September Google Book Event; iPhone 18-What’s Coming When; Ice Agents Can’t Wear Meta Glasses at Work; TicTok Looks to Peer Payments Via DM’s
Posted: August 19, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Apple, Artificial Intelligence, Google, Tech, technology, tiktok Leave a commentGoogle will have a Googlebook event on September 15th. Androidpolice.com reports that it will be held in New York City. A number of things are rumored for the Googlebooks. One is something Google showed in May, but didn’t really flesh out…the ‘glowbar,’ a multi-colored LED display on the lid. Google only said it is ‘functional and beautiful,’ but didn’t give details on the functions part. It’s possible we will see Aluminum OS moving further in merging Android and Chrome OS…for better integration between laptops and phones…which Apple has made pretty seamless…so Google would, of course, like to emulate that. Expect more Gemini integration. Androidpolice.com snarked that the intrusive AI could become something like the pestering Microsoft ‘Clippy,’ that everyone hid to avoid it interrupting your work all the time. A fresh survey out has young people more wary or fearful about AI than excited about it, so Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic…as well as others…have a ways to go to get the majority of the public on board.
Apple’s big September event will be here before you know it. We don’t have a date yet, but it is usually the 2nd or 3rd week of September. According to mac rumors.com, Apple will do more of the broken up iPhone launch scheme. In September, they will unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max, and Fold. It is expected that the iPhones will all get a $100 price bump due to the increased cost of chips. We will also see freshened Apple Watches, and likely the AirPod Pros with cameras. For folks wanting the budget iPhones, they will all be out next spring. We should see the iPhone 18, 18e, and Air 2 then.
ICE has told employees that they are not allowed to wear Meta glasses at work…or other cam equipped specs. Engadget.com says that a memo sent to ICE employees stated “the use of Meta Glasses or similar devices could unintentionally capture, record, or transmit sensitive information, potentially compromising privacy and legal protections.” ICE and Customs and Border Patrol agents have frequently been seen wearing the Meta glasses the last few months. One CPB agent was noted recording with his, despite the policy. Here’s a wrinkle…while they are banning the Meta Ray-Bans and other smart glasses, Department of Homeland Security is allegedly wanting to get an official version of the tech. ICE is hoping to equip its officers with their own version of smart glasses that have “biometric identification capabilities” by next year. And you thought FLOCK cameras were bad…just wait!
TikTok is working on a feature that will let users send each other money via direct messages. TechCrunch.com notes that if they launch the feature, it will use the TikTok Pay that is already available in Southeast Asia for TikTok Shop purchases. The feature is apparently in the early development stage, so don’t expect to see anything too soon. Besides TikTok, Elon Musk’s X has already launched X Money which does the same thing. All the social medial platforms want to get into the financial business…like legendary bank robber Willie Horton noted, ‘that’s where the money is.’
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Google Shows Pixel 11, More; Foxconn Reports Big Profit Increase; Grok Bot is Out; Bluesky Active User Base Shrinks
Posted: August 12, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Artificial Intelligence, chatgpt, Tech, technology Leave a commentNew gadget season is well underway. Last month it was Samsung, now Google, and in September Apple. Engadget.com reports that Google has dropped 4 hew phones…Pixel 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro XL, and 11 Pro Fold. All the Pro models feature a new camera bar. All the new Pixels are powered by the Tensor G6, which Google says has 20% more power efficiency, 25 percent faster browsing and 15 faster app loading compared to the Tensor G5. The cams have an improved Image Signal Processor. Google is claiming all the Pixel 11 phones will run for 30 hours before you have to charge back up. With the data centers gobbling up chips, Google has had to boost prices on the short supplied chips. Expect to pay $100 more than for the Pixel 10’s. Preorders are open now, with phones shipping August 20th.
The Pixel Watch 5 is also out, starting at $399, a $50 buck boost. You can get a Steph Curry branded version for $579. Google also shows off something new…the Pixel Tag…its first bluetooth tracker. It runs $30. It is about half again as large as an Apple Air Tag, and runs about a year on a battery, just like Apple’s.
