Apple to add Braille support on iOS 19 as it prepares for WWDC

14-05-2025

Apple will be adding a suite of new accessibility features on its devices this year, including Braille support, on the next iterations of its operating systems, as it prepares for its annual developer conference. The writing system for the visually impaired will be integrated for note taking, maths and science calculations, live captions and transcriptions, and reading Braille Ready Format files, Apple said on Tuesday, ahead of the Worldwide Developers Conference in June. The WWDC, Apple's main event for software, is expected to introduce iOS 19 for the iPhone, alongside the corresponding systems for the iPad, Mac, Watch and TV. The new version of iOS is typically released with the next generation of iPhones, which are expected in September. Braille was invented by Louis Braille in the 1820s to help people with vision impairments read and write. While technology and audio aids have increased in recent years, it remains a key learning tool, said the New England College of Optometry. The system is used by about six million visually impaired people around the world, according to the Louis Braille Museum, east of Paris. Apple will also be introducing Accessibility Nutrition Labels, which show users if features such as voice control, magnified text and reduced motion are available on apps. An enhanced magnifier for Macs and 'enhanced view' for the Vision Pro augmented reality headset will also be added, Apple said. The latter is specifically aimed at helping people who are blind or have low vision. An accessibility reader to help those with dyslexia or low vision will also be introduced. Apple's upcoming accessibility features are 'tools to help people access crucial information', chief executive Tim Cook said. The set of updates comes as Apple continues to focus on health technology, which has become a key driver of its services unit, which has boosted revenue in recent years. In March, Apple launched its latest Hearing Aid and Hearing Test services in Saudi Arabia, giving people in the kingdom free access to the health technologies.

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Monster week for crypto treasury firms with $8B buying blitz

Crypto Insight

2 hours ago

Crypto Insight

Monster week for crypto treasury firms with $8B buying blitz

Crypto treasury firms have begun moves to buy over $7.8 billion worth of cryptocurrencies this week, in possibly one of the biggest corporate crypto grabs in recent history — particularly for altcoins. Cointelegraph analyzed 16 company statements since Monday, which either announced a plan to buy or raise money for crypto. Ether was the hottest target. At least five public companies have bought or have promised to purchase over $3 billion worth of ETH, which is around 45 times more than the amount of ETH issued in the past week. The so-called crypto treasury companies are the latest Wall Street fad as traditional financiers, often restricted from being able to directly buy crypto or related exchange-traded products, look to gain exposure to the rapidly growing sector. ETH popularity rises for corporate crypto bet Bitcoin miner BTCS Inc. on Tuesday filed plans to sell up to $2 billion in shares to fund future purchases of Ether. Joe Lubin's Sharplink Gaming, already the second-largest Ethereum treasury firm, boosted the total further by buying up $338 million worth of ETH with two separate buys on Monday and Thursday. The Ether Machine also scooped up the asset this week, purchasing 15,000 ETH for around $57 million. Meanwhile, two more Ether buying companies were born this week, with the biotech firm 180 Life Sciences Corp rebranding to ETHZilla Corporation in a $425 million deal and merchant banker Fundamental Global rebranding to FG Nexus in a $200 million deal. Crypto treasury companies also hot on altcoins Crypto treasury companies were also dazzled by altcoins this week. The biggest altcoin-buying announcement came from Tron Inc., a penny stock toy company taken over by Justin Sun's Tron blockchain, which said on Monday it wants to raise $1 billion to buy the blockchain's Tron token. Another three companies signalled plans to buy either Solana, Sui or BNB — a token with close ties to the crypto exchange Binance. The most notable treasury firm to form this week was CEA Industries, a Canadian vape company turned BNB buying firm after a takeover by investment firm 10X Capital and YZi Labs. The firm once described itself as the family office of Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao. It plans to raise at least $500 million with plans to potentially unlock up to $1.25 billion to buy BNB, which was reportedly owned mainly by Zhao and Binance. On Thursday, tech company Cemtrex Inc. said it bought $1 million worth of SOL with the goal of expanding to $10 million, while on Monday, the lender Mill City Ventures III completed a $450 million deal to pivot to buying Sui. Crypto buying firms hold $100 billion, but not without risks Galaxy Research analyst Will Owens wrote in a report on Wednesday that crypto treasury companies collectively held over $100 billion worth of crypto, $93 billion of which was Bitcoin. The business model isn't without its risks, Owens said, and not all are equally valued as investors apply 'widely different' equity premiums to a company's net asset value. Michael Saylor's Strategy, for example, had an equity premium of 58%, which Owens said reflected its 'scale and maturity,' while Japan's Metaplanet traded at a premium of 179% due to its 'aggressive capital formation model.' He added that the business model 'critically depends on a persistent equity premium to NAV. If the premium collapses, or worse, flips to a discount, the model begins to break.' 'The treasury company trade is becoming increasingly crowded,' Owens said. 'When hundreds of firms adopt the same one-directional trade (raise equity, buy crypto, repeat), it can become structurally fragile. A downturn in any of these three variables (investor sentiment, crypto prices, and capital markets liquidity) can start to unravel the rest.' Strategy helps boost Bitcoin buys Bitcoin remained a popular choice for crypto treasury firms such as Strategy, with seven companies proposing or buying a total of $2.7 billion in Bitcoin. Strategy, formerly MicroStrategy, bought 21,021 Bitcoin after raising $2.5 billion from its fourth preferred stock, STRC. The UK's The Smarter Web Company also spent about $26.5 million on 225 Bitcoin, and Metaplanet bought 780 Bitcoin for around $92 million. One new Bitcoin treasury company was spun up through the energy company ZOOZ Power Ltd. on Tuesday, with plans for a $180 million deal to buy Bitcoin. Source:

