Apple’s disruptive $599 laptop launch, Google’s dual legal crises involving app store commissions, and the geopolitical controversy surrounding Anthropic’s Claude.

Apple Announces $599 'MacBook Neo' With A18 Pro Chip
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/03/04/apple-announces-low-cost-macbook-neo-with-a18-pro-chip/

Anthropic’s AI tool Claude central to U.S. campaign in Iran, amid a bitter feud
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/03/04/anthropic-ai-iran-campaign/

Google settles with Epic Games, drops its Play Store commissions to 20% | TechCrunch
https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/04/google-settles-with-epic-games-drops-its-play-store-commissions-to-20/

Google faces wrongful death lawsuit after Gemini allegedly ‘coached’ man to die by suicide
https://www.theverge.com/tech/889152/google-gemini-ai-wrongful-death-lawsuit

Sony Pulls Back From PlayStation Games on PC
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-04/sony-pulls-back-from-playstation-games-on-pc

Apple’s new M5 MacBook Air and refreshed MacBook Pro, unpack the leaked budget “MacBook Neo,” and examine why Google is doubling Chrome’s release cadence.

Apple announces M5 MacBook Air and updated MacBook Pro
https://www.theverge.com/tech/888091/apple-march-2026-event-macbook-air-pro-announcement

Apple’s website leaks MacBook ‘Neo,’ which could be its new cheaper laptop
https://www.theverge.com/tech/888226/apple-macbook-neo-website-leak

Google accelerates Chrome’s release cycle from every four weeks to two
https://www.theverge.com/tech/888001/google-accelerates-chrome-releases-cutting-cycle-in-half

OpenAI's Altman admits defense deal 'looked opportunistic and sloppy' amid backlash
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/03/openai-sam-altman-pentagon-deal-amended-surveillance-limits.html

Google brings Android’s desktop mode to Pixel devices
https://www.theverge.com/tech/888370/google-pixel-tablet-android-desktop-mode

Apple announced iPhone 17e and M4-powered iPad Air, then what HBO Max–Paramount Plus merger could mean for your subscriptions, plus the implications of the Supreme Court letting stand the rule that AI-generated art can’t be copyrighted.

Apple announces the iPhone 17e
https://www.theverge.com/tech/886476/apple-iphone-march-2026

Apple launches a new iPad Air with an upgraded M4 processor
https://www.theverge.com/tech/886433/apple-ipad-air-2026-launch-price-specs-availability

HBO Max and Paramount Plus could become one streamer
https://www.theverge.com/tech/887538/paramount-plus-warner-bros-hbo-max-merging

Apple might use Google servers to store data for its upgraded AI Siri
https://www.theverge.com/tech/887802/apple-ai-siri-google-servers

AI-generated art can’t be copyrighted after Supreme Court declines to review the rule
https://www.theverge.com/policy/887678/supreme-court-ai-art-copyright

Anthropic’s standoff with the Department of War over AI safeguards, OpenAI’s $110 billion funding round and new partnerships, and Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. 

Statement from Dario Amodei on our discussions with the Department of War \ Anthropic
https://www.anthropic.com/news/statement-department-of-war

Scaling AI for everyone | OpenAI
https://openai.com/index/scaling-ai-for-everyone

Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery Make Mega Deal Official
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/paramount-warner-bros-discovery-mega-deal-official-1236517004/

OpenAI snags $110 billion in investments from Amazon, Nvidia, and Softbank | The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/885958/openai-amazon-nvidia-softback-110-billion-investment

Ultrahuman’s new flagship smart ring has a 15-day battery | The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/tech/885866/ultrahuman-ring-pro-jade-ai-launch-price-availability

iOS 26.4 gives Reminders’ best new feature the one thing it was missing - 9to5Mac
https://9to5mac.com/2026/02/27/ios-26-4-gives-reminders-best-new-feature-the-one-thing-it-was-missing/

Google DeepMind’s launch of Nano Banana 2 for advanced image generation, Burger King’s rollout of its Patty AI assistant for employees, and Nvidia’s stock decline despite strong earnings. 

Nano Banana 2: Google’s latest AI image generation model
https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/technology/ai/nano-banana-2/

Burger King will use AI to check if employees say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ | The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/884911/burger-king-ai-assistant-patty

Nvidia blowout earnings report disappoints Wall Street as stock sinks 5%
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/26/nvidia-nvda-stock-price-q4-earnings.html

AI Videos Pushed to Kids
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/us/ai-videos-children-youtube.html

New ‘F1: Drive to Survive’ season is coming to Apple TV - 9to5Mac
https://9to5mac.com/2026/02/26/new-f1-drive-to-survive-season-is-coming-to-apple-tv/

Galaxy S26 series debut and its new AI and Privacy Display features, Google Gemini 3’s expanded task automation on Android, and Perplexity’s launch of its multi-model AI platform, Perplexity Computer. 

