Innehållsförteckning för #720 från AppleMagazine

After years of cautious trials and regulatory hurdles, delivery drones are poised to become a more familiar sight across U.S. suburbs and small towns. Major logistics players, tech firms, and retailers are ramping up drone deployment in select markets, aiming to cut delivery times, reduce traffic congestion, and tap into the growing demand for same-day fulfillment. Amazon, Walmart, Alphabet’s Wing, and UPS Flight Forward are among the companies pushing the rollout. Their latest expansions will see autonomous drones servicing more residential areas in states such as Texas, Arizona, North Carolina, and Florida. The technology—long promised as a futuristic staple of e-commerce—has finally begun to overcome the early bottlenecks that kept it grounded. FROM PILOT PROJECTS TO MAINSTREAM TESTING When companies first unveiled delivery drones a decade ago, the industry buzzed…

Tesla’s long-awaited Robotaxi service is inching closer to reality, and New York City is on its target list. But while the company is preparing for a 2026 launch window in several U.S. cities, the Big Apple presents a uniquely stubborn roadblock: the city’s dense, unpredictable traffic ecosystem and a regulatory environment unlike anywhere else in the country. The Robotaxi program, built on Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) platform, has been pitched by CEO Elon Musk as the company’s biggest leap forward since the Model 3. Unlike ridesharing services that rely on human drivers, Tesla’s plan calls for fully autonomous electric vehicles that can operate continuously, picking up passengers through an app-based system. In theory, the fleet could undercut taxi and rideshare prices while running at higher efficiency thanks to centralized dispatch…

Elon Musk is threatening legal action against Apple after claiming that the company intentionally excluded his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and his AI chatbot Grok from its App Store “Top Apps” lists. Musk made the accusation in a series of posts on X, suggesting that Apple’s app ranking system is biased and possibly in violation of competition laws. The dispute centers on Apple’s charts for the most downloaded and most engaged-with applications in categories such as social media, productivity, and entertainment. According to Musk, both X and Grok should be appearing in high positions based on their download numbers and engagement metrics, but are being “shadow-suppressed” by Apple’s ranking algorithm. ALLEGATIONS OF ALGORITHMIC BIAS Musk has not provided detailed internal data to support his claim, but said that…

YouTube will begin testing an AI-powered age verification system in the United States this year, introducing a new method to keep age-restricted videos away from underage viewers while giving adults a faster way to prove eligibility. The platform says the pilot is designed to strengthen compliance with online safety regulations and address long-standing criticism that existing methods—such as self-reported birthdates—are easy to circumvent. The technology uses machine learning to estimate a viewer’s age from a still image taken via the device’s camera. According to YouTube, the analysis happens in real time and does not involve storing or permanently identifying the person. Users who are prompted for verification will be able to choose between this AI-based method or the traditional document upload process. FROM EUROPEAN PILOTS TO U.S. DEPLOYMENT This is…

Sky Sports is preparing to give Premier League coverage its most ambitious upgrade in years, unveiling a suite of new features for the 2025/26 season that aim to deepen fan engagement, improve broadcast quality, and bring cutting-edge technology into live match analysis. The announcement, made ahead of the league’s fixture release, underscores Sky’s push to maintain dominance in UK sports broadcasting as competition from streaming platforms intensifies. The changes include ultra-high-definition HDR feeds for every match, expanded interactive viewing options, real-time tactical insights, and AI-assisted commentary tools. For the first time, Sky will also introduce multi-angle streaming on its Sky Sports app, allowing viewers to switch between fixed tactical cameras, goal-line views, and aerial drone shots on demand. A NEW ERA FOR MATCHDAY VIEWING Sky’s 2025/26 package will deliver all…

Cyberattacks are becoming so sophisticated that even the most careful internet users can find themselves compromised without realizing it. According to cybersecurity specialists, the key to minimizing damage isn’t just prevention—it’s spotting the earliest warning signs and acting fast. An experienced IT security consultant has outlined five unsettling red flags that suggest your device or accounts may already be in the hands of an attacker. The signs might seem subtle at first, but ignoring them can lead to identity theft, drained bank accounts, data loss, or even full-scale ransomware lockouts. 1. YOUR DEVICE STARTS ACTING ON ITS OWN If your cursor moves without you touching the mouse, windows open spontaneously, or files begin transferring without your input, you could be witnessing remote access in real time. Many attackers use remote…

Apple's upcoming iOS 26, scheduled for release alongside the highly anticipated iPhone 17 next month, marks a significant milestone in the company’s ongoing AI evolution. With the integration of OpenAI’s just-launched GPT-5 model, Apple is poised to take its AI capabilities to new heights, particularly in enhancing Siri, Apple Intelligence, and other core services. GPT-5 AND SIRI While Apple has been traditionally cautious about adopting third-party technologies, the integration of GPT-5 marks a bold step in leveraging OpenAI’s advancements. As the next iteration of the AI model that powers services like Siri, GPT-5 promises a more intelligent, accurate, and powerful experience for users. In this article, we’ll dive into the new features that GPT-5 will bring to iOS 26, how it will impact Apple Intelligence, and what users can expect…

