Consumer Tech News (Oct 28-Nov 1): Apple Starts Manufacturing Entry-Level iPhone Model, US Bans Investments In China’s Semiconductor & AI, & More – Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Consumer Tech News (Oct 28-Nov 1): Apple Starts Manufacturing Entry-Level iPhone Model, US Bans Investments In China’s Semiconductor & AI, & More – Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)

November 3, 2024

The United States has announced a ban on investments in China’s semiconductor and AI sectors, potentially affecting Tesla, Inc. TSLA and its operations in the region.

The Video Game History Foundation (VGHF) and the Software Preservation Network faced a major setback in their ongoing campaign to preserve and grant research access to out-of-print video games.

With the U.S. 2024 presidential election just days away, Vice President Kamala Harris is making a unique play to connect with gamers—an audience often sidelined in political campaigns.

Earnings

Alphabet Inc. GOOG reported third-quarter revenue of $88.27 billion, up 15% year-over-year, beating the Street consensus estimate of $86.31 billion. EPS of $2.12 exceeded the Street consensus estimate of $1.84.

Snap Inc. SNAP reported third-quarter revenue of $1.373 billion, beating the consensus estimate of $1.358 billion. Adjusted EPS of 8 cents per share, beating analyst estimates of 5 cents per share.

Read: Snap Touts New Ad Formats And ‘Simple Snapchat’ — 10M Users Trial Growth-Driving Feature

Gaming

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has set a new franchise record for the biggest release ever, with sales on PlayStation and Steam jumping 60 percent compared to last year’s Modern Warfare III.

Tencent Holdings ADR TCEHY officially denied rumors of layoffs and restructuring within the company, while acknowledging recent changes in its leadership structure.

Ubisoft has launched its first blockchain game, Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles, a tactical NFT battler now available on PC.

Sony Group Corporation SONY announced the November PlayStation Plus lineup, featuring Death Note Killer Within.

Technology

A Russian court has ordered Alphabet Inc.‘s Google to pay a massive fine of $20 decillion for restricting content from Russian media outlets. The fine, which is expected to increase, is a result of a long-standing legal dispute.

Jim Cramer said that Alphabet plans to increase investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure next year can significantly benefit NVIDIA Corp NVDA.

Smartphones

Apple Inc. AAPL is all set to integrate the powerful M4 processor into its Mac lineup. The new chip will significantly increase core counts compared to its predecessor. This will ensure a marked improvement in daily usage from older models.

Apple is working on developing a new smart home display inspired by the iMac G4’s design.

The release of iOS 18.1 brought Apple’s new AI-powered features, known as Apple Intelligence, to iPhone users.

Apple has reportedly initiated initial manufacturing efforts for next year’s entry-level iPhone model, expected to be named the iPhone 17. For the first time, this early-stage development is taking place in India, moving away from Apple’s traditional reliance on China.

Apple introduced a fresh Mac mini Tuesday featuring the new M4 and M4 Pro chips, compactly engineered to maximize performance within a smaller 5×5-inch form factor.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Sierra, the AI startup co-founded by former Salesforce co-CEO and OpenAI chairman Bret Taylor, has achieved a valuation of $4.5 billion following a successful funding round.

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar revealed that a monumental 75% of the AI startup’s revenue comes from consumer subscriptions to just one service – ChatGPT.

OpenAI announced that its flagship product, ChatGPT, is now capable of crawling the web for up-to-date news, sports scores, stock quotes and more.

Read: Steve Huffman Says People Go On Google To Land Reddit Results: It Has ‘Answers, Advice, Perspectives’ — Alphabet’s Search Dominance Under Threat?

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