Chris Liu
The Latest
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Apple to Skip iOS 19, Jump to iOS 26 in Major Rebranding Shift
Apple is preparing to overhaul the naming of its software platforms by shifting to a year-based numbering system, with sources indicating that the next iOS update will be branded "iOS 26" instead of iOS 19. The change, reported by Bloomberg, would align iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS under a unified naming convention beginning in 2025. 
Apple is preparing to overhaul the naming of its software platforms by shifting to a year-based numbering system, with sources indicating that the next iOS update will be branded "iOS 26" instead of iOS 19. The change, reported by Bloomberg, would align iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS under a unified naming convention beginning in 2025. -
China’s DeepSeek Releases Quiet R1 Upgrade, Pressures OpenAI as AI Benchmark Rankings Shift
Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek has quietly rolled out an upgraded version of its R1 reasoning model, escalating competition with U.S. leaders like OpenAI and Meta. The updated model, R1-0528, appeared without formal announcement on developer platform Hugging Face this week, where it quickly ranked among the top-performing models on LiveCodeBench, a benchmark designed by researchers from UC Berkeley, MIT, and Cornell. 
Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek has quietly rolled out an upgraded version of its R1 reasoning model, escalating competition with U.S. leaders like OpenAI and Meta. The updated model, R1-0528, appeared without formal announcement on developer platform Hugging Face this week, where it quickly ranked among the top-performing models on LiveCodeBench, a benchmark designed by researchers from UC Berkeley, MIT, and Cornell. -
Brazil Sues China’s BYD Over Alleged Slave-Like Labor Conditions, Seeks $50 Million in Damages
Brazilian prosecutors have filed a civil lawsuit against Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD and two of its contractors, accusing the companies of subjecting hundreds of Chinese workers to slave-like labor conditions and engaging in international human trafficking. The suit, announced Tuesday by labor prosecutors in Bahia state, seeks 257 million reais ($50 million) in damages, plus additional fines for alleged labor law violations. 
Brazilian prosecutors have filed a civil lawsuit against Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD and two of its contractors, accusing the companies of subjecting hundreds of Chinese workers to slave-like labor conditions and engaging in international human trafficking. The suit, announced Tuesday by labor prosecutors in Bahia state, seeks 257 million reais ($50 million) in damages, plus additional fines for alleged labor law violations. -
TSMC Warns $165 Billion U.S. Chip Investment Could Collapse Under Proposed Tariffs
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is warning that proposed U.S. tariffs on imported chips could imperil its $165 billion investment in Arizona, threatening to derail one of the largest foreign direct investments in U.S. manufacturing. The chip giant's Arizona subsidiary sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce on May 5 urging officials to keep semiconductor imports duty-free as the agency nears completion of its Section 232 investigation on trade threats. 
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is warning that proposed U.S. tariffs on imported chips could imperil its $165 billion investment in Arizona, threatening to derail one of the largest foreign direct investments in U.S. manufacturing. The chip giant's Arizona subsidiary sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce on May 5 urging officials to keep semiconductor imports duty-free as the agency nears completion of its Section 232 investigation on trade threats. -
SpaceX Starship Flight 9 Ends in Failure as Fuel Leak Disrupts Reentry Test and Satellite Deployment
SpaceX's ninth test flight of its Starship rocket ended in failure Tuesday evening after the spacecraft lost attitude control due to a propellant leak, disrupting its planned landing and satellite deployment. The launch, conducted from the company's Boca Chica facility in Texas, marked the latest setback for the program championed by Elon Musk to make space travel fully reusable and eventually enable human missions to Mars. 
