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☆ The Vision Pro needs apps. Now is not a good time for Apple to be at odds with developers.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewWhen Apple launches the Vision Pro on Friday, it could really do with developers lapping it up. Given the price tag, Apple watchers aren't expecting the Vision Pro to fly off the shelves immediately. AdvertisementTo spur future consumer sales then, Apple really needs developers onside to help make the Vision Pro a success. In theory, it means developers aren't strictly limited to releasing their apps to Apple users through its own App Store. More broadly, it puts Apple and developers at odds with each other at a moment when Apple really needs apps for Vision Pro.

Persons: —, It's, aren't, Apple Apple, Daniel Ek, Ek, Tim Sweeney, Sweeney, Apple, Apps, Mark Gurman Organizations: Service, Apple, Business, Vision, European Union, bloc's, Epic, Microsoft, Valve, Vision Pro

☆ IRS set to launch its free tax-filing pilot program for some taxpayers. Here's what to expect
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Kate Dore | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Known as Direct File, the agency's free filing software pilot will begin as an invitation-only service for a group of government workers before rolling out to certain taxpayers in 12 states by mid-March. Direct File comes after a feasibility report authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act. Internal Revenue ServiceDirect File is 'starting small' with 12 statesThe IRS Direct File pilot intentionally starts with a limited group of taxpayers with relatively simple filings, according to IRS officials. While Direct File won't cover state returns, Arizona, Massachusetts and New York residents can immediately continue to state filing by importing Direct File data. While only certain taxpayers can use Direct File, the bilingual software includes built-in live chat support with IRS assistors.

Persons: Daniel Werfel, Kevin Lamarque, Laurel Blatchford, Danny Werfel, Werfel Organizations: Reuters, U.S . Department, Treasury Department, IRS, CNBC, Internal Revenue, Social Locations: Arizona , California, Florida , Massachusetts, Nevada , New Hampshire , New York, South Dakota , Tennessee , Texas, Washington and Wyoming, Arizona , Massachusetts, New York, California

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s little Mars helicopter has flown its last flight. While it remains upright and in contact with flight controllers, its $85 million mission is officially over, officials said. Originally intended as a short-term tech demo, Ingenuity logged 72 flights over three years at Mars. Ingenuity hitched a ride on NASA’s Perseverance rover, landing on Mars in 2021. The helicopter ascended to 40 feet (12 meters) on its final flight last week, hovering for a few seconds before descending.

Persons: Bill Nelson Organizations: NASA, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla

☆ IRS set to launch its free tax filing pilot program
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Katie Lobosco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Washington CNN —When tax filing season opens on January 29, some taxpayers will have the option of filing their 2023 federal tax returns with a brand new, government-run system. The law required the IRS to complete a cost and feasibility study about developing a free, electronic tax filing system, which it released in May. If the pilot program is successful, Direct File could eventually rival competing services in the private market. This screenshot shows the Internal Revenue Service's free tax filing pilot. It offers step-by-step guidance, in both English and Spanish, to taxpayers filing their federal tax returns by posing questions about their income and tax situations.

Persons: Danny Werfel, haven’t, Biden Organizations: Washington CNN, IRS, Democrat, Congress, Internal Revenue, Social Security, Taxpayers, Republicans Locations: Arizona , California, Florida , Massachusetts, Nevada , New Hampshire , New York, South Dakota , Tennessee , Texas, Washington and Wyoming

The latest U.S. News rankings of education degrees for distance learners will be released Feb. 7, 2024. Like the past several years, there will be overall baccalaureate-level rankings and master’s-level rankings in both MBA and non-MBA business, criminal justice, education, engineering, information technology and nursing. As was done with the Best Colleges release in fall 2023, all schools will obtain access to the rankings ahead of time through U.S. News Academic Insights. College or graduate school representatives can learn more about the Academic Insights tool online or request a demo. The rankings and their underlying methodology were designed for prospective students seeking a strong academic program that was designed appropriately for distance learning.

Organizations: Best, News, College, U.S Locations: U.S

☆ Vision Pro demand 'may quickly taper off' after diehard Apple fans order it, analyst predicts
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewApple fans scooped up enough Vision Pro headsets to push back delivery times for new orders, but one analyst isn't so sure the initial hype will last. The Apple Vision Pro headset became available for preorder on Friday, and shipping times quickly extended from early February to March. Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at TF International Securities who specializes in Apple's supply chain, estimated Apple sold between 160,000 and 180,000 units during the Vision Pro's preorder weekend. "It indicates that demand may quickly taper off after the core fans and heavy users place their orders," Kuo wrote. AdvertisementKuo said the Vision Pro is "still a very niche product."

