Microsoft is reportedly preparing to integrate Anthropic’s AI models into Office 365, marking a shift from its longstanding reliance on OpenAI technology.

The addition would bring Anthropic’s capabilities into productivity tools such as Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint, expanding the range of AI options available to customers, according to a report from The Information.

The move reflects Microsoft’s broader strategy of diversifying its AI stack. Alongside its multibillion-dollar investment in OpenAI, the company is building its own models and incorporating offerings from other providers, including DeepSeek, on the Azure cloud.

The report added that developers testing AI features for Office 365 found that Anthropic’s models outperformed OpenAI in certain areas, including automating financial tasks in Excel and creating presentation-ready slides in PowerPoint from user prompts.

To gain access to Anthropic’s technology, Microsoft will reportedly work through Amazon Web Services, which holds a major stake in Anthropic.

The shift underscores a broader move toward multi-vendor strategies in AI, echoing the path enterprises took with cloud computing. The risk of being locked into one vendor is a concern that could influence how companies evaluate and deploy AI in critical applications.

AI choices, costs, and control

Analysts say Microsoft’s plan is notable for enterprises, as Anthropic’s Claude is emerging as a premium offering, particularly in software development.

“LLM API prices are falling generation on generation across most model families of comparable size, but Anthropic has been able to command substantially higher prices for Claude APIs, and especially for Claude Code,” said Alexander Harrowell, principal analyst for advanced computing at Omdia.

Excel already supports programming through formulas, VBA, and, more recently, Python via an external cloud service. Microsoft’s plan may even involve Claude Code generating Python scripts that are then executed in Excel’s Python environment, Harrowell added.

For enterprises, the larger implication is choice. By blending multiple models, Microsoft reduces reliance on a single provider while giving customers the ability to match tools to specific tasks.

“For enterprises, this confirms they need not depend on a single model,” said Pareekh Jain, CEO at Pareekh Consulting. “Just like they embraced multi-cloud strategies to avoid lock-in, they will increasingly adopt multi-model AI strategies. Competitors like Google and Oracle may also take this route, competing in some layers while cooperating in others.”

AI supply chains across rivals

Microsoft will reportedly pay AWS to access Anthropic’s models, a move that may be invisible to end users but carries implications for cost and infrastructure strategy.

“The downside, of course, is the margin stacking that results,” Harrowell said. “AWS is not the cheapest LLM API provider, and their margin is layered on top of Anthropic’s. Microsoft will want to bring it on-platform as soon as they understand it and have the capacity. They seem to be buying capacity in every direction at the moment, with the deal with Nebius possibly reflecting delays in the Maia AI-ASICs.”

This means that delays in Microsoft’s Maia AI-ASICs, which underpin Azure’s AI capacity, may be forcing the company to rely on AWS to run Anthropic’s models.

However, this kind of cooperation between competitors is not unusual for the tech sector, according to Sharath Srinivasamurthy, research vice president at IDC. For instance, Apple sources display panels from Samsung despite being direct competitors in the smartphone market.

“Cross-license patents, sharing of supply chains, and integrating each other’s services are common in the industry,” Srinivasamurthy said. “These examples [of the likes of Apple and Samsung] highlight how competitive interdependencies have long existed in the tech industry, supported by well-defined commercial and legal frameworks.”

Such arrangements underline a reality that carries direct implications for enterprises. “For CIOs, this signals both a hedge against single-partner risk and an acknowledgment that no one provider can meet the full spectrum of enterprise AI needs,” said Ishi Thakur, analyst at Everest Group.

Source:: Computer World

By Vivian Acquah Startup wisdom is a new TNW series offering practical lessons from experts who’ve helped build great companies. This week, Vivian Acquah, a certified inclusion strategist, workshop facilitator, and founder of Amplify DEI, shares her tips on ending meeting hangovers. So, you’re a leader. Your leadership involves managing a team while having both a defined direction and multiple essential goals that need completion. Your goal is to plan effectively and empower your team to achieve high performance. The truth is that team leadership extends beyond goal achievement. Leaders must handle the complex interpersonal situations that emerge when working with people. The speed…This story continues at The Next Web

Source:: The Next Web

“Design has always been fundamental to who we are and what we do,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said on Tuesday, offering a short summary of the products soon to come: new AirPods, updated Apple Watch, and, of course, iPhones. In truth, design was indeed a primary theme across Apple’s 2025 fall launch, which featured multiple voiceovers provided by the company’s design teams.

Most of the pre-event speculation turned out to be correct. Apple fans were treated to the astonishingly thin iPhone Air; AirPods Pro with health features and live translation; and 5G across the much-revised Apple Watch range. 

In the background

iPhones remained the star of the event, with a new camera design (the so-called “forged plateau”), a slew of new process technologies, a wave of Apple Silicon — including the seriously impressive A19 chips, and a new pricing scale. But what Apple has really achieved is to further differentiate the products it offers, which should both boost each individual model while also opening new opportunities to make each one of its smartphones even more unique and diversified in future.

