You’d most accurately describe Apple and Google’s relationship as frenemies. The idea that they’re bitter rivals is at best a relic of the Steve Jobs days, when the co-founder threatened to go to “thermonuclear war” over the similarities between Android and iOS. In truth, Google keeps paying Apple billions to…
Founder Summit’s agenda revealed | TechCrunch
On November 4, TechCrunch’s Founder Summit will bring a vital one-day crash course on startup building to Boston’s SoWa Power Station. Founders shouldn’t have to learn the hardest lessons the hardest way, and this event is designed to make the challenges of starting a company easier and the highs that…
I changed one setting and never have to see my smart TV’s home screen again
Something that has always bothered me about most smart TVs is their home screens. On all the LG and Samsung smart TVs I’ve owned, the first thing they do by default when you power them on is take you straight to the home screen. Personally, I find this incredibly annoying…
Snorkel AI triples valuation to $3.5B as demand for AI training data booms
Snorkel AI, a startup that helps AI labs and corporations build training data sets and simulated environments, has raised a $350 million Series E at a $3.5 billion valuation. The new round, which was led by Insight Partners and S32, valued the seven-year-old startup at nearly triple the $1.3 billion…
Apple TV is finally releasing its iced 2025 thriller next year
One of Apple TV’s most-anticipated TV shows from last year is finally, officially, going to see the light of day. The Savant, which was shelved back in 2025 just three days before it was due to premiere, has officially been pulled out of the freezer by Apple TV and is…
Apple could take on Whoop with a new fitness tracker, report says
Apple is in the process of developing a new screen-less fitness tracker that would put it into competition with Whoop — the fitness tech firm whose valuation recently crested $10 billion. Bloomberg reports that the iPhone maker is currently engaged in a “technology investigation” — which, just as it sounds,…
The unexpected downside of a cheap 4K Blu-ray player is bigger than you think
Cutting costs where you can is a tale as old as time, but it especially applies to the world of 4K Blu-ray. In case you haven’t noticed, things are expensive in this realm, and the prices are only going up. I don’t blame you for wanting to pick up a…
Qualcomm launches two new smartphone chips with emphasis on AI
Qualcomm today announced two flagship smartphone processors, called Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, with a focus on facilitating better AI-focused features. At its annual Snapdragon Summit, Qualcomm said that the new chips can aid in improved personalization for AI agents. The chips have…
Optical drive supply chains are running dry, and it’s bad news for physical media
High-end CD player manufacturers are in an increasingly tricky position. Thanks to a relative lack of computer-grade optical disc drive mechanisms on the supply chain market, big players like Naim and PS Audio are finding themselves unable to produce some of their existing Hi-Fi audio products. The reason for this…
Meta admits Muse’s likeness to OpenClaw isn’t a coincidence
Early adopters of Meta’s Muse have been speculating that the reason the AI works so well is because it’s OpenClaw under the hood, wrapped in a more consumer-friendly package. Meta now says those comparisons aren’t entirely off-base. According to an X post by Nat Friedman, head of product at Meta’s…