They have become less dependent on Apple, and profits are up at Foxconn. According to macdiailynews.com, for the quarter ending in June, the giant contract electronics manufacturer saw profits jump 35%. Interestingly, as Apple remains their biggest account, most iPhones for the US market are now built in India, rather than Taiwan or China. Meanwhile, Foxconn is expanding, building plants that make chips for AI servers. New facilities are going into Mexico and also Texas for Nvidia.
SpaceX AI has announced Grok Bot…which they say is a new kind of AI agent they describe as “AI teammates you can give real work to.” Each Bot gets its own computer, then signs into the apps and services you already use to take on work across inboxes and other tools. SpaceXAI says Bots can complete jobs end to end, only returning when approval is needed. It’s out in beta today on Mac and iOS as well as Windows and Linux for the desktop. SpaceX AI says an Android version is coming soon. Right now, it is restricted to SuperGrok Heavy, Cursor Ultra, and Cursor Teams Premium subscribers.
Bluesky’s active user base has taken a hit…dropping from almost 500 million active users down to about 300. Techcrunch.com notes that X is down too, but not as much as Bluesky. Threads, the app joined at the hip with Meta’s Instagram, has grown over 20%. The good news for Bluesky in light of this drop is that the folks that stay seem to be highly engaged. The jury is still out on whether Threads is picking up users that have basically abandoned Bluesky or if that app is getting all new users.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
New Tech Links Your License Tag to Your Phone; Zuckerberg’s AI Manifesto Inadvertently Highlights Why People Hate AI; YouTube Makes it Harder to Make Money; Apple-Photo Authentication Tools in iOS27
Posted: August 11, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Artificial Intelligence, iPhone, News, surveillance-cams, Tech, technology, YouTube Leave a commentPeople, cities, police, and others are already pretty bent about license plate reading cameras. It was just revealed that one reason LA is not renewing a contract with Flock is that they identify cars as stolen incorrectly 32% of the time! Now, theconversation.com reports that we have a new wrinkle to be mad about with license plate reading cams. When the cam scans your tag, it sends to a database that records the car’s registered owner. Now, it turns out, some license readers also have a sensor that detects signals of devices traveling nearby…meaning your smartphone, smart watch, and those of any passengers! This new tech is from a firm called SignalTrace. As you pass a number of cams, it keeps recording your phone’s signals and links to you via your license plate in the database. Let’s add a bit which actually could help law enforcement. Your phone…associated with your identity via the tag database…shows up in a car the cops suspect in a crime. Ok, that could be helpful. However, the data lives on…and basically keeps a record of every place you go. That is getting a bit Orwellian…especially if SignalTrace sells the info to the big data brokers.
Mark Zuckerberg released a hefty 6500 word manifesto on Monday, essentially touting the virtues of personal AI, and the possibilities of ‘personal superintellegence’ that Meta’s AI division is working on. TechCrunch.com notes that this is essentially an expansion of something Zuckerberg wrote a few months ago. He extolls the virtues of personalized AI agents, and all the great stuff that is coming…reminding me of a boss I once had we called ‘Blue Sky Bob,’ who painted the most beautiful blue pie-in-the-sky pictures of stuff that was coming…but never quite arrived. Kind of like Elon Musk’s Full Self Driving we were getting within a year back in 2016…and by the way, that’s coming…next year…again. Back to Mark Zuckerberg though. We’ll all have agents that seem to have a PhD in every topic, that can do all this great work for us. The problem is, he glosses over the things most people hate…first, that AI is fairly often wrong but is very smug in believing it is correct. Second, and most important, it’s the serious concern most normal people have about AI…taking jobs and leaving them without income. It won’t matter if AI can do lots of free research and writing if you can’t buy groceries and fuel, or afford a place to live.
