Tech – Page 12

New year, same streaming headaches: Netflix raises prices by up to 16 percent

netflix, streaming, Tech / Mike M. / January 21, 2025

Today Netflix, the biggest streaming service based on subscriber count, announced that it will increase subscription prices by up to $2.50 per month.

In a letter to investors [PDF], Netflix announced price changes starting today in the US, Canada, Argentina, and Portugal.

People who subscribe to Netflix’s cheapest ad-free plan (Standard) will see the biggest increase in monthly costs. The subscription will go from $15.49/month to $17.99/month, representing a 16.14 percent bump. The subscription tier allows commercial-free streaming for up to two devices and maxes out at 1080p resolution. It’s Netflix’s most popular subscription in the US, Bloomberg noted.

Netflix’s Premium ad-free tier has cost $22.99/month but is going up 8.7 percent to $24.99/month. The priciest Netflix subscription supports simultaneous streaming for up to four devices, downloads on up to six devices, 4K resolution, HDR, and spatial audio.

Finally, Netflix’s Standard With Ads tier will go up by $1, or 14.3 percent, to $7.99/month. This tier supports streaming from up to two devices and up to 1080p resolution. In Q4 2024, this subscription represented “over 55 percent of sign-ups” in countries where it’s available and generally grew “nearly 30 percent quarter over quarter,” Netflix said in its quarterly letter to investors.

“As we continue to invest in programming and deliver more value for our members, we will occasionally ask our members to pay a little more so that we can re-invest to further improve Netflix,” Netflix’s letter reads.

New year, same streaming headaches: Netflix raises prices by up to 16 percent Read More »

Apple Intelligence, previously opt-in by default, enabled automatically in iOS 18.3

AI, Apple, apple intelligence, ios 18.3, macos 15.3, Tech / Kris Guyer / January 21, 2025

Apple has sent out release candidate builds of the upcoming iOS 18.3, iPadOS 18.3, and macOS 15.3 updates to developers today. But they come with one tweak that hasn’t been reported on, per MacRumors: They enable all of the AI-powered Apple Intelligence features by default during setup. When Apple Intelligence was initially released in iOS 18.1, the features were off by default, unless users chose to opt-in and enable them.

Those who still wish to opt out of Apple Intelligence features will now have to do it after their devices are set up by navigating to the Apple Intelligence & Siri section in the Settings app.

Apple Intelligence will only be enabled by default for hardware that supports it. For the iPhone, that’s just the iPhone 15 Pro series, iPhone 16 series, and iPhone 16 Pro series. It goes further back on the iPad and Mac—Apple Intelligence works on any model with an M1 processor or newer.

Apple is following in the footsteps of Microsoft and Google here, rolling out new generative AI features to its user base as quickly as possible and enabling some or all of them by default while still labeling everything as a “beta” and pointing to that label when things go wrong. Case in point: The iOS 18.3 update also temporarily disables all notification summaries for apps in the App Store’s “news and entertainment” category, because some of those summaries contained major factual inaccuracies.

Apple Intelligence, previously opt-in by default, enabled automatically in iOS 18.3 Read More »

Report: Apple Mail is getting automatic categories on iPadOS and macOS

AI, Apple, apple intelligence, Apple Mail, email, email client, email clients, Gmail, Tech / Mike M. / January 20, 2025

Unlike numerous other new and recent OS-level features from Apple, mail sorting does not require a device capable of supporting its Apple Intelligence (generally M-series Macs or iPads), and happens entirely on the device. It’s an optional feature and available only for English-language emails.

Apple released a third beta of MacOS 15.3 just days ago, indicating that early, developer-oriented builds of macOS 15.4 with the sorting feature should be weeks away. While Gurman’s newsletter suggests mail sorting will also arrive in the Mail app for iPadOS, he did not specify which version, though the timing would suggest the roughly simultaneous release of iPadOS 18.4.

Also slated to arrive in the same update for Apple-Intelligence-ready devices is the version of Siri that understands more context about questions, from what’s on your screen and in your apps. “Add this address to Rick’s contact information,” “When is my mom’s flight landing,” and “What time do I have dinner with her” are the sorts of examples Apple highlighted in its June unveiling of iOS 18.

Since then, Apple has divvied up certain aspects of Intelligence into different OS point updates. General ChatGPT access and image generation have arrived in iOS 18.2 (and related Mac and iPad updates), while notification summaries, which can be pretty rough, are being rethought and better labeled and will be removed from certain news notifications in iOS 18.3.

