Weekly Tech Recap: Google unveils Gemini upgrades at I/O, Trump threatens tariffs on India-made iPhones and more
With tech news coming in thick and fast all week, it can be hard to keep track of all the updates. To help the readers stay updated, we've compiled the Weekly Tech Recap, where we take a stock of the biggest developments from the world of technology. Without further ado, let's dive into the top stories that made waves in the tech world this week.
After a protracted legal battle, Epic Games' Fortnite finally made its comeback on the Apple App Store earlier this week. While Apple had previously refused to reinstate Fortnite until its appeal was cleared by the courts, the company finally relented after U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers told it to approve the submission or return to court to explain the legal basis for rejecting it.
Last week, Apple also approved an updated app from Spotify, the audio streaming giant, featuring external payment links for purchasing subscriptions.
As expected, Google's I/O 2025 event was all about AI. Key announcements included numerous upgrades to Gemini, the unveiling of Veo 3 and Imagen 4 video and text models, Android XR, and new real-time translation capabilities on Google Meet.
Additionally, the company introduced a new $250/month AI Ultra subscription tier aimed at power users and enterprises.
OpenAI announced this week that it will acquire io, the AI hardware startup co-founded by legendary Apple designer Jony Ive, in an all-stock deal valued at nearly $6.5 billion. The ChatGPT maker revealed that Altman and Ive have been collaborating 'quietly' since 2023, envisioning hardware products that seamlessly integrate generative AI models.
It isn't yet clear what the new device will be, but Altman said he has already experienced one of the prototypes. The product is expected to enter mass production in 2027, with reports suggesting that OpenAI and Ive plan to ship 100 million AI devices.
'I've been able to live with it, and I think it is the coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen,' the OpenAI CEO added.
Amazon-backed AI startup Anthropic unveiled its two new artificial intelligence models—Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4—touting them as the most advanced systems in the industry. Built with enhanced reasoning capabilities, the new models are aimed at improving code generation and supporting agent-style workflows, particularly for developers engaged in complex and extended tasks.
'Claude Opus 4 is the world's best coding model, with sustained performance on complex, long-running tasks and agent workflows,' the company claimed in a recent blog post.
5) Donald Trump threatens 25% tariffs on India-made iPhones:
US President Donald Trump has threatened that Apple's plans to manufacture U.S.-bound iPhones in India will be met with a 25% tariff. Trump further noted that this tariff would apply to all companies in the segment, not just the Cupertino-based tech giant.
"I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhone's that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
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Indian Express
42 minutes ago
- Indian Express
WWDC 2025 preview: iOS redesign to steal the spotlight, but keep ‘AI' expectations in check
When Tim Cook opens the annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) early next week—perhaps the biggest Apple event after the iPhone's fall launch—look for subtle hints about Apple's future roadmap in artificial intelligence, even as this year's focus will be squarely on software overhauls. It may be a sign that Cupertino is falling behind in the AI race compared to peers like OpenAI and Google. And while Apple won't admit it, this year's developer conference is shaping up to be a more subdued affair than past WWDCs, partly due to Apple's unpreparedness in AI. At WWDC 2024, Apple unveiled Apple Intelligence—a suite of AI features—and announced a revamped Siri powered by ChatGPT. However, the rollout has been sluggish, the features are limited, and the promised Siri revamp has been delayed indefinitely. This has only widened the gap between Apple and its 'Magnificent Seven' peers, the world's top seven tech companies. Once the most valuable tech company in the world, Apple now sits in third place behind Microsoft and Nvidia. While competitors are developing and launching new AI features every month—and betting heavily on generative AI and AI agents—Apple has barely made a dent. Instead, it leaned on a partnership-driven strategy, which appears to have backfired, raising concerns on Wall Street and among investors about whether Apple can reclaim its former dominance. In recent years, Apple hasn't introduced any major breakthroughs, with the exception of the Vision Pro, a $3,500 mixed reality headset. But sales have been underwhelming, and developer interest has faded. Reports suggest the headset has sold fewer than 500,000 units, highlighting tepid consumer reception. Apple also