24-10-2022

MOndAY, OCtOBEr 24, 2022
5
Regulators deepen investigation
on Tesla on 'Autopilot' crashes
users will also get access to a screen-time dashboard that shows how often they use the app.
Photo: Peter Byrne
TikTok screen-time control feature
to curb app addiction
ALEx hErn
TikTok addicts will be able to further
limit their time on the app, the
company has said, with a new pair of
screen-time settings coming to the
service imminently.
Like many of its competitors,
TikTok already allows users to set
a maximum screen-time
allowance for each day, to help
them stop idling away hours at a
time scrolling through the "for
you" page.Now, the company will
also let users set time limits before
requiring a break after a certain
amount of uninterrupted screen
time - a figure the user can set
themselves, if they wish.
A new screen-time dashboard will
also provide feedback for TikTok
users about the amount of time they
spend on the app, how often they
open it, and a breakdown of their day
and night-time usage. "At TikTok, we
believe that our digital experiences
should bring us joy, entertainment,
connection and enrichment," a
TikTok blogpost said.
"Having a positive relationship with
digital devices and apps isn't just
about measuring screen time, it's also
about feeling in control of how we use
technology and ensuring that the
time we spend online contributes
positively to our sense of wellbeing.
"That's why we're taking a number
of steps today to help support our
community's digital wellbeing as they
create and discover on TikTok."
The settings aren't just being
provided because of TikTok's
concern for users' wellbeing.
Social networks have a strong
motivation to offer their own
screen-time controls, in case
people decide to activate the
stricter controls built into both the
iOS and Android smartphone
platforms.
New requirements introduced
last summer require technology
companiesto be more aware of
how their services are used by
children.
Earlier this week Apple
announced a new set of options in
its own screen time feature, aimed
at making it easier for parents to
manage the screen time of their
children. Kids can now send a text
request to their parents for extra
screen time and have it approved
in-app, rather than needing to
hand their phone over and have a
passcode entered.
And parents can now automatically
set up phones with a single collection
of recommended settings based on
the child's age, and with screen-time
limits and bedtimes enforced
automatically.
LAurEn ArAtAni
US federal regulators are
deepening their investigation into
Tesla's Autopilot function after
more than a dozen Tesla cars
crashed into parked firstresponder
vehicles over a period of
four years.
The National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA)
said on Thursday it was upgrading
its preliminary investigation, which
launched last August, to an
"engineering analysis", which is
taken before the agency
determines a recall.
The investigation covers all four
Tesla vehicles - Models Y, X, S and
3 - representing about 830,000
vehicles that have been sold in the
US.
The investigation is focused on
Tesla's Autopilot feature, which is
supposed to help drivers navigate
roads through artificial
intelligence, which detects other
vehicles. The company instructs
drivers to pay attention to the road
and keep their hands on the
steering wheel while using
Autopilot, though some drivers
have used Autopilot drunk or
sitting in the backseat of the car.
The 16 crashes at the base of the
investigation took place between
January 2018 and January 2022
and resulted in 15 injuries and one
death. In documents posted to its
website, NHTSA said forensic data
indicates that the majority of the
drivers had their hands on the
steering wheel before impact and
were complying with the system as
it was designed to be used.
The agency said this as the
investigation specifically looks into
whether the Autopilot feature
ultimately undermines "the
effectiveness of driver's
supervision".
NHTSA, in a separate
investigation, is looking into a
separate batch of complaints that
have been filed against Tesla
vehicles that suddenly brake at
high speeds, otherwise known as
"phantom braking". The agency
has received more than 750
complaints relating to the problem,
though there have been no crashes
or injuries reported. The agency
has asked Tesla for more
information about its awareness of
the issue.
The agency has long been
wrestling with Tesla, specifically
the company's outspoken founder,
Elon Musk, for years. Anonymous
officials and former regulators
detailed to the Washington Post
earlier this year the heated reaction
workers at the agency have
received from Musk, and noted
that regulators have had to learn to
deal with a combative company.
Elon Musk at a tesla event in Shanghai in January 2020.
In a letter to Musk last fall,
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the
National Transportation Safety
Board (NTSB) - a separate
federal agency that investigates
crashes and makes
recommendations to other
agencies such as the NHTSA -
urged Musk to respond to its
safety recommendations for
Autopilot that it issued to Tesla
back in 2017. The NTSB
recommended that Tesla
develop safeguards that would
not allow drivers to use vehicles
in ways inconsistent with its
design.
"If you are serious about putting
safety front and center in Tesla
vehicle design, I invite you to
complete action on the safety
recommendations we issued four
years ago," Homendy wrote in a
letter to Musk.
Photo: Aly Song
Amazon's luxury fashion site
goes online in Europe
the common charger will be 'a reality in Europe' according to the European
parliament.
