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🎮 Microsoft Leaked Plans Reveals Futuristic 2024 Xbox Design: No Disc, Enhanced Controller & Cloud Strategy
Today: WhatsApp Payment Service Hits India | ChatGPT Homework Feature Spikes Traffic | Microsoft Leaks Reveal Disc-less 2024 Xbox, Cloud Focus
Kristoffer Lindström
September 20, 2023
Happy Wednesday, September 20th, tech enthusiasts!
As we navigate through another bustling week in the tech world, we've got some headlines you won't want to miss. From Google's strategic moves to boost revenue to WhatsApp's ambitious expansion in India, there's plenty to catch up on. So grab your coffee, settle in, and dive into today's main headlines to stay ahead of the curve.
Google Hikes Ad Prices, Search Revenue Up 10%
WhatsApp Payment Service Hits India, Targets 400M Users
Bard AI Integrates With Gmail, Docs, Drive
ChatGPT Homework Feature Spikes Traffic
Instacart Goes Public, Valuation at $14B After 40% Pop
Microsoft Leaks Reveal Disc-less 2024 Xbox, Cloud Focus
and more...
READ TIME: 5.1 MINUTES
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Tech Companies
Google has been quietly raising its ad rates to bolster its search revenue, particularly during lean periods, as revealed by Google's ad executive, Jerry Dischler, at the current US v. Google antitrust trial. These unannounced price hikes might have increased costs for advertisers by around 5-10%, thus sparking concerns about Google's market dominance and lack of competitive pressure.
💡 Why does this matter?
This news matters to advertisers, tech corporations, and investors due to Google's alleged monopoly in ad pricing. It signifies a potential market disruption, as this could possibly divert advertisers to alternative platforms. Additionally, this revelation may provoke a reassessment of online advertising strategy and policies for more transparency and fairness.
Netflix and SK Broadband resolve their legal dispute, uniting to offer bundled packages and utilize SK's AI technologies.
Meta is bringing its WhatsApp payment service to India, allowing users to transact with local businesses through the platform.
💡 Why does this matter?
Meta's expansion of its WhatsApp payment service into India will make transactions easier for over 400 million WhatsApp users in the country. If successful, this creates potential revenue growth for Meta and provides opportunities for tech startups and investors in the region's fintech sector.
Startup Scene
AI security provider HiddenLayer has secured $50 million in Series A funding, making it the largest round for an AI cybersecurity firm this year.
AI Corner
Google's Bard AI chatbot can now scour your Gmail, Docs, and Drive for data, aiming to facilitate information retrieval and usage. These integrations - labeled as extensions - are anticipated to save time sifting through vast digital content. Although there may be privacy issues, nothing will be used to advance Bard's public model or viewed by human reviewers. Google plans to expand Bard's integrations to Google Maps, YouTube, and Google Flights, and other products outside Google.
💡 Why does this matter?
Google’s Bard AI chatbot's new integration magnifies its utility by enabling users to search across Gmail, Docs, and Drive. This move could revolutionize the way workers manage data by quickly retrieving and summarizing specific information. However, there may be privacy concerns. It's also anticipated that the scope of Bard’s connections will extend beyond Google's products, opening up exciting new partnership opportunities.
AMD director, Justin Galton, has cast doubt on the prospect of AI on desktops, stating its uses may not be clear for some time. AMD's dedicated AI accelerator has been incorporated into only one CPU so far, the Ryzen 7040. In contrast, Intel is planning to add a VPU AI processor to all the “Meteor Lake” CPUs due to appear in late 2023. Galton indicated AMD will launch several AI-equipped products in 2024, coinciding with the year that most customers will be refreshing their PC fleets.
A recent analysis reveals that the usage of AI tool ChatGPT fluctuates according to school schedules, potentially indicating that it is being primarily used by students for homework assistance. The fall in usage during summer and subsequent recovery with the school reopening has led to concerns about a limited range of use cases for AI chatbots beyond academic cheating.
Source: Businessinsider, SimilarWeb
Markets & Money
CrowdStrike has confirmed the acquisition of cybersecurity startup Bionic.ai for $350M, offering advanced security posture management for cloud services. Despite Bionic's reported annual recurring revenue sitting below $10M, the deal will not only widen CrowdStrike's product offerings and customer base but also align with the ongoing market trend of M&A-based consolidation. This follows other aggressive M&A activities by CrowdStrike in Israel, indicating a continuous growth strategy.
Instacart's NASDAQ debut valued the company at $14 billion as it shifted towards profitability and reported $114 million in net income last quarter.
Klaviyo is considering raising its IPO pricing to $29 or $30 per share, potentially valuing the company at roughly $9 billion amid a surging IPO market.
Apps & Gadgets
Microsoft's upcoming Xbox Series X console, codenamed Brooklin, and new controller, codenamed Sebille, were inadvertently revealed in FTC documents. The console, circular in design and disc-less, boasts 2TB storage, a USB-C front port, and power delivery. The gyro-compatible Sebille has a two-tone color scheme supporting direct cloud connection, Bluetooth 5.2, precision haptic feedback, quieter buttons, rechargeable batteries, and modular thumbsticks. The launch is slated for November 2024.
The leaked plans highlight Microsoft's roadmap for the Xbox, revealing new consoles and a cloud gaming device slated to launch through 2030.
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