Innehållsförteckning för #736 från Techlife News

The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation into WhatsApp’s latest artificial intelligence policy, setting up a regulatory confrontation over whether Meta is unfairly restricting access to its messaging platform. The case centers on new terms that govern how external AI developers interact with WhatsApp, and whether those conditions could disadvantage rival chatbot services at a time when AI-powered communications tools are becoming integral to businesses and consumers across Europe. Regulators announced the inquiry on Thursday, citing concerns that Meta’s updated rules may block competing AI systems from operating on WhatsApp while allowing Meta’s own assistant to remain available. The Commission says the new policy appears to introduce limitations for business users who rely on AI tools to manage customer interactions, raising questions about whether Meta’s approach complies with…

OpenAI is preparing to acquire Neptune, a startup specializing in AI model training assistance, in a deal that underscores how quickly the infrastructure behind frontier model development is consolidating. The planned acquisition, disclosed on Wednesday, highlights the growing demand for tools that streamline the process of training increasingly complex models and the widening gap between companies capable of supporting those workflows and those that cannot keep pace. Neptune provides software designed to help teams monitor, optimize, and coordinate model-training experiments. As model sizes rise and training cycles lengthen, that layer of orchestration has become a core capability for large AI labs. Integrating those tools directly into OpenAI’s stack would give the company a more cohesive workflow as it refines and expands its next generation of models across research, safety, and…

Netflix reigns supreme as the undisputed king of streaming. With more than 301 million paid subscribers, it is a testament to its unyielding grip on the entertainment landscape. From humble DVD-mailing beginnings to a content colossus pumping out Oscar-winning films and Emmy-sweeping series, Netflix has not just adapted to the digital revolution but defined it. THE FUTURE OF NETFLIX In a battlefield crowded with media titans like Disney, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Hulu, Paramount+, and Apple TV+, how does Netflix maintain its edge? The answer lies in its laser focus on premium, original content that doesn't just entertain but captivates, while smart tech integrations keep it glued to our screens. And there’s no better place to start than with Stranger Things. Few shows have burrowed into the cultural zeitgeist…

Apple has begun rolling out a fresh set of AirPods features that deepen the integration between its earbuds and the wider Apple ecosystem, giving users new interaction tools, improved situational awareness and expanded device-level functionality across iPhone, iPad and Mac. The updates arrive as part of the latest software releases and reflect Apple’s continued effort to unify its audio hardware under systemwide frameworks introduced alongside Apple Intelligence earlier this year. The new capabilities reshape how AirPods respond to voice, gestures and contextual cues. While each addition builds on existing features familiar to long-time users, the combined update results in a more responsive audio experience that adapts more closely to how people move between environments, apps and devices. These enhancements also align with Apple’s broader strategy of emphasizing seamless interaction without…

Amazon Music and Apple Music have both released their annual listening summaries, giving subscribers detailed breakdowns of their most-played tracks, genres and artists as the year approaches its final stretch. The releases arrive during the peak period for year-end engagement across major streaming platforms, adding renewed attention to how users interact with personalized data and how streaming services position themselves in a competitive environment shaped increasingly by retention features rather than major product changes. The arrival of these wrap-ups also places new focus on the timing of Spotify’s year-end feature, long considered one of the most recognizable seasonal events in the streaming industry. With Amazon and Apple already rolling out their summaries, industry observers expect Spotify’s release to follow more quickly than in previous years as the service prepares for…

Netflix is telling regulators and counterparties that its proposed acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery’s studios and streaming unit would lower streaming bills for many households by paving the way for a discounted Netflix–HBO Max bundle, according to people familiar with the talks. In recent discussions with Warner Bros Discovery, Netflix has argued that combining one of the largest subscription video services with a major rival could be presented as a benefit to customers if the companies package their offerings at a lower price than two separate subscriptions, the sources said. They added that the services are not currently bundled by either company. The positioning is central to how Netflix is preparing for scrutiny in Washington and from competition authorities. A tie-up between Netflix and the owner of HBO, CNN and…

LandSpace, one of China’s most prominent private aerospace firms, completed a major step forward in the development of reusable launch systems on Wednesday, successfully sending its Zhuque-3 rocket to orbit but falling short in the booster’s attempted return. The effort marked China’s first private-sector trial of a controlled first-stage landing, placing the company at the center of a fast-advancing commercial space race that Beijing sees as essential to long-term competitiveness with American providers. The Zhuque-3 launched from a remote desert site in northwestern China and reached orbit as planned. The flight’s second stage delivered its payload as expected, but the first stage did not achieve a controlled return to the landing pad. LandSpace confirmed shortly after the mission that the booster experienced an anomaly after ignition during the landing phase,…

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang met privately with President Donald Trump and Republican senators on Wednesday, stepping directly into an intensifying policy fight over U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence and the extent to which American chipmakers should be allowed to sell high-performance hardware abroad. The closed-door meetings came as Congress, the White House, and the tech sector navigate a fast-moving landscape shaped by export controls, geopolitical competition, and rapidly accelerating investment in frontier AI capabilities. Huang’s appearance on Capitol Hill reflects both Nvidia’s influence and the broader industry push to secure stable regulatory footing as advanced chips become central to strategic policy discussions. Nvidia remains a dominant supplier of AI accelerators worldwide, making its role in U.S. decision-making unusually prominent. With lawmakers debating how far to extend export restrictions and industry…

AI systems are beginning to influence how people search, compare and buy gifts during the holiday season as retailers experiment with new recommendation models and customers look for quicker ways to navigate crowded online catalogs. The shift reflects a broader change that has unfolded throughout the year as conversational models, shopping agents and generative tools have moved into everyday consumer workflows. Holiday buying traditionally follows predictable patterns, but the introduction of AI-guided browsing is adding a new layer that retailers and shoppers are still learning to manage. In recent months, major platforms have introduced features designed to simplify the process of finding items across millions of listings. These tools can summarize differences between products, interpret vague descriptions and narrow choices to a small list based on user prompts. Retailers are…

Netflix has begun phasing out mobile casting support on newer smart TV models, altering how users send content from their phones to the Netflix app on select televisions. The change has started appearing across devices released within the last two years, according to updated support documentation and user reports, marking a shift in Netflix’s approach to how subscribers initiate playback when moving between personal devices and living-room screens. The update affects the familiar cast button inside the Netflix mobile app, which traditionally allowed users to hand off playback to a compatible television over Wi-Fi. On newer TVs, the option either no longer appears or directs users to open the Netflix app on the television directly. The company has not detailed a formal timeline for the change, but the rollout aligns…

NVIDIA has deepened its position inside the chip-design ecosystem through a new $2 billion partnership with Synopsys, a move that folds advanced GPU acceleration and AI-driven automation into the software tools used by semiconductor companies to create next-generation processors. The collaboration extends NVIDIA’s influence beyond training and inference markets and into the workflows that determine how chips are architected, verified and optimized before ever reaching a fabrication plant. The agreement centers on integrating NVIDIA’s accelerated computing platforms with Synopsys’ EDA software, allowing chipmakers to run design, simulation and verification workloads on GPUs rather than relying exclusively on CPU clusters. Semiconductor design flows have historically required massive compute resources to handle circuit modeling, physical verification and sign-off procedures. By shifting key portions of those steps to GPU-accelerated pipelines, firms gain access…

Apple is preparing to introduce four new MacBook models in 2026, according to new reporting that outlines one of the company’s most extensive laptop refresh cycles since the start of the Apple Silicon transition. Early details point to updates across both the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lines, with new sizes, revised chassis designs and next-generation chip architectures forming the core of Apple’s forthcoming notebook strategy. The roadmap signals how Apple is positioning the Mac lineup for the next stage of its custom-silicon development. The company continues to push toward more unified architectures across CPU, GPU and neural-processing components as software workloads increasingly incorporate AI features that benefit from on-device acceleration. Multiple models planned for 2026 reflect the scale of that shift, with Apple preparing hardware that is expected to…

Apple has announced a major leadership transition within its artificial intelligence organization, confirming that John Giannandrea, who has overseen the company’s AI strategy since 2018, will step down next spring. The move marks the most visible shift inside Apple’s AI group since the introduction of Apple Intelligence last year, a suite that was intended to position the company more firmly within the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Giannandrea, who joined Apple after leading AI efforts at Google, has served as a senior vice president reporting directly to CEO Tim Cook. Apple said he will stay on as an advisor until his retirement. His departure arrives at a moment when Apple’s AI strategy is under heightened scrutiny, as competitors invest in large-scale systems that rely heavily on cloud infrastructure and specialized data-center…

