2026-02-13 21:02:42
Meta plans to add a facial recognition feature to its Ray-Ban smart glasses as soon as this year, reports The New York Times ($).
According to people involved in the plans who spoke to the publication, the feature is internally called "Name Tag," and would let wearers identify people and get information about them via Meta's artificial intelligence assistant. Mark Zuckerberg reportedly wants the feature to differentiate the devices and to make the AI assistant in the glasses more useful.
According to an internal document seen by NYT, Facebook's parent company has been in discussions since early last year about releasing the feature, which carries obvious civil liberty and privacy risks. Based on the document, dated to last May, the company originally planned to release Name Tag to attendees of a conference for the blind – which did not happen – before releasing it to the general public.
The internal memo also said the "political tumult" in the United States was good timing for the feature's release. NYT quoting from the document out of Meta's Reality Labs:
The plan is a turnaround for the company – five years ago, Facebook shut down its facial recognition system for tagging people in photos on its social network, citing a need to find "the right balance" for a technology that raises privacy and legal concerns.
"We will launch during a dynamic political environment where many civil society groups that we would expect to attack us would have their resources focused on other concerns."
"We're building products that help millions of people connect and enrich their lives. While we frequently hear about the interest in this type of feature – and some products already exist in the market – we're still thinking through options and will take a thoughtful approach if and before we roll anything out."Meta's smart glasses have already been used to identify people in public. In 2024, two Harvard students used Ray-Ban Meta glasses alongside the facial recognition service PimEyes to identify strangers on the Boston subway, and later posted a video of the experiment that went viral. Meta responded by emphasizing that the glasses included a small white LED on the top-right corner of the frame to signal when recording is taking place.
2026-02-13 18:15:41
Apple today announced the launch of AppleCare+ coverage in Indonesia, bringing the option of additional hardware protection and technical support to customers across the country.
Most Apple products come with a one-year limited warranty that covers hardware failures and manufacturing defects, and up to 90 days of complimentary technical support. AppleCare+ extends coverage for devices like iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Pro Display XDR, and Apple TV, including accidental damage protection for incidents like drops and spills, battery replacement when capacity drops below 80 percent, and 24/7 priority access to support.
AppleCare+ in Indonesia extends Apple's paid support and repair coverage through its network of Apple Authorized Service Providers. Customers can use mail-in or in-store repairs for supported Apple products, and Mac users may be eligible for onsite service. Global repair coverage also allows customers traveling abroad to obtain service through Apple's international network, subject to local parts and service availability.
"AppleCare brings peace of mind and mind to our customers, with comprehensive protection for their products and support from Apple experts," said Kaiann Drance, Apple's vice president for Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing. "Today's launch is part of our ongoing commitment to expand access to AppleCare coverage and deliver the best experience for our customers around the world."
2026-02-13 08:29:01
Apple is working on an updated version of the Mac Studio, and the new machine is expected to launch in the first half of 2026. We've rounded up what we know about the next-generation Mac Studio so far.
2026-02-13 08:11:13
Apple did not infringe on any patents owned by Texas-based company Optis Wireless, a jury ruled today. In a verdict shared by Reuters, the jury decided that Apple did not infringe any of the five LTE patents that Optis sued over back in 2019. If Optis had won, Apple could have faced hundreds of millions in damages.
Optis Wireless initially won $506 million from Apple in a 2020 jury trial, but the damages were thrown out after Apple appealed because the jury didn't calculate damages with an understanding of fair and reasonable essential patent (FRAND) terms. A second jury trial was held in 2021 to recalculate damages, and the jury awarded Optis $300 million. Apple again appealed, and the appeals court vacated the $300 million verdict because the district court provided the jury with incorrect instructions.
Apple and Optis were sent back to court for a third jury trial, which leads to today's verdict. With the jury finding in Apples favor, Apple owes Optis nothing. In a statement to Reuters, Apple said it was pleased the jury rejected Optis's infringement claims.
"We thank the jury for their time, and we're pleased they rejected Optis' false claims. Optis makes no products, and its sole business is to sue companies, which it has done repeatedly to Apple in an attempt to obtain an excessive payout."
