19 Oct 2025
This episode delves into a wide array of technology news, starting with Microsoft's new Copilot AI assistant and Apple's latest M-series chips and products, alongside critical commentary on their pricing and government policies in Iran. The discussion also covers emerging AI tools, smartphone issues like the Pixel 10 Fold's battery and iPhone 17's 'onion skin' color change, and significant industry shifts like Samsung's product line adjustments and Windows 10's end-of-life.
Episode 15 of 'TikTok' opens with a humorous note about a national code (21B1) not found online, and references previous news about the Iranian government's 45 million profit from iPhones, contrasting it with Apple's 35 million profit.
Microsoft introduced Copilot as a new voice assistant for Windows 11, potentially serving as a third input mechanism for tasks like sorting gallery images and extracting data. Microsoft acknowledges the feature is in its early, potentially buggy stages, and the speaker expresses confusion over Microsoft's competitive relationship with OpenAI, its main shareholder.
Apple unveiled the M-Fa chip (likely M3, M3 Pro, M3 Max, or similar family, given the context of 'Fa' as a placeholder or mispronunciation), featuring 15 CPUs, 30 GPUs, and 153 GB/s memory bandwidth. This chip powers new 14-inch MacBook Pros ($1,600), 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pros ($1,000, $1,300), and the Vision Pro ($3,500), which in Iran is equivalent to 400 million and potentially 500 million tomans due to government tariffs.
A new AI tool named Q? (likely 'Q') was introduced as an image-to-video maker, distinguishing itself by producing better video from images without distorting the original image. This tool allows users to transform a person or location with a specific costume into a video, suggesting capabilities for extending and editing clips, and is testable via Google AI Studio and Gemini Pro (outside Iran).
Steve Jobs is being honored with a coin as part of the American Innovation Coin program by the United States Mint, which has been producing coins since 2018 to symbolize outstanding innovations and pioneering efforts. Previous honorees include inventions like the lamp (New Jersey), the Hubble Space Telescope (Maryland), and George Washington (Missouri), with Jobs representing California.
Registering an iPhone 17 Pro in Iran's customs system costs 43 million tomans, or 44 million for the Pro Max, indicating significant government surcharges. While Apple profits about $350 on an $1,100 iPhone 17 Pro, the Iranian government's taxes and fees inflate the final price to an estimated $1,500, with even higher costs if imported personally or through companies.
The Pixel 10 Fold Pro was criticized for being a problematic device, with reports of its battery overheating, bursting, and catching fire during use, indicating significant design flaws and safety concerns even under normal conditions.
Certain orange iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models reportedly oxidize quickly upon contact with skin, changing color to pink or gold, a phenomenon dubbed 'onion skin.' This cosmetic issue is not related to rubbing off external layers but rather an inward chemical reaction, potentially leading to an unwanted gold-plated appearance.
A video of an electric car catching fire after an accident in China, presumably from a Xiaomi vehicle, led to a significant drop in Xiaomi's stock by almost 9%. The incident highlights concerns over electric vehicle safety and the rapid and intense nature of battery fires.
The iPhone 18 Pro is expected to feature a variable aperture camera, a technology previously seen in some Galaxy S models but discontinued by Samsung due to cost and mechanical fragility. This feature would allow for better low-light performance and enhanced depth-of-field effects, despite potential durability concerns if dropped.
A study by New York University in the Tehran subway investigated the long-term impact of COVID-19 on the sense of smell, finding that a significant number of people who reported no issues actually had a reduced or lost sense of smell. This highlights the subtle and often unnoticed complications of COVID-19, including complete or partial anosmia.
Oppo launched the Nova Flip S, touted as the world's cheapest foldable phone at under $500, featuring a thin design, 195-gram weight, 2.4-inch 480x480 pixel external display, 4400 mAh battery with 66-watt wired charging, and a 50-megapixel main camera with a Unisoc processor.
The European Union introduced a law allowing companies to offer electronic products with or without a charger at no additional cost, a move Apple has used to remove chargers from new MacBook Pros sold in the EU, attributing the decision to regulatory requirements, despite the option for consumers to choose.
