Apple Store workers in Maryland vote in favor of a strike over working conditions
Two years ago, Apple Store workers in Towson, Maryland voted in favor of unionization, making it the first Apple retail location in the United States to unionize. Now, those Apple Towson Town Center employees have authorized a strike, after “a year of negotiations with Apple management that yielded unsatisfactory outcomes.” more…

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OpenAI's Sam Altman on iPhones, Music, Training Data, and Apple's Controversial iPad Ad
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman gave an hour-long interview to the "All-In" podcast (hosted by Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, David Sacks and David Friedberg). And speaking on technology's advance, Altman said "Phones are unbelievably good.... I personally think the iPhone is like the greatest piece of technology humanity has ever made. It's really a wonderful product." Q: What comes after it? Altman: I don't know. I mean, that was what I was saying. It's so good, that to get beyond it, I think the bar is quite high. Q: You've been working with Jony Ive on something, right? Altman: We've been discussing ideas, but I don't — like, if I knew... Altman said later he thought voice interaction "feels like a different way to use a computer." But the conversation turned to Apple in another way. It happened in a larger conversation where Altman said OpenAI has "currently made the decision not to do music, and partly because exactly these questions of where you draw the lines..." Altman: Even the world in which — if we went and, let's say we paid 10,000 musicians to create a bunch of music, just to make a great training set, where the music model could learn everything about song structure and what makes a good, catchy beat and everything else, and only trained on that — let's say we could still make a great music model, which maybe we could. I was posing that as a thought experiment to musicians, and they were like, "Well, I can't object to that on any principle basis at that point — and yet there's still something I don't like about it." Now, that's not a reason not to do it, um, necessarily, but it is — did you see that ad that Apple put out... of like squishing all of human creativity down into one really iPad...? There's something about — I'm obviously hugely positive on AI — but there is something that I think is beautiful about human creativity and human artistic expression. And, you know, for an AI that just does better science, like, "Great. Bring that on." But an AI that is going to do this deeply beautiful human creative expression? I think we should figure out — it's going to happen. It's going to be a tool that will lead us to greater creative heights. But I think we should figure out how to do it in a way that preserves the spirit of what we all care about here. What about creators whose copyrighted materials are used for training data? Altman had a ready answer — but also some predictions for the future. "On fair use, I think we have a very reasonable position under the current law. But I think AI is so different that for things like art, we'll need to think about them in different ways..." Altman:I think the conversation has been historically very caught up on training data, but it will increasingly become more about what happens at inference time, as training data becomes less valuable and what the system does accessing information in context, in real-time... what happens at inference time will become more debated, and what the new economic model is there. Altman gave the example of an AI which was never trained on any Taylor Swift songs — but could still respond to a prompt requesting a song in her style. Altman: And then the question is, should that model, even if it were never trained on any Taylor Swift song whatsoever, be allowed to do that? And if so, how should Taylor get paid? So I think there's an opt-in, opt-out in that case, first of all — and then there's an economic model. Altman also wondered if there's lessons in the history and economics of music sampling... Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Get focused with this all-in-one Mac task manager for less than $30
A task manager app app for Mac and PC, Pagico 10 can help you plan more effectively with custom dashboards, status updates and more. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Enjoy a $149 Discount on the M3 MacBook Air
The M3 MacBook Air is the closest thing you have for an ultra-portable yet very capable laptop. Today, the 15-inch M3 MacBook Air with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD is down to just $1,149.99 from its original price of $1,300 on Amazon. You probably know that the M3 chip is one of the latest to […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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New patent application hints at Touch Bar for Apple Pencil support
A new patent submitted by Apple hints at a comeback of the Touch Bar for the Apple Pencil. Under the patent title ‘Mountable tool computer input’, the patent discusses having a MacBook Pro with a positioned touch screen near a keyboard for providing more than just a set of keys. The touch screen has a […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Apple possibly partnering with OpenAI for iOS 18 generative AI technology
A report claims that talks between Apple and OpenAI are nearing completion, which could mean iOS 18 will be powered by ChatGPT’s generative AI. The online leak claims that Apple and OpenAI ‘are finalizing terms’ for using ChatGPT on iOS 18. However, the report also said that Apple is still in discussion with Google for […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Apple launches three macOS release candidates
Apple has released not just one, but three release candidates for the macOS in a single day. macOS 14.5 release candidate has gone live alongside two other versions for older systems ahead of the public release. Apple launched watchOS 10.5, tvOS 17.5, iPadOS 17.5, and iOS 17.5 on Tuesday, then followed it up with the […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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The M1 iPad Air Gets a $150 Discount
The fifth-generation iPad Air was the first to receive the Silicon chip, giving it a boost in the graphical and processing department. Today, the 64GB Wi-Fi model is down to just $449 from its original price of $600 on Amazon. Pair the lightest iPad in Apple’s lineup and the M1 chip and you have yourself […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Revamped Siri to be ‘The Core’ in Apple’s AI Foray
A New York Times report said that Apple will develop its AI technology with a revamped Siri ‘at the core.’ The decision to augment Siri was credited to senior executives, including John Giannandrea and Craig Federighi, heads of Machine Learning and AI Strategy and Software Engineering, respectively. The two apparently spent weeks testing ChatGPT and […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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iPhone 16 Pro might have brighter display
The upcoming iPhone 16 Pro lineup will have a 20% brighter display, according to an online leak. A leaker by the handle ‘Instant Digital’ revealed that the next iPhone 16 Pro will have a display that’s 20 percent brighter when viewing SDR content. Peak HDR brightness is set at 1,600 nits while SDR will peak […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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Auto label on AI-Generated content launches on TikTok
TikTok recently added a label to show viewers that the content is generated using AI. The announcement came in that an automatic label will be added to AI-generated content via third party platforms to prevent them from misleading or confusing viewers. Content created using AI has always had a label, but this time TikTok will […] The post appeared first on iLounge.