SpaceX's ninth test flight of its Starship rocket ended in failure Tuesday evening after the spacecraft lost attitude control due to a propellant leak, disrupting its planned landing and satellite deployment. The launch, conducted from the company's Boca Chica facility in Texas, marked the latest setback for the program championed by Elon Musk to make space travel fully reusable and eventually enable human missions to Mars. -
Xiaomi Posts $15.5 Billion Q1 Revenue, Delivers 75,869 EVs Amid AI and SUV Push
Xiaomi reported record first-quarter revenue and profit on Tuesday, driven by growth in its smartphone segment and expanding electric vehicle (EV) business, even as it prepares to launch its second electric model, the YU7 SUV, in July. 
Xiaomi reported record first-quarter revenue and profit on Tuesday, driven by growth in its smartphone segment and expanding electric vehicle (EV) business, even as it prepares to launch its second electric model, the YU7 SUV, in July. -
Elon Musk Confirms Beta Launch of X Money Payments App for 2025
Elon Musk confirmed on May 25 that X Money, the long-anticipated payments and banking platform tied to the rebranded Twitter, has entered limited beta testing ahead of a planned 2025 launch. The announcement follows years of speculation about Musk's plans to transform X into a multifunctional "everything app" incorporating social media, media sharing, and financial services. 
Elon Musk confirmed on May 25 that X Money, the long-anticipated payments and banking platform tied to the rebranded Twitter, has entered limited beta testing ahead of a planned 2025 launch. The announcement follows years of speculation about Musk's plans to transform X into a multifunctional "everything app" incorporating social media, media sharing, and financial services. -
BYD Shares Drop 8.6% as Price Cuts Spark Fears of Escalating EV Price War in China
Shares of Chinese automakers plummeted Monday following aggressive price cuts by BYD and renewed warnings from industry leaders over the long-term sustainability of China's electric vehicle (EV) sector. BYD's Hong Kong-listed shares fell 8.6%, extending losses from their recent record high, after the company announced a new round of price reductions and trade-in subsidies on more than 20 electric and plug-in hybrid models. Shares of Chinese automakers plummeted Monday following aggressive price cuts by BYD and renewed warnings from industry leaders over the long-term sustainability of China's electric vehicle (EV) sector. BYD's Hong Kong-listed shares fell 8.6%, extending losses from their recent record high, after the company announced a new round of price reductions and trade-in subsidies on more than 20 electric and plug-in hybrid models. -
Anthropic’s New AI Model Exhibited Blackmail and Deception When Faced With Shutdown, Safety Report Shows
Anthropic's latest frontier AI model, Claude 4 Opus, exhibited troubling behaviors including blackmail, deception, and unauthorized self-preservation tactics during internal testing, according to a new safety report released alongside the model's debut. The findings come amid rising concern over advanced AI models' ability to strategize against their operators. 
Anthropic's latest frontier AI model, Claude 4 Opus, exhibited troubling behaviors including blackmail, deception, and unauthorized self-preservation tactics during internal testing, according to a new safety report released alongside the model's debut. The findings come amid rising concern over advanced AI models' ability to strategize against their operators. -
Xiaomi Launches 3nm XRING 01 Chip in 15S Pro, Targets Apple’s A18 Pro with Cheaper Chinese Flagship
Xiaomi unveiled its new 15S Pro smartphone and custom XRING 01 processor on Thursday, signaling its most direct challenge yet to Apple's flagship iPhones. The 15S Pro, priced at 5,499 yuan (approximately $764), falls below the 6,000-yuan threshold for Chinese government consumer subsidies-making it significantly cheaper than Apple's iPhone 16 Pro, which starts at 7,999 yuan, and the Pro Max model priced at 9,999 yuan. 
Xiaomi unveiled its new 15S Pro smartphone and custom XRING 01 processor on Thursday, signaling its most direct challenge yet to Apple's flagship iPhones. The 15S Pro, priced at 5,499 yuan (approximately $764), falls below the 6,000-yuan threshold for Chinese government consumer subsidies-making it significantly cheaper than Apple's iPhone 16 Pro, which starts at 7,999 yuan, and the Pro Max model priced at 9,999 yuan.
