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Amazon to Compete in the AI Race With up to a $4 Billion Investment in Anthropic

Olivia Carter — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 11:55:12 +0000

To compete with its cloud rivals, Amazon on Monday, 25th September announced a new investment deal. The eCommerce giant is investing up to $4 billion in a renowned startup Anthropic. As a part of the deal, Amazon employees and cloud customers will gain early access to the technology from Anthropic that they can use.

Anthropic, the San Francisco-based startup also committed to leaning on Amazon’s cloud services. This includes training the future AI models on large quantities of proprietary chips it would buy from the tech and computing giant.

The CEOs of Amazon’s cloud division and Anthropic announced in a joint interview that the immediate investment will be $1.25 billion. Also, either party will have the authority to trigger another $2.75 billion in funding by Amazon.

Both the companies declined to state how much ownership Amazon has in Anthropic or the startup’s latest valuation which was last estimated at $4 billion. Amazon however confirmed that it will not earn a seat on the board and that its stake amounted to a minority position.

The Motive of the Amazon-Anthropic Deal

With this agreement, Anthropic will use AWS Trainium and Inferentia chips to build, train, and deploy its future AI models. With it, they can benefit from the price, performance, scale, and security of AWS. The two companies are also partnering for the development of future Trainium and Inferentia technology.

AWS will also become the primary cloud provider for complex workloads including safety research and future foundation model development. Anthropic also plans to run a substantial workload using AWS cloud computing solutions.

Anthropic is also committing to AWS customers to provide access to the future generations of its foundation models. They will do that via Amazon Bedrock, AWS’s fully managed service for secure access to the industry’s top foundation models.

“We have tremendous respect for Anthropic’s team and foundation models, and believe we can help improve many customer experiences, short and long-term, through our deeper collaboration,” said Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO. “Customers are quite excited about Amazon Bedrock, AWS’s new managed service that enables companies to use various foundation models to build generative AI applications on top of, as well as AWS Trainium, AWS’s AI training chip, and our collaboration with Anthropic should help customers get even more value from these two capabilities.”

Tech Giants Hopping on the AI Hype Train

Amazon’s rivals Microsoft and Google brought significant development in AI this year. Microsoft is working with OpenAI to support its Bing AI Chatbot. Google just announced the AI tool Genesis alongside its primary Chatbot Bard.

With its rivals already in the AI game, Amazon had to step in with something. This deal also shows the current approach of cloud companies to secure ties with AI startups transforming their industry. How exactly this deal benefits Amazon is yet to be seen.

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TikTok to Fund Black Friday Deals to Take on Amazon

Emily Lawson — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 12:17:47 +0000

A recent report from Bloomberg stated that TikTok plans to provide significant discounts this holiday season. It will be a month-long campaign beginning on 27th October. The social media platform aims to subsidize up to 50% discounts to attract US holiday shoppers. With these discounts, TikTok wants to attract shoppers in holiday sales who go to retailers like Walmart and Amazon.

The confirmation comes directly from a TikTok spokesperson who stated that the discounts will start at 8 PM on November 23rd. Furthermore, the discounts for Cyber Monday will run from 28th to 30th November.

ByteDance’s eCommerce Ambitions with TikTok Shop

Owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd., TikTok was initially known for shorts and viral videos. However, it has also established its store named TikTok Shop in the US last week. Through this marketplace, it is offering to hold and ship products from sellers using its own fulfillment centers. TikTok has also kept its target users in mind with an affiliate program. Through that program, content creators can promote products through their videos for a commission.

The company aims to ship products worth $20 billion worldwide this year, and the holiday sale will be a catalyst. As US citizens alone spent more than $20 billion online during Black Friday and Cyber Monday last year.

TikTok Shop is also making itself accessible to more people by selling cheaper products made in China. The company also provides free shipping and 20% off coupons to consumers ahead of the designated tab. TikTok Shop is also making an effort user-friendly with prices displayed front and center in large font with highlighted discounts. For the recommendations, the Shop tab opens with a section called ‘Today’s Deals.’ Few selected users can also tag these products in their posts to redirect users to that product’s page.

Will TikTok Shop be the Next Big Online Store?

A TikTok spokesperson said last week, “There are over 200,000 verified US merchants on TikTok Shop selling legitimate products, including over 150,000 beauty products that have been validated through our process and represent some of the biggest names in the beauty business.”

