Consumer Tech News (Sept 30-Oct 4): Latest Windows 11 Update Causing Trouble, Apple Accused Of Compelling Employees To Sign Illegal Agreements & More - Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Accenture (NYSE:ACN)

Following significant lobbying from major tech companies, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has vetoed a bill designed to regulate AI, citing concerns that it could stifle innovation.

Telecom & Smartphone

In the settlement with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC,) T-Mobile US, Inc. (NASDAQ:TMUS) has pledged to significantly improve its cybersecurity infrastructure.

Following a warning from Alphabet Inc.‘s (NASDAQ:GOOG) Google, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has removed Juno, an unofficial YouTube app designed for Vision Pro, from its App Store.

Read: Apple Analyst Signals ‘Slower Start To The AI Cycle’ As iPhone 16 Demand Softens

The National Labor Relations Board has reportedly filed a complaint against Apple, alleging that the tech giant compelled its employees to sign illegal confidentiality, non-compete, and non-disclosure agreements.

A study conducted by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners or CIRP has once again revealed that Apple's iPhone users tend to retain their smartphones longer than Android users.

Social Media, Entertainment & Streaming Platform

Paramount Global‘s (NASDAQ:PARAA) Paramount Game Studios and Saber Interactive are teaming up with Avatar Studios to create what they’re calling the “biggest video game in franchise history,“

Pavel Durov's Telegram, the widely-used social media platform, has acknowledged its compliance with multiple U.S. law enforcement data requests this year.

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, reportedly plans to develop a new AI model using chips from Huawei Technologies.

YouTube has restricted access to songs by renowned artists such as Adele, Bob Dylan, and Green Day in the U.S. This move is a result of an ongoing legal dispute with the performing rights organization, SESAC.

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) will start producing its Quest virtual reality headsets in Vietnam starting in 2025.

Meta Platforms has confirmed that it may use any image shared with Meta AI for training purposes, including those captured on Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

Read: Mark Zuckerberg Says, Orion ‘Is Probably Going To Be The Next Major Platform After Phones’ — Meta’s New AR Wearables Real-Life Tony Stark Glasses In The Making?

Short-selling firm The Bear Cave publishes a new report targeting Roblox Corporation (NYSE:RBLX) for the fourth time since 2022. The report focuses on serious allegations, including the production of child pornography, child kidnapping, and physical abuse.

Technology

According to Microsoft Corp.'s (NASADAQ: MSFT) update released on Sep. 26, the latest Windows 11 update has been causing some devices to restart multiple times or become unresponsive with blue or green screens.

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) has reportedly launched a new AI chatbot named "Cedric," designed to be safer than ChatGPT created by OpenAI for internal use.

Amazon is reportedly set to increase the number of advertisements on its Prime Video platform starting next year. This initiative is part of the company's broader strategy to enhance its ad-supported streaming services.

Google DeepMind and BioNTech SE (NASDAQ:BNTX) are collaborating to develop AI lab assistants aimed at enhancing scientific research.

Gmail, the email service provided by Google, has introduced dynamic summary cards that will make it easier for users to track purchases, events, bills, and travel details directly from their inboxes.

Read: Apple’s Satellite Messaging Feature Emerges As Lifeline After Hurricane Helene Leaves Thousands Without Cell Phone Service: Here’s How You Can Use It

Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA), said that the demand for the company's next-gen Blackwell GPU platform is "insane."

Nvidia expanded partnership with Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN), establishing a new business group to scale enterprise AI adoption.

Gaming

Sony Group Corporation‘s (NYSE:SONY) PlayStation 5 dashboard introduced a new advertising system. This recent update saw game icons on the homepage replaced with promotional content and ads that cannot be disabled without disconnecting from the internet.

Epic Games, the developer behind the globally popular game Fortnite, has launched a new legal battle, this time accusing Samsung and Google accusing them of antitrust violations for limiting competition in the Google Play Store.

Epic Games adds Time Limit Controls to Fortnite, letting parents manage their kids’ playtime via in-game settings or the Epic Account Portal.

Square Enix Co., Ltd. (OTC:SQNXF) plans to release Final Fantasy 16 on Xbox, with producer Naoki “Yoshi-P” Yoshida confirming the intention but no specific date.

Also Read: Mark Zuckerberg On Why He Wouldn’t Want His Kids To Completely Rely On AI: ‘There’s Some Things That You Need To Able To Do Yourself’

Elon Musk

Elon Musk reacted sharply to comments made by Paul Graham regarding the renaming of Twitter to X. Graham, a co-founder of Y Combinator, expressed his views on the name change, suggesting it neither harmed nor benefited the platform.

Elon Musk announced that the bold font will be removed from X's main timeline. This decision follows what Musk described as "immediate and excessive use" of the feature.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has accused OpenAI of unfair funding practices after a report suggested that the AI startup has been discouraging investors from backing rival startups, including xAI.

Also Read: Elon Musk Mocks Vinod Khosla After OpenAI Investor Mixes Up Argentina’s Poverty And Unemployment Rates To Draw Parallels Between Javier Milei And Trump: ‘Vinod Is Just Actually Not Smart’

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Cathie Wood's Ark Venture Fund agreed to invest a minimum of $250 million in OpenAI's latest funding round, making it one of the largest in startup history.

OpenAI‘s recent artificial intelligence-driven search engine, SearchGPT, is set to challenge Alphabet subsidiary Google‘s long-standing dominance in the search market.

OpenAI has secured more than $6.5 billion in new funding at a valuation of $157 billion as it looks to increase its lead in the artificial intelligence space.

Character.ai is pivoting its strategy following the departure of its founders to Google in a $2.7 billion deal.

Also Read: Spotify CEO Daniel Ek Says He Stays Away From Sports Competition With Facebook Co-Founder Mark Zuckerberg: ‘I Know It’ll End Badly For Both Of Us’