ChatGPT is set to be equipped with direct and group chat features, aligning with OpenAI's recent shift towards social products like the Sora app, which includes user profiles and direct messaging. This aims to increase user engagement and transform the AI tool into a social platform.
Following strong sales of the S25H (likely S25 FE or similar, given the sales figures) and S25 Ultra, Samsung plans to discontinue the S26 Edge model and replace the regular S26 with an S26 Pro, effectively eliminating the 'Plus' and 'Edge' variants. This strategy may be influenced by Apple's past struggles with less popular iPhone models.
Notion, a popular note-taking and project management application, is mentioned with a warning about sanctions affecting Iranian users. Craft is introduced as a strong alternative, offering similar features like code support, collaboration, tasks, calendars, and templates, with a new macOS version supporting Liquid Glass UI.
Windows 10 will no longer receive official updates, entering a grace period of one year for security updates via an 'Enroll' option, after which it will become unsupported and vulnerable. Users are advised to upgrade to Windows 11, although this requires a TPM and new hardware, posing a challenge for many.
Bima-Aize is an application designed to make the world accessible for blind and partially sighted individuals, using the phone's camera to describe surroundings and allowing a global community or AI to provide assistance. The discussion also critically notes the irony of Tehran museums offering free entry to the blind without tactile or auditory aids.
In a country where you sell in bags, you can make it a science-based one.
| Topic | Key Insight | Context/Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Copilot | New voice assistant for Windows 11. | Performs tasks like image sorting and data extraction; in early, potentially buggy stages. Conflicting relationship with OpenAI noted. |
| Apple M-Fa Chip (M3/M-series) | High-performance chip across multiple devices. | 15 CPUs, 30 GPUs, 153 GB/s memory bandwidth. Powers MacBook Pro ($1,600), iPad Pro ($1,000-$1,300), Vision Pro ($3,500, ~400-500M Tomans in Iran). |
| Iranian iPhone Import Costs | Significant government profit from iPhone sales/registration. | Iranian government profits 45M from iPhones; registry for iPhone 17 Pro is 43-44M Tomans, escalating price from Apple's $1,100 to $1,500+ in Iran. |
| Q? AI Video Maker | New AI for transforming images into videos. | Produces better video without distorting original image; capable of costume/location transformations. Available for testing on Google AI Studio/Gemini Pro. |
| Pixel 10 Fold Pro Issues | Battery overheating and explosion concerns. | Device prone to overheating, bursting, and catching fire, even under normal use, marking a poor launch for Pixel. |
| iPhone 17 Pro 'Onion Skin' | Cosmetic discoloration of orange models. | Orange iPhone 17 Pro/Max oxidizes quickly on contact with skin, changing color to pink/gold due to inward chemical reaction. |
| iPhone 18 Pro Camera | Expected variable aperture feature. | Allows more light for low-light, blur effects for bokeh. Samsung previously used and discontinued due to cost/fragility; potential durability concern for iPhone. |
| Oppo Nova Flip S | World's cheapest foldable phone (<$500). | Light (195g), thin, 2.4-inch external display (480x480, 120Hz), 4400 mAh battery, 66W charging, 50MP camera, Unisoc processor. |
| EU Charger Law / Apple's Response | EU allows optional chargers; Apple removed them from MacBooks in EU. | Companies can offer products with/without charger at no extra cost. Apple blames EU for 'forcing' removal, despite the law offering choice, requiring separate charger purchase. |
| ChatGPT Updates | Direct and group chat capabilities coming. | Aligns with OpenAI's move towards social features (like Sora app's user profiles/DMs) to increase engagement and transition from tool to social platform. |
| Windows 10 End-of-Life | No more official updates, security risks after grace period. | After a one-year security update grace period (via 'Enroll' option), Windows 10 will be unsupported. Windows 11 upgrade requires TPM, posing hardware upgrade challenges. |
| Bima-Aize App | Accessibility app for visually impaired. | Uses camera to describe surroundings, offers crowd-sourced and AI assistance. Contrasted with inadequate 'free' museum access for blind in Tehran. |