Persons: —, isn't, Chi Kuo, Kuo, isn't snowballing, Apple Organizations: Service, Business, Apple, preorder, TF International Securities, Meta, Vision Pro

☆ ‘You are barrelling about the skies at 500 miles an hour.’ Why flight attendants want you to stop ignoring them
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

They were unanimous in their praise for the JAL crew and how they’d seemingly expertly executed their training. He praises the JAL crew for their apparent quick thinking under pressure on January 2. Wirestock/iStockphoto/Getty ImagesFor Japan Airlines, the message that cabin crew are safety experts is delivered via the airline’s inflight safety video. According to Urano, there was some discussion about developing a Japan Airlines safety video starring Doraemon, the Japanese manga cat. Henderson says that as cabin crew, he couldn’t be more familiar with airline safety briefings.

Persons: Mizuki Urano, “, ”, Urano’s –, Urano, Kris Major, ” Major, Nicky Loh, he’s, there’s, ’, ” Urano, Doraemon, Rich Henderson, ” he’s, ” Henderson, won’t, Henderson, you’ve, they’ve, it’s, Igor Vershinsky, Major Organizations: CNN, Japan Airlines, JAL, Former Japan Airlines, Japan Coast Guard, CNN Travel, Alaska Airlines ’ Boeing, Singapore Airlines, Bloomberg, Getty, International Civil Aviation, Safety, Air Transport Association, – Locations: Japan, London, British, Singapore

☆ Mary Weiss, Shangri-Las lead vocalist behind ‘Remember (Walking in the Sand),’ has died
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Dan Heching | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Mary Weiss, a singer who was part of the 1960s girl group the Shangri-Las, has died, according to multiple reports. The news was confirmed by Miriam Linna of Norton Records to Rolling Stone on Friday. CNN has reached out to representatives for Weiss as well as Norton Records. (From left) Mary Ann Ganser, Betty Weiss, Marge Ganser and Mary Weiss of The Shangri-Las pose for a portrait Circa 1964 in New York City. Weiss told Rolling Stone in 2007, “When we started, it was all about music.

Persons: Mary Weiss, Miriam Linna, Weiss ’, ” “ Mary, ” Linna, Weiss, Mary Ann Ganser, Betty Weiss, Marge Ganser, Michael Ochs, Elizabeth, Marge, –, George “ Shadow ” Morton, ”, Rolling Stone, ” Weiss Organizations: CNN, Norton Records, “, Aerosmith, The, Michael Ochs Archives Locations: New York City, Queens , New York

☆ Preorders for Apple's $3,500 Vision Pro are already backed up a month
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Apple's Vision Pro became available to preorder on Friday at 8 a.m. AdvertisementPreorders launched for Apple's new Vision Pro early Friday morning, and it looks like customers were eager to snap up the first available units. The Vision Pro, with its sky-high price tag, was always expected to be a smaller launch than something like the newest iPhone. Earlier this month, analyst and Apple supply chain expert Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that the company would produce only 60,000 to 80,000 Vision Pro units for the initial launch. "Since the shipment is not large, I believe that Vision Pro will sell out soon after the release," Kuo wrote on X.

Persons: —, Preorders, Chi Kuo, Kuo, You'll Organizations: Apple, Service, Pro, Vision

☆ Apple just gave new demos for the Vision Pro. The technology is 'fun,' but some testers still don't see the point.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewAhead of the February 2 launch of Apple's Vision Pro, reporters were again given access to the virtual reality headset. "Talking to someone today while they were wearing Vision Pro the render of their eyes was deeply real," Josh Rubin at Cool Hunting said on Threads. It is still just a VR headset 'searching for a purpose'One overarching critique of the Vision Pro has been: What's the point? AdvertisementIn this most recent round of opinions, it seems testers can't see past the limited use cases for the Vision Pro. "I'm just still trying to see where it fits in the real world," Song wrote.

