TechCapsules

Apple is reducing the daily AI‑spending limits for its engineering staff, Bloomberg reported Wednesday. The company lowered the cap from $300 to $200 in October and now plans further cuts, with some teams slated to receive only $100 per day. Outside the engineering group, Apple is considering limits as low as $25 daily. The move marks a reversal of the early‑2024 push that encouraged employees to use generative‑AI tools for “efficiency” gains, a trend that quickly soured [...]

Apple unveiled its first foldable, the iPhone Duo, priced at over $2,000. The device features a D‑shaped design, a nano‑textured folding display, and a versatile hinge that supports multiple angles. While the camera performance falls short of Pro‑level expectations and multitasking lags behind Android rivals, the Duo offers strong battery life, IP68 durability, and seamless integration with Apple’s ecosystem. Reviewers note that the developer ecosystem unlocks unique experiences, making the phone more useful than its hardware compromises [...]

Apple’s iPhone Duo expands the StandBy feature, allowing the phone to serve as a glanceable display whenever it is not in use, not just while charging. The 7.6‑inch Duo screen can show time, date, calendar, weather, photos, and customizable widgets. StandBy activates automatically in tent mode or when the Duo is propped upright, and offers a Night Mode that turns the display red for sleep. Users can choose from pre‑set “faces” or create custom layouts for different [...]

A Weibo leaker, Digital Chat Station, confirmed that next year’s iPhone Pro models will retain a Dynamic Island cutout, rejecting earlier rumors of a completely bezel‑free display. The leak details a quad‑curved screen that wraps around the edges, but the cutout will remain for Face ID. The update comes as Apple prepares a major redesign for its 20th‑anniversary iPhone lineup, including the iPhone 18, 18 Pro, and Air 2. The revelation clarifies the design direction for the [...]

Apple’s iOS 27.3 beta introduces Reachability for the iPhone Duo, a foldable device with a large internal display. The feature temporarily shifts the screen’s left or right side toward the opposite edge with a short swipe, enabling single‑hand access to the entire interface. Users enable it via Settings → Accessibility → Reachability. This horizontal reachability mirrors the vertical Reachability already available on other iPhones, addressing thumb‑reach limitations on the Duo’s expansive screen.

Meta has acquired Conductor, a 2024-founded AI coding startup that enables users to launch software projects by deploying multiple agents into parallel workspaces. The acquisition, confirmed by Meta and reported by Axios, follows Conductor’s launch of its core product last summer. Conductor’s agentic teams, sourced from major labs such as Anthropic and OpenAI, allow engineers to work on separate project components concurrently. The company’s cloud service will shut down on November 20, after which user data will be [...]

Apple has lowered its employees’ daily AI token spending limits as part of CEO John Ternus’ cost‑cutting drive. Engineers’ allowances were cut from $300 to $200, with plans to reduce some teams’ caps to $100 or even $25. The move follows rising AI tool costs and a broader industry trend of curbing token usage. Employees can request exemptions, and Apple encourages cheaper or local models. The policy reflects the company’s effort to manage its $45.8 billion R&D spend, [...]

Qualcomm announced a partnership with SpaceX to develop a 5G Starlink mobile network slated for a 2027 U.S. launch. The deal will use Qualcomm’s Dragonwing QRU100 and QDU100 platforms, Massive MIMO radio units, and Layer 1 software to build a high‑capacity, scalable network. Qualcomm describes the collaboration as its largest 5G deal yet and a foundation for future AI‑native 6G. The agreement follows SpaceX’s recent rejection by T‑Mobile for a similar MVNO arrangement.