Apple's tariff-fueled iPhone sales surge raises doubts about sustainability

Zawya

3 hours ago

Zawya

Apple's tariff-fueled iPhone sales surge raises doubts about sustainability

Apple's best revenue growth in three years failed to impress, with shares down about 1% in volatile trading on Friday, as investors questioned whether a tariff-driven surge in iPhone sales would last. A rush to buy iPhones ahead of potential U.S. tariff-driven price increases, along with China subsidies and upbeat demand for the budget 16e model launched in February, fueled a 13.5% jump in the quarterly sales of the device, crushing expectations. That pushed up total revenue by a better-than-expected 10% in the April-June period, and Apple issued an above-estimate sales forecast for the current quarter ending in September. The results came at a precarious time for the company long seen as Big Tech's safest bet. Beyond the tariff threats facing its manufacturing hubs China and India, Apple has been slow to move on artificial intelligence technology that its software and devices rivals have embraced as their next big growth driver. Analysts said the sales rebound in China, where local rivals have moved faster than Apple on AI features, was a positive. The company benefited in the world's largest smartphone market from a state subsidy program meant to prop up device sales. But they also warned the "pull-in" boost was expected to be temporary, raising doubts about demand for the rest of the year. "Pull-forward, remember, is not a U.S. issue. It's also a China issue. There, Apple's Pro model iPhones were too expensive to qualify for Chinese government subsidies that were being offered … so they cut prices to qualify, leaning into the volume opportunity. It worked," MoffettNathanson analysts said. "But as with the U.S., what does that mean for the rest of the year?" So far this year, Apple stock has underperformed all its "Magnificent Seven" peers barring Tesla, with a decline of more than 17%. The S&P has risen 7.8% in the period. Many of Apple's products are currently exempt from tariffs, and the company has also been rebalancing its supply chain to shield itself from the duties, sourcing iPhones from India and other products such as Macs and Apple Watches from Vietnam. The U.S. is currently negotiating trade deals with both China and India, with U.S. President Donald Trump saying India could face 25% tariffs as early as Friday. Apple said tariffs would raise costs by $1.1 billion in the current quarter after the company said it took an $800 million hit from tariffs in the third quarter. Its AI strategy also remains a concern after Apple delayed the release of an AI-enhanced version of Siri virtual assistant and was slow to launch Apple Intelligence. CEO Tim Cook said on Thursday the company was making good progress on Siri and that Apple is "significantly growing" its investments in AI. "Brand loyalty gives Apple time to get the AI transition right, but it needs to start delivering," said Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst, Hargreaves Lansdown.

Tahawul Tech

10 hours ago

Tahawul Tech

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