Tesla may be purposefully undercounting worker injuries

In a report published today, Reveal details evidence that Tesla has been undercounting the injuries sustained by workers at its Fremont, California factory. Over the last couple of years, injury rates at the factory have been higher than the industry average, but for 2017, the company reported a sharp drop in injury rates. The reductions brought Tesla in line with the rest of the industry, but Reveal’s investigation, in which it conducted interviews with more than three dozen current and former employees and reviewed hundreds of pages of official documents, suggests that the company has been mislabeling work injuries.

By law, the company has to report any injuries sustained on its property that result in missed work, job performance restrictions or medical treatment beyond first aid. But according to Reveal’s findings, the company has frequently labeled such injuries as “personal medical” cases, meaning they don’t have to be reported. “I saw injuries on there like broken bones and lacerations that they were saying were not recordable” said one safety professional. “I saw a lot of stuff that was like, ‘Wow, this is crazy.’”

Former managers claimed that they had pointed out a number of safety issues to their superiors. Many of those, however, were dismissed. For cases like using more yellow or posting more signs to denote areas that require extra caution, higher-ups said Elon Musk didn’t like those things. Same for wearing safety shoes.

For its part, Tesla has denied the claims, saying it tallies injuries accurately, provides adequate training and is very concerned with workers’ safety. “Anybody who walks through our doors into this factory is our responsibility, and we care about them,” Laurie Shelby, Tesla’s VP of environment, health and safety, told Reveal. “I have a passion for safety and it’s about caring.” In a statement to Reveal, Tesla said that the report was “an ideologically motivated attack by an extremist organization working directly with union supporters to create a calculated disinformation campaign against Tesla.”

You can read the full report here. We’ve reached out to Tesla and we’ll update this post if we receive more information.

Via: CNBC

Source: Reveal

VW will debut cars with autonomous parking in 2020

Automakers are fond of experimenting with self-parking cars, but VW intends to make it a practical reality. It’s promising that vehicles in the company group (which includes brands like Audi, Bentley, Porsche and Lamborghini) will start including autonomous parking as of 2020. The system will only be available in “selected” parking garages at first, but it relies on pictorial guiding markers that are theoretically usable in any garage.

The system will arrive in two phases. At first, cars with autonomous parking will be guided to a separate area so they don’t have to deal with the unpredictability of human drivers. Later, VW is promising to enable “mixed” parking where autonomous and piloted cars share the same areas. And yes, the company ultimately wants support in outdoor parking lots.

It’s not certain just which cars get first dibs, but any model with driverless parking will have an “active surroundings recognition system” that can include cameras, radar and ultrasound. We wouldn’t be surprised if this arrives in luxury brands first due to costs, but it’s more likely a question of when the features reach more affordable brands than “if.”

In a sense, this is what you can expect for self-driving features in the near term. Full autonomy might be several years away for VW and numerous other brands, but you don’t need that for parking. You’re not on public streets, and the vehicle only has to deal with a limited set of challenges in ideal conditions (there’s no snow or rain inside, after all). And for many drivers, that might be enough. The pressing concern isn’t so much relinquishing complete control as it is eliminating the more painful aspects of driving, and that includes hunting for free parking spaces. Instead of roaming around a garage for minutes on end, you could leave your car at the entrance and focus on reaching your actual destination.

Via: Autoblog

Source: Volkswagen

Alibaba is the latest Chinese internet giant to test self-driving cars

China’s Alibaba Group has been testing its own autonomous vehicle technology, the South China Morning Post reports, and is looking to hire an additional 50 self-driving vehicle experts. Alibaba’s rivals Baidu and Tencent have also been working on autonomous technology and last month, Baidu received the go-ahead from the Chinese government to begin testing its technology on Beijing roads. Tencent reportedly sent one of its autonomous vehicles for a ride on a Beijing highway earlier this month.

According to the South China Morning Post, which is owned by Alibaba, the company has been conducting regular road tests of self-driving vehicles and has the capability to perform open road trials. It’s looking to develop Level 4 autonomous technology, meaning that under certain conditions, the car can operate on its own without human involvement. Alibaba has previously formed partnerships with SAIC Motor and Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen to equip cars with its AliOS operating system.

Via: South China Morning Post

Former iPod Chief Tony Fadell Believes Apple Should Tackle Smartphone Addiction

Tony Fadell, who was instrumental to the creation of the iPod, believes Apple should tackle the issue of smartphone addiction.

Tony Fadell, second from the left, alongside Steve Jobs and other Apple executives following the original iPhone announcement in 2007
In an editorial with Wired UK, the former Senior Vice President of the iPod division said Apple can solve the problem at the software level by “empowering users to understand more about how they use their devices.”

“To do this, it should let people track their digital activity in detail and across all devices,” said Fadell. “You should be able to see exactly how you spend your time and, if you wish, moderate your behavior accordingly.”

Fadell said his solution would essentially be like a digital scale to monitor time spent in apps, web browsing, and other tasks:

We need a “scale” for our digital weight, like we have for our physical weight. Our digital consumption data could look like a calendar with our historical activity. It should be itemized like a credit-card bill, so people can easily see how much time they spend each day on email, for example, or scrolling through posts. Imagine it’s like a health app which tracks metrics such as step count, heart rate, and sleep quality.

He added that Apple could also let users set their device to a “listen-only” or “read-only” mode, but it’s unclear how this would differ from Apple’s existing Do Not Disturb mode, which can be enabled when an iPhone is locked or unlocked.

Fadell believes Apple is “particularly well-placed to tackle this problem,” and that implementing these tools wouldn’t be difficult.

Fortunately, it appears that Apple is already working on improved parental controls similar to what Fadell outlined. More specifically, Bloomberg News reported that iOS 12 will feature “new features for parents to better monitor how long apps are being used for by kids and their overall screen time.”

In January, Apple confirmed it is working on “even more robust” parental controls following pressure from investors to do more to curb smartphone addition. The new controls would likely extend to the Mac and other devices.

Fadell’s editorial was first published in the May-June issue of WIRED magazine, as part of a series of articles about “Apple’s next move.”

Tag: Tony Fadell
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Apple’s Latest Machine Learning Journal Entry Focuses on ‘Hey Siri’ Trigger Phrase

Apple’s latest entry in its online Machine Learning Journal focuses on the personalization process that users partake in when activating “Hey Siri” features on iOS devices. Across all Apple products, “Hey Siri” invokes the company’s AI assistant, and can be followed up by questions like “How is the weather?” or “Message Dad I’m on my way.”

“Hey Siri” was introduced in iOS 8 on the iPhone 6, and at that time it could only be used while the iPhone was charging. Afterwards, the trigger phrase could be used at all times thanks to a low-power and always-on processor that fueled the iPhone and iPad’s ability to continuously listen for “Hey Siri.”

In the new Machine Learning Journal entry, Apple’s Siri team breaks down its technical approach to the development of a “speaker recognition system.” The team created deep neural networks and “set the stage for improvements” in future iterations of Siri, all motivated by the goal of creating “on-device personalization” for users.

Apple’s team says that “Hey Siri” as a phrase was chosen because of its “natural” phrasing, and described three scenarios where unintended activations prove troubling for “Hey Siri” functionality. These include “when the primary users says a similar phrase,” “when other users say “Hey Siri”,” and “when other users say a similar phrase.” According to the team, the last scenario is “the most annoying false activation of all.”

To lessen these accidental activations of Siri, Apple leverages techniques from the field of speaker recognition. Importantly, the Siri team says that it is focused on “who is speaking” and less on “what was spoken.”

The overall goal of speaker recognition (SR) is to ascertain the identity of a person using his or her voice. We are interested in “who is speaking,” as opposed to the problem of speech recognition, which aims to ascertain “what was spoken.” SR performed using a phrase known a priori, such as “Hey Siri,” is often referred to as text-dependent SR; otherwise, the problem is known as text-independent SR.

The journal entry then goes into how users enroll in a personalized “Hey Siri” process using explicit and implicit enrollment. Explicit begins the minute that users speak the trigger phrase a few times, but implicit is “created over a period of time” and made during “real-world situations.”

The Siri team says that the remaining challenges faced by speaker recognition is figuring out how to get quality performance in reverberant (large room) and noisy (car) environments. You can check out the full Machine Learning Journal entry on “Hey Siri” right here.

Since it began last summer, Apple has shared numerous entries in its Machine Learning Journal about complex topics, which have already included “Hey Siri”, face detection, and more. All past entries can be seen on Apple.com.

Tag: machine learning
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Amazon Has Reportedly Gained Edge Over Apple in Deals With Smart Home Builders

Amazon appears to have gained an edge over Apple in deals with smart home builders, according to The Information.

The paywalled report claims that an increasing number of home builders have agreed to partnerships with Amazon to build homes with preinstalled Alexa-enabled accessories, rather than HomeKit-based products from Apple.

Last year, for example, Amazon reportedly struck a large-scale deal with Lennar, one of the biggest home builders in the United States. Lennar first had a partnership with Apple in 2016, but the company is “prioritizing Amazon now.”

As part of its deal, Lennar gets access to Amazon’s growing army of so-called Amazon experts, the company’s in-home service team, to go around to every new homeowner and make sure their smart home is hooked up. Every new Lennar home comes with Echo Dot speakers and Echo Show displays to connect with Alexa, as well as a suite of connected doorbells, locks, light switches and thermostat.

A few other builders, such as Arizona-based Meritage Homes and Shea Homes, also said they considered Apple but opted for Amazon.

“Apple is closed source about what will talk to their system, so we shied away from it,” said CR Herro, a vice president with Arizona-based Meritage Homes. “I don’t want to restrict what I think the future could be because I have no idea what it will be.”

The report claims that Apple requiring accessory makers to install an authentication chip for HomeKit compatibility has “significantly limited the number of new devices getting to market,” but that is no longer the case, as iOS 11.3 introduced software-based authentication for accessories to interface with HomeKit.

Meanwhile, some builders believe there is a downside in allowing Amazon to embed a network of Alexa-powered devices that can collect data into homes, ranging from privacy concerns to competitive reasons.

Startup home builder Kasita, for instance, thinks these traditional players are giving up a huge amount of business by linking up with Amazon. Kasita uses Alexa devices for performing voice control in its “micro homes,” but tries to maintain its relationship with the consumer by providing its own app and wants to offer its own services to consumers in the future.

“Amazon owns you when you buy anything online,” said Jeff Wilson, founder and chairman of Kasita. “Do you really want them owning home experiences?”

While new homes are estimated to account for only about 10 percent of residential home sales in the United States, Apple believes the best way to introduce homeowners to HomeKit is from the get-go.

“We want to bring home automation to the mainstream,” said Greg Joswiak, a marketing executive at Apple, in an interview with Bloomberg. “The best place to start is at the beginning, when a house is just being created.”

Tags: HomeKit, theinformation.com
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Low-Cost Streaming Service Philo Coming to Apple TV This Summer, Unlocking TV Everywhere Authentication Soon

Last November a new streaming TV service called “Philo” was announced, aimed at providing a much cheaper monthly cost for users by cutting out all sports-related content. Starting at $16 per month, subscribers can stream 37 entertainment networks on multiple devices including iPhone, MacBook, Roku, smart TVs, and more.

At the time of its announcement the company said a Philo app would be coming to Apple TV, and now CEO Andrew McCollum has confirmed that the Apple TV app for Philo will be launching this summer (via CNET).

Philo for iOS
Alongside the launch window for the Apple TV app, McCollum revealed that the service will also allow subscribers to unlock the streaming apps for TV networks included in their Philo subscription. Much like DirecTV Now, this means that if users pay to stream a channel like AMC on Philo, they can use their Philo log-in within the AMC app to access paywalled content.

This will be a bonus for Apple TV owners, since most over-the-top live TV streaming services don’t support Apple’s TV app, but many individual network apps do.

The live-TV streaming company will work on Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV devices this summer, CEO Andrew McCollum said last week. An Android mobile app is next on the roadmap.

In addition, you’ll be able to do more with your Philo account. The company is unlocking the streaming apps for the TV networks included in a customer’s subscription. That means if you pay for Philo’s $16-a-month bundle of cable channels, you’ll be able to access the paywalled apps for channels like AMC, Nickelodeon, Discovery Channel and History.

Philo’s $16/month tier provides access to 37 channels, including A&E, AMC, BBC America, Lifetime, TLC, Travel Channel, and VH1. There’s also a $20/month option that increases the channel count to 46, adding in options like Logo and Nicktoons. Philo’s entertainment-focused lineup lacks sports, live news, major broadcast networks, and local channels — all of which help lower the monthly cost of the service.

