Apple unveils USB-C powered iPhone and Google antitrust trial kicks off in US

Apple launches new iPhones with USB-C connectors

Apple has ditched its renowned lightning cables in favour of a standard USB-C connection for its new range of iPhones. This move comes after a new ruling from the EU forced their hand.

Apple announced the iPhone 15 would use the USB-C cable as the “universally accepted standard”, after more than a decade of the tech giant’s devices using its proprietary charging ports.

The latest iPhone handset, which goes on sale next week, is the first since 2012 to feature something other than the lightning cable. The EU had told Apple to ditch its proprietary charging ports to make life easier for consumers, save them money, and help reduce e-waste by encouraging the re-use of chargers.

A new Apple Watch series was also unveiled, with a more advanced chip.

France halts iPhone 12 sales over radiation levels

Apple received bad news after French authorities ordered it to cease sales of its iPhone 12 handset due to fears over electromagnetic radiation emission levels.

The ANFR advised Apple that if it couldn’t resolve the issue via a software update, it must recall every iPhone 12 that had ever been sold in the country. The device first went on sale in 2020 and is still available worldwide.

French Digital Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told the French newspaper Le Parisien that the decision was due to radiation levels above the acceptable threshold, according to Reuters.

US kicks off antitrust investigation into Google

The US Justice Department’s landmark antitrust case against Google kicked off in court today. It marks the beginning of a trial that will stretch for months and could have huge ramifications for the rest of the tech sector.

The Justice Department has accused Google of breaching antitrust laws in its pursuit of maintaining the top spot in search – which the Alphabet-owned firm denies. It is one of the first major tech antitrust trials since Microsoft faced similar action in the late 1990s.

Attorney Kenneth Dintzer, representing the US government, said “This case is about the future of the internet, and whether Google’s search engine will ever face meaningful competition.”

EU to assess tariffs on Chinese electric cars

The European Commission launched an investigation to decide whether to impose tariffs protecting the European Union against Chinese electric vehicle imports benefiting from state subsidies.

“Global markets are now flooded with cheaper electric cars. And their price is kept artificially low by huge state subsidies”, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in her annual address to the European parliament.

China’s auto exports surged 31% in August following a 63% jump in July, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), highlighting the challenge European carmakers face.

Authors sue OpenAI for copyright infringement

A band of authors in the US have grouped to sue OpenAI in federal court in San Francisco, accusing the Microsoft-backed programme of misusing their writing to train ChatGPT.

The authors alleged that their writing was included in ChatGPT’s training dataset without their permission, arguing that the system can accurately summarise their works and generate text that mimics their styles.

The lawsuit requested an unspecified amount of money damages and an order blocking OpenAI’s “unlawful and unfair business practices.”

Companies including Microsoft, Meta Platforms, and Stability AI, have also been sued by copyright owners over the use of their work in AI training.