Its game on as Epic takes a direct stab at both Apple and Google with its latest overture to woo developers to offer content via the European Epic games store; the company will pay so customers can play in an attempt to exploit the EUs Digital Markets Act (DMA), which hasforced Apple to open up more.Apple charges developers who want to sell games outside of the App Store a small fee once game installations achieve 1 million downloads during a year. Applenotesthat the Core Technology Fee is not applied in numerous cases:No fee is applied to free apps.No fee is applied to apps from nonprofits, educational institutions, or government entities.Theres no charge for the first 1 million app installs.Small developers (classified as those earning under $10 million in global business revenue) get a three-year fee on ramp, which means they wont pay the CTF during the first three years.No fees are applied for patches and updates, and users are not charged when they reinstall their apps using iCloud transfer.With those restrictions, its pretty clear that as taxes go, the vast majority of entities dont pay any tax at all when they choose to distribute applications using the CTF process.Which puts Epics offer in perspective.What Epic is doingHeres that offer:Epics mobile store will open to any game developer seeking distribution later this year.For one year, Epic will pay the Apple Core Technology Fee for participants in its free games program.The first 20 games to make it to Epics store are set to appear in the coming weeks.Our aim here isnt just to launch a bunch of different stores in different places, but to build a single, cross-platform store in which, within the era of multi-platform games, if you buy a game or digital items in one place, you have the ability to own them everywhere,Epic CEO Tim Sweeney told The Verge.The idea that you can buy once to play anywhere is probably the best argument for openness Ive heard yet. Well see if it turns out that way.Another strong argument to Epics approach is that Apples CTF arrangement means that a developer of multiple apps is more likely to cross that 1 million download threshold, as it is applied across their app catalog, rather than per app. Apple also seeks that CTF fee for downloads across every store.Who really benefits?All the same, once you do the math, it should be clear that the vast majority of developers already pay nothing when they choose to offer up apps including games through Apples App Store, or even via third-party stores in the regions in which they can. In fact, the games publishers most likely to pay these fees will be the largest publishers, particularly those who have succeeded in developing strong in-app economies. (Some games, such as Diablo Immortal, really take that to the extreme, with gamers complaining the entire game is overtly built around convincing people to spend money in-game).But, what Epic is doing with this offer is directly pitching its own app distribution service to the largest games developers who are already making good money through Apples ecosystem. As I see it, the offer gives Epic a chance grab a slice of lucrative future income, while hitting Apple where it feels it most revenue.In business terms, that makes sense.At the same time, by positioning itself as some kind of freedom fighter, Epic manages to make this commercially-driven grab for revenue allow it toappear to be the good guy in the story. Though as most conflict resolution experts will probably tell you, everyone on every side is usually the hero in their own story.Apple thinks it is a hero, too.Whats really going on here is agame of millionaires, with well-heeled companies on all sides strenuously negotiating for different business terms so that revenue is shared differently. Epics making a probably accurate guess that the biggest App Store earners probably dont care much that if they dont pay more, smaller developers will have to do so.Nor, I think, do these commercial entities worry much that while consumers might get slightly better deals in some ways, they will eventually find they end up paying more for the same experience. Smaller developers landed with rising platform-related development costs will just charge customers more, and Apple will seek to guard its own bottom line.It always does.End result?Sure, you might find some developers racing off to Epics store, convinced by all the Apple Tax rhetoric until they eventually find they are paying a different tax to Epic instead. Some larger developers will go all-in on third-party outlets, offering inducements to bring consumers across. It wont be too long until Epic reaches its target 100 million store users, as people will probably follow the content.Eventually, people will get their software at Epics, Apples, and other stores, all with varying tech support and security levels, and Apple will stillreceive the first panic callsfrom the consumers who dont understand who to call when things go wrong.Apple will legitimately argue that it should be compensated for this tech support, as well as platform and ecosystem development. However, if it fails to win that argument, you can anticipate the cost of both developing on and purchasing its platforms will increase. Dont neglect that it wasnt really that long ago Applecharged for operating system upgrades. It could do so again.What I think will happen is that in exchange for buying apps you can use across platforms (good), and slightly better income for developers (also good), most prices wont change that much, other costs will increase, and while Apples App Store power may be mitigated somewhat, the security environment will degrade. No matter, however, as at least a handful of millionaires will have a few more dollars, while the cost of that wealth transfer will ultimately be shouldered by the group all sides claim to care about, consumers who simply want to use apps on their devices. This will not be a redemption song.You can follow me on social media! Join me onBlueSky, LinkedIn,Mastodon, andMeWe.

