Apple Bows New M5 Chip & MacBook Pros; US Charges Cambodian in Huge Crypto Scam; Microsoft Rolls Out Image Generator; ‘Pixnapping’ Hack for Android
Posted: October 15, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, laptop, Mac, Tech, technology Leave a commentApple has introduced its latest greatest system…the M5 chip, with their next generation GPU. The new system will be the brains of the MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro goggles. Macrumors.com reports that the new chip has 10 cores with a ’Neural Accelerator’ for each individual core…which enables GPU based artificial intelligence workloads to run dramatically faster. Apple claims graphics performance up to 45% higher than the M4 chip. It is worth noting that the new 14 inch MacBook Pro doesn’t really have any new major features, besides the more robust chip. The higher end 14 inch and 16 inch MacBook Pro models with M5 chips are yet to come…expect them in early 2026.
A Cambodian executive masterminded a huge crypto scam, but now is on the run and the US government has seized more than $14 billion in Bitcoin, and indicted him. According to NPR, Chen Chi and his Prince Holding Group have been charged with wire fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy. The US and British authorities have also placed sanctions on his company, which has operated in real estate development, financial services, and some other businesses. Chen is accused of sanctioning brutal violence against workers, authorizing hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes to foreign officials and using his other businesses, such as online gambling and cryptocurrency mining operations, to launder illicit profits. He is on the run and at large. He is a native of China and has gone by the alias of ‘Vincent.’ He had compounds in Cambodia, where workers were held captive and beaten, while they were forced to contact thousands of victims through social media or online messaging platforms, build rapport and entice them to transfer cryptocurrency with hopes of big investment returns. The money was just stolen from them.
Microsoft has rolled out its own image generator, and Redmond claims it is faster than rival generators. Bgr.com notes that the clunky named MAI-Image-1 is better than OpenAI’s Sora2 and Google’s Nano Banana. Both those apps raced to the top of app stores, with Sora being the most downloaded app on iPhone in less than a week. Microsoft hasn’t released the generator yet, saying it will take into account feedback from early users before releasing it in Copilot and Bing Image Creator.
A new kind of hacker attack for Androids. Mashable.com reports that it lets bad guys snag your private chats, text messages, emails, and even two-factor authentication codes. It has been named ‘Pixnapping’, and it can be used to grab info from any data displayed on your screen. The victim has to have downloaded a malicious app. After that, the screen grabs can happen without any permissions or without being noticed. Google released an early patch for it already, but there is a work around to evade the patch. Pixnapping was uncovered by a group of researchers collaborating from University of California, Berkeley, University of Washington, University of California, San Diego, and Carnegie Mellon University.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Amazon-AR Glasses like Meta’s Coming; Samsung Might Launch a Wider Z Fold Next Year; Microsoft Distances from OpenAI & Uses from Anthropic; Pfizer-Latest COVID Booster 4x Positive Results
Posted: September 10, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, chatgpt, News, Tech, technology Leave a commentThe tech companies have seen the future, and it apparently has all of us walking around, looking nerdy in augmented reality glasses. Yahoo.com reports that Amazon is working on AR glasses for consumers that would go head to head with Meta’s Ray-Bans. The glasses are code named ‘Jayhawk,’ which makes this former Kansan think that someone high on the development team is a Jayhawk themselves…an alum of Kansas University. At any rate, Amazon is aiming to have the AR glasses out by late 2026 or early 2027. Amazon has already been working on specialized glasses for delivery drivers. Those specs would provide turn by turn navigation on a small screen along routes and at each stop. The AR glasses allegedly would have a full-color display and a sleeker, less bulky design than the delivery model already in the works. Those ones should be out by the 2nd quarter of 2026…and Amazon plans to produce some 100,000 units.
With almost every phone maker either putting out a folding phone or working on one now, early leader Samsung is apparently working on a second Z Fold, to go along with the present Galaxy Z Fold 7 and its Z Flip 7 folding phones. According to bgr.com, Samsung is not only working on a tri-fold phone, but also on a wider Fold. The wider fold would have a flatter, square appearance when open, and a shorter overall design…something like an early Pixel fold design that was considered. The wide Fold would have an aspect ration of 18:18. Some speculators think the wider Fold might be related to the rumored Apple folding iPhone that may drop next year.
