GoKawiil
Tech News
TechCrunch is giving startups until September 18 at 11:59 p.m. PT to reserve an exhibit table at Disrupt 2026, warning that inventory is limited and may run out before the cutoff. Each table spans 6 feet by 30 inches and sits in the Expo Hall for the full three-day event, coming with 10 team passes, lead-generation tools via the Disrupt app, event branding, and press-list access.
A DC Circuit Court of Appeals panel unanimously ruled that the Department of Energy's use of emergency wartime powers to keep the J.H. Campbell coal plant in Michigan running past its scheduled closure was unlawful. The DOE had issued five consecutive 90-day emergency declarations under the Federal Power Act to prevent the plant from shutting down, despite no actual power shortage.
TechCrunch announced that tonight, September 11 at 11:59 p.m. PT, is the absolute final deadline to apply to host an official Side Event at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. The company stated there will be no further extensions or chances to apply after this cutoff.
Meta piloted a Model Capability Initiative that would have captured employees' keystrokes and mouse movements to help train its AI models. Workers pushed back quickly, circulating an internal petition, and the program was ultimately shelved after concerns about privacy and a reported data breach.
MIT Technology Review is hosting a live roundtable discussion examining claims from AI lab employees that advanced AI systems could pose an existential threat to humanity. The session, led by executive editor Niall Firth alongside senior AI editor Will Douglas Heaven and AI reporter Grace Huckins, will scrutinize the origins and credibility of these fears. It airs Tuesday, September 15 at 16:00 BST.
A new leak reported by MacObserver reveals specifications for the Lenovo Googlebook 15, one of the first Android-based laptops arriving under Google's upcoming Googlebook platform. The device reportedly includes a 15.3-inch 120Hz OLED screen with 2,880 x 1,800 resolution, an Intel Core Ultra 5 processor, up to 32GB of RAM, and up to 512GB of storage. It also carries a distinctive LED accent called a 'glowbar' and support for Gemini AI features like Magic Cursor.
Squid Game star Hoyeon has revealed she pursued and secured the role of Sung-ae in director Na Hong-jin's sci-fi film 'Hope,' marking her feature film debut. She described a meeting with Na that convinced him to cast her in the part.
Sony has released the WH-1000XM4C, a variant of its popular WH-1000XM4 headphones featuring a new color option and a revised sound profile. The core hardware and noise-cancelling performance remain largely unchanged from the original model, but Sony has tweaked the tuning to offer a different listening experience.
Meta has asked some employees who were previously demoted from management positions to return to managerial roles, according to a Business Insider report. The move comes after the company's widely publicized push earlier this year to flatten its organizational structure by cutting middle management jobs.
Senator Ron Wyden and Congressman Warren Davidson sent a letter to Britain's Investigatory Powers Tribunal demanding it stop concealing details of Apple's dispute with the UK government over encrypted iCloud data. The case began when the Home Office ordered Apple to build backdoor access to encrypted backups worldwide, prompting Apple to pull its Advanced Data Protection feature for UK users; the tribunal later dismissed Apple's challenge after the UK narrowed its demand to British users only.
Counterpoint Research forecasts that Apple will secure a 27% share of foldable smartphone panel shipments in 2026, the year its iPhone Duo debuts, trailing Samsung's 33% but edging out Huawei's 25%. By 2030, Apple's shipments are projected to jump 167% from their partial-year 2026 base, pushing its share to 42% while Samsung and Huawei both lose ground.
Apple's marketing materials for the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 reveal that the small circular Heart Rate complication, previously just an app-launcher icon, will now display an actual live heart rate number. This upgrade is enabled by the new Health Sensing System, which measures heart rate every five seconds—60 times more often than earlier Apple Watch models. The feature does not appear on watchOS 27's release candidate for the older Series 11 and Ultra 3, suggesting it's tied to new hardware.