San Francisco, Feb 3 (IANS) Elon Musk-run Tesla is recalling more than two million vehicles — almost all of the cars it sold in the US — due to incorrect font size on warning lights.

According to a recall notice filed with the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the recall of almost 2.2 million vehicles includes nearly all Tesla EV models, including Model S, Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, Model Y, and 2024 Cybertruck vehicles.

“An incorrect font size is displayed on the instrument panel for the Brake, Park, and Antilock Brake System (ABS) warning lights. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 105, ‘Hydraulic and Electric Brake Systems’ and 135, ‘Light Vehicle Brake Systems’,” the notice reads.

The NHTSA also noted that warning lights with a smaller font size can make critical safety information on the instrument panel difficult to read, increasing the risk of a crash.

Tesla has started releasing an over-the-air software update free of charge to fix the issue.

According to the agency, owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on March 30, 2024.

In recent months, safety concerns have prompted Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company to issue multiple recalls.

Last month, Tesla recalled more than 4,000 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles made between 2022 and 2023 in Australia due to a software issue.

In December last year, Tesla recalled more than 2 million vehicles in the US to address a “defect” with Autopilot, the company’s controversial advanced driver-assist system.

San Francisco, Feb 3 (IANS) Elon Musk-run SpaceX has quietly invited proposals for exceptional science and research ideas that will enable life in space and on other planets, to be executed on orbit using its Dragon spacecraft capsule.

Research proposals submitted to SpaceX will be reviewed and evaluated based on mission objectives, scientific and technical merit, and feasibility.

“Research proposals for Dragon human spaceflight missions will be accepted through March 15, 2024, and may be included in missions as early as late 2024,” said SpaceX.

The company has discussed using Dragon as an orbital lab, similar to the International Space Station (ISS), going back a decade. NASA has spent years studying the effects of microgravity on the human body.

The SpaceX proposals should focus on innovative solutions to increase efficiency and effectiveness, specifically focused on time efficiencies, resources required, equipment and protocols, and efficacy assessments.

They should also focus on tools that enhance health and well-being during long-duration missions, specifically focused on medical capabilities, virtual or augmented reality as a multipurpose tool, inflight health, and just-in-time training, according to SpaceX.

“As the world’s leading launch service provider, SpaceX enables researchers the opportunity to frequently fly critical science to orbit on the Dragon spacecraft, which has carried over 1,000 research experiments to and from low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station since 2012,” said the company.

San Francisco, Feb 3 (IANS) As Apple CEO Tim Cook greeted first customers of the $3,499 mixed reality (MR) headset Vision Pro, he realised some of them even had tears in their eyes as they either bought the device or tried it out for the first time.

Cook arrived at Apple’s Fifth Avenue store in New York City to greet the customers on the first day of the sale of the much-anticipated headset.

“What a thrilling morning celebrating the launch of Apple Vision Pro at Apple Fifth Avenue! The era of spatial computing has arrived,” Cook posted on X, with some images from the NYC store.

“Seeing people’s reactions to trying Apple Vision Pro for the first time today was wonderful. Some people had tears in their eyes! Our mission is to enrich people’s lives, and I could feel that happening in real time. What a day,” Cook further posted.

Apple let people see the demo of the headset at its stores on a first-come, first-served basis. The company also allowed customers to reserve time for a demo starting on Monday, February 5.

The tech giant has announced more than 600 apps and games designed for Apple Vision Pro headset.

Spatial experiences Vision Pro can transform any room into a personal theatre for sports, TV shows, and films; unlock new ways to collaborate, create, and view digital content; and transport users to stunning gameplay environments and exciting new places.

“With more than 600 new spatial experiences to explore in the all-new App Store, alongside more than 1 million compatible apps across iOS and iPadOS, users can discover a wide array of apps that expand the boundaries of what’s possible,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations.

