A new and improved Siri may finally make an appearance, but this time, it could be with a Google Gemini glow up. According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Apple wants to announce a new Siri in “the second half of February” that will show off the results of its recently announced partnership with Google and offer demonstrations of the Gemini-powered capabilities.
After this reveal, Gurman reported that the new Siri will make its way to iOS 26.4, which is also slated to enter beta testing in February before its public release in March or early April. Apple has been meaning to launch its next-gen Siri ever since its announcement at WWDC 2024, but now we know that this Gemini-powered Siri will behave more like an AI chatbot, similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, thanks to another Bloomberg report from last week.
Following the reported demo that’s scheduled for late February, Gurman said Apple will have a grand reveal of the new Siri, which is currently codenamed Campos, at its annual developer conference in the summer. After that, the latest Siri and the accompanying Gemini-powered Apple Intelligence features are expected to arrive with iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27, which are expected to be available as beta releases in the summer.
Apple’s iOS 26 and watchOS 26 introduced a new fitness companion called Workout Buddy. This feature uses Apple Intelligence to provide spoken feedback during workouts and give motivation based on your activity history. Workout Buddy analyzes your pace, heart rate, distance and other metrics to deliver real-time encouragement and performance insights directly through connected Bluetooth headphones. It works in conjunction with the Workout app on Apple Watch and is partially controlled through the Fitness app on iPhone. This guide walks you through everything needed to set up and use Workout Buddy effectively during workouts.
What Workout Buddy does
It’s important to note that Workout Buddy is not a full coaching program. Instead, it adds to your workout with spoken cues that reflect how your session is going. Workout Buddy can remind you of your weekly activity totals, alert you to personal bests or performance milestones and provide an overview when you’re finished. It is designed to feel like a supportive training partner rather than a strict coach.
The feature operates in English by default and uses a text-to-speech model trained on voices from Apple Fitness+ trainers. It is available for a subset of workout types, including running, walking, cycling, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and strength training. It requires on-device Apple Intelligence, which means you’ll need to keep one of the latest iPhones running updated software nearby during workouts.
Supported models include iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and any iPhone 16 model. You’ll also need an Apple Watch running watchOS 26.
Requirements before you begin
Before Workout Buddy appears in your Fitness app or Workout app you must ensure a few things are in place. First, your Apple Watch must be running watchOS 26 or later and paired to an iPhone with iOS 26 installed. Second, your iPhone must be capable of on-device Apple Intelligence, meaning you must own one of the supported iPhone models we mentioned above and have Apple Intelligence enabled in the phone’s settings.
You’ll also need Bluetooth headphones paired with either your iPhone or your Apple Watch. Workout Buddy’s audio feedback cannot play through the watch speaker so headphones are essential. Lastly, your device language must be set to English, at least initially. If any of these things are missing, the option to enable Workout Buddy may not appear.
How to turn on Workout Buddy from iPhone
While much of the interaction with Workout Buddy happens on Apple Watch during workouts, you can enable it and choose voice options from the Fitness app on iPhone.
Open the Fitness app on your iPhone and tap the Workout tab at the bottom. Scroll through the list of workout types until you find one you plan to use with Workout Buddy. Tap the waveform bubble icon associated with that workout. This will bring up settings where you can turn on Workout Buddy. Flip the toggle to enable it and choose a voice from the available options. Once you have selected a voice, close that screen and your choice is saved. When you start this workout type on Apple Watch, Workout Buddy will activate.
Enabling Workout Buddy for a workout type on iPhone means you do not need to toggle it on separately on Apple Watch each time for that specific workout. However, you may still adjust it from the watch interface for more granular control.
How to turn on Workout Buddy on Apple Watch
To use Workout Buddy during a session, open the Workout app on your Apple Watch. Turn the Digital Crown to scroll through and select the workout you want to do, such as Outdoor Run, Outdoor Walk, Outdoor Cycle, HIIT or Strength Training. If you want to see all available workouts, tap the Add button at the bottom.
Once the workout type is selected, look for the Alerts button on screen. Tap Alerts then scroll until you see Workout Buddy. Tap Workout Buddy and flip the switch to on. You will then be asked to choose a voice if one is not already selected on your iPhone. After selecting the voice, return to the previous screen and tap Start. Workout Buddy will begin working as soon as the workout does.
Using Workout Buddy during a workout
Once you start an exercise on your Watch or iPhone, Workout Buddy will speak to you through your connected headphones. The feedback is designed to be encouraging and relevant to your pace, performance or milestones. It may mention your current progress toward activity goals, pace, splits, personal bests or other highlights from your fitness data. At the end of your session Workout Buddy will offer a summary of key metrics like duration distance and calorie burn.
While a workout is active, you can temporarily mute the audio if you need silence. On Apple Watch during the session, swipe right to reveal controls then tap Mute. This pauses Workout Buddy’s spoken commentary without disabling the feature entirely.
Customizing and managing Workout Buddy settings
Workout Buddy is enabled on a per-workout-type basis. If you prefer voice feedback for running but silence for strength training, you can enable it for one and leave it off for the other. The Fitness app on iPhone allows you to set a default voice preference for each workout type. On Apple Watch you can quickly toggle the feature on or off before starting a session.
If Workout Buddy does not appear as an option for a particular workout type, you may need to check compatibility. Apple’s documentation indicates that only certain types* are supported initially and that the option will not appear for unsupported workouts.
*Apple Watch SE (2nd generation), Apple Watch SE 3, Apple Watch Series 6, Apple Watch Series 7, Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra, Apple Watch Ultra 2, Apple Watch Ultra 3
Troubleshooting common issues
If Workout Buddy fails to activate make sure your devices meet the requirements outlined above. Confirm that your iPhone with Apple Intelligence is nearby and that Bluetooth headphones are connected. If audio feedback is missing, ensure headphones are paired correctly and that the language is set to English. Some users have reported that if the headphones are paired only to the Watch rather than the iPhone, it can interfere with feedback. Switching to the iPhone often resolves that issue.
For workout types where Workout Buddy previously worked but suddenly does not appear, you may try toggling the feature off and on again in the Fitness app or rebooting both devices. In rare cases removing and re-adding the workout type on Apple Watch can refresh the settings.
Apple’s iPhone is gaining ground fast in India, shipping about 14 million units in 2025, based on market data shared exclusively with TechCrunch.
Yet the country’s overall smartphone market stayed largely flat at around 152–153 million devices. That means that across the full-year of 2025, Apple’s market share of shipments rose to a record 9%. This is up from 7% in 2024, Counterpoint Research data shows, making it the iPhone’s strongest year yet in the world’s second-largest smartphone market by volume.
The gains were driven by the iPhone’s product portfolio, growing aspirational demand and wider availability across sales channels, Counterpoint Research’s director for devices and ecosystems, Tarun Pathak, said.
