EU antitrust regulators are asking Microsoft’s rivals what kind of customer data they are required to provide to the US tech giant as part of their Azure cloud contracts, six months after a trade group complained about its cloud computing practices.

Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe (CISPE), whose members include Amazon, alleged last November that Microsoft’s new contractual terms imposed on October 1 together with other practices were harming the European cloud computing ecosystem.

In a questionnaire sent to cloud providers seen by Reuters, the European Commission asked recipients for a list of contractual clauses requiring these companies to report information about their European customers to Microsoft.

“The Commission has received several complaints regarding Microsoft, including in relation to its product Azure, which we are assessing based on our standard procedures,” a spokesperson for the EU executive said.

The EU competition enforcer wanted to know about the frequency of the reporting, the period for which the data is requested, the format of the reporting, and whether the information is sent directly to Microsoft or to an auditor.

Recipients, who were given until this week to respond, were asked whether there were contractual, actual, or threatened consequences for not complying with these clauses.

The EU watchdog asked if Microsoft may have used the information to go directly to the recipients’ customers.

Microsoft, hit by more than 1.6 billion euros ($1.8 billion or roughly Rs. 147.17 crore) in EU fines in the previous decade for various antitrust violations, declined to comment.

It has made an offer to CISPE in a bid to settle the issue and talks are ongoing, according to a person familiar with the matter. 

© Thomson Reuters 2023

Vivo’s X200 lineup will launch in China on October 14. While Vivo is intently teasing the Vivo X200, Vivo X200 Pro, and Vivo X200 Pro Mini through its social media handles, new leaks coming out of China give us an insight into the pricing and design of the phones. Newly leaked hands-on images and videos highlight the rear camera layout of the Vivo X200 Pro Mini. Vivo is likely to keep the starting price of the standard Vivo X200 same as the Vivo X100.

Vivo X200 series Pricing Leaked

Tipster Wang Zhikui Toli (translated from Chinese) has leaked the alleged pricing for the Vivo X200 series on Weibo. As per the tipster, the vanilla Vivo X200 will start at CNY 3,999 (roughly Rs. 48,000) for the 12GB + 256GB trim. The 16GB + 256GB, 16GB + 512GB, and 16GB + 1TB RAM and storage versions are said to be priced CNY 4,299 (roughly Rs. 52,000), CNY 4,599 (roughly Rs. 55,000), and CNY 5,099 (roughly Rs. 61,000), respectively.

Meanwhile, the Vivo X200 Pro Mini is said to start at CNY 4,599 for the 12GB + 256GB model. The 16GB + 256GB and 16GB + 512GB storage models could be priced at CNY 4,899 (roughly Rs. 58,000) and CNY 5,199 (roughly Rs. 62,000), respectively.

Lastly, the Vivo X200 Pro is tipped to cost CNY 5,199 for the 16GB + 256GB variant. The 16GB + 512GB is said to cost CNY 5,499 (roughly Rs. 66,000). The top-tier version of the phone with satellite connectivity and 16GB RAM could be priced at CNY 5,699 (roughly Rs. 68,000) and CNY 6,199 (roughly Rs. 74,000) for the 512GB and 1TB versions, respectively.

For comparison, the Vivo X100 was launched with a price tag of CNY 3,999 for the 12GB + 256GB RAM and storage variant. The Vivo X100 Pro starts at CNY 4,999 (roughly Rs. 59,500) for the 12GB + 256GB RAM storage variant.

Vivo X200 Pro Mini Design

Alleged hands-on images and video of the Vivo X200 Pro Mini have leaked courtesy of tipster Experience More (translated from Chinese) through Weibo. The video offers a closer look at the handset in an off-white colourway with a circular-shaped massive camera module, resembling the design language of last year’s Vivo X100 Pro. The camera island is seen with a metal camera ring and Zeiss branding.

The Vivo X200 Pro mini seems to have a flat frame and glossy glass back. Another image showing the Vivo X200 Pro Mini and iPhone 16 Pro side-by-side suggests that the Vivo phone is the same size as the new iPhone.

