Air transport industry technology provider Sita has launched a high-speed fibre-optic service that delivers “ultra-reliable”, scalable and secure connectivity that could soon bypass copper cables in complex airport environments.

The firm believes that to date, bandwidth limitations, high latency and costly maintenance have meant platforms deployed at airports have sometimes fallen short.

Technologically, the Sita passive optical network (PON)-enabled fibre infrastructure, optical network terminals and centralised network will collectively deliver “uninterrupted”, high-bandwidth connectivity across crowded airports. The offering is intended to serve airports and airlines, maintenance, repair and overhaul, ground handlers, and other travel industry customers.

Sita PON is engineered to extend beyond passenger terminal spaces, and the company sees offering long-distance coverage with its network as being able to transform telecommunications infrastructure across distant airport hangars, engineering facilities and storage areas, where extended distances and restricted environments make traditional cabling inefficient.

Explicitly, the company regards existing copper wiring as often requiring repeaters or boosters, adding cost and complexity. By contrast, the Sita PON single fibre offering works across distances up to 20km (12+ miles) without the need for active equipment in-between – making it effective for data-heavy applications like HD video surveillance, smart kiosks, internet of things (IoT) devices and cloud services.

The company’s updated local area PON solution is being delivered in partnership with global networking solutions provider Tellabs and supplier of PON technology. It is designed to provide next-generation fibre-based infrastructure tailored for airports, airlines and ground handlers, with what are claimed to be “future-proofed” network performance to support mission-critical systems, smart airport services and IoT deployments, all while reducing costs.

By delivering high-speed, fibre-based connectivity through a centralised, passive optical network, Sita said that its PON eliminates the need for complex cabling that degrades over time and multiple active components.

It added that the network can ensure local-area network customers can build modern, high-performance networks with smart, sustainable and secure connectivity that removes limitations on future growth and the high-maintenance costs associated with legacy networks.

Sita PON also accesses technology through the Sita Campus Network, including automation and industry, and sustainable expertise. This delivers round-the-clock monitoring and proactive maintenance, available worldwide, with support spanning over 145 countries.

“The increasing use of data-intensive applications in airports places a lot of pressure on existing platforms,” said Martin Smillie, senior vice-president for communications and data exchange at Sita. “They can struggle to deliver increasing capacity demands for operational needs across sprawling and complex airport infrastructure for mission-critical operations.

“Sita PON resolves capacity constraints for airports, airlines and ground handlers by delivering ultra-reliable, scalable and secure connectivity through high-speed fibre-optic infrastructure. Together with Tellabs … Sita PON meets the connectivity needs of today and the next generation of high-capacity systems that will be used across even the largest airports in the future.”

Tellabs president and CEO Rich Schroder added: “This partnership enhances the critical network infrastructure that airports rely on every day. Together with Sita, we’re delivering next-generation connectivity that is more seamless, secure and designed to meet the evolving demands of modern airports worldwide.” 

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The Middle East region is massively varied when it comes to readiness for digital transformation. Many states – notably those of the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula – are awash with government funds, investment programmes and incentives for digital businesses.

Meanwhile, current and recent conflict zones, such as Palestine and Syria, severely lack some of the fundamentals, such as the ability to carry out electronic transactions or an investment and market ecosystem into which startups can grow.

And then there are difficulties common to many countries across the region, where bureaucracy and slow infrastructure can be obstacles in terms of infrastructure.

We spoke to representatives from startup companies at the Expand North Star event in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), this week, to gauge perceptions of their countries readiness for tech startups and digital business in general.

The event was attended by startup exhibitors from all Arab countries, with huge representation from the host country – the UAE – as well as significant presence from states from Morocco in the west to Oman in the east.

We spoke to startup founders and representatives from Egypt, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Qatar and the UAE to take the digital temperature across the region.

Egypt

“The main challenge is how to prove yourself to investors and to the customers that will buy your product. In Egypt, there are a lot of startups and a lot of entrepreneurships.

But also in Egypt, regarding the infrastructure, if you’re adding a new feature that is not traditional in Egypt, it can be a little bit of a challenge.”

Abdul Malik Mohammed, chief technology officer, Ducky Cars, Egypt

“In Egypt, the infrastructure is not digitised at all. So, for us to make things digitised, it’s super hard. It takes time, maybe months.

Egypt has a lot of skills when it comes to AI, but the infrastructure is a bit slow.”

