Tech
Health Technology for Consumers: Empowering or Overwhelming?
Advances in health technology are reshaping how we monitor, manage, and improve our well-being. Designed to put powerful tools in the hands of everyday users, these innovations are as exciting as they are complex. Yet, many tech enthusiasts may wonder how health technology can both empower and overwhelm consumers. From wearables tracking every breath to smart devices transforming home care, the question is whether these tools simplify life or make it unnecessarily complicated. Let’s explore the promise and pitfalls of consumer health technology.
The Revolutionary Rise of Wearable Health Trackers
Wearable tech like smartwatches and fitness bands has become synonymous with health monitoring. Devices from brands such as Fitbit, Apple, and Garmin track heart rate, sleep cycles, and even blood oxygen levels. These tools can empower users by providing immediate feedback on their health, encouraging better habits and active lifestyles with the help of real-time data. For example, a notification nudging you to stand after sitting for hours can prevent health risks caused by a sedentary lifestyle. Wearable trackers can also provide more life-saving functions, such as alerting emergency response when an elderly wearer falls.
That being said, wearables can sometimes create dependency or frustration. Overtracking can create anxiety or lead to unnecessary worry about minor health fluctuations. The sheer amount of data, while impressive, often requires interpretation to be genuinely useful. Without medical expertise, consumers may misinterpret results, creating unnecessary trips to the doctor or self-diagnoses that miss the mark.
Additionally, battery life limitations and frequent syncing issues can make them feel inconvenient. Some users also feel that wearables pressure them to optimize every part of their day, robbing them of the freedom to relax. This mix of empowerment and overwhelm underscores the critical balance that wearable tech must achieve.
Smart Home Medical Devices Are Changing Home Care
Home care technology is experiencing a boom. Smart monitors, connected blood pressure cuffs, and even home EKG devices enable patients to capture medical-grade data without leaving their homes. These tools aim to make healthcare more accessible, especially for people with chronic illnesses or mobility issues. However, the added technology does come with a cost.
Take hospital beds designed for home use as a prime example. When consumers are now buying hospital beds for the home, they need to think about the technology included in the bed, from sensors to alarms. These aspects can be beneficial, as they can make home care easier, but they may also inflate the price of a necessary tool. This perfectly highlights how improved tech can also introduce new layers of decision-making.
App-Based Health Solutions Offer Convenience
Health-focused apps are growing rapidly, providing tools for mental health support, fitness coaching, and medication management. Meditation apps, for example, can guide users through stress-relieving exercises, while fitness apps offer personalized workout routines.
This convenience comes with some challenges. With so many apps to choose from, consumers might struggle to find trustworthy ones. Excessive app use, combined with notification fatigue, can feel intrusive rather than helpful. Additionally, many apps require subscriptions, adding financial strain to those seeking accessible health tools.
Virtual Health Consultations Are a Double-Edged Sword
Telehealth services gained popularity during the pandemic but have remained prevalent for their convenience. Patients can meet with doctors through video calls, often avoiding long commutes and saving time. This approach also enables people in remote areas to access quality care.
Yet, the reliance on technology can be a drawback. Poor internet connections, privacy concerns, or difficulty using the platforms can frustrate users. Virtual consults also sacrifice face-to-face interaction, which many patients feel is a vital part of care. Similarly, medical professionals may need to be increasingly diligent to notice symptoms through a screen that might otherwise by obvious in a medical clinic. The duality of convenience and limitation is clear here, illustrating how health technology can both empower and overwhelm consumers.
The Tech-Data Privacy Dilemma
Consumer health technology runs on data. Devices collect everything from your heart rate to your sleep cycles, and apps monitor your diet and mood. On one hand, this data is invaluable for improving tools and personalizing experiences. It can even be shared with physicians for better diagnoses.
But there’s a catch. Many users feel uneasy about where their personal health information goes. Stories of data breaches or unauthorized sharing of health records make privacy a significant concern. There is also an ongoing question of how data on medical apps might come into play in political and legal contexts. Understanding how tech companies use your data is essential, but that information is not always clear or easy to find.
AI-Driven Personal Health Coaches
AI in health tech is unlocking new levels of personalization. Gadgets and apps powered by artificial intelligence offer tailored suggestions based on your habits and data trends. An AI coach might suggest changing your diet based on your activity patterns or flagging potential risks in your health metrics.
