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Business Standard
5 days ago
- Business Standard
iOS 26: Apple to curb spam calls and messages on iPhones with these tools
Apple is gearing up to release the stable version of iOS 26 by the end of this year, following its unveiling at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 9. The update brings several new features aimed at reducing spam calls and messages, while also enhancing the user experience through interface upgrades and smarter app features. Here is what to expect: Call screening and Hold Assist Among the key features in iOS 26 are two new tools designed to make handling phone calls more efficient and less intrusive. Call Screening will prevent unidentified numbers from ringing the iPhone directly. Instead, the device will automatically answer the call, ask the caller to state their name and purpose, and relay that information to the user. This aims to curb the growing issue of scam and spam calls. Hold Assist, the second feature, is designed to handle calls when users are placed on hold during customer service interactions. It monitors the call and notifies the user when a human operator returns, eliminating the need to wait through hold music or silence. Smarter SMS filtering In addition to call enhancements, iOS 26 will offer improved spam detection for messages. Suspected junk texts will be automatically filtered into a separate folder, helping users keep their main inbox free of clutter. Visual and UI upgrades iOS 26 introduces a new Liquid Glass theme that adds semi-transparency and reflective animations to menus, widgets, and panels. The Home and Lock Screens now offer more personalisation, including a 'clear look' setting for widgets and dynamic repositioning of the clock based on wallpaper. App-specific improvements Messages now includes AI-based real-time translation, tools to filter messages from unknown numbers, the ability to set custom chat backgrounds, and in-chat polling for group chats. Apple Music adds animated lock screen visuals and supports live lyric translation. Phone and Camera apps have been redesigned with cleaner interfaces and integrated features like Call Screening and Hold Assist. Safari adopts a translucent interface, while Apple Maps introduces a new 'Visited Places' tab and smarter route planning. With these updates, Apple is aiming to streamline communication, reduce disruptions, and enhance productivity for iPhone users. The features are currently available in beta and will roll out widely with the stable build of iOS 26 later this year.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Apple Faces Calls to Reboot AI Strategy With Shares Slumping
(Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. is facing pressure to shake up its corporate playbook to invigorate its struggling artificial intelligence efforts. Why Did Cars Get So Hard to See Out Of? How German Cities Are Rethinking Women's Safety — With Taxis Advocates Fear US Agents Are Using 'Wellness Checks' on Children as a Prelude to Arrests Alarmed by a share slump that's erased more than $640 billion in market value this year and frustrated with delays in rolling out AI features, investors are calling for Apple to break with long-standing traditions to make a big acquisition and more aggressively pursue talent. 'Historically Apple does not do big mergers and acquisitions,' said Citigroup Inc. analyst Atif Malik, noting that the last major deal was its takeover of Beats in 2014. But, he argues, 'investors would turn more positive if Apple could acquire or invest a meaningful stake in an established AI provider.' Apple shares have fallen 16% this year while traders bid up the shares of peers like Meta Platforms Inc., which is spending lavishly on AI. While Apple faces other problems, including its exposure to tariffs and regulatory issues, disappointment in bringing compelling AI features to its vast ecosystem of devices has become top of mind for investors. Apple didn't respond to a request for comment. The stock fell 1.3% on Monday. The company has long shunned acquisitions in favor of building its own products. The largest acquisition in Apple's history was a $3 billion deal for headphone maker Beats more than a decade ago. There are signs that Apple may be warming up to such a move. Bloomberg News reported last month that executives have held internal talks about making an offer for AI startup Perplexity AI, which would add talent and help Apple develop an AI-based search engine. The startup recently completed an investment round that valued it at $14 billion. Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush who is a long-time Apple bull, called buying Perplexity a 'no brainer,' and said even if Apple paid $30 billion, that sum would be 'a drop in the bucket relative to the monetization opportunity Apple can achieve on AI.' Since unveiling its AI vision more than a year ago, Apple's roll outs of new features have underwhelmed, such as those unveiled at its Worldwide Developers Conference last month. The company has reportedly considered using AI tech from outside companies, rather than in-house models, to power a new version of its Siri digital assistant. Kevin Cook, a senior stock strategist at Zacks Investment Research, wants Apple to be more like Meta when it comes to hiring AI experts but stops short of calling for more dramatic changes, saying that concerns about its AI shortfalls are overblown. 'A refocus on AI talent is what's needed,' said Cook. 'Apple certainly has challenges, but this isn't like Google, which could more easily have been usurped by competitors if it fell behind,' he said. Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg has spared no expense in pursuing his AI ambitions. The Facebook owner recently lured an engineer that ran Apple's AI models team with a pay package in the hundreds of millions of dollars over a several year period and Apple didn't try to match the offer, Bloomberg News reported last week. That followed Meta's deal to invest $14.3 billion in Scale AI last month. Of course, Apple has plenty of resources at its disposal to make similar moves. The company had cash and marketable securities of $133 billion at the end of March, nearly twice the cash on Meta's balance sheet. There have been some notable changes at Apple recently. Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams is retiring after a decade in that role. And Luca Maestri, Apple's longtime chief financial officer, stepped down last year. Over the weekend Bloomberg News reported that chief executive officer Tim Cook will stay put, though the company is preparing for a broad management shake-up. Analysts at LightShed Partners say a shake up is 'exactly what Apple needs right now,' even if that means Cook is replaced as CEO. 'Missing on AI could fundamentally alter the company's long-term trajectory and ability to grow at all,' Walter Piecyk and Joe Galone wrote in a note to clients on July 9. While not calling for a change in leadership at the top, Paul Meeks, senior analyst and managing director at Water Tower Research, agrees that the iPhone maker needs to do 'something bold.' 'A significant deal would not only help them in AI, but show it is committed to a culture change and course correction. It can't do AI on its own,' he said. Tech Chart of the Day Bloomberg's Magnificent 7 index has rallied nearly 40% from an April low, lifted by performances from some of its components like Nvidia Corp., Meta Platforms Inc. and Microsoft Corp. The equal-weighted gauge of the stocks, which also includes Apple Inc., Alphabet Inc., Inc. and Tesla Inc., is inching toward an all time high set in December last year. Top Tech Stories Synopsys Inc. has won Chinese approval for a $35 billion buyout of Ansys Inc., clearing a key remaining hurdle for a deal to shore up the US firm's dominance of chip-design software. Tesla Inc. plans to poll shareholders on whether to invest in xAI, Elon Musk said after the Wall Street Journal reported SpaceX was prepared to funnel $2 billion into the Grok chatbot developer. LG Electronics Inc. shares advanced in Seoul after a local media report that the company is developing cutting-edge tools for making the memory chips that work alongside AI processors designed by Nvidia Corp. and others. The departure of Apple's chief operating officer is just the beginning of a broader management overhaul — though Tim Cook is staying put for the foreseeable future. Inc.'s Prime Day sale helped boost online spending across all retailers in the US by 30.3% to $24.1 billion, according to Adobe Inc., topping its estimate for 28.4% growth for the period ending July 11. Earnings Due Monday No major earnings expected --With assistance from Subrat Patnaik. (Updates to market open) 'Our Goal Is to Get Their Money': Inside a Firm Charged With Scamming Writers for Millions Trump's Cuts Are Making Federal Data Disappear Thailand's Changing Cannabis Rules Leave Farmers in a Tough Spot Trade War? No Problem—If You Run a Trade School 'The Turbulence Is Brutal': Four Shark Tank Businesses on Tariffs ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
Axios
10-07-2025
- Business
- Axios
AI is turning Apple into a market "loser"
Apple stock is down 15% this year, even as other big tech firms like Nvidia rally to new all-time highs. Worries about Apple's ability to compete on artificial intelligence, to weather tariff policy, and to outgrow competitors are piling up. Why it matters: Wall Street consensus is that the company is behind on artificial intelligence and running short on time to do something about it. What they're saying: Apple "needs the AI story because that's what's being rewarded in the market," Dave Mazza, chief executive officer of Roundhill Investments, tells Axios. "Until that changes, I think they're gonna be looked at…as a loser," he says. Catch up quick: Apple has a history of redefining itself, Mazza says. Just look at the journey from iPods to iPhones. But the company also takes its time on adoption historically, and has largely failed to deliver on its Apple Intelligence promises, disappointing investors at the latest Worldwide Developers Conference. "Apple is at a highway rest stop on a bench watching this 4th Industrial Revolution race go by at 100 miles an hour," writes Dan Ives, Wall Street's favorite tech bull, in a note to clients. The company is under pressure from a slew of headwinds, including tariff threats, executive departures and concerns about its pace of innovation. Axios reached out to Apple for comment and did not receive a response. What's next: The time has come and gone for Apple to win on AI on its own, according to Ives. It's time for an acquisition. "Apple needs to acquire Perplexity to significantly boost its AI platform," he writes. "If Apple has to pay ~$30 billion its a drop in the bucket relative to the monetization opportunity Apple can achieve on AI in our view." Reality check: Apple has plenty of income from other businesses while figuring out its AI strategy. Services, the fastest-growing part of the company's business, accounted for nearly a quarter of its revenue as of September 2024, according to FactSet. A weaker dollar will buoy Apple earnings, with nearly 60% of its revenue generated outside of the U.S. $80 billion cash on its balance sheet gives the company flexibility to weather the storm. The bottom line: Apple has 24 to 36 months before it has its own AOL moment, according to Brian Mulberry, client portfolio manager at Zacks Investment.
Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Indian Express
Apple dials down Liquid Glass effects in iOS 26 beta 3 amid readability concerns
Apple has released its iOS 26 developer beta 3, making further changes to the Liquid Glass design language introduced at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025 that was held last month. Liquid Glass, inspired by the reflective and refractive properties of real glass, was introduced across Apple's platforms as part of a broader visual modernisation. The update comes after an influx of user feedback raising concerns over earlier builds making interface elements harder to read due to excessive transparency. However, its early implementation in iOS 26 beta 1 led to usability concerns, especially in areas like the control centre, where the background was so translucent that home screen elements became visually distracting. Apple addressed those concerns in beta 2 by reducing transparency in the control centre. Beta 3 expands these adjustments to other parts of the operating system – notably the notifications and the interface in first-party apps like Apple Music. In Apple Music, the navigation bar now features a more solid background, reducing visual bleed from the underlying content. Similarly, notifications have had their background shading darkened, improving contrast and text readability. While the latest changes aim to improve clarity and accessibility, some users on developer forums and social media reacted negatively and have noted that the new aesthetic feels closer to Apple's earlier frosted glass approach, dialing back much of the dramatic transparency initially shown at WWDC. As the software is still in beta, these changes are not final. Apple is expected to continue collecting feedback and making changes to Liquid Glass through the summer ahead of iOS 26's public release this fall. This has been an entertaining timeline, as Apple slowly walks back liquid glass into more… frosted glass — Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) July 8, 2025 apple stop ruining liquid glass — Holly – I like tech (@AnxiousHolly) July 7, 2025 iOS 26 beta 3 completely nerfs Liquid Glass. It looks so much cheaper now and feels like Apple is backtracking on their original vision. — Sam Kohl (@iupdate) July 7, 2025 (This article has been curated by Arfan Jeelany, who is an intern with The Indian Express)
The Hindu
01-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Apple weighs using Anthropic or OpenAI to power Siri in major reversal: Report
Apple is weighing using artificial intelligence technology from Anthropic or OpenAI to power a new version of Siri, instead of its own in-house models, Bloomberg News reported on Monday. The iPhone maker has had discussions with both companies about using their large language models for Siri, asking them to train versions of their LLMs that could run on Apple's cloud infrastructure for testing, the report said, citing people familiar with the discussions. Apple's investigation into third-party models is at an early stage and the company has not made a final decision on using them, the report said. Amazon-backed Anthropic declined to comment, while Apple and OpenAI did not respond to Reuters requests. The company had said in March that AI improvements to its voice assistant Siri will be delayed until 2026, without giving a reason for the setback. Apple shook up its executive ranks to get its AI efforts back on track after months of delays, resulting in Mike Rockwell taking charge of Siri, as CEO Tim Cook lost confidence in AI head John Giannandrea's ability to execute on product development, Bloomberg had reported in March. At its annual Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month, Apple focused more on incremental developments that improve everyday life — including live translations for phone calls — rather than the sweeping ambitions for AI that Apple's rivals are capitalizing. Apple software chief Craig Federighi had then said it is opening up the foundational AI model that the iPhone maker uses for some of its own features to third-party developers, and that the company will offer both its own and OpenAI's code completion tools in its key Apple developer software.