Electric bills in the United States have climbed to their highest levels in more than a decade, and a growing body of evidence suggests that the data center boom is a contributing factor. State regulators, energy analysts, and consumer advocates are now raising alarms that the massive growth in computing power—driven by artificial intelligence, streaming, and cloud services—is not only reshaping local economies but also reshaping the nation’s power grid in costly ways. Once concentrated in specialized industrial parks, data centers are now sprawling across suburbs, rural towns, and tech corridors, drawing constant, enormous amounts of electricity. These facilities run 24/7, powering hundreds of thousands of servers and the cooling systems that keep them from overheating. As more states court tech investment, the energy appetite of these buildings is colliding…

FX’s new series Alien: Earth is a rare case of a long-running sci-fi property managing to feel fresh without abandoning the DNA that made it iconic. Set in the familiar yet unsettling world of the Alien universe, the show balances chilling suspense, grotesque creature horror, and slow-burn character drama in a way that will resonate with both franchise newcomers and die-hard fans who have been waiting for a worthy successor to Ridley Scott’s original vision. Created by Fargo showrunner Noah Hawley, the series takes a grounded approach to the Alien mythos, shifting much of the action to Earth for the first time in live-action. While that could have risked diluting the franchise’s claustrophobic, off-world identity, Hawley uses the planet-side setting to explore corporate greed, human fragility, and the inevitability of…

AOL, once the dominant name in bringing Americans online, will officially end its dial-up internet service, closing the chapter on a technology that defined the early web era. After more than 30 years of offering its distinctive modem-based connections—complete with the unforgettable “You’ve got mail” greeting—the company confirmed it will wind down operations for its last remaining dial-up customers in the U.S. The decision reflects the near-total transition to broadband, fiber, and mobile internet access, which have rendered dial-up largely obsolete. While AOL has not disclosed the exact number of remaining subscribers, industry analysts estimate it to be a small but loyal user base, often in rural areas where high-speed alternatives have been slow to arrive. THE END OF AN ERA In the mid-1990s and early 2000s, AOL was synonymous…

Nvidia is extending its latest GPU architecture, Blackwell, to the smallest members of its professional lineup, signaling that the company wants cutting-edge AI and graphics capabilities in even its most compact workstation cards. The update, announced this week, gives creative professionals, engineers, and developers working in constrained form factors access to the same next-gen performance boosts previously reserved for high-end and data center GPUs. The move comes as demand for AI-powered workflows, real-time rendering, and high-resolution simulationcontinues to spread beyond large enterprise environments. Smallform workstations—common in design studios, research labs, and on-site production facilities—are increasingly expected to handle advanced computing tasks without offloading to the cloud or dedicated GPU servers. BLACKWELL PERFORMANCE, SMALLER PACKAGE The Blackwell architecture brings major gains in AI inferencing, double-precision compute, and ray tracing efficiencyover its…

Apple’s new Siri voice-control feature is poised to shift everyday interaction on iPhone, iPad, and Mac from taps and swipes to natural, conversational commands anchored by Apple Intelligence. In practical terms, Siri voice control moves beyond dictation or one-off queries and toward full-system orchestration: opening and operating apps, manipulating on-screen elements, extracting content from documents, and carrying out multi-step tasks that span Messages, Mail, Calendar, Notes, and third-party apps that adopt Apple’s intents. The promise is straightforward. If Siri reliably understands context, keeps track of what’s on your screen, and executes chained actions—without forcing you to manually hop between apps—voice becomes the most efficient input method for a large slice of daily workflows. WHAT MAKES THIS SIRI DIFFERENT Earlier versions of Siri handled narrow requests. The new voice-control approach is…

California is launching an ambitious program to bring free artificial intelligence training to its community colleges and public universities, aiming to prepare students for a rapidly shifting job market where AI literacy is becoming as critical as basic computer skills. The initiative, which will integrate AI-focused curricula into hundreds of campuses, is being hailed by state officials as a way to democratize access to cutting-edge technical education. But behind the headlines, questions remain about funding, corporate influence, and whether the “free” program comes with hidden costs for both students and the state. AN AI SKILLS PUSH AT SCALE The program—set to roll out across the California Community Colleges system, the University of California (UC) network, and the California State University (CSU) system—will include coursework on machine learning fundamentals, generative AI…

ESPN and Fox are teaming up to launch a new streaming bundle aimed at sports fans, a move that could reshape the competitive landscape of live sports broadcasting in the U.S. The partnership will package ESPN’s broad slate of professional and collegiate coverage with Fox’s lineup of NFL, MLB, college football, and FIFA events, giving subscribers a consolidated, app-based hub for live sports. The bundle—expected to debut in 2025—will be available as a standalone subscription and as part of select cable replacement packages. Pricing has not yet been disclosed, but industry analysts expect it to target households increasingly willing to drop traditional cable while still demanding comprehensive sports access. A STRATEGIC MOVE The announcement comes as the streaming wars enter a new phase—one in which sports rights have become the…

Elon Musk’s AI company xAI has announced that its latest model, Grok 4, will be available to users in a “limited” free tier—a move that blends marketing strategy, competitive positioning, and infrastructure management. The decision comes at a time when AI companies are fighting for both market share and user loyalty, often experimenting with pricing and access models to draw in new audiences while containing costs. BALANCING REACH WITH COST CONTROL Grok 4 is xAI’s most advanced large language model to date, promising faster responses, deeper reasoning, and broader knowledge coverage compared to its predecessors. Offering free access—albeit with restrictions—lowers the barrier to entry and puts the product in more hands quickly, which is crucial for a relatively young company trying to compete with established players like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s…