Rokaya Ashraf, Agridawar, Egypt

Oman

“I think the infrastructure is OK in Oman. It can support the digital challenges. But there is bureaucracy. You have to do too many procedures. If you have a plan in your mind and you want to do it, it goes through too many procedures.”

Majeed Assaifi, chief operating officer, SafaQat Platform, Oman

Palestine

“There are a lot of obstacles. For startups, the problem is that everyone is working in theory. There is not an ecosystem where people can realise ideas. So, someone can know tech, can know marketing, but there’s no way to realise the idea.

The situation in Palestine also makes it a little bit risky for the investors and people, and so on. So, most startups die at the grants stage. You will get grants, but then what? It’s really, really hard to find the actual investor to invest in things.

The mentality with people who have money in Palestine is that they will invest in actual business, trading and so on. The mentality for investment in startups and so on is not there.”

Yazan Abassi, CEO of Plink Play, a mobile gaming discovery platform, Al Quds/Jerusalem

“First of all, it’s the market size in Palestine. It is very limited. The second thing is the situation – the socio-political and economic situation in Palestine. It changes a lot. So, people are not willing to invest in Palestinian companies or startups.

There is a lot of global competition. So, for Palestinian startups that are already at a disadvantage to actually go to the global level, there is a huge disconnect.”

Stephanie Polo, startup manager, B-Cite, the Al-Quds University incubator

“In Palestine, because we have a special situation with the conflict, it’s hard for us to get attention for our startup or to go to the market outside Palestine. Also, we don’t have access to all the technology we need. In a country like UAE or Saudi Arabia, things are more available online.”

Razan Ashhab, founder, Glycare, Al Quds/Jerusalem

Qatar

“From an infrastructure point of view, there are a few challenges. Here in the region, we rely a lot on providers. This is a data privacy challenge as well, because there is a lot of data stored outside, and that brings challenges to do with data sovereignty.

So, the challenge is to develop in-house datacentres and everything to comply with data privacy regulations.”

Almabrouk bin Umran, founder and CEO, Entreprenode, Qatar

Saudi Arabia

“In Saudi and the MENA region, it can be a bit challenging for deep tech [ie, hard science-based projects] ventures to find the right partners, especially in the VC [venture capital] space.

When it comes to deep tech, it requires certain skills, skillsets, which are currently missing in the region.

Finding regional talent is definitely a challenge because the universities, the research centres, are not at the level you would find in the western world. But things are changing with universities like Kaust in Saudi, Khalifa University in UAE, that are producing very good, high-quality research, which is suitable for deep tech ventures.”

Mohammad Karimi, CEO, Saher Flow Solutions, Saudi Arabia

“Saudi Arabia is investing in startups, but maybe the key challenge is awareness among people. They don’t know there is a huge amount of investment available.”

Bayan Al-Shahri, co-founder, Bio Fiber, Saudi Arabia

Syria

“The challenges we are facing are technical. For example, if someone wants to open a company in Syria, we pay mostly in cash. So, our challenge is to integrate Mastercard, Visa, so we can pay easily and make things work easily.”

Ahmad Abdul Jabbar, YallaGo, Syria

“The main issue is that if you want to create a startup, it’s going to be based on some sort of service, and you’ve got to receive money. The main thing is we cannot handle electronic payment yet in Syria.

It’s not about sanctions; it’s that we don’t have money in the bank. So, whatever payment is made, it is not going to be accepted by the service provider because it’s not going to be able to collect its money.

We need to find a good solution for that, and from my point of view, that is to print a new Syrian currency, which can resolve the issue, so people will trust it.”

Khalil Baza, chief technology officer, Mocion, Syria

“The main challenge is the infrastructure. They’re still working on it. But the Syrian government, with its new minister of telecommunication, is doing great.

Also, we need to bring everyone back, especially from abroad. There is a huge pool of talent among Syrian people, coming from Silicon Valley, from the UK, and in Saudi. They’re bringing everyone back with the hope of making it easier for startups. They’re investing a lot in people and ideas.”

Abdullah bin Sumaidiyah, AI director, aiIXplain-Trustangle, a low-code development platform, Syria

UAE

“I think the infrastructure here is geared up for it in terms of the intentions to help early-stage startups and the licensing support. But I feel maybe once people are in the ecosystem, at the very early stage, they’re kind of floundering their way. So, there’s a little gap between when they get traction, to get all the things you need to navigate between compliance regulation, software development, and so on.

