The United States has reached a modest trade agreement with Taiwan

By Andrew Goudsward and Mike Scarcella WASHINGTON The U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s monopoly lawsuit against Amazon.com filed on

Apple has announced “Tap to Pay on iPhone”, a new update that turns its device into a payment system. Until now, most small businesses have used separate devices such as those made by Zettle, which pair with a phone and allow them to take payments on cards or phones. Now the new feature does away with the need for such additional hardware, turning the iPhone into a card reader itself. The new update is focused on small and medium businesses, Apple said, though it will also be coming to the Apple Store soon. And while the update is for those businesses that take payments, it could mean that paying for things could look very different for customers, too. It means that shops need only install a compatible app – such as those made by Stripe and Zettle – alongside an updated iPhone. That iPhone will then turn into a card reader, being able to accept not just iPhones and Apple Watches with Apple Pay, but also other digital wallets and traditional plastic payment cards. All that is needed to use the new tool is an iPhone Xs or later, that is running the latest software update. The tool will not work on other Apple hardware, such as iPads. Apple has included a range of privacy and security features into the system. Transactions are encrypted and processed using the iPhone’s Secure Element, meaning that Apple is not able to track who has purchased something or what they have bought. The system also uses a standardised payment screen, which means that users will be able to check they are being charged the right fee and that it is a legitimate transaction. Apple first unveiled Tap to Pay on iPhone in the US, early last year. There, Apple Pay and other contactless systems have less widespread adoption, though the system worked in much the same way. “We’ve seen Tap to Pay on iPhone transform the checkout experience for so many different types of businesses, and we’re thrilled to now support merchants across the U.K. by offering an easy, secure, and private way to accept contactless payments using the power, security, and convenience of iPhone, with no additional hardware needed,” said Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. “Small and medium-sized businesses have long played a vital role in the U.K. economy, and alongside payment platforms, app developers, and payment networks, we’re making it easier than ever for U.K. businesses to seamlessly accept contactless payments and continue to grow their business.” Read More You can now download the huge new iPhone update – if you dare iPhone users urged to check their photo library amid fears they could be deleted Twitter to stop TweetDeck access for unverified users

Andrew & Tristan Tate, avid supporters of Elon Musk, hail his $44B Twitter deal & innovative features like tweet view limits and post counter

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 30, 2023--

CLEVELAND--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 15, 2023--

BENTONVILLE, Ark.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 26, 2023--

WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 8, 2023--

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 15, 2023--

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 1, 2023--

Photo-editing software maker Adobe unveiled a slew of new AI-powered tools and features last week at its annual Max event, including a dress that transforms into a wearable screen and streamlined ways to delete elements from photos.

Around 500 employees at OpenAI have signed a letter demanding the company’s board resigns and reinstates dismissed chief executive Sam Altman, it has been reported. According to Wired, staff at the AI firm behind ChatGPT who have signed the letter have threatened to quit and join Mr Altman in his new venture at Microsoft unless he is allowed to return to the company. The report says the letter claims the board’s decision to remove Mr Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman has jeopardised the company’s work and accuses the board of not having the competence to oversee the company. It calls for the board to resign and be replaced by two new lead independent directors, and adds that if their demands are not met, those who have signed the letter may choose to resign from the company and join Mr Altman and Mr Brockman in their new AI research team at Microsoft – which announced Mr Altman would be joining the company on Monday. According to reports, the letter has been signed by several senior members of staff at OpenAI, including Ilya Sutskever, the company’s chief technology officer and one of the board members at the centre of the decision to initially remove Mr Altman. Mr Sutskever has since posted to X, formerly Twitter, that he “deeply regrets” his participation in the board’s action and that he would “do everything I can to reunite the company”. The demands from staff continue an extraordinary few days for the company, which announced the shock decision to dismiss Mr Altman on Friday, with the board saying in a statement it “no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI”, but not revealing any specific reasons for his dismissal. Reports emerged over the weekend suggesting Mr Altman was in discussions with OpenAI about quickly returning as chief executive, but these talks were said to have broken down on Sunday, before Microsoft – OpenAI’s largest investor – announced Mr Altman was joining a new advanced AI research team at the company in a post on Monday morning. OpenAI has since offered the chief executive role to former Twitch boss Emmett Shear, who said he had agreed to join the company. A number of OpenAI staff took to social media on Monday to post the same message: “OpenAI is nothing without its people”, in a first sign of ongoing discontent inside the firm. Read More Microsoft hires ousted OpenAI boss Sam Altman OpenAI in talks to bring Sam Altman back days after CEO ouster, reports say OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman ousted as CEO