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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tech
Rani Molla

OpenAI’s models are officially coming to Amazon

Amazon is finally getting in on the hottest ticket in tech.

After Microsoft announced yesterday that it has agreed to give up its exclusive rights to sell OpenAI’s models, Amazon, as expected, will start offering them to customers — something Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman says users have been asking for “for a really long time.” Some models are available now in preview, and the most powerful GPT versions will show up “in the coming weeks.”

This is a big shift in the AI cloud wars. Microsoft’s early bet on OpenAI gave Azure an edge by locking up the most in-demand models. Now that exclusivity is gone, Amazon and other competitors can finally offer them too, closing a key gap and competing more directly for AI customers.

Amazon Set to Sell OpenAI Tech After Microsoft Cedes Exclusivity

Amazon Set to Sell OpenAI Tech After Microsoft Cedes Exclusivity

This is a big shift in the AI cloud wars. Microsoft’s early bet on OpenAI gave Azure an edge by locking up the most in-demand models. Now that exclusivity is gone, Amazon and other competitors can finally offer them too, closing a key gap and competing more directly for AI customers.

tech
Claire Yubin Oh

Ship-tracking app surges as Iran war continues

As Middle East peace talks stretch on, with Tehran reportedly offering to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the US lifts its blockade and the war ends, the owner of shipping intelligence platform MarineTraffic revealed that the app has gained millions of new users since the conflict began.

MarineTraffic’s user count jumped to 8.5 million this April, up from 3.5 million a year ago, the cofounder of its parent company, Kpler, said in an interview with the Financial Times. Paid subscribers, often workers within companies and governments looking for more data on supply chains and commodities trading, rose 11,000 in the same period.

Kpler, which also owns shipping intelligence platform FleetMon, draws its data from a range of sources, including the Automatic Identification System, satellites, and more than 500 people on-site, like port terminal operators.

Per Appfigures data, MarineTraffic is estimated to have raked in almost $1 million across March and April in app revenue (through April 27), more than double the ~$346,500 from the same months last year. Across the full year, Kpler expects to earn between $300 million and $400 million in annual recurring revenues.

Rani Molla
pedal to the meta
22h
Meta could be getting ready to post its highest revenue growth since 2021

Meta’s outlook and analyst estimates suggest more than 30% revenue growth in Q1.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg visits U.S. Capitol for Senate meetings
tech
Tom Jones

Google will supply AI models to Pentagon in classified deal, per The Information

Google has become the latest tech company to ink an agreement to supply the Department of Defense (War) with AI, having reportedly closed a classified deal that allows the Pentagon to use its AI for “any lawful government purpose,” according to The Information.

The Information initially reported talks between the Alphabet-owned company and the US government around two weeks ago, following the messy breakdown of the relationship between Anthropic and the Trump administration — and the rushed OpenAI deal that took its place.

The move has reportedly sparked opposition among Google employees, with The Washington Post reporting that over 600 workers signed a letter to CEO Sundar Pichai to ask him to bar the Defense Department from using the company’s AI models for any classified work.

Google Signs Classified AI Deal With Pentagon Amid Employee Opposition

Google Signs Classified AI Deal With Pentagon Amid Employee Opposition

The Information initially reported talks between the Alphabet-owned company and the US government around two weeks ago, following the messy breakdown of the relationship between Anthropic and the Trump administration — and the rushed OpenAI deal that took its place.

The move has reportedly sparked opposition among Google employees, with The Washington Post reporting that over 600 workers signed a letter to CEO Sundar Pichai to ask him to bar the Defense Department from using the company’s AI models for any classified work.

Jon Keegan
4/27/26
Altman: We do “weird” things like building massive data centers so there will be “universal prosperity”

OpenAI’s CEO spelled out the company’s principles for AGI in a blog post.

12th Breakthrough Prize Ceremony - Arrivals

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