Microsoft, which was an early large investor in Open AI, has now taken steps to distance a bit from that artificial intelligence firm. Techcrunch.com says that Microsoft will pay for Anthropic’s AI in Office 365 apps. That means that Anthropic’s tech will help power new features in Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint alongside OpenAI’s, marking the end of Microsoft’s previous reliance solely on the ChatGPT maker for its productivity suite. Microsoft is presently negotiating a new deal with Open AI to secure access to its AI models after a pending for-profit restructuring. Apple has been using OpenAI’s ChatGPT as an extension of its flailing Siri, but lately, there is word that Apple is working on a deal to use Google’s Gemini AI. It appears that no one wants all their AI eggs in one basket.
Pfizer has announced that the 2025-26 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine boosts antibody levels by at least four times in older people and those with underlying medical conditions. Arstchnica.com notes that even with the patchwork of state-by-state access caused by Bobby Kennedy Jr’s nuttiness at Health & Human Services, this is some good news. The Kennedy/Trump FDA now limits COVID-19 vaccine approvals to people 65 and older or those under 64 if they have an underlying medical condition. Those conditions include asthma, diabetes, heart conditions, HIV, mental health conditions, Parkinson’s disease, obesity, or smoking.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Recap of Apple iPhone, Watch & AirPods Event
Posted: September 9, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, iPhone, Smartphone, Tech, technology Leave a commentApple remarkably kept this presentation to under an hour and 15 minutes. No, there wasn’t a surprise amazing ‘one more thing.’
Starting out, they bowed new Air Pods Pro 3
New ANC noise reduction and new ear tips give twice the ANC of previous ones, 4X better than original Air Pods Pro.
The new models have Live Translation to your ears, so you can understand the person speaking in your native language, and then the iPhone can show them on screen or tell them in a voice what you say in their language.
Apple analyzed 10,000 ears and now have 5 sizes of tips to stay in ears in all conditions. They claim better sweat protection too for workouts.
Heart Rate sensing is now built in.
New obnoxious and obsequious ‘Workout Buddy’ that has been available on iPhone now cheers you on in the ear buds. Good job, buddy! Rah, rah, you are great.
The Pro 3 has longer battery life….8 hours at a time…up from 6. It has 10 hours for hearing aid use….not bad, but actual good hearing aids have 30 house of battery life.
The price stays $249 no increase from the previous model… preorder today, and they’re available Sept 19th.
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Apple Watch…
First, Series 11…it’s thinner, and the screen is twice as scratch resistant.
Watch 11 has 5G if you get the one with its own phone…you should get better coverage and lower power consumption than the previous model.
For heart health, it tracks for high blood pressure. As predicted, it will look for higher blood pressure and will notify you of possible hypertension. It will NOT give you actual blood pressure readings.
Like other smart watches, Watch 11 will score quality of sleep. This was touted as a big deal, but competitors have had this feature for years.
Series 11 will have 24 hours of battery life…ok, that really is a big deal. With fast charging, you can almost wear it day and night.
Watch SE3…The cheapie. It gets an always on display now. It will also play media through the speaker. The Se gets 18 hour battery life, and new fast charging…charging twice as fast as the old model.
Watch Ultra 3-New display is brighter and has thinner borders. Largest display of all Apple Watches. (This corrects the embarrassment of last year’s Ultra 2 not having a bigger display than the Watch. It has the Workout Buddy and Satellite connectivity. You get Emergency SOS & Messages, and
42 hours battery life.
Base Pricing:
$249 for the SE3
$399 for the Series 11
$799 for the Ultra 3
Preorder today, all are available Sept 19th
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iPhone—4 models…
Apple said 4 new models, but really it is one new model and 3 freshened ones.
iPhone 17 gets alarger 6.3 inch display, and has pro motion like the pro models. It now has always on display, and a More readable brightness for the display outdoors in bright light.
The display has new Ceramic Shield 2….three times harder and better anti-glare than before.
The 17 is powered by the A19 chip…it’s faster and more efficient that last year’s phone.
Apple Intellegence runs on the 17 with iOS 26…including Live Translation.
The phone has 8 more hours of battery time and faster charging.
48MP dual fusion cams …a main and 2x telephoto.
