Tech Roundup: Apple One, Microsoft xCloud & More

[A recurring feature on the latest in Science & Technology.]

• Researchers from Cardiff University discover significant sources of phosphine in the atmosphere of Venus, suggesting a possibility of life on the hottest planet in the solar system.
• World's largest graphics chipmaker Nvidia to acquire U.K. semiconductor design company Arm Holdings from Japanese technology conglomerate SoftBank in a deal worth US$ 40 billion, four years after Softbank acquired Arm in 2016 for US$ 31.4 billion in 2016.
• Apple entrenches further in the services model as it debuts "Apple One" subscription bundle for Apple Music, TV+, Arcade, News+, iCloud storage, and a new Fitness+ subscription service for virtual fitness workout classes (US$ 9.99/month); releases iOS 14, iPadOS 14, watchOS 7, and tvOS 14, and announces new A14 chip that packs 40% more transistors than its predecessor and is capable of 11 trillion operations per second, eighth-generation iPad (US$ 329), iPad Pro (US$ 599) with USB-C and Touch ID fingerprint sensor in power button, Apple Watch Series 6 (US$ 399) with capabilities to measure blood oxygen levels, and Apple Watch SE (US$ 279).
• Some facts: Apple already leads the smart watch segment, with a 40% market share, and has sold 500 million iPads to date since its debut 10 years ago.
• In addition to the starter "Individual" bundle, the "Premier" plan gives subscribers Apple Music, Apple TV Plus, Apple Arcade, 2TB of iCloud storage, Apple News Plus, and the newly announced Apple Fitness Plus for US$ 29.95 a month.
• Further, Apple announced it would no longer ship USB power adapters with Apple Watch devices in an effort to reduce environmental impact. But its most expensive models, Apple Watch Edition and high-fashion Apple Watch Hermès, will still come with a 5-watt charger.
• It's clear Cupertino is engaging in a form of future-proofing to offset slowing hardware sales and potentially a loss of App Store income. With Apple going the Amazon Prime way and getting into all things bundle, the iPhone maker continues its strategy of using hardware as a gateway to an ecosystem of subscription services that lock users further into its platform, and possibly deter subscribers from switching or trying out alternative apps like Spotify, and even help sell more hardware along the way. (Google also has Google One, "one membership to get more out of Google," though that hasn't yet expanded beyond storage and customer service.)
• Although "Apple One" is being marketed as a cost-saving measure, the more Apple bundles and the more deeply it locks people into its ecosystem, the more Apple is likely to come under antitrust scrutiny. Spotify called on authorities to investigate the company's anticompetitive behaviour, stating "once again, Apple is using its dominant position and unfair practices to disadvantage competitors and deprive consumers by favoring its own services." Apple, in response, has said "customers can discover and enjoy alternatives to every one of Apple's services" and that Apple One is a "simple way to access the full range of Apple's subscription services."
• Google-owned YouTube launches new short-form video experience called YouTube Shorts to take on TikTok; feature will allow users, initially in India, to upload 15-second or less short-form videos using a new set of creator tools, including a multi-segment camera, and speed controls; faces fresh lawsuit that accuses the video sharing service of violating children's privacy laws in the U.K. and "making money from unlawfully harvesting data about these young children as they watch YouTube videos — and then running highly targeted adverts, designed to influence vulnerable young minds."

The new Apple One subscription bundles

• Google to unveil Pixel 5 smartphones, and a new smart speaker and Chromecast on September 30; says its carbon footprint is now zero, a little over a decade after becoming carbon neutral in 2007, adding it aims to run all data centres and offices on carbon-free energy by 2030.
• U.S. telecom provider Verizon to acquire prepaid wireless reseller TracFone for about US$ 7 billion in a further consolidation of the U.S. cellular industry. (It's worth noting that TracFone already relies primarily on Verizon's network to provide connectivity.)
• Facebook debuts Watch Together for Messenger, letting up to eight people in a mobile chat or 50 people in a Room watch videos together, and brings automatic captions to IGTV in 16 languages globally, after adding the same feature to Facebook Live and Workplace in March; reportedly considering charging a fee to add links to photo captions in Instagram, a patent filed in 2016 suggests. (Instagram to this date doesn't have an easy way for users to add links to posts, other than adding them to their bios or Stories.)
• ByteDance-owned TikTok hits 100 million monthly active users in Europe, less than a month after it reached the same milestone in the U.S., as the social media platform faces an uncertain future amidst a geopolitical standoff between China and the U.S. over national security concerns; sister app and Chinese equivalent Douyin surpasses 600 million daily active users, up 50% from 400 million in January.
• Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Latvia begin testing a platform to make individual contact tracing apps interoperable and better tackle the coronavirus pandemic in the European Union.
• LG announces Wing Android smartphone with a 6.8-inch main "twisting" display and a 3.9-inch secondary display underneath, 32MP front-facing camera, Snapdragon 765G processor with Qualcomm's integrated X52 modem for 5G support, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage, a 4,000mAh battery, an in-display fingerprint sensor, and support for wireless charging.
• Online retailer Amazon rebrands FreeTime and FreeTime Unlimited, its curated, kid-friendly experiences on Amazon Fire tablets and other devices, as Amazon Kids and Amazon Kids+; gets accused of price gouging after consumer watchgod Public Citizen reveals the company charged inflated prices for hand sanitiser, disposable gloves and other essential products (counting those listed as "sold by Amazon") months after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• New leaked internal memo from Sophie Zhang, a fired Facebook data scientist, reveals the company's slow and generally inadequate response to fake accounts and widespread manipulation on the platform to sway public opinion; says "I've found multiple blatant attempts by foreign national governments to abuse our platform on vast scales to mislead their own citizenry, and caused international news on multiple occasions."
• Google introduces new AI-powered "Series One" Meet hardware bundle for conference rooms made in partnership with Lenovo for US$ 2,699-3,999 consisting of a Smart Camera and Smart Audio Bar, and built atop Chrome OS-based "Meet Compute System"; comes months after rival Zoom announced an all-in-one home communications appliance called Zoom for Home – DTEN ME for US$ 599.
• Music streaming service Spotify partners with concert discovery platforms Songkick and Ticketmaster to add virtual event listings to artist profiles and to the Concerts hub on the app.
• Google-owned navigation app Waze rolls out new features, including trip suggestions for frequent destinations, traffic notifications, lane guidance support, and tweaks to Carpool.
• Microsoft officially debuts xCloud game streaming service in direct competition to Google Stadia on Android phones and tablets as part of its Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. (xCloud however will not be available on iPhones or iPads due to Apple's additional restrictions that mandates game streaming services to individually submit their games as separate apps for review.)
• Facebook launches new "Climate Science Information Centre" to combat climate change misinformation and connect people to factual and up-to-date climate information; pledges to "achieve net zero carbon emissions and be 100% supported by renewable energy this year."
• The U.S. clarifies WeChat users who download the Chinese app for personal or business communications won't be targeted by the government's executive order prohibiting using the Tencent-owned messaging app for some transactions.