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A legal feud between the co-founders of Lux Optics, the developer behind the Halide camera app, revealed that Apple was close to acquiring the company. As first reported by The Information, Apple held acquisition talks for Lux Optics, which also developed the Kino, Spectre and Orion apps, in the summer of 2025.
According to The Information, the deal eventually fell through in September of that year, but the potential acquisition could've provided Apple with the third-party software to improve its own built-in camera app. Apple is already rumored to be introducing variable aperture to its upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models, so it's not surprising that the iPhone maker was looking for software with advanced features to match its possibly upgraded camera hardware.
Despite Apple's interest, Lux Optics' co-founders, Ben Sandofsky and Sebastiaan de With concluded that future updates to Halide could increase the company's valuation and ended the acquisition talks. According to the lawsuit between the co-founders, Sandofsky started investigating de With for th
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 Apple saw a 23% year-over-year increase in iPhone sales in China during the first nine weeks of 2026, significantly outperforming a broader market decline driven by weak demand and rising component costs, according to Counterpoint Research.
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These emoji still need to be approved but a pickle might replace the eggplant emoji in some contexts.
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 Just when you thought Apple was done with product announcements for a little while, this week saw one last drop with the AirPods Max 2 making their appearance.
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The White House has announced a new AI policy framework that calls for Congress to craft federal regulation that overrules state AI laws. The Trump administration has made multiple attempts to overrule more restrictive state-level AI regulation, but has failed so far, most notably in the passing of the "One Big Beautiful Bill."
The framework focuses on a variety of topics, covering everything from child privacy to the use of AI in the workforce. "Importantly, this framework can succeed only if it is applied uniformly across the United States," The White House writes. "A patchwork of conflicting state laws would undermine American innovation and our ability to lead in the global AI race."
In terms of child privacy protections, the framework calls for Congress to require tools like "screen time, content exposure and account controls" while also affirming that "existing child privacy protections apply to AI systems," including limits on how data is collected and used for AI training. The framework also calls for a carveout that allows states to enforce "their own generally applicable laws protecting children, such as prohibitions on child sexual abuse material, even where such material is generated by AI."
The energy-use and environmental impact of AI infrastructure is a going concern, but the White House's policy proposals are primarily worried about the cost of data centers. The framework suggests federal AI regulation should make sure that highe
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You can improve the image quality of any Sony TV by changing just a few settings.
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 The highlights of this week in Apple deals include the return of an all-time low price on AirPods Pro 3, Apple Watch Series 11, and ongoing launch discounts on all of Apple's new products. You'll also find a few early accessory deals from Amazon's Big Spring Sale below.
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 The logo for HBO is pictured during the HBO presentation at the Cable portion of the Television Critics Association Summer press tour in Beverly Hills, California August 1, 2012. REUTERS/Fred Prouser
WarnerMedia's HBO Max streaming service gained subscribers over the holiday
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