Vivo has already announced that the Vivo X200 series will be launched in China on October 14. They are teased to come with Zeiss brand optics. The Vivo X200 series could run on MediaTek Dimensity 9400 SoC.

Apple has finally upgraded the 24-inch iMac with the newly announced M3 chip, following the M1-powered iMac that was launched in 2021. The 24-inch iMac with M3 chip was unveiled during Apple’s Scary Fast event on Tuesday. It features the same design as the 2021 iMac model with an M1 chip, that was launched three years ago. The upgraded iMac M3 model comes with an 8-core CPU and up to a 10-core GPU. It is claimed to offer up to two times better performance than the M1-based iMac while also being more efficient.

24-inch iMac M3 price in India, availability

The new 24-inch iMac with an M3 chip starts at Rs. 1,34,900. This model comes with an 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 8GB of memory, a 256GB SSD storage, and two Thunderbolt ports. Apple includes the Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse with the 24-inch iMac. It is available in green, pink, blue, and silver colour options.

On the other hand, the 24-inch iMac with M3 variant with the 10-core GPU starts at Rs. 1,54,900 or Rs. 1,44,900 for education. It comes with the same configuration — an 8-core CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, two Thunderbolt ports, Gigabit Ethernet, and two USB 3 ports. This is bundled with a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Magic Mouse. It is available in Blue, Green, Orange, Pink, Purple, Silver, and Yellow colour options.

As for availability, the new 24-inch iMac with M3 is already up for pre-order on the Apple website. It will go on sale via the website, Apple Store, and Apple authorised resellers starting November 7.

24-inch iMac M3 specifications, features

While the new 24-inch iMac with M3 chip looks similar to the older model, it does offer some performance improvements. The M3 chip with 8-core CPU and up to 10-core GPU with support for up to 24GB unified RAM is claimed to be twice as faster as the M1 chip, and is based on the Apple iPhone 15 Pro’s A17 Pro chip.

Apple’s new M3 chip is manufactured using a 3nm process, which also makes it more efficient than the M1 chip that powered its predecessor. In the graphics department, the chip offers hardware-accelerating mesh shading with support for ray tracing on the iMac. There’s also a 16-core Neural Engine that enables faster machine learning.

The all-in-one 24-inch iMac with M3 comes with a 24-inch Retina Display that offers 4.5K resolution and 500 nits of peak brightness. It now comes with Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, up to four USB Type-C ports, two Thunderbolt ports, and Gigabit Ethernet support. There’s also a 1080p FaceTime camera and a six-speaker setup that offers support for Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos. It runs the new macOS Sonoma out-of-the-box.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle received a gameplay deep dive Monday that detailed more of the game’s combat, exploration and puzzles. Publisher Bethesda also shed more light on the premise of the story that sees Indy join the chase for a priceless stolen relic. The action-adventure title, that tells an original Indiana Jones story inspired by the films, is set to release on PC, Xbox Series S/X and Game Pass on December 9.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

The nearly 15-minute-long gameplay deep dive video begins with Indy finding a relic inside a crypt. In typical Indiana Jones fashion, removing the relic from its pedestal triggers a collapse as the crypt begins to cave in. With the help of his trusted whip, Indiana Jones escapes the crumbling cavern.

The game’ story kicks off with a break in that alerts Indy of a stolen relic, Pete Ward, audio director at developer MachineGames, said in the deep dive video. We’re also introduced to other characters part of the adventure — Gina, an Italian journalist who’s looking for her missing sister, and Indy’s rival Emmerich Voss, who has been relentlessly hunting down mysterious artefacts across the globe.

While there’s plenty of action, Indy will have to look for clues and trinkets that guide his way on the adventure. We see the titular archaeologist walking across snowy mountains, exploring ancient crypts and jumping across platforming sections. Solving environmental puzzles will be key to moving forward or finding optional hidden secrets, the developer said.