Apple Vision Pro features ultra-high-resolution displays that deliver more pixels than a 4K TV for each eye, so users can watch their favourite content on a 100-foot screen.

Sports fans will love the viewing experience on Vision Pro, with apps like PGA TOUR Vision, which uses real-time shot tracking layered on top of 3D models of real golf courses alongside key stats — including leaderboards, scorecards, schedules, course information, and other tournament details — to bring the tour to life in a user’s space.

Alongside Disney+, top entertainment apps have taken advantage of the unique capabilities of Apple Vision Pro to offer all-new ways for viewers to view their favourite movies, shows, and more.

“With the Max app for Apple Vision Pro, fans can transform their space using the Iron Throne Room environment for an immersive experience that brings viewers into the iconic Red Keep,” said Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content.

On Apple Music, listeners can download and stream more than 100 million songs ad-free with Spatial Audio featuring Dolby Atmos and Lossless Audio with ultra-low latency using AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with USB-C.

San Francisco, Feb 2 (IANS) Apple has made it very difficult for others to build rival app stores in the European Union (EU), Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said.

Apple maintains that side-loading represents a security threat. However, the EU’s upcoming Digital Markets Act (DMA) has forced the tech giant to make App store changes in the region, including new fees.

“I don’t think that the Apple thing is going to have any difference for us. Because I think that the way they have implemented it, I would be very surprised if any developer chose to go into the alternative app stores that they have,” Zuckerberg told analysts during the company’s fourth quarter earnings call late on Thursday.

“They’ve made it so onerous, and I think so at odds with the intent of what the EU regulation was, that I think it”s just going to be very difficult for anyone, including ourselves, to really seriously entertain what they’re doing there,” he added.

After Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney and Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, Microsoft has also criticised Apple App Store changes in the EU, calling those “a step in the wrong direction.”

The new App Store changes, announced ahead of the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) in March, will require developers using third-party app stores to pay 0.50 euro for each annual app install after 1 million downloads.

Apple will also still take a 17 per cent commission from the developers who choose to use third-party payment processors.

New York, Feb 1 (IANS) Social media platforms YouTube and Facebook are the most used online platforms among US adults, according to a report on Thursday.

The findings, by Pew Research Center, showed that about eight-in-ten US adults (83 per cent) report ever using YouTube.

Facebook with 68 per cent user base is also a dominant player in the online landscape, while 47 per cent US adults said they use Instagram. Recent Centre findings also show that YouTube also dominates the social media landscape among US teenagers.

“YouTube and Facebook are the only two platforms that majorities of all age groups use. That said, there is still a large age gap between the youngest and oldest adults when it comes to use of YouTube. The age gap for Facebook, though, is much smaller,” said Jeffrey Gottfried, Associate Director of research at Pew Research Center, in the report.

The findings, based on a survey of 5,733 US adults conducted in May-September, 2023, showed that TikTok — which some Congress members previously called to ban — saw growth in its user base since 2021.

A third of US adults (33 per cent) use the video-based platform, up 12 percentage points from 2021 (21 per cent).

About 27 per cent to 35 per cent of US adults also use Pinterest, TikTok, LinkedIn, WhatsApp and Snapchat.

In addition, about one-in-five also shared they use X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit.

Further, the report found stark age differences among users of Instagram (78 per cent), Snapchat (65 per cent) and TikTok (62 per cent) — platforms that are used by majorities of adults under 30.

“Americans ages 30 to 49 stand out for using three of the platforms – LinkedIn, WhatsApp and Facebook – at higher rates. For instance, 40 per cent of this age group uses LinkedIn, higher than the roughly three-in-ten among those ages 18 to 29 and 50 to 64. And just 12 per cent of those 65 and older say the same,” Gottfried said.

The report also showed that women were more likely to use Pinterest (50 per cent vs. 19 per cent), TikTok (40 per cent vs. 25 per cent) and Instagram (54 per cent vs 39 per cent) than men.