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Show Notes
Microsoft to Pay Full Electricity Costs for U.S. Data Centers
Microsoft has committed to covering the full electricity costs for operating its U.S. data centers to ease public concern that the AI infrastructure expansion will increase consumer utility rates. Announced by President Brad Smith as a matter of “civic responsibility,” the initiative also involves working with utility companies to secure power, boost efficiency, and reduce water usage. This pledge follows public comments from the U.S. president about ensuring “big Technology Companies” pay their own way for the AI boom’s necessary infrastructure.
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Apple Launches Creator Studio Subscription Bundle
Apple has launched the new Creator Studio subscription bundle, priced at $12.99 monthly or $129 annually, offering a collection of six creative applications, including Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage, along with premium content for iWork apps. The bundle, which will include Freeform later and offer a discounted rate for students and educators, will be available starting January 28 with a one-month free trial. Apple’s Eddy Cue highlights the bundle as a great value for creators, coinciding with new feature updates for many of the included apps and notably bringing Pixelmator Pro to the iPad.
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Meta Cuts Reality Labs Jobs, Shifts Focus Away From Metaverse
Meta Platforms is pivoting its Reality Labs strategy, cutting over 1,000 jobs (about 10%) to shift resources away from the costly and underperforming metaverse and virtual reality (VR) toward more promising areas like AI wearables and mobile features. According to an internal memo from CTO Andrew Bosworth, the change follows the better reception of AI-powered glasses and the high cost of the metaverse effort. While Meta will continue to invest in the metaverse and VR, its metaverse software, Horizon, will now focus almost exclusively on mobile devices to boost adoption, and the VR hardware division will operate as a smaller, more focused unit.
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Meta Launches “Meta Compute” AI Infrastructure Initiative
Meta has also announced the launch of Meta Compute, a new initiative to significantly expand the company’s AI infrastructure, including plans to build “tens of gigawatts” of energy capacity. This commitment follows Meta’s high capital expenditure projections to develop leading AI infrastructure and keep pace in the generative AI race. To lead this ambitious project, Zuckerberg appointed Santosh Janardhan for technical architecture and data center operations, Daniel Gross for long-term capacity strategy and partnerships, and Dina Powell McCormick for government relations regarding infrastructure financing.
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FCC Revises Verizon Phone Unlocking Rule After Fraud Concerns
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has revised a rule that uniquely required Verizon to unlock its mobile phones just 60 days after activation, a policy the company claimed cost hundreds of millions of dollars annually due to device fraud. Verizon sought the change because organized, global criminal networks were exploiting the quick unlock period—which differed from the industry standard—to steal and resell handsets on the dark web, particularly in countries like Russia, China, and Cuba. The FCC acknowledged the loophole was being used for illicit activity, including drug running and human smuggling, after Verizon reported losing 784,703 devices to fraud in 2023.
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Tesla Brings Back Seven-Seat Model Y for 2026
Tesla has brought back a seven-seat option for the 2026 Model Y in the US, available only on the Premium All-Wheel-Drive Long Range model for an extra $2,500. The third row, best for children, features fold-flat seats, mirroring the second row’s capability. This reintroduction comes as Tesla faces more competition and follows a period where the Model Y was only sold as a five-seater in the US. The Premium Model Y also includes minor updates, such as new 20-inch “Helix” wheels, a black headliner, a larger 16-inch display, and darker rear badging.
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India’s Smartphone Security Proposal Faces Privacy Backlash
India’s proposed security rules for smartphone manufacturers, which mandate source code sharing and one-year phone log retention, are drawing criticism from privacy advocates, tech experts, and companies like Apple and Samsung. Critics argue the measures, while intended to combat online fraud, grant the government excessive surveillance powers, erode trust due to source code requests, and raise conflict-of-interest concerns over the requirement to inform officials before security updates.
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Salesforce Makes AI-Powered Slackbot Generally Available
Salesforce has made its generative AI-powered Slackbot, a “super agent” capable of handling complex tasks like drafting, scheduling, and finding information, generally available to Business+ and Enterprise+ Slack customers. The new Slackbot can integrate with external apps like Microsoft Teams and Google Drive. Salesforce CTO Parker Harris is optimistic about its “product-market-fit” due to promising internal adoption, with future plans for voice interaction and internet browsing.
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iOS 26.3 Beta Hints at End-to-End Encryption for RCS
Apple appears to be nearing the rollout of end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages, a feature announced last March. Evidence of this was found in the iOS 26.3 beta 2, which contains a new carrier bundle setting that allows carriers to enable or disable E2EE for RCS, currently only noted for French carriers. Although the GSMA standard generally requires E2EE, it allows exceptions for local regulations, which explains the toggle. The discovery suggests E2EE support for RCS is coming soon, even if not immediately with iOS 26.3.
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