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The UKs competition regulator is probing Alphabets investment in AI startup Anthropic. After opening public comments this summer, the Competition and Market Authority (CMA) said on Thursday it has sufficient information to begin an initial investigation into whether Alphabets reported $2.3 billion investment in the Claude AI chatbot maker harms competition in UK markets. The CMA breaks its merger probes into two stages: a preliminary scan to determine whether theres enough evidence to dig deeper and an optional second phase where the government gathers as much evidence as possible. After the second stage, it ultimately decides on a regulatory outcome. The probe will formally kick off on Friday. By December 19, the CMA will choose whether to move to a phase 2 investigation. Engadget reached out to Google and the CMA. Well update this story if we hear back. TechCrunch notes that Alphabet reportedly invested $300 million in Anthropic in early 2023. Later that year, it was said to back the AI startup with an additional $2 billion. Situations like this can be classified as a quasi-merger, where deep-pocketed tech companies essentially take control of emerging startups through strategic investments and hiring founders and technical workers. Amazon has invested even more in Anthropic: a whopping $4 billion. After an initial public comment period, the CMA declined to investigate that investment last month. The CMA said Amazon avoided Alphabets fate at least in part because of its current rules: Anthropics UK turnover didnt exceed 70 million, and the two parties didnt combine to account for 25 percent or more of the regions supply (in this case, AI LLMs and chatbots). Although the CMA hasnt specified, something in Alphabets $2.3 billion Anthropic investment constituted a deeper dive. Of course, Googles Gemini competes with Claude, and both companies make large language models they provide to small businesses and enterprise customers.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-uks-antitrust-regulator-will-formally-investigate-alphabets-23-billion-anthropic-investment-171043846.html?src=rss
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Apple is planning a "week of announcements" starting next Monday, October 28, that's all but guaranteed to include the reveal of new Macs. The company's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Greg Joswiak said to "Mac () your calendars!" in a post on X, letting the cat out of the bag. "We have an exciting week of announcements ahead, starting on Monday morning," Josiwak wrote. "Stay tuned" Mac () your calendars! We have an exciting week of announcements ahead, starting on Monday morning. Stay tuned pic.twitter.com/YnoCYkZq6c Greg Joswiak (@gregjoz) October 24, 2024 It was widely expected that Apple would reveal desktop Macs and MacBooks that run on M4 chipsets next week, a year after the company unveiled its first M3-powered laptops. The M4 debuted in an iPad Pro earlier this year, but Apple has yet to refresh its Macs with the chipset. It had long been rumored that Apple would release M4-powered iMacs, 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros and a redesigned Mac mini by early 2025, and now it appears to be doing so ahead of the peak holiday shopping season. New hardware isn't the only thing Apple has lined up for next week. On Monday, the company will release iPhone, iPad and Mac firmware updates that will give the masses their first taste of Apple Intelligence features. Meanwhile, Apple just released its latest iPad Mini.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/apple-teases-new-macs-in-a-week-of-announcements-that-starts-monday-165121897.html?src=rss
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Attaching Bluetooth trackers to important items can help you keep tabs on your important stuff. If you have a Samsung Galaxy device, you may wish to consider the Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2, not least because you can pick up a four-pack at a discount. The bundle has dropped to $64 at Amazon. Thats $36 off the list price. Its not quite a record low price for this pack it dropped to $60 over Labor Day. Still, its a solid discount on our pick for the best Bluetooth tracker designed for use with Samsung devices. The trackers are oblong-shaped and have a metal ring at one end. This is said to provide improved durability over the first-gen SmartTag while making it easy to attach the tracker to things like a set of keys. Apple AirTag owners, on the other hand, may need to buy a case to attach that tracker to their precious belongings. There is a silicone case you can buy for the SmartTag2 for extra protection, though the tracker is already IP67-rated for dust and water resistance. Samsung says the SmartTag2 can run for up to 500 days in Normal Mode or 700 days in Power Saving Mode on its CR2032 watch battery. A Compass View that shows the direction and distance of a tag from your phone can help you track down a misplaced item that's nearby. The Lost Mode allows anyone to tap an NFC-enabled phone against the tracker to scan it and see your contact details, as long as you choose to share that info. You can include a personalized message if you wish too. One major downside of the SmartTag2 is that it only works with Samsung phones and tablets running at least Android 8.0. Other trackers can connect to broader networks of Apple and Android devices, perhaps making missing items they're attached to easier to pinpoint. Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/get-a-four-pack-of-samsung-galaxy-smarttag2-trackers-for-just-64-164101334.html?src=rss
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