However, relying on AI-driven advice can be tricky. These tools sometimes miss nuances that humans naturally consider, leading to one-size-fits-all recommendations. Additionally, users need to trust that the algorithms behind these systems are accurate and non-biased, which is never a guarantee. A user can even use the AI to confirm their own personal bias, affirming potentially harmful medical beliefs or choices.
Balancing Innovation With Accessibility
The most innovative health technologies often come with a significant price tag. A cutting-edge smartwatch loaded with health-monitoring features can easily cost hundreds of dollars. Premium apps frequently require costly subscriptions, making these tools less accessible to those on tighter budgets.
Nevertheless, the market is diversifying. Affordable options, open-source tools, and healthcare subsidies are helping to lower barriers. Still, the challenge of making these technologies inclusive remains a pressing issue. For many, accessibility will determine whether tech empowers or alienates them.
Striking the Right Balance
Consumer health technology holds immense potential, but it’s not without its challenges. From the promise of personalized insights to the pitfalls of over-tracking, how health technology can both empower and overwhelm consumers is a discussion worth having. The key lies in finding balance. Choosing the right tools, staying informed, and being mindful of your needs will help you leverage these innovations without feeling buried by them. When used thoughtfully, health tech can enhance your well-being while putting you firmly in control.
The Google Pixel 10 Pro is an excellent phone, and it’s even more tempting at this new price.
With an RRP of $999, you can now bring the six-month-old Pixel 10 Pro home for a much more wallet-friendly price of $799. That’s 20% off the 128GB, in any of the three colour choices.
That saving isn’t too far away from the Black Friday $749 price, so you didn’t miss out too much on not grabbing it back then.
Amazon bringing back its big Pixel 10 Pro 20% price drop is very welcome this early in the month.
Amazon has brought back its big Pixel 10 Pro price drop, but not for long
One of the key features Google is emphasising with the Pixel 10 series is Gemini. This AI is able to learn how you prefer to frame your photos and offer real-time suggestions, ensuring that every picture you take looks flawless.
Pairing this incredible AI with a solid triple rear camera system (50MP wide, 48MP ultrawide, and 48MP telephoto), the Pixel 10 Pro can churn out scintillating shots that can compete with all of the best camera phones out there right now.
To see the best picture results possible, the 10 Pro pairs Gemini AI with Super Actua tech, which gives the display an extra oomph of brightness.
The battery can last for 24+ hours at a time if you make use of its Extreme Battery saver mode, and thanks to fast charging support, you won’t have to wait long for a top-up should your battery start to run low.
Take this opportunity to pick up one of the best smartphones out there right now, at a price that won’t break the bank.
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Call recording can be very helpful if you have to recall important information, such as instructions, addresses, or office conversations. Samsung Galaxy smartphones have a built-in call recording feature that lets you record phone calls without downloading any additional apps. Before you begin recording calls, be aware that this feature is only available in countries where call recording is permitted, so it may not be available on all phones. For instance, call recording is permitted without consent in India, but in most of Europe and the US, consent is required from all parties involved in the call. Moreover, it also doesn’t work for Wi-Fi calls.
1. Record a Call on a Samsung Galaxy Phone
You can record a call on your Samsung Galaxy phone only after the call has been initiated. Follow these simple steps to record a call on your Samsung Galaxy phone:
- Make a phone call using the Phone app on your Samsung Galaxy phone.
- During the active call, check the call screen for the Record call button.
- If you don’t see it, tap the three-dot menu to find the recording option.
- Tap Record call to start recording the conversation.
- The phone displays a red dot and a timer to show that it is recording the call.
- To end the recording, tap Record call again or end the call.
2. Automatically Record Calls on a Galaxy Phone
This function records calls without having to press the record button each time. Follow these easy steps:
- Open the Phone app on your Samsung Galaxy phone.
- Go to the Keypad section.
- Tap the three-dot menu at the top and select Settings.
- Tap Record calls.
- Turn on the Auto record calls option.
When auto call recording is enabled, Samsung automatically records all calls, including calls from unknown numbers. But you can adjust this preference if you do not want all calls to be recorded automatically. Samsung gives you the flexibility to choose whether to record all calls, unsaved numbers only, or calls from selected contacts. To record calls from selected contacts, you only need to include their numbers in your contact list under the auto-record options.
3. Record Calls Using Google Voice on Samsung
If call recording isn’t available on your Samsung device, you can use Google Voice to record calls made from your Google Voice number. Google Voice announces to all parties that the call is being recorded. The Google Voice app saves the recorded call in the Voicemail tab.
