Innholdsfortegnelse for #743 i Techlife News

Blue Origin has outlined plans for a large-scale satellite communications system called TeraWave, marking a significant expansion beyond its launch and space infrastructure ambitions. The network is designed to support enterprise, government, and data-center customers with extremely high data throughput, positioning the company in a growing market shaped by cloud computing, artificial intelligence workloads, and global connectivity demands. Announced this week, TeraWave will consist of 5,408 satellites deployed across multiple orbital regimes, with initial launches targeted for the latter part of 2027. The project reflects Blue Origin’s intention to build a communications business distinct from consumer-focused satellite internet offerings, emphasizing capacity, reliability, and dedicated service for institutional users. A NETWORK BUILT FOR ENTERPRISE AND GOVERNMENT USE According to Blue Origin, TeraWave is designed specifically for customers with large, continuous data-transfer…

Volvo Cars has formally unveiled the 2027 Volvo EX60, positioning it as a core model in the company’s next phase of electric vehicles and confirming that a Cross Country version will follow. The announcement came during a late-stage presentation moment framed internally as a “one more thing” reveal, signaling the strategic importance of the midsize electric SUV to Volvo’s broader transition away from combustion engines. The EX60 enters the market with an estimated EPA-cycle driving range of up to 400 miles, depending on configuration. Pricing is expected to begin in the low-to-mid $50,000 range, with higher-performance all-wheel-drive versions reaching roughly $60,000. Volvo confirmed that the model will be offered in multiple battery and drivetrain configurations, allowing the EX60 to span a wide price and performance spectrum. SPA3 PLATFORM AND MANUFACTURING…

Apple has always seen creativity as a birthright. Now, with AI shaping how people create and the $250bn creator economy booming, Apple is making its pro tools more accessible than ever with Apple Creator Studio: a $12.99 subscription bundling Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage, plus AI-powered upgrades to Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and soon Freeform. AN ALL-NEW SUITE Announced amid the hum of CES 2026's afterglow, Creator Studio arrives at an inflection point. Adobe's Creative Cloud, the incumbent at $59.99 per month, lords over 30 million subscribers through its labyrinthine subscription model and cross-app silos. Meanwhile, free tiers like CapCut and GarageBand lure hobbyists but leave pros craving polish. Apple's riposte is a lean, privacy-first ecosystem that leverages Apple silicon's blistering speed and on-device AI…

Apple appears to be quietly signaling the arrival of its next-generation MacBook Pro lineup, as extended shipping times for several high-end configurations begin to surface across major markets. While the company has not issued any formal announcement, availability patterns for current M4 Pro and M4 Max models are increasingly consistent with Apple’s long-established pre-launch behavior ahead of a major hardware refresh. Across Apple’s online store and authorized resellers, multiple 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro configurations powered by the M4 Max are now showing delivery windows stretching from early February into the latter half of the month. In contrast, many M4 Pro variants remain available for same-day pickup or near-immediate shipping, suggesting Apple may already be throttling production of its highest-end models in preparation for successors. SHIPPING PATTERNS THAT OFTEN PRECEDE…

OpenAI has confirmed that its first consumer hardware project remains on schedule for unveiling in the second half of 2026, offering the clearest timeline yet for a device that has been under development since the company brought in former Apple design leadership. The update came from Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s global chief executive, who said at an Axios House event in Davos that the project is “progressing as planned.” The comments mark the first time OpenAI has publicly attached a specific timeframe to the device since it began assembling a dedicated hardware group following its acquisition of a design-focused startup associated with Jony Ive. While OpenAI has not disclosed the form factor, functionality, or launch strategy, the acknowledgment signals that the effort has moved beyond exploratory research into a more defined…

Ben Affleck is adding his voice to a growing group of public figures pushing back against the more exuberant claims surrounding artificial intelligence. The actor and filmmaker recently expressed skepticism about large language models, arguing that while AI tools may be useful, they lack genuine creativity and are being oversold to justify massive corporate investments. His remarks have resonated beyond the entertainment industry, drawing support from prominent investors who are also questioning the sustainability of today’s AI boom. Affleck’s comments arrived at a moment when artificial intelligence dominates conversations across film, technology, and financial markets. Studios are experimenting with AI-assisted workflows, while tech companies are pouring tens of billions of dollars into chips, data centers, and model training. Against that backdrop, Affleck framed AI less as a creative revolution and…

