Apple Is Working On Adding Cameras To the Apple Watch



Apple is working on adding cameras to the Apple Watch in order to enable AI features like Visual Intelligence within the next two years, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in today’s Power On Newsletter, The Verge reported.

The cameras will be “inside the display” for the standard Series Watch, while the Apple Watch Ultra would feature it on the side, next to the digital crown and button, according to Gurman. With them, the Apple Watch would be able to “see the outside world and use AI to deliver relevant information,” which he says is also the plan for the camera-equipped AirPods Apple is rumored to be working on.

The Visual Intelligence features that these devices would use debuted on the iPhone 16, where it works with the phone’s camera to do things like add details from an event flyer to your calendar, or look up information about a restaurant.  

It’s underpinned by AI models from other companies, but Gurman writes that Apple hopes to power the feature with it’s own in-house models by 2027, when he says the company plans to release these new Apple Watches and AirPods.

Apple is working on adding cameras to future Apple Watch models in order to make them function more like AI wearables, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman on the Power On newsletter, Engadget reported.

Gurman reports that the company “is considering adding cameras to both its standard Series watches and Ultra models,” with plans for a 2027 launch. The move would also the Apple Watch to support AI features like Visual Intelligence, which can provide on-the-spot information about whatever the user points the camera at.

Gurman previously reported that Apple is developing AirPods with a built-in camera for the same purpose, and he notes this week that these are expected to launch around the same time as the camera-equipped Apple Watches. Camera placement would likely vary among the different watch models. According to Gurman, the Series watches could get a camera in the display, while the camera in the Ultra would be on the side of the device.

Gizmodo reported: Despite the general failure of wearable AI devices to win over consumers, and Apple’s own inability to convince people to use its AI tools, the company is apparently going to try to kill two birds with one stone by turning the Apple Watch into an AI-infused wearable.

According to Bloomberg, Apple is workin on a version of its smartwatch that will be equipped with cameras that will facilitate the expansion of the company’s “visual intelligence” features the are currently only available on the latest model of iPhone.

Per Bloomberg, the company is working to shoehorn the lenses into both Series and Ultra models of the Apple Watch, with the Series expected to have a camera inside its display while the Ultra would have a camera on the side of the watch.


Yahoo Is Selling TechCrunch



TechCrunch has a new owner, again. Yahoo has sold the tech news site to the private equity firm Regent for an undisclosed sum, according to an announcement on Friday, The Verge reported.

Regent is the same company that snapped up Foundry, the firm behind outlets like PCWorld, MacWorld, and TechAdvisor on Thursday. Founded in 2005, TechCrunch has experienced many shakeups in ownership after AOL acquired the site in 2010.

When Verizon acquire AOL in 2015 and Yahoo in 2017, the company folded TechCrunch, Engadget, Yahoo Sports, and other sites into a new devision called Oath, which later became Verizon Media. In 2021, Verizon sold its medallion division to Apollo Global Management for $5 billion, and it was renamed Yahoo!

“Yahoo decided to sell TechCrunch because, in the end, our DNA is simply different from the rest of its portfolio.” TechCrunch editor-in-chief Connie Loizos writes in the announcement, noting that Yahoo will still have a “small interest” in TechCrunch.

TechCrunch reported: If you haven’t heard the news, TechCrunch has a shiny new home. After years under the ownership of Yahoo — which, in turn, is backed by Apollo Group — the brand is now in fresh hands.

It’s new parent company: Regent, a dynamic and private equity firm with a diverse portfolio spanning media, retail, and manufacturing. Regent was founded 12 years ago by Michael Reinstein, a personal one-time startup founder who quickly realized he might have a brighter future as a PE executive and who has an undeniable passion for TechCrunch.

While the financial terms remain undisclosed, one thing is clear: Regent is acquiring an iconic brand. TechCrunch isn’t just a tech news site; its the most influential voice chronicling innovation in Silicon Valley and beyond. Getting featured in TechCrunch has long been a right of passage for startups, but our mission extends far beyond the industry insiders who make up our core readership. 

We aim to give absolutely everyone a front-row seat to the future of technology. Whether your a founder, an investor, or someone who is curious about how tech is reshaping the world, we help you to see what’s next by reporting the news, then putting the pieces together to share the bigger picture.

Reuters reported: Yahoo has signed a deal to sell its 20-year-old news website, TechCrunch, to media investment firm Regent, the companies said on Friday.

TechCrunch, a popular online platform providing news and analysis on global tech companies, startups and entrepreneurs, was among the media assets of Verizon Communications, including Yahoo.

In 2021, private equity firm Apollo Global Management acquired media assets for $5 billion, subsequently rebranding the combined assets under the Yahoo name.

Regent has been actively expanding its tech news site portfolio, with recent acquisition of Foundry, the parent company of leading publications such as PCWorld, Macworld, InfoWorld, CIO, and TechAdviser.


Apple and Google Push Back Against EU’s Digital Markets Act #1808



Apple and Google are rebelling against the EU’s Digital Markets Act, claiming new interoperability and openness rules hurt consumers and innovation. The European Commission says these tech giants are abusing market dominance, with Google facing potential fines for favoring its services and restricting developer freedom. Apple is under pressure to make iOS more compatible with third-party devices. The tech giants argue the rules compromise security and user experience, highlighting growing tensions between US firms and European regulators.

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Vision Pro Creator Mike Rockwell Will Take Over Siri



Mike Rockwell, the Apple Vision Pro chief, has replaced John Giannandrea as the executive in charge of Siri, in an executive shakeup to try and rescue Apple’s flailing AI efforts, AppleInsider reported.

The glacial rollout of Apple Intelligence and the lack of progress on Siri has not been a good look for Apple over the last year. Now, Apple is making a big change to get things back on track.

In an announcement to Apple employees due this week, AI lead John Giannandrea is being shifted out of his position, reports Bloomberg on Thursday. CEO Tim Cook has apparently lost confidence in Giannandrea’s ability to execute on Siri’s product development, so he is being replaced. 

That replacement will be Mike Rockwell, who his known as the head of the Apple Vision Pro project. In his new role, he will be reporting software chief Craig Federighi, with Giannandrea not having anything to do with Siri anymore.

MacRumors reported: Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman today said that Vision Pro chief Mike Rockwell will be taking over the Siri team at Apple, which until now was led by Apple’s artificial intelligence chief John Giannandrea. Apple CEO Tim Cook has apparently “lost confidence” in Giannandrea’s ability to “execute on product development,” but he will remain at the company for now to oversee artificial intelligence research and development in general.

Vision Pro hardware engineer Paul Meade will be succeeding Rockwell as the head of Apple’s spatial computing efforts, allowing Rockwell to focus entirely on Siri, according to the report. In his new role overseeing the Siri team, Rockwell will report to Apple’s software engineering chief Craig Federighi, the report added.

Apple has been facing a lot of criticism after delaying its more personalized version of Siri, with some people upset that the company chose to preview new features that were merely conceptual, rather than fully functional. It is a widely held belief that Apple is lagging behind competitors like OpenAI in the generative artificial intelligence space, and it looks like Apple is attempting to right the ship with this executive shakeup.

TechCrunch reported: As Apple’s Siri comes under attack for failing at the most basic queries, the company is shaking up leadership in charge of Apple’s AI features for Siri. According to Bloomberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook is installing Mike Rockwell, the current VP of the Vision Products Group (the team behind the Vision Pro), to head up the Siri team.

Siri hasn’t been able to hold up against modern-day AI, leaving Apple to integrate third-party AI services like ChatGPT, into its software just to keep up with AI’s rapid development and consumer expectations.

In recent tests, Siri users pointed out that Apple Intelligence-powered Siri couldn’t answer simple questions like “who won the Super Bowl?”correctly. This month, Apple also announced it was delaying the rollout of the more “personalized” Siri until sometime next year.


Brussels Takes Action Against Google And Apple Despite Trump Threat



Brussels is pressing ahead with regulatory action against Apple and Google under landmark legislation designed to expose the groups to new competition, despite tensions with President Donald Trump over the EU’s tough regulations of US big tech, Financial Times reported.

The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, on Wednesday charged Google’s parent company Alphabet with breaking the Digital Markets Act.

In preliminary findings, regulators said they were worried that Google’s search engine preferred its own services over rivals, despite a series of changes to Google Search, as well as whether the company was stifling competition by making it difficult for developers to “steer” consumers to offers outside of its app store.

Companies found in breach of the DMA face fines of up to 10 per cent of global revenue, doubled to 20 per cent for repeat offenders.