faced a significant setback when it shut down its long-running autonomous car project. While the iPhone continues to generate billions and accounts for nearly half of Apple's annual revenue, the device is showing signs of innovation fatigue. Adding to the pressure, Apple's former design chief Jony Ive has joined OpenAI—one of the hottest AI companies in the world—and is working on a new type of AI hardware that could potentially challenge the iPhone's dominance. Investors are now questioning how long Apple can maintain consumer interest in the iPhone. While reaching new customers in developing markets like India and Indonesia may provide short-term gains, Apple's core platforms—the iPhone, Mac, and iPad—have matured. In recent years, Apple has successfully pivoted to services such as the App Store, Apple Music, and iCloud, but the performance of these services is still tightly linked to hardware sales. With little clarity on Apple's next big move, this year's developer conference is expected to focus primarily on the usual annual software updates, with the iPhone set to receive its biggest software redesign in years. Well, that now seems likely to be the case. Instead of iOS 19, the next version of the iPhone's operating system may be called iOS 26—and the same naming shift could apply to macOS 26 (the next Mac update will be a Lake Tahoe-themed), iPadOS 26, and watchOS 26. The rationale behind the name change isn't entirely clear, but it could be tied to the major software overhaul expected this year. WWDC is typically where Apple previews new software for its core platforms—the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, HomePod, and more. But for years, Apple has mostly introduced new features while leaving the interface and overall user experience largely unchanged. However, the buzz this year is that Apple is planning to unify the look of its iPhone, Mac, and iPad operating systems. Reportedly, the new interface will have a 'glass' aesthetic—possibly inspired by the Vision Pro's UI, which features a transparent look and rounded menus. The last major iPhone interface redesign was over a decade ago with iOS 7, so this overhaul is long overdue. In terms of new features, expect functionalities like the heavily rumored desktop mode, which would allow users to connect an iPhone with a USB-C port to an external display. New battery-saving features are also anticipated, and there's hope that Apple will introduce deeper integration between iPadOS and macOS, allowing the two platforms to increasingly mirror each other. One of the platforms that missed out on Apple Intelligence support last year was the Apple Watch—but hopefully, that will change this year. The big question is how Apple plans to integrate AI into the Apple Watch's interface. 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Hindustan Times
42 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
5 Google I/O 2025 AI features you can try now in India right away
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
WWDC 2025: macOS Tahoe name leaked ahead of Apple's first biggest event of 2025
Apple is all set to host its annual developer conference — WWDC 2025 next week. At the event the company is expected to unveil the latest versions of its iOS, iPadOS and macOS operating systems. Now a new report suggests that Apple may name the upcoming version of macOS as macOS Tahoe . As reported by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple's upcoming macOS 26 is said to be named macOS Tahoe. The name follows Apple's tradition of using California landmarks for macOS branding, with Lake Tahoe chosen to represent the new design overhaul expected in this release. Here's why Apple is naming macOS 26 as macOS Tahoe Apple traditionally names its macOS operating systems after iconic California landmarks, a practice that has led to names like macOS Ventura, Monterey, Big Sur, and Catalina in recent years. Lake Tahoe, known for its clear waters and mountain reflections, aligns with Apple's rumoured glass-like, translucent UI redesign. The update is expected to bring more fluid animations, redesigned icons, and a refreshed interface across Apple's ecosystem. Lake Tahoe, a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada mountains, fits this naming convention perfectly. Alongside macOS Tahoe, Apple is reportedly rebranding all its operating systems to match the calendar year. Instead of iOS 19, macOS 15, or watchOS 12, Apple will introduce iOS 26 , macOS 26, watchOS 26, and visionOS 26, simplifying version numbers for users and developers. What to expect at WWDC 2025 Despite the scaled-down nature of the event, Apple will likely introduce: Swift Assist Updates – Enhancements to Apple's developer tools. Rich Text Editor for SwiftUI – A new feature aimed at improving app development workflows. On-Device AI Models for Developers – Apple may allow third-party developers to embed its AI models into apps, though these models are smaller and less powerful than OpenAI's or Google's offerings.