There’s no challenge on the people side of things. We’ve been an early-stage startup, and we’ve managed to find amazing people to advise us.”

Lance Bohling, chief technology officer, Great People, UAE

“In the UAE, the cost of building a startup, of expansion, marketing and so on, is costly for those who are trying to figure out how to gain their first traction. But there is opportunity – more opportunities than any other country in the region.”

Bassam Tarek, CEO, Stacks, an AI powered drag-and-drop mobile app builder, UAE

“The UAE is amazing when it comes to startups. We have the ecosystem. We have government backing as well.

The struggle we see in the region, and not only in the UAE, is more on the investment side. Investors are very safe in what they want to push forward.

In the UAE, the money is here; it’s about where the money is being allocated. Investors don’t come in at the early stages of a startup. They want to come when the startup is already making money and is actually successful.

That limits creativity a lot because it forces smaller startups to pivot to where the money is, but then lose focus on their main mission.”

Yahya Kabara, marketing and strategy manager, MyGatePass, UAE

“In Dubai and the other emirates, it’s very vibrant and there’s a successful ecosystem to support startups. If you need a mentorship or something like that, they support us very well.

But there needs to be more women in business, and in that, we need a little bit more push. Especially in the AI business – it’s male-dominated, so there needs to be more support for women to come into the business.”

Nafiseh Gharavi, chief operating officer, Onkaru, an AI toy, UAE

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The Mobvoi TicNote works with a dedicated app that lets you sync recordings, transcribe them, play the audio, and so on. It’s not necessarily the prettiest app out there, but it’s fine, and it works well.

From the app, you can organize recordings into Projects, and when they’re transcribed, you can ask questions about your transcriptions to Shadow AI, the assistant built into the app. I didn’t necessarily find Shadow AI all that useful — I was using the device less like a place to store information I might want to access, and more like a place to actually record and transcribe speech for down the line. If you can get into the habit of using the device to take voice memos, you may find Shadow AI useful, though.

I do like how easy it is to read through the transcription of the audio, and play the audio for that specific section, if you so choose. Even though the quality of the transcription was pretty good, considering the fact that I used the TicNote for work, I wasn’t going to assume it was perfect. When I found quotes that I wanted to use in a story, it was easy to double-check that the transcription was correct. The app goes way beyond simply letting you access the audio and transcriptions of your files, too. It also lets you create “mind maps” based on that audio, conduct Deep Research based on the information in the file, and even generate a podcast using the recording.

From the app, you can also manage your subscription. For free, you’ll get 300 minutes of transcription per month, along with 10 AI chats per day, the ability to upload 10 files per month, access to basic templates, and more. There are two paid plans. TicNote Professional gives you 2,100 minutes per month, along with unlimited AI chat usage, 30 file uploads per month, and advanced templates. The Business plan has the same features as Professional, but increases usage to 6,600 minutes per month and document uploads to 100 per month. TicNote Professional costs $12.99 per month, while TicNote Business comes in at $29.99 per month.

Initially, I was confused so to why there were limits on file uploads — but the more files you upload, the more information the AI has to parse if you want it to be able to answer questions about the files you have in your account.

You don’t have to stick to just using the app, though you do still have to use the app to sync transcriptions. Assuming your voice notes are synced, you can also access them on a website, which offers many of the same features and controls as the app. I like that you can use a website — it makes using your transcriptions that much easier, especially in professional settings.

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As electrification in the automotive industry becomes standard and the roll-out of software-defined vehicles (SDVs) gains extra mileage, technology complexity is becoming a key issue for the industry, with compliance complexity, long development cycles and artificial intelligence (AI) hype emerging as key barriers to progress, according to a study of UK automotive software developers.

The Under the hood: The SDV developer report from the QNX division of BlackBerry comes as automakers are having to navigate change, accelerate innovation, and deliver safer and smarter vehicles as SDVs become more complex.

The study comes on the back of the UK government’s £2.5bn Drive35 programme, launched in July 2025 to accelerate zero-emission vehicle production, R&D, and supply chain transformation.

The topline findings of the report reveal that UK automotive software developers are grappling with complex regulatory demands, adapting to AI-driven transformation and seeking new ways to bridge the gap between consumer expectations and delivery timelines. In addition, the research highlighted the strain of long development cycles and integration complexity, while pointing to opportunities for original equipment manufacturers to rethink software strategies.