2026-02-13 07:35:11
Apple is still planning to launch the smarter, more capable version of Siri in 2026, the company told CNBC today. Apple's statement comes just a day after Bloomberg reported Apple is having issues with the updated version of Siri, leading to potential delays of the feature.
Apple initially intended to launch the Apple Intelligence-powered version of Siri in spring 2025, but right around when a debut was expected in March 2025, Apple said that Siri wasn't ready and needed more time. Later in the year, Apple said that it would launch its Siri update in 2026.
Though Apple never gave a timeline more specific than "2026," Bloomberg said the company was aiming to include Siri in iOS 26.4, an update planned for spring 2026. Bloomberg's latest report suggests the Siri functionality will not be ready in time to be included in iOS 26.4, so the new features could be pushed to iOS 26.5 or iOS 27.
Apple may miss its internal target for the 2026 Siri launch, but since the company never publicly gave timing beyond 2026, there's no actual delay yet. Apple has until December 2026 to launch Siri within the timeframe that it promised in summer of 2025.
Back in June 2024, Apple previewed three new Siri features, including onscreen awareness, personal context, and the ability to do more in and between apps. Apple has since started working on additional Siri features like image generation and a tool for searching the web.
In Apple's testing, Siri apparently sometimes doesn't process queries properly, and can take too long to respond to requests. Features are not working as intended, so Siri's new capabilities could roll out across several updates. We could still get one or two new Siri features in iOS 26.4, with other features set to come in future updates slated for 2026. There are still several iOS 26 updates planned for 2026, and iOS 27 will launch in September 2026.
Apple provided CNBC with a statement because the company's stock dropped five percent today, both due to the Siri delay rumors and FTC scrutiny over Apple News.
Apple is likely to release the first beta of iOS 26.4 later this month, giving us more insight into the Siri launch situation.
2026-02-13 06:00:35
Sony today announced a new set of earbuds that are designed to compete with the AirPods Pro 3. The $330 WF-1000XM6 Truly Wireless Earbuds feature Active Noise Cancellation with a 25 percent reduction in noise compared to the prior-generation XM5 earbuds, with improved performance in the mid-to-high frequency range that's common in everyday environments.
The earbuds use Sony's HD Noise Canceling Processor QN3e with an adaptive noise canceling optimizer and four microphones on each earbud to detect sound to cut out. The earbuds analyze external noise and wearing conditions in real time to improve noise canceling performance.
Sony's XM6 earbuds are smaller than the AirPods Pro 3 because there is no stem, and they include noise isolating silicone ear tips with a USB-C charging case. Sony redesigned the earbuds with a more ergonomic shape that's meant to follow the natural curves of the inner ear to reduce discomfort, and the XM6 is 11 percent slimmer than the XM5. The updated design also reduces internal noises like footsteps and chewing sounds.
The battery in the XM6 earbuds lasts for up to eight hours, and the charging case provides an additional 24 hours.
More processing power delivers better sound, and Sony says the earbuds have a new driver unit that combines different materials on the dome and the edge. The soft edge offers deep bass, while the rigid dome provides clear and extended high frequencies. Sony is also using AI to restore compressed files in real time to improve sound quality.
For phone calls, there are two microphones and a bone conduction sensor on each side, with the earbuds using AI beamforming to isolate and capture the wearer's voice even in crowded environments.
Sony offers Adaptive Sound Control, Auto Play, multi-device support, and integrated voice assistance, with Google Gemini Live built in.
Reviews suggest the WF-1000XM6 earbuds are almost on par with the AirPods Pro 3 when it comes to noise cancellation. According to SoundGuys, the XM6 had an 88 percent average reduction in loudness across all frequencies, just behind the 90 percent average of the AirPods Pro 3. Passive isolation was better than the AirPods Pro 3 passive sound reduction.
Engadget felt that Sony's earbuds struggled with human voices and had fit issues, but The Verge said the earbuds tuned out conversations better than other ANC earbuds, including the AirPods Pro 3.
TechRadar said the AirPods Pro 3 had noticeably better ANC, Business Insider preferred the XM6 noise canceling, and CNET said the XM6 offered better sound quality than the AirPods Pro 3.
Sony's new earbuds are available from the Sony website for $330.