Photo: Julien Warnand
iPhones to use USB-C charger
by 2024
FLEur BrittEn
Amazon shoppers in Britain can now
add high-fashion purchases, such as a
four-figure Peter Dundas evening gown
or a Christopher Kane slingback heel,
to their digital shopping baskets.
The world's largest online retailer has
launched its Luxury Stores at Amazon
division in the UK, France, Germany,
Italy and Spain, having opened a US
version in 2020.
In an effort to elevate Amazon's
virtual shop window, the Luxury Stores
microsite shows videos of models
including Kristen McMenamy and
Precious Lee posing in a European
villa. It features nine designers
including Elie Saab, Altuzarra and
Jonathan Cohen.
The Norwegian designer Dundas,
who has been selling on the US version
since 2020, has had sales grow to up to
30% of his direct-to-consumer
business.
"Amazon has shown that
convenience is the new luxury," said
Akiko Takashima, Dundas's chief
marketing officer. "We used to look at
Amazon as a marketplace for
household goods. But now, with its
strong returns policy, there is a new
confidence around buying big-ticket
items there."
After a nervous start, where sales
were mostly entry-point items such
as face masks for £25 and activewear,
in the past six months higher-priced
pieces have taken over, with Dundas's
embellished evening gowns "flying" -
one customer even buying four at
once.
The luxury fashion brands are
expected to offer free delivery and
returns and are given the choice to
distribute through their own
warehouses or Amazon's, which the
website makes clear at the point of
purchase.
Takashima said they had not seen
any difference in the level of returns
compared with their regular e-
commerce sales. "Amazon is important
to the business - the results show that,"
she said. "I foresee Amazon being a
substantial part of our revenue."
However, the retail expert Mary
Portas questioned whether Amazon
could pull off luxury fashion retail.
"Have they got Burberry, have they got
Gucci, have they got Dries? It doesn't
sound like the top brands on Net-a-
Porter."
Acknowledging the lure of
convenience for shoppers, she added:
"Of course, Amazon will answer that.
But let's not forget the pleasure of
designer shopping when you're
spending that sort of dosh."
Portas pointed out that the existing
digital players - Net-a-Porter, Matches,
MyTheresa - are getting "more and
more sophisticated in their offer - with
luxury, it's all about the curation and
the edit. I've never seen Amazon play
the beautiful game."
Portas is not nostalgic for the
traditional high street and how
Amazon has and might continue to
affect it. "Digital is here, and it's going
to stay."
Amazon's competitive advantage is
its access to data. "Let's face it," said
Portas. "Amazon will have enough
logistics and insights to make sure that
when you click on a brand, Amazon
comes knocking first."
JEdidAJAhOttE
The EU has paved the way for all
smartphones to be legally required to
use a USB-C port for charging, a move
that could be a headache for Apple,
whose iPhone is the only main brand
smartphone without this type of
connection.
The EU's agreement will apply from
autumn 2024 for all smartphones sold
in the bloc, a decision that could
substantially impact Apple as the
iPhone uses Apple's lightning port for
wired charging.
USB-C ports were introduced in
Apple's 12in MacBook model in 2015
and in the iPad Pro in late 2018, while
other iPads have come with the port
since 2020.
Some Apple users with devices
featuring the lightning connector praise
its "grip", with some complaining that
USB-C ports become loose over time.
Others have expressed their desire to
do away with their "dongle" bundles of
adapters and replace them with a
universal cable for all Apple products.
The EU said the rule change aims to
reduce hassle for consumers as well as
electronic waste, as it will enable
consumers to use older chargers for
new devices.
The rules will apply to "all small and
medium-sized portable electronic
devices", which will include mobile
phones, tablets, cameras, keyboards,
speakers, headphones, headsets and
earbuds. Laptops will have to be
adapted to fit the requirements 40
months after they come into force.
The decision is yet to be approved by
the European parliament and
European Council, but is expected to be
a formality.
European parliament spokesperson
Alex AgiusSaliba said: "Today we have
made the common charger a reality in
Europe.
"European consumers were long
frustrated with multiple chargers piling
up with every new device. Now they will
be able to use a single charger for all
their portable electronics.
"We are proud that laptops, e-
readers, earbuds, keyboards, computer
mice and portable navigation devices
are also included, in addition to
smartphones, tablets, digital cameras,
headphones and headsets, handheld
video game consoles and portable
speakers.
Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS
Insight, said the announcement could
become a "non-issue" for Apple as the
firm already uses USB-C on a number
of products.
"Having one common charging
standard would be a victory for
common sense in the eyes of
consumers," he said.
"Although Apple has made a strong
argument for it keeping its lightning
connector … some of its products,
including Mac and iPad Pro, now
support USB-C.
"Hopefully it will eventually become a
non-issue if Apple keeps adding USB-C
to more devices, and that means
ultimately we could see USB-C coming
to iPhone."
World's largest online retailer launches Luxury Stores featuring clothes by Elie
Saab and Altuzarra.
Photo: Collected