In particular, the UK’s regulatory landscape was flagged as being increasingly complex for UK automotive software developers. It noted that in 2024, over 500 new regulations and legislative proposals were introduced globally affecting in-car technology, and that it was “unsurprising” that 43% of respondents cited regulatory compliance as the biggest challenge in the software development process.

QNX believes that such complexity has left UK automotive software developers divided on the impact of new laws, with 39% saying regulations have accelerated timelines and an equal 39% reporting delays. Of those regulations, UK respondents ranked cyber security regulations, such as the Cyber Resilience Act, UNECE WP.29 and ISO/SAE 21434 (47%), software update and OTA compliance (44%), and data privacy regulations such as General Data Protection Regulation (37%), as the most challenging for their teams.

Further compounding the impact of regulation on timelines and development processes were recent software recalls, and failures that were creating bottlenecks and forcing change.

The survey found that over half (57%) of UK automotive software developers said their teams’ approaches to software development had changed as a result of recalls, with 40% reporting “major” changes. Those delays are further complicated by development bottlenecks with respondents citing long cycles (41%), debugging and testing (39%), and integration complexity (39%) as significant pain points.

Cyber security was poised to have increasing influence on the UK automotive sector and the roll-out of SDVs. More than two-thirds (68%) of the firms surveyed picked cyber security capability as the most critical skill for automotive software developers in the near term. The date also pointed to high demand for skills in functional safety (50%), AI/ML integration (50%) and real-time systems (47%).

Strengthening these skills will be critical to overcoming the main barriers to SDV success, QNX stressed, with UK respondents pointing to cyber security vulnerabilities (55%), regulatory uncertainty (45%) and consumer trust (38%) as the issues most likely to derail roll-out efforts.

The survey also highlighted a number of overhyped features and unrealistic expectations currently at work in the SDV market. It said that while a “sizeable chunk” of UK respondents believes full vehicle autonomy (49%) and AI-driven personalisation (48%) will shape SDVs by the end of the decade, they also view these features as receiving more attention than is warranted at this stage. UK automotive software developers also observed that such unrealistic expectations (51%) were creating a disconnect between consumers and software delivery timelines.

QNX said the findings suggest that industry priorities may be skewed towards advanced features at the expense of addressing fundamental development challenges. Notably, 82% of UK developers believe a deliberately minimalist, lower-tech vehicle could achieve commercial success – highlighting demand for differentiated offerings that value simplicity. Despite the perception that AI features are currently overhyped, the research also revealed that developers are optimistic about the role of AI in automotive software, with 93% expecting it to play a transformational or significant role in the next three to five years.

“These findings confirm the challenges that UK automakers face, with regulatory pressures, cyber security skills shortages and rising consumer expectations all combining to stall progress,” said Thomas Cardon, QNX director of EMEA automotive sales.

“AI will be part of the solution, but it’s no quick fix,” he said. “The manufacturers leading the way in the UK are the ones using automation to ease bottlenecks, embedding compliance into their processes, and focusing engineering talent on innovation that delivers safer, more secure and more reliable vehicles.”

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iOS 26 adds a few interesting features to the Wallet app. Some of the most exciting functions include Order Tracking, which uses Apple Intelligence to find emails sent by merchants or delivery carriers to show your full order details, order progress, notifications, and more. Then there’s Digital ID, which will let Americans create an ID with their passports to use at TSA checkpoints, and an updated boarding passes experience that makes travel easier.

This updated boarding passes experience, which brings travelers more access to timely and relevant information about their flights and airports, as well as quick access to airline app features, is finally rolling out to iPhone users as long as they’re flying United Airlines. While United is the first to add support for this feature, Air Canada, American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, Jetstar, Lufthansa, Qantas, Southwest, and Virgin Australia are also planning to support this functionality in the future. However, there’s a trick to enjoy United’s new experience in the iOS 26 Wallet app.

You need to do this to enjoy the new boarding pass experience

As spotted by 9to5Mac’s anonymous tipster, to get the Live Activity, users must enable it through the Wallet app. What’s interesting about this feature is that when users share the boarding pass’ Live Activity with someone else, they have all the information, other than the boarding group and seat information.

With the new boarding pass experience, United flyers can have other useful experiences, such as how to navigate the airport, track the luggage using the Find My app, in addition to sharing their flight information with other people.

