Apple’s Gradual AI Rollout Disappoints, Japan to Build World’s First Zeta-Class Supercomputer, 1,000 Times Faster Than Current Leaders, Could Microsoft be the saviour of open Linux? Is this the beginning of the end for the free ride for social media platforms and tech giants?
All this and more on the “Hell Freezes Over” edition of Hashtag Trending. I’m your host, Jim Love. Let’s get into it.
Apple’s much-anticipated iPhone 16 series, touted as the first designed for “Apple Intelligence,” is getting a lukewarm reception due to the company’s slower-than-expected rollout of AI features. This gradual introduction of AI capabilities could potentially dampen the annual iPhone upgrade cycle that Apple and its ecosystem partners have come to rely on.
At the iPhone 16 launch event, Apple confirmed that the initial AI features won’t be pre-installed on devices shipping this month. Instead, a limited set of AI functionalities will arrive in beta form next month, and only U.S. English initially.
More advanced features like the Image Playground art generator and AI-generated custom emoji are slated for later this year, with the most expansive capabilities not arriving until the first half of 2025.
This staggered release is in stark contrast with Apple’s June presentation of Apple Intelligence, which painted an ambitious picture of AI-driven personalization across apps and services.
The delay means early adopters of the iPhone 16 will essentially be paying for future AI capabilities rather than immediately available features.
Meanwhile, competitors like Samsung and Google are pushing ahead with AI integration. Google’s Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro, for instance, already offer several AI features out of the box, including image generation and call transcribing.
Apple is leaning on hardware improvements to drive sales. These include a faster processor, larger screens, improved battery life, and a versatile new camera control button. But without the AI functions to make them necessary, why upgrade from a perfectly respectable phone that you already have?
The delayed rollout also raises questions about Apple’s competitive position in the AI race.
While the company has argued that its approach leverages user-specific data for more personalized AI experiences, most of the early features appear similar to existing market offerings. The more ambitious, differentiating features are largely scheduled for next year.
As the tech industry continues its rapid AI integration, Apple’s careful, measured approach to AI may be stretching the limits of its reputation for coming later to market with strong offerings. We wait to see if this deployment, or lack of same, could potentially impact its market position.
Sources include: Axios (https://www.axios.com/2024/09/10/apple-iphone-16-ai-rollout)
There’s been a lot of focus on Microsoft and OpenAI’s intent to build a supercomputer for 100 billion dollars by 2028. But will Japanese computer builders knock the wind out of their sails?
Japan has unveiled ambitious plans to construct the world’s first “zeta-class” supercomputer, a machine that promises to be 1,000 times more powerful than today’s fastest supercomputers. The project, nicknamed “Fugaku Next,” is set to begin construction in 2025 with the goal of being fully operational by 2030.
This groundbreaking supercomputer is designed to reach speeds on the zetaFLOPS scale, capable of performing one sextillion (1 followed by 21 zeros) calculations per second.
For those non-mathematicians trying to follow this, a FLOP is a Floating Point Operation per Second, the gold standard of measuring supercomputers. And I’m probably going to be criticized for this because it’s not that straightforward, but to give some general indication a teraflop, or a trillion flops, is 10 to the 12th power. And the fastest computer known to humankind is 10 to the 18th or an exaflop. If you were even vaguely awake in high school math, you’ll understand that 10 to the 26th calculations per second is simply beyond comprehension.
The Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) announced the project on August 28, citing the need to keep pace with rapid advancements in artificial intelligence research.
The supercomputer, which could cost upwards of $750 million, will be developed by RIKEN and Fujitsu, the same team behind Japan’s current supercomputer, Fugaku.
While the exact components remain undisclosed, engineers face significant challenges in making the machine energy-efficient. Experts have warned that a zeta-class supercomputer built with current technologies could require energy equivalent to the output of 21 nuclear power plants.
MEXT has allocated approximately $29 million for the project’s first year, with potential total funding reaching $761 million by completion. If successful, “Fugaku Next” will likely become the world’s most powerful supercomputer, cementing Japan’s position at the forefront of high-performance computing technology.
This development represents a significant leap in computational power, potentially revolutionizing fields such as AI research, climate modeling, and complex scientific simulations. It also highlights the ongoing global race in supercomputing technology, with implications for scientific research, national competitiveness, and technological innovation.
Sources include: Live Science (https://www.livescience.com/technology/computing/japan-to-start-building-1st-zeta-class-supercomputer-in-2025-1000-times-more-powerful-than-todays-fastest-machines)
Steve Balmer, then CEO of Microsoft once called Linux a “cancer.” So it’s ironic that in an unexpected turn of events, Microsoft’s internal Linux distribution, Azure Linux, is being eyed as a potential contender in the broader Linux ecosystem. This development comes amidst the ongoing chaos surrounding CentOS and could represent a significant shift in the enterprise Linux landscape.
Mary Jo Foley, a respected analyst at Directions on Microsoft, suggests that Azure Linux, formerly known as CBL-Mariner, might have the potential to reach a wider audience beyond its current internal use at Microsoft. The distribution, designed to be lightweight and secure, is already used as a container host operating system for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) and supports both x86 and Arm architectures.
The timing of this speculation is notable, given the recent end of support for CentOS, which has left many enterprise users searching for alternatives. Microsoft’s strong position in cloud computing – with Linux workloads now outnumbering Windows Server on Azure – adds weight to the possibility of Azure Linux becoming a serious player in this space.
Microsoft’s recent experience with LinkedIn’s migration from CentOS to Azure Linux has likely provided valuable insights and could serve as a proof of concept for broader adoption. However, the company faces significant challenges in overcoming historical skepticism from the Linux community, stemming from past antagonistic stances towards open-source software.
When asked about the future of Azure Linux, Microsoft’s response was carefully worded, stating that Azure Linux for VM or bare metal use is not available as a commercially supported offering “today” – leaving the door open for future developments.
While Microsoft is unlikely to generate significant direct revenue from Azure Linux, its potential as a driver for Azure cloud services and as a way to address support and maintenance concerns could make it an attractive strategy for the tech giant.
For followers of the Eagles this could be the tech equivalent of “Hell Freezes Over.”
Sources include: The Register (https://www.theregister.com/2024/09/10/azure_linux_potential/)
A great piece in the Spanish tech journal El Pais asks if the era of unchecked growth for social media platforms appears to be ending as governments and regulators worldwide begin to take more assertive action against tech giants. Recent high-profile incidents, including the arrest of Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov in France and the court-ordered closure of X (formerly Twitter) in Brazil, signal a significant shift in the regulatory landscape.
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France, accused of complicity in disseminating child pornography on the platform.
A Brazilian judge ordered the closure of X due to the platform’s “repeated failure to comply with court orders” regarding the blocking of profiles spreading extremist content.
The European Union has implemented the Digital Services Act (DSA), which imposes stricter content moderation requirements on platforms.
The U.S. is seeing a wave of lawsuits against social media companies, accusing them of knowingly harming minors’ mental health.
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission is showing signs of tougher enforcement against tech giants.
Some see these actions as part of a broader trend towards holding social media platforms more accountable for content shared on their sites. The shift is driven by:
Accumulated negative experiences, including scandals like Cambridge Analytica
-Concerns over national security and social polarization
-Growing public awareness of platforms’ potential harmful effects, especially on young users
While regulation is increasing globally, approaches remain uncoordinated between different countries and regions. The European Union has taken a leading role with its comprehensive legal framework, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the upcoming AI Act.
The regulatory push is also influenced by the rapid development of artificial intelligence, which has raised new concerns about content moderation and recommendation algorithms.
Despite occasional threats from tech executives to leave certain markets over regulation, most major platforms have ultimately complied with new laws. With tensions affecting expansion in China and sanctions against Russia, Europe, the second largest economy in the world, is hard to ignore in the long term.
In the US, many states, not just California appear to be pushing back against social media and tech industry power. At the federal level, all of the major tech players, with the exception of Elon Musk, seem to be staying out of the limelight so not offend either of the two parties or their leaders.
Sources include: El País (https://english.elpais.com/technology/2024-09-09/no-more-free-pass-regulation-starts-to-crack-down-on-social-media-platforms.html)
And that’s our show for today. You can find show notes at our news site technewsday.com or .ca take your pick.
Thanks for listening. I’m your host, Jim Love, have a Wonderful Wednesday.
