TechCapsules

Tesla announced on its Q3 2026 earnings call that it will create an in‑house mapping system to replace its reliance on third‑party data. The move follows recurring Full Self‑Driving (FSD) complaints about speed‑limit detection, parking maneuvers and suboptimal routing. Head of AI Ashok Elluswamy said the new architecture will be AI‑driven, integrating voice commands, personalized route preferences and fleet‑wide learning. He promised the system to be ready for the upcoming v15 software rollout and to assume all [...]

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed a lower‑court verdict that cleared Apple and director M. Night Shyamalan of copyright infringement claims over the Apple TV+ thriller Servant. The series, starring Lauren Ambrose and Rupert Grint, was alleged by filmmaker Francesca Gregorini to have copied the plot of her 2013 independent film The Truth About Emanuel, a suit that sought up to $81 million. A 2022 jury found the creators had no access to Gregorini’s work and ruled for Apple. Gregorini appealed, arguing [...]

Google is updating Chrome with new Safe Browsing alerts that warn users about suspicious or dangerous sites when Enhanced Protection mode is on. A pop‑up in the address bar will say “this site doesn’t seem right” for pages showing deceptive patterns, while a full‑screen red warning will appear for sites Google is confident are malicious. The changes roll out to desktop and Android versions and also add protection against ClickFix, a social‑engineering trick that forces users to [...]

Apple released an update for its iWork suite—Pages, Keynote and Numbers—on Thursday, adding iPhone Duo support ahead of its October 23 launch and introducing a new open Interchange Format (.keyx) to simplify Keynote editing in third‑party apps. The primary focus is Apple Intelligence features, available only to subscribers of the Apple Creator Studio bundle. Each app now includes a beta Intelligent Assistant, which requires a device set to US English and iOS 27 or later; the assistant [...]

Fort Bend County commissioners unanimously approved a suite of tax incentives for Tesla’s proposed $10.1 billion solar‑cell factory, known internally as “Project Crystal Sun,” near Needville, Texas. The package includes a property‑tax abatement within Reinvestment Zone 34, a Chapter 381 economic‑development agreement, a foreign‑trade‑zone non‑objection with payments in lieu of certain taxes, and a “true‑up” payment agreement. The 3,000‑acre site would produce ingots, wafers, cells and finished modules, creating 9,712 permanent jobs by 2033 and aiming for commercial operation in [...]

Former Windows chief Steven Sinofsky mocked Windows 8’s touch‑screen laptops on X, questioning Apple’s rumored OLED MacBook Pro that may debut a touch display at its October 28 “Pro and Tell” event. Apple has long rejected touch screens for MacBooks, citing arm fatigue, yet the company is reportedly close to unveiling a vertical‑screen model. The move would position Apple as a late entrant to a market Microsoft pioneered in 2012 with Surface devices.

Sparrow Quantum has named founder Peter Lodahl CEO, replacing Kurt Stokbro who will stay on as executive advisor and board member. The move follows a leadership refresh that added a chief commercial officer, a vice president of finance, and a chief technology & operations officer. The company will now concentrate on integrating its photonic quantum chip technology into fault‑tolerant computing systems, while a new Scientific Advisory Board guides its technical roadmap. Lodahl’s expertise positions him to steer [...]

Apple’s flagship Fifth Avenue store in New York has begun preparing for the Friday launch of the iPhone Duo, installing several large rectangular structures near the glass cube entrance. The installations, still covered in black cloth and white protective wrapping, appear to be giant iPhone Duo models, echoing past launch displays such as the iPhone 16 and iPhone 18 Pro. While no lines have formed outside the Fifth Avenue location, customers are already queuing at other Apple [...]