Apple is ‘not able to predict’ when it’ll have enough iPhone Duos to go around
Apple CEO John Ternus doesn't have a timeline for when iPhone Duo supply constraints could lift. During an interview with Reuters, Ternus said the company is "working hard to get it to as many customers as quickly as possible, but at this point, we're not able to predict when supply and demand will be in balance."
Apple launched its first foldable last month for $1,999, featuring a 5.4 outer display and 7.6-inch inner screen. Preorders for the iPhone Duo quickly sold out, with some shipments expected to arrive in 2027. Apple also made a limited number of iPhone Duo models available in-store at launch.
In his interview with Reuters, Ternu …
Apple set an iPhone sales record even without a new standard iPhone
Apple had a record-breaking quarter for iPhone sales - despite not releasing a standard model during its latest refresh. In its fourth-quarter earnings report released on Monday, Apple says it earned $57.58 billion in iPhone revenue, a 17 percent jump from the same time last year.
The increase in revenue follows the launch of Apple's iPhone 18 lineup in September, which included a pricier iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max model. The company raised prices across its older models at the same time. Apple also took the wraps off its first folding phone, the iPhone Duo, but its preorder sales aren't included in this earnings report.
Like other device-m …
Meta will end Quest 2 OS updates in 2027
Meta is planning to release the last OS update for its Quest 2 and Quest Pro VR headsets by March 2027, the company announced today. The last OS update for those devices is planned to be v213, and after that, Meta will continue to ship security patches and critical bug fixes through the end of 2027. Apps that support the Quest 2 or Quest Pro can also be submitted through December 2027, Meta says.
Meta is calling the Quest 3 and 3S "now the baseline for Meta VR gamers." The company is announcing this shift ahead of the planned release of its new VR Glasses, which are set to launch sometime in spring 2027.
"Quest 2 and Quest Pro laid the fou …
One of Google’s Android partners turned 1.3 million set-top boxes into a botnet
Google says one of its Android manufacturing partners secretly built a backdoor in 1.3 million devices and turned them into a botnet. The company says it has now dismantled the backdoor and "cut ties" with the manufacturer, the Shenzhen, China-based Videostrong Technology Co., which has been banned from building or selling certified Android devices or supplying software for them.
The infected devices were used without owners' knowledge for "malicious activity," like ad fraud, data exfiltration, and routing unauthorized network traffic. Google claims the "backdoor and botnet were intentionally developed, deployed, and operated for financial …
BMW is taking on Tesla’s FSD with urban driver assist starting in 2027
BMW says that it will expand its navigation-guided, partially automated driving capabilities into urban environments starting in 2027, launching first in Germany with other markets to follow.
The new system can help steer, speed up, and slow down the vehicle on both highways and city streets using its built-in GPS navigation. While driving in town, it can assist with changing lanes, making turns, yielding to other cars, and driving through roundabouts. But as a Level 2 driver assist system, it still requires drivers to keep their eyes on the road and stay ready to take over at any moment. On the highway, BMW will allow drivers to remove the …
The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is $100 off, matching its best price to date
The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is the company’s most capable smartwatch. Whether you intend to put its many tracking features to the test, or you simply want the longest battery life of any Apple Watch, it’s currently on sale for $699.99 ($100 off) in multiple colors at Amazon, matching its all-time low price.
Powered by Apple’s new S11 chip (also in the Series 12), the Apple Watch Ultra 4 delivers faster performance than the last-gen version, plus a handful of new Apple Intelligence features. Of note, those include Sound Recognition, which alerts you to noises like alarms and doorbells, and the Live Rewind feature that lets you revisit the last 15 seconds of an in-person conversation. An upcoming Siri Recap feature will be able to create summaries of conversations for later reference.
This model has broader health and fitness capabilities than previous models, too. Its sensors promise more accurate EKG measurements, while the watch can track your heart rate as often as every five seconds. The new Readiness feature (not available on the Ultra 3 and earlier models) also analyzes your recent activity, sleep quality, and other health metrics to generate a score from zero to 10, helping you determine whether to push yourself or take it easy.