Apple has repeatedly pointed to India as a standout market in recent quarters, with CEO Tim Cook saying the company set an “all-time revenue record in India” on its last earnings call in October. CFO Kevan Parekh also said iPhone’s active install base hit an all-time high in India and the company set a quarterly record for upgraders, highlighting Apple’s push to expand its user base beyond just new buyers, though the company did not disclose detailed figures for India on the call.
Apple is also sharpening its services pitch in India. Earlier this month, it introduced Apple Creator Studio — a subscription bundle of creative apps such as Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro — priced at ₹399 a month ($4.35) in India. That’s around 66% cheaper than the $12.99 a month it charges in the U.S., underscoring how the company is tailoring pricing to deepen its reach in the country.
That strong iPhone year came against a market that has largely stopped growing. India is set to log its fourth straight year at about the same shipment level of 152 million units, Counterpoint estimates, with the October–December quarter down 8–10% year-over-year despite the festive season.
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Longer replacement cycles, fewer feature phone users upgrading to smartphones, and the growing popularity of refurbished devices are among the key reasons the market has struggled to grow, Pathak told TechCrunch.
Even as overall shipments stagnated, India’s premium segment continued to expand. Smartphones priced above ₹30,000 (around $327) grew 15% year-over-year in 2025 and accounted for a record 23% of total shipments — the highest share ever — according to Counterpoint.
That shift has helped brands with stronger premium portfolios, including Apple, gain ground even as the mass market slowed.
By volume, China’s Vivo led India’s smartphone market in 2025 with a 23% share of shipments, per Counterpoint, followed by Samsung at 15% and Xiaomi at 13%.
Apple remained outside India’s top three by shipments despite its record year, underlining how the market is still dominated by mass-market Android brands even as premium devices take a growing share.
Counterpoint expects India’s smartphone market to slip about 2% in 2026, warning that rising memory prices could squeeze demand in the sub-₹15,000 (under-$170) segment and force phone makers to cut cashback offers, trim specifications or raise prices. Even so, average selling prices are forecast to rise 5% in 2026 after a 9% increase in 2025, suggesting the premiumization trend is set to continue.
It’s been a while since rumors and reports suggested Apple is exploring a new divisive product category, and it’s been several years since the Apple car. Unfortunately, the new challenger is a wearable AI pin with cameras, mics and… zero interest from me.
According to a report from The Information, it’ll resemble a slightly thicker AirTag with an aluminum and glass exterior. The report suggests it’ll have two cameras (standard and wide-angle) for photos and video. It may also have three microphones and a (swoon) physical button. I love a physical button.
TMA (Apple)
How is Apple going to pitch it? What is the non-creepy, not-nefarious selling point of a tiny listening device with cameras? As Engadget’s Devindra Hardawar puts it: Why attempt an unproven wearable? Especially when its own Watch and AirPods could already deliver a lot of what’s being rumored here.
The Information says Apple could release its AI pin as early as 2027, but it’s reportedly only in the very early stages and could still be canceled. Even if the Vision Pro and Watch eventually happened, the Apple Car and the Apple TV never did.
— Mat Smith
A group of non-Chinese investors will own 80 percent of it.
TikTok owner ByteDance has finalized a deal for its US entity. The majority of its stake is held by a group of non-Chinese investors. The deal was closed just before the Trump administration’s latest deadline to ban the app in the US unless it was divested from ByteDance. TikTok’s new investors will own 80 percent, with Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX, an Emirati-state owned investment firm, taking 15 percent each.
According to TikTok’s announcement, the joint venture will protect American users’ data with Oracle’s secure US cloud environment. It will also retrain TikTok’s algorithm using US users’ data and will be responsible for content moderation in the US. The new US TikTok also promises interoperability, ensuring users still get international content and, if they’re creators, viewers.
Bungie’s long-awaited Marathon will arrive on March 5. The 3v3 extraction shooter has a lot riding on it — but it looks pretty damn cool. You might remember Sony, Bungie’s parent company, previously committed to a September 2025 release. However, it delayed the game indefinitely last June after a mixed reception to its alpha and partially plagiarized visual assets.
It’s a very important game for both Bungie and Sony. The latter said Destiny 2 had not lived up to its expectations. It wants another hit like Helldivers 2, not another Concord.
If you’re thinking about getting a new graphics card this year, your window for doing so at a typical retail price has closed. What do you do if you want to upgrade to a new graphics card this year? If you’re sitting on an older GPU, the best advice we can give is to stick with your current hardware. On the other hand, if your current GPU is not up to running the games you want to play, consider buying a card with at least 12GB of VRAM. Then, well, read on for more tips and our top recommendations.
It looks like Tim Cook’s potential replacement is getting called up for a major league tryout. According to Bloomberg, John Ternus, Apple’s current head of hardware engineering, is having his role expanded and will now be handling design work within his unit. It’s the latest indicator that he could be next in line to take the top spot at the company when Cook decides to step down.
Per the report, Ternus first got the call to take on hardware design around the end of last year. That puts Ternus in a position to oversee both hardware and software, seemingly providing a test case to see what direction he might take the company—and see how the public responds to it. (It doesn’t seem like he is responsible for the “liquid glass” update that has been widely derided, so if he can figure out how to fix that, he’d be off to a great start.)
Ternus has been gaining momentum as the potential Cook successor for a while now. Earlier this month, the New York Times profiled him and documented some of his time at Apple, which he joined in 2001. It highlighted Ternus’ idea to add a small, photo-enhancing laser to high-end iPhones rather than all devices because die-hards would be willing to pay for it, while the average consumer wouldn’t care.
The suggestion seems to be that Ternus would be a pragmatic CEO, following more closely in the footsteps of Cook than the more vision-driven approach of Steve Jobs. One former Apple employee told the Times, “If you want to make an iPhone every year, Ternus is your guy.” Of course, that won’t exactly be music to the ears of people who believe Apple’s design approach has stagnated over the years and the company has lost some of the luster that Jobs was able to bring by introducing devices like the iPhone and iPad.
Bloomberg did note that while the role Ternus has been thrust into suggests a springboard to CEO-ship, it’s not a surefire guarantee that serving as the design overlord will get you the top spot. Jony Ive held down the seat for years before eventually departing from Apple in 2019, apparently over frustrations that the company stopped emphasizing innovation and started focusing on churning out replicable designs that drive profits. Jeff Williams most recently held the position, but he retired last year and was nearly the same age as Cook, so he wasn’t in line for a promotion.
Whether Ternus ends up the heir to Apple’s throne, we’ll have to see. But it sure looks like he’s being given first crack at it.
Apple is reportedly developing a wearable “AI pin” that can record and understand conversations, marking its most ambitious attempt to regain ground in the artificial intelligence arms race.
The project, first revealed by The Information and reported by The Telegraph, signals a new hardware direction for the iPhone maker as it seeks to challenge rivals like OpenAI and Meta.
The device is described as a thin, circular disc, similar in size to an AirTag but slightly thicker. It will reportedly feature an aluminium-and-glass shell and pack a significant array of sensors, including three microphones, a speaker, and two cameras – one standard and one wide-angle.
