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Tom's Guide
a day ago
- Tom's Guide
iOS 26 has 5 killer upgrades I can't wait to use — but only these iPhones will get them
Like any iOS update, iOS 26 promises some exciting additions for your current iPhone. But before you get carried away about the new capabilities that are just an upgrade away, be sure to check out the fine print — because not every iOS addition works on every supported iPhone. Even if you've got an iPhone capable of running iOS 26, not all of those features are going to work on your device. Some require specific hardware, either because of processor demands or their reliance on on-device artificial intelligence. To be fair, the more significant changes ushered in by iOS 26 will work just fine no matter how hold your iPhone is. The Liquid Glass interface introduced with this update will be visible on every iPhone that upgrades to iOS 26, and changes like the new Games app, Messages enhancements and improvements to Maps work on all compatible phones. But there are some notable iOS 26 additions that have a more limited reach. And in most cases, it's because they rely on Apple Intelligence, Apple's take on AI, which means you'll need an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max or any iPhone 16 model to reap the full benefits. (You can also pick up a iPhone 17 model in the fall, as those will support Apple Intelligence, too.) That doesn't mean you have to rush out and upgrade your iPhone now — there will be time enough to do that once the new models arrive this fall and you weigh the merits of getting a new device. But if you are planning on trying out iOS 26 — either as part of the public beta that arrives in July or the full release in the fall — you should be aware of what features your phone can and can't take advantage of. These are the iOS 26 additions that grabbed my attention, which will only work on select devices. Every iPhone will continue to offer low-power mode, which cuts back on refreshes for apps running in the background and dims display brightness, all in the name of preserving power. But if you have an Apple Intelligence-capable iPhone, iOS 26 introduces an adaptive power mode feature that's meant to improve battery life further. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Apple has said adaptive power mode will make performance adjustments on your phone — adjusting screen brightness, slowing down more background activities, and generally allowing your iPhone to last longer in between charges. It's a setting you'll enable, and it apparently kicks in when you're using your phone for power-hungry tasks. On-device AI is responsible for making these adjustments to power consumption — hence the need for an Apple Intelligence-compatible iPhone to reap the benefits of adaptive power mode. It should't be a shock that any new addition to Visual Intelligence requires an iPhone 15 Pro or later. After all, Visual Intelligence already only worked on select devices — first with iPhone 16 models exclusively and later with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max after the iOS 18.4 update. Still, it's worth calling out iOS 26's Visual Intelligence improvements as they're rather significant. Previously, Visual Intelligence relied on your iPhone's camera to look up information or create calendar entries when you photographed posters and fliers with dates and times. In iOS 26, those same tools will be available for screenshots, essentially allowing you to search visually interesting items you come across with just a tap. You'll also be able to auto-create calendar events from emails, websites and text messages through Visual Intelligence in iOS 26 — but again, only if you have a more recent iPhone. Other than Liquid Glass, support for real-time translations feels like the most sweeping addition to iOS 26. That's because it touches on a number of apps and activities on the phone, from phone calls to video chats to text messages. Live Translations also happens to rely on on-device AI, so you'll once again need an iPhone 15 Pro or later to make it work. Phones aren't the only restriction to this iOS 26 feature. Live Translations will only offer support for select languages initially. Messages will work with simplified Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish. French, Portuguese and Spanish support will reflect the languages spoken in France, Brazil and Spain, respectively. As for the Phone and FaceTime apps, they'll support Live Translation for English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish out of the gate. At last — an iOS 26 app that isn't just limited to devices that support Apple Intelligence. However, you will need at least an iPhone 12 if you want to take advantage of the Spatial Scenes feature to give your Lock Screen photo a 3D effect. That doesn't leave too many iPhones out in the cold. The iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max won't be able to feature that 3D effect. I'd assume the iPhone SE (2020) won't be able to, either, since it has the same A13 Bionic chip as those phones. Spatial Scenes is built on the same technology used to create 3D effects in Apple's visionOS, and you'll also be able to apply it to images in the Photos app. Presumably, the same device restrictions apply there, too. I use the Reminders task every day to stay on top of tasks and to buzz me with notifications when I've got to take care of a to-do at a specific time. So naturally, any new feature coming to that app will pique my interest. Reminders isn't getting a big makeover with iOS 26, but it will gain one significant capability — at least if you've got a phone that can run Apple Intelligence. Apple's on-device AI will be able to use emails, texts and other things stored on your device to suggest tasks, follow-ups and grocery list items. Say my wife messages me to pick up some bread at the store. iOS 26 Reminders will be able to recognize that request and suggesting adding it to the grocery list I keep in the app — provided I'm using an iPhone 15 Pro or later by then. Some iOS 26 features aren't limited to newer devices, but they do have other restrictions that may affect your ability to use them. The most common restriction involves supported languages. Screening tools are a big marquee addition in iOS 26 that aim to cut down on the number of robocalls you answer and spam texts that find their way into Messages. In the Phone app, call screening will answer the phone for you and find out why that person is calling, while Messages will filter out texts from unknown senders into their own separate tab. But both of those features are only supporting English, Cantonese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese and Spanish initially. Hold Assist, another Phone addition that pings you when it detects you're about to be taken off of hold, has language restrictions, too. It will work with English, French, German, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Portugues and Spanish. The Music app is getting a Lyrics Translation feature for select songs. That will work with English to Chinese, English to Japanese, Korean to Chinese, Korean to English, Korean to Japanese and Spanish to English. Meanwhile, a Live Captions accessibility tool works with Cantonese, English, French, Germa, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. Notably, the French and Spanish support in Live Captions includes the versions spoken in Canada and Mexico, respectively. Other iOS 26 features are limited to specific countries. It's probably not surprising that the ability to create a digital ID with your U.S. passport in Wallet will only be offered in the U.S., for example, but the Visited Places feature in Maps that logs where you go is launching in Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S., initially.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Alibaba Just Released New AI Models for Apple. Does That Make AAPL Stock a Buy?
For Apple (AAPL), artificial intelligence is the key to future-proofing its robust devices and services ecosystem. Yet in China, Apple's second-largest market, the company's AI ambitions have hit a wall. Between trade tensions, strict regulations, Beijing's data-localization demands, fierce competition for device sales, Apple's Intelligence suite remained locked out of the mainland. Alibaba Group (BABA) has just handed Apple a potential key. Its Qwen3 AI models have been fine-tuned for Apple's MLX framework, enabling them to run natively on iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Tesla's Robotaxis Reportedly Sped and Veered Into the Wrong Lanes. Does This Crush the Bull Case for TSLA Stock? 1 Dividend Stock to Buy Yielding Over 7% Ditch Big Tech and Buy These 3 Popular Stocks in 2025 Instead Our exclusive Barchart Brief newsletter is your FREE midday guide to what's moving stocks, sectors, and investor sentiment - delivered right when you need the info most. Subscribe today! It is a strategic play. Apple needs a domestic AI partner to navigate China's tight controls, and Alibaba's open-source route gives it both flexibility and local legitimacy. This could finally pave the road for Apple Intelligence to launch in China - a much-needed boost for iPhone sales. Nearly six months into 2025, and Apple bulls are still bruised, with shares 23% off their peak. So, will this Alibaba alliance reignite the rally or trigger more turbulence? Apple (AAPL), the $3 trillion global tech titan from Cupertino, redefined technology with the iPhone, Mac, and iPad. But its real power play now is the services segment. With over a billion paid subscribers and high-margin offerings like iCloud, Apple Music, and the App Store, it is weathering global headwinds while tightening its grip on the digital ecosystem. Despite being big on innovation, AAPL's stock has slumped 19.5% in 2025, making Apple the worst YTD performer among the Magnificent Seven. Regulatory headwinds and mounting competition have eroded investor confidence. While large-cap tech rebounded in May, Apple missed the rally and dropped 6% that month alone. The decline deepened with rising tariff tensions, especially fears of a 25% hit if Apple doesn't shift manufacturing to the U.S. Yet the core issue extends beyond geopolitics and trade friction. 'Apple Intelligence' debuted at WWDC 2024, failed to generate lasting enthusiasm, hindered by limited device compatibility and the postponement of key features like the enhanced Siri. Legal pressures and underwhelming developments at WWDC 2025, where cosmetic updates overshadowed bold innovation, further reinforced perceptions that Apple is trailing AI leaders such as Google (GOOGL). While the company's ecosystem remains robust, its current AI narrative lacks the momentum to inspire market confidence. Apple's fiscal Q2 2025 arrived on May 1 with both flash and friction. Revenue hit $95.4 billion, climbing 5.1% year over year, while net income rose to $24.8 billion. EPS beat expectations by 2.5%, up 8% at $1.65. While CEO Tim Cook credited the iPhone 16e demand and momentum from Mac and iPad, what really stood out was Apple's services - Apple TV+, Music, and the App Store – generating $26.6 billion, growing in double digits, and pulling the ecosystem tighter. Apple closed the quarter with $28.2 billion in cash, dwarfing its $6 billion in short-term liabilities. The company doubled down on shareholder returns, authorizing a massive $100 billion stock buyback and raising its dividend by 4% to $0.26 per share. Yet behind the gloss, headwinds stirred. A $900 million tariff drag looms over the June quarter, and China's 2.3% sales dip to $16 billion whispers of regional fatigue. For the June quarter, management sees low to mid-single-digit revenue growth and gross margins between 45.5% and 46.5%. Analysts monitoring the company remain optimistic, predicting its EPS to be around $7.11 for fiscal 2025, up 5.3% year over year, before surging by another 7.9% annually to $7.67 in fiscal 2026. Lately, Apple's innovation engine has felt eerily quiet. Siri's major upgrade isn't coming until spring 2026, and its much-hyped Apple Intelligence suite is still MIA in China. As local competitors surge ahead with feature-packed AI devices, Apple risks looking outdated in its second-largest market. But Alibaba's move could flip the script. It could finally clear the regulatory fog and let Apple roll out Apple Intelligence in China, where tight data laws demand a domestic partner. However, the alliance is drawing fire back home. U.S. lawmakers worry the deal could unwittingly help China advance its AI agenda using Apple's ecosystem. Critics argue that it echoes the TikTok saga, raising national security red flags. Investors might want to tread carefully, despite Apple's long-standing reputation for navigating storms with precision. AAPL stock has a consensus 'Moderate Buy' rating overall. Out of 37 analysts covering the tech stock, 18 recommend a 'Strong Buy,' three advise a 'Moderate Buy,' 13 analysts play it safe with a 'Hold' rating, one has a 'Moderate Sell' rating, and two have a 'Strong Sell' rating. The average analyst price target for AAPL is $230.75, indicating potential upside of 14%. The Street-high target price of $300 suggests that the stock could rally as much as 50%. On the date of publication, Sristi Suman Jayaswal did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. 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Globe and Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Apple Continues to Expand Services Business: What's the Path Ahead?
