China's ban on Apple's iPhone accelerates

More Chinese agencies and state-backed companies across the country have asked their staff to not bring Apple iphones and other foreign devices to work, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

For over a decade, China has been seeking to reduce reliance on foreign technologies, asking state-affiliated firms such as banks to switch to local software and promoting domestic semiconductor chip manufacturing.

Multiple state firms and government departments across at least eight provinces have instructed employees in the past month or two to start carrying local brands, the Bloomberg News report said.

Apple did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for a comment.

In December, smaller firms and agencies in lower-tier cities from provinces including Zhejiang, Shandong, Liaoning and central Hebei, which houses the world's largest iPhone factory, issued their own verbal directives, the Bloomberg News report said.

AirPods 4 to Get New Design, Updated Case, and Active Noise Cancellation.

Apple in 2024 will introduce a fourth-generation version of the AirPods with a number of new features to make the earbuds more appealing to consumers.

Microsoft Copilot -Microsoft’s AI-powered chatbot, can now compose songs thanks to an integration with GenAI music app Suno.
Users can enter prompts into Copilot like “Create a pop song about adventures with your family” and have Suno, via a plug-in, bring their musical ideas to life. From a single sentence, Suno can generate complete songs — including lyrics, instrumentals and singing voices.

Apple is aiming to launch the Vision Pro by February!

Production has been ramping up in recent weeks to have the headset ready by the end of January and a retail launch in February

Are you planing to buy the $3,500 headset😂?

OnePlus 12R (Ace 3) model no. CPH2609 teased.
China launch - 4 January
Global launch - 23 January

Expected Specifications
📱 6.78" 1.5K BOE X1 8T LTPO 4.0 OLED curved ProXDR display, 120Hz refresh rate
🔳 Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset
🎮 Adreno 740 GPU
LPDDR5x RAM and UFS 4.0 storage
128GB UFS 3.1
🍭 Android 14
📸 50MP Sony IMX890 OIS+ 8MP ultrawide+ 2MP
🔋 5500mAh battery
⚡ 100 watt charging
- In-display fingerprint scanner
🔊 Dual stereo speakers
- NFC
- X-axis linear motor for haptics
📳 Alert slider

The GTA 6 leak cost Rockstar $5 million and "thousands of hours of staff time"

Last year's GTA 6 leak cost Rockstar $5 million plus "thousands of hours of staff time," the developer told a UK court. 

On December 21, the BBC reported that Arion Kurtaj, a key member of the international hacking group Lapsus$, had been sentenced to indefinite life in a hospital prison due to his alleged involvement in the GTA 6 leak, and "intent to return to cybercrime as soon as possible." 

During the proceedings, Rockstar told the court that the hack had cost the company $5 million to recover, plus "thousands of hours' worth of staff time." The leak, which took place in September 2022, released over 90 screenshots and videos of an early build of GTA 6 - which at this point had barely been announced as in development.

Indian Telecom Bill 2023.

⭐ 3 years of Imprisonment or penalty of up to 50 lakhs on purchasing a fake SIM card.

⭐ 3 years of Imprisonment or penalty of up to 50 lakhs for SIM frauds and on other telecom cheating.

⭐ Biometric verification is necessary for issuing SIM cards.

⭐ Strict provision for cloning SIMs or issuing duplicate SIMs by fraudsters.

⭐ Satellite internet spectrum will be allocated to Satcoms on a license basis instead of auctioning.

⭐ Maximum fine of ₹5 Crore on telecom operator per circle.

⭐ During an emergency, the central government or state government can pause telecom services.

⭐ Only the central government has the power to shut down the Internet.

⭐ WhatsApp calling and other calling through other apps also included in the Telecom Bill 2023.

⭐ OTT apps, WhatsApp and Telegram etc. apps will be regulated by IT act 2000 not by Telecom Bill 2023.

iOS 17.3 New Feature Update: Apple Likely To Introduce New Features ‘Stolen Device Protection’ and ‘Apple Music Collaborative Playlists’ in Its Next iOS Update

The "Stolen Device Protection" feature might emerge as a response to a growing concern over device theft and unauthorized access. This new feature might aim to check such attempts by requiring Face ID or Touch ID authentication for critical actions, even if the thief has the passcode. This might include restrictions while accessing iCloud Keychain passwords, applying for an Apple Card, turning off Lost Mode, erasing all content, turning off "Lost Mode", setting up a new iPhone and at the time of using payment methods.

On the entertainment front, the iOS 17.3 update might introduce the Apple Music Collaborative Playlists feature. Initially expected in iOS 17.2 but later removed, this feature might allow multiple Apple Music subscribers to add, reorder, and remove songs in a shared playlist.