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Affirm Holdings' stock rose 7% Friday after the buy now, pay later company posted better-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter results. CEO Max Levchin told CNBC that elevated gasoline prices are straining household budgets, pushing more shoppers toward installment payment plans to manage costs.
Apple has increased the monthly cost of Apple TV in the US by $2 to $15, with the annual plan rising $20 to $119. The Apple One Individual bundle, which includes Apple TV, iCloud Plus, Apple Music and Apple Arcade, also goes up to $22 a month from $20, though Family and Premier tiers stay unchanged. New and existing subscribers are affected immediately, though current customers get about a month's notice before their bill changes.
Apple has increased its Apple TV subscription price for the fourth time in four years, moving monthly fees from $12.99 to $14.99 and annual plans from $99 to $119. The Apple One bundle, which combines TV, Music, Arcade and iCloud+, also rises from $19.95 to $21.95 per month.
X's Global Government Affairs team says it uncovered a network of roughly 200,000 accounts, suspected to be linked to Chinese operators, with about 200 of them actively posting content meant to sway American discourse on AI and energy policy. The flagged accounts used American-sounding names and shared legitimate news alongside inflammatory commentary and AI-generated images claiming data centers drive up electricity bills and strain the power grid.
After the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down an FCC order that extended discounted 'lowest unit charge' TV ad rates to political parties and joint fundraising committees, the National Republican Congressional and Senatorial Committees said they will petition the Supreme Court. The 4th Circuit denied their request for an emergency stay but issued the mandate immediately, clearing the way for a Supreme Court appeal.
Google has expanded its AI Mode search feature to let users track flight prices across more than 180 countries, receiving email alerts when fares change. The tool can also display flight and hotel costs in points or miles, and in the US, users can now book hotels directly within AI Mode using Google Pay through partner services.
Google announced that its AI Mode conversational search tool can now track flight prices, help users book hotels, and show flight and hotel costs in points or miles. Flight price tracking pulls from over 300 airlines and travel sites and is available in more than 180 countries, while hotel booking is rolling out first in the U.S. in English through partners like Booking.com.
A worldwide shortage of memory chips, driven largely by demand for AI infrastructure, is squeezing hardware manufacturers just as major companies prepare new product launches. Apple has already unveiled Mac minis and Mac Studios with new M6 chips, with an iPhone event expected in September featuring the iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max, a foldable iPhone, and new Apple Watches. Makers are responding to rising component costs by either raising prices on devices or reducing memory and storage specifications to keep costs down.
After trade talks collapsed, Canada announced tariffs of 25-50% on nearly 900 US goods, including toilet paper and tissue products, set to take effect September 8. This is retaliation for a 50% US tariff hike, and since Canada supplies $328 million worth of toilet paper to the US annually, prices are expected to climb on both sides of the border.
In 1975, the Forest Service limited Aspen Skiing Company to a 10% lift ticket increase, from $10 to $11, after residents flooded the agency with complaints and Senator Floyd Haskell intervened. At the time, resorts on public land needed annual federal permits and routinely sought approval before raising prices.
Apple has quietly launched a new Mac mini powered by its M6 chip, a machine that has become a favorite among users running agentic AI workloads locally. The update comes with another price increase and arrives unexpectedly, just weeks before Apple's anticipated iPhone 18 launch event where a first foldable iPhone is also expected.
Apple has refreshed the Mac Mini with new M6 and M5 Pro chip options while keeping the same compact design as the 2024 models. The base M6 model starts at $899 and the M5 Pro version at $1,699, each $100 more than before, with preorders open now but shipping delayed until September 22nd.