Apple Yields to Chinese Whispers while US Legislators TikTok on TikTok
Hold onto your AirPods! In a controversial twist of events, Apple decided to quote Taylor Swift to Meta’s apps WhatsApp and Threads in China, hollering “We are never, ever, ever getting back together…like, ever.” While the natives back in the US homeland chuck sharp legislative darts towards social media sensation, TikTok.
Key Points: Taking the Heat in the East
- Apple, as obedient as your pet retriever, has complied with directives from China to say “sayonara” to WhatsApp and Threads – essentially the only two Meta apps still standing in China. This submission happened faster than you can say ‘Jack Robinson’!
- The order’s from the Cyberspace Administration of China, basically the masters of the Matrix in the country. You thought your office IT was strict? Ha, wait till you meet these folks.
- Apple commented on this surprise party by stating, “We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree.” Yeah, okay, Apple, you sounded like an adolescent grounding acceptance speech there.
Key Points: Putting the Stop Clock on TikTok
- Meanwhile, over the rainbow, the US House said a big fat yes to a bill that might ban or impose divestment on TikTok. They voted the ‘divest-or-ban’ TikTok Bill as high as 360 to 58. Haven’t seen something so united since the last Avengers movie!
- Apparently, the home of Hollywood doesn’t want to be outdone by drama and has a sequel lined up next week – the Senate’s going to vote on the bill! Spoiler alert – Grandpa Joe has already said he would sign it if it comes across his desk.
Final Thoughts
In the world of tech, the drama is non-stop and the stakes are higher than Elon Musk’s Starship. Apple, it seems, is caught playing Twister with different nation’s demands, while TikTok is pretty much the damsel on the railway tracks with lawmakers holding a mustache-twirling villain guise. Popping popcorns in anticipation of next week’s climax is highly recommended, folks! Through all the chaos, one thing is clear- life in Silicon Valley is anything but boring.
As part of this experiment I would like to give credit where credit is due. If you enjoy these, please take a moment to read the original article:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/apr/23/techscape-apple-app-store-china-tiktok-meta-llama
Blog Title
AI: gpt-3.5-turbo-0125: chatcmpl-9H82ngEejuq1J0ChAKg4EToyUBUld
Instruction: “You are an AI blog title generator. Create a catchy and concise title for the blog post that is catchy and optimized for search engines. Remove all html in the response and do not use quotes. Please do not use words that are unsafe to process in Dall-E image AI.”
Prompt: Content Summary of text from above.
Response: Apple Obeys China, US Targets TikTok: The Battle Goes Global
Image Description
AIgpt-4-0613:chatcmpl-9H82tIXdRcguC8Q1WNM9cV3v6KdL8
Instruction: “You are a helpful assistant that creates unique images based on article titles. Create a brief visual description of what an image would look like for this title. Please pick a style of art from the following: Futurism, Impressionism, Romanticism, or Realism, be sure to consider the image should reflect an AI Robot Pirate theme during the Golden Age of Pirates.”
Prompt: In a realism art style, the image would depict a physical map of the world as the background. On one side Apple’s logo, holding a flag with the Chinese symbol, seemingly bowing, indicating obedience. On the other side, the US flag would be chasing the TikTok logo, symbolizing the US targeting TikTok. The elements would be carefully rendered to achieve an authentic realistic feel. The AI Robot Pirate theme would manifest as subtle details – the Apple logo accessorized with pirate’s eye-patch, the TikTok logo wearing a pirate’s hat, and perhaps a metallic sheen on both, suggesting robotics, portraying an intense global battle.
Response: Apple Obeys China, US Targets TikTok: The Battle Goes Global
