Month: February 2024

Apple Cancels Car Project

Dan Uff February 27, 2024 0

According to Bloomberg, Apple is putting the breaks on its dedicate long efforts to focus more time, staff, and efforts into developing Artificial Intelligence.

Apple made the disclosure internally Tuesday, surprising the nearly 2,000 employees working on the project, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the announcement wasn’t public.

How did Microsoft Co-Pilot come to be?

Dan Uff February 27, 2024 1

The below article will give you some historical information about Microsoft Co-Pilot. How it came to be and what's to come.

Microsoft Copilot, a chatbot developed by Microsoft, made its debut on February 7, 2023. This intelligent companion is based on a large language model and boasts an impressive array of capabilities:

Citing Sources: Copilot can provide accurate references and cite information from various sources.
Poetry Creation: It has a poetic side, crafting beautiful verses.
Lyrics and Music: Copilot collaborates with its Suno AI plugin to compose lyrics and music for songs.

But how did we get here? Let’s rewind a bit:

GitHub Copilot: The journey began in June 2021 with the launch of GitHub Copilot. A collaboration between Microsoft and OpenAI, it quickly gained popularity among developers seeking a tool to enhance code writing efficiency ¹.
Cortana’s Successor: Microsoft Copilot stepped up as the primary replacement for the now-discontinued Cortana. It’s like Cortana’s tech-savvy sibling, ready to assist users across platforms.
Multilingual Conversations: Copilot converses fluently in numerous languages and dialects, making it a versatile companion.
Freemium Model: Microsoft operates Copilot on a freemium model. Free users can access most features, while paid subscribers under the commercial name “Microsoft Copilot Pro” enjoy priority access to newer features and custom chatbot creation ².
Integration with Windows 11: At Build 2023, Microsoft announced plans to integrate Copilot directly into Windows 11, accessible via the taskbar. They even introduced a dedicated Copilot key for Windows keyboards in January 2024 ².

In summary, Microsoft Copilot is more than just a chatbot—it’s an AI companion that continues to evolve, making our digital interactions smarter and more delightful.

Game Developers Describe ‘Smell of Death’ around Apple Arcade

CompuScoop Staff February 26, 2024 1

Some game developers are dissatisfied with Apple Arcade amid concerns about the subscription service's future, a new report claims.

Sources speaking to mobilegamer.biz described a "smell of death" around Apple's games subscription service and noted the difference between the company's investment in TV and music, and its interest in games. "At the very top of the company there needs to be a passion and respect for games, and there just isn't," one developer said. "It all depends on how much buy-in there is from those guys at the top, and I don't think they really value Arcade or invest in it the same way you see them invest in music or TV."

The service initially touted generous upfront payments to developers. Most games released on ‌Apple Arcade‌ in the service's first few years were apparently profitable, providing a lifeline for studios. "Despite its imperfections, we're very very happy Arcade exists. It has made premium games viable on mobile," one games studio executive said, explaining that their company would not exist without Apple's support.

The report claims that ‌Apple Arcade‌'s payouts to developers have been falling for several years, noticeably starting in October 2020. Both upfront payments and the per-play "bonus pool" have shrunk, and Apple is said to be evasive about how these sums are calculated. "They have this opaque metric that they call a qualifying session, and bonus pool payments are made based on that," one source said. "But no-one knows what a qualifying session actually is – it has something to do with if the game was launched, how long the player played for and how often they return. But it's a black box, really."

"App Store Greats" are not eligible for upfront payments, receiving bonus pool contributions only. As a result, games with shorter narratives and premium indie titles earn less than games with longer-term retention. This apparently explains the slow loss of certain types of games on the service. Moreover, there has apparently been a strong shift toward prominent family-friendly IP in Apple's commissioning decisions, with one or two new "‌App Store‌ Greats" per month. Very few original games are greenlit for the service unless they meet these requirements.

While some developers spoke about their relationship positively, others described the company as "vindictive" or "spiteful" in its dealings. Some developers claim that the ‌Apple Arcade‌ team has not made its strategy shift and overall direction clear, and often simply stops replying to emails. "I got the sense they didn't really know where they were going with it all – almost like they weren't sure if they'd have jobs at the end of it," one studio representative said.

Developers similarly spoke about their difficulties getting marketing support or obtaining features on the ‌App Store‌, even when their games are struggling to get traction on ‌Apple Arcade‌. "We have to basically beg for featuring from Apple. Getting that banner featuring at the top is like squeezing blood from a stone," one developer added.

Apple "rebooted" the subscription service in April 2021, cancelling a large number of projects. Some developers believe that Netflix's competitive move into gaming subscriptions has prompted Apple to consider another ‌Apple Arcade‌ reboot, but the long-term future of the service is unclear.

Via: MacRumors.com

MacOS: How to download, install, and make MS Edge the Default Web Browser

Dan Uff February 26, 2024 0

If you're getting sick and tired of dealing with Safari and are looking for another web browser, why not give Microsoft Edge a try? It's easy to download, install, and use.

This article will go over how to find, download, install, make it the default web browser, and configure.

How to download and install: