Apple’s Hardware Parade, Google’s AI Flex, and More
This week in tech: Apple paraded new gadgets, Microsoft threw shade at Google, and AMD got ready to challenge Nvidia. Let’s dive into the highlights.
Microsoft Points Fingers at Google
Microsoft accused Google of playing dirty in Europe. Google allegedly used the Open Cloud Coalition as a front to nudge regulators against Microsoft’s Azure cloud. Classic move. This accusation came after Google cried foul. Google claimed that Microsoft’s licensing deals are unfair. They make competitors pay a high price to use Windows servers. The cloud wars rage on.
Google’s AI-Fueled Profit Party
Google’s parent, Alphabet, boasted about a 34% jump in profits. Why? AI, baby. Cloud services and generative AI gobbled up demand. Sundar Pichai said over 25% of their new code now comes from AI. Impressive. Or terrifying. Depends if you’re a coder or not.
Apple’s Mac Mini Redesign: Power Button Shenanigans
Apple shrunk the Mac Mini for the first time since 2010. It’s now 40% smaller. Cute, right? But they stuck the power button on the bottom. Because why make sense when you can troll? On the bright side, Apple put USB-C ports and a headphone jack at the front. Small victories.
AMD’s New GPU Plans: AI on the Horizon
AMD confirmed the RDNA 4 GPUs launch early next year. They’re adding AI-based noise reduction and dedicated AI hardware. Basically, they’re borrowing ideas from Nvidia but hopefully leaving out the absurd price tags. Fingers crossed for the PC gamers’ wallets.
Apple Finally Bumps Up Base RAM
Apple listened—finally. New Macs now come with 16GB of RAM as standard. No more paltry 8GB base models. Even the M2 and M3 MacBook Airs get this boost. Took them long enough, but we’ll take it.
Russia Fines Google: Numbers So Big, They’re Fiction
A Russian court fined Google 20 decillion rubles (That is 60 Zeros!) for blocking state media on YouTube. Yes, that’s more than the global GDP. Google might need to dig through the couch cushions for this one. It’s the kind of number that makes Monopoly money look reasonable.
YouTube Clarifies: View Count Drama
Rumours spread that YouTube might ditch view counts and upload dates. People panicked. YouTube said, “Chill.” Bugs from browser extensions caused the issue. They recommended disabling those extensions. YouTube’s version of “Have you tried turning it off and on again?”
Apple’s New MacBook Pros Drop
Apple rolled out 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros in M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max versions. They even added Thunderbolt 5 ports to the pricier models. Prices stayed the same, so it’s not a bad day if you’re already part of the Apple cult.
The Beth Deck: DIY Gaming Hero
Modder Beth Lee unveiled the “Beth Deck.” It’s a handheld gaming device made from a Framework laptop motherboard and an 8-inch screen. It takes just 15 minutes to put together. Beth made DIY cool again. A new version with better airflow is in the works. No more plastic-fume rush.
Apple’s Eco Flex: The Carbon-Neutral Mac Mini
Apple claimed the new Mac Mini is its first carbon-neutral product. They didn’t say how they pulled it off. But hey, saving the planet one tiny Mac at a time, right?
That’s your tech round-up. More drama and innovations next week! Stay tuned.
