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Memory cost explosion won't hurt Apple too badly in Q2, may sting in Q3

Memory cost explosion won't hurt Apple too badly in Q2, may sting in Q3

Tim Cook says that the rising cost of RAM and Flash that the industry is facing has not yet affected Apple, but he expects it to be an increasing issue in this quarter, and worse yet in the third fiscal quarter of 2026. A Samsung LPDDR5X memory chip - Image Credit: Samsung During Apple's latest earnings call , CEO Tim Cook addressed the issue of rising component costs, specifically memory, that have been expected to impact Apple's costs. "Memory had a minimal impact on the Q1, so [on] the December quarter gross margin," said Cook. "We do expect it to be a bit more of an impact to the Q2 gross margin, and that was comprehended in the outlook of 48% to 49% that Kevan [Parekh] gave earlier." Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Amazon discovered a 'high volume' of CSAM in its AI training data but isn't saying where it came from

Amazon discovered a 'high volume' of CSAM in its AI training data but isn't saying where it came from

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said it received more than 1 million reports of AI-related child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in 2025. The "vast majority" of that content was reported by Amazon, which found the material in its training data, according to an investigation by Bloomberg . In addition, Amazon said only that it obtained the inappropriate content from external sources used to train its AI services and claimed it could not provide any further details about where the CSAM came from. "This is really an outlier," Fallon McNulty, executive director of NCMEC’s CyberTipline, told Bloomberg . The CyberTipline is where many types of US-based companies are legally required to report suspected CSAM. “Having such a high volume come in throughout the year begs a lot of questions about where the data is coming from, and what safeguards have been put in place.” She added that aside from Amazon, the AI-related reports the organization received from other companies last year included actionable data that it could pass along to law enforcement for next steps. Since Amazon isn’t disclosing sources, McNulty said its reports have proved “inactionable.” "We take a deliberately cautious approach to scanning foundation model training data, including data from the public web, to identify and remove known [child sexual abuse material] and protect our customers," an Amazon representative said in a statement to Bloomberg . The spokesperson also said that Amazon aimed to over-report its figures to NCMEC in order to avoid missing any cases. The company said that it removed the suspected CSAM content before feeding training data into its AI models. Safety questions for minors have emerged as a critical concern for the artificial intelligence industry in recent months. CSAM has skyrocketed in NCMEC's records; compared with the more than 1 million AI-related reports the organization received last year, the 2024 total was 67,000 reports while 2023 only saw 4,700 reports. In addition to issues such as abusive content being used to train models, AI chatbots have also been implicated in several dangerous or tragic cases involving young users. OpenAI and Character.AI have both been sued after teenagers planned their suicides with those companies' platforms. Meta is also being sued for alleged failures to protect teen users from sexually explicit conversations with chatbots. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/amazon-discovered-a-high-volume-of-csam-in-its-ai-training-data-but-isnt-saying-where-it-came-from-224749228.html?src=rss

One appliance, two seasons: Dyson’s Hot+Cool tower is $200 off right now

One appliance, two seasons: Dyson’s Hot+Cool tower is $200 off right now

A lot of home gear gets bought for one moment, then shoved in a closet for nine months. A heater that also works as a fan avoids that problem. The Dyson Hot+Cool AM09 tower is down to $299.99, saving you $200 off the $499.99 compared value. If you’ve been thinking about a cleaner, less cluttered […] The post One appliance, two seasons: Dyson’s Hot+Cool tower is $200 off right now appeared first on Digital Trends .

Apple reaches 2.5 billion active devices after record-breaking quarter

Apple reaches 2.5 billion active devices after record-breaking quarter

The active install base of Apple users has increased by 150 million users since 2025 and has reached over 2.5 billion active users as of January 2026. iPhone 17 Pro Max is in high demand Apple's first-quarter earnings are record-breaking and surpassed estimates with $143.8 billion in revenue. During the call, Apple shared that its install base reached over 2.5 billion active users, the first update to the number since 2.35 billion was shared in January 2025. The increase was helped by demand for the iPhone 16 through 2025 and a strong iPhone 17 launch. It seems every new product did well in the past quarter. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

'Encrypt it already' campaign challenges big tech to keep your data secure

'Encrypt it already' campaign challenges big tech to keep your data secure

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has launched a new advocacy initiative directly targeting Apple, Google, and other tech giants to demand broader adoption of data encryption and more transparent privacy controls. Encrypt it Already The campaign is known as "Encrypt it Already," and addresses what the EFF sees as ongoing problems with the way companies like Apple, Google, Meta, and Amazon handle data encryption. It hopes to spur changes by calling out companies directly, but also by providing users with resources to help them voice their concerns. According to EncryptItAlready.org, "End-to-end encryption protects the privacy of your data, puts control over how the data gets used into your hands, and is the best way we have to ensure private conversations remain private," Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

iPhone 17 Pro array will be used in a new offside camera system

iPhone 17 Pro array will be used in a new offside camera system

The Maracana Stadium will use iPhone 17 Pro units as part of a semi-automated system for offside calls, with the devices set to record each football play in 4K at 100fps. The iPhone 17 Pro will be used as part of a new camera system, meant to record soccer matches in Brazil. Time and time again, the iPhone has proven itself to be a great option for recording sporting events. Major League Soccer is recording matches on the iPhone 17 Pro alongside traditional cameras . Now, Apple's smartphone is set to be used for matches in the Brazilian Championship (Brasileirao). The Brazilian Football Confederation, or CBF, has announced that Maracana Stadium will make use of a new iPhone-powered camera system for the 2026 season. The new camera system consists of 28 iPhone 17 Pro units, each with an internet connection, mounted across 12 rigs. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums