29 Sept 2025
Episode 134 of Tak addresses a recent national tragedy, adopting a serious tone to cover a range of pressing topics from technology advancements to geopolitical shifts. This installment explores Apple's AI, local social policies, international visa restrictions, and new app features, interwoven with reflective commentary on societal issues and viewer feedback.
Episode 134 of Tak begins with condolences for a recent tragedy, leading to a more serious program dedicated to Mrs. Elahi Hosseinnejad, maintaining a focus on technology rather than humor.
The number 134 is the national weather hotline in Iran, available for checking weather conditions, particularly useful for travel during holidays.
Bloomberg reports that an advanced version of Siri has reached 'Chatty Whitty' capabilities, though it is not yet ready for public release. Apple regularly publishes AI research, demonstrating its progress and not being behind competitors. The upcoming WWDC 225, scheduled for Tuesday, June 19, will be covered live on Aparat. Apple aims to avoid premature product releases to protect its reputation and user trust, with executive disagreements reportedly focusing on the 'acceptable level of illusion' in the new AI version.
Dogs are now banned from entering parks in Tehran, a decision criticized by the head of the Islamic Council of 'Trump City' (likely a mishearing of Tehran), who deemed their presence unsanitary and inconsistent with urban public spaces. The discussion highlights issues like proper restraint and waste collection for dogs in public areas. A map showing dog-friendly parks was also mentioned, indicating varying restrictions.
A mobile phone smuggled out of North Korea, as reported by the BBC, incorporates strict surveillance features. It warns users against South Korean slang, auto-corrects 'South Korea' to 'puppet government', and penalizes speaking with a South Korean accent since 2008. The device secretly captures screenshots every five minutes, saving them to inaccessible hidden folders likely for authorities, and lacks internet access. It also corrects the Korean word 'oppa' (older brother/boyfriend) to 'comrade', reinforcing ideological control over personal relationships.
Instagram is expected to release an iPad-specific application by the end of 2025. This development, reportedly from Bloomberg and Mark Garman, comes 13 years after the app's initial launch, with Meta purportedly allocating 7,000 engineers to the project, drawing comparisons to WhatsApp's 15-year delay for an iPad app.
The European Union is pressuring Apple to grant governments and organizations certain powers over its services, a move Apple contends would compromise user privacy and increase security risks. Services like AirDrop are targeted, with EU legislators reportedly deeming person-to-person transfers undesirable. Apple argues that the EU's 'imperfect laws' could disrupt its dedicated service culture and threaten features, potentially leading to the removal of AirDrop and a halt in AirPods and Apple Watch sales in Europe if demands for notification access and third-party app access to core OS layers are enforced.
WhatsApp is introducing a revolutionary username feature in its iPhone beta version, allowing users to communicate without sharing their phone numbers. This development is seen as a significant shift in messenger functionality, offering more privacy but also impacting social dynamics, particularly in contexts where obtaining a phone number was a social interaction 'trick'.
The United States has implemented entry bans for citizens from 12 countries, including Iran, Afghanistan, and Libya, and imposed restrictions on 7 others. This policy, which commenced on June 9, notably excludes Egypt despite an incident involving an Egyptian attacker in the US. The discrepancy is attributed to the US maintaining political and business relations with Egypt, facilitating cooperation in identifying 'sabotage elements,' unlike Iran which lacks direct diplomatic ties. Concerns are raised about the impact on student visas, given Iran's position as a major exporter of elites to the US.
Reports suggest the iPhone 17 will not feature a 120Hz ProMotion LCD in 2025, which means it will lack an always-on display and modem standby mode. This potential development contradicts earlier expectations, with the reliability of the source (Fix Focus Digital) being questioned, as its leakers have not always been accurate.
Elon Musk and Donald Trump have engaged in a public dispute, with Trump claiming Musk's success was due to his support and criticizing electric car policies. Musk retaliated by stating Trump would have lost the election without his influence and threatened to retire SpaceX's Crew Dragon missions. NASA, however, affirmed its continued cooperation with Trump.
Apple is set to unveil a new operating system named HomeOS 26 (building on a non-existent 'HomeOS 25') for smart home integration. This platform is designed to offer a sophisticated smart home system, potentially stemming from Apple's acquisition of a related company, aiming to enhance automated household functions.
The Photoshop app has been released in beta for Android, allowing users to join with an American IP address. The app is described as challenging to use on small phone screens with finger controls, prompting users to revert to desktop versions for complex tasks. While AI features are present, they are noted as inaccessible in Iran.
The winners of the 2025 Apple Design Competition were announced prior to WWDC 2025 on Monday, June 19, recognizing a list of outstanding applications.
The OnePlus 13s features a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, a 50,800 mAh battery (likely 5,080 mAh), 8.15mm thickness, 185 grams weight, 12 GB RAM, and 256 or 50 internal memory (likely 256 or 512 GB). The Chinese version is equipped with a silicon carbon battery boasting 6200 mAh, offering up to two and a half days of usage. It also includes a unique 'Plus button' on its left side.
Opera GX, a browser tailored for gamers, is introduced, noting its Cyberpunk theme and built-in VPN. The browser is available for Windows and Mac and includes a 'Force Dark' feature, suggesting a dark mode imposition for web content.
Viewer comments prompt discussions on various topics, including a 'hell simulator' concept regarding women's hijab, the unenforced law about flogging individuals on filtered platforms, a gas station scam involving glue on nozzles, and the reason for live streaming Apple events on Aparat instead of YouTube due to copyright strikes. Other comments touch upon Telegram's login options, a preference for Coca-Cola over Pepsi, the ambiguous meaning of the word 'Barikla,' and humorous teasing directed at a person referred to as 'Black.' The host reflects on Iran's societal difficulties, comparing it to a 'Dark Souls' game with no easy mode, and acknowledges increasing insecurity, advising viewers to utilize phone emergency features and live location sharing for safety.
The provided mobile phone, smuggled from North Korea, not only monitors users through secret screenshots and restricted internet access but also enforces ideological purity by correcting South Korean slang to 'comrade'.
| Insight | Detail |
|---|---|
| Apple's AI Ambition | Siri's advanced version has reached 'Chatty Whitty' capabilities, but its release is delayed due to concerns over 'acceptable levels of illusion'. |
| North Korea's Surveillance Tech | A smuggled North Korean phone secretly screenshots user activity, lacks internet, and censors language ('oppa' corrected to 'comrade'), enforcing ideological control. |
| EU vs. Apple Privacy Battle | The EU mandates greater access to Apple's services, potentially jeopardizing user privacy and security and threatening features like AirDrop. |
| US Visa Policy Discrepancies | US bans entry from 12 countries, including Iran, citing lack of political cooperation, while maintaining ties with other nations like Egypt despite security incidents. |
| Instagram's Delayed iPad App | Instagram is slated to launch an iPad app by late 2025, 13 years after its initial release, highlighting a long-standing omission for tablet users. |
| Rising Societal Insecurity | The discussion acknowledges increasing insecurity within the country, prompting advice to use mobile emergency features and live location sharing for safety. |
| WhatsApp's Numberless Communication | WhatsApp introduces usernames for communication, eliminating the need for phone numbers and shifting user interaction dynamics. |
