 5G wireless network over the next five years, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday. Newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung as well as broadcasters NDR and WDR earlier jointly reported the news, saying the agreement gives network operators Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, and Telefonica Deutschland more time to replace critical parts. Under the preliminary agreement driven by security considerations, operators will initially rid the country's core network of 5G data centers of technology made by companies such as Huawei and ZTE in 2026, said the sources, adding that a final pact has yet to be signed. In a second phase, the role of Chinese makers' parts for antennas, transmission lines and towers should be all but eliminated by 2029, they added. "The government is acting on the basis of the national security strategy and China strategy to reduce possible security risks and dependencies," said a spokesperson for Germany's interior ministry.

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Apple has issued a new round of threat notifications to iPhone users across 98 countries, warning them of potential mercenary spyware attacks. It's the second such alert campaign from the company this year, following a similar notification sent to users in 92 nations in April. TechCrunch: In its communication to affected users, Apple stressed the sensitive nature of its threat identification methods, cautioning that divulging additional details could potentially aid attackers in evading future detection. Apple has also made a notable shift in its language since last year, opting to describe these incidents as "mercenary spyware attacks" instead of the previously used term "state-sponsored" attacks.

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"Nature recently published an open-access article (not paywalled) that studies the lifecycle of lithium-ion batteries once they are manufactured," writes Slashdot reader NoWayNoShapeNoForm. "The study is a 'cradle-to-grave' look at these batteries and certain chemicals that they contain. The University researchers that authored the study found that the electrolytes and polymers inside lithium-ion batteries contain a class of PFAS known as bis-FASI chemicals. PFAS chemicals are internationally recognized pollutants, yet they are found in consumer and industrial processes, such as non-stick coatings, surfactants, and film-forming foams. PFAS chemicals have been found in windmill coatings, semiconductors, solar collectors, and photovoltaic cells." Phys.org reports: Texas Tech University's Jennifer Guelfo was part of a research team that found the use of a novel sub-class of per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) in lithium ion batteries is a growing source of pollution in air and water. Testing by the research team further found these PFAS, called bis-perfluoroalkyl sulfonimides (bis-FASIs), demonstrate environmental persistence and ecotoxicity comparable to older notorious compounds like perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). The researchers sampled air, water, snow, soil and sediment near manufacturing plants in Minnesota, Kentucky, Belgium and France. The bis-FASI concentrations in these samples were commonly at very high levels. Data also suggested air emissions of bis-FASIs may facilitate long-range transport, meaning areas far from manufacturing sites may be affected as well. Analysis of several municipal landfills in the southeastern U.S. indicated these compounds can also enter the environment through disposal of products, including lithium ion batteries. Toxicity testing demonstrated concentrations of bis-FASIs similar to those found at the sampling sites can change behavior and fundamental energy metabolic processes of aquatic organisms. Bis-FASI toxicity has not yet been studied in humans, though other, more well-studied PFAS are linked to cancer, infertility and other serious health harms. Treatability testing showed bis-FASIs did not break down during oxidation, which has also been observed for other PFAS. However, data showed concentrations of bis-FASIs in water could be reduced using granular activated carbon and ion exchange, methods already used to remove PFAS from drinking water. "Our results reveal a dilemma associated with manufacturing, disposal, and recycling of clean energy infrastructure," said Guelfo, an associate professor of environmental engineering in the Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering. "Slashing carbon dioxide emissions with innovations like electric cars is critical, but it shouldn't come with the side effect of increasing PFAS pollution. We need to facilitate technologies, manufacturing controls and recycling solutions that can fight the climate crisis without releasing highly recalcitrant pollutants."

