Weekly dose of UI/UX Industry News / 56th Edition

Business Model | Anthropic hikes the price of its Haiku model

Anthropic’s latest AI model, Claude 3.5 Haiku, has launched with impressive performance improvements, surpassing its previous flagship, Claude 3 Opus, in key benchmarks. However, the model is notably more expensive than previous versions and does not support image analysis, which was available in Claude 3 Haiku.

“During final testing, Haiku surpassed Claude 3 Opus, our previous flagship model, on many benchmarks — at a fraction of the cost. As a result, we’ve increased pricing for Claude 3.5 Haiku to reflect its increase in intelligence,” Anthropic wrote in a post on X.

Available through Anthropic’s API and third-party platforms like AWS Bedrock, Claude 3.5 Haiku is tailored for advanced coding support, data extraction, and content moderation tasks.

Key highlights:

• Higher Performance, Higher Cost: Claude 3.5 Haiku outperforms Claude 3 Opus but comes at a significantly higher price — $1 per million input tokens and $5 per million output tokens, a fourfold increase from Claude 3 Haiku’s pricing.
• No Image Analysis: Unlike its predecessor, Claude 3.5 Haiku lacks image analysis capabilities. For users requiring both affordability and image processing, Claude 3 Haiku remains an alternative.
• Optimized for Specialized Use Cases: The new model is ideal for applications like coding assistance, data extraction, labeling, and content moderation, making it suitable for specialized, high-performance needs.

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Artificial Intelligence | Amazon brings generative AI-powered recaps to Prime Video

Prime Video has launched a new feature called "X-Ray Recaps," powered by generative AI, to provide spoiler-free summaries of TV shows. Expanding on the existing X-Ray tool, this feature lets users recap an entire season, single episodes, or parts of episodes without risking plot spoilers.

The new feature is an expansion of the streamers’ existing X-Ray feature, which displays information when you pause the screen, such as details about the cast and other trivia.

Currently available in beta to Fire TV customers in the U.S., X-Ray Recaps initially supports Amazon MGM Studios titles like Daisy Jones & the Six, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, The Wheel of Time, and The Boys, with plans for wider device rollout by the year’s end.

Key highlights:

• Spoiler-Free Summaries: X-Ray Recaps is designed to deliver AI-generated, spoiler-guarded summaries, allowing viewers to catch up without revealing crucial plot points.
• Personalized Viewing Experience: The feature provides custom recaps aligned with where the viewer is in the show, from scene snippets to episode summaries, keeping the viewing experience cohesive.
• Beta Launch and Expansion Plans: Initially available for Fire TV in the U.S., X-Ray Recaps will soon expand to more Amazon devices, aiming to make spoiler-free TV viewing accessible across the platform.

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Applications | OpenAI launches ChatGPT search in direct challenge to Google’s search empire

OpenAI has unveiled a new ChatGPT search service available on its website and mobile apps, marking a potential challenge to Google’s search dominance. Leveraging its advanced GPT-4o model, the search platform provides conversational answers on topics like weather, sports, stocks, and maps, aiming to reduce repetitive searches.

Shares of Google parent Alphabet were off 1.5% following the news, roughly in line with the rest of the tech sector, which saw declines on concerns about the industry’s spending on AI infrastructure and uptake from customers.

The service, initially for ChatGPT Plus and Team users, will expand to other user tiers soon and can be set as the default search engine in Google Chrome.

Key highlights:

• Potential Disruption to Google’s Dominance: ChatGPT search directly competes with Google’s core business, particularly in search advertising, as it gains traction among users and may erode Google’s market share.
• Conversational, AI-Driven Search: OpenAI’s service uses conversational AI to streamline search queries, addressing information needs in a more interactive and efficient way.
• Exclusive Access and Expansion Plans: Currently available to premium users, the service is expected to expand in phases, with enterprise, education, and free users gaining access in the coming months.

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Socials| X is allowing people you’ve blocked to see your posts

X (formerly Twitter) has started rolling out a major change to its blocking feature, allowing blocked users to still see posts and follower lists of the blocking user. While the platform claims this adds "greater transparency," critics argue it reduces protections against harassment.

Musk claimed that stopping people from seeing your public posts “makes no sense,” but due to a post-Musk change that stops logged-out users from scrolling even a public profile, this could make it easier for blocked users to continue harassing someone.

The update, initiated by owner Elon Musk, may also face scrutiny from app stores, as Apple requires apps to enable blocking of abusive users from accessing their content.

Key highlights:

• Reduced Blocking Protections: Blocked users can still view posts, which some fear will increase exposure to harassment.
• Controversial Transparency Justification: X claims this change will curb hidden mentions but faces backlash over potentially making harassment easier.
• App Store Compliance Concerns: Apple’s guidelines mandate a more comprehensive block feature, potentially complicating X’s presence in app stores.

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Devices | Kindle Colorsoft owners complain of a yellow bar on the e-reader’s screen

Amazon's first color e-reader, the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition, is facing criticism from users over a yellow discoloration at the bottom of its display.

"We’re aware of a small number of reports from customers who see a yellow band along the bottom of the display. We take the quality of our products seriously and are looking into it" said Jill Tornifoglio, spokesperson of Amazon.

Complaints about the $279.99 device have led to a drop in its Amazon star rating, and Amazon has acknowledged the issue, encouraging affected users to contact customer service.

Key highlights:

• Display Issue: Users report a noticeable yellow strip along the bottom of the Kindle Colorsoft's screen, especially under specific lighting.
• Mixed Reactions and Impact: The issue is apparent in some devices but subtle or unnoticeable in others; feedback has affected the product's ratings.
• Amazon’s Response: Amazon states it is investigating the issue and advises customers experiencing this problem to reach out for support.

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