Persons: —, Rich DeMuro, Josh Rubin, Cool, Song, Rubin, Dana Wollman, Low, Mark Gurman, Joanna Stern, Stern, Gurman, Nilay Patel, I'm, it's, Wollman Organizations: Service, Apple's, Pro, Business, Apple, Engadget, Bloomberg, Vision

☆ Microsoft's everyday AI companion Copilot is here to help – if you're willing to pay
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewMicrosoft is ready to offer you a personal AI buddy — if you're willing to pay. The Redmond tech giant is rolling out its "everyday AI companion," called Copilot, to both individuals and small and medium-sized businesses through paid subscription services. On one level, Copilot is a generative AI tool integrated into Microsoft's suite of apps: think Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams. Divya Kumar, Microsoft's search and AI marketing chief, told Business Insider there's a simple reason to pay: to get priority access to the best AI models. In a demo, Kumar used Outlook to show how Copilot could help save time on emails.

Persons: —, Bill Gates, Bennett Raglin, Gates, ChatGPT, Satya Nadella, Stephen Brashear, Divya Kumar, OpenAI, Kumar, It's Organizations: Service, Redmond, Business, Microsoft, Getty

☆ Apple is offering free 25-minute demos for its $3,500 Vision Pro. Here's what buyers can expect.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Apple plans to host demos for its $3,500 Vision Pro at Apple Stores. Users will be shown how to view images and videos while wearing the headset, Bloomberg reported. AdvertisementApple recently announced that it was offering up free demos of its much-anticipated mixed-reality headset, Vision Pro. Apple retail workers will start by fitting users with a headset and explaining how the interface works. Once the headset is on, users will be shown how to view still, panorama, and 3D images that Apple calls "spatial photos," per Bloomberg.

Persons: — Organizations: Apple Stores, Bloomberg, Service, Apple, Employees, Digital

☆ SpaceX plans key NASA demonstration for next Starship launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

SpaceX could attempt a key demonstration for NASA during the third test flight of its towering Starship rocket, according to the federal agency. The propellant transfer demonstration would require that the rocket reach orbit as one of the demo's goals. "NASA and SpaceX are reviewing options for the demonstration to take place during an integrated flight test of Starship and the Super Heavy rocket. However, no final decisions on timing have been made," NASA spokesperson Jimi Russell said in a statement to CNBC. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said shortly after November's flight test that hardware for a third Starship launch "should be ready to fly in 3 to 4 weeks."

Persons: SpaceX's, Jimi Russell, Elon Musk Organizations: Boca Chica, SpaceX, NASA, Super, CNBC, Federal Aviation Administration Locations: Brownsville , Texas, U.S

☆ Meta's top AI scientist reportedly warned Mark Zuckerberg that Facebook and Instagram could go extinct if they didn't catch up with ChatGPT
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Meta's top AI scientist urged Mark Zuckerberg to make a ChatGPT rival, the New York Times reports. Yann LeCun warned that Facebook and Instagram could potentially go extinct if Meta didn't act. If Meta didn't buckle down on its AI efforts, Facebook and Instagram could go extinct, LeCun warned, according to the report. "I have been thinking about what you said," the CEO told LeCun during a dinner that evening, a person familiar told the Times. Meta didn't immediately reply to Business Insider's request for comment from Zuckerberg or LeCun.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Yann LeCun, Meta, —, OpenAI, Zuckerberg, Instagram, LeCun, Meta didn't, Josh Hawley of, Richard Blumenthal, Meta wasn't, OpenAI —, didn't, Paris Hilton, Snoop Dogg Organizations: New York Times, Facebook, Meta, Service, Times, 4chan, Tech, Google, Microsoft, Paris Locations: Menlo Park , California, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Connecticut

☆ Will guilt-free long-haul flights ever be possible? Here’s what we know
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, is a type of alternative jet fuel that can curb carbon emissions by up to 80%. The main reason for the slow adoption is that it’s still more expensive – between 1.5 to 6 times pricier than regular jet fuel. Boeing is not out of the race either, but doesn’t see a hydrogen long-haul plane as around the corner. On medium- and long-haul flights, we don’t see it as a direct source of propulsion until 2040. We would need to see magnitude-order changes [in batteries] for us to consider those for long-haul flights.