The front selfie cam has Center Stage, as well as a sensor that is is twice size of last model. a new Square picture aspect ratio for the selfie cam gives higher resolution shots in any orientation. It will automatically adjust the picture field if you have a couple friends step into the frame so no one is cut off.
iPhone Air–
This is the actual new model. It is insanely thin. Titanium super thin edges, and ceramic shield 2 on both sides. The phone is a svelte 5.6mm thick, and has a 6.5 inch display
It runs on the A19 Pro chip. Each GPU core has MacBook Pro levels of computing in a phone.
It also has the new N1 chip…WiFi and Bluetooth designed by Apple.
As expected, you get the new C1x modem chip which is faster than the iPhone 16 Pro and is more power efficient.
The cam system: 48MP Fusion camera, but it has two cams with one lens. 24 MP default photos, portrait control, and basically 4 focal length lenses built in. The selfie cam is 18 MP.
As rumored, new Dual capture video uses both back cam and selfie cam at same time. You can insert yourself in a box on screen basically doing play by play of what’s being videoed on the main camera.
The Air has an eSIM…no physical SIM card, and it works worldwide.
Battery life…It has new Adaptive Power Mode to intelligently manage power. They claim all day batter life. New low profile Mag Safe battery pack will allow 40 hours total with phone when attached.
iPhone 17 Pro–
It has a new aluminum case and interior structure. It’s unibody, and allows for biggest battery ever. Apple says they went to the aluminum from titanium in order to get better heat dissipation, which they say is needed when you use the on device AI or are doing heavy duty gaming. The A19 Pro chip does generate more heat, so in addition to the aluminum unibody to help dissipate it, the phone also has a vapor chamber to help with temperature management.
The aluminum unibody has 20 times the thermal performance of the titanium.
Like the Air, the antennas are in the bump. They claim 40% better performance than 16 Pro…for gaming and for AI.
Like the Air, the both the screen and the back are Ceramic Shield 2 so you get better protection than the glass that’s on on older phones.
The Pro Max has the biggest battery ever, it can do 39 hours of video playback.
Cameras- The Selfie Cam is 18 MP like the Air.
The Rear main cam system ….all 3 cams are 48 MP. All are fusion cameras. New 4x zoom at 100 mm or 8x zoom tele at 200 mm focal length. That is a huge jump from before…and about time. Both zoom powers use machine learning to help reduce noise and get better color. The fusion system is the equivalent of 8 different lens focal lengths! It’s like carrying around 8 different lenses with your old DSLR in your camera bag, but in your hand.
For video, Apple has added Pro Res Raw Capture, and Also Gen Lock, which lets you move between video and graphics, among other things like switching seamlessly between shooting angles without doing hours of editing.
The Pro models come with 256 Gigs base storage, and you can order up to 2 TB. Apple didn’t hit us with predicted $50 price bump…
$599 16e
$799 17
$999 Air
$1099 Pro
$1199 Pro Max
Preorders start Friday, available Sept 19th.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Court- Google Can Keep Chrome, But No Exclusive Search Deals; Waymo Expands to Denver & Seattle; iPad Gets Instagram App That Fits Screen; Starbucks Getting Automated Counting Tech for Inventory
Posted: September 3, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Google, productivity, Tech, technology Leave a commentIn what can only be described as a victory of sorts for Google, a court has ruled that Google doesn’t have to spin off Chrome. It also doesn’t have to divest of its search business…although it will have to make some changes there. Engadget.com reports that Judge Amit Mehta ruled that the government had ‘overreached’ in its request for the sale of Chrome. What the search giant will have to do though is give up exclusive deals around the distribution of search, Google Assistant, Gemini, and Chrome. They will no longer be able to require device makers to preload Google apps in order to get access to the Play Store. They WILL still be able to continue to pay partners like Apple to pre-load search and other apps into their products. I’m sure Apple is relieved about this too, as they take in over $20 billion a year in such a deal!
Waymo is moving into a couple of new markets…Denver and Seattle will get the self-driving cars this week. Techcrunch.com notes that both the Jaguar I-Pace SUVs and the Zeekr vans will be showing up in the two cities. For now, the vehicles will be manually driven. Waymo hopes to start offering robotaxi trips in Denver next year and in the Seattle metro area quote: ‘as soon as we’re permitted to do so.’ Waymo has a fleet of over 2,000 vehicles on the streets now…800 in the San Francisco Bay Area, 500 in LA, 400 in Phoenix, 100 in Austin, and several dozen in Atlanta. Miami and Washington, D.C. are in the future plans. We just reported days ago that Waymo has a permit to test in New York City…although that one is for driver-operated cars only for now.
