Tech

Meta Announces Robust Worldwide Ad Revenues While Controlling AI Expenses.

Published

3 months ago

2024-08-01

PHOTO:REUTERS

(VOR News) – On Wednesday, Meta Platforms reported revenue for the second quarter that was higher than expected by the market and gave a promising sales estimate for the upcoming third quarter.

This implies that a significant amount of digital advertising on the company’s social media platforms could offset its artificial intelligence efforts.

Meta’s shares increased 6.8% after the bell.

The parent company of Facebook and Instagram has estimated third-quarter sales in the range of $38.5 billion to $41 billion, according to LSEG statistics. The middle of this range exceeds analysts’ projections of $39.1 billion.

Compared to expert estimates of $38.3 billion, Meta reported a 22% increase in revenue to $39.1 billion for the April to June quarter.

Chief Financial Officer Susan Li of Meta stated during a conference call with analysts that the company was “continuing to see healthy global advertising demand” and that it was also profiting from a multiyear project that used artificial intelligence to improve the targeting, ranking, and delivery systems for digital ads on its platforms.

According to Li and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, these tools will keep the company growing over the next two years, but it will take longer to monetise new generative AI capabilities like chat assistants.

The value of shares of the social media app Snap, which likewise heavily depends on digital advertising, increased by 3% as a result of the Meta report.

According to eMarketer analyst Max Willens, “this quarter’s results are expected to alleviate any concerns investors may have had regarding Meta’s expenditures on AI and the metaverse.”

“With its margins as healthy as they are, Meta’s investors should feel comfortable with the company’s vigorous investments in its plans for the future,” Willens said.

Meta’s revenue grew by a lot despite its costs going up by 7%.

Consequently, the operating margin increased from 29% to 38%. The number of unique users who open any of the company’s applications on a daily basis is tracked by the family daily active people (DAP) statistic, which climbed by 7% annually to an average of 3.27 billion in June.

The underwhelming results from other tech industry heavyweights, which suggested that Wall Street may not get its money back as quickly from large investments in AI technology, contributed to Meta’s earnings.

Microsoft declared on Tuesday that it will devote more money this fiscal year to the creation of AI infrastructure. Google’s parent company, Alphabet, warned last week that it will continue to increase its capital spending for the balance of the year.

Like both of those businesses, Meta has been pouring billions of dollars into its data centres in an attempt to leverage the expansion of generative AI. When the corporation revealed an expense prediction that was higher than anticipated in April, the stock market value of the company fell by $200 billion.

This signalled the end of a run of profitable quarters for Meta, which has since bounced back from a 2022 share price crash by cutting costs and riding the wave of investor interest in generative AI technologies.

She called Meta’s findings a bellwether.

“AI investments by companies will be viewed favourably if they can demonstrate robust results from their core businesses.” “The stock may appear more risky if the core business is showing signs of weakness, as we observed last week with Alphabet’s YouTube,” she said.

Over the past year, Meta has hired more AI developers, even as it has continued to covertly disband teams in other places. Li said on Wednesday that there had been a 1% annual decline in the company’s employment. She did, however, expect the head count to be “significantly higher” by year’s end.

Moreover, the massive social media company said it would continue to make significant investments in AI technology. Its capital expenditure estimates for 2024 are expected to be between $37 billion and $40 billion, which is a $2 billion increase from its earlier estimate of $35 billion to $40 billion.

Even if the total spending estimate for 2025 has been kept at $96 billion to $99 billion, infrastructure costs will still be a “significant driver” of expense rise.

Additionally, it said that losses related to the business’s metaverse division, Reality Labs, which creates augmented reality glasses, smart glasses including Ray-Bans from EssilorLuxottica, and virtual reality headsets, would continue to “increase meaningfully.”

Reality Labs lost over $4.5 billion in the second quarter of this year, even though Meta executives have said that the most recent version of the smart eyewear was more successful than expected. Li largely credited the sales of its Quest virtual reality headsets for the unit’s revenue growth.

SOURCE: TETN

Tech

Huawei Technologies of China Pursues Dismissal of Criminal Charges in the United States

Published

3 days ago

2024-11-11

Salman Ahmad

Reuters

(VOR News) – A court in the United States dismissed a federal indictment that accused Huawei Technologies of attempting to steal technology secrets from its competitors in the United States and of deceiving banks about its operations in Iran.

