Tech brief: Tesla Partners with Baidu to Launch Self-Driving Features in China

Tech brief

Apple's China iPhone Sales Plummet Despite Successful Launch Quarter (2 minutes read)

According to Counterpoint Research, Apple experienced its largest quarterly drop in China despite its successful launch quarter. Q1 2024 sales were down 19.1% year-over-year, with Canalys reporting a sharper 25% decline. Apple's market share also fell from 20% to 15%, with 10 million iPhones sold. Comparatively, Huawei increased its market share from 10% to 17% with 11.7 million smartphones shipped. Canalys expects Chinese brands to benefit more from AI-boosted smartphone sales.

Tesla Partners with Baidu to Launch Self-Driving Features in China (2 minutes read)

Tesla Inc. has successfully partnered with Baidu Inc., a Chinese tech giant, to introduce its Full-Self Driving system in China. The collaboration will see to mapping and navigation functions for Tesla's autonomous driving services. Consequently, Tesla has also fulfilled China's stringent data security and privacy requirements, mitigating prevailing data security issues.

Alphabet Joins $2 Trillion Club, Demonstrating AI and Cloud Power (4 minutes read)

Alphabet breached a $2 trillion market capitalization after a strong earnings report reassured investors about its position in artificial intelligence. Boosted by robust demand for its cloud-computing unit and growth in AI, Alphabet saw its shares rise 23% this year. The company also introduced a dividend and announced a $70 billion buyback program. It joins the likes of Apple, Microsoft, Saudi Aramco, and Nvidia that have surpassed this threshold.

Shein to Face Stricter EU Online Tech Rules Amid Regulatory Tensions (2 minutes read)

The European Commission will supervise China's fast-fashion app Shein under threat of penalties including a maximum 6% fine of its global revenue. Shein joins platforms like AliExpress, TikTok, and Amazon that are subject to stricter EU tech regulations. The company, which shifted HQ from China to Singapore last year, also faces allegations of using forced labor in China, which it denies.

ByteDance Declines Selling TikTok Despite Potential US Ban (3 minutes read)

Despite facing a potential U.S. ban following legislation signed by President Biden, ByteDance has stated it does not intend to sell its TikTok operations. The firm would prefer to shut down TikTok rather than sell it, emphasizing its algorithms as crucial to company operations, according to reports.

Tech Giants Ignite AI Infrastructure Spending Spree, Eyeing Long-term Boom (2 minutes read)

The 2024 tech trend is AI plumbing, with Amazon to Meta overhauling data centers to support AI. In Q1 alone, Microsoft, Meta, and Alphabet invested over $32 billion in data centers and other capital expenses. Despite the massive spending, these firms have no intention of slowing down their AI investments.

Apple Resumes Negotiations with OpenAI for iOS 18 Innovations (2 minutes read)

Apple has resumed discussions with OpenAI about incorporating their technology into the AI features of iOS 18, according to a report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple has yet to finalize its decision, and is also considering licensing Google's Gemini AI, or potentially partnering with another provider entirely.