The European Union has directed Apple Inc. AAPL to discontinue geo-blocking on its media services. The European Commission has identified several geo-blocking practices on Apple’s platforms, including the App Store, Apple Arcade, Music, iTunes Store, Books, and Podcasts.

Following the 2024 U.S. Presidential election, Taylor Swift’s fanbase, known as “Swifties,” have reportedly started leaving Elon Musk‘s social media platform X, formerly Twitter, for Bluesky.

Gaming

Microsoft Corporation MSFT Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has confirmed the company has its sights set on a handheld gaming device under the Xbox brand. He did temper expectations, saying the device is still “a few years out” from release.

Nintendo Co., Ltd. NTDOY filed a lawsuit against a gamer for allegedly streaming pirated games before their official release dates.

Valve is launching a limited-edition Steam Deck OLED: White Edition on Nov. 18, with global availability and limited stock.

Read: Did Rockstar Drop GTA 6 Trailer Hint? Fans Spot Moon Clue Pointing To Nov. 22

Smartphones

Apple introduced an automatic reboot feature for idle iPhones in its latest iOS 18.1 update to bolster device security.

Apple has begun selling repair parts for its latest iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro models via its self-service repair store.

Apple reportedly plans to make its “first foray” into the smart home IP camera market in 2026, aiming for “tens of millions” of annual shipments, according to Ming-Chi Kuo.

Read: Apple’s Next Big Bet? Think Smaller, Says Analyst: ‘There Will Never Be Another… iPhone’

Apple reportedly plans to unveil a new AI wall tablet to challenge Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN and Alphabet Inc. GOOG in the smart home race.

Apple announced a new feature for its Find My app that allows users to share the location of lost items with third parties, including airlines.

Also Read: Apple’s 2024 Mac Mini Is A Compact Powerhouse, But Its Power Button Placement Is Not The Most Accessible: Here Are Some Workable Fixes

Consumer group Which? has filed a £3 billion ($3.81 billion) legal claim against Apple, accusing the tech giant of breaching U.K. competition law through its iCloud service.

Online Retail

In a move to attract holiday shoppers, Amazon.com rolled out early Black Friday discounts on a range of Apple products. These deals offer significant savings on the latest MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and MacBook Air models.

Amazon is reportedly developing smart eyeglasses for its delivery drivers, aiming to streamline the final stretch of an order’s journey to a customer’s home.

Amazon is preparing to introduce its newest artificial intelligence chips in December. His strategic move aims to leverage Amazon’s significant investments in semiconductors and reduce reliance on Jensen Huang’s NVIDIA Corporation NVDA.

Amazon.com confirmed a vendor data breach exposing employee contact information, linking the company to the widening MOVEit hack. The exact number of affected employees is unclear, but a screenshot from the hacking forum shows over 2.8 million lines in the alleged Amazon dataset.

Socia Media & Technology

Meta Platforms, Inc. META is reportedly planning to introduce ads on its Threads platform in early 2025 as Elon Musk’s X is losing favor with major brands.

Several prominent French media organizations, including those owned by billionaire Bernard Arnault, have filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk’s social media platform X for allegedly using their content without compensation.

Google Gemini app has been spotted as a standalone app on the App Store.

Microsoft President Brad Smith emphasized China’s swift technological advancements, suggesting they are on par with Western nations.

Artificial Intelligence

To counter AI-driven misinformation, OpenAI’s ChatGPT rejected 250,000 deepfake image requests of candidates in the month before the 2024 election.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has expressed his appreciation for Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s initial financial backing in ChatGPT-parent.

OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman has announced his comeback to the AI startup after a three-month leave.

OpenAI reportedly plans to launch a new AI agent, codenamed “Operator,” in January.

Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, predicts AGI could become a reality by 2026 or 2027 but warns that external factors may delay progress.

Unbabel, a startup based in Lisbon, has introduced a new AI-powered translation service called Widn.AI. The company’s CEO, Vasco Pedro, predicts that human translators might become obsolete within the next three years.