Taking the plunge and giving your child a handset? Here’s all you need to know –
from the best models to the tariffs and networks (and how to use parental
controls)
As the schools go back, pressure mounts on parents to give their children their
first phone. If you’ve decided the time has come, there are many options to
choose from, whether it’s a smartphone, a basic handset, or an upgrade to
something newer.
From the handset to the mobile service that goes with it, and from key parental
controls to how well the phone fits with the devices you already use, here are
some of the things you should know before taking the plunge – including which
models are the best.
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Tag - Apple
Apple is about to launch a ChatGPT-powered version of Siri as part of a suite of
AI features in iOS 18. Will this change the way you use your phone – and how
does it affect your privacy?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is coming to your iPhone soon and, according to
Apple, it’s going to transform the way you use your device. Launching under the
brand name “Apple Intelligence” the iPhone maker’s AI tools include a
turbocharged version of its voice assistant, Siri, backed by a partnership with
ChatGPT owner OpenAI.
Apple isn’t the first smartphone maker to launch AI. The technology is already
available on smartphones including Google’s latest Pixel and Samsung’s Galaxy
range.
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… but impressive, boundary-pushing device is priced so far out of reach for most
that it isn’t yet the next big thing
On a sweltering summer’s day in London, I sat working in the middle of a
snow-covered Yosemite national park surrounded by an array of floating apps and
browser windows. Later I stared across a windswept Oregon beach reliving a
holiday from years ago, and spent an evening sitting in a speeder on Tatooine
watching Rogue One in 3D, before retiring for the night with some guided
meditation.
These are the sorts of immersive experiences that Apple’s latest, most expensive
gadget offers by blending the real and virtual world, all controlled by your
eyes and hands. The Vision Pro may resemble virtual reality headsets such as
Meta’s Quest series but it is attempting to be so much more.
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Players in EU can access game blocked by Apple and Google by installing it from
app store of publisher Epic Games
The video game Fortnite is back on mobile phones, four years after Apple and
Google pulled it from their app stores. Android users worldwide can install the
game, along with two new titles from the publisher, Epic Games, by downloading
the company’s new app store.
However, only iPhone users in the EU can follow suit as Epic becomes the highest
profile company yet to adopt the looser restrictions forced on Apple by the
Digital Markets Act (DMA).
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Change in policy means developers will be able to communicate with customers
outside App Store
Apple on Thursday changed its policy in the European Union to allow developers
to communicate with their customers outside its App Store after the commission
charged the iPhone maker in June for breaching the bloc’s tech rules.
The commission had said that under most of the business terms, Apple allows
steering only through “link-outs”, meaning that app developers can include a
link in their app that redirects the customer to a web page where the customer
can conclude a contract.
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Their shares have fallen 11.8% from last month’s peak but more AI breakthroughs
may reassure investors
It has been tough week for the magnificent seven, the group of technology stocks
that has played a dominant role in the US stock market, buoyed by investor
excitement about breakthroughs in artificial intelligence.
Last year Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, the chipmaker Nvidia, Google’s parent,
Alphabet, Facebook’s owner, Meta, and Elon Musk’s Tesla accounted for half the
gains in the S&P 500 share index. But doubts about the return on AI investment,
along with a mixed set of quarterly results, investors shifting their focus to
other sectors and weak US economic data have hit the group over the past month.
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Tech giant’s revenue rises 4.9% to $85.78bn despite phone sales falling 0.9% and
trend of decline in key China market
Apple reported better-than-expected earnings in the third quarter of 2024, with
buzz about its new AI features offsetting a continuing decline in its key China
market.
Earnings exceeded analyst predictions despite a year-over-year decline in iPhone
sales, with revenue rising 4.9% to $85.78bn in the three months ending 29 June,
beating the average analyst estimate of $84.53bn. The company maintained its
cash dividend at 25 cents for each share.
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Exclusive: NSPCC finds Apple implicated in more cases of predators sharing child
abuse imagery in England and Wales alone than the company reported globally in a
year
Apple is failing to effectively monitor its platforms or scan for images and
videos of the sexual abuse of children, child safety experts allege, which is
raising concerns about how the company can handle growth in the volume of such
material associated with artificial intelligence.
The UK’s National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)
accuses Apple of vastly undercounting how often child sexual abuse material
(CSAM) appears in its products. In a year, child predators used Apple’s iCloud,
iMessage and Facetime to store and exchange CSAM in a higher number of cases in
England and Wales alone than the company reported across all other countries
combined, according to police data obtained by the NSPCC.
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The most obvious function is for watching 3D movies or TV shows, but it may wind
up being most useful at work
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The Vision Pro has landed in Australia five months after the US launch,
retailing at $5,999. At that price, it’s perhaps no surprise that Apple staff
present it on a wooden platter like we’re in a five-star restaurant.
Next, the staff at Apple’s Chadstone store in Melbourne fit the device to your
head, match your glasses prescription and get it up and running.
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You have a right to return the product if you think it’s faulty, says policy
expert Kat George – but it will take some time and effort to claim your refund
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I bought an Apple HomePod mini speaker in February 2023. I want it to reliably
play audio via my iPhone and it does not and will not work with our standard
wifi network. We’ve followed help documents, forums and Apple Support’s advice:
nothing helped, but we learned that thousands around the world have the same
issue. We’ve asked Apple for a refund under Australian consumer law, but they
have refused. They expect us to make a three-hour round trip to an Apple Store,
where they will obviously be unable to replicate our home network. Am I entitled
to a refund?
– Simone, South Australia
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