iOS 27 beta 5 arrived this week, and it includes confirmation of something Apple has hinted before: paying for higher iCloud+ tiers unlocks more access to Apple Intelligence features.
Apple Reference Image is a hidden iOS 27 feature that could let iPhone owners prove a photo was shot with a real camera, not AI.
(via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)
Yesterday saw two conflicting reports about next year’s 20th anniversary iPhone, said to embody Apple’s long-term vision of “a single slab of glass.”
There have already been contradictory reports about exactly what we should expect, but yesterday’s disagreement was the biggest yet …
New data from Surfshark Antivirus shows a striking gap in how malware targets Windows versus macOS users: Windows devices see nearly six times as many detections per user as macOS devices.
However, Gabrielė Sinkevičiūtė, Surfshark’s Head of Product, is saying that the sentiment often echoed on the internet that “Macs are safer” is not entirely accurate.
“Mac users still operate under the assumption that their device is inherently safer, which can make them way more susceptible to social engineering tactics like phishing rather than traditional malware,” he says.
Here are highlights from the Surfshark study:
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The post Report: Windows users face six times more malware than Mac users appeared first on MacTech.com.
Samsung SDI is taking full control of its Indiana battery plant. The South Korean cell maker is buying out General Motors’ 49.99% stake in their joint venture, according to a regulatory filing, ending GM’s ownership in the $3.5 billion factory.
That turns the New Carlisle, Indiana plant into Samsung SDI’s first wholly owned battery factory in North America.
Apple released iOS 27 beta 5 yesterday, with changes including new app icons and Spotlight design tweaks. As it turns out, the update also includes references to all the new iPhone models expected to be released over the next six to eight months.
Apple is still moving ahead with a major glass-focused redesign of the iPhone to mark the device’s 20th anniversary next year, Mark Gurman reports for Bloomberg News, citing people familiar with the matter. This direct counters a recent Jefferies report that claimed the project had been canceled based on “supply-chain checks.”
The company plans to introduce the new look on its iPhone Pro models in 2027, Gurman reports. Those devices, known internally as V73 and V74, will feature glass on both the front and back that curves into the sides, sandwiching a thin metal band in the middle. The result is a significantly glassier aesthetic than current iPhones.
Apple’s design team had explored an even more ambitious concept that relied on still more glass in place of metal. That version was abandoned early in development after engineers ran into difficulties joining the glass panels and determined the design could not be manufactured reliably at high volumes.
The confirmation comes after Jefferies analyst Edison Lee reported, based on supply-chain checks, that Apple had scrapped the all-glass plans. Bloomberg News’ sources said the overall product roadmap has not changed, and the glass-centric overhaul for the anniversary Pro models remains intact.
The redesign would represent one of the most significant visual updates to the iPhone since the iPhone X, aligning with long-standing rumors of a near “slab of glass” design for the milestone year.
MacDailyNews Take: You know how America runs on Dunkin’? Jefferies runs on bullshit.
See also: Jefferies downgrades Apple after company cancels plans for Twentieth Anniversary all-glass iPhone – August 10, 2026
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The post Apple’s glass-centric Twentieth Anniversary iPhone remains on track for 2027, contradicting Jefferies report appeared first on MacDailyNews.
A retired Space Force general who served as deputy commander of U.S. Space Command is joining the board of lunar rover developer Lunar Outpost.
The post Former Space Force general joins Lunar Outpost board appeared first on SpaceNews.
GuliKit announced its first wireless controller to use an improved version of the anti-drift tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) thumbsticks featured in its budget-friendly ES Pro that debuted nearly a year ago. Available now for $49.99, the new GuliKit ES Max is more expensive than last year's $29.99 ES Pro, but still cheaper than Nintendo's Switch 2 Pro Controller, while offering more features and functionality without the risk of stick drift that plagued the original Switch.
The TMR thumbsticks in the ES Max don't feature a complete reimagining of the technology but measure stick movement in a slightly different way that improves performa …
Bumble was famously built around exclusively giving women the power to initiate messages in heterosexual matches when it first launched in 2014 - but now the times they are a-changin' for the dating app. Today, Bumble has announced a "global evolution to its signature conversation experience": anyone can now send the first message, and the deadline to respond before the match expires has been extended from 24 hours to a 72-hour window.
"While women making the first move was a radical idea, being women-first was never about prescribing just one way to connect. It was about designing an experience with women's needs in mind to create better o …
Spotify will soon label AI artists and remove their music from your recommendations. The change, which will start rolling out in mid-September, means you'll see an "AI Persona" badge on an artist's profile across the app if they do "not represent a real person."
The music streaming platform will allow artists to disclose that they're an AI persona starting today, but it won't rely solely on self-identification. Spotify says it will use human review and AI tools to determine whether someone's profile, including their name and image, "appears to represent photorealistic AI-generated identities." If Spotify determines that an artist's identity …
Philip Morris International (PMI) is repositioning its IQOS experience spaces as more than traditional retail outlets, with the company increasingly viewing physical locations as platforms for consumer engagement, product education, and brand interaction as the tobacco industry shifts toward smoke-free products.
In an interview with Romanian marketing publication IQads, Marek Gębski, who leads PMI Romania’s smoke-free product business, discussed the changing role of offline retail, the development of IQOS Boutiques, and the company’s broader approach to communicating with adult consumers.
