The Verge

Apple CEO John Ternus doesn’t have a timeline for when iPhone Duo supply constraints could lift. During an interview with Reuters, Ternus said the company is “working hard to get it to as many customers as quickly as possible, but at this ​point, we’re not able to predict when supply and demand will be in balance.”

Apple launched its first foldable last month for $1,999, featuring a 5.4 outer display and 7.6-inch inner screen. Preorders for the iPhone Duo quickly sold out, with some shipments expected to arrive in 2027. Apple also made a limited number of iPhone Duo models available in-store at launch.

In his interview with Reuters, Ternus also addressed reports about cracked screens, saying “a very small percentage” of iPhone Duos were returned for this issue, and that Apple is replacing them.

The company has contended with supply chain constraints and rising memory costs for months now. This resulted in price increases across its product lineup, along with higher iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max starting prices. “What we’re seeing with memory pricing right now is unprecedented,” Ternus said during Apple’s Q4 2026 earnings call on Monday. Ternus added that the company expects to see “even higher memory costs” during Apple’s December quarter but notes that this is “partly offset” by recent price increases.

Even without a standard iPhone 18 model, Apple reported record-breaking iPhone revenue at $57.58 billion during its fourth quarter.

Apple had a record-breaking quarter for iPhone sales — despite not releasing a standard model during its latest refresh. In its fourth-quarter earnings report released on Monday, Apple says it earned $57.58 billion in iPhone revenue, a 17 percent jump from the same time last year.

The increase in revenue follows the launch of Apple’s iPhone 18 lineup in September, which included a pricier iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max model. The company raised prices across its older models at the same time. Apple also took the wraps off its first folding phone, the iPhone Duo, but its preorder sales aren’t included in this earnings report.

Like other device-makers, Apple has been dealing with supply chain constraints and rising memory costs, leading it to raise prices across its products. Meanwhile, Apple only had a “limited” number of iPhone Duos available in store at launch, with some estimated shipment dates extending into 2027. “We saw higher memory costs as compared to the June quarter, and that was partly offset by the benefit of carrying inventory and lower costs on non-memory components,” Apple CEO John Ternus said during an interview with CNBC.

Apple reported a 12 percent increase in revenue overall, ballooning to $114.5 billion. Its Mac business grew 24 percent to $10.79 billion, while Apple’s services division, which includes App Store commissions along with subscriptions to services like Apple TV and Apple Music, grew to $31.57 billion. iPad revenue declined 10 percent year over year, with $6.23 billion in sales.

Apple shook up other areas of its product lineup with some other major launches over the past several weeks. It made a big push into the smart home space with its first smart home display and a series of video doorbells, security cameras, and door locks, made in collaboration with LG and Schneider Electric. Last week, Apple also revealed a MacBook Pro with a touchscreen — a design choice that its executives famously resisted.

Meta is planning to release the last OS update for its Quest 2 and Quest Pro VR headsets by March 2027, the company announced today. The last OS update for those devices is planned to be v213, and after that, Meta will continue to ship security patches and critical bug fixes through the end of 2027. Apps that support the Quest 2 or Quest Pro can also be submitted through December 2027, Meta says.

Meta is calling the Quest 3 and 3S “now the baseline for Meta VR gamers.” The company is announcing this shift ahead of the planned release of its new VR Glasses, which are set to launch sometime in spring 2027.

“Quest 2 and Quest Pro laid the foundation for this platform, and millions of people still play on them,” Meta says. “Quest 3 and Quest 3S give your apps more performance headroom and mixed reality built in, and apps built for them carry forward to Meta VR Glasses, which run on the same OS and SDKs.”

Meta launched the Quest 2 in 2020 and the Quest Pro in 2022. It discontinued both products in 2024.

Google says one of its Android manufacturing partners secretly built a backdoor in 1.3 million devices and turned them into a botnet. The company says it has now dismantled the backdoor and “cut ties” with the manufacturer, the Shenzhen, China-based Videostrong Technology Co., which has been banned from building or selling certified Android devices or supplying software for them.

The infected devices were used without owners’ knowledge for “malicious activity,” like ad fraud, data exfiltration, and routing unauthorized network traffic. Google claims the “backdoor and botnet were intentionally developed, deployed, and operated for financial gain,” saying:

Videostrong monetized the backdoor by selling access to criminal affiliates and loading those affiliates’ malware modules onto infected devices. These secondary modules were conducting ad-fraud; silently enrolling infected devices into residential proxy networks; and loading additional malware onto XCPE-compromised devices. We also took action to disrupt the command and control (C2) domains that operate these affiliate modules. Because these affiliates each have diversified distribution channels for their modules beyond XCPE, we assess that taking down their C2 domains will sever access to at least 10 million additional compromised devices.