What the iPhone range costs

Price matters, particularly as Apple fights its competitors while also handling the fallout from tariffs and a political will to turn away from China. With that in mind, the company has done incredibly well. 

It is also worth noting the extent to which Apple spoke up for some of the advanced materials and manufacturing processes it introduced; those must be seen as signs of what’s to come as the company continues to work toward building up its US business by focusing on building things that cannot be made elsewhere. Apple achieved a great deal during the keynote when measured by that subtext.

As to price: The iPhone 17, iPhone Air, and iPhone 17 Pro all now start with 256GB of storage, making them even more performant and certainly tuned up enough to handle the next generation of generative AI tasks. The starting prices across the range become:

iPhone 16e: $599.

iPhone 17: $799.

iPhone Air: $999.

iPhone 17 Pro: $1,099.

iPhone 17 Pro Max: $1,199.

There’s more information about the new phones below, but first let’s take a quick glance at what else the company unveiled.

AirPods Pro 3, the next generation

Introduced by a short ad that nodded in a big way toward the insanely successful ‘Silhouette’ series of iPod ads (remember them?), Apple’s new AirPods Pro 3 bring in far more effective noise cancellation, health features, and a Live Translation feature that really should make these things indispensable for anyone handling multilingual meetings. Live Translation in AirPods will translate every word you hear, with the ANC reducing the volume of what the person says so you can hear the translation. Two or more users can communicate in multipole languages thanks to this. 

The new acoustic architecture also delivers a better audio response, with a wider sound stage and vocal clarity. Active Noise Cancellation is now twice as good as before and four times more effective than the first-generation version.

There’s more for fitness, too. As well as being more sweat-resistant, the company also introduced heart rate sensors during fitness sessions; it all works with on-device AI to track heart rate, calories, step counts and more. Despite doing so much more, you can expect six- to eight-hours of battery life on a single charge. Price remains unchanged at $249; preorder today for deliver beginning Sept. 19.

Apple Watch gets heart health and 5G

Accompanied by the now customary but nevertheless remarkable customer stories explaining how using the Watch literally saved their lives, the new Apple Watch range features 5G support. 

Many improvements feature in the Apple Watch Series 11 (starting at $399), including use of new materials science to make the device even more resilient than before. It has a new S10 chip for an always-on display and gesture controls and provides a comprehensive collection of new health features, including new heart health and sleep tools. Available in 150 countries this month, the big heart health improvement is a tool to track high blood pressure/hypertension; the watch uses AI to identify patterns of hypertension, based on an extensive research study. There’s also 5G cellular connectivity, more durable glass, and the watch charges twice as fast as before.

The 5G Apple Watch SE3 ($249) uses theS10 chip, boasts an always-on display, and gesture control through double tap. It adds wrist temperatures sensing and includes a small speaker for music or podcast playback when you leave your Bluetooth headphones behind. It also charges twice as fast as before.

Then we come to Apple Watch Ultra, the $799 aspirational model much beloved by athletes, action heroes, and those who want to look like they might be one of those people. With thinner borders for more display space and a brighter screen, this model offers all of the improvements carried by the other products in the new range but adds a noteworthy 42 hours of battery life. You also get satellite connectivity for Emergency SOS, Messages via Satellite, and Find My.

Four new iPhones, a variety of new technologies

The technologies Apple has wrapped inside this year’s phones include:

The Forged Plateau

Gone is the traditional camera bump on iPhones. It has been replaced by the forged plateau, a highly designed and highly tooled solution that has been created to hold some of the most significant components, leaving room for even more battery. The antennas are integrated around the perimeter for the highest-performing antenna system. 

Ceramic Shield

Apple’s latest display innovation is Ceramic Shield 2 glass with 3× better scratch resistance and reduced glare. It makes the phones it is used in more resilient and capable of handling most of what you may throw at them.

The A19 and A19 pro chips

The 3nm A19 chip delivers:

A 16-core Neural engine for power efficient AI

A 6-core CPU

A 5-core GPU

The 3nm A19 Pro, boosted by Apple’s vapor chamber, provides:

A 16-core Neural engine for power efficient AI

A 6-core CPU

A 6-core GPU.

The Pro chip promises “MacBook Pro level performance on a smartphone,” according to Apple.

iPhone 17 — the basics

Equipped with that A19 chip, the 6.3-in. Super Retina XDR display on iPhone 17 has an adaptive refresh rate of 120Hz. It boasts the Ceramic Shield and a new N1 wireless chip, with support for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread. It’s also eSIM-only in some markets.

iPhone users took over 500 billion selfies last year, so Apple has improved the front camera in the iPhone with a much larger, square sensor. The rear camera system has a 48 MP Fusion Main camera with an integrated optical-quality 2× Telephoto — essentially two cameras in one. It also has a 48 MP Fusion Ultra-Wide camera, offering up to 4× the resolution of the previous generation, ideal for wide-angle and macro shots. Expect all-day battery life with up to 30 hours of video playback and the capacity to charge the device to 50% in 20 minutes using an optional 40W power adaptor. 

As expected, Apple has raised the entry level storage to 256GB. Available in black, lavender, mist blue, sage and white, the iPhone 17 can be pre-ordered on Sept. 12 and will be available a week later. In a rare historical comparison, no doubt designed to accelerate upgrades a little, Apple says this phone is twice as fast as an iPhone 13.

iPhone Air in brief

Replacing the iPhone Plus, the iPhone Air is a great illustration of the extent to which Apple’s work on processor technology has allowed it to push new design boundaries; the thinnest iPhone ever is crafted using space-grade titanium for durability. Powered by the A19 Pro chip, the Air also uses Apple’s N1 processor, which means Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread are supported.

It features a 6.5-in. ProMotion display with 120 Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 3,000 nits, matching the brightness of the iPhone 17. It’s highly resilient – Apple says it exceeds its bend-strength requirements” and calls it “more-durable” than any previous iPhone. The dual rear camera has a 48MP main sensor and 12MP telephoto lens. You also get the 18MP Center Stage front camera introduced with iPhone 17.

With a device so thin, you might expect very limited battery life. That’s not the case, as despite the size, Apple says you’ll get a full day on a single charge. (And it sells an equally thin $99 battery pack if you want a little more.) Available in five colors, prices start at $999 for the 256 GB model; the iPhone Air is eSIM-only and ships Sept. 19.

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max

Introducing the Pro devices, Apple said the focus was to redefine the pro range through performance, usability, and capability. MacBook Pro performance in a device you can pop in your pocket suggests Apple achieved all three targets. But one aspect of the design is likely to generate the most interest: the new cooling system.

That’s because the Pro range gets the vapors — an Apple-designed vapor chamber to enhance heat dissipation and performance. Deionized water is sealed inside the vapor chamber, which then moves heat away from the powerful A19 Pro chip, allowing it to operate at even higher performance levels. The heat is carried into the forged aluminium unibody, where it is distributed evenly through the system. You end up with a device that is extremely powerful and cool to the touch.

We’ll wait to find out what these promises mean in real life, but Apple did say the new Pro phones offer 40% better sustained performance than iPhone 16 Pro. And the company made a particular point of mentioning how this makes these smartphones champions for AI.

Other specifications: the 6.3-in. (Pro) and 6.9-in. (Pro Max) have always-on Super Retina XDR displays, providing ProMotion up to 120 Hz, 3,000 nits peak brightness, and twice the outdoor contrast. You do, of course, get Apple’s N1 chip, and triple 48 MP Fusion rear cameras: Main, Ultra-Wide, and an all-new Telephoto lens, for up to 8× optical-quality zoom (4× at 100 mm, 8× at 200 mm). These will take fantastic photos and videos. (You also get ProRes RAW for video, so there’s that.) The 18MP front camera delivers the same benefits also offered in the iPhone 17.

There are many reasons to believe these models will maintain the model’s track record of being the most popular iPhone sold, even with the arrival of the iPhone Air. These models also promise the longest battery life in any iPhone — up to 39 hours of video.

So were iPhone users wowed? I believe so.

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Source:: Computer World

Microsoft will sunset free support and security updates for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. The company has put forth some basic recommendations in its Windows 11 transition guide: Back up your files, prepare your devices, and get familiar with what the new OS has to offer.

But with the clock ticking, enterprise security and IT teams have bigger tasks to tackle. They must determine soon whether remaining Windows 10 machines should (or can) be updated or upgraded now, or if it makes sense to pay for a year (or more) of extended support. 

Here are the questions every IT pro should know the answers to as the transition looms.

Q: What does “end of support” for Windows 10 mean for your organization?A: Microsoft has a standard 10-year lifecycle policy for operating systems. After Oct. 14, 2025, the company will no longer provide free security patches, software updates, bug fixes, or technical support. 

(The October 2025 deadline does not apply to devices enrolled in the Windows Enterprise long-term servicing channel (LTSC). Mainstream support for Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 devices ends on Jan. 12, 2027.)

Q: What happens if I don’t update to Windows 11 by October 14?A: Devices that continue to run the old operating system without Microsoft support will be exposed to known security threats, and some Windows 10 OS functionality may no longer be supported. Other features and functionality may also stop working over time.

Q: What are the primary risks and potential business impacts of continuing to use Windows 10 after the end-of-support date?A: Because Windows 10 will no longer receive security updates, OS flaws that will be patched on Windows 11 systems will remain as vulnerabilities on Windows 10, which makes you a target for hackers and malware.

Even if you don’t fall victim to a direct attack, you may fall out of compliance with regulations and industry standards: Windows 10 point-of-sale systems will no longer meet PCI-DSS requirements, for instance. You may also find that some software you rely on will receives update that make it no longer compatible with Windows 10.

Q: What are some of the advantages of Windows 11?A: Windows 11 officially launched in 2021 as a measure to support how the pandemic changed work, promising chip-to-cloud security and better protection for remote and hybrid professionals. Since then, the operating system’s phased rollout, along with new hardware features on Windows 11-ready PCs, have brought consumers and organizations an updated user interface, additional applications, and advanced developer tools.

