United States Says Apple Is an Illegal Monopoly

Meta Platforms Inc. is under immense pressure to ensure that social media content created by artificial intelligence doesn't cause havoc with elections this year. The company's top leaders say they haven't seen that happen yet on their services.

In one of the biggest auctions for a raw boxed video game, a rare sealed hangtag copy of Castlevania for the original NES recently sold for $90,100 on eBay after a bidding war that started at $37,000, all for a hard-to-find game with a literal sticker price of $27.87. 

Apple has come under scrutiny in the European Union for its strict App Store rules that restrict external payment options, sideloading of apps and more. The iPhone maker and other tech giants like Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft and more, however, have had to bring in several changes to their policies since the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) came into effect for the companies in March. Now, Apple will allow game emulator apps on the App Store.

Apple has made changes to its guidelines on the App Store, making retro emulators available globally.

Apple is working on a new version of the Apple TV, which could potentially come with a built-in camera for FaceTime and additional applications, as per the latest reports. We have been hearing details on the product for a long time, and rumors regarding it have surfaced again. While Apple already has a mechanism in place to use FaceTime on the Apple TV, it requires an iPhone or iPad, which can be used as a webcam for the bigger display.

Apple has plans to jump into the robotics category, with an earlier report stating that the company’s engineers are exploring a machine that can move around a person’s home and perform daily tasks such as washing dishes. While the technology giant can form grand plans on how it will enter a certain market, it is not necessary that it arrives early, and assuming that it does, immediate success is not guaranteed. In the latest report, people familiar with the matter said that the firm could get into a new section, but it would take years to commercialize a product.

The new iPad Pro models with OLED technology were previously reported to launch on March 26, but since then, there have been updates to that information, stating that an announcement would instead take place sometime in May. This means we must wait nearly one more month for the unveiling. Thankfully, a new report provides insights on which week these new 11-inch and 12.9-inch slates could arrive while also mentioning a new iPad Air and accessories that may also be a part of those announcements.

In an effort to strengthen its case in a heated lawsuit over the safety of its Autopilot system, Tesla is looking to Apple for help. The case, which stems from a fatal crash involving a Tesla Model X in 2018, resulted in a legal battle over the circumstances of the accident.

Apple's latest update to the App Store's app and review policies has included a section about retro game emulation, meaning developers can distribute emulators through the App Store, though with a number of rules and regulations. Apple's devices have restrictions on running external source code, such as video game emulators. Due to the shaky legal and copyright issues that also come with video game emulators, Apple has never officially distributed them on the App Store.

Apple has confirmed significant layoffs impacting over 700 employees, a move attributed to the cancellation of its Apple Car initiative and a reevaluation of its in-house Micro-LED display project. The news emerged following the filing of WARN notices in California, shedding light on the company's restructuring efforts.

As much as Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that layoffs in the company would be seen as a last resort, the cancelation of the self-driving car venture dubbed ‘Project Titan’ and microLED development for the upcoming Apple Watch Ultra variant meant that a lot of employees would either be laid off or relocated. According to the latest report, more than 700 individuals could lose their livelihood, with the information coming to light after Apple filed WARN notices in the state of California.

Apple launched the M3 MacBook Air a few weeks ago with a handful of nifty upgrades that enhanced the performance of the machine compared to its predecessor. The highlight of the upgrade is the new M3 chip, which is significantly faster than the M2 chip on last year's models. This is because the M3 chip is fabricated on TSMC's 3nm architecture and delivers improved performance while consuming less power. Externally, the design of the M3 MacBook Air is identical to the M2 version, and an Apple executive has discussed the benefits of the form factor and durability in a new interview.