According to Gębski, the transition from conventional tobacco products to smoke-free alternatives is changing not only product portfolios but also the way companies interact with consumers.
Traditional tobacco retail has largely centered on product availability and transactions. PMI believes that the emergence of smoke-free products requires a broader approach, with physical spaces providing opportunities for consumers to learn about and experience products.
Gębski said IQOS experience spaces are increasingly being developed as environments where adult consumers can interact with the brand, explore products, and obtain information.
One example is IQOS Boutique Victoriei in Bucharest, a physical location designed to showcase the IQOS brand and provide consumers with a dedicated smoke-free product experience.
Rather than functioning solely as a product-display and sales venue, the space incorporates elements of consumer interaction, product demonstrations, and brand engagement.
From PMI’s perspective, such environments can help adult consumers better understand smoke-free products while allowing the company to establish longer-term relationships with its audience.
Gębski also highlighted the role of local culture and design in the development of PMI’s physical brand spaces.
The IQOS Boutique Victoriei is located along Calea Victoriei, one of Bucharest’s prominent historic and commercial avenues. According to the executive, the space incorporates elements inspired by the surrounding urban environment and works with local artists to create a more locally relevant experience.
This approach reflects a broader shift in experiential retail, where companies increasingly attempt to integrate brand environments with the cultural and visual identity of the cities in which they operate.
For PMI, these locations therefore serve multiple purposes. In addition to supporting product-related activities, they form part of the company’s broader brand expression and consumer communication strategy.
As smoke-free products become a larger part of the global tobacco industry’s business strategies, competition is increasingly extending beyond product specifications and distribution.
Companies operating in the category are exploring different approaches to consumer engagement, including:
Gębski emphasized innovation as an important component of PMI’s business strategy and said the company is exploring different ways of helping adult consumers understand its smoke-free product portfolio.
This reflects a broader industry trend in which tobacco companies are attempting to establish new forms of engagement around products that differ from traditional combustible cigarettes.
At the same time, the extent to which these strategies influence consumer behavior or market share remains a matter for independent market research rather than conclusions that can be drawn solely from company statements.
PMI has spent recent years promoting its transformation toward what it describes as a “smoke-free future.” Heated tobacco products, including IQOS, have become a central part of this strategy as the company seeks to reduce its reliance on conventional combustible tobacco products.
Across different markets, PMI has used a combination of retail locations, consumer services, product experiences, and brand activities to support its smoke-free portfolio.
The Romanian example illustrates how this strategy is extending beyond product development and distribution. Physical consumer spaces are increasingly being incorporated into the company’s approach to explaining products, facilitating experiences, and maintaining relationships with adult consumers.
The evolution of IQOS Boutiques highlights a broader change in the way major tobacco companies approach smoke-free products.
As the category develops, companies are not only competing through product technology, pricing, and distribution. They are also investing in consumer experience and brand environments designed to differentiate products and communicate their positioning.
For PMI, the IQOS Boutique model represents an effort to transform physical retail locations into more interactive environments.
The strategy also reflects the company’s belief that the transition to smoke-free products requires a different form of communication from the traditional cigarette business.
However, these conclusions should be viewed in context. The observations presented by Gębski represent PMI’s own strategic perspective and should not be interpreted as independent evidence of broader market trends or consumer behavior.
PMI Romania’s latest comments illustrate how the company’s smoke-free strategy is evolving beyond product development and sales channels.
With locations such as IQOS Boutique Victoriei, PMI is attempting to create physical environments where adult consumers can explore products, receive information, and interact with the brand.
Whether this approach will significantly influence the long-term development of the smoke-free tobacco market remains to be seen. What is clear is that experiential retail is becoming an increasingly visible component of the industry’s efforts to build new consumer relationships as tobacco companies continue their transition toward smoke-free products.
The post PMI Romania Executive: IQOS Experience Spaces Are Evolving From Retail Stores Into Consumer Connection Platforms appeared first on IGeeKphone China Phone, Tablet PC, VR, RC Drone News, Reviews.
SAN FRANCISCO — BlackSky announced Aug. 11 a seven-figure, multiyear contract to provide an international customer with persistent space-based monitoring and on-demand satellite tasking. Prior to the award, BlackSky conducted […]
The post BlackSky wins seven-figure, multiyear international contract appeared first on SpaceNews.
Anthropic has pledged to start marking Claude-generated text and images with machine-readable data, in an effort to comply with European rules for AI transparency. "Generated text will carry embedded watermarks, and generated files will include digitally signed provenance metadata where supported," Anthropic says on a new Claude support page. The changes are invisible to human eyes, but will make it easier for people and online platforms to detect if content was generated by Claude models.
These updates are a future commitment rather than something that will go into effect immediately. New AI labeling and transparency obligations under the …
YouTube announced Partner Program changes taking effect in 2027, including new Shorts earnings rules, activity checks, and a terms deadline.
The post YouTube Adds New Shorts Payout Rules To Partner Program Terms appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
Joby Aviation announced it was acquiring Dayton, Ohio-based defense firm Resonant Sciences in a $500 million deal, in a bid by the electric aircraft company to expand further into the military industrial complex.
Joby says it expects to finance the deal with $450 million in cash and $50 million in equity. After the deal closes, which is expected in early 2027, Resonant will continue its existing work as Joby's dedicated defense division, the company said. The commercial division will remain focused on air taxis, the first of which are expected to launch later this year.
The deal is the latest example of the fledgling electric aviation in …
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