Q: What are the new security features Windows 11 provides? A: Windows 11 requires security-focused hardware enhancements including use of the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 for encrypting data and malware protection, as well as UEFI Secure Boot. Additionally, the OS allows users more control over privacy and data settings and utilizes a passwordless login option for reduced reliance on passwords. 

The system also supports VPNs and secure browsing tools. Its BitLocker feature encrypts your PC’s entire hard drive and all its data, and can also work to encrypt files on external media like USB drives. 

Advanced administrator protections have been added as well that require user authentication through Windows Hello before any administrator actions can be performed. And Windows 11 also automatically includes Microsoft Defender antivirus protection and a Smart App Control functionality that screens the trustworthiness of applications with AI before they run on the device.

At a glance: 5 key Windows 10 end-of-support facts
>
The deadline is final: Free security updates, bug fixes, and technical support for Windows 10 end on October 14, 2025.
Security risks are real: Using Windows 10 after October 15 exposes your devices to unpatched vulnerabilities and makes you a target for malware and hackers.
Hardware can be a hurdle: While the Windows 11 upgrade is free for eligible devices, many older PCs won’t meet the new hardware requirements.
There’s a paid grace period: Commercial customers can opt into the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program to get one more year of Windows 10 support for $61 per device. Organizations can purchase two additional years of extended support, but fees double each year. (Consumers can get one year of extended support for free if they meet certain requirements.)
ESU is a temporary solution: Even if you opt for extended support, you still need to build a phased rollout plan well before your October 2026, 2027, or 2028 deadline.

Q: Can my hardware run Windows 11?A: While many Windows 10 computers can run Windows 11, not all can: The Windows 11 requirements include specific hardware that supports Microsoft’s aim to enhance security. The new system requirements include a recent processor, TPM 2.0, UEFI Secure Boot, and a minimum of 4GB of RAM. 

While technically Windows 11 can be installed on incompatible devices and unsupported hardware, functionality is not guaranteed. If your device is not compatible, the safest route is to replace it with a new PC with the updated operating system already installed, or to upgrade individual hardware components as needed.

Q: What will it cost to upgrade to Windows 11? How can I determine if I qualify for a free upgrade?A: Windows 11 is free to install on supported devices that meet the system requirements. Most Windows PC users eligible for direct upgrades to the new operating system have already received notifications; but you can check for eligibility by navigating to Settings > Update & security, then selecting Windows Update and Check for updates. You can also use Microsoft’s PC Health Check app.

Q: We have a large number of devices that don’t meet the Windows 11 hardware requirements. What should we do with them?A: As noted, it is not recommended that you install Windows 11 on unsupported devices. The registry can bypass compatibility checks and produce a working install of the OS, but the device may run more slowly than normal due to compatibility issues and will be left open to security vulnerabilities. Organizations considering doing this should run a cost-benefit analysis to determine the potential risks of unsupported methods vs. the costs of upgrading hardware. 

It’s also possible, and more secure, to upgrade device hardware components like the TPM module or processor to meet Windows 11 requirements. This too would involve a cost-benefit analysis, as it may ultimately be cheaper to simply buy new Windows 11-compatible PCs rather than spending time upgrading old ones. 

If your organization needs more time to make a decision, consider enrolling in Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates program. 

Q: What is the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program and how I do enroll? Is it a viable long-term solution for our business?A: Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates program will provide security updates and support to devices running Windows 10 beyond the October 14 deadline.

Commercial customers can purchase extended support for Windows 10 devices in one-year increments for up to three years, but the fees double each year, from $61 per device for the first year to $122 per device the second year and $244 per device the third year. After an organization’s ESU period has ended, support will be discontinued and devices running Windows 10 will be at risk for vulnerabilities.

For the first time, Microsoft is offering its ESU program to consumers, for one year only. Individuals who sign up for extended support can do so for free if they use Windows Backup to sync their PC’s settings, or they can pay Microsoft $30 or redeem 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points. You’ll find step-by-step instructions on how to sign up here.

Q: How can we manage the migration process smoothly across our organization?A: Although time is tight, you can still do an audit of the devices across your enterprise that are running Windows 10 before the October 14 deadline. Such an audit can determine which devices are eligible for Windows 11 updates and which will need hardware upgrades for compatibility with the new operating system, or will need to receive extended support or be replaced.

An important part of that audit is determining what legacy software is running your Windows 10 devices — and whether that software can run on Windows 11, be updated to do so, or be replaced with a more modern application.

From there, outline a rollout approach. Consult with C-suite leadership, security, and IT professionals on a timeline and best practices to communicate the changes to employees. Make sure files are backed up and other security systems are up to date before the launch. 

Q: What is the role of our IT team versus our C-suite and security leadership in this transition?A: If you haven’t upgraded to Windows 11, you’ll most likely need C-suite buy-in for your Windows 11 transition, as leadership will need to approve resource allocation and budget across the organization and lead rollout communication, stakeholder updates, and change management. You’ll also need C-level approval to opt in to Microsoft’s ESU program. 

IT leaders should work alongside security teams to assess any existing vulnerabilities and patch them before the transition. The IT team should also lead technical aspects of the migration, audits, hardware and software compatibility assessments, and training for employees as the rollout happens. 

