I’ve been testing Apple‘s new $899 iPhone 14 Plus, which hits stores Friday, for the past several days. It has the biggest screen you can get on an iPhone, without shelling out $1,099 for the Pro model, and the best battery life ever on an iPhone.
The iPhone 14 Plus is great for people who just want a larger screen and don’t mind missing out on the new features of the Pro and Pro Max, such as the Dynamic Island and always-on display.
But most buyers seem to have flocked to the Pro models over the regular iPhone 14 so far.
Bank of America analysts released a rare downgrade to Apple’s stock last week and cut its price target on “weaker consumer demand” and the potential for a sluggish iPhone cycle as consumers slow spending. The bank suggested that while there’s a stronger mix of Pro model purchases so far, that won’t offset a decline in revenue and profit if Apple sells fewer units overall.
iPhone 14 Plus.
Sofia Pitt
And JPMorgan analysts said in a note on Oct. 3, which compared shipment times across iPhone models, that price-sensitive customers are opting for the iPhone 13 rather than the more expensive iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus.
But you shouldn’t just write off the iPhone 14 Plus. It’s a good option for folks who just want a big screen and don’t want to spend $200 more for the iPhone 14 Pro Max. And it has excellent battery life and improved cameras in a lightweight package.
Here’s what you need to know about the iPhone 14 Plus.
iPhone 14 Plus: What’s good
Apple unveiled four new iPhones, three new Apple Watches and an updated AirPods Pro during a press event on Wednesday in Cupertino, California, United States on September 7, 2022.
Tayfun Coskun | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
The large screen is the highlight here. And, if you’re like me, you’ll dig having a bigger display in your pocket for reading, movies, gaming and more. It’s otherwise the same screen as the regular iPhone 14. I noticed blacks were nice and deep and colors popped while streaming YouTube videos.
You can see more on a page, such as a website you’re browsing, or store more apps on your homepage. And this helps if you want to see more while also increasing the text size, which might be convenient for folks who prefer or need larger text.
iPhone 14 Plus.
Sofia Pitt
The iPhone 14 Plus is 1.31 ounces lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro Max and the difference felt significant when I carried it around.
Apple says the iPhone 14 Plus has “the best battery life ever in iPhone,” which just refers to general usage throughout the day. The battery life was great in my tests. I was able to stream YouTube videos for over 19 hours before the phone died, which is in line with Apple’s claim that streamed video playback lasts 20 hours. Apple also promises up to 100 hours of audio playback, which is longer than any other iPhone.
iPhone 14
Apple
The cameras are also solid. While you don’t get the telephoto or really sharp main cameras that you’ll find on the iPhone 14 Pro models, you still get an improved 12-megapixel main camera that took good pictures, including clearer and brighter photos at night when there weren’t a lot of lights.
iPhone 14 Plus photo in night mode.
Sofia Pitt
There’s also a new front camera with autofocus for selfies. That means your selfies will look sharper and more in focus than on the iPhone 13.
iPhone 14 Plus selfie.
Sofia Pitt
Apple debuted new safety features on all iPhone 14 models, including crash detection and emergency SOS via satellite, the latter of which will be available in November. I haven’t been in a car crash to test it, though multiple reports have already shown the feature works. Both safety features aren’t available on the iPhone 13.
iPhone 14 Plus.
Sofia Pitt
iPhone 14 Plus: What’s bad
Despite its size, the iPhone 14 Plus is a relatively small update over last year’s iPhone 13. You’ll see more of an upgrade from the Pro models. Those phones have always-on displays that can show notifications even when your phone is idle, and feature Dynamic Island, which makes better use of the notch at the top of the screen. Dynamic Island can show things like album art for the music you’re playing, for example, and will soon offer other features like live sports scores at the top of your screen.
iPhone 14 Plus home screen.
Sofia Pitt
If you’re looking for a camera upgrade, you’ll notice a difference if you’re upgrading from an iPhone 12, but it’s hard to see a significant difference if you’re switching from the 13 to the 14 Plus, aside from the autofocus on the front-facing selfie camera.
The iPhone 14 Plus uses the same A15 chip as the iPhone 13, but with an additional graphics processing core for improved gaming performance. I didn’t notice a difference when I played the game “Diablo: Immortal” on both phones.
