Engadget - Apple's car project is still happening

It's Wednesday, January 24, 2024.

Remember the Apple car rumors? Project Titan, as it’s apparently called, is still progressing, with perhaps, a dose of reality. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says the company’s decade-old project has shifted from creating a fully self-driving car to an EV more like Tesla’s. The car’s autonomous features have reportedly been downgraded from a Level 5 system (full automation) to a Level 4 system (full automation in some circumstances) — and now to Level 2+ (partial automation). For context, Tesla’s Autopilot is Level 2. Level 2+ doesn’t have a formal description yet.

Some rumors and reports posited a vehicle without a traditional steering wheel or pedals, but it might end up a more traditional car now. Apple has apparently talked with potential manufacturing partners in Europe about its updated plans. Bloomberg says the company still wants to offer a Level 4 autonomous system... at some point.

Some of us can wait. Some of us have been writing about it since 2015.

— Mat Smith

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TurboTax owners face FTC ban on advertising free services

The Commission said Intuit’s actions were misleading.

Intuit is, again, facing consequences for misleading advertising. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is banning TurboTax’s maker from claiming services are free when most customers will have to pay. The FTC said in a statement: “We find that Intuit’s ads on their face, expressly or by strong implication, conveyed to reasonable consumers the message that they can file their taxes with TurboTax for free”.

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Framework Laptop 16 review

Modular marvel, mediocre gaming laptop.

Framework has already proved it can build compelling modular laptops, but can the Laptop 16 cram in powerful graphics, a fast display and other components to keep up with the likes of Alienware, Razer and ASUS? Sort of. Hardware quirks abound, battery life is mediocre and it still looks like an incredibly generic laptop. But how many other notebooks could let you completely upgrade your CPU or GPU in a few years’ time?

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Death Stranding is coming to select Apple devices on January 30

It’s also half off on iPhone, iPad and Mac if you pre-order.

Hideo Kojima’s walking simulator — the director’s cut — will be available on iPhone 15 Pro models and iPads and Macs with M-series chips on January 30. This version of the gloomy open-world adventure will run you $40. However, if you pre-order, you’ll save up to 50 percent. And you’ll be ready for the forthcoming sequel when it arrives.

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The OnePlus 12 will cost $799

And the OnePlus 12R will use an older Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and cost $599.

OnePlus has announced Western pricing and availability for its flagship OnePlus 12. While it’s been on sale in China for a while, you’ll still have to wait till February 6 to get one. Prices start at $799 for the 256GB version, with the 512GB model priced at $899. The base model is $100 more than last year’s, so what’s changed?

The OnePlus 12 has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and a new camera system. This has a 50-megapixel main camera and a 64-megapixel periscopic telephoto lens, capable of 3x optical zoom. This is the first OnePlus flagship to feature its new Aqua Touch screen technology, where you’ll still be able to operate the device even if it’s covered in rain or water.

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