- Open the Google Voice app on your Samsung phone.
- Open the menu and go to Settings.
- Turn on Incoming call options.
- When you receive a call on your Google Voice number, answer the call and open the keypad.
- Tap 4 to start recording the call.
- Tap 4 again to stop recording.
How to Find, Listen to, and Share Recorded Calls?
Samsung saves all call recordings in one place, so you can easily find and manage them later. Here’s how to access recorded calls:
- Open Phone settings.
- Tap Record calls.
- Select Recorded calls.
In the call recordings section, you will see all the recordings you have saved, typically in alphabetical order. You can change the list view to date, file size, or call recording. When you long-press a recording, you can rename it, move or copy it to another folder, delete it, or share it via messaging or email clients.
Is It Safe to Use Third-Party Call Recording Apps?
Most third-party call recording apps use accessibility services to record calls, and sometimes do so without informing the other party. Many regions prohibit this practice or consider it illegal, and it can violate local privacy policies. Due to these concerns, Samsung advises against using third-party call recording apps and instead recommends using the call recording feature if available.
As anyone familiar with aircraft carriers likely knows, the United States Navy is the most powerful carrier-equipped blue-water navy in the world. As of writing, the U.S. maintains a fleet of 11 active aircraft carriers, which doesn’t include its nine amphibious assault ships, which are different from aircraft carriers. The People’s Republic of China is in hot pursuit of matching the U.S.’ naval might, leading the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) to quickly construct its own fleet of supercarriers.
The PLAN has three carriers, one of which is a converted former Soviet heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser. The other two are newer designs in line with China’s goal to field a total of nine aircraft carriers by 2035. That’s according to a report from the Defense Department detailing China’s interests in an effort to build up its forces to make it a near-peer rival of the United States. While China operates three amphibious assault carriers, its aim is to deploy nine aircraft carriers, which won’t match the U.S.’ naval numeric might, but it will get it close.
Additionally, most of the U.S.’ carrier fleet is composed of older Nimitz-class aircraft carriers. These are being replaced by the newly developed Gerald R. Ford-class carriers, which are the most advanced in the world. While the U.S.’ carriers have a 50-year service life, they are completely refitted and modernized at the 25-year mark. Still, anything newly developed by China has the potential to hit the water with more advanced tech, a larger supply of hypersonic missiles, and more, which is why the DoD is taking notice of China’s efforts.
The PLAN’s aircraft carriers now and in the near future
While China is notoriously fast at constructing everything from buildings to bombers, its goal of fielding an additional six aircraft carriers by 2035 is going to be a challenge. Modern nuclear carriers, whether they’re American or Chinese, take a long time to construct, test, and place into operation. The USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) has finally entered its sea trials in January 2026, and it’s expected to be officially commissioned in 2027. It began construction in 2015, so that’s a full 12 years from laying down its keel to commissioning.
The Chinese aircraft carrier Type 003 “Fujian” is the most advanced of China’s carriers, and it was first laid down in 2017. While it was commissioned in 2025, gaining two years on the U.S.’ latest carrier, it doesn’t seem likely that China will be able to complete six more by 2035. That said, the more China builds its carriers, the faster it’s likely to produce them, as it developed the Type 003 and forthcoming Type 004 after decades of research and experimentation.
The DoD’s annual report to Congress doesn’t detail how China might go about building its remaining desired carriers. The Type 004 carrier will likely take to the sea sometime in the late 2020s, and it’s unclear if China is developing any additional carriers at this time. According to the DoD’s report, the PLAN is interested in building a total of six Type 004 carriers, which will be larger than the USS Gerald R. Ford, and could push the PLAN into new heights as a global naval superpower.
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) ordered government agencies to patch their systems against a five-year-old GitLab vulnerability that is actively being exploited in attacks.
GitLab patched this server-side request forgery (SSRF) flaw (tracked as CVE-2021-39935) in December 2021, saying it could allow unauthenticated attackers with no privileges to access the CI Lint API, which is used to simulate pipelines and validate CI/CD configurations.
“When user registration is limited, external users that aren’t developers shouldn’t have access to the CI Lint API,” the company said at the time.
“An issue has been discovered in GitLab CE/EE affecting all versions starting from 10.5 before 14.3.6, all versions starting from 14.4 before 14.4.4, all versions starting from 14.5 before 14.5.2. Unauthorized external users could perform Server Side Requests via the CI Lint API.”