Apple AAPL is continuously upgrading features of its Services offerings that revolve around the flagship device, iPhone. The company now has more than 1 billion paid subscribers across its Services portfolio, more than double what it had four years ago. In the fiscal second quarter, Services revenues grew 11.6% year over year to $26.65 billion. Infusion of Apple Intelligence into Services offerings like Apple Wallet and Apple Music is expected to drive top-line growth. At its latest annual Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple announced expansion to the Services business with AutoMix and Lyrics Translation features in Apple Music. Sing will allow users to transform their iPhones into a handheld microphone for Apple TV, while preferred routes and visited places in Apple Maps make navigation easier for users. Apple Intelligence is now getting added to Apple Wallet, and users can make purchases with Apple Pay. Powered by Apple Intelligence, Apple Wallet can now automatically identify, summarize and display order tracking details from emails sent from merchants or delivery carriers. Meanwhile, Apple Pay expands the ability to pay with rewards and installments to in-store purchases for added flexibility and choice. The company also introduced an update to Apple Maps that helps users search and discover top-ranked restaurants, hotels, golf courses and more, with the addition of rankings and insights from expert sources. Per our model, Apple's Services revenues are expected to see a CAGR of 15.6% between 2024 and 2027. Apple Faces Stiff Competition Netflix NFLX and Disney DIS are major competitors in the Services space. Netflix is benefiting from its growing subscriber base, thanks to a robust localized and foreign-language content portfolio and healthy engagement levels with about two hours of viewing per member per day, indicating strong member retention. Netflix has set an ambitious target to double its revenues by 2030, supported by a diversified content strategy, including international programming, live events and gaming initiatives. Disney, on the other hand, has built up a massive global audience for its ad-supported streaming content. It has an estimated 157 million active users worldwide, 112 million of whom are of Disney's streaming platforms in the United States. Disney is benefiting from strength in Domestic Parks & Experiences revenues driven by growth at domestic parks, Disney Vacation Club and Disney Cruise Line. AAPL's Share Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates Apple shares have dropped 19.5% year to date (YTD), underperforming the broader Zacks Computer & Technology sector's return of 4.5%. AAPL's Performance Apple stock is trading at a premium, with a forward 12-month Price/Sales of 7.25X compared with the industry's 6.75X. AAPL has a Value Score of D. AAPL Valuation The Zacks Consensus Estimate for third-quarter fiscal 2025 earnings is pegged at $1.41 per share, unchanged over the past 30 days, indicating 0.71% year-over-year growth. The consensus mark for fiscal 2025 earnings is pegged at $7.11 per share, unchanged over the past 30 days, suggesting 5.33% year-over-year growth. Apple currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Research Chief Names "Single Best Pick to Double" From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all. This company targets millennial and Gen Z audiences, generating nearly $1 billion in revenue last quarter alone. A recent pullback makes now an ideal time to jump aboard. Of course, all our elite picks aren't winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks' Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months. Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners Up Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Apple Inc. (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report Netflix, Inc. (NFLX): Free Stock Analysis Report The Walt Disney Company (DIS): Free Stock Analysis Report
CNBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
AI's reasoning problems -- why 'thinking' models may not actually be smarter