I’m disappointed that all of the iPhone 14s still have a Lightning port instead of USB-C. I wasn’t expecting Apple to switch, but it would be really useful to just carry the same USB-C charger that I use to power a MacBook and an iPad.
iPhone 14 Plus.
Sofia Pitt
Should you buy it?
The iPhone 14 Plus is a great buy for folks who just want an iPhone with a bigger screen and who don’t want or need the features in the Pro models. At $899, the $100 premium over the standard iPhone 14 is well worth it for the larger display and better battery life. But you probably don’t need to upgrade from the iPhone 13 for it.
Correction: This article has been updated to correct the weight of the iPhone 14 Plus.
LISBON — Samsung’s foray into smart rings isn’t concerning the boss of the product category’s pioneer, Oura — in fact, Tom Hale says he’s seeing a boost in business.
“I’m sure that a major tech company making an announcement saying: ‘Hey, this is a category that matters. It’s going to be something that’s big.’ I think it’s probably helpful,” Hale told CNBC in an interview this week.
“In terms of the impact on our business, it has made zero impact. If anything, our business has gotten stronger since their announcement.”
In a wide-ranging interview with CNBC at the Web Summit conference in Lisbon, Hale discussed Oura’s plans for new areas of insight it wants to give users, how he is thinking about new devices and the company’s intentions for international expansion.
Oura’s flagship product is the Oura Ring 4, a device known as a smart ring. It is packed with sensors that can track some health metrics, allowing Oura app users to learn more about the quality of their sleep or how ready they are to tackle the day ahead.
Founded in Finland in 2013, the company has been called a pioneer by analysts in the smart ring space. Oura said it has sold more than 2.5 million of its rings since it launched its first product. CCS Insight forecasts Oura will end the year with a 49% market share in smart rings.
Competition is starting to rear its head in the space. The world’s largest smartphone maker Samsung made its first venture into smart rings this year with the Galaxy Ring, which some analysts say has put the device category on the map and popularized it with a broader audience.
Hale is keen to position Oura as a “health company and a science company from the get-go,” with the aim of its product being “clinical grade.” Oura is seeking approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its ring to be used for diagnostics, although Hale declined to provide too many further details.
He did say that Oura’s focus on health and science is what sets it apart from competitors.
“If you’re actually thinking [of] yourself as a healthcare company, it is very different in many ways and different postures you might take towards data privacy. … So instead of being like a tech company where data is some sort of oil to be extracted and then used to create some kind of advantage of network effects, we’re really a healthcare company where your data is sacrosanct,” Hale said.
Oura’s business model relies on selling the hardware, as well as on a $5.99 monthly subscription service that allows users to get the insights from their ring. Oura says it has nearly 2 million subscribers.
“We look more like a software company than we do look like a hardware company. And I think that’s a function of the business model, and the fact that it’s working. Our subscribers are continuing to pay,” Hale said.
Oura eyes nutrition as next ‘pillar’
Oura takes the data gathered by the ring to provide insight to its users, focused on a person’s levels of sleep, activity and readiness to take on the day.
Hale said the company is now testing out nutrition, with users able to take a picture of their meal and log it into the Oura app. Also in the nutrition space, he highlighted Oura’s recent acquisition of Veri, a metabolic health startup that can take data from continuous glucose monitors — small devices inserted into a person’s arm — to give insight into someone’s blood sugar levels. Hale says that this, combined with Oura’s food tracking feature, could tell a user how certain meals affect their glucose levels.
Many glucose monitors today are invasive and need to be inserted into the skin. Some observers see a non-invasive glucose monitor on wearable gear as something that could be transformative — but Hale warns this is a difficult goal to achieve.
“The idea that a wearable [device] will get there, I think, has definitely been a Holy Grail, and like the Holy Grail, they may never find it, because it’s a very difficult problem to solve with any kind of accuracy,” Hale said.
“Never say never. Certainly, technology continues to advance and all the capabilities continue to advance,” he added.
New hardware and AI
While Oura only sells rings currently, Hale sees the company developing new products in the future. He declined to elaborate.
“I think we’ll undoubtedly see other Oura-branded products, beyond the ring,” he promised.