TikTok is also holding a training session with dealers selling through their marketplace. It will be notable to see if these deals will give the consumers the shopping rush they enjoy from shopping on Black Fridays and Cyber Mondays through Amazon and Walmart. Also, in this competitive scenario, will Tiktok reach its $20 Billion US sales or will it just stay as an expectation? Let us know how you feel in the comments below.

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European Union (EU) Imposes Digital Markets Act (DMA) on 6 Tech Giants

Tech Research Online — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 13:56:55 +0000

The European Commission (EC) on Wednesday, designated six tech giants under its Digital Markets Act (DMA). This is one of its most diligent efforts to balance the market power in big tech. The EC is applying a new set of active and competitive rules on how these gatekeepers can operate designated core platform services. The six tech giants are Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta and Microsoft.

The European Union (EU) is known for promoting peace, stability, and prosperity for over half a century. The EU has ensured that businesses stay secure from the setbacks of globalization through their support and has created rules to make sure big companies pay their taxes fairly.

This new act will ensure that no unfair conditions are imposed on businesses or users by the gatekeepers which will open doors for competitive digital services and safer user experience.

Here is the complete list of platforms that the DMA will affect:

Social networks – TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn
Six intermediation services – Google Maps, Google Play, Google Shopping, Amazon Marketplace, iOS App Store, and Meta Marketplace
Three ads delivery systems (ADS) – Google, Amazon, and Meta
Two browsers – Chrome and Safari
Three operating systems – Android, iOS, and Windows
Two messaging platforms – WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger
The Google search engine and the video-sharing platform YouTube

Platforms Missing from the Official Big Tech List

Tech giants such as Alphabet, Apple, Amazon, TikTok, Meta, Microsoft, and Samsung said that they already expected to be subject to the regime. However, Samsung is not on today’s official list. Core platform services like Google’s web-based email service, Gmail, and Microsoft’s rival webmail offering, Outlook are also omitted. There are no cloud storage platforms listed. It is fascinating to see no webmail services on the Digital Markets Act platform list.

Substantial Provisions of the DMA

The rules and provisions of DMA apply to the gatekeepers; But what exactly is the definition of gatekeepers? EC defines gatekeepers as online firms with a dominance in the market and economic impact that serve as intermediaries linking a huge user base to a large number of businesses and platforms, and function in multiple EU countries.

Key provisions of the Digital Markets Act include a ban on self-preferencing or gatekeepers requiring business users to make use of their services and a ban on gatekeeping app stores preventing the installation of competing stores. They cannot ban business users from offering and promoting competing services and they must share platform usage information.

There are also data portability and service interoperability provisions, including specific interoperability obligations for messaging giants and choice-screen-style obligations for operating systems, browsers, search engines, and virtual assistants.

Moreover, there’s a ban on gatekeepers tracking and profiling users for ad targeting unless they obtain their consent. The Digital Markets Act also bans restrictions on uninstalling gatekeeper preloads. Furthermore, the gatekeepers will need to meet a requirement to apply Fair, Reasonable, and Non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms for general access (and avoid discriminatory T&Cs) for fair dealing with business users.

Compliance failure or breaching the regime can lead to fines of up to 10% of global annual turnover or even 20% for severe repeat offenses. The Commission has further power to apply additional remedies like requiring a gatekeeper to sell a business or parts of it or stopping gatekeepers from acquiring additional services related to systemic non-compliance.

Thierry Breton, the EU’s Internal Market Commissioner’s Words

In his speech at a digital conference in Estonia, Breton outlined the bloc’s object for the regulation. “We know that some tech giants have used their market power to give their products and services an unfair advantage and hold back competitors from doing business and creating added value and jobs. These practices distort competition, undermine free consumer choice, and hold back SMEs’ innovation potential notably arising from Web 4.0 and virtual worlds,” he said.

Breton further said, “It was high time that Europe sets its rules of the game upfront, providing a clear enforceable legal framework to foster innovation, competitiveness and the resilience of the Single Market, rather than having to rely on lengthy and not always effective antitrust investigations. The DMA does just that.”

An Opportunity for Fair Competition

The new set of rules can pave the road for different opportunities for competition on major platforms such as independent app stores, alternative payment services, and upstart search engines. And, simultaneously breaking the aggressive behavior of gatekeepers such as arbitrary enforcement of T&Cs.

The new law can also encourage the development of less exploitative business models, as consumers should have more space to break the loop of platform giants’ lock-ins. Breaking the pattern of their powerful network and opting for other competing businesses can still take some time as consumers trust the big enterprises.