AI reasoning models were supposed to be the industry's next leap, promising smarter systems able to tackle more complex problems and a path to superintelligence. The latest releases from the major players in artificial intelligence, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Alphabet and DeepSeek, have been models with reasoning capabilities. Those reasoning models can execute on tougher tasks by "thinking," or breaking problems into logical steps and showing their work. Now, a string of recent research is calling that into question. In June, a team of Apple researchers released a white paper titled "The Illusion of Thinking," which found that "state-of-the-art [large reasoning models] still fail to develop generalizable problem-solving capabilities, with accuracy ultimately collapsing to zero beyond certain complexities across different environments." In other words, once problems get complex enough, reasoning models stop working. Even more concerning, the models aren't "generalizable," meaning they might be just memorizing patterns instead of coming up with genuinely new solutions. "We can make it do really well on benchmarks. We can make it do really well on specific tasks," said Ali Ghodsi, the CEO of AI data analytics platform Databricks. "Some of the papers you alluded to show it doesn't generalize. So while it's really good at this task, it's awful at very common sense things that you and I would do in our sleep. And that's, I think, a fundamental limitation of reasoning models right now." Researchers at Salesforce, Anthropic and other AI labs have also raised red flags about reasoning models. Salesforce calls it "jagged intelligence" and finds that there's "significant gap between current [large language models] capabilities and real-world enterprise demand." The constraints could indicate cracks in a story that has sent AI infrastructure stocks like Nvidia booming. "The amount of computation we need at this point as a result of agentic AI, as a result of reasoning, is easily a hundred times more than we thought we needed this time last year," Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said at the company's GTC event in March. To be sure, some experts say Apple's warnings about reasoning models may be the iPhone maker shifting the conversation because it is seen as playing catch up in the AI race. The company has had a series of setbacks with its highly-touted Apple Intelligence suite of AI services. Most notably, Apple had to delay key upgrades to its Siri voice assistant to sometime in 2026, and the company did not make many announcements regarding AI at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month. "Apple's putting out papers right now saying LLMs and reasoning don't really work," said Daniel Newman, Futurum Group CEO on CNBC's "The Exchange." Having Apple's paper come out after WWDC "sounds more like 'Oops, look over here, we don't know exactly what we're doing.'" Watch this video to learn more.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Almost 50% of new iPhone buyers are able to afford it by selling their old mobile
If you see your friend flaunting a new iPhone then chances are that he could only afford it after selling the older model. According to the latest data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), nearly half (49%) of iPhone buyers in the past year either sold or traded in their previous device — a notable increase from 43% in 2020. The trend reflects how much easier — and potentially more worthwhile — it has become to part with an older phone when upgrading. In other words, holding onto an older iPhone makes little sense for most buyers these days. Now, with growing iPhone prices, most buyers prefer to trade in or resell their old device at a reasonable price to get the new model at a better deal.(Aishwarya Panda-HT) The report also highlights that mobile carriers have improved their trade-in offers, aiming to retain existing customers and attract new ones. At the same time, third-party resale platforms have matured, giving users more ways to extract extra value from older devices. Also read: How to schedule texts on Android and iPhone: Step-by-step guide According to the latest CIRP report, which was published a few days ago, the old iPhones are being resold in greater numbers. But why buy new iPhones in the first place? Well, the study highlights that the majority of iPhone users buy the latest models because of performance and battery issues, or screen damage. However, only 13% of the people reported that they buy an iPhone for new features, or what we can say is the integration of Apple Intelligence. Now, what comes to the real question, what happens to the old iPhone? The study revealed that 49% of iPhone buyers trade in or resell their old model. This makes more sense, as retail stores, e-commerce platforms, and others have started to provide greater benefits on trade-in devices, making it easier for iPhone buyers to get a new-generation model at a great price. Additionally, the reselling process has also been streamlined and is hassle-free. Also read: iPhone 17 Air likely to come with optional accessories for lasting battery life- Details While there is a significant growth in iPhone resale, in 2025, 37% of iPhone users reported, their old models are being used as a secondary device, backup or being passed on to a family member or a friend. In comparison to the 2020 study, the numbers are down from 44%. And only 14% reported that their iPhone was broken, lost, or stolen. Now, with growing iPhone prices, most buyers prefer to trade in or resell their old device at a reasonable price to get the new model at a better deal. Well, this makes much more sense since buyers are not only saving money, but getting a greater value for the new device. Mobile Finder: iPhone 17 Air LATEST specs, features, and price
