TechCapsules

Microsoft announced that Windows 11’s latest update delivers up to a 20 % boost in responsiveness, particularly on 8 GB‑RAM systems. The improvement stems from keeping an extra 2 GB of active data in RAM and deferring widget loading until opened, freeing over 200 MB of memory. Microsoft compared build 26300.9550 (26H2) with build 26200.7628 (25H2) across core features such as Search, Start, and File Explorer. These first official metrics follow a seven‑month promise to lower Windows’ memory footprint.

GF Securities analysts Jeff Pu and Henry Huang project Apple as the sole major smartphone maker to grow shipments in 2026, amid a 14.2% global market decline. Apple is expected to ship 257 million units, up 4% YoY, surpassing Samsung’s 241 million. Apple’s share of global shipments would rise to 24% in 2026. The note cites rising memory costs and production constraints on the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and iPhone Duo as key challenges. Apple shares closed at $343.46,

MassRobotics announced the opening of applications for Cohort 6 of its Healthcare Robotics Startup Catalyst, a four‑month, non‑equity program that runs February‑June 2027 and ends with a showcase at the Robotics Summit & Expo in Boston. The initiative connects selected startups with senior mentors from corporate partners—including new steering‑committee member Intel and founding partners Festo, Novanta and Mitsubishi Electric US—and with clinicians and medical organizations to accelerate clinical readiness, technical validation and go‑to‑market. Since its 2021 launch, the catalyst [...]

Apple revised its App Review Guidelines to curb harmful AI‑generated “nudification” apps and deceptive “bait‑and‑switch” behavior. The update expands Section 1.2 on user‑generated content, requiring developers to implement safeguards against non‑consensual intimate imagery, IP infringement and bullying, and to remediate violations after notice. Section 2.3.1 now explicitly bans hidden or obfuscated code that adds undisclosed functionality, threatening removal of the app and termination of the developer account. Section 5 adds stricter language that apps facilitating human trafficking or child exploitation [...]

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, commander of SpaceX’s Crew‑12 mission, used a Thursday press conference to describe how viewing Earth from the International Space Station reshapes perspective. She highlighted the planet’s thin atmosphere and its fragility, urging humanity to protect it, and noted that the view erases artificial borders, revealing a single, interconnected human family. Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev echoed the sentiment, stressing that the ISS crew’s cooperation exemplifies how people should live on Earth. The four‑person crew—Meir, Fedyaev, NASA [...]

YouTube is reportedly preparing to add audiobooks to its Premium service, targeting a 2027 rollout for the ad‑free $16‑per‑month plan. The move, cited by a Wall Street Journal report and echoed by GSMArena, follows Google’s ongoing talks with publishers to secure licensed titles and replace the platform’s current AI‑generated, often pirated audiobook content, which accounts for roughly 45 % of YouTube’s audiobook listening. By integrating a legitimate catalog, YouTube would join competitors Spotify— which launched a paid audiobook [...]

Sean Endicott, a veteran News Writer at Windows Central, specializes in covering Windows 11, Surface devices, Microsoft 365, AI, and the broader Windows ecosystem. Since joining the site in 2017, he has authored over a thousand articles, ranging from breaking news and analysis to feature pieces and opinion columns. His reporting portfolio includes Windows updates, Surface launches, Microsoft 365 changes, and the company’s expanding focus on AI and services. Endicott also produces the weekly “Windows Wrap” column, curating the most [...]

Apple opened pre‑orders for the iPhone Duo, its foldable smartphone, on Friday following a September announcement that generated consumer interest. The device sold out within minutes, initially pushing delivery windows into late November and early December. By Friday afternoon those dates had slipped further, with all configurations now slated for late January 2025. The uniform delay across storage sizes and colors suggests either evenly high demand or limited supply. Apple did not disclose production numbers, but shipping [...]