He also said the company hopes to work with other devices as well, even if they are not Oura’s own hardware.
Like many hardware companies, such as Apple and Samsung, Oura is looking at ways it can use the advancing capabilities of artificial intelligence to give users more personalized insights. Smartphone makers have spoken about so-called “AI agents,” which they see as assistants that are able to anticipate what a user wants.
Oura is testing out an AI product called Oura Advisor in a similar vein.
“Think of it as the doctor in your pocket that knows all the data about you,” Hale said.
International push
Hale‘s presence at the Web Summit in Lisbon underscores his push to raise Oura’s brand awareness in markets outside of the U.S., especially as more people learn about smart rings.
“I think the point about the category being something that people are learning about, the unique benefits of that maturity, is in our favor. We’re expanding internationally,” Hale said.
He said he is particularly “excited” about venturing into Western Europe, including in countries like the U.K., Germany, France and Italy. Looking even further forward, Hale said an initial public offering for the business is not currently on the table, adding that operating as a private company gives Oura more “freedom.”
“I really enjoy the freedom that we get as a private company. We’re accountable to our investors and our shareholders, but they’re willing to let us operate with a lot license,” he said. “And if we decided we wanted to turn unprofitable because we wanted to invest in owning some category of healthcare software, it’ll be fine. They would be happy for that.”
LISBON, Portugal — Tech giants are increasingly investing in the development of so-called “sovereign” artificial intelligence models as they seek to boost competitiveness by focusing more on local infrastructure.
Data sovereignty refers to the idea that people’s data should be stored on infrastructure within the country or continent they reside in.
“Sovereign AI is a relatively new term that’s emerged in the last year or so,” Chris Gow, IT networking giant Cisco’s Brussels-based EU public policy lead, told CNBC.
Currently, many of the biggest large language models (LLMs), like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude, use data centers based in the U.S. to store data and process requests via the cloud.
This has led to concern from politicians and regulators in Europe, who see dependence on U.S. technology as harmful to the continent’s competitiveness — and, more worryingly, technological resilience.
Where did ‘AI sovereignty’ come from?
The notion of data and technological sovereignty is something that has previously been on Europe’s agenda. It came about, in part, as a result of businesses reacting to new regulations.
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, for example, requires companies to handle user data in a secure, compliant way that respects their right to privacy. High-profile cases in the EU have also raised doubts over whether data on European citizens can be transferred across borders safely.
The European Court of Justice in 2020 invalidated an EU-U.S. data-sharing framework, on the grounds that the pact did not afford the same level of protection as guaranteed within the EU by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Last year the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework was formed to ensure that data can flow safely between the EU and U.S.
These political development have ultimately resulted in a push toward localization of cloud infrastructure, where data is stored and processed for many online services.
Filippo Sanesi, global head of marketing and operations at OVHCloud, said the French cloud firm is seeing lots of demand for its European-located infrastructure, as they “understand the value of having their data in Europe, which are subject to European legislation.”
“As this concept of data sovereignty becomes more mature and people understand what it means, we see more and more companies understanding the importance of having your data locally and under a specific jurisdiction and governance,” Sanesi told CNBC. “We have a lot of data,” he added. “This data is sovereign in specific countries, under specific regulations.”
“Now, with this data, you can actually make products and services for AI, and those services should then be sovereign, should be controlled, deployed and developed locally by local talent for the local population or businesses.”
The AI sovereignty push hasn’t been driven forward by regulators — at least, not yet, according to Cisco’s Gow. Rather, it’s come from private companies, which are opening more data centers — facilities containing vast amounts of computing equipment to enable cloud-based AI tools — in Europe, he said.
Sovereign AI is “more driven by the industry naming it that, than it is from the policymakers’ side,” Gow said. “You don’t see the ‘AI sovereignty’ terminology used on the regulator side yet.”
Countries are pushing the idea of AI sovereignty because they recognize AI is “the future” and a “massively strategic technology,” Gow said.
Governments are focusing on boosting their domestic tech companies and ecosystems, as well as the all-important backend infrastructure that enables AI services.
“The AI workload uses 20 times the bandwidth of a traditional workload,” Gow said. It’s also about enabling the workforce, according to Gow, as firms need skilled workers to be successful.