FRENCH COURT REJECTS REQUEST TO SUSPEND APPLE’S PRIVACY FEATURE Apple has secured a key legal victory in France after a Paris court ruled that the company can continue offering its App Tracking Transparency feature to iPhone users in the country. The decision, reported by La Tribune, follows an emergency request from advertising industry groups seeking to suspend the feature while broader competition complaints are examined. The Paris judicial court issued an interim order declining to block App Tracking Transparency, commonly known as ATT. The ruling means the privacy mechanism will remain active on iOS in France while the underlying legal dispute continues through the courts. In a statement shared with La Tribune, Apple said it welcomed the decision and reaffirmed its commitment to giving users clear choices about how their…

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Jensen Huang delivered one of the clearest articulations yet of how Nvidia views the current phase of artificial intelligence investment. Responding directly to growing concerns that AI spending resembles a speculative bubble, Huang argued that today’s capital flows reflect something far more structural: a global rebuild of industrial, digital, and energy infrastructure at a scale without precedent. Speaking alongside policymakers, investors, and executives, Huang framed AI not as a narrow software trend but as a systemic transformation that touches nearly every layer of the modern economy. In his words, the world is only at the beginning of a process that will require trillions of dollars, decades of construction, and a workforce unlike anything the technology sector has previously relied on. AI AS AN…

Apple’s iPhone 17 lineup has emerged as the single most dominant premium smartphone offering in China, outselling the combined total of all flagship devices from domestic manufacturers during the same launch window. From its release through mid-January 2026, the iPhone 17 series sold an estimated 17.27 million units in China, according to figures shared by industry sources and corroborated by market research data. The scale of those sales is notable not only for their absolute volume but also for what they signal about consumer behavior in the world’s largest smartphone market. China has long been considered one of the most competitive environments for premium devices, with local manufacturers investing heavily in hardware differentiation, imaging systems, and aggressive pricing. Yet the iPhone 17 cycle shows Apple maintaining — and in some…

Apple has warned that millions of iPhones and iPads are exposed to active cyberattacks stemming from critical vulnerabilities in WebKit, the browser engine that underpins Safari and all third-party browsers on iOS. The company confirmed the flaws were exploited in real-world attacks before being patched, prompting renewed urgency around installing the latest software updates. Apple disclosed the issue through its security advisories, stating that the vulnerabilities allowed malicious websites to execute arbitrary code when visited by a victim. Because Apple requires all iOS browsers to use WebKit, the exposure extended beyond Safari to include Chrome, Firefox, and other browsers available on the App Store. WHAT THE WEBKIT VULNERABILITIES ALLOW ATTACKERS TO DO The affected flaws reside deep within WebKit’s handling of web content. According to Apple, attackers could craft specially…

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the company plans to restart development of Dojo3, its previously shelved third-generation artificial intelligence chip, with a new and narrower objective. Instead of supporting terrestrial self-driving training workloads, Musk said Dojo3 will be designed for “space-based AI compute.” The comment marks a notable shift for a project that was once positioned as a cornerstone of Tesla’s in-house AI ambitions on Earth. Dojo was originally conceived to reduce reliance on third-party chips for training neural networks used in autonomous driving. Dojo3, however, was paused as Tesla prioritized near-term compute needs using Nvidia hardware. The decision to revive the project for space use suggests a reassessment of where custom silicon could offer long-term advantages. WHAT DOJO3 WAS ORIGINALLY DESIGNED TO DO Tesla introduced Dojo as a custom…

WHAT IS CHANGING IN CHROME FOR IOS Google is preparing a notable update to Google Chrome on the iPhone that directly targets one of the biggest pain points for users who want to switch mobile browsers. Beginning with Chrome version 145, currently available in beta, iPhone users will be able to import key browsing data from Safari directly on their device, without needing to complete the process on a Mac or PC. The new option introduces an on-device guided flow that helps users bring over bookmarks, saved passwords, and browsing history from Safari. Until now, Chrome on iOS required users to rely on desktop-based synchronization or manual workarounds to recreate their browsing environment, which often discouraged switching browsers altogether. WHY SAFARI DATA IMPORT HAS BEEN LIMITED ON IOS Apple’s privacy…

OpenAI is entering a new phase focused less on headline-grabbing breakthroughs and more on how artificial intelligence is actually used at scale. In a blog post outlining priorities for the year ahead, OpenAI finance chief Sarah Friar said the company will concentrate on “practical adoption” in 2026, aiming to close the gap between what advanced AI models can theoretically do and how customers deploy them in real-world settings. The shift comes as OpenAI balances two competing pressures: rapidly growing demand for tools like ChatGPT and the soaring costs of the infrastructure required to support them. Friar framed the moment as one where execution matters more than novelty, particularly in sectors where AI can deliver measurable improvements rather than experimental demos. FROM RAPID GROWTH TO REAL-WORLD USE Since the explosive adoption…

