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Apple to Testify It Sees No Need to Deploy Google Alternative

Leave a Comment / apple, Google, News, Tech News / By Sandhya Gupta

In a pivotal moment during the Department of Justice trial against Google, Apple’s senior vice president of services, Eddy Cue, is set to testify on Tuesday, defending the tech giant’s longstanding partnership with Google as the default search engine on Apple devices, including the iPhone.

Cue will assert that this partnership remains the best choice for consumers and that Apple sees no reason to develop its own search tool. The agreement between Apple and Google, established in 2002, has been a lucrative one for both companies, with Google paying billions to secure its position as the default search engine on Apple products. However, this arrangement has drawn scrutiny from the government, which alleges that Google has used its search dominance to stifle competition.

Cue’s expected testimony will emphasize that Apple is committed to providing consumers with choices. While Google is the default search engine, Apple makes it effortless for users to switch to other search providers, such as Microsoft Corp.’s Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, and Ecosia, by offering these options within the Safari internet browser. Apple also receives a share of advertising revenue when users select these non-default search engines.

Apple’s stance on this issue stands in contrast to its approach in other areas where it competes head-to-head with Google. Notably, Apple rivals Google in mapping software, voice assistants, and operating systems for phones and computers.

John Giannandrea, Apple’s machine learning chief and a former leader of search at Google, also testified last week, highlighting a new feature introduced in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. This feature allows users to assign a different default search engine specifically for private browsing, making it easier for consumers to switch between Google and other options.

Also Read: Tinder Offers $500-a-Month Subscription to Its Most Active Users

The ongoing trial between the Department of Justice and Google holds significant implications for the future of tech giants and their competitive practices. Apple’s testimony, through Eddy Cue, underlines the company’s belief that Google’s search engine remains the preferred choice for its users. As the trial unfolds, it will be interesting to see how these arguments impact the outcome and whether they will result in any changes to the default search engine landscape on Apple devices.

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

Google Tweaks Ad Auctions to Hit Revenue Targets, Executive Says

Leave a Comment / Ad manager, Google, News, Tech News / By Sandhya Gupta

Alphabet Inc.’s tech giant, Google, has come under scrutiny as it was revealed in a federal antitrust trial that the company has been making adjustments to its advertising auctions to ensure it meets revenue targets. Jerry Dischler, the Vice President for Google’s advertising products, disclosed on Monday that these tweaks sometimes result in ad price increases of up to 5%, impacting advertisers and businesses relying on Google’s advertising platform.

While Google frequently fine-tunes the algorithms governing its ad auctions, it has been customary for the company not to inform advertisers about pricing changes. Dischler’s testimony shed light on internal communications, including a May 2019 email, in which he discussed the need to make changes to meet quarterly revenue targets set by Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat. The fear of disappointing Wall Street was a strong motivator, as Dischler expressed concern about potential stock price losses and their impact on morale and the sales team.

The Justice Department has accused Google of maintaining an illegal monopoly in online search through agreements with web browsers and smartphone manufacturers. These arrangements ensure Google’s search engine is the default option for users, effectively limiting competition in the search market. A significant portion of Google’s revenue, over 60%, comes from search ads, amounting to more than $100 billion in 2020.

During cross-examination, Dischler emphasized Google’s commitment to delivering “honest results” and a clear separation between paid and organic search results. He maintained that financial incentives did not compromise the quality of search results.

However, Dischler did admit that some auction changes had led to price increases of up to 5% for typical advertisers, and in some cases, as much as 10%. Nevertheless, he expressed concerns that a 15% price hike might drive advertisers to competitors like Meta Platforms Inc. or TikTok.

Google currently boasts around 5 million advertisers, significantly fewer than Meta’s 10 million. Retail advertisements constitute the largest category, comprising approximately 35% of Google’s search ad revenue. Dischler acknowledged that Google faced increasing competition from newcomers like TikTok and Amazon.

Also Read: Microsoft’s Nadella and Oracle’s Ellison Discuss the Future of Cloud and AI

Interestingly, Amazon’s growing success in retail advertising is attributed to its ability to provide advertisers with superior data on ad effectiveness compared to Google. This has prompted some consumer goods makers to contemplate shifting their advertising budgets away from Google and toward Amazon.

