Adrian Weckler
@adrianweckler
Tech editor, Irish & Sunday Independent. Podcaster. Photographer. Dublin, Ireland.
Apple's profit -- $1bn every 3 days. Latest quarterly earnings just out.
So many foxes in Dublin. This one comes around our street every evening
Zinger of a line from Microsoft in its job layoffs announcement. 'It's not AI... but it sort of is, too.' www.independent.ie/business/mic...
Sony says there’s barely a market for tellies under 65 inches anymore. Its new flagship TV sets (Bravia 9 ii) will come in 65, 75, 85 and 115 inches.
The former Meta exec who is now Ireland’s privacy regulator has no gagging order (“non-disparagement clause”) from her former employer. cf Sarah Wynn-Williams Niamh Sweeney says she recuses herself from Meta probes for 2015-2021 issues (her Meta years) www.independent.ie/business/iri...
Apple has increased the prices of MacBooks and iPads, blaming global memory costs. MacBook Neo (+€100): was €699, now €799 MacBook Air (+€200): was €1,249, now €1,449 MacBook Pro (+€300): was €1,949, now €2,249 iPad Pro: 🔼 €200 iPad Air: 🔼 €160
After points, goal difference and goals scored, it’s comes down to “conduct” (eg fewest cards) and then FIFA ranking. For Scotland fans: this is how they decide who makes it to the next round
Interior of one of the hydrogen-to-electricity generator systems. These are already used for music festivals and construction sites www.independent.ie/business/tec...
One of the world's biggest data centre firms, Equinix, is trialling hydrogen fuel in Dublin as a way to ease pressure on the Irish energy grid ESB also to begin producing green hydrogen as an alternative energy source Hydrogen is used like a battery for power from wind turbines
Terraced houses in Ireland set to be legally allowed charge EVs outside their home, Minister Darragh O'Brien says. www.independent.ie/irish-news/p...
Strong performance by Irish colleges in this year’s QS rankings. UCD into the top 100 for the first time. www.thejournal.ie/irish-univer...
Apple boss blasts “myopic” EU Commission, cites “unbelievable” new regulatory requirements. Says EC wants Apple to grant total iPhone access to Grok, Meta etc Spoke to Greg ‘Joz’ Joswiak “The scale of what we cannot bring to Europe will only grow if we can’t bring this here.”
Siri AI announced. Lots of interesting new things Apple says it won't be available in the EU. DMA almost certainly the reason. (Apple warned about this last year)
Am at WWDC. The main question: has Apple come up with a usable version of AI? Also, Tim Cook's last big event as CEO. John Ternus takes over soon -- he was mixing with press last night.
Interesting bits from today’s National Youth Council research. - teens/adults say chatbots should’t be deployed as mental health aides - AI companions are 💩 - don’t want a social media or AI ban for u16s - don’t want passports/biometrics used for age verification www.independent.ie/business/tec...
Some of the criticism of Pope Leo’s encyclical on AI is misplaced. He is neither a Luddite nor left wing. But with blockbuster IPOs for OpenAI and SpaceX (including xAI) imminent, it’s not surprising that prominent figures try to dismiss it www.independent.ie/business/adr...
Startup in the AI / robotics era. This is real. They clean your house for free, on condition you let them film everything, so they can use the data to train robots.
Starbucks, Pizza Hut, Klarna and others have scrapped or reduced major AI deployments because they made things worse or were inefficient. Uber’s COO just suggested AI tokens may be more expensive (and less effective) than human staff. In Ireland, €720m+ in bad AI investments
This is what was actually going on with Cox (quoting from the FTC's ruling) "This service did not listen in on consumers’ conversations or use voice data at all.. Instead, the service the companies provided consisted of reselling—at a significant markup—email lists obtained from other data brokers."
New podcast ep debates the position of multinational tech firms here. Are we too dependent on them, their jobs and their money? Too much power? Is there any alternative for Ireland? (With @joehas.bsky.app and Barry Ward) Big Tech Show on YouTube, Spotify etc
Underrated element of working in ‘tough’ Talbot St: the casual Dublin City views
Apple says EU’s DMA reg may see its investment in Europe wane Claims the reg is zapping incentives to invest here www.independent.ie/business/tec...