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A recent study has exposed a method of artificially inflating citation counts through "sneaked references," which are extra citations included in metadata but not in the actual text of articles. This manipulation, uncovered in journals by Technoscience Academy, distorts citation metrics that are critical for research funding and academic promotions. The Conversation reports: The investigation began when Guillaume Cabanac, a professor at the University of Toulouse, wrote a post on PubPeer, a website dedicated to post-publication peer review, in which scientists discuss and analyze publications. In the post, he detailed how he had noticed an inconsistency: a Hindawi journal article that he suspected was fraudulent because it contained awkward phrases had far more citations than downloads, which is very unusual. The post caught the attention of several sleuths who are now the authors of the JASIST article. We used a scientific search engine to look for articles citing the initial article. Google Scholar found none, but Crossref and Dimensions did find references. The difference? Google Scholar is likely to mostly rely on the article's main text to extract the references appearing in the bibliography section, whereas Crossref and Dimensions use metadata provided by publishers. To understand the extent of the manipulation, we examined three scientific journals that were published by the Technoscience Academy, the publisher responsible for the articles that contained questionable citations. [...] In the journals published by Technoscience Academy, at least 9% of recorded references were "sneaked references." These additional references were only in the metadata, distorting citation counts and giving certain authors an unfair advantage. Some legitimate references were also lost, meaning they were not present in the metadata. In addition, when analyzing the sneaked references, we found that they highly benefited some researchers. For example, a single researcher who was associated with Technoscience Academy benefited from more than 3,000 additional illegitimate citations. Some journals from the same publisher benefited from a couple hundred additional sneaked citations. We wanted our results to be externally validated, so we posted our study as a preprint, informed both Crossref and Dimensions of our findings and gave them a link to the preprinted investigation. Dimensions acknowledged the illegitimate citations and confirmed that their database reflects Crossref's data. Crossref also confirmed the extra references in Retraction Watch and highlighted that this was the first time that it had been notified of such a problem in its database. The publisher, based on Crossref's investigation, has taken action to fix the problem. To combat this practice of "sneaked references," the authors suggest several measures: rigorous verification of metadata by publishers and agencies like Crossref, independent audits to ensure data reliability, and increased transparency in managing references and citations.

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An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Fast-food chain Whataburger's app has gone viral in the wake of Hurricane Beryl, which left around 1.8 million utility customers in Houston, Texas without power. Hundreds of thousands of those people may remain without power for days as Houston anticipates a heat wave, with temperatures climbing into the mid-90s. Amid frustrations with the local utility company CenterPoint Energy, which doesn't offer an app, some Houstonians got creative with their attempts to track the power outages. They turned to the Whataburger app instead. Whataburger is a San Antonio-based fast-food chain with 127 stores in the Houston area, according to Newsweek. On the Whataburger app, users can see a map of Whataburger locations, with an orange logo indicating a store is open, and a grey logo meaning it's closed. Since CenterPoint Energy doesn't have an online map of outages, an X user with the screen name BBQBryan found that the map of which Whataburger stores are open could be a useful tool for seeing where there's power. This viral moment seems to have boosted Whataburger's download numbers. In the iOS App Store, Whataburger is currently ranked 16th in the food and drink category. Just three weeks ago, it was ranked 40th. "The Whataburger app works as a power outage tracker, handy since the electric company doesn't show a map," BBQBryan wrote in a post that now has over 22,000 likes and 6.9 million impressions. "Well there's a use for our app we didn't think of!" the Whataburger X account replied. "We hope you and everyone else are okay!"

