BTTR Roundup #43: The power of numbers and AI's true cost
From Apple changing its Operating System names to match the year to a funky new monitor on stand with wheels and a movable arm, this is your weekly roundup of Australian tech news.
I've spent more time than I would like thinking about AI this week. In addition to arguing that Apple's "slow and steady" approach to integrating it is better than Google's "shove it in everything whether it works or not" strategy, I've also been thinking about ex-Meta executive Nick Clegg's statements that asking for permission from content creators would kill the AI industry (more thoughts on that in the paid section of this week's newsletter).
AI (as it exists currently as LLMs or machine learning algorithms) can be useful, no doubt. But our humanity comes from our creativity. It comes from our art, our creative works that make us – and others – feel.
The pitch for AI right now is to try and make that creativity transactional. It promises to do the creative work for you, but in the process it's taking away one of the very things that makes you human.
Not everybody is intrinsically creative. But everyone can appreciate art, from a good book to an iconic movie. If we rely on a handful of exceptionally wealthy companies to do the creation for us, we'll lose appreciation for what humanity can actually accomplish.
Until next week
Nick @ BTTR
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This week on BTTR
Here's what's been happening around BTTR this week:
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New tech news
BTTR is independent, but we may earn money when you purchase through links on our site.From swinging monitors to home security cameras, here's this week's new products:
- Apple released its annual fraud prevention analysis this week, and it's a sad reminder that the world is full of terrible people. Apple claims its anti-fraud measures last year prevented up to $2 billion of potentially fraudulent transactions, and it stopped up to 2 million risky app submissions from reaching users. [Apple]
- Reolink has announced the Altas 2K home security camera, which can pre-record up to 10 seconds of footage before motion is detected, has a huge 20,000 mAh battery and can be solar powered. Colour night-vision and AI for detecting people, animals and vehicles (without subscription fees) make this $229.99 home security camera a competitive option. [Reolink]
- Sony has launched its latest full-framed camera, the FX2. It's a beast designed for creating impressive video, being able to record up to 13 hours of continuous 4K 60 footage. It's built to be easy for solo-shooting, promises to handle contrast exceptionally well and create a true cinematic experience for those just getting started. Available now for $5,299 body only or $5,999 with a top handle included. [Sony]
- Apple updated Logic Pro for the iPad and the Mac to offer improved audio fidelity, while a new feature called Flashback Capture lets you save your recordings even when you forget to hit record. It can also automatically break out tracks for different songs for easier mixing. [Apple]
- Oclean has a new water flosser. The W10 has five flossing modes, including an "on-demand" mode which hopefully lets you control when the water spurts, unlike the A10 water flosser I reviewed last year. [Oclean]
- OPPO has dropped the new A5 5G in Australia. Not to be confused with the A5 Pro 5G that launched earlier this month, this model is only IP65 rated, has a huge 6,000 mAh battery, a MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset and a 50MP main camera. It's available now for $299.
- Microsoft has launched a Beta program of CoPilot for Gaming, which lets you use Copilot on a second screen to help you with the games your playing. You can also ask it about your Xbox account, ideas for games to play or random gaming-related questions. It generates that response from public sources of information from Bing, so know that it's stealing content someone actually had to pay to produce and depriving them of pageviews and revenue. [Microsoft]
- Whatsapp has an iPad app. I'm sure this is good news for iPad-owning Whatsapp users, but I'm not one of them. [Whatsapp]
- LG has a funky new monitor that comes on a stand. The LG Smart Monitor Swing is a 32-inch display on a wheeled stand, that lets you move the screen wherever you need it to be. 4K resolution, touch controls and 65W of audio output make it more versatile than your average monitor. It should land in Australia in July. [LG]
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Until next week,
– Nick @ BTTR
