South Korea’s tech giant and world leader in mobile and memory
The Fairphone 6+ has launched in the US, offering a repairable, modular Android phone with 12GB RAM and a Snapdragon 7s Gen 4. It faces stiff competition from Google and Apple but emphasizes sustainability and repairability. Reviews note strong hand feel, modularity, and long-term software support.
Oil prices have climbed with Brent above $95 and WTI near $93 as fighting in the Middle East continues to disrupt shipping routes. Analysts say supply fears and demand shifts, particularly from China, are shaping the rally. Markets are also awaiting inflation data and policy signals as bond yields rise globally.
Labor Day deals remain available across tech, home, mattresses and fashion, but savings have cooled since the peak. Shoppers should act quickly as many offers expire tonight or soon, with some brands already returning to regular pricing.
US oil has extended gains in a rally across a eighth straight session, while US equity futures are mixed. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 have slipped, led by industrials and consumer discretionary names, as investors await the Fed’s next move amid ongoing inflation considerations. Market watchers expect the Fed to act later this month depending on jobs data and inflation trends.
The New York Post highlights a Labor Day sale on Apple AirPods 4 with a redesigned H2 chip, improved sound, and USB-C charging. The deal offers the earbuds under $100 for a limited time amid broader discounts.
Bloomberg reports that ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming is personally overseeing the development of a new AI model, with internal teams pooling resources and computing power behind the effort. Separately, a Tokyo-based chip designer is aiming to deliver samples of its latest AI-ready processors to customers in H1 next year, signaling a push to tailor chips for AI workloads.
Rhodium Group finds Chinese frontier AI labs generate only a fraction of OpenAI and Anthropic revenue, challenging assumptions about scale. Z.ai and Moonshot are expanding ARR, while official rounds push for greater in-house sovereignty and AI-powered efficiency.
ASML’s High NA EUV lithography machines, costing about $400 million each, are being adopted by Samsung, TSMC and Intel to print ever-smaller chip features for AI data centers and consumer devices. The move accelerates a global shift toward next-generation photolithography, with industry-wide capacity expansion on the horizon.
Independent analyses show LG smart TVs may collect device data and audio, even when off or on standby, prompting calls for updates to privacy settings and firmware. LG says data collection occurs only with voice features enabled and local processing is used, but researchers warn about broader implications for home networks and advertising.
Oil prices have surged as tensions in the Middle East intensify, pushing Brent above $100 a barrel while U.S. stocks retreat amid higher energy costs. Traders await inflation data and Federal Reserve signals as markets reassess risk.
Apple has unveiled its first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, with a 7.6-inch inner display and a 5.4-inch outer screen. It launches at $1,999, positioning Apple against Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 and signaling a potential shift in premium smartphones. The device offers a book-style design, a matte inner display, and an under-display selfie camera, while rivals emphasize their crease-free engineering.
Apple has unveiled the iPhone Duo, a foldable handset with a 5.4-inch outer display and a 7.6-inch inner display, the largest ever on an iPhone. The device features a titanium chassis and a 100+ part hinge, running a modified iOS 27. Pre-orders start October 16 in the UK, with prices ranging from £1,999 for 256GB to £3,199 for 2TB.
Micron has announced its strongest-ever rewards for about 60,000 employees globally, including a NT$1 million cash bonus for Taiwan-based staff and annual equity grants. Taiwan unions are seeking changes to profit-sharing, with ongoing talks risking a broader strike near Taipei.
Global markets waver as AI-linked stocks retreat after OpenAI signals a potential year-end stock sale delay. SoftBank jumps on OpenAI ties; oil prices rise amid Middle East tensions. Wall Street edges lower as investors weigh safety over growth.
President Donald Trump has dismissed calls from AI leaders to slow frontier development, attacked Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei on Truth Social and called safety concerns a "hoax" and a "sick conspiracy." His posts have coincided with a sell-off in AI-linked stocks and intensified debate over regulation and US competition with China.
Investors are recalibrating as AI executives urge caution on frontier development, sparking wide stock swings. A mix of weaker chip profits, higher oil prices and looming rate hikes are shaping a safer, slower AI era, while the potential IPOs and data-centre demand face renewed scrutiny.
Prime Big Deal Days will run on Oct. 6-7, with early promotions already live. Amazon, Target and Walmart are launching competing sales as shoppers prepare for the holiday season. The two-day event marks a fall shopping surge ahead of Black Friday.
A roundup of gadget deals shows portable power stations, smart plugs and screen protectors are discounted ahead of Prime Big Deal Days. New and discounted models from Jackery, EcoFlow and Amazon are highlighted, with guidance on choosing the right option for home backup, travel and everyday use.
Memory-chip makers SK Hynix and Intel are exploring options to manufacture memory chips in the United States, including leasing space at Intel’s Ohio plant or forming a joint venture with cloud providers. Reuters notes potential government scrutiny; no decisions have been finalized.