It wasn’t just one device that was impacted, either — the malware was found “built directly into many different device models and brands over multiple years.” Most of those were Android TV set-top boxes, but the botnet also infected other “Android-based IoT devices, including telehealth devices, karaoke machines, and digital signage devices.”

Google says Videostrong used “obfuscation techniques” to load the malware onto users’ devices after they booted up the hardware for the first time. Google also says it made changes to its review process for device manufacturers after this incident.

BMW says that it will expand its navigation-guided, partially automated driving capabilities into urban environments starting in 2027, launching first in Germany with other markets to follow.

The new system can help steer, speed up, and slow down the vehicle on both highways and city streets using its built-in GPS navigation. While driving in town, it can assist with changing lanes, making turns, yielding to other cars, and driving through roundabouts. But as a Level 2 driver assist system, it still requires drivers to keep their eyes on the road and stay ready to take over at any moment. On the highway, BMW will allow drivers to remove their hands from the steering wheel — but on local roads, they’ll need to keep their hands on the wheel.

BMW is the latest automaker to commit to releasing a partially autonomous city driving feature to its customers, as the industry races to keep up with Tesla and its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system. BMW, in particular, recently introduced its next-generation Neue Klasse platform, which includes a driver assist system partly powered by Qualcomm’s technology. And with hands-free highway driving now widely available in many mass-market vehicles, the next frontier is a safe and capable city driving feature that rivals FSD.

BMW says its system works cooperatively with drivers rather than fighting their control, which means they can steer, brake, or speed up at any point to adjust their driving without shutting the system off. At the same time, the car shows what it sees and what the assistance system is doing right in your line of sight through the heads-up display and in a clear 3D map on the main dashboard screen.

The necessary cameras and sensors already come built into models like BMW’s 3 Series, 7 Series, X5, iX3, and iX4. BMW can activate the feature through an over-the-air software update. The system follows new European safety rules that let cars suggest and make automated driving moves on city streets for the first time. BMW says that outside experts have already road-tested the setup and confirmed it meets the technical standards, with final official government approval expected in early 2027.

With more cars equipped with partial automation hitting the road, safety researchers are growing increasingly worried about driver attention and the potential for these systems to cause crashes. There is compelling evidence that, regardless of the company, most driver-assist systems are less safe than normal human driving. Drivers tend to develop an overreliance on these systems to drive the car for them — even after a short period of use. And when it’s time to take back control of the vehicle, their reaction times are slower than what’s considered safe.

BMW is entering risky territory with the adoption of a Level 2 driving feature. Much like Tesla, the company is emphasizing that drivers remain responsible for the vehicle even while using the partially autonomous system in urban environments. Tesla does the same for its FSD feature, but some customers have successfully argued in court that the company bears some responsibility for crashes when they occur.

The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is the company’s most capable smartwatch. Whether you intend to put its many tracking features to the test, or you simply want the longest battery life of any Apple Watch, it’s currently on sale for $699.99 ($100 off) in multiple colors at Amazon, matching its all-time low price.

Powered by Apple’s new S11 chip (also in the Series 12), the Apple Watch Ultra 4 delivers faster performance than the last-gen version, plus a handful of new Apple Intelligence features. Of note, those include Sound Recognition, which alerts you to noises like alarms and doorbells, and the Live Rewind feature that lets you revisit the last 15 seconds of an in-person conversation. An upcoming Siri Recap feature will be able to create summaries of conversations for later reference.

This model has broader health and fitness capabilities than previous models, too. Its sensors promise more accurate EKG measurements, while the watch can track your heart rate as often as every five seconds. The new Readiness feature (not available on the Ultra 3 and earlier models) also analyzes your recent activity, sleep quality, and other health metrics to generate a score from zero to 10, helping you determine whether to push yourself or take it easy.

On the hardware front, battery life is perhaps the biggest highlight, with Apple promising up to 50 hours on a charge — twice as long as the Series 12. Like its predecessor, this model features Apple’s brightest watch display and a rugged design that’s water-resistant up to 100 meters and IP6X-rated for dust resistance. It also retains conveniences like the second-generation Ultra Wideband chip for Precision Finding, and helpful gesture controls so you can you can perform actions with a double tap or flick of your wrist.

• Ugreen’s FineTrack2 Bluetooth tracker is on sale for $13.99 at Amazon, just a few cents shy of its best price to date. The soccer ball-shaped tracker stands out with its playful design, but it also offers some useful features including a non-rechargeable battery can last up to seven years. It works with Apple’s expansive Find My network to help you locate misplaced belongings, while its lanyard makes it easy to attach to your keys, bag, or other items.
• If you’re looking to spruce up your Apple Watch Ultra or Series smartwatch, a variety of Apple’s official bands are on sale for up to 69 percent off at Woot. The silicone Sport Band is down to $14.99 ($35 off), while the soft, breathable Sport Loop is available for $19.99 ($29 off). You can also grab the rugged Trail Loop for $34.99 ($64 off).
• Hoto’s new Pulse 4-in-1 Cordless Staple Gun is on sale for $69.99 ($10 off) at Amazon. The versatile tool can help with repairing stuff, or putting together decorations. It works with four types of staples and nails, letting you switch between them depending on the task, while offering two firing modes. It also features a built-in display that shows battery life and alerts you when you can safely fire the stapler and when it’s time to reload it. The stapler comes with 1,200 fasteners.

Ford vowed to never sell customer driving data to third-party data brokers as part of a new privacy promise aimed at setting the automaker apart from competitors that have faced legal and regulatory blowback for sharing telematics with data brokers without authorization.

As part of its new promise, Ford says it will strive to protect customer data by using aggregating and anonymizing techniques. It will also “provide clear and easy-to-understand information about how we use your personal information.” And while Ford says it will still use data to improve safety, it will allow customers to adjust how much or how little data they would prefer to share.

In making an explicit pledge not to sell customer data to outside firms, Ford is trying to position itself as one of the better actors in an industry rife with shady practices. “We know that trust is earned,” Kristin Jones, chief privacy officer at Ford, writes in a blog post. “Protecting your personal information is one way we intend to earn it every day.”

The promise comes in the wake of General Motors agreeing to pay $220 million to settle claims that it illegally sold driver and location information to data brokers. The agreement requires GM to limit the driving data it collects and obtain “express consent” from drivers before collecting their information.

Other automakers have been caught with their hands in the customer data cookie jar. A recent examination of 21 vehicle brands found that every single one transmitted data to at least one third-party domain over Wi-Fi. Over half contacted domains that specialize in advertising, tracking, or analytics (ATA), like Adobe, LexisNexis, and Amplitude, which gather details about your vehicle or driving behavior to sell to insurance companies or target you with ads.

In a recent report, Mozilla crowned modern connected cars “the worst category of products for privacy” ever reviewed. The global nonprofit found that 92 percent of the reviewed automakers provide drivers with little (if any) control over their personal data, with 84 percent sharing user data with outside parties.

Ford said it surveyed over 1,000 US customers, both Ford and non-Ford owners, who agreed that privacy is a top concern while over half of the respondents said they understand that some data sharing is okay. Forty-one percent said they were extremely or very concerned about data privacy in the auto industry, which was less than other groups like social media companies, the government, and financial institutions.

To be sure, Ford’s promise isn’t just words on a screen. In the US, the Federal Trade Commission stops companies from misleading the public through deceptive claims. If Ford publicly promises something like, “We never sell your driving data to brokers” but breaks that promise, the FTC and state attorneys general can step in. They can sue Ford, force the company to sign legally binding agreements to correct the issue, and impose substantial financial fines.

It should be noted that a company’s blog post or public promise is not a legal contract. The actual rules that apply to you are found in Ford’s official privacy policy and connected vehicle terms. Those legal agreements contain standard exceptions that allow Ford to share your data, such as complying with police requests or working with outside service providers. Also, opting out of data sharing does come with tradeoffs. While Ford states that data collection depends on the features you want to use, turning off vehicle tracking or location sharing often disables key features like built-in navigation, remote start, and wireless software updates.

Anthropic has updated Claude Code’s system prompt to prevent the AI tool from being used to re-create existing video games, as reported by Tom’s Hardware. Retro gaming is currently being overrun with AI-made decompilations, recompilations, and ports, but while Anthropic will still let people use Claude Code to make games, it doesn’t want people to use it for direct clones.

Last week, a user on X posted a screenshot allegedly showing two new sentences added to Claude Code’s system prompt: “Do build original games, games in a genre, and games from the user’s own designs and assets. Don’t build a recreation of a specific existing game, even if it is named or called original.”

