Better than the AI vacuum… Apple topped Samsung in annual smartphone shipments for the first time since 2010. Now, the Galaxy maker and other techies are turning to AI to boost their hardware sales. Last week, Samsung intro’d a phone with AI features like real-time translation of foreign-language calls and message-editing to tones like formal, casual, and social media (lol). Unlike ChatGPT, “on-device AI'' is pre-downloaded and doesn't need internet. At CES, Microsoft showed off AI PCs, and Motorola and Apple could also intro AI devices.
Stay seated… Investigations into Alaska Airlines’ midair blowout have expanded. Last week the FAA finished inspections of 40 Boeing 737 Max 9s (171 have been grounded) and began looking into Spirit AeroSystems, a Boeing subcontractor that builds plane shells. Meantime, four passengers sued Alaska and Boeing. 737 Max 9s make up 20% of Alaska’s fleet, and their grounding has led to ~150 cancellations/day. Alaska and United, the only US airlines that use the jet, report this week. Delta delivered record annual sales, but trimmed its profit guidance for the year on higher costs.