Apple is asking a federal court to dismiss the YouTuber AI training lawsuit, on the grounds that publicly available YouTube videos are lawfully accessible under both the DMCA and YouTube’s Terms of Service.

In April 2026, a collection of YouTube channels sued Apple, claiming the company had scraped videos from YouTube to train internal AI models.

The class-action lawsuit was headed up by Ted Entertainment, owners of the h3h3Productions channels and podcast. Two golf channels, MrShortGameGolf and Golfholics, were also involved.

Apple has responded three months later to the suit. According to the court document spotted by MacRumors, Apple argued that the plaintiffs made the videos publicly available on YouTube, and that both the DMCA and YouTube’s Terms of Service permitted the company to access them.

“Plaintiffs allege that they posted audiovisual works to YouTube, and that any member of the public can see them there,” reads Apple’s response. “No password. No payment. No lock. No key. Allegedly, YouTube employs technological measures to prevent unauthorized downloading. But because YouTube provides public access to the videos, the alleged technological measures do not control access to the works, as section 1201(a) requires.”

Apple is requesting the court throw out the lawsuit as the plaintiffs have failed to state a claim.

Neuralink has taken a clear step toward simpler brain implant surgery. In May a team at University Health Network’s Toronto Western Hospital carried out the company’s first transdural procedure on a clinical trial participant. Within an hour of the operation the person began moving a computer cursor using only thoughts. Recovery followed the expected path with no surprises.

The dura mater is a thick, protective membrane that wraps around the brain like a shield. It is thicker than a good piece of leather and serves to protect the delicate tissue inside from regular knocks and bumps. In the early days of Neuralink surgeries, as with most traditional brain operations, surgeons had to clip or peel aside a section of this membrane to reach the cortex. The extra procedure, a durectomy, adds a lot of time to the operation and required extremely cautious hands because the membrane is quite thick, the brain is sloshing around inside, and the blood arteries are hidden from view.

This time, the team was able to leave the dura intact, which was quite a change, since the surgical robot just drove its hair-thin electrical threads directly through the membrane and into the cortex underneath without ever touching it with a knife or pulling it back. This minor adjustment removes one of the most sensitive aspects of manual dexterity from the operating room. Getting to this stage was no easy task, as the team had to undertake a lot of new engineering on the initial needle to make it powerful enough to pierce the dura consistently. They ended up enlarging it somewhat and then spending hundreds of hours testing synthetic membranes that matched the genuine thing in terms of thickness and puncture resistance. They also developed new imaging capabilities that enabled the robot to work while the membrane was still in place.

One tool uses a dye injected into the bloodstream and then infrared light illuminates all of the blood vessels through the dura, allowing the robot to delicately thread its way around them. Another approach employs a laser to bounce back a measurement of the distance from the top of the dura to the surface of the moving cortex, all while allowing for the brain’s natural squishing. The robot uses these live maps to place the threads precisely without damaging any blood vessels. The opening in the skull remains small, roughly the size of a quarter. Once all of the threads are in place, the implant is secured and the skin closes. The entire process feels more tighter and more simplified than previous versions, where the dura was trimmed.

This person took part in Neuralink’s current clinical trials, which are aimed at patients suffering from paralysis caused by spinal cord injuries or ALS. The speedy restoration to cursor control indicated that the threads were sending signals immediately, and doctors watched recovery and found nothing strange, since the new strategy appeared to operate perfectly. Neuralink put it quite simply: the best step is no step at all. Removing the dura cut makes the entire process much safer and more repeatable, pointing toward surgeries that stay safer and repeat more easily when more patients come forward.
[Source]

Hong Kong has become the main artery for high-tech goods flowing in and out of China, and its chip trade has hit record levels. The city accounted for more than half of China’s $239bn in semiconductor imports in the first five months of 2026, according to a Bloomberg review of official data.

That share stood at just a third a decade ago. Between January and May, Hong Kong re-exported $124bn worth of chips to the mainland, some 52% of China’s total purchases.

