News without the noise
Consumer electronics and hardware
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Apple on Monday rolled out software updates across its entire product lineup — including macOS 26.5, watchOS 26.5, and iPadOS 26.5 — while a separate report emerged that the company has internally rejected long-rumoured plans to bring Touch ID fingerprint authentication to the Apple Watch, citing cost and battery life as the key obstacles.
Apple on Monday released iOS 26.5 alongside updates for iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and other platforms, addressing more than 50 security vulnerabilities in iOS alone — one of the larger security patch bundles the company has issued in a single update cycle.
Google will begin selling its custom Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) to select cloud customers, Alphabet revealed during its Q1 2026 earnings call on April 29, marking a significant shift in how the company monetises its proprietary AI hardware. CEO Sundar Pichai also offered the first hints of what to expect at Google I/O next month, as YouTube Premium continued to record subscriber growth.
YouTube has begun rolling out free picture-in-picture (PiP) mode to all users globally on Android and iOS, the company announced on April 29, 2026, extending a feature that had previously been restricted to US audiences and, in some markets, paying Premium subscribers.
Motorola on Tuesday announced its 2026 Razr foldable phone lineup, introducing four devices — including its first tablet-style foldable, the Razr Fold — set to go on sale starting May 14. All models carry higher price tags than their predecessors, with reviewers and analysts noting that meaningful hardware upgrades are relatively scarce across the range.
Apple is preparing to extend its 'Ultra' branding beyond its chip and desktop product lines, with a new report indicating the company's long-rumoured foldable iPhone and an overhauled touchscreen MacBook Pro will both launch under the Ultra name later this year.
Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Glasses have appeared in their first leaked images, offering a glimpse of the company's display-less smart glasses variant expected to launch later in 2026. The images, reported by 9to5Google, suggest a slim and sleek form factor that positions Samsung as a serious contender in an increasingly crowded wearables segment.
OpenAI is reportedly developing its own smartphone designed to compete directly with Apple's iPhone, according to a report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo published Sunday. The device, which could enter mass production as early as 2028, is said to feature AI agents that replace conventional apps — a fundamental rethinking of how users interact with a phone.
Owners of Apple's iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air are reporting a frustrating bug in which their devices fail to restart after the battery fully drains, leaving screens black and unresponsive even after being plugged in to charge — a problem that appears to be affecting all three new iPhone models released in 2026.
Samsung's mobile division chief TM Roh has warned company leadership that the South Korean tech giant could record its first-ever net loss in the smartphone business in 2026, as surging demand for memory chips driven by artificial intelligence infrastructure threatens to squeeze margins even as Galaxy S26 handsets sell strongly.
Google announced two new in-house AI accelerators at its annual Cloud Next conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday, 22 April 2026 — one built to accelerate model training and another aimed at reducing the cost of serving AI models — while also making a notable architectural shift away from x86 processors in favour of its own Arm-based Axion chips.
Anker, best known for its charging cables and portable power banks, has unveiled a custom silicon chip called Thus that the company claims will bring local AI processing to small consumer electronics — including audio devices, mobile accessories, and IoT gadgets — without the power demands of conventional AI chips.
Framework, the modular laptop maker known for its repairable and upgradeable designs, announced two significant product updates on Monday: the Framework Laptop 13 Pro, a near-ground-up redesign of its flagship 13-inch model featuring Intel's latest Panther Lake processors and a premium machined aluminum chassis, alongside a series of refinements to the Laptop 16 that includes a new lower-priced configuration starting at $1,249.
Apple on Monday released a new wave of public betas across its operating system lineup, pushing iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5 to their third public beta, while macOS 26.5 received its second public beta after skipping a release last week — signalling the company is moving steadily toward a stable launch.
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL), the world's largest electric vehicle battery manufacturer, has announced a new battery technology capable of charging in as little as six minutes and delivering a range of up to 1,500 kilometres on a single charge, marking what the company calls a significant breakthrough in EV performance as competition with domestic rival BYD intensifies.
Google has rolled out new retouching tools for selfies within its Google Photos app on Android, offering users the ability to make what the company describes as 'quick, subtle fixes' to their portraits without needing third-party editing software.