On Tuesday, CISA added the flaw to its list of vulnerabilities exploited in the wild and ordered Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) agencies to patch their systems within three weeks, by February 24, 2026, as mandated by Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 22-01.
While BOD 22-01 targets only federal agencies, CISA has urged all organizations, including those in the private sector, to prioritize securing their devices against ongoing CVE-2021-39935 attacks.
“These types of vulnerabilities are frequent attack vectors for malicious cyber actors and pose significant risks to the federal enterprise,” CISA warned. “Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.”
Shodan is currently tracking over 49,000 devices with a GitLab fingerprint exposed online, the vast majority of which are from China, and nearly 27,000 are using the default port 443.
GitLab says its DevSecOps platform has more than 30 million registered users and is used by over 50% of Fortune 100 organizations, including high-profile companies such as Nvidia, Airbus, Goldman Sachs, T-Mobile, and Lockheed Martin.
Yesterday, CISA also flagged a critical SolarWinds Web Help Desk vulnerability as actively exploited and ordered government agencies to patch systems within three days.
Modern IT infrastructure moves faster than manual workflows can handle.
In this new Tines guide, learn how your team can reduce hidden manual delays, improve reliability through automated response, and build and scale intelligent workflows on top of tools you already use.
For anyone who’s been tempted to make the move to Apple’s smartwatch but has yet to pull the trigger, this Series 11 deal we’ve spotted may just force your hand.
At full price, the Apple Watch Series 11 isn’t a cheap smartwatch, but this five-month-old wearable is now cheaper than what you’d expect to pay.
That’s because the 42mm GPS version, in either Jet Black, Rose Gold, Silver, or Grey, is down to $299 from $399.
They were around the same price around Christmas, so it’s nice to see the discount is back.
Apple’s Watch Series 11 is back at its best price, the other side of payday
The Apple Watch Series 11 dropping back to its best price, with 25% is a nice treat for the start of February.
Regardless of which Apple Watch you decide to pick up, you’ll be making a great addition to your iPhone, as it has a robust set of apps and it has great health and fitness tracking.
These deals all come with the sports band, where you’re getting one of Apple’s most alluring bands bundled with a case colour that’ll go with pretty much anything you wear.
Its always-on retina display makes it easy to take an update at a glance without having to raise your wrist each time.
It connects to your smartphone seamlessly over Bluetooth, plus the Apple Music and Podcast apps pre-installed on the device even allow you to save the battery of your phone by leaving it at home when you go out for a run, as you can sync audio files directly to the Apple Watch.
If you’re ready to take the plunge and experience everything that comes with Apple’s fantastic brand of smartwatches, then this Apple Watch Series 11 deal could be just what you need to get started.
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Anthropic’s Super Bowl commercial, one of four ads the AI lab dropped on Wednesday, begins with the word “BETRAYAL” splashed boldly across the screen. The camera pans to a man earnestly asking a chatbot (obviously intended to depict ChatGPT) for advice on how to talk to his mom.
The bot, portrayed by a blonde woman, offers some classic bits of advice. Start by listening. Try a nature walk! And then twists into an ad for a fictitious (we hope!) cougar-dating site called Golden Encounters. Anthropic finishes the spot by saying that while ads are coming to AI, they won’t be coming to its own chatbot, Claude.
Another commercial features a slight young man looking for advice on building a six pack. After offering his height, age, and weight, the bot serves him an ad for height-boosting insoles.
The Anthropic commercials are cleverly aimed at OpenAI’s users, after that company’s recent announcement that ads will be coming to ChatGPT’s free tier. And they caused an immediate stir, spawning headlines that Anthropic “mocks,” “skewers,” and “dunks on” OpenAI.
They are funny enough that even Sam Altman admitted on X that he laughed at them. But he clearly didn’t really find them funny. They inspired him to write a novella-sized rant that devolved into calling his rival “dishonest” and “authoritarian.”
In that post, Altman explains that an ad-supported tier is intended to shoulder the burden of offering free ChatGPT to many of its millions of users. ChatGPT is still the most popular chatbot by a large margin.
But the OpenAI CEO insisted the ads were “dishonest” in implying that ChatGPT will twist a conversation to insert an ad (and possibly for an off-color product, to boot).”We would obviously never run ads in the way Anthropic depicts them,” Altman wrote in the social media post. “We are not stupid and we know our users would reject that.”