Report: Apple Mail is getting automatic categories on iPadOS and macOS Read More »

“Project Mini Rack” wants to make your non-closet-sized rack server a reality

homelab, jeff geerling, minilab, rackmount, server rack, Tech / Kris Guyer / January 20, 2025

Geerling’s guide aims to save everybody a whole lot of Reddit reading, question-asking, and blind-faith-buying as they get started or seek to expand their rack. Most 10-inch, or “half-width” racks (despite the “standard” rack being 19 inches wide) have only a few major manufacturers, and their availability varies by country. Each type of device that fits into the mini rack—power distribution units (PDUs), uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), HDD-sized shelves—gets linked by Geerling, along with important specs. There are also links to 3D-printable rack systems, cable management ideas (harder on a half-size setup than full), and showcases of mini racks of note.

Geerling’s page acknowledges the collective efforts of communities like Reddit’s /r/minilab have put into the burgeoning half-size market, long before his project. But seeking a central compendium, Geerling compiles gear, tips, and compatibility advice for mini-builds, along with ongoing discussions about the merits of individual components and broader build-out strategies.

“The community feedback around Project Mini Rack has been great so far,” Geerling wrote in an email to Ars. The 3D-printed links and suggestions have been showing up steadily since he started committing to the page in earnest in mid-January. He’s particularly excited to see that a “LACK rack,” or using IKEA shelving for budget rack mounting, can be downscaled to mini-rack size with an Edet cabinet. “It’s like someone at IKEA is a Homelab enthusiast,” says Geerling.

This post was updated to better define homelabs and minilabs.

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TikTok is mostly restored after Trump pledges an order and half US ownership

bytedance, Donald Trump, Policy, President Donald Trump, Tech, tiktok / Paul Patrick / January 20, 2025

At a rally Sunday, he did not clarify if this meant a US-based business or the government itself. “So they’ll have a partner, the United States, and they’ll have a lot of bidders … And there’s no risk, we’re not putting up any money. All we’re doing is giving them the approval without which they don’t have anything,” Trump said Sunday.

Legal limbo

Trump’s order, and TikTok’s return to service, both seem at odds with the law—and leadership in the Republican party. Speaker Mike Johnson said on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday that Congress would “enforce the law.” Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) issued a joint statement Sunday, commending Apple, Microsoft, and Google for “following the law,” and noting that other companies “face ruinous bankruptcy” for violating it.

“Now that the law has taken effect, there’s no legal basis for any kind of ‘extension’ of its effective date,” the statement read. The law states that “A path to executing a qualified divestiture” has to be determined before a one-time extension of 90 days can be granted.

TikTok’s best chance at avoiding a shutdown vanished in last week’s unanimous Supreme Court decision upholding the divest-or-sell law. Aimed at protecting national security interests from TikTok’s Chinese owners having access to the habits and data of 170 million American users, the law was ruled to be “content-neutral,” and that the US “had good reason to single out TikTok for special treatment.”

Reports at Forbes, Bloomberg, and elsewhere have suggested that ByteDance and its Chinese owners could be seeking to use TikTok as a bargaining chip, with maneuvers including a sale to Trump ally Elon Musk as a means of counteracting Trump’s proposed tariffs on Chinese imports.

One largely unforeseen side effect of Congress’ TikTok-centered actions is that Marvel Snap, a mobile collectible card and deck-building game, disappeared in similar fashion over the weekend. The game, developed by a California-based team, is published by ByteDance’s Nuverse mobile game division. With no web version available, Snap remained unavailable on app stores Monday morning. A message to players with the game installed noted that “This outage is a surprise to us and wasn’t planned,” though it pledged to restore the game.

TikTok is mostly restored after Trump pledges an order and half US ownership Read More »

Camera owner asks Canon, skies: Why is it $5/month for webcam software?

canon, DSLR, Tech / Tim Belzer / January 17, 2025

Comparison of webcam software features available to Canon’s “PRO” and “Free” users. Credit: Roman Zipp/Canon

“Software development isn’t free, and I’m happy to pay for software I use regularly,” Zipp writes. “However, Canon is a hardware company, not a software company, and they should—due to the lack of standards—provide software that allows you to use their cameras as intended. Aside from development costs, there’s no justification for a subscription model, particularly from a company earning nearly $3 billion in profit.”

Zipp’s pointed complaint made the front page of Hacker News, where commenters immediately got sidetracked into a discussion of UK tariff laws on video equipment, sneakers, cookies, and ethanol. But further in, recommendations appear for the open source Magic Lantern camera add-on software, or possibly CHDK (Canon Hack Development Kit) firmware. Whether or not Zipp can better use his camera as a webcam is somewhat beside the point, or at least the point he’s making.

Many higher-end (or at least better-than-smartphone) cameras output video in formats that computers and web conferencing software cannot natively accept. HDMI output is an option, but using that typically requires a capture device and specialty software to mix and use it and that the camera provide “clean” HDMI out, with no overlays. The G5 X Mark II does seem to offer that and has a USB-C port. It also seems to work fine once the software is paid for. It’s an open question whether Canon should provide this as part of the cost of the camera, one for which Zipp and many commenters have an answer.

Ars has reached out to Canon for comment and will update this post if the company responds.

Camera owner asks Canon, skies: Why is it $5/month for webcam software? Read More »

iOS 18.3 beta disables news notification summaries after high-stakes errors

Apple, apple intelligence, ios 18, ios 18.3, Tech / Rejus Almole / January 17, 2025

In our own extensive testing with Apple Intelligence notification summaries in iOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1, we observed many instances of summaries that were inaccurate or just plain weird. When you’re just getting updates from your Discords or group text threads, errors tend to be pretty low-stakes, at least. But when you’re getting notifications about war, murder, and politics, these kinds of errors have the potential to mislead and misinform.

The iOS 18.1 and 18.2 updates (along with iPadOS 18.2 and macOS Sequoia 15.2) enabled most of Apple’s promised Intelligence features across all the hardware that supports them. For the iPhone, that’s still only 2023’s iPhone 15 Pro and 2024’s iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro.

The iOS 18.3 update is currently in its third beta release. The iOS 17.3, 16.3, and 15.3 updates have all been released in late January, so it’s likely that we’ll see the 18.3 update (and corresponding updates for iPadOS, macOS, and other Apple software) released at some point in the next few weeks.

iOS 18.3 beta disables news notification summaries after high-stakes errors Read More »

Google is about to make Gemini a core part of Workspaces—with price changes

AI, Enterprise, Gemini, Google, Google Workspace, Tech / Kris Guyer / January 16, 2025

Google has added AI features to its regular Workspace accounts for business while slightly raising the baseline prices of Workspace plans.

Previously, AI tools in the Gemini Business plan were a $20 per seat add-on to existing Workspace accounts, which had a base cost of $12 per seat without. Now, the AI tools are included for all Workspace users, but the per-seat base price is increasing from $12 to $14.

That means that those who were already paying extra for Gemini are going to pay less than half of what they were—effectively $14 per seat instead of $32. But those who never used or wanted Gemini or any other newer features under the AI umbrella from Workspace are going to pay a little bit more than before.

Features covered here include access to Gemini Advanced, the NotebookLM research assistant, email and document summaries in Gmail and Docs, adaptive audio and additional transcription languages for Meet, and “help me write” and Gemini in the side panel across a variety of applications.

Google says that it plans “to roll out even more AI features previously available in Gemini add-ons only.”

Google is about to make Gemini a core part of Workspaces—with price changes Read More »

Home Microsoft 365 plans use Copilot AI features as pretext for a price hike

AI, Biz & IT, copilot, microsoft, microsoft 365, Microsoft office, Tech / Paul Patrick / January 16, 2025

Microsoft hasn’t said for how long this “limited time” offer will last, but presumably it will only last for a year or two to help ease the transition between the old pricing and the new pricing. New subscribers won’t be offered the option to pay for the Classic plans.

Subscribers on the Personal and Family plans can’t use Copilot indiscriminately; they get 60 AI credits per month to use across all the Office apps, credits that can also be used to generate images or text in Windows apps like Designer, Paint, and Notepad. It’s not clear how these will stack with the 15 credits that Microsoft offers for free for apps like Designer, or the 50 credits per month Microsoft is handing out for Image Cocreator in Paint.

Those who want unlimited usage and access to the newest AI models are still asked to pay $20 per month for a Copilot Pro subscription.

As Microsoft notes, this is the first price increase it has ever implemented for the personal Microsoft 365 subscriptions in the US, which have stayed at the same levels since being introduced as Office 365 over a decade ago. Pricing for the business plans and pricing in other countries has increased before. Pricing for Office Home 2024 ($150) and Office Home & Business 2024 ($250), which can’t access Copilot or other Microsoft 365 features, is also the same as it was before.