Persons: ”, Gary Crichlow, Gökçin Çınar, Ryan Faucett, Alexandre Doumenjou, Andreas Schäfer, Britten, “, Artemis, that’s, Boeing’s Faucett, “ You’re, Schäfer Organizations: CNN — Aviation, Boeing, “, Aviation Environment Federation, SAF, Airbus, University of Michigan, CNN, Virgin Atlantic, University College London, Cranfield Aerospace, Norman, Engineers, NASA, Critchlow Locations: London, Bangkok, New York, California, ZeroAvia

☆ Meta's AI chief doesn't think AI super intelligence is coming anytime soon, and is skeptical on quantum computing
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"I know Jensen," LeCun said at a recent event highlighting the Facebook parent company's 10-year anniversary of its Fundamental AI Research team. Society is more likely to get "cat-level" or "dog-level" AI years before human-level AI, LeCun said. And the technology industry's current focus on language models and text data will not be enough to create the kinds of advanced human-like AI systems that researchers have been dreaming about for decades. These so-called multimodal AI systems represent the next frontier, but their development won't come cheap. And as more companies such as Meta and Google parent Alphabet research more advanced AI models, Nvidia could stand to gain even more of an edge, particularly if no other competition emerges.

Persons: Yann LeCun, Jensen Huang, Jensen, LeCun Organizations: Nvidia, AI Research, Meta

☆ I went to a meeting in a virtual 3D office and left convinced it's way better than sitting on Zoom all day
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Video feeds of workers make the virtual office feel more like a real one by letting you see others. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Then I realized the office door was closed. Just us in the virtual office with video feeds of our faces. Braund steps out of his virtual office every day to take his kids to school, he said.

Persons: Erik Braund, —, I'd, Braund, we're, he's, We've, Katmai, Brady Organizations: Service Locations: Katmai, Netherlands, Alaska

☆ Top tech YouTuber breaks down the Tesla Cybertruck's 'ridiculous' windshield wiper and tricky door handles
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Brownlee also said he appreciated the high level of visibility in the truck, which has a massive windshield. "It feels way more nimble in parking lots and it feels like it shrinks the wheelbase, the whole dimensions of the truck," Brownlee said. The Cybertruck doesn't have any door handles — a feature that some new Cybertruck owners appeared to struggle with during the delivery event. Brownlee expressed some concerns about the lack of door handles on the Cybertruck.

Persons: YouTuber Marques Brownlee, he's, Tesla, —, Brownlee, I'm, Marques Brownlee, Elon Musk Organizations: Service, YouTube Locations: California

☆ A popular female coding Instagram account that said men 'suffer from biases equally to women' was created by a man, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Lindsay Dodgson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The person behind a female coder's Instagram account is a man, 404 Media reports. The page, called coding_unicorn, has 115,000 followers and claims to be run by a woman called Julia. AdvertisementA popular Instagram account fronted by a woman named Julia Kirsina is run by a man, according to a 404 Media investigation. But in reality, the person running the account is a male software developer called Eduards Sizovs, according to a 404 Media report. Advertisement404 Media dug into Sizovs' IP logs and old YouTube videos, and said it found that he had access to an email account called coding_unicorn.

Persons: Julia, —, Julia Kirsina, Kirsina, coding_unicorn, Sizovs, Ayodeji, Satya Nadella, Gergely Orosz, Anna Boyko, Alina Prokhoda, Kristine Howard, Julia Kirsina —, Scott Hanselman Organizations: Service, Business, Sizovs, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Bloomberg

☆ Microsoft and Amazon Web Services executives are bailing on this tech conference after the organizer was accused of using fake female panelists
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A tech conference organizer was accused of listing fake female panelists on his event website. AdvertisementAn online software development conference has come under fire after its organizers were accused of listing fake female panelists on its website. The DevTernity Conference was slated to run from 7 to 8 December, and featured speakers from Microsoft and Amazon Web Services. He also explained the origins of the three fake female profiles. According to Sizovs, he secured the participation of two female panelists, but both eventually withdrew their participation.

Persons: Eduards Sizovs, —, Gergely Orosz, you've, Anna Boyle, Orosz, Sizovs, Kristine Howard, Scott Hanselman, he's Organizations: Service, Microsoft, Amazon Web, Bloomberg, Amazon Web Services, Sizovs, DevTernity Conference, Business Insider

☆ Boom Supersonic says it will conduct the first test flight of its ultra-speedy 'baby boom' prototype aircraft later this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Colorado startup Boom Supersonic is developing a faster-than-sound jet called Overture. Boom hopes to conduct its first XB-1 flight by the end of this year. The engines on Boom's XB-1 supersonic test plane. To prepare for its first XB-1 flight, Boom said its test pilots had completed hundreds of hours of flight training in a simulator and a trainer aircraft. AdvertisementA pilot sitting in the cockpit of the Boom Supersonic experimental aircraft.

