Innehållsförteckning för #729 från AppleMagazine

Walmart has entered a defining moment in its digital evolution, introducing a conversational shopping experience that lets customers and Sam’s Club members purchase items directly through ChatGPT. Shoppers can describe what they need in plain language, receive tailored suggestions, and check out in one flow without opening a browser or app. The approach turns a chat into a storefront and compresses the distance from intent to purchase into a single exchange. The retailer frames this as an extension of its “shop anywhere” strategy. CEO Doug McMillon emphasized that customers should be able to buy wherever they prefer—inside a store aisle, on the website, in the app, or now within a chat window. The integration is rolling out in the United States first, with additional markets to follow, and it connects…

Salesforce has announced plans to invest $15 billion in San Francisco over the next five years, reaffirming its commitment to the city it calls home and signaling a major bet on the future of California’s struggling tech hub. The move marks one of the largest corporate reinvestments in the Bay Area since the pandemic, a period that saw waves of tech departures and downtown vacancies. A LONG-TERM VOTE OF CONFIDENCE The investment will span real estate, workforce expansion, AI infrastructure, and community initiatives, according to company executives. Salesforce — San Francisco’s largest private employer and the namesake tenant of its tallest skyscraper, Salesforce Tower — says the plan is intended to “reinvigorate innovation, opportunity, and community impact” in the city over the next half decade. Chair and CEO Marc Benioff…

From Silicon Valley to New Zealand, a quiet but growing movement is unfolding among the world’s most powerful technologists. Convinced that artificial intelligence could soon surpass human control — or that social collapse might follow — several of the tech industry’s most influential figures are preparing for what they call “the transition.” Executives like Sam Altman, Peter Thiel, and Mark Zuckerberg are investing millions in survival compounds, private islands, and AI-controlled security systems, betting that their wealth and foresight can shield them from the fallout of their own creations. THE BILLIONAIRES’ ESCAPE PLAN In recent years, global crises — from pandemics and climate disasters to political instability and the rapid rise of generative AI — have convinced some of Silicon Valley’s leaders that society is on the brink of radical…

A groundbreaking behavioral study has revealed a dangerous vulnerability lurking in the modern workplace: the more we multitask, the more likely we are to fall for phishing scams. The findings, drawn from a large-scale experiment conducted by researchers at Binghamton University and the University at Albany, show that cognitive overload caused by task-switching significantly impairs our ability to detect fraudulent emails. In a digital era where workers bounce between chats, dashboards, emails, and meetings, the implications are clear. Cybersecurity defenses can no longer assume a focused user. Instead, the real threat comes from the everyday distraction baked into our workflows — and companies must adapt accordingly. SPLIT FOCUS, SPLIT DEFENSE The researchers tested 977 participants, assigning them to perform memory-intensive tasks while simultaneously reviewing a mix of legitimate and phishing…

On October 13, 2025, SpaceX successfully conducted its 11th Starship flight test, launching from Starbase, Texas, and completing a full mission profile that included engine reignition, payload deployment, and controlled splashdown maneuvers. The Super Heavy booster executed a stable water landing in the Gulf of Mexico before initiating a self-destruct command as designed, while the Starship upper stage descended to the Indian Ocean after deploying a set of test payloads. This flight marked the final test for the current “Block 2” configuration, clearing the way for upgraded versions of Starship designed to support broader missions across space infrastructure, satellite expansion, and interplanetary transport. EVOLUTION OF THE STARSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM Starship, SpaceX’s fully reusable launch system, has undergone a rapid evolution since its initial suborbital hops. Designed for deep space missions…

Apple is preparing a new wave of smart-home hardware and shifting final assembly to Vietnam, signaling a deeper geographic diversification of its supply chain. Plans include a HomePod-style hub with a built-in display, an indoor security camera, and a motorized tabletop robot that carries a larger screen. BYD—best known globally for electric vehicles and already a key Apple manufacturing partner—will handle final assembly, testing, and packaging for the hub and the robot in Vietnam. The program represents a rare instance in which Apple launches a brand-new product category outside China from day one. NEW DEVICES DESIGNED FOR SMARTER, MORE IMMERSIVE HOMES The screened hub targets household control rather than general computing. A seven-inch display is expected to anchor the experience, with a form factor that can sit on a table…

The arrival of Apple’s M5 silicon marks one of the most cohesive upgrades across its core product families in years. The company’s new processor has been introduced on the iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, and Vision Pro, a rare synchronized refresh that redefines performance across three very different product categories. THE M5 CHIP The focus this time isn’t on environmental progress or corporate milestones, but purely on performance, how much faster, more efficient, and capable these machines have become. Each now relies on the same foundation: a chip designed for AI computation, graphics acceleration, and seamless multitasking at the hardware level. The result is a generation of devices that look familiar but feel dramatically more advanced when put to real workloads. The M5 is Apple’s first processor designed entirely with generative…

Apple’s latest smartphone launch is off to an impressive start. According to recent market coverage, preorders for the iPhone 17 have surged, outpacing those of the iPhone 16. At the same time, overall global smartphone demand is holding strong—even in the face of rising tariffs and supply chain headwinds. This momentum suggests Apple remains one of the strongest forces in consumer electronics, capable of navigating geopolitical and economic pressures while sustaining extraordinary levels of consumer interest. STRONG PREORDER PERFORMANCE SIGNALS HEALTHY DEMAND Early indicators show that iPhone 17 preorders are already surpassing last year’s iPhone 16 figures. Retail data points to particularly strong interest in higher-capacity models, reinforcing Apple’s premium market positioning. In China, preorder volumes have been especially notable, with numbers on major platforms exceeding previous-generation levels. Analysts note…