The AI community is abuzz over DeepSeek R1, a new open-source reasoning model.The model was developed by the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, which claims that R1 matches or even surpasses OpenAIs ChatGPT o1 on multiple key benchmarks but operates at a fraction of the cost.This could be a truly equalizing breakthrough that is great for researchers and developers with limited resources, especially those from the Global South, says Hancheng Cao, an assistant professor in information systems at Emory University.DeepSeeks success is even more remarkable given the constraints facing Chinese AI companies in the form of increasing US export controls on cutting-edge chips. But early evidence shows that these measures are not working as intended. Rather than weakening Chinas AI capabilities, the sanctions appear to be driving startups like DeepSeek to innovate in ways that prioritize efficiency, resource-pooling, and collaboration.To create R1, DeepSeek had to rework its training process to reduce the strain on its GPUs, a variety released by Nvidia for the Chinese market that have their performance capped at half the speed of its top products, according to Zihan Wang, a former DeepSeek employee and current PhD student in computer science at Northwestern University.DeepSeek R1 has been praised by researchers for its ability to tackle complex reasoning tasks, particularly in mathematics and coding. The model employs a chain of thought approach similar to that used by ChatGPT o1, which lets it solve problems by processing queries step by step.Dimitris Papailiopoulos, principal researcher at Microsofts AI Frontiers research lab, says what surprised him the most about R1 is its engineering simplicity. DeepSeek aimed for accurate answers rather than detailing every logical step, significantly reducing computing time while maintaining a high level of effectiveness, he says.DeepSeek has also released six smaller versions of R1 that are small enough to run locally on laptops. It claims that one of them even outperforms OpenAIs o1-mini on certain benchmarks.DeepSeek has largely replicated o1-mini and has open sourced it, tweeted Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas. DeepSeek did not reply to MIT Technology Reviews request for comments.Despite the buzz around R1, DeepSeek remains relatively unknown. Based in Hangzhou, China, it was founded in July 2023 by Liang Wenfeng, an alumnus of Zhejiang University with a background in information and electronic engineering. It was incubated by High-Flyer, a hedge fund that Liang founded in 2015. Like Sam Altman of OpenAI, Liang aims to build artificial general intelligence (AGI), a form of AI that can match or even beat humans on a range of tasks.Training large language models (LLMs) requires a team of highly trained researchers and substantial computing power. In a recent interview with the Chinese media outlet LatePost, Kai-Fu Lee, a veteran entrepreneur and former head of Google China, said that only front-row players typically engage in building foundation models such as ChatGPT, as its so resource-intensive. The situation is further complicated by the US export controls on advanced semiconductors. High-Flyers decision to venture into AI is directly related to these constraints, however. Long before the anticipated sanctions, Liang acquired a substantial stockpile of Nvidia A100 chips, a type now banned from export to China. The Chinese media outlet 36Kr estimates that the company has over 10,000 units in stock, but Dylan Patel, founder of the AI research consultancy SemiAnalysis, estimates that it has at least 50,000. Recognizing the potential of this stockpile for AI training is what led Liang to establish DeepSeek, which was able to use them in combination with the lower-power chips to develop its models.Tech giants like Alibaba and ByteDance, as well as a handful of startups with deep-pocketed investors, dominate the Chinese AI space, making it challenging for small or medium-sized enterprises to compete. A company like DeepSeek, which has no plans to raise funds, is rare.Zihan Wang, the former DeepSeek employee, told MIT Technology Review that he had access to abundant computing resources and was given freedom to experiment when working at DeepSeek, a luxury that few fresh graduates would get at any company.In an interview with the Chinese media outlet 36Kr in July 2024 Liang said that an additional challenge Chinese companies face on top of chip sanctions, is that their AI engineering techniques tend to be less efficient. We [most Chinese companies] have to consume twice the computing power to achieve the same results. Combined with data efficiency gaps, this could mean needing up to four times more computing power. Our goal is to continuously close these gaps, he said.But DeepSeek found ways to reduce memory usage and speed up calculation without significantly sacrificing accuracy. The team loves turning a hardware challenge into an opportunity for innovation, says Wang.Liang himself remains deeply involved in DeepSeeks research process, running experiments alongside