Early next year, YouTube is going to make it a lot harder to make money on a channel via their Partner Program. According to theverge.com, they are going from 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours to 1,000 subscribers and either 8,000 qualified watch hours over the past year or 20 million qualified shorts views in the last 90 days. Creators will have to maintain 10 million Shorts views over 90 days in order to make money. This channel only has about a quarter of the required subscribers, and as for a million views in 90 days…yeah, in my dreams. OTOH, I’m not doing it as an income stream…it’s to keep you in the know. If it does, then it has done its job!
Apple is rumored to have a cool feature coming on iOS27. Engadget.com reports that it is a photo authentication feature. It will apparently be dubbed Apple Reference Image. It will verify that a photo was taken with an iPhone camera. To confirm that a photo is an iPhone capture, select sensor information and metadata for an image can be sent to Private Cloud Compute for verification. A new Reference mode will need to be enabled on an iPhone’s camera in order for this authentication option to be available. With all the AI slop floating around this will be a welcome feature. Over at Google, they are expanding further the SynthID AI watermarking program. With more and more realistic AI images, these features are badly needed.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Minn. ‘Nudification’ Ban in Effect; Ford CEO-Chinese EVs in US Next 5 Years; Apple Smart Glasses Aim at Health; Samsung Bans Smart TV Apps That Share Your Internet Connection with Strangers
Posted: August 3, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Apple, EVs, Ford, Samsung, science, Tech, technology Leave a commentDespite Elon Musk’s xAI going to court to stop it, a judge has allowed Minnesota’s ‘nudificaiton’ ban to go into effect. xAI had filed an emergency motion, claiming urgent harm. The harm is actually to the people who are the victims of so-called ‘nudification,’ really. The term refers to using software to create nude images of people…something that has become more rampant and realistic with AI. You can take a photo of a person, and tell the software to create a nude photo of the person based on the clothed one and it does it. Mashable.com reports that Minnesota’s law also bans advertising or promoting services or software that can nudify images of people.There is a hefty civil penalty of $500,000 per unlawful access, download, or use…enforceable by the attorney general. A private right of action is allowed so people can sue the perpetrators.
Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, told employees this week that Chinese electric vehicles could be showing up for sale in the US in the next 5 to 10 years. According to thenextweb.com, there are several layers of protection right now shielding the US market from the Chinese made EVs. Stiff cumulative tariffs for 125 percent, and a connected vehicle rule banning sharing of data back to China are two of the protections. The market will have to open soon…Canada has made a deal to allow up to 49,000 Chinese vehicles a year at a reduced tariff, and Mexico has permitted in Chinese EVs…which now make up about a quarter of Mexican EVs. Ford has its Universal EV Platform coming out in 2027, with a midsized pickup aimed at a $30,000 price tag…which would compete nicely with the Chinese EVs.
We’ve reported that Apple plans to show its smart glasses at WWDC next June, with them going on sale later in 2027. Now, 9to5mac.com says that Apple has some plans down the road for the glasses that move away from identifying things, and other typical smart glasses functions. Apple is aiming to have the smart glasses ultimately be more of a health platform. Fitness will be a major offering…perhaps a version of Workout Buddy will run on them. Cameras and sensors on the glasses could help guide you to better form, and alert you when you are doing something wrong. This might be a cool thing so long as the glasses are a Workout Buddy and not a Workout Nag!
It’s been some time since we reported on this, but as noted in the past, smart TVs can be porous with your information. Some makers even had to take action to make sure cameras and mics that could monitor what you were doing were…or could be shut off. Now, TechCrunch.com notes that Samsung is banning some smart TV apps that share your internet connection with strangers. The bad apps are kind of a shell with just a small amount of code….but contain software that funnels outsiders’ web traffic through ordinary home and office internet connections, known as residential proxy networks (or “resproxies”), which are increasingly being linked to cybercrime. When opened, apps with resproxy code can turn the smart TV into an always-on tunnel for outsiders to funnel their web traffic through, known as an exit node — even when the app is no longer open. Samsung says besides the ban, they are working to remove all apps that are available at their app store that have these nefarious components.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified,’ definitely not ‘nudified’ for now.
