Free Republic

Apple is launching new tools to comply with the growing number of age-verification laws both in the U.S. and abroad. As part of the changes, Apple will block the downloads of apps rated 18+ in Brazil, Australia, and Singapore, while also rolling out other features to comply with laws in Utah and Louisiana in the U.S. The company informed developers on Tuesday that it’s expanding its set of “age assurance” tools, including an updated Declared Age Range API now available for beta testing. These tools allow developers to obtain a user’s age range without gaining access to the user’s personal...

On Thursday, Apple announced iPhone and iPad are the first and only consumer devices in compliance with the information assurance requirements of NATO nations. This enables iPhone and iPad to be used with classified information up to the NATO restricted level without requiring special software or settings — a level of government certification no other consumer mobile device has met. Apple designs security into all of its products from the start, ensuring the most sophisticated protections are built in across hardware, software, and Apple silicon. This unique approach allows Apple users to benefit from industry-leading security protections such as best-in-class...

Apple's popular news app is facing increased scrutiny over alleged political bias, but the overwhelming left-wing tilt at the top of the company may be a factor. Of the 25 people listed on Apple's leadership page, 15 of them made substantial contributions to Democrats in various election cycles, according to a review of FEC filings. Just six Apple executives have any record of contributing to Republicans — though four of them gave far more amounts to Democrats. Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, donated $236,100 to the Hillary Victory Fund in 2016 and $2,300 for President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign, according to...

Apple is beginning to bring its semiconductor manufacturing supply chain back to the United States. Nearly all of the most advanced chips are made in Taiwan, which China has threatened to annex. Concentrating chip supplies on an island that could be invaded, or face steep U.S. tariffs from Trump, is a big risk to Apple's business. To find out how far the company still has to go, WSJ reporter Rolfe Winkler visited several of the company's suppliers including TSMC, ASML and Foxconn in the Southwest. Inside Apple's Multibillion-Dollar Push to Make Chips in the U.S. | WSJ | 10:37 The...

Samsung unleashed a new batch of Galaxy Z TriFold units after selling out initial stock of the behemoth foldable that turns into a 10-inch tablet. It took less than ten minutes to sell through today’s supply, which either speaks to the phone’s surprising popularity or, rather, just how few of them the company is making. The device launched on January 30th, and unlike most other Samsung phones, availability of this one was limited to the company’s own site. The TriFold costs $2,899.99 and comes with 512GB of storage (you’d think paying this much would get you at least 1TB, but...

Tesla engineers deflected calls from Apple on a daily basis while the tech giant was developing its now-defunct electric vehicle program, which was known as “Project Titan.” Back in 2022 and 2023, Apple was developing an EV in a top-secret internal fashion, hoping to launch it by 2028 with a fully autonomous driving suite. However, Apple bailed on the project in early 2024, as Project Titan abandoned the project in an email to over 2,000 employees. The company had backtracked its expectations for the vehicle on several occasions, initially hoping to launch it with no human driving controls and only...

Apple CEO Tim Cook has been mobbed by a wave of criticism after his private memo to company employees about the civil unrest in Minnesota was leaked online. While addressing the killing of ICU nurse and ICE protester Alex Pretti, Cook reportedly said: 'This is a time for de-escalation,' and added that he had a 'good conversation' with President Donald Trump regarding the situation in Minneapolis. 'I believe America is strongest when we live up to our highest ideals, when we treat everyone with dignity and respect no matter who they are or where they’re from, and when we embrace...

The recent install of iOS 26.2 has caused YT playback to be weird. At the place in the middle of the screen where the Play button usually appears, it’s now a continuous counterclockwise circle that appears over the playing video. I can’t determine a setting change that would eliminate the distraction & just play the video with no control buttons on the screen. Any & all advice appreciated in advance.

The NFL's Super Bowl LX entertainment lineup has drawn political backlash after the league added Green Day to an event already headlined by Bad Bunny, two artists who have repeatedly criticized President Donald Trump. The league announced that Green Day will open the Feb. 8 game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, performing during the opening ceremony ahead of Bad Bunny's halftime show. The move has sparked conservative criticism of the Super Bowl lineup, as both artists known for their public opposition to Trump and his policies.