his team. The whole team shares a collaborative culture and dedication to hardcore research, Wang says.As well as prioritizing efficiency, Chinese companies are increasingly embracing open-source principles. Alibaba Cloud has released over 100 new open-source AI models, supporting 29 languages and catering to various applications, including coding and mathematics. Similarly, startups like Minimax and 01.AI have open-sourced their models.According to a white paper released last year by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, a state-affiliated research institute, the number of AI large language models worldwide has reached 1,328, with 36% originating in China. This positions China as the second-largest contributor to AI, behind the United States.This generation of young Chinese researchers identify strongly with open-source culture because they benefit so much from it, says Thomas Qitong Cao, an assistant professor of technology policy at Tufts University.The US export control has essentially backed Chinese companies into a corner where they have to be far more efficient with their limited computing resources, says Matt Sheehan, an AI researcher at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. We are probably going to see a lot of consolidation in the future related to the lack of compute.That might already have started to happen. Two weeks ago, Alibaba Cloud announced that it has partnered with the Beijing-based startup 01.AI, founded by Kai-Fu Lee, to merge research teams and establish an industrial large model laboratory.It is energy-efficient and natural for some kind of division of labor to emerge in the AI industry, says Cao, the Tufts professor. The rapid evolution of AI demands agility from Chinese firms to survive.

Apple's iOS 18 is improving the user experience with AI-powered tools, deeper customization, and enhanced privacy, driving strong adoption across iPhones and iPads.iPhone 15The iOS 18 update brings AI-powered tools, deeper customization, and enhanced privacy. Currently, 76% of iPhones released in the last four years and 68% of all iPhones are running the latest OS.The latest OS, iOS 18, has matched its predecessor in overall adoption, with 76% of iPhones from the past four years and 68% of all iPhones now running the software. In comparison, iOS 17 reached the same 76% adoption rate for newer devices in February 2024 but fell short of iOS 16's performance during a reflect a solid uptake, iOS 17 achieved higher adoption in the similar timeframe. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo continues to offer insights into the iPhone 17, this time saying that Dynamic Island isn't getting a redesign.Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 ProIt's 2025 which means we're beginning the nine-month march toward the iPhone 17. As a result, we're seeing an influx of rumors and leaks surrounding the next-gen iPhone.This one comes from Ming-Chi Kuo, who posted on X on Friday that he believes Dynamic Island size isn't changing much, if any, across the iPhone 17 lineup. Rumor Score: Likely Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

The City of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has announced the appointment of developer Steve Soboroff to serve as the new Chief Recovery Officer to spearhead its response to wildfire disasters that destroyed over 12,000 structures in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena earlier this month. Soboroff, who in the past had been criticized for the environmental impact of his massive Playa Vista development on the citys Westside, will be responsible for "recommending a comprehensive City strategy" and coordinating the now expedited rebuilding process for those in the affected areas.He will also create an "all solutions in" resource-sharing system for commercial and residential rebuilds, in addition to a "detailed program" that covers the city's public libraries and parks systems.In a brief statement,Soboroff said: "Our mission is to start building a clear, practical and doable path to the Palisades and everywhere help is needed in LA."

The total number of construction starts decreased by 2% in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.2 trillion according to the latest Dodge Construction Network (DCN) survey.Nonresidential building starts grew by 2%, nonbuilding starts were 14% lower, and residential building starts grew by 4%. On a year-to-date basis through December, total construction starts were up 6%, nonresidential starts were up 4%, residential starts were up 7%, and nonbuilding starts were up by 7%.For the 12 months ending in December 2024, total construction starts were up 6% from the 12 months ending in December 2023. Residential starts were up 7%, nonresidential starts were up 4% and nonbuilding starts rose 7% over the same period.Related on Archinect: Construction spending to slow dramatically through 2026, says AIA"Rate cuts prior to December supported some momentum in multifamily and commercial starts over the month," stated Sarah Martin, associate director of forecasting at Dodge C...