Meta is preparing to scale back its metaverse budget significantly, planning reductions of up to 30 percent for 2026 as leadership reassesses where the company’s resources should be directed. The adjustments — still being finalized through Meta’s internal annual planning cycle — are expected to affect Reality Labs, the unit responsible for virtual-reality hardware, augmented-reality projects and the Horizon Worlds social platform. Early indicators suggest that job cuts could follow as the restructuring moves forward in early 2026. The shift marks one of the clearest signs yet that Meta is recalibrating after years of heavy investment in the metaverse. Despite substantial outlays and several generations of VR hardware, adoption has remained limited, and investors have continued to question the long-term payoff of a strategy centered on virtual worlds. This year’s…

Airbus is preparing to distribute a software update to airlines worldwide after carriers reported concerns about a digital monitoring tool used on multiple aircraft families, prompting the company to begin a coordinated response aimed at preventing potential delays. The issue, which surfaced during routine fleet operations, does not involve flight-control systems or core safety functions, according to people familiar with the matter, but it affects background data that supports parts of an aircraft’s operational workflow. The company has not issued a grounding notice or a safety alert, and affected carriers have continued flying their scheduled operations. Still, the update is being treated as time-sensitive because of how the system interacts with maintenance and dispatch processes that depend on accurate digital logs. Airline officials involved in the discussions said the glitch…

Apple’s upcoming year-end music rankings are expected to be led heavily by older tracks, reflecting a pattern reinforced across streaming platforms throughout 2025. New reporting shows that catalog music—songs more than 18 months old—is on track to surpass new releases across Apple’s charts, continuing a trend that has reshaped listening habits, royalty flows and the economics of artist discovery. The shift underscores broader industry factors ranging from algorithmic recommendation patterns to social-media revival cycles and changes in how audiences engage with emerging artists. Streaming analysts observing Apple Music’s performance metrics throughout the year note that back-catalog tracks have built consistent lead positions across the platform’s global and regional charts. While Apple Music’s rankings still highlight major new releases from top-tier artists, those additions have not displaced the sustained weight of…

Uber has begun offering robotaxi rides in Dallas, introducing autonomous vehicles into its core ride-hailing service for the first time in the city. The launch integrates self-driving Hyundai Ioniq 5 vehicles from Avride into Uber’s main app and places the company at another stage of its long-term move toward a hybrid network of human drivers and autonomous fleets. The rollout began this week across a nine-square-mile service area covering Downtown, Uptown, Turtle Creek and Deep Ellum. Riders requesting an UberX, Uber Comfort or Uber Comfort Electric trip in this region may be matched with one of the new robotaxis. When that happens, the app alerts the passenger and allows them to switch to a traditional driver if they prefer. Uber is not charging extra for the autonomous option. Avride’s vehicles…

Valve’s recent hardware announcements placed most of the public focus on the Steam Machine revival, but a quieter detail embedded in the company’s new standalone VR headset points toward a far broader shift. The Steam Frame — powered by an Arm-based Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor — is emerging as the first concrete proof of Valve’s nearly decade-long investment in translation layers that allow traditional x86 PC games to run efficiently on Arm hardware. What initially looked like a device-specific engineering solution is now revealing Valve’s longer trajectory: the company has been building a foundation that could extend Steam well beyond PCs and handhelds, reaching phones, tablets, lightweight AR and VR systems, and eventually Arm-based laptops running Windows or Android. While Valve maintains that it isn’t actively developing its…

A recent wave of online speculation has suggested that Apple could be preparing deeper ties between ChatGPT and health-related features on its platforms, but new reporting indicates there is no clear evidence supporting those claims. The discussion follows broader interest in how Apple plans to expand Apple Intelligence across its ecosystem, particularly in areas involving personalized data and sensitive information. Analysts caution, however, that the rumored connection between Apple Health and ChatGPT does not align with Apple’s current design principles or its established approach to data handling. The discussion began after references surfaced on social media suggesting that upcoming Apple Intelligence updates might incorporate conversational features capable of interpreting Apple Health metrics or summarizing activity trends using OpenAI’s models. While ChatGPT already integrates into certain Siri interactions for general-purpose queries,…