Author: Richard

### Untitled Apple TV Project Starring Dakota Fanning

Apple TV has unveiled a thrilling new initiative that promises to engage viewers. This unnamed suspense drama will showcase Dakota Fanning in a prominent role, with her sister, Elle Fanning, taking on the role of executive producer. This endeavor is part of an expanding partnership between Apple and Sony Pictures Television, further cementing their collaboration in creating premium content.

#### Synopsis

As stated in a press release from Apple, the series will center around Dakota Fanning portraying an undercover Treasury agent. She becomes embroiled in a multibillion-dollar global conglomerate that has extensive political and criminal ramifications. While carrying out her mission, she grapples with her main target, the heir to a corrupt dynasty, whom she suspects might be a fundamentally good individual worthy of her affection.

#### Production Team

Alongside Dakota and Elle Fanning, the production crew features prominent professionals such as Brittany Kahan Ward, recognized for her contributions to “The Great,” and Julie Gardner, associated with “Lady In The Lake.” Kari Skogland, celebrated for her directorial achievements in “Smoke,” will helm the series. This eclectic and skilled team is anticipated to contribute a distinct vision to the project.

#### Distribution and Release Timeline

The unnamed thriller is being created by Sony Pictures Television, with Apple TV set to offer it exclusively. This initiative adds to an expanding portfolio of collaborations between Apple and Sony, which encompasses acclaimed series like “For All Mankind,” “Black Bird,” and “The Afterparty.” Although a release schedule has yet to be confirmed, viewers can expect an announcement regarding the show’s title soon.

#### Apple TV Subscription

Apple TV can be subscribed to for a fee of $12.99 monthly, providing access to an array of popular shows and films, including “Severance,” “The Morning Show,” and “Silo.” With the introduction of this new thriller, Apple TV continues to expand its content offerings, appealing to a diverse audience.

As excitement grows for this untitled venture, fans of Dakota Fanning and gripping stories alike have plenty to anticipate in the months ahead.

The government of South Korea has formally rejected Elon Musk’s appeal for documents from the Kakao super app in xAI’s lawsuit against Apple. Below are the specifics.

### xAI Might Still Have a Chance at Acquiring Some of the Requested Documents

In recent months, xAI’s legal team has dispatched letters to several Asian super app developers, looking for documents that it believes would back its assertion that Apple’s App Store regulations are unjust.

To summarize, here’s the situation: Elon Musk expressed on Twitter that Apple’s collaboration with OpenAI was hindering Grok’s success in the App Store. Shortly after, xAI initiated legal action against both firms.

In the lawsuit, xAI contends that Apple’s App Store regulations unlawfully inhibit super apps, as an effort to stop users from transitioning away from the iPhone. They also assert that Apple’s partnership with OpenAI solidifies this limitation on super apps.

Since taking over Twitter, Musk has concentrated on evolving X into a super app, a category that has experienced significant success in Asia. These applications consolidate services such as ride-hailing, food delivery, payments, streaming, and chat into a single platform, a concept that has yet to achieve genuine traction in Western markets.

In its efforts to persuade Apple to modify the App Store’s rules, xAI has been utilizing an international agreement, known as The Hague Convention, to officially request documents from super app firms located in Asian nations, including Alipay in China and Kakao Corporation in Korea.

In the correspondence, xAI asserts that “Apple’s actions unlawfully restrict competition from ‘super apps,’” and goes on to seek the following:

– Documents related to the financial or strategic importance of selling or distributing Super Apps via various app stores.
– Documents sufficient to demonstrate how revenue is generated from the app in the U.S. and globally.
– Documents concerning the ranking of the app on any Apple App Store List.
– Documents regarding how Super Apps influence smartphone customers’ ability to switch devices.
– Documents sufficient to illustrate plans to integrate and/or current integration of Generative AI technology into the app and the reasoning behind it.
– Documents regarding how Apple’s policies, programs, product modifications, or other limitations have impacted the capacity to distribute or enhance the app.

Additionally, xAI defines “Documents” as:

– Emails and other types of correspondence
– Presentations and slide decks
– Notes and minutes
– Analyses, reports, studies, experiments
– Data, data analyses, and any related working documents, such as Excel spreadsheets or other software or tools
– Agreements
– Product requirement documents, product design documents
– Training and/or onboarding materials

The term “Documents” encompasses any metadata or other embedded information within a document.

This week, the Director of International Affairs at the Supreme Court of the Republic of Korea denied xAI’s request for Kakao-related documents, asserting that it was too broad:

“Reference is made to the above case seeking international judicial assistance to take evidence. We inform you that, pursuant to Article 5 of the HCCH 1970 Evidence Convention, the Letter of Request cannot be executed. Under Article 23 of the Convention, the Republic of Korea has declared that it will not execute Letters of Request issued to obtain documents for pre-trial discovery purposes. Therefore, evidence requests must specify the materials sought in detail rather than broadly stating them as all-related documents.”

In other words, the Korean government isn’t completely dismissing the idea of allowing Kakao to determine whether to provide documents, but xAI will have to be significantly more precise if it wishes for its request to progress.

Apple Intelligence, which debuted in 2024, is set for major progress in 2026, especially with the expected launch of ‘Siri 2.0’ this spring. The recent collaboration between Apple and Google marks a key milestone, expanding beyond Siri to include the next generation of Apple Foundation Models, utilizing Google’s Gemini models and cloud services.

This partnership signifies a strategic transition for Apple, focusing on greatly enhancing its AI capabilities. The official announcement emphasized that the upcoming Siri features are merely the start of a wider effort to advance Apple Intelligence.

With the forthcoming iOS 26.4 update, users should prepare for a new chapter for Siri, although it’s important to manage expectations. Initial features will be released this spring, while more sophisticated functions, like recalling previous conversations and offering proactive suggestions, are slated for introduction at Apple’s annual developer conference in June. This stepwise plan indicates that while the foundation for Siri’s evolution is being established, more significant changes will require time.

Looking to the future, iOS 27 is speculated to unveil numerous significant AI features, including a web search tool powered by AI and a redesigned Siri persona. With Google’s backing, Apple seeks to introduce innovative functionalities that improve the user experience across its devices.

As the AI landscape progresses, Apple’s strategic alliance with Google might reshape its method of engaging with artificial intelligence, promising a more cohesive and intelligent experience for users in the years ahead.