Security professionals should ensure compliance and data protection, and should educate employees around best practices with Windows 11’s new security features. 

If your organization relies on Windows, don’t let the short time frame paralyze you. Get started now for the transition to Windows 11: you’ll never regret being prepared. 

Source:: Computer World

By Cem Ötkün Founders’ takes is a new series featuring expert insights from tech leaders transforming industries with artificial intelligence. In this edition, Cem Ötkün, CEO and co-founder of startup scouting platform Bounce Watch, shares his views on how AI is reshaping investing. Venture capital, once built on networks and narratives, is now undergoing a structural shift. AI is no longer a futuristic add-on to the investment process — it’s becoming an operating system. And for those investing in the opaque world of private markets, it’s not optional. It’s existential. The broken machinery behind the pitch Despite all the capital flowing through venture, much…This story continues at The Next Web

Source:: The Next Web

By Hisan Kidwai Inspired by Wordle, Spotle is a fun puzzle game where, instead of words, you use your…
The post Spotle Hints & Answer For Today: September 9 appeared first on Fossbytes.

Source:: Fossbytes

By Fossbytes Dev A guy sits at a wooden desk, fingers flying across the keyboard of a silver laptop….
The post Test Video for MSN appeared first on Fossbytes.

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By Andrea Hak In a recent interview with TNW, Jelle Prins, the mind behind Uber’s first app, shared his vision of a world transformed by autonomous vehicles. “Imagine getting into a car here in Amsterdam in the evening,” he mused, “and waking up the next morning in a mountain village in France for a day of snowboarding.” In his mind, self-driving is the next step in the evolution of mobility, and the question is not if but when it will land in Europe. He shared his vision for this future — and his plans to design proteins using AI — with TNW founder…This story continues at The Next Web

Source:: The Next Web

By TNW Team We want to share an important update with our contributors and community. After the FT Group acquired a majority stake in TNW in 2019, the Covid-19 pandemic severely disrupted TNW’s core revenue stream. Despite significant efforts in the years since, no sustainable path to commercial viability was found. In light of this and the broader financial outlook, the TNW Board has had to make the difficult decision to close its Events & Media division. TNW Spaces will continue to operate as usual, but the media site will only publish new content until the end of September, and there will be…This story continues at The Next Web

Source:: The Next Web

As we await Apple’s new range of iPhones, new iPads, a refreshed Apple Watch range and a compelling AirPods Pro upgrade, it’s worth noting that the new devices may hit a market eager to upgrade.

SellCell claims almost 70% of iPhone owners might upgrade this year. I have to say that I find that percentage much too high, but it could hint at a degree of pent-up interest ready to be unleashed across the coming months as Apple introduces the biggest iPhone redesigns for years – this year’s thin iPhone Air and the expected folding iPhone in 2026.

What SellCell sees

While I leery of accepting all of SellCell’s claims, they do reflect years of data analysis:

iPhone Pro/Pro Max account for 38.1% of planned upgraders; 16.7% will choose the standard model; 13.5% the ultra-thin Air.

72.9% of iPhone owners say they are more satisfied today than in past years, but over a quarter (27.1%) feel Apple has “lost its edge” versus rivals.

Apple could see interest in its devices dwindle if it doesn’t ship a folding device soon — 20.1% of users would consider switching if it does not.

Almost half of iPhone users (49%) say nothing about Android appeals to them — yet the majority admit Android is becoming more attractive.

This is all interesting and might reflect some of the ways in which the prevailing negativity is beginning to affect consumer sentiment. That might be less of a problem given Apple’s track record of regularly delighting consumers with new products. Those faint hearts among its congregation could easily be won again if Apple makes the right moves.

What will drive consumer upgrades? Mostly it’s the same as it ever, with battery life an enduring concern, and pricing — particularly any tariff-driven price hikes — also in mind. People seem a lot more ready to embrace eSIMs than before: “eSIM adoption is now mainstream, with 72.5% saying they like it — though more than a quarter still prefer a physical SIM,” SellCell said.

There is growing speculation Apple might move to offer eSIM-only iPhones across most nations, as it already does in the US.

What to expect from Apple this week 

iPhone 17

The device will look like an iPhone 16 with a 6.3-in. display, possibly at 120Hz. Colors may include black, white, steel gray, green, purple, and light blue. The processor will be a 3nm A19 chip, with advanced thermal performance and support for Apple’s own network chips.

iPhone 17 Pro

More durable, the devices might use an aluminium frame and less glass than before. The camera system changes too, becoming a larger horizontal bump across the width of the device, featuring three lenses and up to 8x zoom. Better battery life and a super speedy A19 Pro chip (with more RAM) are also on the tab;e. The Pro Max brings all the above with an even better camera.

iPhone 17 Air

Replacing the iPhone 17 Plus, the star of the show might be the new iPhone Air. Set to replace the iPhone Plus, the iPhone Air is just 5.5mm thin and carries a 6.6-in. display. Lighter, it will use AI to help optimize battery life, comes in four colors, including sky blue, and might cost around $1,000. (The price is tariff sensitive). It may use an eSIM, Apple’s C2 5G modem, and carry a single camera. It could still boast a powerful A19 chip.