Unlike traditional wearables, the pin is designed to be clipped to clothing, potentially acting as an “always-on” digital assistant that captures audio and visual input in real-time.
At the heart of the device is an overhauled version of Siri. Apple is reportedly planning to transform its voice assistant into a ChatGPT-style chatbot, capable of complex conversations, rather than simple commands. This upgraded AI, internally known as “Campos,” is expected to debut with iOS 27 and would likely serve as the primary interface for the screenless pin.
The device also supports magnetic inductive charging, similar to the Apple Watch, and features a single physical button along the edge for manual controls.
Apple enters a market already littered with failed experiments. Humane, a startup founded by former Apple employees, recently discontinued its $700 AI pin after poor sales and critical reviews.
Apple’s privacy credentials will also be under scrutiny; a device capable of “listening” to ambient conversations raises significant surveillance concerns, a topic Chief Executive Tim Cook has previously called a top priority.
While rivals like OpenAI, led by former Apple design chief Sir Jony Ive, are expected to launch their own AI wearables as early as this year, Apple’s version is currently in early development. Providing the project isn’t cancelled beforehand, it is targeted for a 2027 release, with Apple reportedly eyeing a massive initial production run of 20 million units.
Apple and Google just made one of the most important artificial intelligence (AI) announcements of the year. Under a new multi-year collaboration, Apple will base the next generation of its Apple Foundation Models on Google’s Gemini models and cloud technology.
The companies confirmed the partnership in a joint statement, signaling a major shift in how Apple plans to deliver AI features across the iPhone, iPad and Mac.
The deal comes as Apple faces growing pressure to catch up in AI, especially after delaying a long-promised overhaul of Siri.
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Apple and Google have entered a multiyear AI partnership that will shape the future of Apple Intelligence and Siri.(Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Why Apple chose Google’s Gemini
Apple evaluated multiple AI options before settling on Gemini. According to the joint statement, Apple believes Google’s AI provides the strongest foundation for its own models. Gemini has quickly become one of the most capable large language model families, backed by Google’s massive cloud infrastructure.
For Apple, this means faster development, more reliable performance and the ability to roll out advanced features without rebuilding everything from scratch. At the same time, Apple says Apple Intelligence will still run on the device and through its Private Cloud Compute system. In other words, Apple controls how user data flows, even if the underlying models come from Google.
The joint statement from Apple and Google
Here is the full joint statement from the two companies:
“Apple and Google have entered into a multi-year collaboration under which the next generation of Apple Foundation Models will be based on Google’s Gemini models and cloud technology. These models will help power future Apple Intelligence features, including a more personalized Siri coming this year.
“After careful evaluation, Apple determined that Google’s AI technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models and is excited about the innovative new experiences it will unlock for Apple users. Apple Intelligence will continue to run on Apple devices and Private Cloud Compute, while maintaining Apple’s industry-leading privacy standards.”
That last line is critical. Apple is clearly trying to reassure users that privacy remains central, even with Google’s technology involved.
Google’s Gemini models will help power Apple’s next-generation AI features while Apple keeps control of on-device processing and privacy.(REUTERS/Norbert von der Groeben)
A long-delayed Siri overhaul finally moves forward
A more personalized Siri is one of the biggest promises tied to this deal. Apple had already previewed major Siri improvements but ran into development problems. Reports described internal frustration, bugs and delays that pushed the revamped assistant further out than planned. This partnership helps explain why. By leaning on Gemini, Apple can accelerate Siri’s evolution instead of trying to solve every AI challenge internally. The result should be a smarter assistant that better understands context, handles complex requests and integrates more deeply across Apple apps.
Behind-the-scenes pressure at Apple
This deal did not happen in a vacuum. Apple has faced criticism for moving too slowly on AI while rivals pushed ahead. Apple had reportedly been in talks to license a custom version of Gemini for Siri and was expected to pay roughly $1 billion per year, though the official announcement did not confirm any financial terms.
Apple has also reshuffled its AI leadership. The company recently hired Amar Subramanya as vice president of artificial intelligence. He replaced John Giannandrea, who stepped down from the role after leading Apple’s AI strategy since 2018.
Antitrust questions loom
There is also a regulatory angle. Apple and Google already face scrutiny for their long-standing search agreement. That partnership came under renewed attention after U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google holds a monopoly in online search, while still allowing payments to Apple to keep Google as the default search engine on iPhones. This new AI collaboration could attract fresh attention from antitrust regulators who worry about powerful tech companies becoming even more intertwined.
The deal signals a strategic shift as Apple accelerates its AI roadmap to deliver smarter, more personalized experiences across its devices.(Phil Barker/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
What this means for you
For those of you using Apple devices, the impact is straightforward. You should see smarter Apple Intelligence features arrive faster, starting with a more capable Siri. Tasks like summarizing messages, handling complex reminders and understanding context across apps should improve. At the same time, Apple insists your data stays protected. Apple Intelligence will still rely on device processing and Private Cloud Compute, rather than funneling personal data directly into Google’s systems. In short, users get better AI without giving up Apple’s privacy stance, at least in theory.
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Kurt’s key takeaways
Apple’s partnership with Google marks a turning point in its AI story. Instead of going it alone, Apple is betting that combining its privacy-focused platform with Google’s AI muscle is the fastest path forward. If Apple delivers on its promises, this deal could finally close the AI gap that has frustrated users and investors alike. The real test will come when those features land on your devices.
Do you trust Apple to balance powerful AI with privacy now that Google’s technology sits under the hood? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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Copyright 2026 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.
Apple may be developing its own AI wearable, according to a report published Wednesday by The Information. The device will be a pin that users can wear on their clothing, and that comes equipped with two cameras and three microphones, the report says.
Should the rumored device come to market, it would mark another sign that the AI hardware market is heating up. This news follows comments made Monday by OpenAI Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane, who told a Davos crowd that his company will likely announce its highly antipated, first AI hardware device in the second half of this year. Additional reporting suggests that the device may be a pair of earbuds.
Apple’s device is described as a “thin, flat, circular disc with an aluminum-and-glass shell,” which engineers hope to make the same size as an AirTag, “only slightly thicker.” The pin will also have two cameras (one with a standard lens and another with a wide-angle) for pictures and video, as well as a physical button, a speaker, and a FitBit-like charging strip on its back, according to the report.
Apple may even be in the process of trying to accelerate development of this product to compete with OpenAI’s. The pin could potentially be released in 2027 and involve 20 million units at launch, the report notes. TechCrunch reached out to Apple for more information.
But it remains to be seen if consumers want this kind of AI device. Two Apple alums previously founded Humane AI, a startup which also sold an AI pin. Humane’s pin also included built-in microphones and a camera. However, it floundered upon release, and the company had to shut down operations and sell its assets to HP within two years of its product launch.
Humane’s Ai Pin might be dead and gone, but its awful legacy may live on thanks to the company you’d least expect. According to a new report from The Information, Apple is currently developing its own crappy AI pin to follow Humane’s now-defunct and bricked crappy Ai Pin. Hooray for the sequel no one asked for?