Since Apple promoted this feature with Delta, it’s possible that the flight company might be the next to add this feature. The Wallet app is one of the most important apps on the iPhone, especially while traveling. This year, Apple even allows users to add their real card information, protecting it with the Secure Enclave.

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USB-C is an incredibly versatile connector that is quickly becoming ubiquitous on mobile devices and other gadgets. While not all gadgets using it take full advantage of its capabilities, it can support data transfer, power delivery, and video signals, making it ideal for a wide range of use cases. After years of relying on its proprietary Lightning connector, Apple finally gave in to USB-C on iPhones, with a strong push from the European Union. As a result, any new iPhone you buy today, including the latest iPhone 17 series, features a USB-C port for charging and data transfers. Most iPhones can also output video via the included USB-C port.

However, if you have a newer iPhone with a USB-C port, you can’t use it directly with many USB flash drives or other external storage media that come with a USB Type A connector. That’s where the Syntech USB-C to USB Adapter comes into play. It costs less than $15 for a two-pack and allows you to use your flash drives or external hard drive with a USB Type A connector on your iPhone. Simply plug the adapter into your iPhone, and then connect the storage drive to the adapter.

This helpfulness has made it an Amazon bestseller, garnering an impressive average rating of 4.7 out of 5 from over 180,000 buyer reviews. But what’s so special about it, and how capable is it?

Features of the Syntech USB-C to USB Adapter

Syntech

The Syntech USB-C to USB Adapter features a compact design with a zinc alloy casing, offering a premium look and enhanced durability. One of its biggest highlights is the support for USB 3.2 Gen 2, also known as USB 10 Gbps, which means you’ll be able to take full advantage of the fast data transfer speeds supported by the USB-C ports on a Pro-series iPhone model, such as the iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro.

Remember, data speeds are only as fast as the slowest link in the connection. So if you plug in a USB 2.0 flash drive, you won’t get 10 Gbps speeds. Similarly, when the Syntech adapter is used with iPhone 16, 17, Air, or other models featuring a USB 2.0 Type C port, the data transfer rates will be limited to under 480 Mbps, the fastest supported by the USB 2.0 specification. Besides connecting external storage media, you can use this adapter to connect peripherals to your iPhone. It will also work seamlessly with your other devices, such as your MacBook Air or iPad, making it a pretty versatile accessory in your arsenal.

Most Amazon shoppers are happy with their purchase of the Syntech USB-C to USB Adapter, praising its ease of use and portable design. However, some buyers rightly point out that you won’t be able to use it on your iPhone or iPad with most cases, as the case will obstruct the adapter’s casing, preventing the USB-C connector from sliding completely into the device port.

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The revenue generated by neocloud service providers, who are seemingly usurping the traditional hyperscale providers when it comes to hosting artificial intelligence (AI) workloads, is expected to exceed $23bn during 2025.

That’s according to market data shared by Synergy Research Group (SRG), which confirmed the revenue generated by neoclouds surpassed $5bn during the second quarter of 2025, which is up 205% on the previous year.

Throughout the course of 2025, there have been numerous announcements about neocloud providers, such as CoreWeave and the OpenAI-backed Stargate project, announcing the opening or future development of datacentre sites that will be used to house compute-intensive AI workloads.

The purveyors of neocloud services specialise primarily in the provision of the graphics processing units (GPU) infrastructure needed to run AI workloads, and – for this reason – are sometimes referred to as being GPU-as-a-service (GPUaaS) providers.

This is in contrast to the more traditional hyperscale providers who offer a broader range of cloud services, rather than just GPU infrastructure services.  

The uptick in demand for neocloud services has, in turn, given rise to a “lot of hype and exaggerated or unsubstantiated claims about the massive buildout of gigawatt campuses” to underpin the projected growth of generative AI workloads, said SRG in its research note.

However, it predicts that the revenue generated by neoclouds will hit $180bn by 2030, albeit with “road bumps” along the way, in the form of financing difficulties, power supply issues and problems sourcing the necessary hardware.

However, it is SRG’s view that the underlying demand for AI services will help the neocloud sector overcome these barriers and other competitive pressures, on account of the fact that providers are targeting the fast-growing AI segment.

“Neocloud plans and initiatives remain somewhat fluid, but in aggregate, Synergy sees them steadily gaining market share in those high-growth target market segments,” said SRG in its research note.