Like its predecessor, Falcoms The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak 2 has received a demo before launch. However, NIS America has confirmed not one but two demos for its story and battles. Theyre available now on PS4 and PS5. Check out the release trailer below.The Battle demo lets you choose from two different parties and battle through the Mrchen Garten, a virtual simulation with various locations and threats across the story. It plays a key role in the story, not unlike the Reverie Corridor from previous titles. On the other hand, the Story demo contains the beginning of the game, allowing one to experience the plot early.Progress from the second demo can transfer to the second game when it launches. The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak 2 is available on February 14th for PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Check out our review of the first game we gave an eight out of ten.

As part of its ongoing desire to expand the userbase of PlayStation Network users amongst PC gamers, Sony has now enforced the need for a PSN account Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition on PC. As a result of this move, the game has now been locked out of access for players from a host of different countries.The list of countries all coincide with areas where Sony hasnt yet begun supporting with PlayStation Network yet. The whole list, which you can catch on SteamDB, now matches that of the region locking seen in Helldivers 2, which saw a similar move and a wave of controversy when it enforced a PSN account requirement.It is notable, however, that Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition has no multiplayer component, and enforcing the need for a PSN account is a strange move. The most recent changelog for God of War Ragnark, for instance, also indicates that Sony might be getting ready to introduce region locking through a mandatory PSN account there as well.For context, Helldivers 2 was de-listed from more than 170 countries back in May 2024. This came about due to Sony wanting to enforce PSN accounts for the multiplayer title, but also not supporting the existence of PSN in these countries. Before the region-blocking happened, however, there was plenty of backlash when developer Arrowhead Games and Sony had announced that PSN accounts would be mandatory.Despite this, however, Helldivers 2 has gone on to do quite well, selling more than 12 million copies as of May last year. The game has since seen quite a bit of support in the form of constant updates that fix issues and re-balance gear, as well as the addition if new content, including mech suits that can be piloted by players.As for the PC release of Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition, you can check out our coverage of the title through our review, as well as our graphical comparison between the PC and PS5 release. The PC release of the game did well enough to push it into the US best-selling charts when it came out last year.

When a Japanese aquarium closed for a six-month renovation project, a sunfish named Mambo stopped eating and began rubbing up against the side of its tank. Aquarists wondered if the creature was lonely. (Mambo is not pictured.) Rodrigo Friscione via Getty ImagesMost sunfish spend their days swimming slowly through the worlds oceans, feasting on jellyfish or soaking up the sun near the waters surface. In the wild, these behemoth creatureswhich can tip the scales at 6,000 poundsare typically spotted alone.But at least one of them seems to appreciate a little company. In Japan, an ocean sunfish appeared lonely after its aquarium shut down for renovations, staff saidso they created human cut-outs to cheer the animal up, reports the Guardians Justin McCurry.In February last year, the Kaikyokan aquarium in Shimonoseki got a sunfish from the southern coast of Kochi in the Pacific Ocean. The goofy-looking, 60-pound creaturewith its round body, gaping mouth and large eyesquickly became a hit with aquarium visitors.For months, the sunfishnicknamed Mamboseemed to be adapting to its new life in captivity. Mambo was known to swim up to the side of its tank when humans approached and generally seemed curious about its new human companions.But, in December, the aquarium closed for a six-month renovation project. Not long after, staffers noticed the sunfish seemed unwell. The creature no longer wanted to eat its provided jellyfish and began rubbing up against the tank windows.At first, they suspected the fish was suffering from digestive issues or was bothered by the loud noises and vibrations coming from the construction work. But then one caretaker suggested the sunfish might simply be lonely. Without visitors stopping by its tank throughout the day, the solitary creature might have begun feeling a little blue.Though the aquarists were initially dubious, they decided to take a chance and run with the theory. They taped photos of human faces to the side of the fishs enclosure, then hung up some uniforms to create the illusion of visitors.Now, it seems their quirky solution might have worked. The next day, the sunfish began eating again and seemed more content overall.The aquariums social