The reported AI gadget sounds harrowing, to say the least. According to the report, Apple’s pin is a “thin, flat, circular disc with an aluminum-and-glass shell” and has two cameras, including a standard and a wide-angle one, built into the front. Those cameras are designed to take in the wearer’s surroundings via photos and videos for what I assume would be some kind of computer vision-based feature(s).
Naturally, the pin also reportedly has microphones to pick up sound, which means it most likely uses a voice assistant and could maybe be used for stuff like translation. Weirdly, the pin is also said to have a speaker and a “physical button along one of its edges” as well as a “magnetic inductive charging interface on its back, similar to the one used on the Apple Watch.” Size-wise, The Information’s sources say they’re aiming to make this thing about the size of an AirTag.
That’s quite a bit of info, but I still have lots of questions. For one, how does this thing attach? If it’s magnets, I have bad news, which is that the whole magnetic pin thing didn’t really work. There were a lot of problems with Humane’s Ai Pin, but magnets weren’t not a major one. Keeping an expensive AI gadget attached to your clothes is just objectively harder than it sounds, and I’m not sure that Apple has a solution for that.
Also, does anyone even want an AI pin? If Humane’s expensive failed experiment is any indication, I would wager that answer is no. Sure, maybe Humane just didn’t have the right resources or acumen to make the idea work, or maybe the idea of an AI pin that replaces the smartphone just wasn’t a good idea to begin with. Personally, my imaginary AI-generated money is on the latter.
Surprisingly, one of the most eyebrow-raising parts of the report isn’t that Apple seems to be retreading the dumpster fire that was Humane; it’s that it seems to be doing all of this to compete with none other than OpenAI. In case you missed it, OpenAI (with the help of ex-Apple exec, Jony Ive) also reportedly has several AI gadgets planned for the near-ish future, including what could be a competitor to AirPods and… a pen. The Information says that Apple is expediting the development of its ill-advised AI gadget to make sure it isn’t on the outside looking in at OpenAI’s success.
The problem with that picture is that I’m not sure there will be any success to look in on. AI gadgets are about as unproven a category as it gets in the tech world, and rushing to get in on that unproven craze feels shortsighted, to say the least. I have my doubts that this thing (if it truly exists) will ever see the light of day, but who knows. Maybe Apple is really that caught up chasing the AI dragon. It’s what the investors want, right?
The Apple iPhone is the most popular smartphone in the United States and one of the most widely used devices in the world. An estimated 1.6 billion people rely on iPhones every day. That massive user base also makes the platform a prime target.
Over the past few weeks, Apple has been sending out warnings about a serious security flaw. New data suggests the risk could affect roughly half of all iPhone users.
That puts hundreds of millions of devices in potential danger right now.
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Apple is warning iPhone users about a serious Safari security flaw that could leave hundreds of millions of devices vulnerable if updates are delayed.(Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)
What Apple discovered in Safari and WebKit
Late last month, Apple confirmed two critical vulnerabilities in WebKit. WebKit powers Safari and every browser that runs on iOS. According to Apple, the flaws were used in an extremely sophisticated attack that targeted specific individuals. The problem allowed malicious websites to trick iPhones and iPads into running harmful code. Once that happens, attackers could gain control of the device, steal passwords or access payment information. In simple terms, visiting the wrong website could have been enough.
Why millions of iPhones are still exposed
Apple moved quickly to release a fix. The patch is included in the latest software update. The problem is that many people have not installed it yet. Estimates suggest that about 50 percent of eligible users have not upgraded from iOS 18 to iOS 26. That would leave around 800 million devices vulnerable worldwide. Data from StatCounter paints an even worse picture. It estimates that only 20 percent of users have updated so far. Once security details become public, the risk grows fast. Attackers know exactly what to exploit.
iPhone and iPad models at the highest risk
Apple says the following devices are affected if they are not updated:
iPhone 11 and later
iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later
iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later
iPad Air 3rd generation and later
iPad 8th generation and later
iPad mini 5th generation and later
If your device appears on this list and you have not updated it, it is vulnerable.
New data suggests nearly half of all iPhone users worldwide may still be exposed to a critical WebKit exploit Apple says was actively used in attacks.(Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Why upgrading is the only real protection
There is no setting to flip and no safe browsing habit that fixes this issue. The vulnerability lives deep inside the browser engine. Security experts say there is no workaround or user behavior that meaningfully reduces the risk. Installing the latest software is the only effective defense. Apple is no longer offering a security-only update for users who want to stay on iOS 18. Unless your device cannot run iOS 26, the fix is only available through iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2.
Steps to update your iPhone or iPad now
Updating is quick and usually painless. If automatic updates are enabled, the fix may already be installed.
If not, follow these steps:
Open the Settings app on iPhone
Tap General
Select Software Update
Download and install iOS 26.2 or iPadOS 26.2 or later
Make sure your device is connected to Wi-Fi and has enough battery life or is plugged in.
Pro tip: Use strong antivirus software
Keeping your iPhone updated is critical, but it should not be your only line of defense. Strong antivirus software adds another layer of protection by scanning malicious links, blocking risky websites and alerting you to suspicious activity before damage is done.
This matters even more when attacks rely on compromised websites or hidden browser exploits. Security software can help catch threats that slip through and give you extra visibility into what is happening on your device.
Think of it as backup protection. Software updates close known holes, while strong antivirus tools help guard against the next one.
Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.
Apple says malicious websites could exploit a Safari flaw to steal passwords or payment information from unpatched iPhones and iPads.(David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Kurt’s key takeaways
Apple rarely uses language like “extremely sophisticated” unless the threat is serious. This flaw shows how even trusted browsers can become attack paths when updates are delayed. Waiting weeks or months to update now carries real consequences. If you use your iPhone for banking, shopping or work, this update should be treated as urgent.
How long do you usually wait before installing major iPhone updates, and is that delay worth the risk anymore? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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Copyright 2026 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.
Things are changing, and Apple is bringing some trends back. They always say things may go out of style for a minute, but they will return. Remember having a flip phone back in the day? The dramatic close when you wanted to end a conversation. Those were the days. Well, Apple may have heard we’re reminiscing on the good old days and decided to bring the flip phone back.
Speculation is stating that the new Apple iPhone 18 is set to release in 2026 and will feature an iconic flip. The new “iPhone Fold” is expected to come out in Fall 2026. Apple Insider reports that Analyst Jeff Pu released a short spec sheet for what we can expect regarding the new phone. Although the information is still too early to confirm, his data usually seems to be accurate.
Of course, many of the features will resemble the 2025 iPhone 17 models, except with a twist… the flip! The iPhone Fold has been speculated for so long, so we will see if it’s finally time for the release. If an iPhone Flip is for sure to be released, we will probably hear confirmation from Apple soon.
Now, we wait to find out if the iPhone Flip will for sure be a thing or not. Will you be upgrading your phone to the new flip if it’s to be released?
Mac users often assume they’re safer than everyone else, especially when they stick to official app stores and trusted tools.