One notable change that boosted Google’s revenue involved RGSP (Runner-Up Gets Top Slot), where the second-place bidder was given the top ad slot. This innovative strategy flipped the convention, often placing major advertisers like Amazon in the second position, thereby increasing Google’s revenue.

As the trial continues, the focus remains on Google’s practices in shaping the digital advertising landscape and its potential impact on competition and market dynamics.

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

Google will add AI models from Meta, and Anthropic to its Cloud Platform

Leave a Comment / Artificial Intellegence, Google, News, Tech News / By Suhani Jain

Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., is integrating more generative Artificial Intelligence into its services and promoting itself as an all-encompassing resource for cloud users looking to access the latest developments by integrating artificial intelligence technologies from firms like Meta Platforms Inc. as well as Anthropic into its cloud platform. The Llama 2 big language model from Meta as well as the Claude 2 chatbot from artificial intelligence startup Anthropic will be accessible to Google’s cloud clients, which they can then customise with company data for their services and applications.

The decision, which was made public on Tuesday during the company’s Next ’23 conference in San Francisco, serves as part of the business’s attempt to establish its platform as one where users have a choice to select an artificial intelligence (AI) model that best suits their requirements, whether from the business itself or one of its collaborators. Google Cloud customers now have access to more than 100 potent AI models and tools, the firm claimed.

The business also said that its Duet AI tool would be made more widely accessible to Workspace customers this year, with public access to follow.

On applications like Google Docs, Sheets, & Slides, users may touch a generative artificial intelligence assistant that reacts to requests to help with content creation. According to Google, Duet AI, which was unveiled in May, can translate captions into 18 different languages, deliver conference summaries, as well as take notes during video sessions.

Users may send the tool for participation in meetings on the user’s behalf, deliver messages, and provide an event report using a new feature dubbed “attend for me.”Google also announced new collaborations with businesses like GE Appliances as well as Fox Sports that would enable consumers to benefit from AI in ways like creating personalized recipes or watching a replay of a sporting event via Fox’s broadcast library.

“We are in an entirely new era of digital transformation, fueled by gen AI,” Thomas Kurian, chief executive officer of Google Cloud, said in a blog post timed to the announcements. “This technology is already improving how businesses operate and how humans interact with one another.”
hindustantimes.com

Suhani Jain

I am a student pursuing my bachelor’s in information technology. I have a interest in writing so, I am working a freelance content writer because I enjoy writing. I also write poetries. I believe in the quote by anne frank “paper has more patience than person

How will the European Union’s Digital Services Act impact Google, Facebook, TikTok, and other major tech companies

Leave a Comment / Facebook, Google, News, Social media, Tech News, TikTok / By Suhani Jain

According to the AP, a significant effort is being made to purge online information, which Google, TikTok, Facebook, Amazon, Instagram, Snapchat, as well as other large internet businesses that operate throughout Europe are dealing with. This Friday, August 25, marks the start of the first part of the new digital rules for the European Union, referred to as the Digital Services Act (DSA).

By enforcing stringent standards, the DSA hopes to shield people from dangerous information and hold platforms accountable. Organisations are now expected to swiftly and impartially delete items or information that has been reported as illegal. For instance, TikTok has added a new reporting feature for users, and Amazon has established a new route for reporting things that are allegedly unlawful.

DSA forbids using advertisements to specifically target sensitive groups like kids. Snapchat announced that businesses in the European Union and the UK would no longer be allowed to access its teen-focused personalisation and optimisation tools. A firm that violates the DSA may be subject to sanctions of up to six per cent of its annual worldwide earnings and perhaps expulsion from the European Union. Platforms are obliged to examine any systemic dangers by the end of August and submit the necessary assessments, which will subsequently be externally inspected to confirm compliance.

The legislative reforms in Europe might affect the entire world. To handle problematic users and material worldwide, Wikipedia is changing its terms of service and regulations. Sally Broughton Micova, a lecturer at the University of East Anglia, asserts that it will be difficult for digital companies to restrict modifications relating to DSA.

The reason for this is the extensive worldwide reach of social media influencers as well as digital advertising networks.

Since they interact with multichannel systems that operate internationally, the new restrictions will probably have an impact. The Digital Security Act (DSA) is anticipated to have an impact on information technology firms and consumers all across the world as platforms build mitigation measures.

