OPINION : Another tech calendar week is in the Book and it was a tale of two tech giants with deeply contrasting fate in the emerging macrocosm of generative AI .
Before we get to the big success and loser for the week , there was plenty for Xbox fans to compensate aid to . It seems anXbox handheld is potential before the ending of the year , but it wo n’t be made by Microsoft . It might take afamiliar form . We also saw reports suggesting thenext - generation Xbox might not be an Xbox at all .
Apple fan may be enthused to hear there aredramatic changes on the way for iOS 19 , iPadOS 19 and macOS 16 that go way beyond a design revamp for thebest iPhones , iPads and Macs . Apple is also plotting a usefullive translate feature for AirPods , powered by iOS 19 , according to reports .
speak of earphones , Samsung may be the latest producer toembrace a non - traditional form factorthat ’s ideal for runners and city dwellers .
In TV newsworthiness , you ’ve got ta admire Samsung ’s hutzpah ! The company istrying to deal sports fans eight television receiver at a timein a $ 10,000 buzzer whipping bundle . bonk it . what is more , Sony isteasing a major tech advancewith RBG Mini light-emitting diode sets gestate in 2026 .
This week was definitely a mixed bagful for AI after it emerge Sony had been playing around withAI - generated interlingual rendition of one of PlayStation ’s most iconic characters . Xbox also revealed aCopilot for Gaming coachthat’ll supporter you beat bosses and get into games faster .
In the gaming kingdom we got a hintNintendo may be plot a big Switch 2 upgradethat overcomes a fundamental failing of the original , while Sony plans to lend a edition of AMD ’s AI - based upscaling technical school to PS5 Pro secret plan this year .
Sonos , in my mind , has dodged a bullet by reportedlycancelling its program to launch a TV set - top boxto dispute the Apple TV , Amazon Fire Stick and others .
All that being said , winner and loser , here are your flowers and your rotten eggs for the week .
Winner: Google Gemini
Whether you ’re in agreement with the direction of generative AI or not , its undeniable that Google has seriously upped its game , especially considering this calendar week ’s developments .
It may have been a thing of sentence , butGoogle has equipped humanoid automaton with its Gemini AI platformand the final result are … worryingly telling for fans of a certain sci - fi dealership noted for its take on the combining of hokey intelligence and robotics .
The companyrevealeda pair of Gemini 2.0 - based AI models that it articulate will “ lay the foundation for a newfangled generation of helpful robot ” that can “ do a extensive range of tangible - world task than ever before . ”
The technical school enables the robots to respond accordingly to human bid , even in office where they ’ve had no training . In examples Google used the automaton can piece - up pens to put with pencils , slam dunk a mini basketball , and place items in a peculiar container even when the human being is incessantly examine to confuse it by moving said container around .
Furthermore , Google is alsointegrating regular your activity in other apps with Gemini , set forth with Google Search . So , you ’ll get bespoke answers to postulation of the AI base on what you ’ve scoured the internet for previously . It could be utile if you ’re planning a trip , or attend for a new spare-time activity .
That ’s if you ’re comfortable share your search story with the AI . Who knows what else it could evoke ?
Loser: Siri
Google ’s overture this week make Apple ’s struggles even starker . latterly last hebdomad we learned the Apple Intelligence - powered overhaul of Siri would be retard until later this year . This week the radioactive dust continue . One study suggestedsecurity rather than functionality is the key concernand there might n’t be an easy way out of that quandary without compromising Apple ’s unswerving stance on drug user privacy .
One slice of collateral terms could be the rumoured HomePad saucy home hub gadget , with one report claimingApple is delaying that gadget because it is reliant on this Modern smarter Siri , more aware of the user ’s personal circumstance and able to act on their behalf within different apps .
The literary criticism got stronger as the week went on with Apple audience accusations it over - promised ( to put it kindly ) on what it could deliver within the iOS 18 spill cycle .
Seasoned Apple observer Jon Gruber said the reveal at WWDC 2024 has proven to be little more than a “ construct picture ” and believes the trouble since have damaged the company ’s credibility .
He said : “ What Apple showed regarding the forthcoming “ individualised Siri ” at WWDC was not a demo . It was a conception video . Concept videos are bull***t , and a sign of a company in disarray , if not crisis . ”
Headded : “ you could stretch the truth and maintain credibility , but you ca n’t maintain believability with bull * * * . And the “ more personalised Siri ” feature , it turns out , were bull * * * . ”
Could this be a bigger sign all is not well at Cupertino as it struggles to catch up from its slow startle in the AI realm ?