That sense of security is exactly what attackers like to exploit. Security researchers have now uncovered a fresh wave of malicious Mac extensions that don’t just spy on you, but can also steal cryptocurrency wallet data, passwords and even Keychain credentials. What makes this campaign especially concerning is where the malware was found, inside legitimate extension marketplaces that many people trust by default.
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Once active, GlassWorm targets passwords, crypto wallets, and even your macOS Keychain without obvious warning signs.(Cyberguy.com)
How malicious Mac extensions slipped into trusted stores
Security researchers at Koi Security uncovered a new wave of the GlassWorm malware hiding inside extensions for code editors like Visual Studio Code (via Bleeping Computer). If you’re not familiar with code editors, they’re tools developers use to write and edit code, similar to how you might use Google Docs or Microsoft Word to edit text. These malicious extensions appeared on both the Microsoft Visual Studio Marketplace and OpenVSX, platforms widely used by developers and power users.
At first glance, the extensions looked harmless. They promised popular features like code formatting, themes or productivity tools. Once installed, though, they quietly ran malicious code in the background. Earlier versions of GlassWorm relied on hidden text tricks to stay invisible. The latest wave goes further by encrypting its malicious code and delaying execution, making it harder for automated security checks to catch.
Even though this campaign is described as targeting developers, you don’t need to write code to be at risk. If you use a Mac, install extensions or store passwords or cryptocurrency on your system, this threat still applies to you.
What GlassWorm does once it’s on your Mac
Once active, GlassWorm goes after some of the most sensitive data on your device. It attempts to steal login credentials tied to platforms like GitHub and npm, but it doesn’t stop there. The malware also targets browser-based cryptocurrency wallets and now tries to access your macOS Keychain, where many saved passwords are stored.
Researchers also found that GlassWorm checks whether hardware wallet apps like Ledger Live or Trezor Suite are installed. If they are, the malware attempts to replace them with a compromised version designed to steal crypto. That part of the attack isn’t fully working yet, but the functionality is already in place.
To maintain access, the malware sets itself up to run automatically after a reboot. It can also allow remote access to your system and route internet traffic through your Mac without you realizing it, turning your device into a quiet relay for someone else.
Some of the malicious extensions showed tens of thousands of downloads. Those numbers can be manipulated, but they still create a false sense of trust that makes people more likely to install them.
7 steps you can take to stay safe from malicious Mac extensions
Malicious extensions don’t look dangerous. That’s what makes them effective. These steps can help you reduce the risk, even when threats slip into trusted marketplaces.
1) Only install extensions you actually need
Every extension you install increases risk. If you’re not actively using one, remove it. Be especially cautious of extensions that promise big productivity gains, premium features for free or imitate popular tools with slightly altered names.
2) Verify the publisher before installing anything
Check who made the extension. Established developers usually have a clear website, documentation and update history. New publishers, vague descriptions or cloned names should raise red flags.
These malicious extensions looked like helpful tools but quietly ran hidden code once installed.(Cyberguy.com)
3) Use a password manager
A password manager keeps your logins encrypted and stored safely outside your browser or editor. It also ensures every account has a unique password, so if one set of credentials is stolen, attackers can’t reuse it elsewhere.
Next, see if your email has been exposed in past breaches. Our No. 1 password manager pick includes a built-in breach scanner that checks whether your email address or passwords have appeared in known leaks. If you discover a match, immediately change any reused passwords and secure those accounts with new, unique credentials.
Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2026 at Cyberguy.com.
Modern macOS malware doesn’t always drop obvious files. Antivirus tools today focus on behavior, looking for suspicious background activity, encrypted payloads and persistence mechanisms used by malicious extensions. This adds a critical safety net when something slips through official marketplaces.
The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.
Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.
5) Consider a personal data removal service
When your data leaks, it often spreads across data broker sites and breaches databases. Personal data removal services help reduce how much of your information is publicly available, making it harder for attackers to target you with follow-up scams or account takeovers.
While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren’t cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.
Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.
Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.
6) Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA)
Enable 2FA wherever possible, especially for email, cloud services, developer platforms and crypto-related accounts. Even if a password is stolen, 2FA can stop attackers from logging in.
7) Keep macOS and your apps fully updated
Security updates close gaps that malware relies on. Turn on automatic updates so you’re protected even if you miss the headlines or forget to check manually.
Mac users often trust official app stores, but that trust is exactly what attackers are counting on.(Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Kurt’s key takeaway
GlassWorm shows that malware doesn’t always come from shady downloads or obvious scams. Sometimes it hides inside tools you already trust. Even official extension stores can host malicious software long enough to cause real harm. If you use a Mac and rely on extensions, a quick review of what’s installed could save you from losing passwords, crypto or access to important accounts.
When was the last time you checked the extensions running on your Mac? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.
Apple and Google’s surprise AI partnership announcement on Monday sent shockwaves across the tech industry (and lifted Google’s market cap above $4 trillion). The two tech giants’ deal to infuse Google’s AI technology into Apple’s mobile software, including in an updated version of the Siri digital assistant, has major implications in the high-stakes battle to dominate AI and to own the platform that will define the next generation of computing.
While there are still many unanswered questions about the partnership, including the financial component and the duration of the deal, some key takeaways are already clear. Here’s why the deal is good news for Google, so-so news for Apple, and bad news for OpenAI.
The deal is further validation that Google has got its AI mojo back
When OpenAI debuted ChatGPT in November 2022, and throughout a good part of the next two years, many industry observers had their doubts about Google’s prospects in the changing landscape. The search giant at times appeared to be floundering as it raced to field models that could be as capable as OpenAI’ s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude. Google endured several embarrassing product debuts, when its Bard chatbot and then its successor Gemini models got facts wrong, recommended glue as a pizza topping, and generated images of historically anachronistic Black Nazis.
But today, Google’s latest Gemini models (Gemini 3) are among the most capable on the market and gaining traction among both consumers and businesses. The company has also been attracting lots of customers to its Google Cloud, in part because of the power of its bespoke AI chips, called tensor processing units (or TPUs), which may offer cost and speed advantages over Nvidia’s graphics processing units (GPUs) for running AI models.
Apple’s statement on Monday that “after careful consideration” it had determined that Google’s AI technology “provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models” served as Gemini’s ultimate validation—particularly given that until now, OpenAI was Apple’s preferred technology provider for “Apple Intelligence” offerings. Analysts at Bank of America said the deal reinforced “Gemini’s position as a leading LLM for mobile devices” and should also help strengthen investor confidence in the durability of Google’s search distribution and long-term monetization.
Hamza Mudassir, who runs an AI agent startup and teaches strategy and policy at the University of Cambridge’s Judge School of Business, said Apple’s decision is likely about more than just Gemini’s technical capabilities. Apple does not allow partners to train on Apple user data, and Mudassir theorized that Apple may have concluded Google’s control over its ecosystem—such as owning its own cloud—could provide data privacy and intellectual property guarantees that perhaps OpenAI or Anthropic couldn’t match.