On the channels offered by Philo, subscribers can record live TV and set recordings on future episodes to watch later, with space lasting for 30 days. In terms of streaming, Philo lets users stream on up to three screens at once in HD.

Comparatively, rivals like Sling TV start at $20/month for about 25 channels, DirecTV Now starts at $35/month for about 60 channels, Hulu with Live TV starts at $40/month for about 50 channels, and PlayStation Vue starts at $40/month for about 45 channels. All of these services include sports or have an option to add on sports content for an additional monthly cost.

ESPN itself has launched its own over-the-top streaming package called ESPN+, focusing on live sports, original shows and films, studio programs, and an on-demand library of content. ESPN+ costs subscribers $4.99/month or $49.99/year, and is pitched as a companion service to other ESPN channels and cable packages since it lacks some major live TV content, like games in the NFL and NBA.

Related Roundup: Apple TVTag: PhiloBuyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Neutral)
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Apple Seeds Second Beta of iOS 11.4 to Developers

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming iOS 11.4 update to developers, two weeks after releasing the first beta and three weeks after releasing iOS 11.3, a major update that introduced several new features.

Registered developers can download the new iOS 11.4 beta from Apple’s Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Developer Center.

The iOS 11.4 update introduces a new ClassKit framework for educational institutions, which will support new features announced at Apple’s March 27 event.

For standard users, the iOS 11.4 update adds features that were originally present in the iOS 11.3 beta but removed ahead of release. It includes support for Messages on iCloud, designed to store your iMessages in iCloud and sync them across devices.

There’s also support for AirPlay 2 features, with the Apple TV once again available in the Home app. With AirPlay 2, the same audio content can be played in multiple rooms. On the HomePod, there are signs of support for stereo sound, but stereo sound is not currently available as it requires 11.4 HomePod software not available for developers.

iOS 11.3, the previous update, introduces a new Battery Health feature for monitoring the status of your iPhone’s battery, Business Chat for iMessage, which lets you communicate with companies directly in the Messages app, ARKit 1.5 with augmented reality improvements, new Animoji on iPhone X, Health Records from participating medical providers, and more.

Related Roundup: iOS 11
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Apple Seeds Second Beta of tvOS 11.4 to Developers

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming tvOS 11.4 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the first beta and three weeks after releasing the tvOS 11.3 update.

Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the new tvOS 11.4 developer beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV via a profile that’s installed using Xcode.

tvOS 11.4, paired with iOS 11.4, reintroduces AirPlay 2 features that were present in early tvOS and iOS 11.3 betas but were removed ahead of release. With AirPlay 2, the same audio content can be played on multiple devices (like the Apple TV) throughout your home. After installing iOS 11.4 and tvOS 11.4, the Apple TV will once again be listed in the Home app.

There were no other new features discovered in the first tvOS 11.4 update, and it’s likely it focuses on bug fixes and other small improvements. Apple’s tvOS updates have historically been minor in scale, and we may not find any other new additions.

We’ll update this post should new features be introduced in the second beta of tvOS 11.4.

Related Roundup: Apple TVBuyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Neutral)
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Apple Seeds Second Beta of watchOS 4.3.1 to Developers

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming watchOS 4.3.1 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after releasing the first watchOS 4.3.1 beta and three weeks after releasing watchOS 4.2.

Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the new watchOS 4.2 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General –> Software update.

To install the update, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it has to be in range of the iPhone.

Shortly before watchOS 4.3.1 was introduced, Apple stopped allowing developers to update Apple Watch apps built on the original watchOS 1 SDK. In watchOS 4.3.1, there’s an alert when launching a watchOS 1 app that warns that the app may not be compatible with future versions of watchOS. This suggests Apple may drop support for watchOS 1 apps entirely in the future, just as it did with support for 32-bit iOS apps in iOS 11.

Code hidden within watchOS 4.3.1 suggests Apple is working on introducing support for custom third-party watch faces, but this is likely a feature that would be introduced as part of a major watchOS 5 update rather than through watchOS 4.3.1.

There were no other new features discovered in watchOS 4.3.1, which is unsurprising as this is a minor 4.x.x update. It’s likely this update focuses primarily on bug fixes to address issues discovered since the release of watchOS 4.3.

Apple does not provide detailed release notes for watchOS, so we may not know what’s included in the update until it sees a public release.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 4Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
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