Apple is quietly rebranding its flagship streaming service, dropping the “+” and consolidating Apple TV+ into a simpler, unified brand: Apple TV. The move, which insiders describe as a strategic reset rather than a cosmetic update, signals how Apple is reshaping its entertainment division to stand toe-to-toe with industry titans like Netflix, Disney, and Amazon. THE STREAMING SERVICE GETS A NEW IDENTITY After years of building its identity around prestige television, Apple is acknowledging what many viewers have already been calling it — just Apple TV. The simplified name reflects Apple’s broader plan to merge content, hardware, and software under a single identity, similar to how “Apple Music” and “Apple Arcade” have evolved beyond niche categories. By aligning its streaming platform with its hardware brand, Apple appears to be preparing…

Apple is doubling down on its commitment to renewable energy with a sweeping new initiative that adds hundreds of megawatts of solar and wind capacity across Europe. The projects—spread across Greece, Italy, Poland, Latvia, and Romania—represent a key milestone in Apple’s global plan to reach full carbon neutrality by 2030. More than just symbolic progress, the move underscores how Apple is taking practical, scalable steps to address its own operational footprint while helping accelerate Europe’s transition toward a clean-energy economy. A CONTINENT-WIDE RENEWABLE INVESTMENT STRATEGY Apple’s new European energy initiative adds roughly 650 megawatts of solar and wind capacity to the grid—enough to power hundreds of thousands of homes annually. The company is partnering with local developers and governments to create projects that support its retail stores, data centers, and…

Oracle is taking a decisive step in the global race for artificial intelligence infrastructure. The company announced that it will soon offer cloud services powered by AMD’s next-generation AI chips, marking a deep expansion of their collaboration and signaling growing competition against Nvidia’s commanding lead in AI hardware. BUILDING A NEW FOUNDATION FOR AI WORKLOADS Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) will be among the first platforms to deploy AMD’s upcoming Instinct MI450 accelerators, expected to launch in 2026. This new generation of chips builds upon the MI300 series, already integrated into several Oracle cloud regions, and promises higher efficiency, lower latency, and better scalability for advanced AI workloads. The partnership is not new—Oracle has been a strategic customer of AMD for years—but this expansion is its boldest move yet into AI-specialized…

Apple’s long-rumored foldable iPhone may arrive at a lower price point than analysts initially predicted. The reason, sources say, lies in a key component: the display. Apple is reportedly working with suppliers to develop a more cost-efficient ultra-thin glass (UTG) and hinge system, which could significantly reduce production costs and make the company’s first foldable device more accessible than competitors like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold series. APPLE REFINES ITS FOLDABLE STRATEGY For years, speculation around Apple’s entry into the foldable market has centered on timing and pricing. Early supply chain leaks suggested that the first iPhone Fold could easily exceed the $2,000 mark due to complex display engineering and premium materials. However, new information indicates Apple may have found ways to streamline production without compromising durability or image quality. According…

Microsoft has officially launched its first proprietary AI image generator, marking a significant step in the company’s efforts to bring creative generative tools directly under its own brand. The new image generator was developed internally by Microsoft engineers and researchers, setting it apart from the company’s earlier reliance on partner technologies like OpenAI’s DALL·E. MICROSOFT BUILDS ITS OWN CREATIVE ENGINE The new AI system, unveiled quietly this week, represents the next phase of Microsoft’s growing investment in homegrown AI models. Rather than licensing existing generative models, Microsoft has built a fully integrated image creation platform capable of producing complex, high-resolution visuals using natural language prompts. According to company officials, the tool is being developed to power a range of Microsoft products — from Copilot in Word, PowerPoint, and Designer to…

Basketball is taking a leap into the future. Spectrum SportsNet and Apple are teaming up to deliver Los Angeles Lakers games in Apple Immersive for the Apple Vision Pro, giving fans the closest experience yet to sitting courtside — without leaving their living room. Beginning early next year, a selection of Lakers matchups from the 2025–26 NBA season will stream live through the upcoming Spectrum SportsNet app for Vision Pro, transforming how fans watch and feel the game. A NEW DIMENSION FOR SPORTS BROADCASTS The initiative brings a new layer of realism to sports viewing. Each game will be captured using Blackmagic Design’s URSA Cine Immersive Live camera, a professional-grade system developed in collaboration with Apple to record video in full 3D spatial format. This allows Vision Pro users to…

Chinese electric vehicle exports surged to 222,000 units in September 2025 — a 100% increase compared to the same month last year — underscoring how domestic market pressures, fierce competition, and price wars are driving automakers to seek growth abroad. The surge highlights both the challenges and opportunities facing China’s fast-evolving electric mobility sector as it transitions from rapid domestic expansion to global dominance. The data, released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), shows that the country’s EV makers are now leveraging their scale and cost efficiency to capture international markets just as the domestic industry begins to cool. EXPORT GROWTH SIGNALS GLOBAL AMBITION The headline figure of 222,000 exported electric vehicles represents one of China’s strongest monthly performances on record. While slightly lower than August’s 224,000 units,…