media posts about this unusual remedy have racked up millions of views, likes and comments.We were skeptical but decided to do anything we could, Moe Miyazawa, an aquarist at the facility, tells the Associated Press Mari Yamaguchi. I knew [the sunfish] was looking at us when we were placing them, but I never thought it would start eating the next day. Staff have also been making an effort to visit the sunfish more frequently and offer some friendly waves through the windows.Humans are far from the only creatures that feel lonely or benefit from social interactions. In 2023, scientists made headlines after they taught solitary pet parrots to video chat with each otherand revealed that the birds seemed to love the social interactions. And, during the Covid-19 lockdowns, the Sumida Aquarium in Tokyo put out a call for volunteers to video chat with its spotted garden eels, which had reportedly grown shy from the lack of human interaction.As for Mambo, caretakers hope the fish will cheer up for good once construction wraps up and visitors are allowed to return this summer.I hope many people take interest in the sunfish, and when the renovation work is finished, Id like visitors to wave to it in front of the tank, Mai Kato, a staff member at the aquarium, tells the Mainichi Shimbun.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Animals, Biology, Fish, Japan, Social Sciences, Water, wildlife, Zoology

Many sculptors work with clay. Others construct their masterpieces out of twisted pieces of metal orhot-pink PVC. Someblow glass into colorful shapes, while others carve pieces of wood into intricate designs.However, for some artists, their material of choice is snow.Each winter, the fluffy white stuff takes center stage at snow sculpting festivals and competitions across the country, from the chilly peaks of the Rocky Mountains to the frigid plains of the Midwest and beyond. A sculptor hard at work at the International Snow Sculpture Championships in Breckenridge, Colorado Aaron Dodds / Breckenridge Tourism OfficeLast weekend, for example, a team from Mongolia took first place at the2025 World Snow Sculpting Championship in Minnesota. The group, called Team Falcon, crafted a piece called Voice to win the annual contest in Stillwater, a suburb of Minneapolis.A dozen teams from 12 countries traveled to Minnesota to compete in the event, which is now in its fourth year. Some even hailed from warm places like Peru, where they practiced for the competition with sand.In Lima, we dont have snow, says Sebastian Emmanuel Isrrael Pea Perez, a member of Team Kawsay Arte Peru, toKAREs Ian Russell. The winner of the Minnesota contest is Voice, a piece created by Team Falcon from Mongolia. Ron Woods PhotographyThe competition may be fierce, but some rival artists manage to strike up friendshipsand even kindle romancesamid all the snow.Team Canadas Joelle Gagnon and Team Finlands Arto Manninen met at last years contest and became fast friends. Then, their friendship turned into something more. Now, theyre engaged to be married, but theyre still competing against each other on different teams.Totally didnt see that coming when I came here last year, Gagnon tells CBS Minnesotas Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield. A sculpted dragon head on display in Colorado Aaron Dodds / Breckenridge Tourism OfficeMeanwhile, theInternational Snow Sculpture Championships in Breckenridge, Colorado, are also underway this week, with 12 teams from across the globe creating massive, fleeting works of art in the citys historic downtown. The frosty event has become a beloved winter tradition in Breckenridge, which has been hosting the competition for decades.Each team starts with a 25-ton cube of man-made snow that stands roughly 12 feet tall. The snow is packed into block-shaped molds by a team of volunteer snow stompers. A snow sculptor creating a chilly masterpiece in Colorado Aaron Dodds / Breckenridge Tourism OfficeTo create their chilly masterpieces, artists can use only hand toolsno power tools allowedand they have just 94 hours to bring their intricate visions to life. That often means working late into the night.Teams must finish their creations by January 24, which marks the start of viewing week, when visitors can meander through the mountain towns larger-than-life outdoor gallery. At night, the sculptures are illuminated with colorful lights. Mexico'sTeam JetSet won second place in the Minnesota competition with a sculpture titledTrapped. Ron Woods PhotographyThese are the kind of pieces of art that are just mind-blowing and jaw-dropping and awe-inspiring, asKeith Martin, a professional snow and ice sculptor and longtime member of Team Breckenridge, told theSummit Dailys Lindsey Toomer in 2022. They touch on that emotional chord, and Ive watched people walk up and just start in tears because they hit them in such a way. I feel like theres just something cool about being able to do temporary art so large that affects people in such a great way.Similar competitions are also being held this winter inWisconsin,Illinois,New York,Connecticut and beyond.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Art, Artists, Sculpture, Snow, Water, Weather, Winter Sports