The government has seen its popularity decline to a fresh record low as foreign policy tensions and domestic economic pressures weigh on public sentiment. Officials are under pressure as investors watch the AI and chip sectors amid concerns over property prices and growth.
A wave of multi-million-dollar rounds in robotics and AI-enabled hardware signals a push to bring ‘physical AI’ into real-world production. Companies from Multiply Labs to FieldAI and SiMa.ai are racing to scale their robot-centric platforms, with strategic rounds aimed at forging scalable, cost-effective manufacturing and autonomous systems.
Prime Day discounts on Apple devices have continued, with AirPods Pro 3 and some iPad/MacBook models seeing notable reductions. Deals vary by retailer and model, with stock sometimes limited as the event progresses.
Mistral AI has introduced ML4, its 1-trillion-parameter model nicknamed Le Chonk, aimed at cyberdefense, coding, and niche industrial tasks. It is in preview, with weights to be released soon. The launch comes amid a broader push for European tech sovereignty and a shift toward open-weight models that rival closed systems.
A wave of Prime Day and seasonal discounts focuses on mini-LED TVs and smart displays. Deals cover Hisense, TCL, Samsung Frame, and Echo Show 8, with prices slashed and features highlighted for gaming, HDR, and home automation.
SpaceX has acquired up to 14 MHz of low-band 800 MHz spectrum, paving the way for Starlink Mobile to become a major US carrier. The deal, awaiting FCC approval, would merge satellite and terrestrial networks to boost indoor and dead-zone coverage. Shares in rival telecoms have fallen as investors reassess the landscape.
Global chip stocks have pulled back as investors weigh the cost of AI infrastructure against earnings and debt. SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics have fallen sharply in Korea, while SoftBank and Tokyo Electron face selling pressure in Japan amid broader tech declines tied to higher borrowing costs and inflation data.
Global markets are volatile as AI-linked shares retreat amid funding risks. SK Hynix’s Solidigm reviews have been halted due to market conditions, while other AI infra players face investor scrutiny. The Kospi, Nasdaq, and European indices are all showing declines as inflation and rate expectations fuel selling.
Investors are turning to quality stocks as higher borrowing costs and a slower AI-driven rally reshape the market. Banks and strategists say quality can weather the downturn, with durable earnings, strong balance sheets, and cash flow guiding the next phase. Top analysts highlight hyperscalers and select AI-adopters as key exposures.
Investors are re-evaluating the AI hardware boom as neoclouds struggle with debt-funded expansion. Companies such as CoreWeave face scrutiny over finances, while the broader sector faces higher financing costs and cautious lending. The market shift follows mixed results from AI infrastructure players and softening sentiment after a string of debt-fueled capex plans.
China has held its fifth plenum with a record number of empty seats as more than 25% of the 2022 Central Committee cohort were absent. The meeting has produced a push for tighter party discipline, promoted military anti‑graft chief Zhang Shengmin to the Politburo, and set the stage for leadership choices at next year’s Party Congress.
Apple has acknowledged an inner-display fault affecting a small number of iPhone Duo units sold since the device launched on 23 October. Early owners have reported cracks, bright lines and crunching noises when unfolding the phone. Apple has said affected customers should contact AppleCare for replacements and that most units are not affected.
South Korea’s SK Hynix has reported record Q3 earnings, with operating profit up 632% year on year to 83.33 trillion won and revenue up 328% to 104.62 trillion won, driven by demand for AI memory chips. The results have sparked a broader tech rally, with Samsung, Nvidia and related memory ETFs rising as markets reassess AI infrastructure demand. Investors are watching next week’s reports from Samsung and others for further clarity on memory demand.
Amazon introduces the Echo Show 16—the 16-inch smart display with Fire TV built-in and new Screen Styles. Preorders are live, with shipping later this year. Apple counters with HomeView; analysts see Amazon expanding its lead in the smart-home space.
Taiwanese memory makers Winbond and Macronix see record earnings as demand grows for specialized chips. Yet supply constraints persist, with lead times for critical tools exceeding two years and new capacity not online until 2029-2030. China’s CXMT advances its DRAM roadmap as US restrictions bite, while global tungsten supply disruptions ripple through AI hardware chains.
Palantir has reported $2.31 billion in revenue, with commercial revenue surpassing government revenue for the first time. The quarter shows 96% year-over-year growth, driven by AI software adoption, but contracts are increasingly short-term. Analysts remain divided on the stock’s long-term trajectory.
The Nasdaq 100 has fallen sharply, erasing trillions in value as AI-heavy tech leads the sell-off. Nasdaq down for the session; Nvidia and Tesla are among the hardest hit as regional and global markets wobble amid regulatory and growth concerns.