I tried the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and need the Privacy Display feature on my iPhone ASAP | ZDNET
https://www.zdnet.com/article/samsung-galaxy-s26-ultra-hands-on-unpacked-2026/

Google Gemini can book an Uber or order food for you with new agentic AI features | The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/tech/884210/google-gemini-samsung-s26-pixel-10-uber

Perplexity may have built a better OpenClaw | The Deep View 
https://www.thedeepview.com/articles/perplexity-may-have-built-a-better-openclaw

The Mac is about to get a new AAA game in rare day-one launch - 9to5Mac
https://9to5mac.com/2026/02/25/the-mac-is-about-to-get-a-new-aaa-game-in-rare-day-one-launch/

Carrot Weather adds The Weather Channel data, new dynamic interface, more - 9to5Mac
https://9to5mac.com/2026/02/25/carrot-weather-adds-the-weather-channel-data-new-dynamic-interface-more/

Apple shifting some Mac Mini manufacturing to Texas, the Pentagon’s push for full access to Anthropic’s Claude AI, and YouTube expanding Premium Lite with offline downloads and background playback.

Mac mini U.S. Manufacturing
https://www.wsj.com/tech/apple-plans-to-manufacture-mac-mini-in-houston-c9b4c23c?st=hTZi2q&reflink=article_copyURL_share

Exclusive: Hegseth gives Anthropic until Friday to back down on AI safeguards
https://www.axios.com/2026/02/24/anthropic-pentagon-claude-hegseth-dario

YouTube beefs up its $7.99/month Lite subscription with offline downloads and background play | TechCrunch
https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/24/youtube-beefs-up-its-7-99-month-lite-subscription-with-downloads-and-background-play/

1Password is going up in price | The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/tech/883837/1password-price-increase

DJI sues over the FCC’s decision to block new drone imports | The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/tech/883734/dji-fcc-lawsuit-drone-import-ban

Sonos plans to fix its biggest iOS hurdle with a new Live Activities feature - 9to5Mac
https://9to5mac.com/2026/02/24/sonos-plans-to-fix-its-biggest-ios-hurdle-with-a-new-live-activities-feature/

Anthropic’s accusations against Chinese AI companies for large-scale model distillation, the Pentagon’s escalating conflict with Anthropic over military access to Claude, and takeover interest in PayPal following a steep stock decline. 

Scoop: Hegseth to meet Anthropic CEO as Pentagon threatens banishment
https://www.axios.com/2026/02/23/hegseth-dario-pentagon-meeting-antrhopic-claude

Apple releases videos from AI Reasoning and Planning workshop - 9to5Mac
https://9to5mac.com/2026/02/23/apple-releases-videos-from-its-2025-ai-reasoning-and-planning-workshop/

PayPal Attracts Takeover Interest After Stock Slump - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-23/paypal-attracts-takeover-interest-after-stock-slump

New ‘Acme Weather’ app from Dark Sky creators wants to fix weather apps’ biggest problem - 9to5Mac
https://9to5mac.com/2026/02/23/new-weather-app-from-dark-sky-forecasts/

iOS 26.4 Beta Adds End-to-End Encryption for iPhone-to-Android RCS Texts - MacRumors
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/02/23/ios-26-4-beta-2-android-iphone-e2ee/

End of an era for Xbox as Phil Spencer steps down, OpenAI’s bold move into the smart speaker market with Jony Ive, and the massive surge of Gen Z users driving ChatGPT's dominance in India.

Microsoft gaming chief Phil Spencer retires, Asha Sharma replacing

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/20/microsoft-gaming-chief-phil-spencer-retires-asha-sharma-replacing.html

OpenAI Plans to Price Smart Speaker at $200 to $300, as AI Device Team Takes Shape — The Information

https://www.theinformation.com/articles/inside-openai-team-developing-ai-devices

OpenAI says 18- to 24-year-olds account for nearly 50% of ChatGPT usage in India | TechCrunch

https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/20/openai-says-18-to-24-year-olds-account-for-nearly-50-of-chatgpt-usage-in-india/

FCC calls on broadcasters to air ‘pro-America content’ for the country’s 250th anniversary | The Verge

https://www.theverge.com/policy/882250/fcc-brendan-carr-pro-america-content-250-anniversary

macOS 26.3 references two new Studio Display models, per report - 9to5Mac

https://9to5mac.com/2026/02/20/macos-26-3-references-two-new-studio-display-models-per-report/

Gemini 3.1 Pro, Ring’s Super Bowl ad and the privacy concerns surrounding its Search Party feature, and Amazon surpassing Walmart as the largest company by revenue. 

Google announces Gemini 3.1 Pro for complex problem-solving
https://9to5google.com/2026/02/19/google-announces-gemini-3-1-pro-for-complex-problem-solving/

Ring’s Founder Knows You Hated That Super Bowl Ad - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/19/business/ring-super-bowl-ad-privacy.html?unlocked_article_code=1.NVA.t8OD.78ib3VLjIE6p&smid=url-share

Amazon Dethrones Walmart as World’s Biggest Company by Sales - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-19/amazon-dethrones-walmart-as-world-s-biggest-company-by-sales

Perplexity bringing its AI Comet browser to iPhone next month - 9to5Mac
https://9to5mac.com/2026/02/19/perplexity-bringing-its-ai-comet-browser-to-iphone-next-month/

Rivian Releases Apple Watch App - MacRumors
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/02/19/rivian-introduces-apple-watch-app/