Apple has disclosed it could face a fine of up to $38 billion — potentially the largest antitrust penalty in history — after repeatedly refusing to provide financial data to India's Competition Commission of India (CCI), which previously found the company guilty of abusing its dominant position in the country's smartphone market.
All smartphones sold in the European Union must feature user-replaceable batteries by 2027, under regulations that will fundamentally reshape how mobile device manufacturers design and sell their products in one of the world's largest consumer markets.
Meta has emerged as the dominant force in wearable smart glasses technology in 2026, with its Ray-Ban and Oakley-branded AR eyewear earning praise for design and functionality — though questions about the company's data practices continue to shadow its hardware ambitions.
The global supply of dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) chips faces the prospect of an extended shortage lasting several years, driven by the fundamental limits of miniaturisation, multi-billion-dollar investment cycles, and a fragile, highly concentrated supply chain — factors that collectively prevent manufacturers from responding quickly to surges in demand.
A software bug struck Google's Gemini app for Android on April 18, 2026, reverting the interface to an older design and disabling several recently introduced features, according to a report by 9to5Google.
A global shortage of DRAM memory chips is expected to stretch well into the late 2020s, with analysts projecting that manufacturers will meet only 60 percent of demand by the end of 2027 — a shortfall driven largely by the surging appetite for AI-optimised memory that is reshaping how the world's largest chipmakers allocate production capacity.
The Indian government has quietly dropped its proposal to require Apple and other smartphone manufacturers to preinstall a state-owned security application on devices sold in the country, according to a Reuters report published Thursday. The reversal marks a significant climbdown from a policy that had drawn scrutiny from privacy advocates and the technology industry alike.
Google on Wednesday released Android 17 Beta 4 for Pixel devices, marking the final scheduled release in the preview cycle ahead of the operating system's anticipated public launch. The update introduces a handful of visual refinements, including a notification shade feature borrowed from the Pixel Watch, and is available to install now on compatible Pixel hardware.
Crew members working on an Apple Vision Pro immersive video production raised safety concerns with Apple prior to a fatal microlight aircraft crash that killed a pilot and athlete who was being filmed for the series 'Adventure', according to reports published Wednesday.
Apple has achieved 100% recycled material usage across three product categories and is offering customers a 10% discount on AirPods and accessories when they recycle eligible devices, the company announced Wednesday as part of its annual Environmental Progress Report released ahead of Earth Day on April 22.
Intel has launched its Core Series 3 non-Ultra processors built on entirely new silicon, marking the first time the company's mid-range laptop CPU line has received a genuine architectural upgrade rather than a rebadged version of chips originally designed for its 12th-generation Core family in 2022.
Microsoft is preparing to launch refreshed Surface Pro and Surface Laptop models in the coming months, with the Surface Laptop set to receive an OLED display option for the first time, according to a report from Windows Central. The new devices will be available with both Intel and Qualcomm processors, though supply constraints are expected to shape the order of their release.
Casely and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) have reannounced a recall of more than 429,000 wireless 5,000mAh Power Pod portable chargers after a 75-year-old New Jersey woman died from injuries sustained when one of the devices exploded, and 28 additional overheating incidents were reported since the original recall was issued in April 2025.
Meta will raise prices on its Quest 3 and Quest 3S virtual reality headsets by up to $100 starting April 19th, 2026, blaming a global memory shortage for the increases — making it the latest technology company to pass rising hardware costs on to consumers.
Apple's camera ambitions for the iPhone 18 Pro are moving from rumour to reality, with Chinese optical supplier Sunny Optical reportedly beginning production of components needed to control a variable aperture iris system — a feature that would mark a significant departure from the fixed-aperture lenses found in current iPhone models.
Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASML raised its 2026 financial outlook on Tuesday, citing accelerating expansion plans from chipmakers driven by surging global demand for artificial intelligence hardware.
Microsoft is ending production of its Surface Hub 3 collaborative touchscreen display and has scrapped plans for a Surface Hub 4, according to Windows Central, quietly closing the book on a product line that debuted in 2015 as a flagship vision for the future of workplace collaboration.