Most important of all, however, is the data. “What you’re seeing is quite a few attempts from that side to think about training LLMs on localized data, in language,” Gow said.
The aim of the Italia project is to store results in a given jurisdiction and rely on data from citizens within that region so that results produced by the AI systems there are more grounded in local languages, culture and history.
“Sovereign AI is about reflecting the values of an organization or, equally, the country that you’re in and the values and the language,” David Hogan, EMEA head of enterprise sales for chipmaking giant Nvidia, told CNBC.
“The core challenge is that most of the frontier models today have been trained primarily on Western data generally,” Hogan added.
In Denmark for example, where Nvidia has a major presence, officials are concerned about vital services such as health care and telecoms being delivered by AI systems that aren’t “reflective” of local Danish culture and values, according to Hogan.
On Wednesday, Denmark laid out a landmark white paper outlining how companies can use AI in compliance with the incoming EU AI Act — the world’s first major AI law. The document is meant to serve as a blueprint for other EU nations to follow and adopt.
“If you’re in a European country that’s not one of the major language countries that’s spoken internationally, probably less than 2% of the data is trained on your language — let alone your culture,” Hogan said.
How regulation fueled a mindset shift
That’s not to say regulations haven’t proven an important factor in getting tech giants to think more about building localized AI infrastructure within Europe.
OVHCloud’s Sanesi said regulations like the EU’s GDPR catalyzed a lot of the interest in onshoring the processing of data in a given region.
The concept of AI sovereignty is also getting buy-in from local European tech firms.
Earlier this week, Berlin-headquartered search engine Ecosia and its Paris-based peer Qwant announced a joint venture to develop a European search index from scratch, aiming to serve improved French and German language results.
Meanwhile, French telecom operator Orange has said it’s in discussions with a number of foundational AI model companies about building a smartphone-based “sovereign AI” model for its customers that more accurately reflects their own language and culture.
“It wouldn’t make sense to build our own LLMs. So there’s a lot of discussion right now about, how do we partner with existing providers to make it more local and safer?” Bruno Zerbib, Orange’s chief technology officer, told CNBC.
“There are a lot of use cases where [AI data] can be processed locally [on a phone] instead of processed on the cloud,” Zerbib added. Orange hasn’t yet selected a partner for these sovereign AI model ambitions.
In this photo illustration, the Bluesky Social logo is displayed on a cell phone in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on September 4, 2024.
Mauro Pimentel | AFP | Getty Images
Micro-blogging startup Bluesky has gained over 1.25 million new users in the past week, indicating some social media users are changing their habits following the U.S. presidential election.
Bluesky’s influx of users shows that the app has been able to pitch itself as an alternative to X, formerly Twitter, which is owned by Elon Musk, as well as Meta’s Threads. The bulk of the new users are coming from the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom, the company said Wednesday.
“We’re excited to welcome everyone looking for a better social media experience,” Bluesky CEO Jay Graber told CNBC in a statement.
Despite the surge of users, Bluesky’s total base remains a fraction of its rivals’. The Seattle startup claims 15.2 million total users. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in October said Threads had nearly 275 million monthly users. Musk in May claimed that X had 600 million monthly users, but market intelligence firm Sensor Tower pegged X’s monthly base at 318 million users in October.
Created in 2019 as a project inside Twitter, when Jack Dorsey was still CEO, Bluesky doesn’t show ads and has yet to develop a business model. It became an independent company in 2021. Dorsey said in May of this year that he’s no longer a member of Bluesky’s board.
“Journalists, politicians, and news junkies have also been talking up Bluesky as a better X alternative than Threads,” wrote Similarweb, the internet traffic and monitoring service, in a Tuesday blog.
Some users with new Bluesky accounts posted that they had moved to the service due to Musk and his support for President-elect Donald Trump.
“It’s appalling that Elon Musk has transformed Twitter into a Trump propaganda machine, rife with disinformation and misinformation,” one user posted on Bluesky.
This is Bluesky’s second notable surge in the last couple of months.
Bluesky said it picked up 2 million new users in September after the Brazilian Supreme Court suspended X in the country for failing to comply with regional content moderation policies and not appointing a local representative.