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Indeed, OpenAI has promised ads will be separate, labeled, and will never influence a chat. But the company has also said it is planning on making them conversation-specific — which is the central allegation of Anthropic’s ads. As OpenAI explained on its blog, “We plan to test ads at the bottom of answers in ChatGPT when there’s a relevant sponsored product or service based on your current conversation.”
Altman then went on to fling some equally questionable assertions at his rival. “Anthropic serves an expensive product to rich people,” he wrote. “We also feel strongly that we need to bring AI to billions of people who can’t pay for subscriptions.”
But Claude has a free chat tier, too, with subscriptions at $0, $17, $100, and $200. ChatGPT’s tiers are $0, $8, $20, and $200. One could argue the subscription tiers are fairly equivalent.
Altman also alleged in his post that “Anthropic wants to control what people do with AI.” He argues it blocks usage of Claude Code from “companies they don’t like,” like OpenAI, and said Anthropic tells people what they can and can’t use AI for.
True, Anthropic’s whole marketing deal since day one has been “responsible AI.” The company was founded by two former OpenAI alums, after all, who claimed they grew alarmed about AI safety when they worked there.
Still, both chatbot companies have usage policies, AI guardrails, and talk about AI safety. And while OpenAI allows ChatGPT to be used for erotica while Anthropic does not, OpenAI, like Anthropic, has determined that some content should be blocked, particularly in regards to mental health.
Yet Altman took this Anthropic-tells-you-what-to-do argument to an extreme level when he accused Anthropic of being “authoritarian.”
“One authoritarian company won’t get us there on their own, to say nothing of the other obvious risks. It is a dark path,” he wrote.
Using “authoritarian” in a rant over a cheeky Super Bowl ad is misplaced, at best. It’s particularly tactless when considering the current geopolitical environment in which protesters around the world have been killed by agents of their own government. While business rivals have been duking it out in ads since the beginning of time, clearly Anthropic hit a nerve.
Tech
Microsoft exec Charlie Bell shifts to new role as Hayete Gallot returns from Google to lead security
In today’s installment of “As the Tech World Turns” …
A former Microsoft exec is returning to the company from Google to lead its security initiatives, replacing the former Amazon exec who’s exiting the security role to live out a longstanding engineering dream, serving as an individual contributor at the Redmond company.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced Wednesday that Hayete Gallot is rejoining Microsoft from Google Cloud as executive vice president of security, taking over the organization built by Charlie Bell in the more than four years since he joined Microsoft from Amazon Web Services.
Nadella said in the post that he had asked Bell “to take on a new role focused on engineering quality, reporting to me,” adding that they had been planning the transition for some time, “given his desire to move from being an org leader to being an IC engineer.”
Gallot was most recently president of customer experience for Google Cloud. Before that, she spent more than 15 years at Microsoft in senior leadership roles across engineering and sales, helping build the Windows and Office franchises, including security solutions.
“As we embark on one of the most significant transformations in our lifetime, realizing the astonishing potential of AI will only succeed if we can secure AI solutions and make them safe,” Gallot wrote on LinkedIn.
In his tenure in the role, Bell oversaw the development of Microsoft’s Security, Compliance, Identity, and Management organization into a major business as the company faced intense scrutiny over high-profile breaches by Russian and Chinese hackers.
GEEKWIRE ARCHIVE: Exec inherits Microsoft’s complex security legacy
He led the Secure Future Initiative, launched in late 2023 and described as the largest cybersecurity engineering effort in Microsoft’s history, mobilizing the equivalent of 34,000 full-time engineers to overhaul the company’s security practices.
“Folks who’ve known me for the last 25 years will know that my LinkedIn title was simply ‘engineer’ for most of my executive career,” Bell wrote in a post about the news, adding that he’s excited to regain the title and “all the rights and privileges” that come with it.
Canon released its first PowerShot camera back in 1996 with a 0.5-megapixel sensor, helping kickstart the digital photo revolution. To celebrate that 30-year anniversary, the company has unveiled a Limited Edition version of its still-popular PowerShot G7 X III compact camera. It has a few unique touches but is otherwise the same as the original model released nearly seven years ago.
The limited edition model has a new “graphite” color with a knurled front ring designed to exude “luxury and quality,” Canon wrote. It also carries 30 year anniversary logo printed on the body “to create a special feeling suitable for limited edition models,” the company added in the most Canon-y way possible.