Apple Watch Ultra 3

Expect an updated (and larger) LTPO3 display for an even brighter device with a wider viewing angle. There will be a new chip, but this will be focused on efficiency rather than performance, with space dedicated to additional battery life. You’ll also have satellite connectivity built in, enabling satellite based texting and emergency SOS.

Apple Watch Series 11 and SE

Expect an S11 chip, a brighter display, and perhaps blood pressure monitoring features. The Apple Watch SE is expected to get bigger, gain the new S11 chip, and look a lot more like the ever popular Apple Watch Series 7 design.

AirPods Pro 3

The most interesting accessory could be the new AirPods Pro 3, which we expect will have a smaller charging case, better sound quality and cancellation, and in-ear heart tracking and temperature sensing. Apple should introduce Live Translation for these devices when its 26 series of operating systems ship.

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Source:: Computer World

Uber just turned its transportation network into an AI training ground. The ride-hailing giant’s announcement that Indian drivers could earn some extra money by labeling data for AI systems represents a direct assault on the rapidly expanding data labeling industry.

The move positioned Uber’s over one million Indian drivers as an instant workforce competing against established players like Scale AI and Amazon’s Mechanical Turk platform.

For enterprise technology leaders, this represented a potential paradigm shift in how AI training data gets produced—and priced.

Controlled rollout reveals strategic caution

The pilot program would enable drivers across 12 Indian cities to complete “digital tasks” during downtime — encompassing everything from image classification and text analysis to audio transcription and receipt digitization, according to Megha Yethadka, Global Head of Uber AI Solutions. “Until now, in India and other countries, these tasks, such as labelling work, text classification, object counting, and receipt digitisation, were completed by independent contractors outside the app,” Yethadka told ComputerWorld.

The company reported early traction. “Early engagement has been strong, with many thousands of tasks already completed,” Yethadka noted, adding that the pilot was “about giving drivers more choice, flexibility, and ways to earn” during downtime periods.

However, interviews with multiple New Delhi-based drivers revealed none had access to these features yet, though one mentioned hearing about “extra earning opportunities coming up for Uber drivers.”

This indicated Uber was likely implementing a phased deployment strategy, testing with select driver cohorts before broader activation. These digital tasks feed data directly into AI systems for Uber’s enterprise clients.

Economics of idle capacity

The economics were compelling. While traditional data labeling companies recruited separate contractor pools, Uber leveraged pre-verified drivers already familiar with app-based workflows. According to Yethadka, these tasks for Uber were “completed by independent contractors outside the app” earlier.

“Uber is tapping into idle capacity that already exists within its network, converting minutes between rides into productive cycles of annotation,” said Sanchit Vir Gogia, chief analyst and CEO at Greyhound Research. “This is a clever reallocation of labour and could lower the barrier to entry for enterprises that have struggled with spiralling labelling costs.”

This infrastructure advantage aligned with market trends, showing outsourced data labeling capturing 84.6 percent market share as enterprises sought scalable alternatives.

Market dynamics favor disruption

Uber’s entry came at an opportune moment. The AI data labeling market is expected to reach $5.46 billion by 2030, with large enterprises representing 61.11 percent of spending, yet many remained frustrated with quality inconsistencies and slow turnaround times from traditional providers.

Scale AI, despite approaching $1 billion in annual revenue, faced mounting enterprise complaints about “low quality and high turnaround times,” according to a recent Amplify Partners analysis. Amazon’s Mechanical Turk struggled with quality control and enterprise-grade security requirements.

However, disruption came with trade-offs. “Traditional vendors, while slower and often more expensive, offer the assurance of trained annotators, mature governance frameworks, and long-standing audit processes that inspire confidence in regulated industries,” Gogia noted. “Uber’s strength is speed and neutrality at a time when buyers are wary of entanglements with Big Tech-owned providers, but it must still prove that a transient workforce can deliver the same rigour.”

Uber’s secret weapon was domain expertise. According to Mordor Intelligence, the automotive sector accounted for 23.34% of the data labeling market, driven by the development of autonomous vehicles. Uber’s partnership with Aurora and transportation knowledge created natural competitive advantages in this lucrative segment.

Global platform advantage

Uber AI Solutions already operated in over 30 countries — a sixfold increase from five markets when it launched last November. Yethadka confirmed “worldwide expansion” plans, stating that “insights from the India pilot will inform how Uber scales this kind of work to drivers and delivery partners elsewhere in the world.” This signaled a serious strategic commitment that could appeal to multinational enterprises managing fragmented vendor relationships.

While Scale AI relied heavily on workers in the Philippines, Nigeria, and Kenya, Uber’s approach distributed work across established transportation networks with existing regulatory compliance and payment infrastructure. “This offered enterprise buyers concerned about data sovereignty built-in advantages that traditional crowdsourcing platforms couldn’t match,” Gogia added.

The broader implications extended beyond data labeling. “Uber’s strategy reflects a larger realignment in the digital economy, where gig platforms are no longer confined to mobility or food delivery but are recasting themselves as distributed labour infrastructures for AI,” Gogia observed. “What Uber has launched is not a sideshow but a blueprint for how other platforms may monetise their dormant workforce cycles.”

For enterprise procurement teams, Uber’s entry forced strategic recalculation. “In areas such as retail, logistics, and consumer technology, where datasets are vast but not highly sensitive, Uber’s model is immediately attractive,” Gogia explained. However, “the challenge lies in extending that appeal to regulated domains” where banks, insurers, and healthcare providers require tightly controlled, auditable environments.

Strategic cautions

Despite the compelling opportunity, Uber’s data labeling venture faces significant challenges. “Uber is well-placed to unsettle incumbents in commoditised, high-volume tasks, but unlikely to dislodge established players in sectors where compliance and precision define the contract,” Gogia warned. “The transition from transportation to knowledge work represented significant operational complexity, and pricing strategy remained undisclosed.”

Manual labeling held a leading market share despite automation advances, but semi-supervised methods were accelerating at 34.23% CAGR, creating opportunities for platforms that could blend both approaches.

Source:: Computer World

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The European Commission (EC) on Friday hit Google with a €2.95 billion ($3.46 billion) antitrust fine for “abusive practices” in its adtech business. But observers said that IT leaders should look at the decision as a warning about a potential wave of global regulatory decisions on tech issues. 

For example, Friday also saw a major genAI player settling a case involving piracy of AI model training data. Anthropic on Friday told federal court officials that it had settled its genAI copyright lawsuit for $1.5 billion, a settlement possible because a federal judge last month dismissed other copyright claims. 

This is hardly Google’s first compliance challenge in Europe, or in other parts of the planet. And the EC statement described the Google fine as limited to one case against the company, keeping the door open to potential future actions. 

“The European Commission has fined Google €2.95 billion for breaching EU antitrust rules by distorting competition in the advertising technology industry. It did so by favoring its own online display advertising technology services to the detriment of competing providers of advertising technology services, advertisers and online publishers,” the EC statement said. “The Commission has ordered Google to bring these self-preferencing practices to an end and to implement measures to cease its inherent conflicts of interest along the adtech supply chain.”

Other Tech Issues To Come Into Play

Observers saw the enterprise IT impact as potentially substantial, given the large number of technology issues before regulators in Europe in addition to many other geographies. 

“This fine is bigger than Google and ads. It’s Europe signaling that technology monopolies, whether in ad-tech, AI, quantum, or open source, will face scrutiny,” said Stephen Klein, CEO of Curiouser.AI and a senior lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley. “For enterprise IT leaders, that means regulation is now part of the roadmap. Just as we architect for security and scalability, we’ll need to architect for compliance and fairness.”

Klein added, however, that this fine is unlikely to change Google’s behavior.

“Google has no incentive to stop. For Google, EU fines are simply the cost of doing business. Since 2017, Brussels has fined the company over €11 billion [$12.9 billion], yet in that same period Google’s ad business has generated more than a trillion dollars in revenue,” Klein said. “The economics are obvious. The profits from bending the rules vastly outweigh the penalties. Until regulators restructure the business, this cycle of rule-breaking and fines will continue.”

Others echoed the sentiment that this fine won’t likely change Google’s behavior.

Brian Levine, a former federal prosecutor who today serves as the executive director of a directory of former government and military specialists called FormerGov, said this fine will likely be seen by Google as a rounding error. 

“[It] is an enormous fine to almost any company, except perhaps for the company at issue here,” Levine said, adding that the compliance push might cause consolidation, or at least cooperation/alliances, among the major technology vendors.

 Richard Bird, the chief security officer at Singulr AI, agreed that the fine is unlikely to materially impact Google. 

“Since Google was founded, they’ve had to pay nearly $20 billion in fines for lawsuits and regulatory actions globally. Either they have terrible lawyers or their old motto of ‘Do no evil’ was propaganda,” Bird said. “This isn’t remotely the only time they’ve been hammered for their unfair practices. But the numbers of dollars in fines compared to their last 20 years of revenue is laughable, and clearly not near enough to get them to fix or change their practices. Or get better lawyers.”

Industry Consolidation?

This kind of regulatory action may “make smaller vendors reach out to the larger ones, with a greater appetite for working together,” Levine said. 

“[It] might make the big [vendors] out there more open to partnerships, to sharing the wealth and to less tying,” he added, referring to the anti-trust legal concept in which a seller with substantial market share forces customers buying one product to also buy a different one of its products.

Erik Avakian, a technical counselor at Info-Tech Research Group and former state CISO for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, also anticipated substantial tech changes from the compliance push.

“Tech leaders, especially those in highly regulated industries like finance or healthcare, need to treat situations like this as a strategic risk,” Avakian said. “It’s an opportunity to push back against lock-in and demand more transparency around how analytics and cloud services are bundled. Better yet, look to decouple wherever possible.”