It's official: Apple and Google will join forces to build the next version of Apple's Intelligence and Siri, with the help of Google Gemini. What does it mean for Apple moving forward, and the implications it has for future Apple products. Apple Biggest AI Move Yet - Google Gemini Will Power Next Siri & Apple Intelligence | 9:34 Brian Tong | 350K subscribers | 4,565 views | January 12, 2026

TSMC has quietly revealed that it had commenced volume production of chips using its N2 (2nm-class) fabrication process. The company did not issue a formal press release notifying about the production start, but the firm had said multiple times that N2 was on track for volume manufacturing in Q4, so the plan has been fulfilled.

Tim Cook's Apple succession plan is unfolding in plain sight as executives Kate Adams, Lisa Jackson, John Giannandrea, and Alan Dye depart Cupertino—but this isn't corporate chaos, it's choreographed transition. Giannandrea's removal follows Apple Intelligence failures and broken Siri promises, while Alan Dye's surprise departure to Meta left Apple blindsided, with insiders reportedly celebrating his exit and welcoming replacement Stephen LeMay. Meanwhile, Johny Srouji confirmed he's staying despite Mark Gurman's Bloomberg report, and Apple's Silicon chief remains crucial to the company's future under a likely John Ternus CEO succession. Comparing Apple's strategy to GE's Jack Welch disaster, Amazon's smooth Bezos-to-Jassy...

By my count, Linux has over 11% of the desktop market. Here's how I got that number - and why people are making the leap. The Linux desktop has continued its slow growth. Linux has been making gains in no small part because of Microsoft Windows' blunders. Users and governments have been losing trust in Windows and Microsoft. My colleague Jack Wallen and I have been telling you for a while now that you should switch from Windows to the Linux desktop. Sounds like some of you have been listening. The proof of the pudding comes from various sources. First,...

The Golden Globes has snubbed popular right-leaning podcasters out of a nomination in its inaugural best podcast category. Leading up to its 83rd annual ceremony, the Golden Globes announced back in May that they would unveil the first ever podcast category. Since then, speculation about the potential nominees circulated, with right-wing host Ben Shapiro going as far as campaigning. In November, Shapiro plastered billboards in Times Square with ads that said 'For Your Golden Globes Consideration.' But the six nominees have sparked controversy across social media, leaving people questioning why the biggest MAGA firebrand podcasters have been left out. The...

The RAM Shortage Comes for Us All | 4:29 Jeff Geerling | 1.01M subscribers | 1,265 views | December 4, 2025

Good news for AAPL investors: Apple has a new head of AI. Pressure Points: Apple AI's SVP, John Giannandrea, Retiring | 3:27 Deepwater Asset Management | 20.1K subscribers | 2,139 views | December 1, 2025

Taiwanese National Science and Technology Council Minister Wu Cheng-wen said that Taiwan and the United States have reached a “consensus” to keep tariffs off Taipei’s semiconductor industry.The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. headquarters in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on Oct. 20, 2021. AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, FileIn a Financial Times interview published on Nov. 20, Wu said that Taiwan will support the United States in building its chip industry, and in return, the United States will offer tariff relief for the island’s semiconductor sector.“Of course, there’s the recipes of how to make the chips, but it’s also about the science park management, attracting...

We’ve all been there. Your screen goes black, but you can still hear the audio. You’re trying to move the cursor on your phone, but your thumb’s too big to land in the right spot. Or your Android suddenly turns into a sluggish mess, and you’re ready to throw your $1,000 phone out the window. Pause. Breathe. There’s a secret power-user layer baked into your gadgets that most folks never see. These aren’t your run-of-the-mill tips. These are the hidden handshakes, the ones you can drop to sound like the family tech wizard. 📱 Thumb-believable phone secrets iPhone user? Stop...

Nvidia, the world's biggest company, has revealed its sales are soaring — delivering a thunderous boost to the US economy, Wall Street and Americans' retirement savings. The chipmaker, which has been the engine of the AI boom and a key driver of the market's rally, delivered another blockbuster quarter that reassured investors the tech revolution is going nowhere. 'There's been a lot of talk about an AI bubble,' CEO Jensen Huang said on Wednesday. 'We see something very different.' The company reported $57billion in sales, smashing analyst forecasts of $54.9 billion. Profit hit $31.9billion for the past three months, up...

Apple is launching Digital IDs, a feature that allows you to create and store an ID in Apple Wallet using your US passport. In the announcement, Apple says Digital ID acceptance will begin to “roll out first” at TSA checkpoints for domestic travel in over 250 airports across the US. You can present your Digital ID in place of a REAL ID at TSA checkpoints using your iPhone or Apple Watch. But Apple notes that it isn’t a replacement for your physical passport, and that you can’t use it for international travel or border crossings. Apple already allows you to...