A global memory chip shortage is pushing smaller device makers like Fairphone, Jolla, and Framework to rethink product design, order chips months ahead, and test incoming shipments for counterfeits. Fairphone's CEO says memory now accounts for nearly 60% of the bill of materials on its roughly $400 phones, while SK Hynix's chief has warned the shortage could persist until 2030, peaking in severity around 2027.
MIT Technology Review released an on-demand Roundtable featuring editors Niall Firth, Will Douglas Heaven and Grace Huckins debating how seriously to take Silicon Valley's warnings about AI causing human extinction. Separately, the outlet published a narrated podcast episode examining Generation Lab, a startup claiming a two-drug combination can rejuvenate blood and reverse aging effects without exchanging bodily fluids, though it refuses to disclose the drugs involved.
After hands-on testing of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, a ZDNET reviewer found the two models are nearly feature-identical this generation, aside from screen and battery size differences. Both share the same triple-camera system with variable aperture technology and matching durability, prompting a shift in buying advice toward the smaller Pro model.
Kyber, a Y Combinator-backed startup building an AI-native document platform for insurance and enterprise workflows, is hiring a Forward Deployed Engineer to manage technical relationships with its enterprise clients. The company reports 50x growth in platform volume over the past year, has become profitable, and has signed multi-year contracts with major insurance firms while partnering with Guidewire, Majesco, and Twilio Sendgrid. The new hire will handle everything from technical scoping and custom integrations to first-line bug triage for customers.
Apple has released the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, which reviewers say deliver notable gains in battery life, processing performance, and camera quality over the prior generation. These improvements reportedly put the devices ahead of competing premium Android flagships in overall capability.
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max bring a redesigned back where the glass camera cutout now matches the aluminum color, addressing criticism of last year's contrasting two-tone look. The phones also gain a variable aperture camera, faster performance, longer battery life, and added weight, and come in burgundy, glacier, silver, and black.
Startup Rune has deployed a modular data center in southwest Texas that connects directly to a solar farm rather than the electric grid. It runs on solar output that would otherwise go unused, avoiding the need to construct any new power generation to support it.
Nintendo's newest Fire Emblem entry, Fortune's Weave, arrives this week as a Switch 2 exclusive, weaving four overlapping character storylines set in the region of Dagda and its capital, Dagsion. The game opens with a time-traveling ambassador before shifting into tales of four flawed protagonists whose ambitions and grudges drive gladiatorial battles and city-wide side quests.
China's state-run China Daily newspaper pushed back against Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's proposal to slow the pace of frontier AI development, an idea also backed by Sam Altman and Elon Musk. The publication argued the plan is less about safety concerns and more a coordinated attempt to hobble China's AI progress, secure friendlier U.S. regulation, and sustain investor enthusiasm for American AI firms.
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro introduces a variable aperture camera with six blades controlled by a rotor, letting users choose between four settings from f/1.48 to f/4.0 directly in the Camera app. The update is paired with other imaging features including cinematic effects for standard video, Apple Reference Image, Photographic Styles 3, and an Audio Mix tool for music. According to early hands-on testing, the new aperture control produces more natural soft-focus effects than the phone's existing Portrait mode.
Apple has explained the technical workings of Reference Image mode, a new opt-in feature on the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max that cryptographically signs photos at the moment of capture. The camera sensor uses a unique private key generated during manufacturing to sign image data, which Apple's cloud service later verifies against a certified public key, while the phone's security processor also signs and cross-checks the sensor's identity.
WIRED's review of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max highlights strong multi-day battery life, especially on the larger Pro Max, along with a significant performance jump from the new A20 Pro chip. The devices can run demanding console ports like Control, aided by a vapor chamber with triple the surface area for cooling. The phones also ship with iOS 27 and an upgraded Siri AI that remains less capable than rival assistants.
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