Indy’s Trusted Tools

The deep dive also details the versatile tools that will be at Indy’s disposal, from the multipurpose whip to a torch that aids exploration and lights up new paths. Indiana Jones’ camera can take photos to reveal insights into historical sites and uncover crucial clues. It can also provide puzzle hints. Indy is also aided by his journal, that starts with a blank page and fills up with clues, photographs, maps and notes as you progress through the story.

In certain story sections where Indiana Jones must access restricted areas, he can don a disguise and walk around unnoticed — very reminiscent of Hitman games. Aside from smaller environmental puzzles, the game will also feature grander, more elaborate puzzles.

Finding clues will be key
Photo Credit: Bethesda/ MachineGames

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Combat

The gameplay deep dive also showcases the combat in the game — players can decide on their approach to either outsmart their enemies or overpower them with brute force. Aside from their whip and gun, players will have access to environmental weapons that can help quickly end an encounter before it gets ugly. And if there’s nothing lying around, you can always get into a fistfight. In a close-quarters brawl, Indiana Jones can execute power combos, block incoming punches and parry attacks to get an opening.

Stealth, too, is a big part of combat. Indy can sneak up behind an enemy, take them down and hide their body to avoid alerting other guards. Players can also unlock new skills and moves by spending Adventure Points accumulated by completing missions.

As expected, the game heavily emphasises exploration. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will come with several open areas, where players can tread off the main path and uncover side quests and mysteries. The game also features an underground fight club, where players can test their brawling skills.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle comes out December 9 on PC and Xbox Series S/X. It will also be available on Xbox Game Pass at launch. The game will be released on PS5 in Spring 2025.

Alan Wake II, the highly anticipated sequel to the 2010 atmospheric horror game, will release in October. That’s according to the eponymous protagonist’s voice actor Matthew Porretta, who during the ‘Monsters, Madness and Magic’ podcast claimed that the title was eyeing an October release and that developer Remedy Entertainment is hard at work on it. “In fact, I was just in Finland last week, that’s where the company is from… Remedy, they’re amazing people,” he said in the interview. It is worth mentioning that this information was by no accounts revealed in an official capacity. The studio could very well change it, and Porretta himself might not be aware of some internal management affairs.

Immediately after on the podcast, he starts reminiscing about he got into the video game voice acting job back in 2010’s Alan Wake, noting that there was a six-month period of silence before he heard back from the studio regarding his selection to play the titular role. Oddly, soon after, Porretta refused to reveal any further details about the sequel, claiming that he’s under strict NDA. The renowned voice actor has appeared in several other games from Remedy, including Control and the time-bending espionage Quantum Break. Alan Wake II was announced during The Game Awards 2021, with a wet and dark cinematic that saw our protagonist holding up a light bulb as he mused about stories. The motion capture will be performed by Ikka Villi, whom many confused with Jake Gyllenhaal, at the time.

The original Alan Wake followed an author suffering from severe writer’s block, who travels to Bright Falls with his wife for a short vacation. Soon after, his wife mysteriously disappears, spurring an investigative mission to find her, albeit the events play out exactly as he had been writing in his latest novel. The game was structured like a TV series with six episodes, and has you fight murderous shadows as ‘darkness’ takes over all that is living. The release window reveal for Alan Wake II is similar to how Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s launch window got out. In March, the Venom voice actor Tony Todd claimed that the sequel was dropping in September, with massive publicity campaigns coming in August. It has a high chance of being shown off at the PlayStation Showcase event later this week.

Development on Alan Wake 2 went on and off for a while, with publisher Microsoft even rejecting the idea of a sequel and tasking Remedy to create Quantum Break, which was released in 2016. Around that time, writer Sam Lake stated that the sequel to Alan Wake had been delayed and that it wasn’t financially successful enough to gain funding for a follow-up. Furthermore, its IP rights were held by Microsoft, preventing Remedy from shopping it to other publishers. In 2019, the studio acquired complete rights to Alan Wake in addition to collecting a one-time royalty payment for past copies sold — EUR 2.5 million (about Rs. 22 crore). The game will now be distributed by Epic Games Publishing.

If Porretta’s claim is proven true, Alan Wake II will be out sometime in October, across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X.