Official figures published in late June showed the city’s trade with China grew nearly 50% in May from a year earlier. Bloomberg reports that is the fastest rate since 1992, outside the pandemic years.

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“Hong Kong’s strong air cargo network and free-port status have made it a perfect trading hub for semiconductors, which are high-value, low-weight and time-sensitive,” Natixis senior economist Gary Ng told Bloomberg. “Chipmakers can ship via Hong Kong on a frequent, stable schedule or store for future sales with flexibility.”

A $2tn trade network

The former British colony operates as a free port with no import tariffs and no capital controls, a contrast with the mainland’s financial restrictions and red tape. That has made it a critical cog in the AI-driven commercial system taking shape across Asia, where governments such as South Korea are pouring hundreds of billions into chips and data centres.

Economists at HSBC estimate AI trade within Asia has doubled from pre-pandemic levels to almost $2tn in 2025. Hong Kong alone exported nearly $159bn of AI-related goods last year, according to consultancy Oxford Economics, the fifth-largest total in Asia and more than Japan.

“Hong Kong’s strength lies in facilitating the movement of AI-related goods rather than producing them,” Oxford Economics economist Yongshi Mai told Bloomberg.

AI-related electronics now account for 57% of the city’s exports, up from 44% in 2024, according to research by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC). Barclays puts the share as high as 70%.

The council this week more than doubled its 2026 export growth forecast for the city to over 20%, citing an AI-driven “technology upcycle”. The boom helped Hong Kong’s economy expand 5.9% in the first quarter, its fastest pace in almost five years.

Caught between Washington and Beijing

The middleman role cuts both ways. Hong Kong lacks the chip fabs of Taiwan and South Korea or the heft of the mainland market, leaving it exposed to the whims of the US-China chip war.

During Donald Trump’s first presidency, Washington stripped the city of its special customs privileges, treating it as part of China. Since Trump returned to the White House and tightened curbs on China’s access to advanced US chips, Hong Kong has ramped up purchases of American-made semiconductors, sourcing many from third countries.

Bloomberg suggests those are likely chips that fall outside the restrictions, though the data does not specify which models are moving. Asian transshipment routes have drawn growing scrutiny regardless, with US and Taiwanese authorities already probing alleged smuggling of Nvidia chips through the region.

Mainland firms may also prefer Hong Kong intermediaries because payments and currency conversion are easier than dealing directly with foreign suppliers. “As a middleman, Hong Kong has figured out a way to handle the payments,” Stanford University research scholar and former Hong Kong lawmaker Charles Mok told Bloomberg.

The geopolitical exposure is pushing the city to hunt for new markets, with Chief Executive John Lee personally leading trade missions to the Middle East, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia. His June trip to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan yielded 96 agreements worth over $1.65bn.

For now, AI is where the growth is

Some 40% of the chips Hong Kong handles are supplied by China itself, with a fifth coming from Taiwan, followed by Singapore and South Korea. The city has overtaken the mainland as Taiwan’s top chip export market, according to Bloomberg’s calculations, a shift not yet visible in Taiwan’s own headline trade figures.

China’s own semiconductor exports soared 111% in May to $36bn, the fastest growth since 2013, even as the mainland remains a net importer of advanced chips and races to build domestic alternatives. In May alone, Hong Kong absorbed over $40bn of Chinese exports, the biggest monthly haul since 2015.

Semiconductors drove more than a third of that export value, according to Chinese customs data. For much of ocean freight, meanwhile, Hong Kong’s middleman role has been fading for years as mainland ports in Shanghai, Ningbo, and Shenzhen ship goods directly to global markets.

In the highest-value trade, though, the city has held on. Its common-law courts remain more trusted by international investors than the mainland’s legal system, even as Beijing tightens its political grip.

“When it comes to products that have very high intellectual property content, Hong Kong still has a role in assuring quality, verifying standards and protecting IP,” University of Hong Kong economics professor Heiwai Tang told Bloomberg. “Hong Kong still has all the institutional advantages.”