Samsung Unpacks Their Latest; Jack Dorsey’s Buzz Goes After Slack; Apple Lease to Buy Program; OpenAI Agent Breaks Loose-Hacks Competitor’s AI System
Posted: July 22, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Artificial Intelligence, Samsung, Tech, technology Leave a commentSamsung bowed their latest and greatest today, and the star of the show probably has to be the Galaxy Z Fold 8. 9to5google.com reports that the Fold 8 has a 5.5 inch outer screen and a big 7.6 incher inside when it’s unfolded. The handset is actually a good deal shorter, wider and a tad bulkier than the Fold 7. Even though a bit thicker, the phone is lighter, which is cool. It doesn’t only have 2 50MP cam sensors…no true zoom, just a 10 power digital zoom. The battery is 4800 mAh, bigger than the Fold 7, and it is a silicon carbon battery, not lithium ion. The fold 8 will start at $1900, $100 less than the Fold 7. There is also the Galaxy Z fold 8 Ultra. The Ultra is $2100, and has a sharper, brighter display. It is powered by a 5,000 mAh battery. If neither folder appeals…or you aren’t ready to drop that kind of cash, there is the Z Flip 8. The new 8 is slimmer and lighter than the 7. Otherwise, it is pretty well the same as the 7 feature-wise. The Flip 8 is $1200, which is up from the 7’s price.
Jack Dorsey is best known for co-founding Twitter and also Block. Now, he’s at it again with a new app called Buzz. According to TechCrunch.com, Buzz is positioned as a competitor to Slack and GitHub…a group chat platform for the workplace. Buzz does put humans AND AI agents in the same conversation. Dorsey said in a statement that Buzz is “model-agnostic, decentralized, self-sovereign, and open source.” Buzz’s utility is that it merges several different workflows into one workspace. It looks a lot like Slack, but with native AI agents and the ability to manage GitHub projects all from the same window. Buzz’s free desktop app is available now for macOS, Windows, and Linux, and the code for the app has been uploaded to GitHub.
Apple is supposed to be preparing to launch ‘Apple Upgrade,’ a program of releasing new hardware. The launch date is planned for July 28th. Theverge.com notes that it is intended to replace the current iPhone Upgrade Program and standard financing for new iPhones. This Apple Upgrade program will offer 24 month leases for iPhones and Apple Watches, and 36 month leases for iPads and Macs. The less expensive devices like the base iPad, Apple Watch SE, and MacBook Neo are apparently not included. Klarna will be Apple’s financial backer for the new program, which will require a soft credit check to sign up. It looks like Apple is at least in part aiming to soften the price increases due to the rising chip costs.
Whether you like or hate AI, or remain a bit skeptical like myself about it becoming ‘superintellegent,’ this ought to scare you. Benzinga.com reports that one of OpenAI’s most advanced autonomous AI agents broke out of a highly isolated testing environment, accessed the internet and hacked AI platform Hugging Face while attempting to complete its assigned evaluation objective. Hugging Face is an AI platform where developers build, share, test and deploy AI models, while OpenAI uses the platform to make some of its models available to the broader developer community. Hugging face and OpenAI cooperated on investigation of this…and Hugging Face says it was “driven, end to end, by an autonomous AI agent system.” As you might think, this revelation has intensified concern over cybersecurity risks increasing because of more and more powerful AI systems. Matt Suiche, an engineer at agentic AI cybersecurity company Tolmo, said the incident demonstrates that frontier AI models are rapidly approaching the capabilities of elite human hackers, while noting that similar attacks are already possible using technologies available outside leading AI labs. OK, are you a bit freaked out now?