“[Enterprise IT executives] need to ask providers tougher questions. The fact that structural remedies are now on the table, and not just fines, means that the tools and platforms your organization relies on could change fast or be broken apart,” Avakian said. “If your entire digital or marketing stack is tightly integrated with one vendor’s ecosystem, then it’s time to reassess the risk.”

Source:: Computer World

The AI skills shortage plaguing enterprises just got a high-profile response. OpenAI has unveiled an ambitious workforce development strategy that positions the ChatGPT maker as both a technology provider and a talent pipeline operator — a move that could reshape how companies find and train AI-capable workers.

The company announced plans for a dedicated jobs platform and expanded certification programs, committing to train 10 million Americans by 2030. Major partners, including Walmart, which employs 1.6 million people in the US, signed on immediately.

“We want to put AI, and the power that comes with it, in the hands of as many people as possible,” the company said in its announcement. “But it’s also important to make sure those people know how to use AI to be more productive, shape the world around them, and control their own destiny in new ways.”

But OpenAI’s timing reflects desperation as much as opportunity. Goldman Sachs research warned that AI could automate 300 million jobs globally, while IDC projected the current skills gap will cost organizations $5.5 trillion by 2026. Companies are caught in a bind: they need AI talent to stay competitive, but qualified workers remain scarce.

A structural leap beyond technology

Rather than simply waiting for the market to catch up, OpenAI is taking direct action.

“OpenAI’s move into workforce development is not a side project; it is a structural leap,” said Sanchit Vir Gogia, chief analyst and CEO at Greyhound Research. “By setting out to certify 10 million Americans by 2030, the company is no longer just building AI tools but deliberately shaping the workforce that will power them.”

The numbers underscore the urgency. When Microsoft’s research shows 66% of leaders won’t hire candidates without AI skills, certifications move from optional to essential.

“The market has hit a wall,” said Charlie Dai, VP and principal analyst at Forrester. “AI literacy has become a core economic competency, but the supply chain for that competency is broken.”

Building the talent ecosystem

OpenAI’s solution centers on creating what Dai called a “closed-loop talent ecosystem”—controlling both the technology and the workforce that implements it. The company plans to weave certification directly into ChatGPT and tie it to a dedicated Jobs Platform.

“If you’re a business looking to hire an AI-savvy employee, or you just need help with a specific task, finding the right person can be hit-or-miss,” Fidji Simo, CEO of Applications at OpenAI, said in the statement. “The OpenAI Jobs Platform will have knowledgeable, experienced candidates at every level.”

The expanded OpenAI Academy will offer credentials ranging from basic AI literacy to advanced prompt engineering. “Anyone will be able to prepare for the certification in ChatGPT’s Study mode and become certified without leaving the app,” the announcement read.

“OpenAI is creating early access to pre-qualified talent,” Dai explained. “This could give their partners a first-mover advantage in AI adoption.”

Echoes of Cloud Wars strategy

Analysts see parallels to previous technology shifts. “Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure drove massive certification programs during the cloud era, skilling millions of developers,” noted Neil Shah, VP for Research at Counterpoint Research. “OpenAI is following the same playbook for AI.”

The strategy worked for cloud providers, who built loyal developer communities that influenced enterprise purchasing decisions. OpenAI appears to be betting that certified workers will prefer and recommend its tools over those of its competitors.

“The future of retail will be defined by people who know how to use AI technology,” Walmart CEO John Furner added in the OpenAI statement, announcing plans to train the retailer’s entire US workforce through OpenAI’s programs.

Quality concerns amid rapid scaling

But experts warn that scale without depth risks creating meaningless credentials. “A credential that tests only prompting tricks will quickly become wallpaper,” Gogia cautioned. “Enterprises need professionals whose training covers productivity, governance, compliance, and responsible use.”

OpenAI acknowledged the track record of such programs has been mixed. “We realize that upskilling or reskilling programs have a mixed record, and haven’t always led to better jobs or higher wages,” the company said. “But we’ve studied what has and hasn’t worked in the past.”

Dai cautioned that certifications alone won’t solve the skills crisis. “IT leaders should assess credibility and alignment with real-world tasks,” he said. “Certifications must complement hands-on experience, not replace it.”

Certifications are already shifting wage structures, with certified staff receiving faster promotions and higher bill rates, Gogia said. But he emphasized that courses must explicitly include bias, fairness, and privacy considerations — “ethics cannot be bolted on later.”

Political maneuvering meets market strategy

OpenAI cleverly tied its initiative to public policy, announcing it as part of White House AI literacy expansion efforts. “OpenAI is playing a double game: securing credibility as a responsible innovator while also shaping national workforce standards to its own design,” Gogia observed.

The workforce disruption is accelerating. McKinsey research estimates 400 million to 800 million people worldwide may need new jobs by 2030 due to automation. Goldman Sachs analysis identified the jobs most at risk: computer programmers, accountants, legal assistants, customer service representatives, and credit analysts.

“Jobs will look different, companies will have to adapt, and all of us — from shift workers to CEOs — will have to learn how to work in new ways,” OpenAI noted.

Source:: Computer World

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