The city’s aviation hub status is another edge, because the mainland enforces stricter controls on electronics carried by air. “This is something that other transshipment hubs like Singapore simply cannot do,” Nam Pak Hong Association vice chairman Michael Li Chi Fung told Bloomberg.

Long before you notice the symptoms of, say, the flu or COVID-19, your body starts changing in subtle ways. Taken individually, changes to your skin temperature, resting heart rate or respiratory patterns may not mean much. But when combined and compared to your baseline, they may hint that you’re coming down with something.

Research has shown that wearables can detect physiological changes from respiratory infections before symptoms appear. (It’s worth noting that they’re detecting the body’s response to an infection, not the virus or bacteria itself.) A recent study from Texas A&M and Stanford found that smartwatches may detect early signs of COVID-19 and influenza within hours of infection. The researchers estimated that encouraging people to isolate, get tested and seek treatment earlier could reduce pandemic transmission by up to 50 percent.

Of course, wearables, pandemics and the seasonal flu have been around for many years, but recent developments in AI and sensor technology could push things forward. Companies like Google, Oura and Whoop have all introduced some version of an AI coach or advisor in their apps, helping users make sense of their data. 

There are also features that aren’t labeled “AI,” like Oura’s Symptom Radar and Apple’s Vitals that piece together information from multiple sensors and compare it with your baseline. And the processing ability of the latest AI language models, like Google’s Gemini in the company’s Health Coach, will likely play an increasingly important role in tying it all together and suggesting actionable steps. But like proprietary recovery scores, much of that AI analysis will happen behind the scenes, offering little that doctors can reliably act on.

At best, AI health analyses will nudge people to seek treatment earlier. At worst, they might encourage people to substitute computer-generated advice for consultations with medical professionals. 

While today’s AI systems come with warnings to check with real-world doctors, there is still the risk of people taking wearable data or app insights as the be-all and end-all verdict on their health. Whether it’s information from a miniaturized sensor on your wrist or advice given by a chatbot on your phone, nothing can replace regular physical health checkups with doctors and medical professionals. 

The future of wearable health probably won’t be a smartwatch that diagnoses disease from your wrist — the fabled wrist Tricorder. Instead, it’s more likely to be a device that quietly watches for patterns, nudges you when something looks off and gives you another piece of useful information to discuss with your doctor.

Paraguay are the latest team attempting to stop free-flowing France as the sides meet in Philadelphia at the FIFA World Cup 2026 — and you can live stream the last-16 clash around the world for free.

La Albirroja’s tournament has been a story of resilience. Bouncing back from a 4-1 opening-game defeat by co-hosts USA to qualify as one of the best third-place teams was impressive. Yet absorbing wave after wave of pressure against Germany in the last 32 to snatch a 1-1 draw, before beating the four-time winners on penalties, was another thing entirely. Now, manager Gustavo Alfaro faces his greatest challenge of the tournament to date, as he seeks to stop a France side who have scored 13 goals in four games. Midfielder Diego Gomez should return after missing the Germany match through suspension.

Fourth of July update: The Anker Soundcore Boom 3I is perfect for pool parties, beach days and any other summer adventures, and you can pick one up for just $95 at Amazon thanks to Fourth of July pricing. That’s a $35 discount. While it’s not the all-time lowest price we’ve seen, it is a great bargain on an excellent portable Bluetooth speaker. Just be aware the only color in stock at the $95 price point is green.

In some ways, Anker’s new Soundcore Boom 3I is the spiritual successor to the Soundcore Motion Plus. It’s similarly shaped but has more of an outdoor adventure slant, with Anker touting it as “built for the wild” and billing it as the first Bluetooth speaker with playback in water, as it floats and “auto-corrects” to keep the speaker drivers facing upward just above the surface. All that adds to a perfect speaker for backyard hangouts or hot tubbing, so you might want to snag one on the cheap while the Prime Day deals are in full swing.

I’ve used the Soundcore Boom 3I for several months and have mainly been impressed with it, though the speaker is a lot easier to recommend to CNET readers at $35 off select colors.