Anyone that uses an iPad knows that there are numerous apps that just show up on the iPad with a little box in the middle…displaying the iPhone version of the app. They are hard to use, and very frustrating. Now, after a mere 15 years, Meta has finally released an optimized Instagram app for the iPad. According to theverge.com, effective today, you can download the new app that is actually made for the iPad. There are a couple of notable differences…first, the app opens directly to a feed of Reels…the short form videos Meta desperately wants to compete with TikTok. Other features will be there, though…at the top of the home page, you can switch to a ‘following’ tab where you can swipe between feeds that look like that on the phone. The DMs page will have your inbox alongside chats, much like Messenger looks like on your desktop version.
I would bet a few of you who are watching or reading this have had to do inventory in some sort of retail establishment. It is a task that truly sucks. I had to do it as a kid and teen, then later as an adult at my family’s car dealership. Nothing more fun than handling and counting greasy car parts! You just wore old clothes, then pitched them afterwards. No washing was helpful! Now, Starbucks is getting help from a startup called NomadGo to streamline how employees take inventory in the stores. Geekwire.com reports that Starbucks is setting employees up with mobile devices and NomadGo’s software that uses computer vision technology, spatial computing, and augmented reality to automate inventory counting. The system is already deployed in more than 11,000 Starbucks locations across North America and will be live in all company-operated stores by the end of September. The company’s tech runs on-device and counts each item within rows. It displays results on the device and syncs data with existing inventory management platforms. How I wish I had had that tech when counting a box of automotive widgets years ago!
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Samsung Snares $16.5 Billion Deal for Tesla Chips; iPhone 17 Pro May Get 8x Zoom & Pro Cam App; Microsoft Dropping China Based DoD Support Teams; Amazon Refund Text Scam
Posted: July 28, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, News, Samsung, Smartphone, Tech, technology, Tesla Leave a commentSamsung has inked a deal to build the Tesla A16 chip. The pact is worth some $16.5 billion. Engadget.com reports that the deal runs through 2033, and that the chips will be produced at Samsung’s huge new plant they are building near Tyler, Texas. Until this deal, Samsung had been thinking about delaying opening the plant due to not enough business. Samsung makes the A14 chips that run Tesla’s Full Self-Driving platform, but the A15 contract went to their competitor, Taiwan Semiconductor. The deal does come with a short leash for Samsung…”Samsung agreed to allow Tesla to assist in maximizing manufacturing efficiency,” Elon Musk stated in a post on his X platform.
The camera apps have become a banner feature for all smartphones, and as they have gotten better across the board, major upgrades have gotten less common. According to macrumors.com, the iPhone 17 Pro models will be getting some cool cameral upgrades. A tipster has apparently seen a commercial for the handsets that shows the telephoto zoom will go from 5 power to 8 power optically…and may even have a moving lens, allowing for continuous optical zoom at various focal lengths. On top of that, there is apparently a new pro camera app for both photos and videos. There are already some pro camera apps available from third parties, but this would be a first from Apple. A third rumor…which seems a bit dubious…is that there will be an additional cameral control button on the top edge. Since case makers are already producing cases for the phones, and none seem to have an opening for such a button, take this one with a grain of salt. Finally, Apple will allow shooting video with both front and rear cameras at the same time. As with the pro apps, you have been able to do this with third party software, but not with Apple’s own until now.
From the ‘why were they doing this in the first place’ department…Microsoft is going to stop using China based teams to support the Department of Defense. Ya think? Propublica.org notes that Redmond had been using the teams to support the Defense Department’s cloud computing systems. The support supposedly was for information that is not classified…BUT is nonetheless sensitive. As you might figure, this was a fertile area for spying and espionage. With the increasing amount of data in the cloud servers and AI to analyze it fast, Microsoft is moving away from these China based teams.