The accusation included allegations that Huawei Technologies had misrepresented its operations in Iran. The United States of America was the initial location where the complaint against Huawei Technologies was submitted.

Huawei Technologies convinced the judge to dismiss many of the complaint’s claims.

In a document that was handed over to a federal court in Brooklyn on Friday evening, Huawei argued that there was no evidence to support the assumption that there was a conspiracy. The document has been presented to the court for consideration. In addition, the corporation stated that the accusation was part of the Department of Justice’s “ill-founded” China Initiative. The purpose of this campaign is to impose sanctions on individuals and companies that have ties to China.

In a case that was unrelated to the one that was accused of conducting, the Supreme Court of the United States rejected a theory of fraud known as the “right to control” doctrine.

This idea formed the basis for the counts of bank fraud that were brought against Huawei. It was asserted that a lot of the allegations were connected to actions that took place in nations other than the United States of America.

“The government has approached Huawei as a prosecutorial target in search of a crime,” Huawei stated, despite the fact that the company has entered a plea of not guilty as part of its defense. A criminal investigation is currently underway. It has been decided that the trial will take place on January 5th, 2026. This date has officially been set.

Around 207,000 people are employed by the corporation Huawei, which has its headquarters in Shenzhen and business operations in more than 170 countries.

Huawei is responsible for the employment of these workers.

During the course of the day on Monday, a representative for United States Attorney Breon Peace in Brooklyn declined to comment on the subject. Peace is based in Brooklyn. A response from legal team was not provided in a timely manner in response to requests for comment that were made.

In 2018, the investigation was initiated, which ultimately resulted in the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, who was working as the Chief Financial Officer of Huawei at the time of the arrest. The firm was initially formed by Wanzhou’s father, who was also the founding member. During the year 2022, the claims that had been filed against her were thrown out of court.

The China Initiative was initiated in 2018, during the first administration of President-elect Donald Trump, with the intention of reaching a resolution to allegations that Beijing had stolen intellectual property. This action was taken with the purpose of responding to the charges.

The program was terminated by the administration of Vice President Joe Biden four years after it had been put into effect. The charges that the program constituted racial profiling and that it generated an atmosphere of dread that hampered scientific study led to the termination of the program.

Beginning in 2019, the United States government imposed limits on Huawei’s access to American technology. The government of the United States has cited worries about the nation’s national security as the rationale for these restrictions. Huawei has refuted claims that it poses a danger to the United States of America.

The case that is now being heard in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York is titled United States of America v. Huawei Technologies Co. et al. Case number 18-cr-00457 is assigned to this particular proceeding in the court system.

SOUREC: USN

Tech

Elon Musk Predicts Justin Trudeau’s Political Downfall

Published

5 days ago

2024-11-10

Kiara Grace

Musk stated "Trudeau will be gone in the upcoming election"

Tech Billionaire Musk, who supported President Donald Trump’s second presidential attempt, predicts that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will lose the next election. Musk made his prediction while speaking with a Swedish journalist on his X social media site.

The journalist updated the German government, writing, “The German Socialist government had COLLAPSED, and there are now talks about a snap election.”

Musk then reposted the Swedish journalist’s message, describing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as ‘stupid’. “Olaf ist ein Narr” translates to “Olaf is a fool.”

Another X user commented on the tweet, writing, “Elon Musk, we need your help in Canada to get rid of Trudeau.” Elon responded to his comment, writing, “He will be gone in the upcoming election.”

Olaf ist ein Narr https://t.co/Yye3DIeA17

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 7, 2024

This wasn’t the first time the tech tycoon has criticized Justin Trudeau. Previously, he criticized the Trudeau government for ‘destroying free expression’ in Canada.

His recent remark came following the Canadian government’s decision that online streaming firms must register for regulatory restrictions.

Musk, a Canadian citizen, subsequently tweeted on X, calling it shameful and adding, “Trudeau is attempting to crush free speech in Canada.” Shameful.”

The forthcoming Canadian election in October 2025 will be critical for Trudeau, who has headed the Liberal Party since 2013. Trudeau is seeking his fourth election victory in a row, a feat no prime leader has accomplished since Wilfried Laurier in 1908.