As you’d expect from a speaker that promotional photos show strapped onto a kayak (it does have a detachable carrying strap), the Soundcore Boom 3I is fully waterproof and dust-resistant, with an IP68 rating. Anker takes things a step further, touting the Boom 3I as “5x” saltwater-resistant. “While typical speakers may rust in under five months, Boom 3I stays corrosion-free for up to two years of beach, boat and seaside use.”  

Read more: Best Bluetooth Speakers of 2026

You shouldn’t expect audiophile sound from a mono Bluetooth speaker of this ilk. But for the most part, the Soundcore Boom 3I gives you what you want from a portable Bluetooth speaker from a sound perspective. By that I mean it plays loud for its size — it weighs about 1.8 pounds and measures 8.3 by 3.1 by 3.3 inches — plus it puts out a reasonable amount of bass and has fairly respectable clarity. You can find speakers that sound a little more natural, but these types of rugged portable speakers aren’t designed for critical listening.

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I used it outdoors and inside in a few rooms, including a bathroom (it does make for a good bathroom speaker), and it was able to fill smaller rooms with sound. You can tweak the sound with the equalizer settings in the Soundcore companion app for iOS and Android and play around with the settings for the built-in beat-synched LED light show, which I kept turned off most of the time. You can also pair two of these speakers up in stereo mode and get significantly better sound.  

I tested the speaker’s playback in water by dropping it in a pool. It indeed flipped over, so the speaker drivers were facing up, and the music kept playing, though the audio got a little garbled when a little wave passed over the speaker, and the drivers started spitting water out. In other words, it certainly sounds better out of the water than in it.

One of the problems with Bluetooth devices is that Bluetooth doesn’t transmit through water, which is why you have to load MP3s into memory when using wireless headphones while swimming (you can’t stream music to the headphones if your head is underwater). I don’t know where the Bluetooth antenna is on this speaker, but presumably it’s on the side that stays above the surface when the speaker is floating. 

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You can actually activate a Buzz Clean mode from the app that makes the speaker vibrate and shed dirt and particles, like sand after a day at the beach. After finishing the Buzz Clean, you can then rinse off the speaker to get it truly clean. 

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The speaker also has another interesting feature: Holding down the “BassUp” bass-boost button for 5 seconds sets off a 96-decibel emergency alarm — Anker says it’s clearly audible at up to 100 meters — with flashing red LED lights. You can hit any button to turn the alarm off. 

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Battery life is rated for 16 hours at moderate volumes, which is decent for a speaker this size. It’s also worth pointing out that the Boom 3I has a Bluetooth range of 100 feet, which is better than the more typical 33 feet you get with many Bluetooth speakers.

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Samsung’s long-running Messages app is officially reaching the end of the road.

After years of gradually shifting users towards Google’s messaging platform, Samsung will stop supporting Samsung Messages on July 6. This marks the final step in its transition to Google Messages.

The move isn’t exactly a surprise. Earlier this year, Samsung confirmed it planned to retire its in-house messaging app. However, the shutdown date has now been confirmed through an in-app notice spotted by users.

Once support ends, Samsung Messages will stop working on Galaxy devices running Android 12 or later. If you’re using a newer Galaxy phone running Android 14 or newer, the switch will be even more seamless. In this case, Samsung will automatically replace the Samsung Messages app icon on your home screen with Google Messages.

Exclusive 4th of July deals are in effect at OWC, dropping prices for enclosures, docks, and Thunderbolt 5 cables to as low as $19.99.

The sale includes a variety of accessories for your Mac or iPad, with OWC’s 11-Port Thunderbolt 5 Dock especially enticing at $229.99 after a $69 discount.

You can also pick up a Thunderbolt 5 cable for $19.99 and a ThunderBay 4 Enclosure for $309.99. The four-bay Thunderbolt (40Gb/s) external storage enclosure for 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch SATA drives is a great way to expand your storage, especially if you’re a content creator needing an abundance of space.

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