Apple plans to raise prices due to rising chip costs

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The artificial intelligence boom is forcing Apple to raise its product prices. Tim Cook, Apple's outgoing chief executive officer, confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that price increases were "unavoidable" as surging memory chip prices and the situation around them have become "unsustainable."

Cook did not specify the timeframe of the price hikes, but the company is expected to launch its newest version of the iPhone in September. Memory chips are considered essential components of devices like smartphones, but the increased demand for AI-related infrastructure and products has driven their prices higher. This effect is compounded by the ongoing geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East. 

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Apple said to be developing camera-equipped AirPods for 2027

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Apple is reportedly planning to add cameras to AirPods slated for release in late 2027, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported, citing people familiar with the tech company's plans. These cameras aren't intended for taking photos or recording videos. Instead, they are meant to serve as AI sensors, offering Siri visual context of your environment and allowing the assistant to answer your queries, like what to make for dinner based on the ingredients you have out. These camera-equipped AirPods are expected to look similar to the AirPods Pro, with the report noting that the device will have external lights to indicate when data is sent to the cloud for processing.

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Snap debuts new Specs AR glasses

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Snap takes another stab at augmented reality glasses and pairs them with artificial intelligence this time. Snapchat's owner describes the Specs AR glasses as a wearable computer, with the device running on two Snapdragon processors. One is dedicated to computer vision and another powers the device itself. The glasses do not require an input device as they rely on hand tracking instead.

The Specs come with a liquid crystal on silicon display, with a 51-degree field of view and 16 million colours, translating to a 24-inch desktop monitor when working or a 115-inch home cinema screen placed 10 feet away. This means use cases can range from work to play, with the promise of hands-free app use.

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Google Earth brings its flight simulator mode to the web

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Google Earth will make it easier for you to visualize taking to the sky with an update being introduced to the web version of the app. Google Earth on the web is getting the desktop app's flight simulator mode for free. It can run instantly without needing any flight training.

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