There is still time to comply with the Digital Markets Act deadlines come into the picture. These tech giants have six months to ensure they meet all the legal requirements and submit a compliance report in which they summarize their compliance with each of the obligations of the DMA. So March 2024 will be the time when we can see the true effect of DMA and its influence on the competition and the big tech.

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Apple and Amazon Face a Class Action Lawsuit in UK

Tech Research Online — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 17:25:55 +0000

Apple and Amazon are facing a class action lawsuit for allegedly misusing their market power to increase the prices of Apple products in the UK. Millions of UK consumers who purchased Apple or (Apple-Owned) Beats products from Amazon since October 2018 are seeking compensation. The compensation will be at least £500 million. The suit is filed in front of the Competition Appeals Tribunal today.

More About the Apple and Amazon Lawsuit

In exchange for favorable wholesale prices on all Apple and Beats gadgets, the plaintiffs claim that Amazon restricted independent merchants from selling popular Apple products on its marketplace. That resulted in inflated prices for UK consumers buying Apple and Beats products on Amazon.

According to the accusation, practically all independent sellers of Apple and Beats products vanished from Amazon by January 2019. This leads to fewer discounts for customers and more profits for Apple.

Christine Riefa, a professor of law at the University of Reading, will be the suit’s class representative. Her research focuses on consumer protection legislation and policy. The lawsuit is being launched on an opt-out basis, which means that unless they choose to opt-out, all UK class members are automatically included (and would be eligible for compensation if the litigation is successful). A commercial litigation funder, whose name is being withheld, is financing the legal action, and there are no costs or fees associated with participating in it for the affected consumers.

Customers in the UK who think they qualify for membership in the claimant class can learn more at www.ukappleamazonclaim.co.uk, the claim website. Also, in the UK, product developers are seeking $1BN in compensation for anti-competitive behavior.

Amazon’s Recent History of Antitrust Violations

Just about two months ago in April 2023, Amazon faced another lawsuit from attorney general Rob Bonta for antitrust violations. Bonta alleged that Amazon forced third-party sellers to accept policies that shot the product prices up. As per the allegations, violating those policies and offering lower prices will face penalties.

The latest lawsuit might uncover a pattern of dishonest behavior from Amazon. If litigation like this turns out to be in claimants’ favor, it would be a huge financial and reputational blow for the tech & e-commerce giants.

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TikTok Plans a New E-commerce Initiative as a Competition to Amazon & Shein

Tech Research Online — Fri, 23 Jun 2023 13:26:30 +0000

TikTok was introduced in the year 2016. Byte Dance-owned TikTok is a short-form video hosting service from China. Videos uploaded by users are hosted on the platform, and they can be anything from three seconds to ten minutes long.

Ever since its inception in 2016, Byte Dance-owned TikTok has surpassed 2 billion mobile downloads worldwide. Now, with its new initiative ‘TikTok E-Commerce’ aims to go after some of the well-known E-commerce giants like Amazon and Shein.

Trendy Beat – TikTok’s Answer to Online Shopping, but With a Unique Concept!

A subsidiary of TikTok’s parent company, Byte Dance, is shipping and selling the products that are being offered for sale in the new Trendy Beat shopping section of the app. The shopping area provides popular products like equipment for removing ear wax that has been featured in viral films.

Though the new Trendy Beat feature isn’t currently being tested in the United States, it might come soon. Last month, TikTok submitted a Trademark application in the US for Trendy Beat, indicating that the test feature may soon be made available in the US. Clothing products such as dresses, scarves, hats, shoes, bathing suits, sleep masks, sweaters, skirts, shirts, suits, and more are listed in the trademark application.

Project S – For Selling Original Products on TikTok

According to The Financial Times, Project S is the internal code name for Byte Dance’s plan to begin selling its own products via the video app. According to the report, Project S makes use of TikTok’s knowledge of the goods that are becoming more and more popular on the app. This enables Byte Dance to either buy or produce those goods. According to reports, Byte Dance sources these products via a network of suppliers.

The new feature is a departure from TikTok’s current e-commerce strategy, which is mostly represented through its TikTok Shop marketplace. Also, shows that the company is seeking to compete with retailers like Amazon and Shein. However, with this new function, TikTok would be selling its own products instead of allowing brands to sell their products directly within the app as it does with TikTok Shop. With the new business model, TikTok will operate an online store in a manner like to how Amazon Basics and Shein market and provide their own best-selling products.

What Are the Chances of TikTok Competing with Other E-commerce Players?

The announcement comes at a time when TikTok is integrating companies like PacSun and Revolve for TikTok Shop, which has been undergoing testing in the United States since last November. Although TikTok Shop has found success in Asian countries, it has had difficulty taking off in the U.K.

Although TikTok’s e-commerce activities in the United States are still in their early stages, the app has a considerable impact on users’ purchasing decisions. By providing consumers with quick and easy access to shopping and discovery experiences, the new in-app shopping function would significantly increase the amount of these sales.

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Alexa Can Now Detect Bleeping Appliances & Running Water

Tech Research Online — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 12:49:24 +0000

Amazon announced a new feature that will allow users to program Alexa, at its fall event in September. Users will be able to program Alexa to recognize custom sounds. Now, the virtual assistant can recognize new sounds of water running and appliance beeping.

Once users set up Alexa Routines, Alexa will detect sounds of water running or an appliance beeping send them notifications. Now, the devices powered by Alexa can recognize different sounds such as snoring, glass shattering, dogs barking, babies crying, and smoke alarms.

Amazon revealed the latest sound detection capabilities in its November roundup.

Amazon is looking forward integrate Alexa into lives and they have promised support for custom sounds. According to the company, custom sounds will trigger smart home actions.

Besides, the company also stated that it has made the Occupancy Routines feature available on Echo devices.

This feature sees if your home is occupied using Ultrasound Motion Detection and then performs certain actions. For example, turning the lights on when a motion is detected.

For Amazon Pharmacy customers, you can now ask Alexa to refill your prescriptions by saying, “Alexa, refill my medications.” AI assistant will be able to track and provide you updates on medications delivery.

Last month, Amazon added a Conversation Mode to its third-gen Echo Show 10 to allow you to have more natural conversations with Alexa. Alexa Conversation Mode is now available in the US. If you want to enable this feature, just say “Alexa, join the conversation.”

Last but not least, the Echo Show 15, an Alexa-powered wall-mountable 15.6-inch smart display, is now up for pre-orders starting at $250. You can buy a compatible stand accessory that works in both landscape and portrait orientation.

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Amazon is Planning a 15-inch Wall-mounted Echo Display Along with Other Exciting Devices

Tech Research Online — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 15:14:59 +0000

Amazon, an American multinational conglomerate, is currently working on several devices including a 15-inch wall-mounted Echo display, new Echo Auto technology and wearables, and a soundbar, according to a Bloomberg report.

In fact, we might see some of these devices fairly soon at the company’s September 28th hardware event.

Amazon’s Alexa-enabled Echo, code name is Hoya, will be the splashiest-looking product with 15-inches display size. It could be placed on a stand like a regular Echo device or mounted on a wall. The device would serve as a smart-home center to control locks, lights, cameras, and other devices. The device will also be able to show timers, weather, photos, appointments, and more.

Moreover, the device is specifically designed to work in the kitchen to display recipes and cooking videos, while allowing Netflix streaming.

To accompany its rumored Amazon-branded TVs lineup, the e-commerce giant might also announce its own soundbar, codenamed Harmony. It would have a front-facing camera and support video calls, unlike Alexa-enabled soundbars and similar to Facebook’s Portal TV.

Finally, reports say that they are also developing a new version of Echo Auto (codenamed Marion). The latest version will be redesigned and allow for inductive device charging.

Currently, Amazon has partnered with Ford to integrate Alexa into 700,000 vehicles. But that’s not it, the company is looking to team up with other automakers as well.

Other items under work include new Echo speakers, wearables for 2022 for kids and seniors, dedicated processors to improve artificial intelligence, Fire TV, Echo, and other similar devices to work better together.

The company has also lined up some other unusual products as well. They are reportedly working on a home robot that would use the Alexa interface, codenamed Vesta. The robot will come with an Alexa-powered karaoke microphone.

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Facebook launches Portal Go, New Portal+ to take on Amazon Echo smart devices

Tech Research Online — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 14:28:43 +0000

Facebook has unveiled the Portal+ and Portal Go to expand the company’s portfolio of video calling devices. The company has launched devices in 14-inch and 10-inch display sizes respectively.

Interestingly, the social media giant has launched its video calling tools just a few days ahead of Amazon’s event, scheduled on September 28. The e-commerce giant is expected to unveil a lineup of Echo smart devices at the event.