Also Read: Google’s eSIM transfer tool for Android smartphones revealed

Platforms have started implementing unique systems so that European users may report bad items and illegal internet material. Businesses will be required to swiftly and fairly remove reported information. The availability of reporting mechanisms for unlawful or policy-violating content is set to improve on well-known sites.

In a blog post, Meta’s President for Global Affairs, Nick Clegg, stated, “The DSA will wield a significant influence on the digital experiences of Europeans as they access their phones or engage with their laptops.”
english.newstracklive.com

Suhani Jain

Google’s eSIM transfer tool for Android smartphones revealed

Leave a Comment / Google, News, Tech News / By Suhani Jain

eSIMs are gradually but steadily gaining acceptance. Apple only allowed US eSIM customers to purchase the whole iPhone 14 series lineup. Google appears to be making progress with the eSIM technology by attempting to make it easier for consumers to switch their eSIM, around devices.

As reported by 9to5Google, Google is creating an incorporated eSIM exchange feature for Android. Since then, it has come to light that Android is using QR codes instead of Apple’s chosen approach, which was just recently made public. The evidence for this was discovered just recently in Google Play Services.

The user must scan a QR code to begin the eSIM transmit process, however, considering the guide is still under development, it will only address the first few steps of the abovementioned QR transfer procedure.

Android may or may not have these native features, but when it does, the procedure of transferring an eSIM within an Android phone, which is presently reliant on carriers, is projected to be considerably easier.

The fact that Google initially unveiled the eSIM transfer functionality in February 2023 in Barcelona at the MWC, means that it is not unexpected. Researcher, as well as Android developer Mishaal Rahman, also found eSIM transfer configurations in various Android beta releases back in January.

It appears that Google is facilitating quick and simple eSIM transfers. The older device must scan a QR code from the newer one in order for it to be shown. After the back-end authentication is complete, your eSIM is expected to be transferred without additional help from your internet service provider.

Transferring your eSIM within devices is now still more difficult than conducting it with a traditional SIM card. Customers who switch between devices regularly or foreign visitors have difficulty rapidly exchanging SIM cards as a result of this.

Also Read: ElevenLabs’ AI Voice Generator Can Replicate Your Voice in 30 Languages

Phone makers choose to provide an eSIM because makes smartphones easier to watertight and decreases the number of openings in the device. It also saves space within the device because the real SIM tray has to be inside the phone. The eSIM will be useful when a cell phone is stolen since it makes it simpler to trace the missing device because the actual SIM can’t be taken out.

Suhani Jain

Google Docs Will Soon Introduce eSignatures, Beta Testing Started for Workspace Accounts

Leave a Comment / Google, News, Tech News / By Suhani Jain

For Google Docs along with Google Drive in particular, Google has launched a publicly accessible beta for its recently added eSignature capability within Google Workspace.

With the use of this functionality, various users’ signature collections for both individuals and groups of users will be improved. The statement, which Google made via a blog post, describes how this functionality will develop.

Google started alpha testing for asking and collecting eSignatures in Google Docs around June 2022. Based on the comments received throughout the testing phase, the business has now upgraded the electronic signatures feature for Google Workspace individual users to open beta.

In addition to this, Google intends to offer eSignature to a limited number of Google Workspace users in test mode. The executives and end users who utilise Google Workspace services are the development’s intended audience.

The Google Docs e-signature tool is designed to make it easier for those running independent businesses or small enterprises to ask for and append signatures to official papers.

Users may easily handle agreements, customer deals, and various other legally enforceable documents by simply integrating e-signature into Google Documents. The solution seeks to simplify processes and do away with the need to navigate between apps or tabs when signing documents.

Along with an expanded test including new personalised email designs in Gmail, the e-signature functionality will be made accessible in beta for a limited number of Google Workspace users, according to Google’s blog post.

Users have the option to change pre-existing designs, repurpose layouts across other email advertisements, or design new layouts using these email layouts.

Also Read: US starts process to restrict some investment in key tech in China

It is anticipated that the e-signature capability will begin to roll out to Workspace users on their starting on August 8. Requests will be approved, and consumers will be able to submit listings in the coming weeks for Workspace users keen on joining the beta.

Individual subscribers of Google Workspace are granted access to the electronic signature feature, and users of the Business Standard, Enterprise Starter, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Essentials Plus, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, and Nonprofits versions are accepted into beta testing.

Suhani Jain

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