The biggest thing in the last couple of weeks is Microsoft showing off the half baked Recall "feature" that let your computer take photos of basically everything you do. The idea that you could search for something you did in the past using normal language is interesting, but the implementation was terrible. So that's a big strike against MS, so much so they now are recalling the beta release of that. MS doesn't have a good track record with things that are supposed to be local that somehow end up not local; I believe there was a big issue on xbox where local screenshots were still being monitored by the cloud somewhere. MS also loves shoving ads down your throat and turning back on features you have explicitly turned off. There's no trust.
Apple certainly has their own issues, but as others have said, they have at least outwardly been a privacy first company, at least in marketing materials. They were one of the first to build in "secure enclaves" into phones and PCs so biometrics couldn't get off of your device, for example. There's a bit of a history, earned or otherwise, that Apple isn't doing bad things with your data, so when they say their AI junk is private it's easier to swallow.
That said, I still have yet to find a use for any of this AI junk across all platforms. I wish it all just stayed in the realm of intelligently making your photos a little sharper or whatever and not hallucinating things out of whole cloth. I'm actually happy my iPhone isn't new enough to take advantage of this new stuff.
Something I didn't think about until I saw someone making a post about it on Mastodon is that you may not have to worry about just YOUR PC, but what happens when you are on a zoom call or using another screen sharing app and THEIR PC is taking screen shots?
Now you just can't worry about your own machine, but every machine out there that might interact with you in that type of way could be capturing data. And if you accidentally have your email up or maybe a password manager, could their PC just be gobbling that up without you knowing?
These new games actually make me like the OG FF7 more, if that’s possible. Or, at the very least, make me like the world and characters more since they aren’t just cuboid freaks. 7 was never my favorite of the bunch even though it’s the most popular, but I sure as heck spent 100 hours in Rebirth doing most of the side content.
It’s a very good game hindered only by the fact they there’s not a minigame Square said “No” to.