In its blog, announcing its Portal devices, Facebook said “Today, we’re welcoming two new additions to the Portal family of video calling devices: the 10-inch portable Portal Go, our next-gen Portal+ with a 14-inch HD tilting display.”

“Portal Go and Portal+ will begin shipping on October 19; pre-orders are open now at portal.facebook.com. We’re also introducing new features for small businesses with Portal for Business.

The company has launched Portal Go in the US for $199 and the Portal+ at $349. The pre-orders are now open at portal.facebook.com and shipping will start from October 19.

Both the Portal devices come with long-lasting batteries. Portal Go features a smart camera video calling and 12MP camera with an ultra-wide field of view for immersive video calls to the latest portable version. They can be used as a portable speaker with surround sound audio to make portability easier.

Along with a 14-inch display, Portal Go+ also features a 12-megapixel camera with an ultra-wide view.

Facebook said, “Its stereo speakers deliver high-fidelity sound for crystal-clear audio. With the rise of remote and hybrid work models, Portal makes a perfect dedicated screen for work calls, freeing up your computer to take notes, view a presentation or multitask. And it’s also great for connecting with family and friends when the workday is over.”

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Amazon Finally Launches its Kindle Vella Story Platform

Tech Research Online — Thu, 15 Jul 2021 14:26:31 +0000

Amazon has finally launched its serialized fiction Kindle Vella store. The new platform will let in-app purchases self-published stories.

It is a new way for authors to generate revenue and for readers to discover new fiction and a new way from the Kindle Direct Publishing service.

Vella is not available for Amazon’s Kindle e-readers. Instead, you will only find it on Amazon.com or the Kindle iOS app.

Initially, the service will be limited to authors based in the US and publish stories in English. Every serialized story will run from about 600 to 5,000 words per episode.

Also, Amazon will offer the first three for free and you’ll need to pay for “tokens” for the subsequent episodes. The prices will range from $2 for 200 tokens up to $15 for 1,700 tokens.

Also Read: Google Faces Antitrust Lawsuit from 36 States Over Play Store Fees

Meanwhile, the authors will receive 50% of the revenue along with bonuses which will be based on engagement.

Readers will be able to follow stories to be notified of new episodes. The readers will be able to leave likes for the episodes they like and apply a “Fave” for their favorite story of the week.

They will even get an option to share it on social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and others.

Authors will be able to speak directly to readers at the end of episodes to boost engagement. They can share story insights and behind-the-scenes content.

Amazon had already opened Vella to authors three months ago. They said that “thousands of authors” have published “tens of thousands of Kindle Vella episodes across dozens of genres and microgenre.”

In a statement, Audrey Carlan, bestselling author, said “I’ve published close to 30 novels, and I’m enjoying the adventure of writing The Marriage Auction in this new format.”

If you want to try it out, you can access Vella here.

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Amazon’s Vesta Reportedly is in ‘late-Prototype Stage’

Tech Research Online — Wed, 10 Mar 2021 11:57:32 +0000

Amazon’s Vesta, home robot codenamed, has appeared to have reached the “late-prototype stage”, a new report from Insider claims.

Vesta has been under development for nearly four years. The robot also has more than 800 employees working on it. The launch of this robot will be one of the biggest and most ambitious products of Amazon.

It can also be said that Amazon’s failed smartphone project, concerns some of the involved in Vesta’s development.

“People are very skeptical — we’re worried it could turn into another Fire Phone,” says a source to Insider.

Also Read: Amazon’s Alexa Will Now Ask You Follow-Up Questions for Integrated Conversational Experience

Without much information about the project or the device, the company has left an abundance of unanswered questions coupled with uncertain details.

Insider’s report contains some very intriguing details, some of them include that the device is the size of “two small cats” and about 10 to 13 inches wide. The report also says that the brand-new robot will be equipped with a screen, microphone, and cameras.

Furthermore, its other features could include sensors for monitoring temperature and air quality; a waist-high retractable pole with a camera; and a compartment for carrying necessary objects.

The new Robo is named after the Roman goddess of the hearth. This might be a way for Amazon to show its customer that this time it’s going to drive into the heart of customers.

Over the last years, the company has tried to launch a variety of devices in an attempt to extend its reach into homes. They have varied from the discontinued Dash Wand to the Always Home Cam.

Insider’s report says that Amazon has been developing Vesta as its top priority, however, early sales projections are modest.

The publications say “Amazon could initially launch it as a limited invite-only product, similar to what it did with its fitness band Halo, according to these people.” This will prevent the company from squandering resources on unsold-inventory.

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