On the hardware front, battery life is perhaps the biggest highlight, with Apple promising up to 50 hours on a charge — twice as long as the Series 12. Like its predecessor, this model features Apple’s brightest watch display and a rugged design that’s water-resistant up to 100 meters and IP6X-rated for dust resistance. It also retains conveniences like the second-generation Ultra Wideband chip for Precision Finding, and helpful gesture controls so you can you can perform actions with a double tap or flick of your wrist.
Read our hands-on impressions of the Apple Watch Ultra 4.
Three more ways to save
- Ugreen’s FineTrack2 Bluetooth tracker is on sale for $13.99 at Amazon, just a few cents shy of its best price to date. The soccer ball-shaped tracker stands out with its playful design, but it also offers some useful features including a non-rechargeable battery can last up to seven years. It works with Apple’s expansive Find My network to help you locate misplaced belongings, while its lanyard makes it easy to attach to your keys, bag, or other items.
- If you’re looking to spruce up your Apple Watch Ultra or Series smartwatch, a variety of Apple’s official bands are on sale for up to 69 percent off at Woot. The silicone Sport Band is down to $14.99 ($35 off), while the soft, breathable Sport Loop is available for $19.99 ($29 off). You can also grab the rugged Trail Loop for $34.99 ($64 off).
- Hoto’s new Pulse 4-in-1 Cordless Staple Gun is on sale for $69.99 ($10 off) at Amazon. The versatile tool can help with repairing stuff, or putting together decorations. It works with four types of staples and nails, letting you switch between them depending on the task, while offering two firing modes. It also features a built-in display that shows battery life and alerts you when you can safely fire the stapler and when it’s time to reload it. The stapler comes with 1,200 fasteners.
Ford promises not to sell your driving habits to data brokers
Ford vowed to never sell customer driving data to third-party data brokers as part of a new privacy promise aimed at setting the automaker apart from competitors that have faced legal and regulatory blowback for sharing telematics with data brokers without authorization.
As part of its new promise, Ford says it will strive to protect customer data by using aggregating and anonymizing techniques. It will also "provide clear and easy-to-understand information about how we use your personal information." And while Ford says it will still use data to improve safety, it will allow customers to adjust how much or how little data they would prefe …
Anthropic clamps down on Claude’s AI video game clones
Anthropic has updated Claude Code's system prompt to prevent the AI tool from being used to re-create existing video games, as reported by Tom's Hardware. Retro gaming is currently being overrun with AI-made decompilations, recompilations, and ports, but while Anthropic will still let people use Claude Code to make games, it doesn't want people to use it for direct clones.
Last week, a user on X posted a screenshot allegedly showing two new sentences added to Claude Code's system prompt: "Do build original games, games in a genre, and games from the user's own designs and assets. Don't build a recreation of a specific existing game, even if …
Xbox’s former COO has ‘serious concerns’ about her abrupt departure
Xbox's former chief operating officer, Helen Chiang, suddenly left Microsoft less than two weeks ago after being promoted into the role in July. I wrote in my Notepad newsletter last week that it seemed very weird for Chiang to suddenly depart Microsoft after 21 years with a surprisingly short memo from Xbox CEO Asha Sharma. Now, Chiang says she has "serious concerns" about how she was treated.
In a lengthy LinkedIn post - entitled "Clarity is Kindness," a reference to Sharma's WSJ profile - Chiang doesn't dispute that she was fired, but she doesn't say why she was let go. Eurogamer reported last month that Chiang had been "terminated for p …
OpenAI pitches data center power plants as a way to protect nearby areas
In an announcement on Monday, OpenAI says it will pilot its "Grid Protectors Program" at an upcoming data center in Effingham County, Georgia, where the company promises to free up to 1,000 megawatts of power during extreme weather or emergencies, enough to power air conditioners in around 700,000 homes.
The announcement comes as opposition to data centers spreads across the US, in response to massive projects that have begun development and construction, frequently with little or no input from local residents. In Utah, residents protested after Box Elder County commissioners signed off on a data center expected to consume more than double …