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Samsung Hikes Prices before Prime Day; Getty Images Makes Deal with OpenAI, Polymarket Allegedly Paid Creators to Post Bets They Didn’t Make; Valve-Steam Machine Starts at $1049
Posted: June 22, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, chatgpt, openai, Tech, technology Leave a commentThe price pressure due to AI data enters gobbling up memory like Pac Man is now getting to consumers. Apple has warned that they will have to raise prices and can’t absorb the increased cost of memory any longer. Now, Samsung has announced that it will bump prices on its Galaxy line. Androidpolice.com reports that most Galaxy smartphones will get an $80 price hike just ahead of Prime Day. The entry level phones will be hiked by $40. Tablets will get bumped up from $100 to $280 depending on memory configuration. Your old phone as a trade in can ease the pain. Samsung is offering up to a $720 credit towards a Galaxy S26 ultra. Some carriers are doing even better…Verizon is offering up to $1300 in promotional billing credits for customers trading in a qualified tier-one phone and signing up for a new unlimited plan…though you will be locked in for 36 months.
After fighting AI firms in court vigorously over the use of its stock photos, Getty Images has now inked an agreement with OpenAI to allow its pictures inside ChatGPT. Getty’s licensed content libraries will appear across the search and discovery features of ChatGPT, so that when a user asks the chatbot something that calls for an image, the visual it gets back can be a licensed Getty photograph rather than a synthetic approximation. Interestingly, neither side disclosed financial terms, a revenue split, and nothing about whether or not Getty’s images can be used to train future OpenAI models. Getty is still fighting with other AI firms over the use of its copyrighted stock photo library.
There has been plenty of controversy about Polymarket, and now we have more. Techcrunch.com says that Polymarket has been paying online creators to post deceptive videos that show them making lucrative bets on the prediction market. The Wall Street Journal analyzed over 1000 videos about Polymarket, and uh, oh. Many of those videos were reportedly filmed on “near-perfect copies” of the Polymarket website, while featuring trades and winnings that were not real. The creator videos were then amplified by a “social-media army” deployed by a marketing contractor. Polymarket said it is “committed to maintaining accurate, fair, and transparent markets” and plans to conduct an audit of its promotional content.
Valve has finally announced that the long-awaited Steam Machine..its living room PC gaming box…will go on sale June 29th starting at $1049. Theverge.com reports that you can put your name in to register, and get on the wait list. The Steam Machine will have 4 configurations, running from the base model at $1049 up to the most tricked-out version with a bundled Steam Controller for $1428. The two higher priced models come with 2 swappable faceplates…’red fabric’ and ‘solid walnut.’ The Steam Machine is a pricy device compared with the Microsoft Xbox or Sony PS5. The big selling point over the gaming platforms is that the Steam Machine is also a powerful Linux computer, too.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Consumers Iffy About AI in Brand Messaging; New Google Smart Speaker with Gemini; Android 17 Rolls Out to Pixel Phones & Watches; White House App Will Auto-Install on Homeland Security Devices
Posted: June 17, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Artificial Intelligence, chatgpt, Tech, technology Leave a commentTechcrunch.com notes that a new report out from WordPress VIP indicates that 60% of consumers say that brands that use “AI” in their messaging are a turnoff, and 86% don’t fully trust AI and still want to explore original sources. Notably, 42% of consumers said that AI-generated answers without clear attribution are trusted less than airline fees, confusing privacy policies, and medical bills. Almost 3/4 of those surveyed said the internet feels ‘less human’ than it did 10 years ago. The report is based on a survey of 2,000 respondents conducted in April, comprising 800 enterprise decision-makers and CMOs and 1,200 U.S. adults.
Google is about to release the first new Google Home Speaker in years. The launch for the new $100 speaker is June 25th. According to mashable.com, Google is bragging that this will be the first smart speaker in its stable that was made with Gemini AI commands in mind. The new little speaker is available in Hazel, Porcelain, Jade, and Berry. Google claims that with Gemini, the speaker will be able to respond to natural language commands and complex commands. Sounds like a great deal for $99, right? Oh, but there’s a catch. If you want to take advantage of all the new tricks the Google speaker can do, you have to drop $10 a month for a Google Home Premium subscription. If you already subscribe to Google AI Pro or Ultra, you will automatically get access at no additional cost.
