Tech
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Jon Keegan

Apple announces extra slim iPhone Air, iPhone Pro with longer battery life, updated AirPods Pro 3 with live language translation, and refreshed Apple Watch line

At today’s “Awe Dropping” Apple event, the company announced its yearly refresh of the iPhone lineup. The new iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max were joined by a brand-new addition: the iPhone Air, a superthin model with tougher glass and faster processors.

Apple shares dipped on news of the product releases and are down about 1.4% on the day in afternoon trading.

The company also announced an updated Apple Watch line — Series 11, SE3, and Ultra 3 — with new features like 5G, high blood pressure detection, 24-hour battery life, and satellite communication. 

Apple iPhone 17
Apple’s iPhone 17 (Apple)

Here’s a breakdown of the new products Apple announced:

  • The ultrathin iPhone Air was described by Apple as “a paradox you have to hold to believe.” The sleek 5.6-millimeter-thin iPhone features a crack- and scratch-resistant front and back and “Macbook Pro levels of compute,” which you can pair with a weird $59 cross-body strap. It starts at $999.

  • The iPhone 17 has a faster A19 chip, an improved smart selfie camera, and a higher-resolution screen. It starts at $799.

  • The iPhone 17 Pro has a new design, ever-faster A19 Pro chip, a tougher “ceramic shield” on the front and back, better cameras, and a bigger battery that gets an extra 10 hours of video playback compared to its predecessor. It costs $100 more than the previous generation, but the minimum storage has doubled to 256 gigabytes. It starts at $1,099.

  • The iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at $1,199.

  • The AirPods Pro 3 have AI-powered live translation, a new heart rate sensor, eight hours of battery life, and improved active noise cancellation. The new AirPods can also track workouts, and Apple says they are built to fit more people’s ears with a new design and foam ear tips. They start at $249.

  • The Apple Watch Series 11 has 5G, a new high blood pressure detection feature, improved sleep tracking, a more scratch-resistant face, and 24 hours of battery life.

  • The entry-level Apple Watch SE 3 gets 5G, new health-tracking features, and an always-on display. It starts at $249.

  • The chunky Apple Watch Ultra 3 has an impressive 42-hour battery life, satellite communications for emergencies, and a brighter and bigger display. It starts at $799.

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Jon Keegan

OpenAI races to release updated ChatGPT in response to Gemini, the WSJ reports

OpenAI could release an updated GPT-5.2 as soon as this week as it races to respond to Google’s Gemini 3 chatbot. Last week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman declared a “code red” in response to the threat, as Google appeared to leap to the front of the pack with its high-scoring AI model.

Altman has directed OpenAI teams to pause work on its quest for AGI and the Sora 2 video generation app, and double down on its core flagship product, ChatGPT, as it faces new pressure from competitors, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Altman seems to be panicking that if the company’s core product falls out of favor, it may not be able to generate the cash needed to pay for the $1.4 trillion worth of deals it has signed, according to the report.

Sam Altman’s Sprint to Correct OpenAI’s Direction and Fend Off Google

Sam Altman’s Sprint to Correct OpenAI’s Direction and Fend Off Google

Altman has directed OpenAI teams to pause work on its quest for AGI and the Sora 2 video generation app, and double down on its core flagship product, ChatGPT, as it faces new pressure from competitors, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Altman seems to be panicking that if the company’s core product falls out of favor, it may not be able to generate the cash needed to pay for the $1.4 trillion worth of deals it has signed, according to the report.

900M
Rani Molla

OpenAI’s ChatGPT is nearing 900 million weekly active users, according to a new report from The Information, up from 800 million in October. The Microsoft-backed chatbot has notably higher usership than Google’s Gemini, which as of its last earnings call had 650 million monthly active users. (ChatGPT’s monthly number is likely much higher than its weekly stats.)

Still, The Information notes that thanks to the success of Google’s latest AI model, app downloads have jumped and visits to its website are growing much more swiftly than those to ChatGPT’s — stats that have contributed to a “code red” situation at OpenAI.

tech
Jon Keegan

Falling behind its rivals and facing internal tension, Meta reportedly preps new “Avocado” AI model

2025 turned out to be quite a chaotic year for Meta’s big AI dreams.

This year was supposed to be all about Llama 4, Meta’s open-source AI model that never fully launched.

In a frenzied pivot to get back in the race, Mark Zuckerberg undertook an AI all-star hiring spree for his new Meta Superintelligence Labs, spending oodles of cash on NBA-sized pay packages to lure recruits.

So how’s it all going within the company? Things aren’t exactly humming along, according to CNBC.

It reports that the new team has encountered friction within Meta’s corporate structure. The cloistered team is apparently working on a new frontier AI model code-named “Avocado,” which, despite Mark Zuckerberg’s passionate open-source AI manifesto, might turn out to be a proprietary, closed-source model.

Per the report, the many in the company were expecting Avocado to be released before the end of this year, but it’s now planned for Q1 2026.

A Meta spokesperson said, “Our model training efforts are going according to plan and have had no meaningful timing changes.”

Updated to include comments from Meta

From Llamas to Avocados: Meta's shifting AI strategy is causing internal confusion

From Llamas to Avocados: Meta's shifting AI strategy is causing internal confusion

In a frenzied pivot to get back in the race, Mark Zuckerberg undertook an AI all-star hiring spree for his new Meta Superintelligence Labs, spending oodles of cash on NBA-sized pay packages to lure recruits.

So how’s it all going within the company? Things aren’t exactly humming along, according to CNBC.

It reports that the new team has encountered friction within Meta’s corporate structure. The cloistered team is apparently working on a new frontier AI model code-named “Avocado,” which, despite Mark Zuckerberg’s passionate open-source AI manifesto, might turn out to be a proprietary, closed-source model.

Per the report, the many in the company were expecting Avocado to be released before the end of this year, but it’s now planned for Q1 2026.

A Meta spokesperson said, “Our model training efforts are going according to plan and have had no meaningful timing changes.”

Updated to include comments from Meta

Rani Molla
15h
Tesla is making even fewer Cybertrucks now than when it first started

At an annualized production rate of less than 11,000, it’s a “commercial failure.”

Cybertruck dead end 2
tech
Rani Molla

Microsoft invests tens of billions for AI infrastructure in India and Canada

In two separate announcements this morning, Microsoft committed to investing tens of billions on AI infrastructure in India and Canada. In India, the company said it will invest $17.5 billion — its largest-ever investment in Asia — from 2026 to 2029, “to advance the country’s cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, skilling, and ongoing operations.”

Microsoft also said it’s adding to its investments in Canada for a total of CA$19 billion (roughly $13.73 billion) between 2023 and 2027 to “build new digital and AI infrastructure needed for the nation’s growth and prosperity.” This includes more than CA$7.5 billion in outlays over the next two years.

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