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iPad cellular is a major advantage over Macs, still to this day
Every time a new iPad Pro is announced, Apple’s enthusiasm over how powerful its most advanced tablet is provokes a certain level of public cynicism. Not because Apple’s claims are disputed. But because for all the power the iPad Pro boasts, it still runs iPadOS. And for some, that automatically makes it inexorably less capable than a Mac. But one significant area where the iPad has the undisputed upper hand on the Mac is in connectivity. You can’t get a Mac with cellular, but the iPad has offered cellular since its 2010 debut. And built-in cellular can prove a major advantage for someone who values having a truly portable computer. more…

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Today in Apple history: Bill Gates predicts doom for Apple’s biggest product
On May 12, 2005, Bill Gates said Apple's time on top, thanks to the iPod, was limited due to the arrival of cellphones. He was half right. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Original PlayStation games come to iPhone with new Gamma emulator
Gamma, a free emulator of the original Sony PlayStation, was added to the iOS and iPad App Stores on May 11th.Screenshots from the Gamma emulator on the App StoreGamma is similar to developer Riley Testut's Delta emulator, especially in terms of the interface. Like Delta, it allows customizable on-screen controller skins, and includes support for Bluetooth controllers as well as wired keyboards.It supports both Google Drive and Dropbox for backing up your own game disk images as well as automatically-saved progress. Users can choose their own preferred method or service to back up the games and save stages as well. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Ultra-thin M4 iPad Pro features new internal structure to improve stiffness and heat dissipation
The is Apple’s thinnest product ever, with the 13-inch model measuring at just 5.1mm thick (excluding camera bump). The last time the iPad Pro was redesigned, with the 2018 model, there was a big controversy as people noticed it was relatively easy to bend their iPads, with some arriving bent out of the box. For this ultra-thin redesign, the question of rigidity and durability inevitably has relevance again. But, in an interview with Arun Maini, Apple SVP John Ternus addressed these concerns, noting that the new iPad has a redesigned internal structure meant to improve the device’s stiffness. more…

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Apple's M3 MacBook Air dips to $949 today for Best Buy Plus members
The Mother's Day flash sale at Best Buy drops Apple's latest MacBook Air M3 down to $949 with a Plus membership.Best Buy Plus members can pick up an M3 MacBook Air for $949.Best Buy's Deal of the Day features triple-digit savings on several M3 MacBook Air laptops, with the standard 13-inch model on sale for $999 ($100 off), plus another $50 off for Plus members. Considering the cost of the Plus membership is $49.99 per year, it's like getting the first year for free.Buy for $949 Continue Reading on AppleInsider

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iPad chip list: Here’s what Apple Silicon is in every model
Curious what chip Apple has put in its iPads over the years or what A or M-series is in your current iPad? What about the original iPad? Read along for a look at the complete iPad chip list for what comes in every model going back to 2010. more…

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NJ Short Pump Apple Store votes down unionization effort
An effort by some staff at an Apple Store in Short Hills, New Jersey to form a union has failed in a vote among the workers there.Short Pump Town Center Apple StoreOperations lead John Nagy of the of the Short Pump Town Center Apple Store told Bloomberg that staff there had filed for union representation via the Communication Workers of America on April 8.The CWA later alleged that management at the store was engaging in illegal anti-union campaigning. It subsequently filed complaints to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Crime blotter: UPS catches Apple product thieves in sting
In this week's Apple crime roundup, the Citizen app uses Apple Store theft footage in advertising, a Philadelphia Police scandal involving a smartphone app, stolen softball gear recovered thanks to AirTag, and more!The Apple Store in Emeryville, Calif. As we do every other Sunday, this is the latest in an occasional AppleInsider series, looking at the world of Apple-related crime. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Maryland Apple Store staff vote in favor of strike action
Workers at the Apple Towson Town Center store in Maryland have backed their union's plan to hold a strike over unresolved issues.Apple Towson Town Center store (Source: Apple)The Towson store unionized in 2022, and representatives had said they were disheartened by what were described as Apple's insufficient responses to concerns. Unions at the store conducted an independent survey early in 2024 and reported on alleged illegal anti-union activities by Apple.Now according to CNBC, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (AIM) union says workers at the store have voted in favor of authorizing a strike. "The issues at the forefront of this action include concerns over work-life balance," said the union in a statement, "unpredictable scheduling practices disrupting personal lives, and wages failing to align with the area's cost of living." Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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