According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple’s software and services teams are redesigning the platform to "open up key elements." That could lead to the company giving iPhone and iPad users the option to download third-party apps without going through the App Store. Developers could then avoid the company's infamous 30- and 15-percent commission on payments.
This could be to prepare for the European Union’s Digital Markets and Services Act. The act calls for interoperability between messaging platforms and equal access for outside developers to core operating system features, as well as allowing for sideloading – the ability to install on a device outside official app stores. Apple maintains this will be a security and privacy risk. US lawmakers are considering similar legislation to the Digital Markets Act, but their version, the Open App Markets Act, has yet to pass.
Messaging, too, could be an uphill struggle. RCS integration in iMessage is currently not on the table. Google has pushed the messaging protocol for years, going so far as to criticize Apple for not adopting it. Apple’s responses in the past have even included telling a reporter to buy their mom an iPhone.
– Mat Smith
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'Avatar: The Way of Water' is the first great high frame rate movie
But the HFR technology remains divisive.
As a sequel to the highest-grossing film ever – the original Avatar was criticized for its formulaic story (and the small impact it had on pop culture) – the new movie is, according to Engadget’s Devindra Hardawar, a genuine surprise. It's a sweeping epic that avoids the wobbly dialogue of the first film. From a technical perspective, James Cameron has arguably made the best high frame rate (HFR) movie yet. Certain scenes play back at 48 frames per second, giving them a smoother and more realistic sheen compared to the standard 24 fps. That leads to incredibly immersive 3D action scenes in the three hour and twelve minute runtime.
Scientists achieve fusion ignition, a major milestone in clean energy production
It’s a breakthrough, but the technology is still years from deployment.
A team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has created the first known fusion reaction with a net energy gain – that is, it produced more energy than it consumed and resulted in ignition. On December 5th, the researchers achieved the feat when they used 192 lasers at the National Ignition Facility to blast a cylinder containing frozen hydrogen surrounded by diamond.
The reaction, which generated a flurry of X-rays, struck a fuel pellet of deuterium and tritium with 2.05 megajoules of energy. That led to a wave of neutron particles and 3.15 megajoules of output. The gain was 'only' equivalent to about 1.5 pounds of TNT, but it was enough to meet the criteria for fusion ignition.
Amazon Prime Gaming offers ‘Dishonored 2’ for free this month
There are a few more games, too.
Amazon will offer Prime Gaming members a batch of PC games later this month at no extra cost. Along with a few Metal Slug titles, SNK 40th Anniversary Collection and a few others, you can snap up Arkane Studios' Dishonored 2 between December 27th and January 3rd.
It's not yet clear whether Amazon will offer the title through Steam, the Epic Games Store or the Amazon Games app. However, it's worth noting Steam Deck doesn’t support this game, if that was your plan. And if you’ve got a Netflix sub, the streaming service is also offering a few free games as well.
Congress introduces bill to ban TikTok over spying fears
Measures in the House and Senate would also block other social apps from China and Russia.
Members of the House and Senate have introduced matching bills to block transactions from any social media company in or influenced by China, Russia, Cuba, Iran, North Korea or Venezuela. The ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act (Averting the National Threat of Internet Surveillance, Oppressive Censorship and Influence, and Algorithmic Learning by the Chinese Communist Party – pithy) wants to shutter access to TikTok and other apps that could theoretically funnel American user data to oppressive governments, censor news or otherwise manipulate the public.