Tech News Now: Zuckerberg insults Apple, Microsoft’s new problem, and more

Published 6:48 am Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Good morning and welcome to Tech News Now, TheStreet’s daily tech rundown.

In today’s edition, we’re covering Mark Zuckerberg’s review of Apple’s Vision Pro, Microsoft’s and OpenAI’s announcement about how it is dealing with threats from malicious actors, a departure from Apple’s design team, and Max is adding Dolby Vision for live sports.

Zuckerberg reviews Vision Pro on a Quest 3

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It was only a matter of time, truly. But Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, like Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and countless other individuals, tried out Apple’s Vision Pro and has some thoughts. The main takeaway from his remarks: “I don’t just think that [Meta’s Quest headset] is the better value. I think Quest is the better product, period.”

His review was filmed using passthrough on the Quest 3, showing off the ability to also place windows around him. Zuckerberg explained that Meta’s latest headset weighs a bit less than Apple’s and can be worn comfortably for longer. Additionally, it is easier to move in since it doesn’t have a battery pack, and he believes hand controllers and tracking are better inputs. 

On eye-tracking, one of the prominent features of Vision Pro, Zuckerberg noted that it is on the Quest Pro, and while it isn’t on Quest 3, he said the company would consider it for forthcoming models. He doesn’t seem fully sold on the tech, though, believing that multiple controller types are a better offering. 

We’ll note that the Quest 3 and Vision Pro both offer around two hours of battery life, depending on use.

Complimenting the Vision Pro, Zuckerberg says he likes eye-tracking for certain tasks and that Apple’s headset is better for entertainment. 

One thing we can agree with is that the Quest 3 is a lot more affordable at $399 — a bit more than a tenth of the Vision Pro’s $3,500 — and offer of a content library built for it. After all, Meta’s been in the VR-hardware game longer than Apple has.

It’s clear, though, that Apple is here for the long haul, and that competition can’t be bad for us users.

You can watch Zuck’s full review of the Quest 3 above.

Microsoft and OpenAI have a new problem

In a post on its official blog today, Microsoft announced what many have feared since the artificial-intelligence boom started: Hackers already are trying to use ChatGPT to further their attacks. 

Citing new research from OpenAI, Microsoft said, “Our analysis of the current use of [large-language-model] technology by threat actors revealed behaviors consistent with attackers using AI as another productivity tool on the offensive landscape.”

OpenAI went into more detail in its own official post, saying it had terminated the accounts of five threat actors, including China-affiliated Charcoal Typhoon and Salom Typhoon; the Iran-affiliated threat actor known as Crimson Sandstorm; the North Korea-affiliated actor known as Emerald Sleet; and the Russia-affiliated actor known as Forest Blizzard.

OpenAI also said that its findings “show our models offer only limited, incremental capabilities for malicious cybersecurity tasks.”

The Microsoft announcement also identified a plan of attack against cybercriminals. That effort includes identification and termination of the guilty party, notifying other AI companies of the threat, collaborating with stakeholders regularly about the behavior of detected threat actors, and transparency with the public about its findings.

You can read Microsoft’s announcement here and OpenAI’s here.

A departure from Apple’s design team

According to a new report from Bloomberg, a key member of Apple’s design team is leaving the company. 

Bart Andre, who has been with Apple since 1992 and is its longest-serving industrial designer, is retiring soon. He originally joined Apple alongside Jony Ive, who left the company in 2019. Bloomberg notes that Andre was one of the last designers on the team to work with Ive.

Another recent departure from the design team: In 2023, Evans Hankey, who succeeded Ive as head of industrial design at Apple, left the company. 

Jeff Williams, chief operating officer for the technology giant, currently leads Apple’s design team. 

Max is the first streamer to offer Dolby Vision for live sports

Shortly after Amazon announced it was stripping Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision from the standard Prime Video tier, Max is now streaming Live Sports in Dolby Vision for folks with the B/R add-on at no additional cost. That’s some good value.

Live Sports on Max already offered Dolby Atmos for more immersive audio, but it’s now the first streamer to offer Dolby Vision for this type of content. 

With Dolby Vision, on a capable TV, tablet, or smartphone, you’ll see better vibrancy, stronger contrast, and overall a better picture. It’s also debuting ahead of NBA All-Star Weekend, so there will be plenty with which to try out this elevated feature.

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