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Longtime Slashdot reader ArchieBunker shares a report from TIME Magazine: On an evening in December 2023, 43-year-old small business owner Sarah Rosenkranz collapsed in her home in Granbury, Texas and was rushed to the emergency room. Her heart pounded 200 beats per minute; her blood pressure spiked into hypertensive crisis; her skull throbbed. "It felt like my head was in a pressure vise being crushed," she says. "That pain was worse than childbirth." Rosenkranz's migraine lasted for five days. Doctors gave her several rounds of IV medication and painkiller shots, but nothing seemed to knock down the pain, she says. This was odd, especially because local doctors were similarly vexed when Indigo, Rosenkranz's 5-year-old daughter, was taken to urgent care earlier that year, screaming that she felt a "red beam behind her eardrums." It didn't occur to Sarah that these symptoms could be linked. But in January 2024, she walked into a town hall in Granbury and found a room full of people worn thin from strange, debilitating illnesses. A mother said her 8-year-old daughter was losing her hearing and fluids were leaking from her ears. Several women said they experienced fainting spells, including while driving on the highway. Others said they were wracked by debilitating vertigo and nausea, waking up in the middle of the night mid-vomit. None of them knew what, exactly, was causing these symptoms. But they all shared a singular grievance: a dull aural hum had crept into their lives, which growled or roared depending on the time of day, rattling their windows and rendering them unable to sleep. The hum, local law enforcement had learned, was emanating from a Bitcoin mining facility that had recently moved into the area -- and was exceeding legal noise ordinances on a daily basis. Over the course of several months in 2024, TIME spoke to more than 40 people in the Granbury area who reported a medical ailment that they believe is connected to the arrival of the Bitcoin mine: hypertension, heart palpitations, chest pain, vertigo, tinnitus, migraines, panic attacks. At least 10 people went to urgent care or the emergency room with these symptoms. The development of large-scale Bitcoin mines and data centers is quite new, and most of them are housed in extremely remote places. There have been no major medical studies on the impacts of living near one. But there is an increasing body of scientific studies linking prolonged exposure to noise pollution with cardiovascular damage. And one local doctor -- ears, nose, and throat specialist Salim Bhaloo -- says he sees patients with symptoms potentially stemming from the Bitcoin mine's noise on an almost weekly basis. "I'm sure it increases their cortisol and sugar levels, so you're getting headaches, vertigo, and it snowballs from there," Bhaloo says. "This thing is definitely causing a tremendous amount of stress. Everyone is just miserable about it." "By the end of 2024, we intend to have replaced the majority of air-cooled containers with immersion cooling, with no expansion required," said a representative for Marathon Digital Holdings, the company that owns the mine. "Initial sound readings on immersion containers indicate favorable results in sound reduction and compliance with all relevant state noise ordinances." They did not answer questions about the health impacts their mining site was causing. "We're living in a nightmare," said Rosenkranz. She clocked the hum at 72 decibels in Indigo's bedroom in the dead of night. "Indigo's room directly faces the mine, which sits about a mile and a half away," notes TIME. She had to be pulled from her school after she developed so many ear infections from the sound. The report also said a resident's dog "started going bald and developed debilitating anxiety shortly after the Bitcoin mine began operating four blocks away." TIME added: "Directly next door, Tom Weeks' dog Jack Rabbit Slim started shaking and hyperventilating uncontrollably for hours on end; a vet placed him on the seizure medication Gabapentin. Rosenkranz's chickens stopped laying eggs for months. And Jerry and Patricia Campbell's centuries-old oak tree, which had served as the family's hub and protector for generations of backyard family reunions and even a wedding, died suddenly three months ago."

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A group of residents in Tokyo said on Wednesday they were aiming to block construction of a massive logistics and data centre planned by Singaporean developer GLP, in a worrying sign for businesses looking to Japan to meet growing demand. From a report: The petition by more than 220 residents of Akishima city in western Tokyo follows a successful bid in December in Nagareyama city to quash a similar data-centre plan. The Akishima residents were concerned the centre would threaten wildlife, cause pollution and a spike in electricity usage, and drain its water supply which comes solely from groundwater. They filed a petition to audit the urban planning procedure that approved GLP's 3.63-million-megawatt data centre, which GLP estimated would likely emit about 1.8 million tons of carbon dioxide a year. "One company will be responsible for ruining Akishima. That's what this development is," Yuji Ohtake, a representative of the residents' group, told a press conference. Global tech firms such as Microsoft, Amazon and Oracle also have plans to build data centres in Japan. The residents estimated that 3,000 of 4,800 trees on the site would have to be cut down, threatening the area's Eurasian goshawk birds and badgers.

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