“In terms of being a direct competitor to the traditional hyperscale cloud providers, CoreWeave is leading the group. While its focus and business model is different from the other neoclouds, OpenAI is the largest of the group, and will remain a key player over the coming years thanks to its Stargate initiatives.”

As previously reported by Computer Weekly, the OpenAI-backed Stargate initiative has seen the ChatGPT maker embark on joint ventures with the likes of GPU provider Nvidia and neocloud firm Nscale in the UK, in the interests of providing sovereign compute capacity for the sole purpose of hosting AI models.

Typically, neoclouds are either relatively new startup companies or, as is the case with Nscale, are crypto mining companies that have pivoted to providing high-performance computing services, said SRG.

“There is a lot of hype around neocloud, Stargate and gigawatt campus developments, but when you work through the marketing smoke and mirrors and look at the underlying numbers, the growth rates and future market size are truly impressive,” said SRG founder and chief analyst Jeremy Duke.

“GPUaaS and GenAI platform services are currently growing at around 165% per year and neoclouds are gaining share in those high-growth markets,” he added. “There is every reason to believe that they will continue to grow their market share, as cloud providers of all types struggle to match supply with burgeoning AI demand.”

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When traveling by air, it’s advised to get to the airport early to make it through security screening. That makes a lot of sense because it takes a while to get through the process, between verifying your identity, having your bags and items checked, and moving through the terminals. While interacting with TSA can be quite a hassle, they do try to introduce new technologies and new processes to make the entire experience more efficient. Recently, for example, the TSA did away with the rule that you have to remove your shoes to pass through checkpoints. And thanks to a new form of technology, a biometric-enabled eGate, the screening process may get even faster. Advanced or not, it’s still worth setting up a TSA Digital ID Pass on compatible devices.

Many major airports now offer faster security screening with the technology developed by a company called Clear, in which electronic gates, or eGates, use facial recognition and biometrics to verify a traveler’s identity — matching their real identity with travel documents. They replace TSA agents doing this manually, streamlining the security checkpoints. Of course, knowing the technology behind the new systems and how they actually work are two different things. Here’s what you need to know before traveling through one of these airports.

How do the Clear eGates work?

Frame Stock Footage/Shutterstock

As explained by the TSA in a press release, the eGates “automatically compare traveler biometrics with their identity document and boarding pass” and don’t need a human agent present to complete the process. This technology should enhance “efficiency and security” when used at TSA checkpoints, speeding up the screening and, purportedly, catching identity anomalies better. 

Clear also explains how the technology works in more detail. They use a three-step process. First, users enroll in a service called CLEAR+, which at the time of this writing costs $209 a year for an individual and allows them to use the gates. Second, approach an eGate lane and scan your boarding pass and travel documents. Third, when it’s your turn, the gate will use built-in technology, like cameras and facial scanners, to verify your identity. If you pass, the gate will open automatically, and you can proceed to the TSA bag checks.

People are always curious what TSA’s airport security body scanners actually see, and what a TSA facial scan actually does, as well, for good reason. These technologies may visually scan bodies or faces, but the resulting data can be sensitive in nature. How does that compare to the Clear eGates? 

When it comes to privacy, Clear says that these systems do not transmit or handle excessive data and only in a limited capacity. They will compare a live photo of the ID you use, or one on your boarding pass, along with other basic information, to verify you are who you say you are. According to Clear, the gates do not access any sensitive or privileged information, including that compiled by the TSA. Employees cannot manually open the gates either, to enhance security and screening, but this also prevents them from accessing any information, as well.

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OpenAI launched the new Sora 2 AI video generation model a few days ago alongside a Sora social app for iPhone, where users can create and share AI-generated videos. Sora 2 videos went viral, propelling the official Sora app to the top of the App Store. However, the Sora app saw a limited launch. OpenAI made it available in the U.S. and Canada, but users needed an iPhone to install the app and an invite code to start generating clips.

Unsurprisingly, the first Sora 2 clone apps have already started to appear on the App Store and Google Play, ready to mislead unsuspecting users into downloading them, and potentially paying a fee for access. First detailed by John Gruber and 9to5Mac, the Sora 2 clones made it to the App Store quickly after the official app debuted. One of these fake apps made it to the ninth spot on the App Store’s “Top Photo & Video Apps” chart, showing how popular Sora 2 has become in a matter of days.