The deal also likely translates directly into revenue for Google. Although the financial details of the were not disclosed, a previous report from Bloomberg suggested Apple was paying Google about $1 billion a year for the right to use its tech.
The bigger prize for Google may be the foot-in-the-door the deal provides to Apple’s massive distribution channel: the approximately 1.5 billion iPhone users worldwide. With Gemini powering the new version of Siri, Google may get a share of any revenue those users generate through product discovery and purchases made through a Gemini-powered Siri. Eventually, it might potentially even lead to an arrangement that would see Gemini’s chatbot app pre-installed on iPhones.
For Apple, the implications of the deal are a bit more ambivalent
Apple’s Tim Cook
David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The iPhone maker will obviously benefit from giving users a much more capable Siri, as well as other AI features, at an attractive cost and while guaranteeing user privacy. Dan Ives, an equity analyst who covers Apple for Wedbush, said in a note the deal provided Apple with “a stepping stone to accelerate its AI strategy into 2026 and beyond.”
But Apple’s continuing need to rely on partners—first OpenAI and now Google—to deliver these AI features is a worrisome sign, suggesting that Apple, a champion of vertical integration, is still struggling to build its own LLM.
It’s a problem that has dogged the company since the beginning of the generative AI era: For months last year several Apple Intelligence features were delayed, and the long-awaited debut of an updated Siri has been pushed back numerous times. These delays have taken a toll on Apple’s reputation as a tech leader and angered customers, some of whom filed a class action lawsuit against the company after the AI features promoted in ads for the iPhone 16 weren’t initially available on the device.
When Apple CEO Tim Cook promised an updated version of Siri would be released in 2026, many assumed it would be powered by Apple’s own AI models. But apparently those models are not yet ready for prime time and the new Siri will be powered by Google instead.
Daniel Newman, an analyst at the Futurum Group, said that 2026 is a “make-or-break year” for Apple. “We have long said the company has the user base and distribution that allows it to be more patient in chasing new trends like AI, but this is a critical year for Apple,” Newman said.
Cook has shaken up the ranks, installing a new head of AI who previously worked at Google on Gemini. And, if the delays turn out to be related to Apple’s specific requirements around things like privacy, it may ultimately prove to have been worth the wait. Ideally, Apple would want an AI model that matches the capabilities of those from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google but which is compact enough to run entirely on an iPhone, so that user data does not have to be transmitted to the cloud. It’s possible, said Mudassir, that Apple is grappling with technical limitations involving the amount of power these models consume and how much heat they generate. Partnering with Google buys Apple time to make breakthroughs in compression and architecture while also getting Wall Street “off its back,” he said.
Apple defenders note that the company is rarely a first mover in new technology—it was not the first to create an MP3 player, a smartphone, wireless earphones, or a smart watch, yet it came from behind to dominate many of those product categories with a combination of design innovation and savvy marketing. And Apple has a history of learning from partners for key technology, such as chips, before ultimately bringing these efforts in-house.
Or, in the case of internet search, Apple simply partnered with Google for the long-term, using the Google engine to handle search queries in its Safari browser. The fact that Apple never developed its own search engine has not hurt its growth. Could the same principle hold true for AI?
But the Apple-Google tie up is almost certainly bad news for OpenAI
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
Florian Gaertner/Photothek via Getty Images
While the Google partnership is not exclusive, meaning that Apple may continue to rely on OpenAI’s models for some of its Apple Intelligence features and OpenAI still has a chance to prove its models’ worth to Cupertino, Apple’s decision to go with Google is definitely a blow. At the very least, it solidifies the narrative that Google has not only caught up with OpenAI, but has now edged past it in having the best AI models in the market.
Deprived of built-in distribution through Apple’s customer base, OpenAI may find it harder to grow its own user base. The company currently boasts more than 800 million weekly users, but recent reports suggest that the rate of usage may be slowing. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has noted that many people currently see ChatGPT as synonymous with AI. But that perception could fray if Apple users find delight in using Gemini through Siri and come to see Gemini as the better model. . Altman told reporters last month that he sees Apple as his company’s primary long-term rival. OpenAI is in the process of developing a new kind of AI device, with help from Apple’s former chief designer Jony Ive, that Altman hopes will rival the phone as the primary way consumers interface with AI assistants. That device may debut this year. As long as Apple was dependent on ChatGPT to power Siri, OpenAI had a good view into the capabilities its new device would be competing against. OpenAI is unlikely to have as much insight into Apple’s AI capabilities going forward, which may make it harder for the upstart to position its new device as an iPhone killer.
OpenAI has to hope its new device is a hit that may enable it to cement users into a closed ecosystem, not dissimilar to the one Apple has built around its hardware device and iOS software. This “walled garden” approach is one way to keep users from switching to rival products when they offer broadly similar capabilities. OpenAI will also have to hope its AI researchers achieve breakthroughs that give it a more decisive and long-lasting edge over Google. That might convince Apple to rely more heavily on OpenAI again in the future. Or, it could obviate the need for OpenAI to have distribution on Apple’s devices at all.
LeBron James looks taller in VR. That was the one thought that I kept returning to as I watched Apple’s big push into live sports. The “Spectrum Front Row in Apple Immersive” experience went live on Apple Vision Pro headsets last week, and already it may be one of Apple’s most ambitious entertainment ventures to date. If you’re a Los Angeles Lakers fan, it’s the best way to watch the game without shelling out hundreds or even thousands for season tickets. It’s still far from the best version of what VR live sports could be.
The folk behind Apple TV are not going the Netflix route by further segmenting sports even more like it did with the NFL. Instead, Apple worked with Spectrum through the Spectrum SportsNet app to capture a total of six live games specifically for the brave few who hang onto their Apple Vision Pro headsets and also live in Southern California, Nevada, or Hawaii (the Lakers’ local broadcast territory) to get access to Spectrum internet or a supported cable provider. You can also access games the next day with the NBA app and a League Pass subscription.
Cable cutters are still screwed if they’re trying to watch live games. Sorry if you’re a Lakers fan who just doesn’t happen to live in California anymore. Apple granted me a pass to watch the game from the cheap seats out in New York. I would have otherwise had fewer options for watching the game on the other side of the country. Of course, that also means I didn’t have any ability to record or capture screenshots in the app. You’ll just have to trust me when I say even the recorded footage and small broadcast blemishes looked striking inside the Vision Pro.
Beyond the morass of live sports subscriptions, I’m not one who cares much about the NBA or really any sport that doesn’t help me get through the holidays without needing to talk to my parents. Still, watching basketball through the Vision Pro is the closest I’ll likely ever get to sitting courtside at a major NBA game. The experience is missing only one crucial element, and it’s something Apple has routinely struggled to grasp throughout its recent adventure with augmented reality tech.
