2026-03-19 21:26:36
In an interview with Good Morning America's Michael Strahan this week, Apple's CEO Tim Cook said he is "not a political person."
Strahan said Cook has been criticized over his relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump. He noted that Cook attended Trump's second inauguration last year, gifted Trump a piece of glass with a 24-karat gold base, and went to a private screening of a Melania Trump documentary at the White House earlier this year. Cook reportedly also personally donated $1 million to Trump's second inauguration fund.
Cook responded with a diplomatic answer.
"I interact on policy, not politics," said Cook.
"I'm not a political person on either side," he added. "I'm not political. And so I'm kind of straight down the middle and I focus on policy. And so, I'm very pleased that the President and the administration is accessible to talk about policy."
2026-03-19 20:36:20
Amazon's Alexa+ AI assistant is rolling out to all Amazon customers in the United Kingdom beginning today as part of an early access program. The U.K. is the first European country to get the upgraded assistant, which is already available in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Amazon has been testing Alexa+ since February 2025, and says it offers a smarter, more personalized, and more proactive assistant experience. The company says Alexa+ is much more capable than the prior version of Alexa, thanks to its updated architecture that uses large language models from Amazon Nova and Anthropic.
Alexa+ can do things like order takeaway, make restaurant reservations, book rides, and schedule home repairs. It can also control smart home products and answer questions similar to other chatbots. It works with Amazon services, and can integrate with hardware like Ring cameras. U.K. launch partners include OpenTable, with JustEat and Treatwell coming soon.
Amazon says the update should feel "genuinely British." For example, it knows what a "cuppa" is, will understand what you mean when you say you are "knackered," and knows that "it's nippy" means it's chilly outside. It may even drop "you're taking the mickey" or "Bob's your uncle" into conversation, says Amazon. Local teams including engineers, linguists, and speech scientists at Amazon's tech hub in Cambridge are said to have worked on the British localization.
Customers who purchase a new eligible Echo device in the U.K. will be granted Early Access, while customers who already have a compatible device can register to receive an invite. Alexa+ works on the majority of Echo devices, compatible Fire TV devices, and the Alexa app, with web browser support coming soon.
The service is available at no additional cost during the early access period, though Amazon hasn't said how long it will last. Whenever it does end, Alexa+ will cost £19.99 per month, or come free with an Amazon Prime membership.
2026-03-19 20:17:32
The AppleCare One trademark was today registered with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), suggesting Apple's subscription for customers to cover multiple devices with a single plan could soon be expanding outside the United States.
Apple launched AppleCare One in the U.S. in July 2025. The plan starts at $19.99 per month and covers up to three products, with additional devices available for $5.99 per month each. It includes all the same benefits as AppleCare+, such as unlimited accident repairs, priority support, and battery coverage.
One of the plan's more notable perks is its flexibility: Subscribers can move devices in and out of coverage at any time, and products up to four years old can be added to the plan as long as they're in good condition. That's a significant expansion over the usual 60-day window to purchase AppleCare+. When a covered device is traded in through Apple, it's automatically swapped out for the new one.
AppleCare One also brought theft and loss protection to the iPad and Apple Watch for the first time. Previously, coverage was limited to the iPhone.
Apple says pricing is flat regardless of which products are enrolled, and a customer covering an iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch could save up to $11 per month compared to buying separate AppleCare+ plans for each device, according to the company's own math. Whether the same savings will apply in other countries remains to be seen.
On its own, the EUIPO filing isn't confirmation of a launch date for EU markets, but trademark registrations of the sort have typically preceded expanded rollouts of Apple services. The EUIPO says the trademark application has been accepted and has now been assigned to an examiner. Watch this space.
2026-03-19 10:31:58
In an interview with Nikias Molina at New York's Grand Central Terminal last week, Apple's CEO Tim Cook briefly commented on the future of the iPhone.
"There's so much left that we can do with the iPhone," said Cook. "I think it's going to continue to be the center of people's digital lives."
While this is just typical corporate speak, it is still interesting that Cook thinks the iPhone will remain the core device in people's lives, given that Apple is pushing into new areas like spatial computing. Apple is reportedly also working on things such as augmented reality glasses and an AI-powered pendant without a screen.
Next year, the iPhone turns 20, and the device's popularity is still reaching new heights. iPhone revenue last quarter came in at $85.2 billion, a new all-time high. Cook said iPhone demand during the quarter was "simply staggering."
"iPhone had its best-ever quarter driven by unprecedented demand, with all-time records across every geographic segment," said Cook, in January.
It remains to be seen if there is ever a device that supplants the iPhone, and smartphones in general, but Cook is certainly not worried right now.
"iPhone's going to be around for a very long time," he said.
2026-03-19 07:17:12
tvOS 26.4 includes a new Genius Browse section in the Apple TV app, which gives recommendations for TV shows and movies across multiple suggested categories.
Suggestions vary based on your content preferences, and the categories are updated regularly. Some example categories include Upbeat Workplace Comedies, Tense Psychological Thrillers, History Gets Hilarious, Breathtaking Nature Docs, Thrilling Blockbusters, Bittersweet Family Dramas, and Fun for the Whole Family.
Selecting one of the categories provides a list of relevant content suggestions, which can be further explored with For You, TV Shows and Movies, and Genres sections. When browsing through the suggested movies and TV shows, tvOS 26.4 also provides titles related to the one that's highlighted.
Genius Browse suggestions are not static and will continually show new content categories. The content that Apple suggests is not limited to shows and movies on the Apple TV service, though those are included. Apple suggests titles from other streaming services like HBO Max and Amazon Prime. As with other Apple TV app suggestions, Netflix content is not included.
Apple is limiting Genius Browse to tvOS 26.4, and you won't find the option in iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4, or macOS 26.4.
tvOS 26.4 also phases out the dedicated iTunes Movies and iTunes TV Show apps, plus it improves Apple TV Audio Format settings and adds more easily accessible customization options for subtitles.
We're expecting tvOS 26.4 to be released as soon as next week.
2026-03-19 06:33:43
Perplexity today expanded its Comet browser to iOS, making its AI Comet Assistant available to iPhone users.
The Comet browser for iOS has many of the same features as the Comet browser for the desktop, including a voice mode for speaking questions and a hybrid search experience, but it does lack extensions. Comet offers standard search results like you might expect from any web search, but the added Comet Assistant is able to provide more in-depth answers and complete tasks.
Comet supports Perplexity's Deep Research feature that's able to ingest information from multiple web sources and provide quick, useful summaries. The Comet Assistant can also complete web-based tasks, like summarizing emails, searching for products, comparing prices across websites, and more.
With the new iOS app, Comet works across different devices, so users can start a search on one device and pick it up on another.
Perplexity does collect browsing and search history from Comet to create ad-targeting profiles to serve ads to users. Comet was priced at $200 per month when it first launched last year, but it is available on iOS for free. Pro and Max subscription plans are available starting at $20 per month.
Comet for iOS can be downloaded from the App Store as of today. [Direct Link]
This article, "Perplexity Launches Comet AI Browser for iPhone With Built-In Assistant" first appeared on MacRumors.com
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