Canon’s Limited Edition PowerShot G7 X III compact camera (Canon)
As a reminder, the G7 X III was one of the first cameras announced specifically as a model for vloggers, thanks to its ability to shoot vertical video for Instagram. It features a 20.1MP sensor, flip-up 3-inch touchscreen, 24-100mm f/1.8-2.8 zoom lens and a microphone input. It supports 4K 30 fps video with no cropping and can shoot 1080p at 120 fps. The piece de resistance is direct streaming to YouTube directly over Wi-Fi, then a new thing but now a common feature. It originally retailed for $749.
The G7 X III had been in short supply until recently, but used models became popular with influencers several years ago and started selling way above list price. Possibly because of that viral fame, Canon announced in August 2025 that it was increasing production and the G7 X III started returning to stock a few months later priced at $880.
Canon’s Limited Edition PowerShot G7 X III compact camera (Canon)
The Limited Edition G7 X III is selling for a lot more than that at $1,299, though it does come with a limited edition Peak Design cuff wrist strap and 32GB SD card. If you want to one-up the influencers and grab one, shipping will start in April 2026.
Along with the camera, Canon announced a pair of interesting new RF-mount full-frame lenses. The first is the ultra wide angle RF 14mm f/1.4 L VCM prime model priced at $2,599, promising bright, high quality optics. The other is a very interesting $1,899 RF7-14mm f/2.8-3.5 L Fisheye STM zoom lens with up to a 190 degree perspective at the widest setting.
Amazon reports fourth-quarter earnings Thursday, capping a tech earnings season dominated by a single question: whether the industry’s AI spending binge will ultimately be worth it.
The company has allocated about $125 billion for capital expenditures in 2025, much of it to build out its AI and data center infrastructure, while cutting about 30,000 corporate jobs since October in what CEO Andy Jassy has described as a campaign against bureaucracy.
Key numbers: Wall Street expects $211-212 billion in fourth-quarter revenue (near the top of Amazon’s guidance range) with operating income of roughly $25 billion and earnings per share around $1.96, up about 5% from the same quarter a year ago.
Cloud growth: Investors will be listening for 2026 capital spending plans, and looking at the pace of growth in Amazon Web Services to get a sense for whether that spending is paying off. In the third quarter, AWS revenue grew about 20% year-over-year to $33 billion, its fastest pace since late 2022.
“We expect 2026 to be a big year for AWS,” Wedbush analyst Scott Devitt wrote in a recent note, adding that the firm sees “opportunity for further upside to operating income expectations.”
But underscoring the uncertain outlook for long-term cloud and AI demand, William Blair analyst Dylan Carden estimated that AWS could grow anywhere from 21% to 36% annually through 2027 — which he jokingly called “a perfectly narrow range” for financial modeling.
Retail outlook: It might be easy to forget in the AI frenzy, but unlike most other tech companies, Amazon is also a major retailer and e-commerce platform, and the fourth quarter, of course, is peak season.
Wedbush analysts expect Amazon’s online stores revenue to reach $82.5 billion in the fourth quarter, an increase of 9.3% from the same quarter a year ago. That would be slightly ahead of the broader consensus estimate for the segment of $82.1 billion.
The firm’s consumer survey found that 46% of U.S. consumers planned to increase their online spending in the fourth quarter, with 62% intending to spend more on Amazon specifically over the next 12 months, well ahead of rivals Walmart (53%) and Target (23%).
Logistics and grocery: Amazon said this week that it delivered more than 13 billion items the same or next day globally in 2025, a new record for the third consecutive year.
As a counterpoint to the recent closure of its Amazon Fresh and Go stores, the company has been expanding same-day delivery of perishable groceries to more than 2,300 cities.
And returning to the topic of AI, the company’s shopping assistant Rufus has been used by 250 million customers, with shoppers 60% more likely to complete a purchase when they use it.
But the retail landscape is more competitive than it has been in years, with Walmart, Temu, and Shein all pressuring Amazon’s margins and forcing the company to lean harder on delivery speed and Prime loyalty to defend its position.
Check back Thursday afternoon for coverage.
Valve has pushed back the launch of its Steam Machine, Steam Frame and Steam Controller hardware from its original Q1 2026 window to a vaguer “first half of the year” target, blaming the ongoing memory and storage shortage that has been squeezing the tech industry.
The company said in a post today that rising component prices and limited availability forced it to revisit both its shipping schedule and pricing plans. Valve had previously indicated the Steam Machine would be priced at the entry level of the PC space.
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