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After CEO exit, Sonos gets rid of its chief product officer, too

audio, Software, Sonos, Tech / Kris Guyer / January 14, 2025

A day after announcing that CEO Patrick Spence is departing the company, Sonos revealed that chief product officer Maxime Bouvat-Merlin is also leaving. Bouvat-Merlin had the role since 2023.

As first reported by Bloomberg, Sonos will not fill the chief product officer role. Instead, Tom Conrad, the interim CEO Sonos announced yesterday, will take on the role’s responsibilities. In an email to staff cited by Bloomberg (you can read the letter in its entirety at The Verge), Conrad explained:

With my stepping in as CEO, the board, Max, and I have agreed that my background makes the chief product officer role redundant. Therefore, Max’s role is being eliminated and the product organization will report directly to me. I’ve asked Max to advise me over the next period to ensure a smooth transition and I am grateful that he’s agreed to do that.

In May, Sonos released an update to its app that led to customers, many of them long-time users, revolting over broken features, like accessibility capabilities and the ability to set timers. Sonos expects that remedying the app and Sonos’ reputation will cost it at least $20 million to $30 million.

As head of the company, Spence received a lot of blame and has also been criticized for not apologizing for the problems until July. However, numerous reports have also attributed blame to Bouvat-Merlin.

After CEO exit, Sonos gets rid of its chief product officer, too Read More »

Amid a flurry of hype, Microsoft reorganizes entire dev team around AI

agentic AI, AI, copilot, deep learning, GitHub, llm, machine learning, microsoft, Satya Nadella, software development, Tech, visual studio / Rejus Almole / January 14, 2025

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has announced a dramatic restructuring of the company’s engineering organization, which is pivoting the company’s focus to developing the tools that will underpin agentic AI.

Dubbed “CoreAI – Platform and Tools,” the new division rolls the existing AI platform team and the previous developer division (responsible for everything from .NET to Visual Studio) along with some other teams into one big group.

As for what this group will be doing specifically, it’s basically everything that’s mission-critical to Microsoft in 2025, as Nadella tells it:

This new division will bring together Dev Div, AI Platform, and some key teams from the Office of the CTO (AI Supercomputer, AI Agentic Runtimes, and Engineering Thrive), with the mission to build the end-to-end Copilot & AI stack for both our first-party and third-party customers to build and run AI apps and agents. This group will also build out GitHub Copilot, thus having a tight feedback loop between the leading AI-first product and the AI platform to motivate the stack and its roadmap.

To accomplish all that, “Jay Parikh will lead this group as EVP.” Parikh was hired by Microsoft in October; he previously worked as the VP and global head of engineering at Meta.

The fact that the blog post doesn’t say anything about .NET or Visual Studio, instead emphasizing GitHub Copilot and anything and everything related to agentic AI, says a lot about how Nadella sees Microsoft’s future priorities.

So-called AI agents are applications that are given specified boundaries (action spaces) and a large memory capacity to independently do subsets of the kinds of work that human office workers do today. Some company leaders and AI commentators believe these agents will outright replace jobs, while others are more conservative, suggesting they’ll simply be powerful tools to streamline the jobs people already have.

Amid a flurry of hype, Microsoft reorganizes entire dev team around AI Read More »

Report: After many leaks, Switch 2 announcement could come “this week”

gaming, Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, nintendo switch 2, Switch, Tech / Kris Guyer / January 13, 2025

Nintendo may be getting ready to make its Switch 2 console official. According to “industry whispers” collected by Eurogamer, as well as reporting from The Verge’s Tom Warren, the Switch 2 could be formally announced sometime this week. Eurogamer suggests the reveal is scheduled for this Thursday, January 16.

The reporting also suggests that the reveal will focus mostly on the console’s hardware design, with another game-centered announcement coming later. Eurogamer reports that the console won’t be ready to launch until April; this would be similar to Nintendo’s strategy for the original Switch, which was announced in mid-January 2017 but not launched until March.

Many things about the Switch 2’s physical hardware design have been thoroughly leaked at this point, thanks mostly to accessory makers who have been showing off their upcoming cases. Accessory maker Genki was at CES last week with a 3D-printed replica of the console based on the real thing, suggesting a much larger but still familiar-looking console with a design and button layout similar to the current Switch.

On the inside, the console is said to sport a new Nvidia-designed Arm processor with a much more powerful GPU and more RAM than the current Switch. Dubbed “T239,” Eurogamer reports that the chip includes 1,536 CUDA cores based on the Ampere architecture, the same used in 2020’s GeForce RTX 30-series graphics cards on the PC.

Report: After many leaks, Switch 2 announcement could come “this week” Read More »