The new iPad Air and iPad Pro will be released on May 7
On April 24, Apple announced that it will hold a new iPad launch event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), at which Apple is expected to release the new iPad Pro and iPad Air, as well as updated Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard accessories.
The slogan on the invitation to the event is "Let Loose" and it is called "Let Yourself Fly". The event is scheduled a little earlier than usual, at 10 a.m. ET. Like Apple's other events, the event will be broadcast live to the public via Apple's website, Apple TV app, and YouTube.
With no major changes to the product line in 2023, Apple's iPad will usher in a revolution. The rumored models include a pair of iPad Air updates, 10.9-inch and 12.9-inch versions. In addition, the iPad Pro is also expected to be upgraded, replacing the mini LED backlight with an OLED display. The entry-level iPad and iPad mini are not expected to be released at this event, but in the fall of 2024. (Source: cnBeta)
Tesla's shares surged after hours as it said it would accelerate the rollout of cheaper cars
On April 23, it was reported that in the first quarter shareholder conference, Tesla said that it would accelerate the launch of more affordable cars. "We have updated our future model lineup to accelerate the launch of new models ahead of our previously announced start of production in the second half of 2025. These new vehicles, including more affordable models, will leverage aspects of the next-generation platform as well as aspects of our existing platforms and will be able to be produced on the same production lines as our existing vehicle lines. 」
Since then, the company's shares have risen sharply in after-hours trading. Despite the company reporting lower-than-expected revenue and earnings, investors seem pleased with the EV maker's latest and future outlook as investor sentiment slumps sharply in 2024. In after-hours trading, Tesla shares rose more than 6%.
According to consensus estimates, Tesla reported adjusted earnings per share of $0.45 (estimate: $0.52) on revenue of $2.13 billion (estimate: $22.31 billion). This is Tesla's first revenue decline in four years. In terms of profitability, Tesla reported an operating profit of $1.2 billion (estimated at $1.49 billion) and an adjusted net profit of $1.5 billion (estimated at $1.79 billion). (Source: Global Market Report)
The European Union has launched a second formal investigation into TikTok, focusing on mental health risks
On April 23, it was reported that the European Union launched a second formal investigation into TikTok, and on Monday the European Commission announced that it suspected that the video-sharing platform violated the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA), which is an online management and content moderation framework. The European Commission also said it intends to take temporary measures to force the company to suspend access to the TikTok Lite app within the EU during its investigation into concerns that the TikTok Lite app poses mental health risks to users.
Although the European Union has allowed TikTok to contest the measure until April 24, this means that the app is still accessible for now. This development shows that the EU is cracking down on product launches that it considers risky, as it can prove that platforms are not following the expected procedures.
Penalties for proven violations of the Digital Copyright Act can be up to 6% of annual global turnover. As a result, if EU law enforcement officers finally determine that TikTok's parent company, ByeDance, is illegal, it will face a hefty fine. This is the Commission's second investigation into TikTok, following the announcement in February of this year into multiple aspects of TikTok's DSA compliance, which is ongoing. (Source: cnBeta)
Lei Jun: Xiaomi SU7 gross profit margin is expected to be 5%-10%
At the investor conference held on April 23, Lei Jun, founder, chairman and CEO of Xiaomi, revealed to investors the expected gross margin range of the Xiaomi car SU7 and shared the sales volume. Lei Jun said that the gross profit margin of the Xiaomi SU7 is expected to be between 5% and 10%, while emphasizing that the actual sales volume exceeded expectations, but the specific figure is still being calculated.
Lei Jun also mentioned the budget and staff expansion plan of Xiaomi's intelligent driving team, which is expected to expand to 1,500 people this year and further increase to 2,000 people next year to increase investment in the field of intelligent driving. In addition, Lei Jun made it clear that Xiaomi Auto will focus 100% on the domestic market in the next three years, emphasizing that the success of the Chinese market is a top priority for Xiaomi Auto.
In addition, Lei Jun emphasized Xiaomi's long-term investment and determination in the field of AI, and the advantages of intelligence and connectivity of Xiaomi SU7 have been recognized by the market. He mentioned that Xiaomi has made remarkable achievements in the research and development of AI-related products, and will continue to strengthen communication with investors in the future to share AI's progress in a timely manner.
Finally, Lei Jun is full of confidence in the future of the Xiaomi SU7 and expects Xiaomi Auto to complete the production capacity expansion and achieve the delivery target of 100,000 units this year. He also mentioned Xiaomi's other model plans, with new models expected to be launched in the second half of the year, and an SUV model may be launched next year. (Source: Sina Finance)
The dark side of the moon responded to Yang Zhilin's cashing out of tens of millions of dollars: the news is untrue
On April 23, in response to the news that after the completion of the last round of financing, Yang Zhilin, the founder of Moonshot AI, has cashed out tens of millions of dollars by selling his personal shares, the dark side of the moon responded: The above news is untrue, and the dark side of the moon has previously announced the employee incentive plan, which can be seen in official information.