Here’s a new scam you may not have heard about. It’s a text proported to be from Amazon about a refund. Zdnet.com reports that the texts may say it was due to the product being recalled, or it is below Amazon standards, or maybe failed a routine inspection. You don’t even have to return it to get the refund…just click the link. You are correct….DON’T click that link! It goes to a phishing page where you are prompted to enter your Amazon credentials, payment info, and contact info. It’s always good practice to refrain from clicking links in texts and emails. Go to the site saved in your bookmarks and check there to see if there are any messages from the merchant like Amazon.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Google Pixel Event Aug. 20th; iPhone Fold May Be Less Pricy, Creaseless Screen Ex-Waymo Engineers Found Construction Automation Startup; Grok Adds AI Companion-Can be NSFW
Posted: July 16, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Google, grok, News, Pixel, Smartphone, Tech, technology Leave a commentGoogle will hold its next Pixel event on August 20th. The show will emanate from New York City starting at 1 PM Eastern. Theverge.com reports that Google said in the official invite that the will show quote: “the latest on our Pixel phones, watches, buds, and more.” The new Pixel phone lineup is supposed to have an updated base model…the Pixel 10, that will have 3 cams instead of two, and of course there will be updated Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10, and Pixel 10 Pro XL models. A completely dustproof Pixel 10 Pro Fold is a good possibility, too. The Watch 4 is expected to get a bigger battery and slightly thicker case.
Just when you…or at least I…thought we had most of the iPhone Fold news out there, more has popped up. One item in particular makes my prediction of a few days ago look way off. According to bgr.com, new rumors have the iPhone Fold coming in at a lot less money….predictions are in the $1800-$2000 range. With the just-announced Samsung Z Fold 7 priced at $1999.99, that would make the Apple device very competitive. the other new item about the Apple folder is that they will indeed have a creaseless screen, and Samsung is building a new factory specifically to make it for Apple. Samsung uses a plate under the crease that has been chemically etched to lessen the crease effect. Apple has developed laser drilling that will almost make the crease disappear. The Apple process is more costly…of course…but not that much. It will run $30-35 per unit, compared to the Samsung etched plates at $20. It may well be that next year, Samsung will switch processes, and have their Z Fold 8 come out without creases a month or so before Apple’s phone debuts.
Some former Waymo engineers have founded a startup aimed at automating construction. It’s called Bedrock Robotics…an interesting name, what with the Bedrock of Flintstones fame that, in the cartoon, used the human-operated dinosaurs at a quarry. TechCrunch.com says the company has been in stealth mode for about a year, but just raised $80 million from investors to proceed. The main focus is developing a self-driving kit that can be retrofitted to construction and other worksite vehicles. They are not the only ones trying to port self-driving to off-road work vehicles. Pronto out of San Francisco has developed a self-driving system for haulage trucks and other off-road vehicles used at construction and mining sites.
Of course it’s happening…it’s Musk. Grok, the AI chatbot from Elon’s xAI, is getting a couple of animated ‘companions.’ One is an animated girl called Ani, and the other is a red panda called Rudi. Mashable.com reports that the anime girl is lightly dressed-talking super short skirt and fishnet hose- and ‘flirty.’ It is basically something of a sexbot. Grok has even included a ‘level 3’ mode, where she goes not safe for work….NSFW…but you have to interact a bit and ‘get acquainted’ before you get to that level. Rudi the panda is essentially a story telling character. Even that bot has a naughty version…’Bad Rudy,’ which unleashes it to use courser language and expletives…which is a bit weird coming from an apparent animated red panda. Apparently, Elon and his crew aren’t concerned with getting any heat…these chatbots coming just days after Grok dubbed itself Mecha Hitler.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Galaxy Z Flip 7-NO Display Crease; Redesigned iPhone 17 Models Get Revamped Dynamic Island; TikTok Ban May End Soon-New App & Sale; Prime Day(s) Start Tomorrow
Posted: July 7, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Apple, Samsung, Smartphone, Tech, technology, tiktok Leave a commentIn just a couple days, Samsung will unveil the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7. We will cover the Samsung Unpacked then, but for now, here is a little nugget from a tester who got early access. Bgr.com reports that a hands-on video shows the edge to edge, corner to corner outside display, which is cool. Beyond that, it looks like there is NO visible crease on the inner screen. That is a huge deal. We know that Apple is planning a folder next year, and may use Samsung Display. This would allow Samsung to premiere the crease-free screen a year ahead of any Apple device. We’ll have more on Wednesday.
the iPhone 17 models are getting a revamped Dynamic Island. This according to macrumors.com, which found information on an account on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The account has leaked accurate info about Apple devices in the past. The missing detail is that we don’t know if the Island will be smaller or not. That was rumored previously, but may not make it until the iPhone 18 models next year. This one does feature some kind of change in the user interface. I would be happy if they made it work with two items better. Often, I am using it for the timer as I work out, and would like to be able to touch it to open and read a text, then have it go back to just the timer when I’m finished.