An expensive Vision Pro is still cheaper than courtside tickets
I didn’t get to watch the Milwaukee Bucks play the LA Lakers live on Jan. 9. I was too busy sleeping through my flight home after covering CES 2026 for a week straight. So I came at the pre-recorded game with as much energy as was left in the tank the Monday after. It’s clear from the jump that Spectrum Front Row is a bespoke experience. Commentators Mark Rogondino and former Lakers forward Danny Green regularly mentioned how the experience was a special broadcast specifically built for those who paid $3,500 for a Vision Pro. However, if you’re planning to watch b-ball in your headset, you better be a fan of the LA Lakers. The specialist cameras that allow for this 180-degree capture are only positioned in the Crypto.com Arena.
The camera regularly cut down to the court while players warmed up with pre-game drills. The national anthem sounded so loud my coworkers came over thinking there was a man outside our Manhattan office ironically intoning “home of the free” into a loudspeaker. And when the game finally started, I was taken aback by the feeling of being present. There are three cameras Apple set up to capture the near-180-degree footage you can watch through the Vision Pro headset. One is located at the scorer’s table. The other two are positioned behind the baskets.
The Vision Pro’s 100-degree field of view means you’re supposed to move your head to follow the action. That means as I tried to follow Lakers’ Luka Dončić as he took a three-pointer from the far side of the court, I missed the Bucks’ defense gearing up for the return to the other side of the court. It’s what you don’t know that makes games interesting. When you’re watching at home, with the cameras high above the court, you feel more like an overlord than a spectator. It’s only when you can get down low enough to feel part of the action—as well as note just how large these 6- to 7-foot-tall players truly are—that you’ll finally see the appeal of ultra-luxury courtside tickets.
The problem with this current camera setup is the full field of view gets cut off right at the corners of the court. That means you won’t see the coaches whinging on the outside, and you may miss a free throw from the far side. Instead of offering an ovular field of view, the outline cuts into the picture, with two half-circles intruding into your line of sight. The two cameras positioned behind each basket aren’t too shabby, either, though the hoop will sometimes obstruct what’s happening in front.
Like any regular basketball broadcast, there’s a team behind the scenes dictating which camera they cut to for the sake of following the action. There’s a logic behind it. You want to see the dunks and alley-oops up close, where the twang of the basket is so much louder in your ears. The cuts weren’t so much disorienting as intrusive. There were times I would have preferred to remain at the scorer’s table, and other times I wanted to swap to the far side to see more of the action. The Spectrum SportsNet app doesn’t allow any modicum of manual control. The stream to your headset is merely media playback, just with the added benefit of an all-around view.
That added bit of control would turn the experience from passive into a truly novel way to experience these games. Whereas Apple’s smattering of spatial experiences, like its short film Submerged, were designed to offer select shots for maximum effect, a live game is distinct. Sure, broadcasters have plenty of experience telling people what to watch when it’s happening, but discerning viewers who think they know better now have the chance to control that view themselves.
Apple still has an opportunity here. Meta has already been in the game of live VR sports through its Meta Quest headsets and the Xtadium app. That includes Lakers games. The Vision Pro’s dual 4K micro OLED displays will offer better picture quality. Now, the only question is whether we’ll see a larger variety of sports available. That could be hockey or MMA, but I personally would enjoy watching volleyball or table tennis matches up close. There are more Apple Vision Pro Lakers games going on from February into March, just five more in total. It’s a shame so few people will get to experience it, considering the restrictive tie-in to Spectrum. In that way, courtside tickets will remain just as exclusive as they always were.
Apple has officially joined forces with Google to use its Gemini AI models as the foundation for a massive Siri overhaul – a move that confirms the iPhone maker is looking externally to accelerate its lagging artificial intelligence strategy.
The multi-year collaboration, which has just been announced, will see Google’s Gemini 3 technology integrated into future Apple Foundation Models.
This partnership marks a pragmatically significant shift for Apple, which has historically prided itself on developing every layer of its technology in-house. Reports suggest the deal is worth approximately $1 billion annually, positioning Google as the primary engine behind the “more personalized” Siri expected to debut later this year.
The primary reason for this alliance is Apple’s need to catch up. Despite marketing “Apple Intelligence” heavily over the last two years, the company has faced significant development delays, pushing the full Siri revamp into 2026. Internal performance testing reportedly determined that Google’s Gemini offered a more capable and scalable foundation than Apple’s own early models.
By leveraging Google’s infrastructure, Apple can quickly introduce features that its rivals, such as Samsung and Google’s own Pixel line, already offer. This includes Siri’s ability to understand on-screen content, manage complex multi-step tasks across different apps and utilize personal context from emails and messages to provide more relevant assistance.
Performance and privacy gains
The advantages for Apple users are expected to be substantial. The next generation of Siri will transition from a basic command-response assistant to a proactive agent capable of natural dialogue. Because the Gemini 1.2 trillion parameter model is far larger than anything Apple currently runs, Siri should become significantly more accurate and versatile.
Apple has also taken steps to mitigate its biggest brand risk: privacy. To maintain its strict privacy standards, the companies confirmed that these AI features will run on Apple’s own devices and its “Private Cloud Compute” system.
This means that while Google provides the “brains” or the underlying logic, the actual processing of sensitive user data remains within Apple-controlled environments, theoretically preventing Google from accessing personal user information.
Market risks and regulatory hurdles
However, the partnership carries considerable strategic and legal risks. By outsourcing the foundational layer of its AI, Apple risks becoming dependent on a direct competitor. Analysts warn that this could lead to “brand dilution,” where the iPhone’s unique edge is eroded because its core intelligence is identical to that of Android devices.
The deal has also immediately caught the attention of global regulators. Coming on the heels of major antitrust rulings against Google’s search monopoly, this new alliance, which creates an “AI duopoly”, is being closely monitored by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority and EU policymakers.
Critics, including Elon Musk, have already slammed the move as an “unreasonable concentration of power” that could further stifle competition in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
That became impossible to ignore on Wednesday, when ICE agent Jonathon Ross killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in cold blood. By now, you don’t need me to recount her brutal last moments. But the footage (graphic and disturbing as it is) is out there, and we can see the Trump administration’s propaganda about the event for what it is.
What changed this week was, arguably, that the victim wasn’t a brown-skinned person. ICE claimed the life of a white American citizen, one who, according to her wife, was a kind, loving mom and a Christian. Unfortunately, the US has a dark history of shrugging off violence as long as it’s directed towards a marginalized group. That wasn’t possible for mainstream newsreaders here.
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 8, 2026 Dozens, holding photos of Renee Nicole Good, protest her death a day after an ICE agent killed Good in Minneapolis, in front of the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles on January 8, 2026. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) (Genaro Molina via Getty Images)
On Thursday, Vice President JD Vance smeared Good baselessly, insisting the mother was part of a “left-wing network.” He also claimed ICE holds “absolute immunity” when it comes to doing things like killing Americans in broad daylight. Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt framed the deadly incident as the “result of a larger, sinister left-wing movement that has spread across our country.” And the FBI has blocked Minnesota’s criminal investigation bureau from accessing evidence to complete a thorough examination of the homicide.
In short: an agency with the full backing of the federal government killed an innocent citizen, and while there are tools to inform the public about the likely locations that agency may be acting in, Apple has chosen to keep them from us.