According to Jiemian News, after the completion of the last round of financing, Yang Zhilin, the founder of Moonshot AI, has cashed out tens of millions of dollars by selling his personal shares. As a startup, the Dark Side of the Moon has only been around for a year. According to the Tianyancha App, Yang Zhilin holds 78.968% of the shares of "Beijing Moon Dark Side Technology Co., Ltd.", making him the largest shareholder.
In February this year, the dark side of the moon completed a new round of financing of $1 billion, led by Alibaba, followed by Sequoia China, Xiaohongshu, Meituan and other institutions, with a post-investment valuation of more than $2.5 billion. (Source: Finance Associated Press)
NIO channel person: Xiaomi SU7 has been ordered to transfer to NIO, and you can enjoy a subsidy of 5,000 yuan
On April 23, it was reported that a reporter from the "Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily" visited a number of new energy vehicle stores and found that NIO launched corresponding subsidies offline for consumers who have placed orders for Xiaomi SU7. NIO store sales said: "As long as you place an order, we will also subsidize 5,000 yuan. 」
In addition, store sales such as Xpeng and Ideal said that the prices of many models have been adjusted, or time-limited subsidies have been introduced, and separate discounts will no longer be launched for Xiaomi SU7 lock single car owners. (Source: Finance Associated Press)
Perplexity AI has raised its valuation to more than $1 billion with a new $63 million funding round
On April 23, it was reported that Google's competitor, Perplexity AI, an American artificial intelligence search company, raised about $63 million in a new round of financing, with a valuation of more than $1 billion. The funding will be announced on Tuesday, doubling Perplexity's valuation from three months ago.
Investor Daniel Gross led the round, with participation from billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller, Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan, and Figma Inc. CEO Dylan Field. In addition, several early Perplexity investors, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Nvidia, also joined the round.
Perplexity, which is known to be less than two years old, offers an AI chatbot that summarizes search results, lists citations to answers, and helps users optimize queries to get the best answers. Thanks to its emphasis on accuracy, Perplexity quickly stood out in an increasingly crowded market and won fans like Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who he says uses the product almost every day. So far this year, Perplexity has handled more user queries in the U.S. than it did in all of 2023. (Source: Zhitong Finance)
Microsoft releases small AI models that generate social posts
On April 23, Microsoft released a cost-effective small language AI model that can create tasks such as social media posts while using a smaller amount of data. Dubbed "Phi-3-mini," the AI model outperforms even twice its size in a range of benchmarks that evaluate language, coding, and math ability, Microsoft said in a statement.
Eric Boyd, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Azure AI platform, said that Phi-3-mini's capabilities are on par with large language models like GPT-3.5, but smaller. Small AI models are typically cheaper to run and perform better on personal devices such as phones and laptops than large AI models.
According to Microsoft, this small AI model is designed to perform some simpler tasks, making it easier to use by companies with limited resources. For example, a small company can use Phi-3-mini to summarize the main points of a lengthy document, extracting relevant insights and industry trends from a market research report. (Source: Sina Finance)
The new M5 will be available in three variants, with mass deliveries starting on May 15
On April 23, Yu Chengdong, executive director of Huawei, CEO of the terminal BG, and chairman of the intelligent vehicle solution BU, said at the press conference that the new M5 has launched three models, with the extended range Max version (rear-wheel drive) priced at 249,800 yuan, the pure electric Max version (rear-wheel drive) priced at 269,800 yuan, and the extended range Max RS version (four-wheel drive) priced at 279,800 yuan.
Mass deliveries of the new M5 will begin on May 15. (Source: 36 Kr)
The first instance verdict of the first AI voice infringement case in China was announced
On April 23, it was reported that the Beijing Internet Court pronounced the first-instance judgment on the country's first "AI voice infringement case", finding that the plaintiff as a dubbing engineer has its voice rights and interests in the AI voice involved in the case, and the defendant's use of the plaintiff's voice and the development of the AI text-to-speech product involved in the case have not been legally authorized, which constitutes infringement, and apologized in writing and compensated the plaintiff for various losses of 250,000 yuan.
The plaintiff, Yin, is a dubbing artist, and accidentally discovered that his voice was AI-coded and sold under the name of "Mo Xiaoxuan" on an APP. On the grounds that the defendant's behavior infringed on his right to sound, Yin sued the five defendants, including a Beijing smart company that operated the app, to the Beijing Internet Court, demanding that the five defendants stop the infringement, apologize, and compensate the plaintiff for economic and mental losses.
All five defendants denied infringement. A Beijing Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. believes that the sound products in its APP have a legal source, which comes from the defendant software company. The software company claimed that the sound it used came from the defendant, Audio-Visual Culture Media Co., Ltd. The audio-visual company believed that it had cooperated with the plaintiff and agreed that the copyright of the works recorded by the plaintiff belonged to it. The defendant platform operator and the distributor of the products involved in the case also claimed that they did not constitute infringement.
The judge emphasized that sound, as a personality right, has personal exclusivity, and the voice of any natural person should be protected by law, and the authorization of sound recordings does not mean the authorization of sounds, and the unauthorized use and licensing of others to use the sounds in sound recordings without permission constitutes infringement. (Source: CCTV News)