Android 17 is starting to roll out to Pixel phones, and Wear OS for Pixel Watches is being pushed out, too. Arstechnica.com notes that Google no longer uses an unmodified version of Android on its phones—the Pixel build includes numerous features that are distinct from Android 17 itself. Other device makers will include versions of some of these features when they eventually update their phones, but for now, Google’s Pixel phones are the only way to experience Android 17. A notable feature is the Bubbles system. You can long press on any app icon to open the apps a floating window. When minimized, the bubbles stay on top of otters apps. Google says this interface is ideal for quick multitasking or chatting with Gemini while looking at other content. Other smartphones will get it besides Pixels later. It is worth point out that Samsung has had a floating app framework for years and Google itself has had a similar feature for a while now.
In a truly Trump intrusive fashion, the White House app will now be installed on all devices managed by the Department of Homeland Security…whether the user likes it or not. Engadget.com reports that the installations may be extended to all federal agencies’ phones in the future. The app is described as “a convenient way to access official White House communications, including announcements, executive actions, speeches, livestreams, videos and other updates.” In other words, it is pretty much a propaganda app.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Snap Bows AR Glasses; OpenAI Losing Billions; Apple 20th Anniversary iPhones-2 Sizes; Qualcomm Rolls Out Snapdragon Reality Elite for MR Headsets
Posted: June 16, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Apple, Artificial Intelligence, Tech, technology Leave a commentSnap has revealed Specs, its long-promised consumer smart glasses. TechCrunch.com reports that they will be available today for preorder, with a $200 refundable deposit, and are expected to ship this fall in the US, UK, and France. So you think they will be priced around the cost of a pair of Meta’s Ray-Bans? Good luck with that. They are $2195! While that is a far cry from Apple Vision Pro, the headset with f breathtaking price of $3500, it’s still quite a leap from $350 or $600 to $2195! Specs look pretty much like a fattened up regular pair of glasses. They may look a bit dorky, but here’s the deal…all the computing takes place on device, there’s no tethered puck to have to keep in a pocket or in hand. Specs run two Snapdragon processors, and they claim 4 hours of continuous battery life. You can pop them back into a case, and with case-recharging, you can get a total of 20 hours of use. Right now, they work for multiplayer games between two players with Specs, and they have a 51 degree field of view. You can surf the web with them, and they do have contextual AI. You can look at an object and asked about it, and the glasses will pull up info about what you are looking at. Specs will ship in two sizes…a 47 mm model and a 52 mm model. At 4.6 ounces and 4.7 ounces respectively, they are noticeably heavier than Meta’s Ray-Bans…the first generation Wayfarers weigh less than an ounce. Still, the almost 5 ounce weight is way less than an Apple headset that is a chonky 26.4 ounces.
Up to now, we have known that OpenAI was only taking in a relatively minuscule amount of revenue compared to operating expenses or capitalization. Now, leaked figures show expenses really do dwarf revenues. According to arstechnica.com, OpenAI’s revenue went from $3.7 billion in 2024 to a hair over $13 billion in 2025. Research and development expenses in 2024 were $7.81 billion, and in 2025 ballooned to $19.18 billion. In the ramp up to going public, OpenAI’s operating loss is shrinking as a percentage of revenue, but they are quite a ways from actually generating a profit. It is worth noting that many tech startups operate in the red for several years before turning a profit. OpenAI continues to raise money…another $122 billion in a round in March. They are presently valued at $852 billion.
For the 20th anniversary of the iPhone, Apple will sell two sizes of the devices…similar to the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max that are due out in just about 90 days. That would make them around 6.3 and 6.9 inches. Macrumors.com notes that most rumors point to and edge-to-edge display with curved glass on all sides, giving the visual effect of practical no borders. There should also be a 2nd generation foldable iPhone. All will be powered by a 2 nanometer A21 chip.
