Apple Reportedly Planning To Debut Its Self-Driving Car In 2025

It’s been a while since we heard anything substantial about Apple’s Project Titan electric vehicle, apart from a certain mishap back in September which involved one of its prototypes. Now, a new report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claims to have acquired new information regarding the company’s first EV from people who are familiar with the matter.

As we’ve already covered when rumours regarding Project Titan first surfaced, Apple’s first EV is believed to be fully autonomous rather than a conventional one with semi-autonomous features. According to the insiders, new Project Titan lead Kevin Lynch insisted that the first model should be able to drive itself. 

Gurman’s latest report cites several sources supporting this particular tidbit, as well as the company’s aim to debut the vehicle in 2025. In regards to the latter, earlier rumours suggested that Apple originally envisioned to debut the car in 2024, but the plan was supposedly pushed back to sometime between 2025 and 2027.

Whether the company is able to meet the 2025 launch window for its EV mainly depends on whether it can complete its fully autonomous system on time, the insiders noted. Progress-wise, sources claim that Apple has supposedly finished much of the “core work” on the car’s processor.

Other than that, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that Apple plans to have its first EV to feature a lounge-like interior with a touchscreen infotainment system in the middle, but would lack a steering wheel or pedals. This further suggests that the vehicle would act as a fully-autonomous passenger shuttle rather than a standard car. In terms of safety, the sources added that the company intends to include a manual override mode in case of emergencies.

With four more years to go, it will definitely be a while until Apple is expected to officially announce or showcase its first ever EV. A fully autonomous system is indeed possible to an extent with current technology, but most of these rely on dedicated pathings with little to no interference or interaction with human-based traffic. That being said, it is not known whether the company’s vehicle is intended to be used on the road or for smaller-scaled use cases (such as in-campus transportation).

Apple Watch Health Upgrades Rumoured To Include Blood-Pressure Monitoring, Fertility Planning

In the not-too-distant future, you may be able to use your Apple Watch to constantly monitor your health. Sources who claim to have access to internal Apple documents told the Wall Street Journal that the tech company is planning to add various new health features to the Apple Watch. These features may include blood pressure trends, a thermometer for fertility and sleep tracking, sleep apnea detection, and diabetes detection, as well as a few updates for existing models.

The sources claim that the aforementioned temperature sensor might be coming to a new Apple Watch as early as next year. This contradicts an earlier report by Bloomberg which expected Apple to add the thermometer and glucose sensor in this year’s model. The sensor is said to assist in fertility planning based on ovulation cycle tracking and improved detection of sleep patterns, with hopes that it could someday be used to detect fevers.

Apple is also developing a blood-pressure sensor that would do away with the usual inflatable cuffs, which will be able to highlight the presence of hypertension. The system works by using said sensor to measure the speed of the heartbeat, through a user’s arteries. However, Apple employees have reportedly been skeptical of the usefulness of the feature, since it would not be able to provide a baseline systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurement.

Last year’s Series 6 watches launched with a blood-oxygen sensor that measures the oxygen saturation level within the user’s blood. Apple has plans to use this sensor to monitor sleep apnea but encountered a stumbling block when the required number of readings for it to be effective would quickly drain the watch’s battery. The company’s ambitions to have a non-invasive glucose monitor also appeared to hit a snag and they are apparently working with the National University of Singapore to research lifestyle coaching for pre-diabetic people who use regular blood-glucose monitoring devices.

It should be emphasized that the report also warns that most of these new features are currently being studied, and may not even make it to consumers’ hands. On a separate note, Apple seems to be requesting FDA clearance to expand the use of existing Apple Watch models. These include heart rhythm tracking for people with atrial fibrillation and alerts for drops in blood oxygen levels.

Amazon Reportedly Planning On Buying MGM For US$9 Billion

Amazon is supposedly mulling on buying out US studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, otherwise more commonly known as MGM. According to reports by Variety and The Information, the multinational brand is reportedly willing to fork out US$9 billion (~RM37.1 billion) in order to acquire the film studio.

As a quick primer, MGM is said to have been put up on the market since December last year; a decision that supposedly came to be after it was recently announced that AT&T would merge its WarnerMedia with Discovery. In order to better compete against streaming services like Disney+ and Netflix.

MGM is the owner of several popular film franchises, including James Bond, Robocop, Stargate, And Vikings, to name a few. On top of that, the studio also has a vast catalogue of thousands of films and nearly 20000 hours of TV shows.

At the time of writing, there’s still no indication whether MGM will take the deal or let it fall through. Of course, it goes without saying that, should they accept it, the deal would swing very much into Amazon’s favour. Gaining access to MGM’s treasure trove of shows would clearly help Amazon to fatten up its anaemic Prime Video service.

Japanese Companies Planning To Develop A Data Centre In Space

Data centres such as those owned by Google and Microsoft are known to use a tremendous amount of energy for processing information. This in turn usually leads to a high number of carbon emissions which increases the risk of climate change, especially with so many of these facilities available around the world.