As 9to5Mac pointed out, the Sora 2 clones it spotted on Saturday have either been removed from the App Store or reverted to their original titles. Still, the danger hasn’t disappeared. You might find similar clones on Google Play or elsewhere on the internet. We won’t name any of the clone apps, but we advise you to avoid them. Instead, wait for OpenAI to release Sora in your region. The screenshot below shows the official Sora 2 listing in the App Store.

Danger posed by Sora clones

9to5Mac spotted about a dozen apps in the App Store showing up when searching for “Sora 2.” The list included apps that showed OpenAI’s Sora logo and apps that mentioned Google’s Veo 3 as the AI video generation model powering the app rather than Sora 2. Google unveiled Veo 3 at I/O 2025 in May, making it available to users in the following months. Like Sora 2, Veo 3 also went viral once more users received access, with people sharing their creations online.

Some of the Sora 2 clones feature in-app purchases or subscriptions, some of which 9to5Mac notes are rather expensive. That’s the main reason to avoid these apps. They’re unlikely to give you access to Sora 2, and whatever you’re getting comes at a price. Even if a Sora clone offers you genuine access to an AI video creation platform that supports third-party models, the Sora 2 model is not available officially outside of the U.S. and Canada. It’s unlikely that genuine AI apps available for iPhone and Android can offer users access to Sora 2.

Similar scams might exist outside of the App Store. For example, one AI video generation tool on Android has a Sora 2 icon, even though “Sora” isn’t in the app’s name. The description indicates the users get access to OpenAI’s video model. OpenAI has not released an official Android app as of this writing. Sora 2 clones for desktop might be even more dangerous than their mobile counterparts, as they could carry hidden malicious capabilities. Avoid any Sora 2 downloads on your PC and only use the official web app.

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IT decision-makers and people in IT procurement have seen various types of software licensing evolve. On-premise software licensing, normally charged per user or per processor, has moved to a subscription-based licensing model with the growth of Software as a Service (SaaS). But as Prem Ananthakrishnan, global software practice lead at Accenture notes, there is a new model that is now emerging, based on the idea of measuring the value that the software or service provides.

Looking at the evolution of software licensing, he says: “The perpetual licensing model, where you would pay a one time fee for the software and own that version forever, has been rapidly declining. The dominant model today is where the customer pays a recurring fee. This could be per user or per tier for a given term.”

This model is predictable for software firms, who, he says, are able to extract value on a fixed term basis.

While there was some resistance from IT buyers over the move from buying software as capital expenditure to an OpEx (operational expenditure) model, he says, it is helping them avoid buying shelfware or being locked in. “They also recognise that they can pay, see value and then continue to invest incrementally in software,” he adds.

Another model that has been gaining traction over the last decade is based on usage, where an IT buyer purchases consumption credits. “Think of the cell phone type plans popularised by the hyperscale cloud providers,” Ananthakrishnan says.

Accenture is now seeing the emergence of outcome-based or value-based pricing models as Ananthakrishnan explains: “The idea here is that you pay for the actual results or business impact that the software creates and not just for the access.”

“When Gen AI came to the scene with ChatGPT in 2022, people quickly realised that AI makes software dynamic.” Unlike traditional software where the value sits in dashboards and reports Ananthakrishnan says agentic AI and AI software is smart: “It thinks, it acts and it reasons.”

It also consumes compute resources in real time and is unpredictable. As Ananthakrishnan points out,  software providers find it difficult trying to apply a static software licence to price something that is dynamic.

From an IT buyer perspective, Ananthakrishnan says the big shift is a fundamental change from understanding that software cannot just be purchased as a tool. “Think about software as a collaborator that’s driving an outcome for the business,” he says.

For now, IT buyers will have seen the use of tokens as a way of measuring AI’s value. In effect, this offers a form of usage -based licensing that approximates value based on the number of tokens – or phrases – a generative AI engine handles. Ananthakrishnan says: “The tokenisation or using computing credits or GPU credits, are all just proxies for value.”

Accoridng to Ananthakrishnan, the reason most AI providers have gravitated towards token-based pricing is because it offers a simple way for customers to understand value. He says: “Truly understanding value points and attributing the value generated by software to a particular [value metric] is a very, very hard problem to solve.”

Nevertheless, for Ananthakrishnan, this is where the software market is heading.

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