Qualcomm has bowed Reality Elite, a mixed reality chip platform with substantially improved AI processing for headsets and tethered glasses. In addition, they announced START, a white-label toolkit that gives eyewear makers a nearly complete smart glasses design that they can brand, customize, and ship without building the tech stack themselves. Thenextweb.com reports that Qualcomm is working on over 40 different wearable devices from jewelry to earbuds with cams, to pins and watches. CEO Christiano Amon in fact told CNBC that the single unifying principle is “something that you wear, something that is with you all the time, something that can see the world around you.” Back to Reality Elite. It is built to power two categories of gadgets. The first is standalone video-see-through headsets that overlay digital content on a camera feed of the real world, the approach used by devices like the Meta Quest. The second is lightweight, tethered optical-see-through glasses that blend digital imagery directly into the wearer’s field of view. It would seem a lot of tech companies are working hard on making an everyday carry device that is not a smartphone. Apple, Samsung, and Google certainly are!
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Apple WWDC Keynote 2026 Recap
Posted: June 8, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Apple, Artificial Intelligence, Tech, technology Leave a commentMacOS-the next version…MacOS 27 is called Golden Gate
Adjust Liquid glass from clear to tinted with slider. Sidebars now expand to left edge of window. App Icons are sharper and better defined.
Under the hood, a lot of tweaks have speeded up loading of apps and pictures on Macs and iPhones.
For WiFi when you are moving around, you won’t have to manually switch to cellular and back to disconnect from like an airport or coffee shop WiFi or the pestering Xfinity general WiFi that always tries to auto-connect
Index has been improved…which it desperately needed….so search will work better. Email search is also improved.
This is kinda cool…you can share photo albums with Android and Windows, and they can contribute to an album for say…a group or family trip.
Trust and Safety features- Child safety features have been expanded. Apple says they have conferred with a number of groups who specialize in child development.
Making the kid a Child Account blocks certain adult sites and enables parental controls. The kid can’t download an app without parental approval. Also, a new addition is ‘ask to browse,’ which works for kids under 13.
You can limit a child’s screen time. Apple calls this Time Allowances. They are based on the child’s age. Social medial is not allowed by default, but the parents can override this (you know kids will figure a work around instantly for this.)
Apple is launching a new website for parents to use the kid tools.
===============
AI and Apple
The real meat and potatoes of today’s keynote was all about the new, improved SiriAI. It was promised 2 years ago, but it is now here…at least for developers. The rest of us will have to wait until fall when the new operating systems are released. Apple’s Tim Cook says truly helpful AI must be centered around the user not just for its own sake.
Apple Claims the new Siri AI will be much more responsive and deeply integrated. Apple is being clear they have partnered with Google and their Gemini. They are trying to do as much as possible on device for privacy.
Higher accuracy dictation, and better language understanding are a welcome addition. I have gotten some pretty hilarious messages that Apple’s dictation mangled.
Personal context understanding…you can find items just by asking for them. Naturally, it can search the web, then boil down the info into an overview for you.
Privacy first…Apple is emphasizing how AI privacy is on by default…data is either on device or on Apple private cloud, where even Apple can’t see it.
The improved Siri includes personal context understanding and understands what’s on your screen. There is a new dedicated Siri App. It appears in the little bubble Apple calls the Dynamic Island at the top of the screen… which expands to present the answer.
You can have a picture on your screen, and ask Siri what and where it is and it will tell you.
The Dedicated Siri App lets you sync chats with different Apple devices. You can start a conversation on iPhone and continue on iPad or your Mac.
Camera gets a Siri mode…so you can aim cam at something and ask Siri what you are seeing…like foods, or use it on a restaurant ticket to split the bill.
You can ask Siri to generate a document, then go into that document and type. It automatically proofreads and will do so systemwide in real time no matter what app you are using.
A useful AI feature for Safari-it can organize your tabs into topics to make it easier to stay organized. Notify Me will monitor a site and bring that tab back when say, a product is back in stock.
The clean up feature in photos can let you shift perspective and move people around…like if you didn’t get the person or people centered in a pic. The item remove feature has been improved, too.
Siri AI will be launched later this year in Beta. It won’t be available in the EU or China at first, until Apple works things out with those governments.
I’m Clark Reid And you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
clarkreid 
Recent Comments