Realising this, Japanese telecommunications company NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone) is partnering with local broadcasting firm SKY Perfect JSAT Holdings to develop a solution that will hopefully eliminate the issue from the face of the Earth, literally too. Both companies aim to launch a satellite system that can process and store data in space by 2025, with hopes for it to be fully operational in 2026.

According to a report by Nikkei, each satellite will be equipped with computing functions and connected by NTT-developed IOWN (Innovative Optical and Wireless Network) communication technology to act as a pseudo data center. The system will gather a wide range of data from Earth, process and analyse them, and then send back only relevant information.

NTT says that the satellite network, combined with its IOWN tech, enables for reduced exchange of massive data between space and earth, therefore speeding up its transfer process. It is also claimed to reduce power consumption to one-hundredth of what it is now, and will also contribute to decarbonisation efforts as the electricity used for data processing originates from solar energy. Both NTT and SKY Perfect JSAT are hoping to operate hundreds of these satellites in the future.

The idea of utilising space infrastructure for data preservation isn’t entirely new. As we previously reported in October of last year, Microsoft launched its own off-planet data processing system known as Azure Space. However, unlike the two Japanese companies, the US-based tech giant’s satellite network aims to provide fast and easy access to its Azure cloud computing solution for customers, especially those in remote locations.

With projects such as SpaceX’s Starlink and those mentioned above, companies are literally taking data processing to greater heights. Perhaps it’s time to update the term “cloud computing” to something more relevant, now that it has reached to the realm of infinity and beyond. 

Donald Trump Planning To Launch New Social Media Platform In The Coming Months

Not being accepted to any of the mainstream social media platforms, it appears that former US president Donald Trump is planning to launch a social network of his own. According to Deadline, which cited a Fox News interview with Trump’s aide Jason Miller, the new unnamed platform will launch within two to three months.

Miller did not specify any details, but claims that the new network would “redefine the game” and attract a large audience. It is also likely that Trump is gunning to have his platform appeal to US conservatives who have been seeking alternative social networks such as Parler, which allows them to express their ideals without “biased” moderations.

As noted by Deadline, another significant challenge that Trump may face is gaining a potential infrastructure that is willing to support his new service. Ever since his banishment from several social media platforms due to his alleged involvement in inciting violence during the US Capitol riot, tech companies have distanced themselves from the former US president. These include major cloud service providers such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google, as well as former business affiliates such as Shopify and Stripe.

Trump’s move to establish his own social media network will definitely raise eyebrows, and most would also foresee it to be a potential failure – provided that if it ever does launch. However, it is also possible that such speculations would backfire. Despite all odds, he was elected as the 45th US president after all –  so there’s a huge chance that his upcoming platform may gain a strong following regardless.

Square Enix Reportedly Planning On Several Remakes Of Specific Franchise

It’s being alleged that Square Enix currently has remakes of several series on the assembly line. Moreover, the Japanese video game studio and developer has brought on Forever Entertainment, the studio behind the Panzer Dragoon Remake, as its partner in this endeavour.

Both the deal and partnership was announced by Forever Entertainment via a press release, translated from Polish into English by a forum member of Resetera. It reveals that the Polish studio entered into a deal to make multiple remakes, all reportedly stemming from a “single intellectual property”.

As to what that IP is, both Square Enix and Forever Entertainment are, unfortunately, keeping mum and choosing to withhold that information from the masses. Until a time they deem to be appropriate, naturally.

It’s not a secret that Square Enix has been on something of a remake kick of late, the most obvious example being last year’s release of Final Fantasy VII Remake, although the entirety of the remake was handled internally. It is also undeniable that the company has a sizable library of video game IPs that includes the Tomb Raider and Deus Ex franchise.

In any case, it’s clear that we’re all just going to have to adopt a wait-and-see stance with the two studios. Who knows, maybe we’ll hear something during the digital platform at E3 this year.

Porsche Reportedly Planning To Open An Assembly Plant in Kedah, Malaysia

Porsche is apparently looking to set up a new assembly plant for car production in Malaysia. News of this was first reported by weekly newspaper The Edge, citing people familiar with the matter.

The project will see the automaker partnering with Inokom Corporation Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Sime Darby Motors, the report added. The plant is said to be built in the state of Kedah, but the expected date of construction and operations were not disclosed.

In addition, the alleged new factory in Malaysia will be the car maker’s first assembly plant established outside of Germany, also joining its parent company Volkswagen which already has a facility in Pekan, Pahang. The Edge added that the move by Porsche will be a “much-needed boost” to the country, which has lagged behind neighbouring countries such as Indonesia and Thailand in securing big investments by global automakers.

Porsche deputy director of corporate communications Christian Weiss, whom The Edge cited, says the Southeast Asian region exhibits great potential and added that the company is continuously examining options for further growth in this market. The automaker has not made an official announcement regarding the supposedly upcoming Malaysian-based assembly plant at this time.