A sale of TikTok in the US FINALLY may be near. Theverge.com notes that the Trump administration believes it is close to a sale to a group of ‘non-Chinese’ investors, including Oracle…with present owner ByteDance keeping a minority stake. That would satisfy the terms of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. Apparently, TikTok is working on a new version of the app, called M2 for now, which may drop in app stores around September 5th. The original app will leave app stores with the launch of the new one, and will stop working in March 2026.
Yes, it’s tomorrow…that event you’ve all been waiting for…Amazon Prime Day 2025. Remember when Prime Day was an actual day…then it became a day and a half? Now, they really ought to brand it Prime Week, with it lasting 4 days. Zdnet.com reports that in addition to the early offers already up, there is also a reboot of Prime for Young Adults…a discounted membership for those 18-24. Amazon is touting its AI shopping assistant Rufus (who names these things?) as a help in finding deals on things you are likely to purchase. A note-Amazon has said it will not introduce listed tariff prices next to products for sale. This had been looked at, but after blowback from the White House, it was dropped.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Senators Call for Investigation of Spotify Pricy New Bundle; Some Tesla Robotaxis Hit Austin Streets; Foldable iPhone in Production by Fall; Samsung Looks at Monthly Fee for Galaxy AI on Phones
Posted: June 23, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, business, News, Samsung, Smartphone, Spotify, Tech, technology, Tesla Leave a commentTwo Senators, one a Democrat, the other a Republican, have asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Spotify over allegations that the company bundled its music streaming and audiobook services into a more expensive subscription without obtaining user consent, while also reducing royalty payments to creators in the process. Techcrunch.com reports that the Senators are Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee from the GOP and Ben Ray Lujan, Democrat of New Mexico. The two senators noted that existing U.S. regulations permit digital music providers to pay a reduced music royalty rate if the subscription is bundled with other legitimate offerings. In a statement, they said “Spotify’s intent seems clear — to slash the statutory royalties it pays to songwriters and music publishers. Not only has this harmed our creative community, but this action has also harmed consumers.” A spotify spokesperson said the users were notified a month in advance of the price increase.
Although Elon Musk had bragged that there would be a million Tesla robotaxis on the roads by now, a much, much more modest launch has taken place in Austin, Texas. According to cnbc.com, the autonomous vehicles hit the streets Sunday. So far, there are only about 10 of them, and they are NOT the 2-passenger ones with no steering wheel or pedals Musk showed off. The vehicles are Model Y Teslas…and they have a safety driver for now. No serious mishaps yesterday, although one was filmed going the wrong way down a road in Austin. Tesla has a lot of catching up to up to do…Alphabet’s Waymo has now gotten to more than a quarter million commercial driverless rides per week, and surpassed 10 million trips last month!
They are late to the game, but that has worked out for Apple before…think of the iPod, and how it took over the portable music world, then of course, the iPhone itself. Now, Cupertino is poised to start building their folding iPhone…after Samsung has cranked out 6 different yearly models of its folding phones, and will release the 7th generation next month. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple will actually launch the device in the fall of 2026 as one of the iPhone 18 models. Ironically, the display will be produced by Samsung Display. details aren’t final, but it appears it have an outside display of 5.5 inches, and inner one of 7.8 inches when open. It will be the book-type like the Samsung Galaxy Fold, rather than the flip style. Kuo estimates it to run $2000-$2500. My bet is that it will come in at $2400!
Samsung has had its Galaxy AI suite of features on the S24 phones now for almost a year and a half. Now, they are talking about a subscription model for at least some AI features. Bgr.com reports that a price could be unveiled when they launch the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 next month. No charges would go into effect until the end of 2025, as promised by Samsung. The real key? Will enough users find Galaxy AI valuable enough to them to pay for it? It has been noted that Galaxy AI does do more than Apple Intelligence on iPhones, and we all know companies have been spending billions on building out AI. The figure isn’t known, but Samsung is apparently paying Google a ton of money to run Gemini on their Galaxy phones. In the case of Apple and Google, they have their own AI models and servers.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
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