Persons: —, Blake Scholl, Henry Harteveldt, Boom, Charles, Chuck, Yeager, Doc, Shoemaker Organizations: Service, Federal Aviation Administration, eventual, FAA, Business, Boom's, United Airlines, American Airlines, Electric, Pratt & Whitney, GE, Honeywell, Safran Aircraft, Royce, CFM International, Atmosphere Research, Mojave Air, Space Port Locations: Colorado

☆ NASA mission achieves most distant demo of laser communications across space
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —An innovative experiment flying aboard NASA’s Psyche mission just hit its first major milestone by successfully carrying out the most distant demonstration of laser communications. The tech demo was designed to be the US space agency’s most distant experiment of high-bandwidth laser communications, testing the sending and receiving of data to and from Earth using an invisible near-infrared laser. NASA/JPL-CaltechIt’s not the first time laser communications have been tested in space. The first test of two-way laser communication occurred in December 2021 when NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration launched and went into orbit about 22,000 miles (35,406 kilometers) from Earth. And the Artemis II spacecraft will use laser communications to return high-definition video of a crewed journey around the moon.

Persons: Psyche, DSOC, Hale, ”, Trudy Kortes, Meera Srinivasan, Artemis, DSOC won’t, Jason Mitchell Organizations: CNN, NASA, Optical Communications, California Institute of Technology’s, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, JPL, Caltech, Space Technology, Psyche’s, Hale, DSOC, NASA’s, Advanced Communications, Navigation Technologies, NASA’s Space Communications Locations: Pasadena , California, DSOC, Wrightwood , California

☆ The Beatles Are Still Charting the Future of Pop. It Looks Bleak.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Peter C. Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

In that context, the “Now and Then” movie’s upfront billing of the track as the last Beatles song feels like a two-pronged rhetorical move. But the truth, ultimately, will lie not with any facts inherent to the universe of existing Beatles recordings. If you can make a Beatles single using ideas from two dead Beatles, then you can make one with ideas from three dead Beatles — or even, perhaps, from four. It reminds me of the Beatles without sounding like the Beatles — and why should it, when Lennon didn’t write it for them? But I suspect that, in this late project, the always-innovative Beatles are once again ahead of their time.

Persons: Drake, Johnny Cash, Taylor Swift, Hank Williams, I’ve, McCartney, Lennon didn’t, relistened

☆ This video of David Attenborough narrating a programmer's life shows Hollywood actors were right to be afraid of AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A programmer has created an AI version of David Attenborough to narrate his life. AdvertisementIf you've ever wanted acclaimed broadcaster and documentary filmmaker Sir David Attenborough to narrate your life, you're not alone — and you don't have to keep merely wishing for it anymore. He's been posting quirky experiments with AI on X — like one that uses AI to recommend how you should correct your posture. And it's made possible by combining OpenAI's GPT-4-vision — an AI model that can describe what it sees — and code from Elevens Lab, an AI voice startup. One X user wrote, "I'm going to get David Attenborough to narrate videos of my baby learning how to eat broccoli."

Persons: David Attenborough, Salma Hayek —, —, you've, Sir David Attenborough, Charlie Holtz, Holtz, Attenborough, @charliebholtz, Salma Hayek, Annie Murphy —, it's, Justine Bateman, Bateman Organizations: Service, Elevens Lab, Hollywood, Actors

☆ Ford CEO Jim Farley Throws Shade at the Cybertruck's Viral Off-Road Video
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A video of Tesla's Cybertruck struggling to make it up a dirt hill went viral on Friday. On Wednesday, Ford CEO Jim Farley appeared to shade the rival carmaker with his own off-road demo. On Wednesday, Ford CEO Jim Farley appeared to shade the rival carmaker by posting a video of the F-150 Lightning, his company's flagship electric vehicle, making its way up a very similar dirt hill. 👍 pic.twitter.com/uCMUSxUIpj — Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) November 15, 2023He captioned the video, "F-150 Lightning does it all." The F-150 Lightning was released to consumers in 2022, and is the company's first fully electric pickup truck.

Persons: Tesla's Cybertruck, Jim Farley, —, Elon Musk, Tesla, ord Organizations: Ford, Service, EO Locations: Hollister

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