Apple has a history of presenting itself as a safer, socially progressive alternative within Big Tech. Its keynotes are replete with heartfelt testimony of iPhone and Apple Watch features saving lives. It releases Pride-themed accessories to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and the company has (so far) resisted government pressure to eliminate its DEI programs. Hell, its modern era was kicked off by the “Here’s to the crazy ones” TV ad, which intercut images of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lennon and Gandhi — explicitly cloaking its corporate image in civil disobedience and social justice.
A photo of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Apple’s homepage (2015) (Apple / The Internet Archive)
But the company also wields that progressive image for selfish reasons, wrapping business priorities in the guise of conscientiousness. For example, when government regulations push for openness or interoperability, Apple warns of the security and privacy risks for its users. When Apple tightly controls where you can buy apps, it’s about keeping porn away from the kids. And Apple has decided the theoretical safety of ICE officers is more valuable than the very real threat they pose to the communities they harass.
ICEBlock’s availability on the App Store may not have changed the outcome of Wednesday’s events. But it could resume its job as a community informer. It could make it easier to notify the public of where these masked thugs are congregating, perhaps even helping others avoid Good’s fate.
Engadget has reached out to Apple for comment on reinstating ICEBlock; we’ll update if we receive a response.
Apple CEO Tim Cook‘s total compensation held steady at $72.3 billion in 2025 compared with 2024.
The pay figure was disclosed Thursday in the tech giant’s annual proxy statement. Technically, the final tally dipped about $300,000 year-to-year, but in percentage terms the decline was a small fraction of a percentage point.
The breakdown of the CEO’s pay package was very similar to 2024’s, with a base salary of $3 million and $57.5 million in the form of a stock award. The balance came from bonuses.
Other senior execs made around $27 million in total pay, though recently arrived CFO Kevan Parekh took home $22.5 million.
Apple’s stock did not surge as much as Nvidia’s or those of some other tech giants. Its single-digit gain for the year was secured when investors cheered by Cook’s prediction last fal of a record calendar fourth quarter. The quarter’s financial results, which include holiday shopping and the introduction of new devices, will be reported at the end of January.
Cook also helped the company contend with a chaotic operating environment around tariffs, especially as President Trump dialed up tensions with China, a crucial market for Apple’s flagship device, the iPhone. The CEO oversaw a rapid adjustment that saw the company shift significant amounts of manufacturing to India, a move that lowered tariff exposure.
At 65, Cook has a somewhat cloudy outlook in terms of his long-term future in the corner office. In recent months, press reports have speculated about potential internal candidates to succeed him. On Thursday, the New York Times reported that John Ternus, Apple’s head of hardware engineering, could be the front-runner for the top post.
Apple announced Wednesday that JPMorgan Chase is the new issuer of the Apple Card, replacing Goldman Sachs. Apple said that the transition will likely take up to 24 months.
While Apple is changing its banking partner, the Apple Card will continue to use the Mastercard network for payments. For consumers, nothing is changing at the moment, including for those applying for new cards.
JPMorgan said that the deal would bring over $20 billion in card balances to Chase. The Wall Street Journal noted that Goldman Sachs is offloading this amount at a $1 billion discount. Goldman Sachs said that for the fourth quarter of 2025, it expects a $2.2 billion provision for credit losses related to the forward purchase commitment.
Apple launched its credit card in 2019 in partnership with Goldman Sachs without late fees or penalty interest rates. The card offers up to 3% daily cashback on purchases from Apple and other select partners; 2% from using Apple Pay; and 1% from using the physical card.
Alphabet’s market capitalization was $3.88 trillion at the close of trading on Wednesday—just a tiny bit higher than Apple’s $3.84 trillion. According to CNBC, it was the first time this happened since 2019.
These companies were not in a steel cage with one another. Wall Street trading is not like dropping coins in a pair of coffee shop tip jars labeled “Chappell Roan” and “Taylor Swift.” Nonetheless, the timing makes it hard not to ignore the symbolic power of this milestone.
After all, Apple is in the middle of a predictable stretch—on the verge of, well, releasing a lot of iPhones, including, reportedly, a long-awaited foldable iPhone that, if the newly leaked information is accurate, meets or slightly exceeds years of hype.
Looking for surprises from Apple? 2026 may not be your year. But may I interest you in Apple’s updated smart home hub called a HomePad, or perhaps the AirTag 2?
I don’t mean to create a dichotomy where Apple sounds wholesome and Alphabet/Google sounds scary—tech companies this size are all scary from a certain perspective. But this is a business environment where Apple, the company famous for making familiar physical objects that people exchange money for (often too much money) feels like more of an underdog than Google, the company famous—currently—for investing in speculative and risky new tech that the public, broadly speaking, isn’t stoked about.
It’s no surprise to see investors favoring the latter over the former, but it’s also not comforting.
A collection of Steve Jobs’ earliest Apple products and personal memorabilia are up for auction to mark the tech company’s 50th anniversary.
RR Auction, the Boston-based auction house managing the sales, is now accepting bids on 191 items that include vintage Apple computers, original documents from the company’s nascent days and a sizable group of Jobs’ childhood belongings, including a set of bowties and Bob Dylan 8-track tapes. Sales opened Tuesday.
One of the auction’s focal points is the inaugural check issued by Apple Computer, Inc., the company’s original name, on March 16, 1976, according to RR Auction. Signed by Jobs and his Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak, the $500 Wells Fargo Bank note was written out to Howard Cantin, who designed the Apple-1 computer’s printed circuit board. As the auction house notes, the check predates the company’s official founding by 16 days.
“As the first financial instrument ever drawn on the Apple Computer Company’s original account, it is the foundational document that financed the creation of Apple’s very first product and brought forth the personal computing revolution,” reads a description of the item on the RR Auction website.
The check gleaned the Apple anniversary auction’s second-highest bid, $32,000, within 24 hours of its opening. But the auction house said it expects the final price will reach $500,000 or higher. The earliest prototype motherboard for the Apple-1 computer had pulled the highest bid, at $55,000, although the auction house estimated it would ultimately sell for at least half a million dollars.
The earliest known Apple-1 prototype motherboard.
RR Auction
Those relics are accompanied by a range of Apple’s earliest products, including a functional Lisa-1 computer, the retro desktop model that preceded the company’s Macintosh era, and a first-generation iPhone, which was jailbroken by the teen hacker Geohot.
Jobs’ childhood collection was given to RR Auction by his’ stepbrother, John Chovanec, according to the auction house. In addition to his bowties and 8-tracks, the group of artifacts also features the wooden desk from Jobs’ bedroom at the Los Altos, California, property now known as the site of the “Apple garage,” where he and Wozniak assembled the brand’s first computers in 1976.
With it are a number of other miscellaneous items that Jobs once owned, like a heat sink and ribbon cable for his personal Apple-1, a series of car repair manuals annotated by hand, and a brief message to his father written on an old Apple business card. There are also Apple marketing posters dating back to the 70s and 80s.
