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Rani Molla

Apple delays release of next iPhone Air as consumers greatly prefer the standard and Pro models

When Apple releases its iPhone 18 next year, there will be a Pro model and a foldable model, but no iPhone Air, The Information reports. That’s because demand for the newest, thinnest iPhone has been exceptionally low even as iPhones generally have sold above expectations. Indeed, Apple notched an iPhone revenue record for the September quarter.

While the company had set aside only 10% of its manufacturing capacity for the iPhone Air, even that portion has remained unsold, The Information reports. Meanwhile, early sales of the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro have handily beaten last year’s version, and have been driving overall iPhone sales. Nikkei Asia previously reported that Apple was “drastically” cutting back manufacturing of the iPhone Air “end of production” levels. A KeyBanc survey also recently found “virtually no demand for iPhone Air,” which people have criticized for its lower battery life among other compromises for its small size.

As of yet, there’s no new release date for the next iPhone Air, but Apple has yet to explicitly cancel it.

While the company had set aside only 10% of its manufacturing capacity for the iPhone Air, even that portion has remained unsold, The Information reports. Meanwhile, early sales of the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro have handily beaten last year’s version, and have been driving overall iPhone sales. Nikkei Asia previously reported that Apple was “drastically” cutting back manufacturing of the iPhone Air “end of production” levels. A KeyBanc survey also recently found “virtually no demand for iPhone Air,” which people have criticized for its lower battery life among other compromises for its small size.

As of yet, there’s no new release date for the next iPhone Air, but Apple has yet to explicitly cancel it.

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Humanoid robot maker Apptronik raises $520 million

Apptronik, an Austin, Texas-based robot manufacturer, said it has closed out its Series A fundraising round, raising $520 million. The fundraising is an extension of a $415 million round raised last February, and included investments from Google, Mercedes-Benz, AT&T, and John Deere. Qatar’s state investment firm, QIA, also participated in the fundraising round.

Apptronik makes Apollo, a humanoid robot targeted for warehouse and manufacturing work. The company is one of several US robotics companies that are racing to apply generative-AI breakthroughs to humanoid robots, in anticipation of a new market for robots in homes and workplaces.

Apptronik makes Apollo, a humanoid robot targeted for warehouse and manufacturing work. The company is one of several US robotics companies that are racing to apply generative-AI breakthroughs to humanoid robots, in anticipation of a new market for robots in homes and workplaces.

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Ives: Microsoft and Google’s giant capex plans are worth it

Don’t mind the AI sell-off, says Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives, who thinks fears around seemingly unfettered Big Tech capex budgets are unfounded, especially in the case of Microsoft and Google. Together, the two hyperscalers are slated to spend around $300 billion on the purchases of property and equipment this year as they double down on AI infrastructure, but he says both have already shown that they can turn the spending into revenue and growth.

“They are reshaping cloud economics around AI-first workloads that carry higher switching costs, deeper customer lock-in, and longer contract durations than before,” Ives wrote, adding that these giant costs will be spread out over time and set the companies up for success in the long run. Per Ives:

“While near-term free cash flow optics remain noisy, the platforms that invest early and at scale are best positioned to capture durable share, pricing power, and ecosystem control as AI workloads mature. Over time, we expect utilization leverage to turn today’s elevated investment into a meaningful driver of long-term value creation.”

“They are reshaping cloud economics around AI-first workloads that carry higher switching costs, deeper customer lock-in, and longer contract durations than before,” Ives wrote, adding that these giant costs will be spread out over time and set the companies up for success in the long run. Per Ives:

“While near-term free cash flow optics remain noisy, the platforms that invest early and at scale are best positioned to capture durable share, pricing power, and ecosystem control as AI workloads mature. Over time, we expect utilization leverage to turn today’s elevated investment into a meaningful driver of long-term value creation.”

tech
Jon Keegan

Meta reportedly expands Hyperion data center site, purchasing an additional 1,400 acres

Construction is humming along on at Meta’s gargantuan Hyperion data center in Richland Parish, Louisiana.

And Meta is seemingly already moving ahead with plans to greatly expand the site.

A new report from Forbes revealed that Meta has purchased an additional 1,400 acres adjacent to the construction site, increasing the overall size of the project by 62%. The massive size of the site is nearly 5 miles long and 1 mile wide.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said that the site “will be able to scale up to 5GW over several years.”

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said that the site “will be able to scale up to 5GW over several years.”

$290K
Rani Molla

Tesla has been quoting the price of its long-awaited long-range Semi truck at $290,000, Electrek reports. The $290,000 price point represents a significant increase from the original $180,000, roughly 60% higher. However, it’s still well below the industry average for Class 8 electric semi trucks. California Air Resources Board data shows that the average cost of a zero-emission Class 8 truck was $435,000 in 2024, meaning Tesla is undercutting competitors by about $145,000.

On its last earnings call, Tesla said it would start production on the “designed for autonomy” electric commercial truck this year.

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