Mentioned in today’s edition: Apple Watches, NBN, Elon Musk, Andrew Forrest, Anthropic, Xbox Game Pass, Google SynthID and JerryRigEverything. Plus, deals on SOUNDPEATS earbuds, Ring cameras and Google Pixels.

The News

iPhones and Apple Watches will be powered by Amazon's satellites after LEO network purchase

Amazon will soon power Apple's iPhone and Apple Watch satellite connections when its deal to buy low earth orbit (LEO) network Globalstar for AU$16 billion closes (Verge). The launch of Amazon's own LEO network, now officially called Leo, has been pushed back to mid-2026. Amazon will add Globalstar’s 25 satellites and, crucially, its spectrum allocation in to its existing fleet of 200 satellites that it is hoping to build to 3,200 by launch (Amazon). Apple owns 20% of Globalstar and uses its satellite connectivity on its devices. This is apparently a pain point for some Apple employees who think Globalstar’s service is slower and worse than Elon Musk's Starlink. 

The Sizzle: What Amazon is doing in this space (no pun intended) is interesting because it is set to become NBN's official satellite provider. Even bigger than that is the fact that satellite internet has pretty much been a one-horse race dominated by Musk who, as I've written about before, is not the first person who I would choose to run an internet infrastructure monopoly. The other thing I've been thinking about is just how important satellite internet will become in the future. There's a lot of obvious logistical reasons for why it's better to run your connectivity through towers on the ground than in space — but is there a point where satellite internet becomes cheap, capable and prevalent enough that it undermines the use case for more remote/less used cell towers? What about when it's feasible to use multiple satellite networks to provide redundancy? I'll have to do some more reading but it is interesting to consider.

Discuss in Slack or Forum.

Businesses are pretty cocky about cyber-attack recoveries

About 40% of businesses reckon they'll recover from a "major cyber incident" in days, a new survey says (ARNnet). This is one of the findings from Datacom's annual cybersecurity survey of 700 lead security staff at businesses, who also say that just one-third of them have a plan or have done a drill for what they'll do if an incident happens. Even if you don't buy into all this SpOoKy Anthropic Mythos hype, I've written before about how companies are looking at new AI tools like the distracted boyfriend meme while ignoring cybersecurity spend. Combine that with new threats that come from AI use, no wonder we're in what one Substacker called "the most consequential hundred days in cyber history" because of all the recent hacks!

Discuss in Slack or Forum.

Even a billionaire can't get Meta to stop its scam ads — yet

The AFR has a good long read on Australian billionaire Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest's fight to hold Meta accountable for all of the crypto scam ads on their platforms that use his likeness (AFR, $). Forrest says he's spent $60m and may spend up to $100m pursuing Meta in Australian and American courts. Much like those Meta court losses a few weeks back, the US case hinges on proving that Meta isn't just a platform for the ads but, legally speaking, a co-author of these ads. A big development in the case has been Meta admitting it destroyed evidence of the spam advertisements, unintentionally, it claims.

Either way, I think it's fucking crazy that Meta clearly has lost control of their own systems to the extent that they literally can't stop someone's face being used to spruik scams on their own platforms (and earning money to do so!)

Discuss in Slack or Forum.

Leftovers

Australia:

Rest of World:

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Oh, Also

DIYmaxxing YouTuber launches custom wheelchair factory

There's a huge YouTuber called JerryRigEverything who, well, does what the name suggests. Some of his most popular videos show him installing an elevator in his own house, shooting a Cybertruck with a .50 cal rifle etc.

Another thing that he’s been doing over the last few years is making modified off-road wheelchairs. And now, starting this week, the guy has launched a new company making custom-sized manual wheelchairs (which are the normal type of wheelchairs) that start at AU$1400 — which, by my quick look, is like half of what you might pay now. Pretty schmick! 

Discuss in Slack or Forum.

Bargains

Electronics

Computing

Mobile

The End

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