OpenAI has begun rolling out a new age prediction system across its consumer ChatGPT offerings, introducing automated checks designed to identify users who are likely under the age of 18. The initiative is part of a broader effort to apply age-appropriate safeguards without requiring every user to submit identification upfront, a balance OpenAI says is increasingly necessary as generative AI tools reach younger audiences worldwide. The company confirmed that the technology is already being deployed gradually and will be used to adjust content access and feature availability for accounts flagged as belonging to minors. Rather than relying on a single data point, the system evaluates a mix of behavioral and account-level signals to estimate whether a user is under 18. HOW OPENAI’S AGE ESTIMATION WORKS According to OpenAI, the new…

Asus has officially confirmed it will stop producing new Android smartphones, marking the end of a long but commercially challenging chapter for the Taiwanese hardware maker. Chairman Jonney Shih described the decision as a “paradigm shift,” pointing to rising costs, shrinking margins, and the accelerating influence of artificial intelligence on consumer hardware strategy. The announcement formalizes what industry observers had suspected for months as Asus scaled back mobile development and reduced product refresh cycles. While the company did not specify an exact cutoff date for existing models, it made clear that no new smartphones are in active development, effectively closing the door on future Zenfone or ROG Phone launches. RAZOR-THIN MARGINS AND AI COST PRESSURES Asus’ withdrawal highlights the increasingly unforgiving economics of the smartphone industry. Even at global scale,…

Elon Musk believes that artificial intelligence and robotics will fundamentally reshape human society within the next two decades, to the point where having a job will no longer be an economic necessity. Speaking at the U.S.–Saudi Investment Forum in Washington, Musk said that in 10 to 20 years, most people will not need to work to survive, as intelligent machines take over the vast majority of productive labor. Musk framed the idea not as mass unemployment, but as a radical shift in how work is defined. In his view, employment will resemble a personal choice rather than an obligation, comparable to maintaining a vegetable garden or playing a sport. People may still choose to work, he said, but primarily for personal satisfaction rather than income. HOW AI AND ROBOTICS CHANGE…

Streaming platforms accounted for a record 47.5% of total television viewing in the United States in December, marking the strongest showing ever recorded for the category, according to new data from Nielsen. The milestone reflects a combination of seasonal viewing habits, major live sports events, and renewed interest in blockbuster streaming series, underscoring how firmly streaming has reshaped the American TV landscape. The December figure represents the highest share since Nielsen launched its monthly Gauge report in 2020. Compared with the same period a year earlier, streaming’s share rose by more than four percentage points, continuing a steady, multi-year erosion of traditional broadcast and cable television. STRANGER THINGS AND HOLIDAY SPORTS DRIVE VIEWING A major contributor to December’s surge was renewed engagement with Stranger Things, which alone generated roughly 15…

Valve has quietly revised its approach to artificial intelligence disclosures on Steam, signaling a meaningful shift in how the platform treats AI use in modern game development. The update eases earlier requirements that pushed developers to explicitly disclose AI involvement, drawing a sharper distinction between AI-generated content included in a finished game and AI tools used internally during production. While the policy change was not accompanied by a major announcement, its implications are significant. Steam is the world’s largest PC game marketplace, and its rules often shape industry norms. By narrowing what must be disclosed, Valve appears to be acknowledging how deeply AI tools are already embedded in everyday development workflows. HOW STEAM’S POLICY HAS CHANGED Under the revised guidelines, developers are no longer required to disclose every instance where…

APPLE RETAINS TOP POSITION IN BRAND VALUE Apple has once again been named the world’s most valuable brand in 2026, according to the latest Brand Finance Global 500 report released by Brand Finance during the World Economic Forum in Davos. The ranking reinforces Apple’s position at the top of global brand valuation for another year, underscoring the company’s sustained influence with consumers despite shifts in financial market leadership elsewhere. Brand Finance’s methodology focuses on brand strength, consumer perception, and the economic contribution a brand makes to its parent company. While market capitalization has increasingly been dominated by companies tied directly to artificial intelligence infrastructure, the report highlights that brand value remains closely tied to long-term consumer trust, ecosystem depth, and cultural relevance. In this context, Apple continues to stand apart.…