Others have tried, notably Trudeau’s father, who came close, but Canadians tend to tire of a leader by the fourth election.

While early elections in Canada are possible, the ruling Liberals and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are not eager to meet with people anytime soon. Next year, Trudeau’s party will compete with other major parties, including Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party and Jagmeet Singh’s New Democratic Party.

Other contenders include the Green Party and the Bloc Quebecois.

Kiara Grace

Kiara Grace is a staff writer at VORNews, a reputable online publication. Her writing focuses on technology trends, particularly in the realm of consumer electronics and software. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for breaking down complex topics. Kiara delivers insightful analyses that resonate with tech enthusiasts and casual readers alike. Her articles strike a balance between in-depth coverage and accessibility, making them a go-to resource for anyone seeking to stay informed about the latest innovations shaping our digital world.

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Tech

Apple Launches The IPhone Into The AI Era With Free Software Update

Published

2 weeks ago

2024-10-29

Kiara Grace

Apple is delivering a free software update that will include its first dosage of artificial intelligence in its iPhone 16 series as the trendsetting business attempts to keep up with technology’s current fad.

The iOS 18 operating system update arrives on Monday, more than a month after four iPhone 16 models outfitted with the unique computer chip required to enable the AI features went on sale for $800 to $1,200. Last year’s premium models, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, also have processors that will enable AI technology once the software update is loaded.

The software is also compatible with recent versions of Apple’s iPad and Mac computers.

Countries outside the United States will not receive the AI software for their iPhones until next year, at an undetermined date. Apple spent the last five weeks testing the AI program with a group of iPhone owners who agreed to help the corporation fine-tune the technology.

Apple Launches The IPhone Into The AI Era With Free Software Update

The AI injection is intended to transform Apple’s frequently bumbling virtual assistant Siri into a more chatty, adaptable, and colorful buddy, whose presence will be indicated by a glowing light surrounding the iPhone screen as requests are handled.

While Apple promises Siri will be able to accomplish more jobs and get less confused, it will be unable to engage with other iPhone apps until another software update is released at an indeterminate date.

This software upgrade also includes AI tools that will handle a variety of writing and editing chores, as well as summarize the content of emails and other documents. The AI will also have various editing options for changing the appearance of photos and making it easier to find old ones.

Other AI tricks to come in future software upgrades include the capacity to generate personalized emojis on the fly or conjure other creative imagery on demand. Apple also intends to someday enable its AI suite to seek assistance from OpenAI’s ChatGPT as needed.

Most of the AI technologies Apple unveiled on Monday are already available on Android-powered handsets released by Samsung and Google earlier this year.

The iPhone’s suite of new technology is advertised as “Apple Intelligence” to distance itself from the early leaders in AI. Apple also promises that its AI features will do much better to preserve iPhone owners’ privacy by executing the technology on the device or in a fortress-like data center when some requests must be completed remotely.

Because the majority of iPhones in use across the world lack the computer chip required for Apple’s AI, the technology is likely to drive high demand for the new models during the holiday season and into next year. That is why Apple’s stock has risen 18% since the Cupertino, California, company unveiled its AI strategy at a conference in early June. The run-up has lifted Apple’s market value by approximately $500 billion, bringing it closer to being the first US firm worth $4 trillion.

Apple will provide investors with their first look at how the iPhone 16 is performing Thursday when the firm releases quarterly financial data for the July-September quarter, which covers the first few days the new models were on sale.

Apple Launches The IPhone Into The AI Era With Free Software Update

According to a smartphone market assessment by research firm International Data Corp. for the most recent quarter, demand for high-end iPhone 15 models increased as costs plummeted and enthusiasm over Apple’s entry into the AI industry grew.

According to IDC, Apple’s iPhone shipments increased 3.5 percent yearly to 56 million worldwide between July and September, trailing only Samsung. The question now is whether Apple’s progressive rollout of additional AI will entice owners of earlier iPhones to upgrade to the new models over the holidays, “future-proofing their purchases for the long term,” according to IDC analyst Nabila Popal.

Also, on Monday, Apple said that with a software update, some AirPods wireless headphones can be used as hearing aids.

An estimated 30 million people—one in every eight Americans over 12—have hearing loss in both ears. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, millions of people could benefit from hearing aids, but most have never tried them.

SOURCE | AP

Kiara Grace

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