Google has published its initial session lineup for I/O 2026, the company's flagship developer conference scheduled for May 19–20, offering the first glimpse of what topics — spanning Android, AI, and more — the tech giant plans to highlight this year, while simultaneously rolling out incremental improvements to Google Photos on Android.
Two major gaming hardware announcements on Monday signal a broadening of the OLED monitor market, with Alienware introducing a budget-friendly 27-inch QD-OLED display at $349.99 and Sony refreshing its premium InZone M10S II monitor at $1,099.99 — alongside a new open-back gaming headset — as manufacturers compete for both value-seeking and performance-focused PC gamers.
Microsoft has announced significant price increases across its Surface laptop and tablet lineup, with some models rising by as much as 50% in the United States and up to £220 in the United Kingdom, as a tightening memory supply chain pushes costs through to consumers — a move that industry observers say may accelerate interest in Apple's competitively priced MacBook Neo.
Chinese robotics company Unitree is making its R1 humanoid robot available to international buyers through AliExpress at a starting price of $4,370, marking one of the most accessible entry points yet for consumer humanoid robotics — though the question of what everyday buyers would actually do with one remains largely unanswered.
Two technology stories are drawing attention in developer and consumer circles this week: a renewed 45mm Google Pixel Watch 3 is available for $110 on Amazon, representing a significant discount on the flagship smartwatch, while an AWS architect has published a detailed guide cataloguing 25 real-world AI workflow automation patterns for enterprise use.
The Internet Archive has warned that its Wayback Machine — one of the web's most important digital preservation tools — faces a severe threat from a growing number of media organisations blocking its web crawlers, even as those same publishers continue to use the archive themselves.
A university student in the United States has been locked out of his iPhone after Apple removed a diacritical character — a háček — from its Czech keyboard layout in a recent software update, rendering his alphanumeric passcode impossible to enter on the lock screen.
Apple has confirmed that Jay Blahnik, the company's vice president of Fitness Technologies, will retire in July after 13 years at the company, according to a report in the New York Times.
Raspberry Pi is raising prices on over a dozen of its single-board computers for the third time since December, driven by an ongoing global RAM shortage. The most dramatic increase hits the 16GB Raspberry Pi 5, which jumps by 100 dollars from its original 120 dollar price tag. Across the lineup, increases range from 11.25 dollars to 150 dollars.
Apple has quietly reduced the price of the Studio Display XDR by 400 dollars when purchased without the included stand. The VESA mount option, previously priced identically to the stand model at 3,299 dollars, now starts at 2,899 dollars.
Nothing, the London-based consumer electronics company known for its distinctively designed phones, is planning to release AI-powered smart glasses next year. CEO Carl Pei has reversed his earlier position against the idea as competitors like Google and Samsung prepare their own glasses under the Android XR umbrella.
Meta has released two new Ray-Ban smart glasses styles specifically designed for people who need prescription lenses, addressing one of the biggest barriers to adoption of its AI-powered eyewear.
Apple celebrates its 50th anniversary today, marking half a century since Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne founded the company in a Los Altos garage on April 1, 1976. What began as a hobbyist computer venture has become the world's most valuable company.
Apple has updated its Developer Program License Agreement with new rules governing how third-party accessories must handle forwarded notifications and Live Activities, tightening privacy controls around one of the most sensitive data flows on its platform.
Apple has released iOS 26.5 beta 1 to developers, but the highly anticipated Gemini-powered Siri and Apple Intelligence features are once again absent. Separately, release candidates for macOS Sonoma 14.8.6 and macOS Sequoia 15.7.6 have been seeded.
The first leaked renders of the Google Pixel 11 have surfaced, revealing slimmer bezels and a slightly thinner profile compared to its predecessor. The images, shared by prolific leaker OnLeaks via Android Headlines, show a device that maintains the distinctive camera bar design but with subtle refinements.
Motorola is teasing pre-orders for the Razr Fold, the company's first book-style foldable phone, with availability expected within a couple of weeks.