Google said the commission’s decision “will hurt European businesses and consumers, hinder innovation, weaken security, and degrade product quality”, It added that the required changes for Google Search will “make it harder for people to find what they are looking for and reduce traffic to European businesses.”

The commission on Wednesday also ordered Apple to open up it operating systems more to connected devices, such as smartwatches or headphones from other brands. The decision could further force open the iPhone maker’s iOS operating system in Europe, despite a number of concessions Apple has already made to Brussels designed to head off regulatory action.

The European Commission posted a press release: Today, the European Commission adopted two decisions under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) specifying the measures that Apple has to take to comply with certain aspects of its interoperability obligation.

Interoperability enables a deeper and more seamless integration of third-party products with Apple’s ecosystem. Interoperability is therefore key to opening up new possibilities for third parties to develop innovative products and services on Apple’s gatekeeper platforms. As a result, a wider choice if of products will be available to consumers in Europe which are compatible with their Apple devices.

The Commission is assisting Apple in its compliance by detailing the measures needed for enabling interoperability with iOS for third-party connected devices and by streamlining the process put in place by Apple to handle future requests for interoperability with iPhone and iPad devices.

Reuters reported: Apple was ordered by EU antitrust regulators on Wednesday to open up its closed ecosystem to rivals, with the latter spelling out the details on how to go about it in line with the bloc’s landmark rules and where non-compliance could lead to an investigation and fines.

The move by the European Commission came six months after it opened so-called specification proceedings to ensure that the iPhone maker complies with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) which seeks to reign in the power of Big Tech.


Google Acquires Cybersecurity Firm Wiz For $32 Billion



Google’s parent company, Alphabet, has announced its largest-ever acquisition, entering into a deal to buy New York-based cybersecurity firm Wiz, making it a part of its Google Cloud division. This is the company’s second attempt to buy Wiz after talks stalled last year at a lower $23 billion evaluation. The Verge reported.

Wiz is a fast-growing Israeli-founded startup that works with companies like Microsoft and Amazon to provide cloud-based cybersecurity solutions. The company was valued at $12 billion in May 2024, which reportedly climbed to $16 billion later in the year in an equity offering to employees, and has been working towards an initial public offering (IPO) in the months since the previous acquisition fell through.  

Should the deal receive regulatory approval, it will easily outsize the $12.5 billion paid by Google for Motorola Mobility in 2012.

“We expect this change to enable us to execute and innovate even faster,” said Wiz cofounder and CEO Assaf Rappaport in a blog post. “Becoming part of Google Cloud is effectively strapping a rocket to our backs: it will accelerate our rate of innovation after than what we could achieve as a standalone company.”

TechCrunch reported: Tuesday’s big news that Google is acquiring security startup Wiz for a record-breaking $32 billion comes with a big qualifier. Google says it will position Wiz as a “multicloud” offering, meaning Wiz will not be a Google-only shop.

The reality is that Google had no choice but to do this, and a close look at the reasons behind the decision also highlights Google’s weak spots in the months ahead.

Wiz brings a massive customer list to Google. As of today, the startup has already reached an annual revenue rate of $700 million. Before the news broke on Tuesday, it was on track for that to grow to $1 billion.

“Before the news broke” is the operative phrase here. Google and Wiz surely hope the acquisition will create an interesting new funnel of customers and revenue, but first and foremost, both will need to ensure they keep the existing customers from shopping around for another security provider.

CNBC reported: Google on Tuesday signed an “definitive agreement” to acquire Wiz, a New York-based cloud security startup, for $32 billion in an all cash deal.

The deal, Google’s largest ever, will bolster the company’s security technology in a world of advancing artificial intelligence and cybersecurity threats. Wiz will become a part of the company’s cloud business, and Google said it expects the deal to close in 2026.

“Google Cloud is a leader in cloud infrastructure, with deep AI expertise and a track record of industry-leading security innovation,” Google said in a release. “Bringing all this to Wiz will help make their solutions even better and more scalable, benefiting customers and partners across all major clouds.”


US Astronauts Return Home After Nine-Month Stranded Stay on ISS #1807



NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, stranded on the ISS for nine months due to a Boeing Starliner malfunction, will return to Earth on Tuesday aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon. Initially planned as a short trip, their extended stay required extra supplies. Their journey home, alongside two other crew members, will be broadcast live.

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