Anthropic’s Addy Osmani, in a reply, didn’t confirm that specific language but did say that the company had updated the prompt in Claude Code on Opus 5.5:

We added two sentences to Claude Code’s prompt on Opus 5.5 to steer it away from recreating someone else’s specific game because using Claude to infringe IP is against our usage policy.

Original games, genre games, and games built from your own designs and assets are meant to keep working.

We’ll continue to iterate to ensure we’re striking the right balance. In the meantime, if Claude turns down something that’s yours, send it my way.

We’ve asked Anthropic if it has or will be updating other Claude system prompts as well.

Xbox’s former chief operating officer, Helen Chiang, suddenly left Microsoft less than two weeks ago after being promoted into the role in July. I wrote in my Notepad newsletter last week that it seemed very weird for Chiang to suddenly depart Microsoft after 21 years with a surprisingly short memo from Xbox CEO Asha Sharma. Now, Chiang says she has “serious concerns” about how she was treated.

In a lengthy LinkedIn post — entitled “Clarity is Kindness,” a reference to Sharma’s WSJ profile — Chiang doesn’t dispute that she was fired, but she doesn’t say why she was let go. Eurogamer reported last month that Chiang had been “terminated for policy violations,” but she says this is “not accurate.”

Chiang denies unfounded rumors that speculated she was leaking confidential information, or that she left to join a competitor. It’s clear the decision to leave Xbox was out of her hands. “You don’t spend two decades somewhere without developing a deep loyalty to the people, teams, and businesses you’ve helped build,” says Chiang. “Xbox was never just another stop in my career. My end game was always to keep building here.”

She also denies engaging in “discrimination, bullying, harassment, insider trading, embezzlement, or other fraudulent activity.” Like I wrote in Notepad last week, Chiang has been described to me by multiple Xbox employees as highly respected, with high integrity. “I stand by my record: both the results I delivered and the way I have treated people throughout my career,” says Chiang.

The most significant part of Chiang’s post is a paragraph on fairness and accountability, hinting that she wasn’t treated fairly:

I believe in fairness, accountability, and holding ourselves to the standards we expect of others. Those standards only mean something when they’re applied consistently. I have serious concerns about how they were applied in my case, and I believe those concerns deserve to be taken seriously.

Chiang also says “This is not how I ever imagined my story here would end. And it is not the whole story.”

We’ve reached out to Chiang to ask if she’s pursuing legal action against Microsoft. We’ve also asked Microsoft to comment on Chiang’s post, but the company didn’t respond in time for publication.

In an announcement on Monday, OpenAI says it will pilot its “Grid Protectors Program” at an upcoming data center in Effingham County, Georgia, where the company promises to free up to 1,000 megawatts of power during extreme weather or emergencies, enough to power air conditioners in around 700,000 homes.

The announcement comes as opposition to data centers spreads across the US, in response to massive projects that have begun development and construction, frequently with little or no input from local residents. In Utah, residents protested after Box Elder County commissioners signed off on a data center expected to consume more than double the state’s peak electricity demand in 2025, and spread hot air in the desert valley surrounding the data center.

Now OpenAI’s approach is to pitch the construction of power plants that feed the electricity required by the new AI data centers it’s building as “a resource that utilities can call on when communities need it most.”

Several states like Tennessee, Florida, Oklahoma, Oregon, and others have enacted laws that say they will prevent AI companies from passing energy costs on to residents, in addition to moratoriums and other restrictions. This is besides the environmental impacts, as a recent study by the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) said that powering proposed Texas data center projects could undo decades of air quality gains over just five years.

OpenAI, which has switched to calling its AI data centers “compute campuses” in an effort to separate from their poor public reputation, claims it helps reduce costs for customers by operating year-round:

“Electricity demand also rises and falls with the seasons, with different regions facing their biggest peaks at different times,” OpenAI’s announcement says. “Our compute campuses need power year-round. With the right agreements, that steady demand can help spread the grid’s fixed costs across more electricity sales, while flexibility lets us reduce demand when the system is busiest.”

OpenAI says it’s going to continue working with policymakers and utility services to make “arrangements for our future campus to reduce electricity demand when the grid is under strain.” Along with its data center in Georgia, OpenAI is also partnering with Oracle and SoftBank to build its “Stargate” data centers across the US, including in Shackelford County, Texas; Doña Ana County, New Mexico; and Milam County, Texas.